Today at work someone asked the correct spelling of the plural form of the word bus. We all looked at each other and shrugged. One s or two? We all thought one. Mind you, we are a group of teachers.
So we pull out good 'ol Webster's Dictionary for a consultation. Turns out either one is correct. According to Webster's, Buses and busses are both correct plural forms of bus.
AAAARRRG!
*** however, when I run the Blogger spellchecker, it tells me that busses is misspelled. humph.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Devil Wears Orange
It's hard to believe, but my little Benjamin Roscoe is almost 6 months old. They grow up so fast. ::tear:: In the 5 months that he's owned me, he has taken over the apartment completely.
He tries to attack/jump on/play with/bite Riley (Brittany's 2 year old cat). And he tries to attack the water in the toilet when you flush. He's fallen in once. He knocked Brittany's computer off the counter causing her to lose everything on her hard drive. Every morning when we wake up, or when we come home from work, it looks like our apartment has been broken into. The movies are knocked off the stand, all the coasters are pushed off the end table, and the trash can is usually on its side.
Benjamin eats trash. Benjamin eats a lot of things. So far the things (that I know of) that he has eaten include: paper towels, sour cream, cereal, potatoes, corn, a half a loaf of bread, french fries, spiders, garlic dipping sauce, shrimp, candle wax, and milk.
It's a good thing he's cute, because he sure is bad.
He tries to attack/jump on/play with/bite Riley (Brittany's 2 year old cat). And he tries to attack the water in the toilet when you flush. He's fallen in once. He knocked Brittany's computer off the counter causing her to lose everything on her hard drive. Every morning when we wake up, or when we come home from work, it looks like our apartment has been broken into. The movies are knocked off the stand, all the coasters are pushed off the end table, and the trash can is usually on its side.
Benjamin eats trash. Benjamin eats a lot of things. So far the things (that I know of) that he has eaten include: paper towels, sour cream, cereal, potatoes, corn, a half a loaf of bread, french fries, spiders, garlic dipping sauce, shrimp, candle wax, and milk.
It's a good thing he's cute, because he sure is bad.
Bug Bites
My latest indulgence comes from 3 little squares I found at the grocery store. The brand is called Endangered Species Chocolate. Once again they are all natural and organic. I got one milk chocolate square, one dark chocolate square and the new Chimp Mint dark chocolate square.
Individually wrapped, the Bug Bites (milk and dark) chocolate comes with a little insert about an insect. Interesting to find inside, as I'm biting into my dark chocolate, I'm reading about the Fungus Beetle. The dark chocolate itself is very good. Although it doesn't say on the package, my guess is that it's at least 75% cacao. I can taste the bitter cocoa inside. The milk is a little sweeter and somewhat pleasant. The mint is that same base as the dark chocolate with a curiously strong mint taste. The only 2 ingredients are organic dark chocolate and organic peppermint oil.
Even more pleasing to me is what goes on behind the scenes. At http://www.chocolatebar.com/ visitors are not prompted to start shopping for chocolate (although that is an option) they are first prompted to learn more about endangered species and the innovation of the company. According to their website, "ESC confirms that all beans used in its products are purchased from small, family-owned properties where the income benefits the community. The company also donates 10-percent of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity."
Going green and eating delicious, organic chocolate while helping out wildlife? Gotta be a big 10!
Individually wrapped, the Bug Bites (milk and dark) chocolate comes with a little insert about an insect. Interesting to find inside, as I'm biting into my dark chocolate, I'm reading about the Fungus Beetle. The dark chocolate itself is very good. Although it doesn't say on the package, my guess is that it's at least 75% cacao. I can taste the bitter cocoa inside. The milk is a little sweeter and somewhat pleasant. The mint is that same base as the dark chocolate with a curiously strong mint taste. The only 2 ingredients are organic dark chocolate and organic peppermint oil.
Even more pleasing to me is what goes on behind the scenes. At http://www.chocolatebar.com/ visitors are not prompted to start shopping for chocolate (although that is an option) they are first prompted to learn more about endangered species and the innovation of the company. According to their website, "ESC confirms that all beans used in its products are purchased from small, family-owned properties where the income benefits the community. The company also donates 10-percent of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity."
Going green and eating delicious, organic chocolate while helping out wildlife? Gotta be a big 10!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Small-Town Taste
I'm not sure what the first chocolate was that I have ever eaten. The first chocolate I remember eating is from a small (at the time), locally-owned shop called Sarris's.
Frank Sarris is a big, Greek man with a sweet tooth. He used to make chocolate out of his basement before opening up a shop. He tried and tried until he made the perfect chocolate recipe. Wanna know what he did with all the rejects? He buried them in his back yard. Boy wouldn't I like to take a shovel to that yard!
Now the shop is a block long in Canonsburg. The factory is right in the same building. There's an old-fashioned ice cream parlor as well. Before he made it big, Frank Sarris actually lived in the top floor of the building. Sarris chocolate is by far my favorite chocolate.
I could (and probably will) write a hundred other blog posts about Sarris but this one is dedicated to the Hard Cap Sundae. In the ice cream parlor, they serve over 30 flavors of homemade ice cream. Take that Baskin Robbins! There are close to 20 different toppings as well; but the one thing you must try is the Hard Cap Sundae. The topping is created with Sarris milk chocolate that is melted to the perfect temperature. When it is poured onto cold ice cream, it hardens just enough to create a shell, but still soft enough to melt in your mouth.
My favorite combination is mint chip with milk (or sometimes dark) chocolate hard cap. Top it off with a cookie stick and some homemade whipped cream and you've got the perfect indulgence.
Of course, it earns no less than a 10 out of 10 on the official Chocolate Emergency scale.
Frank Sarris is a big, Greek man with a sweet tooth. He used to make chocolate out of his basement before opening up a shop. He tried and tried until he made the perfect chocolate recipe. Wanna know what he did with all the rejects? He buried them in his back yard. Boy wouldn't I like to take a shovel to that yard!
Now the shop is a block long in Canonsburg. The factory is right in the same building. There's an old-fashioned ice cream parlor as well. Before he made it big, Frank Sarris actually lived in the top floor of the building. Sarris chocolate is by far my favorite chocolate.
I could (and probably will) write a hundred other blog posts about Sarris but this one is dedicated to the Hard Cap Sundae. In the ice cream parlor, they serve over 30 flavors of homemade ice cream. Take that Baskin Robbins! There are close to 20 different toppings as well; but the one thing you must try is the Hard Cap Sundae. The topping is created with Sarris milk chocolate that is melted to the perfect temperature. When it is poured onto cold ice cream, it hardens just enough to create a shell, but still soft enough to melt in your mouth.
My favorite combination is mint chip with milk (or sometimes dark) chocolate hard cap. Top it off with a cookie stick and some homemade whipped cream and you've got the perfect indulgence.
Of course, it earns no less than a 10 out of 10 on the official Chocolate Emergency scale.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Ritter Sport
Well, chocolate fever is catching on and now my friends have begun supplying me with new and unique chocolate products for me to blog about. They've come through yet again, this time with Ritter Sport.
Ritter Sport is a company founded by Alfred Ritter in 1912 in Germany. It has stayed in the family ever since and has stood out with its unique bars. Just about every company who makes chocolate makes a standard chocolate bar. Ritter Sport bars stand apart because the bars are hollow and filled with one of chocolate's best friends such as nuts, marzipan, or cappuccino.
The bar that I have is milk chocolate with a butter biscuit. When biting into the bar I can see the molded chocolate shell with the biscuit inside. It is then filled with more chocolate. The biscuit reminds me somewhat of a graham cracker and is a delightful crunch inside the smooth chocolate. The chocolate itself is pretty sweet.
While the bar itself is huge, (3.5oz/100g) it's high in calories and saturated fat - Not meant to be eaten in one sitting, but if you know me I probably could.
There are over 25 varieties of bars, with some fillings as unique as cornflakes, raisins and hazelnuts, and yogurt. I'd be interested to try some of the other varieties.
Overall a 7 out of 10 on the Chocolate Emergency! scale.
Ritter Sport is a company founded by Alfred Ritter in 1912 in Germany. It has stayed in the family ever since and has stood out with its unique bars. Just about every company who makes chocolate makes a standard chocolate bar. Ritter Sport bars stand apart because the bars are hollow and filled with one of chocolate's best friends such as nuts, marzipan, or cappuccino.
The bar that I have is milk chocolate with a butter biscuit. When biting into the bar I can see the molded chocolate shell with the biscuit inside. It is then filled with more chocolate. The biscuit reminds me somewhat of a graham cracker and is a delightful crunch inside the smooth chocolate. The chocolate itself is pretty sweet.
While the bar itself is huge, (3.5oz/100g) it's high in calories and saturated fat - Not meant to be eaten in one sitting, but if you know me I probably could.
There are over 25 varieties of bars, with some fillings as unique as cornflakes, raisins and hazelnuts, and yogurt. I'd be interested to try some of the other varieties.
Overall a 7 out of 10 on the Chocolate Emergency! scale.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Choco For Breakfast
Breakfast is my favorite (and most important) meal of the day (besides dessert). So of course I have to find some way to have chocolate for breakfast.
Thanks to my friends at Kellog's for making chocolate fudge Pop Tarts! The outside is a chocolate graham cracker with sweet chocolate frosting on top. However, the inside is my favorite part. It's a gooey chocolate fudge which tastes an awful lot like brownie batter.
I've never been one for the outsides of Pop Tarts, even on the fruity kinds. They tend to get a little dry. So I pulled the edges off this one and just ate the rest. Pretty satisfying. Very chocolatey.
Try it in the freezer for a cool treat, or put it in the toaster to make the inside even gooeyer (if that's a word). I like 'em hot!
Earns itself an 8 out of 10 on the Official Chocolate Emergency scale.
Thanks to my friends at Kellog's for making chocolate fudge Pop Tarts! The outside is a chocolate graham cracker with sweet chocolate frosting on top. However, the inside is my favorite part. It's a gooey chocolate fudge which tastes an awful lot like brownie batter.
I've never been one for the outsides of Pop Tarts, even on the fruity kinds. They tend to get a little dry. So I pulled the edges off this one and just ate the rest. Pretty satisfying. Very chocolatey.
Try it in the freezer for a cool treat, or put it in the toaster to make the inside even gooeyer (if that's a word). I like 'em hot!
Earns itself an 8 out of 10 on the Official Chocolate Emergency scale.
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