Speaking of cake

I had 7 eggs that were approximately 3 days past the expiration day. Let's say I'm not a big egg consumer, but they were 99 cents for a dozen over Labor Day weekend. How could I pass that up? Yes, that is when they made their first appearance in my fridge. However, we also had cake mix that required a whopping 3 eggs! Score!

It was Pillsbury German chocolate cake mix. There was also funfetti, but we decided to go with the chocolate for obvious reasons. I mean, there are certain things in life you should never have to live without and one of those things is cake. And if one of the options is German chocolate cake, you would be a fool to pass it up. Seriously. Why deprive your taste-buds? Seriously.

So apparently German chocolate has nothing to do with Germany. A man who went by Samuel German invented it. It's a baking chocolate with the sugar already added. He thought it would be more convenient. What a swell guy!

Speaking of swell men, has anyone heard of Coenraad Johannes van Houten? Perhaps you have heard of Dutch chocolate. C.J. was a Dutch chocolate maker who invented the cocoa press, which treats cocoa with an alkalizing agent and gives it a milder flavor. The Dutch process also destroys antioxidants, but what I'm really into it for is the yummy deliciousness!

Swiss chocolate refers to... you guessed it: Switzerland! Swiss chocolates offer no misleadings. Don't you love that? Straightforward and high class, just like Roger Federer. Being the pioneering chocolatiers they are, the Swiss have refined chocolate into a high class indulgence using only the best ingredients. Don't we love them for it? Manifest destiny!

Where was my life before Switzerland? In Belgium. Even the Swiss imported from Belgium. Belgian chocolate is best known for its quality ingredients and also its stubborn devotion to old world manufacturing techniques. In a fast paced world where it's all about mass production and automatic chocolate spitter-outters, it's nice to come across chocolate still made by hand in small shops using original equipment. And don't we love them for it!

Aren't we forgetting a neighbor? Not as renowned, but just as delicious is French chocolate - another source of Swiss chocolate (I guess Swiss aren't so original after all). Chocolate seems to be a secret the French have kept for themselves, and what a shame! Just like wine, the French have a standard for chocolate just as well - a definite preference for fine dark chocolate. Not only chocolate, but the French have a knack for creating unique masterpieces with their chocolate by mingling exotic fruits and spices with traditional scents and flavors. A variety of quality ingredients and pure dark chocolate make French chocolate more than an indulgence, it's an art.

Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet

Does anybody remember all those giant balls all over Museum campus that one Chicago summer? Upon closer inspection, it was found that they were in fact globes. Upon even closer inspection, it was found that each of these globes had a theme. All of them were created by different artists and organizations and they were all environmentally themed. Each globe was about a way to reduce global warming, live greener, etc. Neat, huh? I remember getting dizzy on the one that spun located between the Shedd and the Field Museum. I remember one with little lights - like the earth at night. I remember hanging off one to try to get a silly snapshot at night with a camera sitting on a bike because it had a high ISO.






















While touristing in August, I was delighted to discover these globes in SF (top at the Ferry Plaza, bottom at Pier 39)! I immediately recalled my Chicago globes. It was like a little piece of home had traveled with me. So I looked them up, and not only are they in Chicago, but also San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and London!

CoolGlobes is a "non-profit organization established to raise awareness of global warming and inspire individuals and community leaders to embrace solutions." It was launched in Chicago during the summer of 2007. I really liked them and was sad to see that they had left. So I was glad to see their encore that following summer. But, alas, I was to depart my beloved city.

Cool art. Cool message. CoolGlobes.

Wild geese chase

On this the first of September, at the end of a three day weekend after a three day week of school (as it should always be), I decided it would be appropriate to do something about the overripe bananas bathed in their own ethylene on my kitchen counter.
Thus began my quest for Extreme Banana Nut Bread (that's really what it's called).
The day's journey began at Point E (refer to map). I made my way on the bus to Safeway (grocery store) at Point D. I picked up flour, sugar, eggs, etc... The lady at the checkout counter suggested zucchini bread.* And then I ran into my roommate from last year, whose place I was at last night, at the bus stop back, but that's besides the point.
We rode the bus back to Point A (where her apartment also is) and... drumroll please, Max, the Dollar Tree! I was looking for 9x5 inch baking pans. They did not have any. I proceeded to Long's Drugs (like Walgreens) at Point B. Nothing but empty aisles (not that empty, there were probably 2 or 3 other customers). Point C is where an actual Walgreens is. To no avail. Now I got on the bus again to Safeway. Do you remember? It was so long ago. Point D. And they weren't even the right size.
So the assembly line proceeded smoothly back at my current temporary residence.
Nothing disastrous this time. Not too shabby for a first banana nut bread. Although, I don't see how it's supposed to be extreme.

* Opening for a sequel?
Max lived on my floor last year. He's a drummer and he made his own drum set, multiple. He's setting up his drums in his basement. Little bit totally cool.
Kevin likes banana nut bread.