FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Archives for July 2011

Schakolad

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I learned a few new things tonight, namely things about chocolate.  Like… Did you know that cocoa comes from nibs within those little pebbles and those little pebbles come from the oversized date looking thing?  I surely didn’t.

Tonight The Junior League of Tampa Cookbook Committee met at Schakolad for our first social of the year.  I prefer social gatherings that are focused around activities because it gives everyone something to talk about, even if their brains are fried from a long day at the office.

We mixed.

We dipped.

We decorated.

But most importantly, we sampled!  The owner kept asking “Who likes XYZ chocolate?” and I kept saying “ME!!” and heading to the front of the sample line.  The most memorable sample of the night, which also probably means it was my favorite, was the Key Lime Truffle.  This was totally unexpected because typically white chocolate isn’t my thing.

Off To Make Schakolad, In Pictures

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Breakfast Drank: New Tea Flavor

Breakfast: Sprouted Wheat French Toast (egg & almond milk), Cooked with Coconut Oil and Topped with Pure Maple Syrup

Lunch: Leftover Tofu & Veggies

Lunch 2: Eggplant Fries with Chup

Dinner: Piping Hot Brown Rice Pasta with Marinara

Oh how I wish I had time to put spinach in my pasta, but I chose blog post over green.  I’m rushing out the door to make chocolate with my Junior League committee at Schakolad Chocolate Factory in… T minus ten minutes.

Can’t wait to see what this is all about!  Gotta jet!

Resolution #Fail

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So… I’ve officially broken all but one of my New Year’s resolutions.  My 365 Project lasted only a few weeks.  I try to make the most of Tampa, but I can’t stop longing for LA.  I just couldn’t help myself in the dairy department when faced with sea salted caramel brownies at the Taste of South Tampa.  And then meat…  I hadn’t had a single non-seafood meat craving until I went to Animal (THE carnivorous hip spot in LA) and sampled all sorts of animal.  It was at that point that I downward spiraled.  It’s a darn good thing I’ve been keeping good company!!!

On my last day in LA, Hansell grilled a feast complete with feta filled risotto, meat skewers, and grilled glazed donuts toped with melty ice cream.  Even I’m not crazy person enough to turn down that degree of temptation.  I gorged.

GORGED.

Upon my return home, I immediately reverted back to my non-dairy veggie state. Relief!  Relief that was totally destroyed when car accident Friday happened.  I nursed my neck-ache with champagne, fume blanc, and real cheese pizza.  Oh and I had real cheese pizza in LA.  I had fallen so far off the wagon.

But it gets worse…  When I drove home from St. Pete on Saturday, I lost complete control.  To avoid completely grossing you out, let’s just leave it at… I ate both Taco Bell and McDonalds on Saturday.  Are the WTFs flying yet?!

Even after all of this, I had zero intention of being a perma-meat eater again. But I’m not one to deny myself a little bit of out of control (OK a lot a bit of out of control).  I decided to give myself a proper send off  to veggie-ville by visiting an ultimate favorite of mine, the bar at Bern’s Steakhouse.  I ate the whole shebang: french onion soup, salad, baked potato with sour cream, chateaubriand, onion straws, and veggies.  Leftovers?  Ha!  Not at all.

The moral of this gluttonous story is…  My body is so far out of whack that I’m happily returning to non-dairy, veggie Kristin.  I stocked up on my pre-LA guilty pleasure spring rolls (which seem a lot less guilty now) and stir fried some marinated tofu and green beans for dinner.