Friends that eat chocolate together, stay together.

It’s true.  The endorphins that kick in while eating chocolate make you happier; when you’re happier you like the people you’re around more.  Naturally, whoever you’re around when you eat chocolate, you’ll end up liking them alot in the long run.

See, I told you I didn’t just open that bag of chocolate chips for a snack last night.

I owed a friend some cupcakes whose love for chocolate overpowers even mine.

Double Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 egg
4 Tbsp shortening (substituting oil works, too!)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk

Measure out dry ingredients

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add egg; mix. Add vanilla; mix. Alternate mixing in flour mixture and milk.

”] 

 

That melting chocolate is seriously making my mouth water..

Please excuse the odd decorations and focus on the chocolaty goodness

 

“Forget love … I’d rather fall in chocolate!” – Anonymous

Dark Chocolate on a Rainy Day

So this is what took me alllllll afternoon.  Scrabble is my dad’s trademark, so I knew I had to turn it into an edible version that he could enjoy even more than winning that beastly game.  Yes, there is a dip in the cake and therefore a dip in the fondant…it gives it personality, no?

I won’t lie-(my) pictures don’t do this baby justice.  Having no experience in the fondant world, I must brag a little and say I’m pretty pleased with the outcome!  More importantly, my crush for Duff on Ace of Cakes has, yet again, intensified.  Cake decorating is hard work.  

 

Dinner tonight came together quick.  My appetite is back and bigger than ever and the snacking was at an all-time high.  I threw a grilled veggie burger on a sandwich thin with my obsession mustard and a touch of ketchup over some melted Muenster cheese.

A salad for some greens and a sweet potato FTW.  I finally had a healthy meal that I felt good about eating.  It left me sufficiently stuffed (probably because I ate almost a whole bag of those Sweet Chili Quaker snacks…foodgasm), but not stuffed enough to resist this:

Dark chocolate.  And I mean dark…this stuff is hardly sweet at all, being 60% cacao.  I was more than pleased when I checked out the nutrition label on the back and found out that 16 (large) chocolate chips were only 80 calories.  Dark chocolate has always been good to me. AND there is a reason these were whipped out-new recipe tomorrow!  😀

I have an early morning wake-up call for a long run in the park.  But first, I must watch the 16 & Pregnant season finale.  Any fans out there?!  Please tell me I’m not the only one obsessed.

Goodnight! ❤