Random Ramblings Which Began as a Quickie

I have fodder for a nice long post whenever time permits, but for now I'll put out a short one. This morning is the first time I have a couple of hours to take my nine-year-old pup, Emma (the sweet honey-colored one) to the vet to get a lump checked and to get a bath and nails done, etc. Emma's my first dog, she's dear to my heart, and I'm a little worried about the lump. Send good vibes our way if you've got any to spare.

For my quickie today, I just want to comment on chocolate.

When I chose a vegan life almost a year ago, a thought that haunted me that I had to wilfully suppress on a number of occasions was that Nutella would be a thing of the past (dairy). So the other day when I came across Justin (that's what I will call him) I fell in love. Justin is essentially vegan nutella, but less sweet. Perfect! Sugar doesn't float my boat so much anymore anyway. I sampled Justin in tiny, pea-sized bits straight from the jar and was very satisfied. So next, I put a big honkin' spoonful on top of my oatmeal. I did not like it. Too much. Also, Justin is not as appealing to me melted. Who'd have thunk it?

Teasing my next post, I hosted bunco last night at my home. It was a perfect chance for me to create some vegan masterpieces that would also appeal to my omnivore friends. I believe all the creations were hits.  Appropriate photos and recipes will be included in the post, as promised ladies. As expected, the star of the show was Alicia's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups from The Kind Diet. I made them in a mini size, however, since they are so rich. I did not try them last night, knowing what chocolate does to me post-2:00 p.m. or so (no sleep). So at 6:30 a.m. this morning as I was rousing my kids for school, after staying up until midnight putting the food away, I sampled my wares. Verdict: very good, but I was loving the peanut butter portion. My body is off chocolate! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the taste of it, but there was an aversion or something. I did not feel ill, I was just missing that rock-star feeling I get from whole, pure foods. I'll leave the rest of the chocolate to the others. I don't feel sad about the chocolate chapter of my life (mostly) closing. I'll still treat myself with pea-sized bits of Justin.

I realize my quickie is turning out not to be (I think I am subconsciously sabotaging my trip to the vet) so, while I'm on a roll, let me add one more random thing: As I was typing this post, this album by Mumford and Sons popped up in my Amazon Associates box as a popular item. I just want to say I am surprised to see it, since I thought we were the only ones who knew about these guys. It's a great album, and "Little Lion Man" is the best, though rife with expletives. I don't feel they are gratuitous, though, as the song is very emotionally powerful, in an Irish bent (thought I believe they are British?) The bad words add to the song. Just don't play it around your kids. Maybe everyone already knows about Mumford & Sons, I don't know. I'm only a sheltered 40-something Georgia girl. But it's a good album.

Okay -- thanks for bearing with me. It's time to get responsible and get my puppy to the vet. Stay tuned for my Bunco food!