it's chocolate (recipe i.)

remember this? "try 16 recipes."

via

so i made chocolate the other day.

by myself.

elisabeth fong. making chocolate.

{no the world isn't going to end now, nor in 2025. unless He comes back, but that's a different story}

and you're probably like, "seriously. is that even possible? and i bet hers doesn't taste as good as hersheys."

well duh. maybe that's because i'm not a globally renowned company with an operating income of 905 million bucks.
and maybe it's also because i wanted a healthier alternative.

maybe you know, maybe you don't, but i've been having eczema spontaneously flaring up on my hands. not fun at all. because there was no apparent reason for my condition, except my unfortunate habit of needing something (usually junk food) to eat when studying, my mom pronounced me gluten intolerant, soy intolerant, lactose intolerant, water intolerant. yes, water intolerant. don't you know that eczema people can't constantly touch water because water is an enemy to eczema infected people? go do you research. well, except for showering. i made that an exception. i still try to keep myself clean (aren't you glad i'm actually telling you this?).

i've learnt to do most things with my index finger and thumb, because those have escaped the claws of this non-communicable disease (again, do you research. i'm not in an isolated room with only a crack of sunlight and a pan of gluten-free food pushed in through the hole in the door daily...although i do wish i had a pan of prepared GF food, so i don't have to overuse my four good fingers). i've even taught myself how to write with two fingers. impossible? i beg to differ.

but i've learned to cope with it. once it's cleared, i can start take things "in moderation," which essentially means The Mother rationing out the amount i can eat in grams to the nearest hundredth decimal point because i tend to overdo it. you get the idea.

the amazing thing is that this change in diet seems to be helping. the situation seems to be improving, and after it's cleared, i can start to test my allergens, which also means eating the things i'm suspected to be allergic to (!!!). Mom just made those guesses because my good 'ol Gramps is allergic to gluten, Daddy's sorta intolerant of seafood, and Gramma doesn't take a lot of dairy because of personal preferences. i just hope it doesn't run that much in the family. but, i've found a ton of recipes online that allow people that can't take gluten to eat bread! and lactose-intolerant people to eat chocolate! indeed, this is quite a feat of nature.

some websites i fell in love with are:

- Gluten-Free Goddess {i go to Karina's website almost everyday and stare at the sheer beauty of the things i can eat as a person as possibly intolerant to many things}

- Hope's Kitchen {a recipe blog that give hope to gluttons like myself forced into this lifestyle. she has a recipe for amazing apple fritters that i just cannot wait to try. as soon as i can eat yeast. which will be soon.}

- The Gluten Free Scallywag {doncha just love the name? this one's a recently discovered jewel that i added to my collection of websites i love}

{maybe i should start talking about what i was initially supposed to post about}

right. we were talking about chocolate that i made.

and can i just say it was the first chocolate i had eaten in more than a month and that it was the amazingestest chocolate i've ever tasted? {allow me to have a moment fangirling my chocolate here. k thks}

i've had this chocolate craving for an immensely long period of time. essentially slightly longer than the hiatus (love that word, by the way) in my blogging. so i said to myself, girl, you gotta make yourself some dairy-free chocolate.

so i did what every person would most probably do. i googled it and found a basic recipe for chocolate using coconut oil and cocoa powder. just so happened, The Parents are, i would say, reasonably obsessed with coconut oil as a healthy supplement to combat viruses. so we have lots of it in our house. cocoa powder? no problem. Mom bakes, and we have hershey's 100% cocoa powder {fine. i did use hersheys. but my chocolate is still (considerably) healthy and homemade}. we did have slivered almonds, and raisins,  sugar, and honey, and almond milk (which is dairy-free) to give it a milky, dairy-free texture.

i modified this recipe to whatever i had at home. and the rest is history that is sitting comfortably in my tummy. and because i used coconut oil which boost metabolic rate, it's less guilt for the hips, too.

oh yeah, and SW, as soon as i finish fangirling my chocolate and getting hyped up on food alternatives, i promise to work on the sunshine award, dear. thankies xx. 

live to eat, eat to live || ♥

updates | coolness, craziness (i.)

hakuna matata


what a extremely wonderful word (did you know that, aside from coming from the lion king, it's a swahili word? i know, that just adds to the overall coolness of this word!!). i think it's one of my favorites now. hakuna matata--no worries! it's all good! so put on a smile!

-anyways, ahem, away from my rambles and on to some fun stuff-

-edit: actually, that probably means: away from my rambles and on to some more rambles-
-edit: probably a good facepalm moment here-

cravings:

+ a cold cold cold very very cold cup of starbucks ice chocolate latte with whipped cream and gluten-free raspberry coconut-almond bars.

+ books that have the aura of adventure and the smell of familiarity.
+ snorkelling in phuket. and everything else beach-y (it's a tad too earlier for summer, isn't it? sigh).
+ the ability to wake up on cool, early mornings with beautiful breezes.
+ fizzy pineapple juice.

craziness:

+ flappy bird. (can-i-just-say-it-was-about-the-worst-game-i-have-ever-played-because-i-kept-failing)
+ math.*
+ photoshoots that don't turn out right.
+ meetups with the awesomest-est people in the world who share the dream to spread illogical craziness to the world.
+ research papers.
+ spending valentine's day expressing (the sadly depleting) love to my unfeeling textbooks. they didn't even answer my call (sob).

+ wasting time on tumblr that could have been spent doing other things. productive things like eating ice cream for example.
+ the productivity of eating ice cream.**

+ peeling off nail polish unconsciously.
+ passionately singing frozen at the top of my lungs over the shrieking sounds of the vacuum cleaner.
+ smiling at random people in the other car.
+ isn't it strange how "vacuum" has two "u"s? one would expect two "c"s. oh well.
+ studying chem an hour before the due date. (seriously, not a good idea)

coolness:

+ awards and sweet words from bloggers you've never seen in real life but you feel you know because they are so much like you. {that's you guys, by the way (hugs)}
+ widddde smiles that almost leave you with sore jaws.
+ a surprise for you guys that is more for me but anyways it is cool so mhm. so so stoked.
+ kobos, and free ebooks. i send my love to all those who provide free ebooks to those too lazy ahem busy to go to the library.

+ realizing the potential a single coffee cup has.
+ your lovely comments that i reread over and over again. trust me, it just makes my heart and my days so happy ♥
+ reading random lovely blogs.

my life in the past few weeks

what about you? anything crazy exciting or cool you've been up to?

xx.

*to quote my math teacher: "it looks like crazy town! let's do it."

**of course ice cream is productive. it excites me, allowing me to be more efficient at tasks. don't argue with me when i talk about ice cream, please ;)

on the eve of christmas

via tumblr

christmas.

christ-mas.

even the word has such a beautiful sound to it. it whispers hope, love, and peace. it excites dreams of lights, fragrance, and joy. i think christmas is really my favorite word.

it's also my favorite season and holiday. there are many reasons why. maybe it's because of the presents and gifts. or maybe it's the atmosphere of joy and laughter. perhaps the old-time favorite carols and newer upbeat songs make me bubble inside with happiness. ah, maybe it's the smell of all sorts of delicious things baking and cooking. but mainly it is the contentment and fulfillment of joy that He came down for me, something that i {usually} tend to take for granted in the busy, unimportant details of everyday life.

this year's christmas isn't exactly the best i've had. stress + not enough rest + too much nonsense snacking = a suspected inflation of dermatitis herpetiformis on some of my fingers. in addition, life has been busy and crazy. no christmas tree, or christmas decorations this year for us. no time to put them up, no time to contemplate the true reason why this season exist, no time, no time, no time. i've been using the "i'm busy" line too much, i think it's becoming an excuse. and excuse for something that never existed. i do have the time. i'm just not actively seeking it out.

christmas is becoming a holiday for me. not a time of rest and reflection, but just another holiday that is madly packed with presents to buy, things to do, stuff to see, cards to make, songs to practice, and no time at all to ponder why i even celebrate it. 

it's christmas eve. the shopping is done, presents are bought, choir practice is over, and i'm sitting resting and thinking {and blogging because it helps me sort my mind out}. the Greatest Light of all has come down to save men from the biggest enemy of all--their own sins. born of a virgin, was a hundred percent God and hundred percent man, fulfilled prophecies hundred of years before His birth--humanly impossible and logically unreasonable. but for the Creator of all, what is impossible? and i wholeheartedly believe that that's the story of christmas. the love of God manifest. the blind made to see, and the impossible made possible.

dear you | have a beautiful christmas ♥