Dining

AUSTIN | A Loaf of Chocolate Swirled Cake

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After the epic fail that was my carrot “soup,” all I needed was some good old fashioned comfort food. Surprisingly, between the three Moosewood cookbooks I own, there isn’t a single classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Even though I wanted gooey, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips to chase away the taste of dirty carrot water, I had to settle for the next best thing ー Chocolate Swirled Bread. I’ve always been told that it’s important to define my terms, so I would like to do that before I begin. This is not bread.

Dining

AUSTIN | Throwing Stars and Sweatshirt Stains

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For the first installment of a Moosewood Mess, I started out with dessert because it seemed like a relatively easy first step — something very much within my comfort zone. I invited my friends for the inaugural Moosewood Meal, which only ramped up the pressure. I felt like I couldn’t disappoint them, but I also didn’t want to make something overly complicated and ruin everything before it even started. That brought me to Chocolate Cranberry Crunch bars and chocolate sugar cookies. 
When I first looked at the recipes, they seemed to be idiot-proof. However, it appears I’m an idiot.

brownies

Summertime Heat: Grilling is the New Baking

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Summertime can be difficult for baking aficionados; the Philadelphia heat and humidity discourages me from turning on the oven and heating up the house. Luckily, the grill can fulfill my craving for a homemade baked good. Many desserts that can be made in a skillet can be cooked on the grill. The difference between baking in an oven and on a grill is that an oven heats from all sides, while a grill heats from bottom up. On the grill, most desserts become crispier on the bottom and fudgier on top.

chocolate

ROVINE | Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Wellness Trend Obsessed

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The more passionate about health & wellness you are, the more familiar you might be with the delicate balancing act of chasing self-improvement and finding pure self-acceptance. I love eating in a way that makes me feel good from a holistic perspective and I know that minimizing grains, dairy and processed sugar helps with that. I also love chocolate. I love these cookies. They’re as “indulgent” and delicious as any.

Dining

Give Me Some Sugar: Valentine’s Day Candy Guide

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Valentine’s Day is pretty cool because it’s ranked second, behind only Halloween, among days when you can stuff your face with candy without being judged. And trust me, Valentine’s Day is MUCH better because you don’t have to wander aimlessly from house to house like a beggar collecting candy from your neighbors. You don’t even have to get dressed up in a promiscuous costume (although some of you may decide to — that’s none of my business).

Uncategorized

Chocolate Injustice

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The sweet taste of chocolate is something we probably all enjoy once in awhile, but chocolate is the cause of cruel and abusive treatment to one of the world’s most vulnerable populations. While child labor has been around since the dawn of civilization, the use of young labor is becoming an increasing problem in countries that harvest cocoa. Considering that chocolate is one of our most satisfying pleasures, cocoa is in high demand – and cheap labor is vital for maintaining low production costs for struggling farmers.