Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. 'Nuff Said.

So I was having a FIERCE craving for chocolate last week. Actually, that craving is always lying just below the surface...but on Friday it was 'specially bad.

I searched high and low (which for me means going to Pioneer Woman, or Smitten Kitchen, or Bakerella...and inputing a search term. Like "Chocolate. Now.") and found something that I thought would be really wonderful. It was. Truly.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, submitted by a user on Tasty Kitchen.

They were SO quick to make, SO easy to make, and satisfied that deep and intense craving in a way that nothing else would. And of course, they were exceptionally perfect with some fresh whipped cream on top. The cake part was spongy and moist (Only cakes can be described by the word "moist". It's just not socially acceptable to use it in any other context.) When you get to the middle, it's pure liquid chocolate goodness.

Really, try them out! They seriously took about 15 minutes to whisk together and then another 13 or so to bake. We made them in between catching up on Office episodes from last season. Although, after I ate one it was a little uncomfortable laughing at this particular extra, simply because I was so sated.



Seriously. If you have 8:26 minutes to waste, then this is a pretty hilarious montage. My personal favorite is #86.

It was quite an enjoyable Friday night!

Sushi

I love it.

I don't think a piece of it ever passed my lips until about 2 years ago.

And now I've eaten more of it in the past year than most people eat in a lifetime.

Only I can't even begin to contemplate eating it without first dipping it in copious amounts of soy sauce mixed with wasabi.

My friend Dawn eats sushi straight up. No soy sauce. No wasabi.

We had lunch together today at our favorite sushi spot, Maru. I have to admit, I felt sorrow in my heart for her as I soaked each of my sushi pieces in that spicy/salty mixture.

Some things are just meant to go together. Sushi and soy sauce. Amen.

Life's A Drag...

It's not, really. Not in a bad way, just in a "makes you drag" kind of way.

We have been SO busy. In the past month there have been a million little things that I've wanted to blog about but just couldn't get up the gumption to actually form the words and illustrate the pictures.

Namely...

~U2 concert

~Apple Festival

~The Hwang's shower

~Jeanine's wedding

~Christina's wedding

~Lacey's birthday

~Andy and Andy's concert

Plus the extra 2 shifts + 4 hours that I picked up this month...gotta make the Benjamin's, honey. We have a car and Christmas coming.

No wonder I fall asleep nearly every night on the couch during reruns of the Office.

Speaking of, I'm ready to downshift for Christmas. I want this year's holidays to be less about forcing myself to have the experience I think I should have...and more about enjoying whatever comes my way. Spending time with those I love. Baking all sorts of yummies that I will give away (after sampling, of course), because that seems to make folks happy.

To that end, there is not one little thing on my calendar for the month of November...except for this. We have a couple of B&B gift certificates that we have squirreled away for just a time as this, and I can't wait. It will be our first va-cay without Ian.

I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing.

Dragon Tales

I love this little dragon!

The Great Pumpkin

We carved our pumpkin last night. Ian and I did the "grunt" work before Paul got home, which involved big spoons and lots of slimy seeds. Ian kept popping wads of pumpkin innards into his mouth, while enjoying each chance to spit out said innards with great flair and drama. He's a funny kid.

As you can see, we kept it simple. No crazy carvings here, just plain old grinning Jack 'O Lantern. Ian is going to a festival tomorrow where he will be the scariest darn dragon you ever saw. Pictures to come.

I was strongly reminded of how much I love this time of year, as I smelled the fresh pumpkin and crunched through the leaves on a walk yesterday. Not to mention the candy. THE CANDY!

My friend Allison linked this article recently, and I found it to be very interesting...a little food for thought. It's helpful to shed some historical light on the subject, to be sure.

Have a Spook-tacular Halloween, everyone!

A Few Of His Favorite Things...

...pictured here. Broom, Tupperware, and bib/sippy cup drawer contents.

What has your booger done lately to exasperate you?

It's Raining Boogers,

...Hallelujah, It's Raining Boogers. (Set to the tune of that other famous song...)

This week everyone decided to have babies. It's pretty much a proven fact now that if you attend the childbirth education class that Kristin and I pseudo-teach, you will have your babies all in the same week. (Christy, it's your turn now!!! You have until next Wednesday.)

Seriously, though. I was blessed and privileged to be there for the births of two of my very best friend's firstborns. (And in Lacey's case, second-borns)

(All images shamelessly stolen from Facebook)

Ms.Coraleigh Paige Merrell was born at 4AM on October 12, 2009

Nathan and Noah Turner were born at 3:29 and 3:30 PM, respectively, on October 14, 2009