Chocolate cake recipe

When it comes to baking, everyone has a different way of going about it. Some people follow a recipe exactly while others take a recipe and make it their own. As long as the end result turns out incredibly scrumptious, what does it really matter? Experimenting and finding new ingredients and ways of baking is all part of people having their own tastes and creativity. Plus, it is the way that new recipes are put into publication. There’s one thing that is, in my opinion, incredibly hard to mess up – a chocolate cake recipe. There isn’t a chocolate cake recipe in existence that hasn’t turned into something that I’ve thought to be terrible. Sure, some of them could use some improvement, but chocolate is my weakness. As long as it turns out fluffy and moist, I’m in heaven.

No matter what cookbook you read through, you will find a chocolate cake recipe, or several, that will tempt you beyond belief. There will be different toppings, ingredients or icings that will be suggested. You can pick the chocolate cake recipe that fits the amount of work that you are comfortable with making.

My grandmother used to make the best cakes. Every year, for my birthday, she would make me a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. In my opinion, there is nothing better. She never shared her recipe with anyone, she simply enjoyed all of us drooling over it and praising her skills. Her birthday cakes were the main reason I looked forward to my birthdays. In her final year of life, she was rather sick. My birthday was a week away and she called me to tell me that she was incredibly sorry but she wouldn’t be able to bake my cake. She didn’t feel that she had the strength or energy. But, she wanted to pass along her secret chocolate cake recipe that we all longed to have. Within a day, it was in my hands. I read over it, noticing that the last ingredient listed was “love”. My eyes welled up and I decided that I would be baking my own birthday cake that year. I did exactly that, following her chocolate cake recipe to the exact details. On the night of my birthday, I took my grandmother a piece of cake. She ate it very slowly, telling me how wonderful it was. I saw the look of happiness in her eyes.

No matter how many chocolate cake recipes you will come across in your lifetime, you will always have one that you’re attached to. Perhaps it simply tastes the best, or maybe it has sentimental meaning.

Ice Cube Tray

Sometimes I feel like I am the last person on earth with an ice cube tray in my freezer. This isn’t true, of course, but it seems like I am the only one in my family that has one or two of them. Everyone else has those fancy refrigerators that gives you ice when you press a button. I can’t really complain, because I don’t own a home yet, so the choices of appliances in my apartment are not mine.

Though I use an ice cube tray for ice, there are many other things you can do with them. They are very inexpensive, and can morph into other useful items. I know someone who uses and ice cube tray to store her earrings and some of the pieces of jewelry that she wears quite often. The small cubbies are perfect to hold one or two pairs of earrings, and it is easy to swoop them out with your finger when you choose what you need. You might also want to put a necklace in each one, or you can even fit a watch in there if it has a loose band.

You don’t have to store jewelry in an ice cube tray; you can use the small compartment for just about anything you can think of. I have on in my bedroom cupboard that has small nails, tacks, and screws nestled in the little cups. If you have little items for any use, an ice cube tray can keep them contained as well as separated for easy access. I have also used them for paper clips, erasers, and rubber bands on my desk. If it is small and needs to be kept in place, this might be the way to go. The trays are much less expensive than the desk accessories you can buy in the store.

You can also use an ice cube tray to make frozen treats for your kids. You can use juice to make small ice pops, or even Kool-Aid if you don’t mind the kids having the sugar. You can also and ice cube tray when decorating cookies. You can put a small amount of each decoration in each cup and the kids can go nuts. You won’t have to worry about them shaking stuff everywhere if they can just pinch what they need out of the tray. For a fun experiment, they might even use each cup to plant a seed.

Leadership Skills Training

Have you ever stopped to consider the defining moments of your life? The events that have happened that have helped you to become the person you are? You do not have to be in therapy or counseling to look at these things. Self reflection is good for the mind and the soul. I was reminded of this recently due to my daughter.

My daughter belonged to 4-H. She had been a member since she was ten years old. She was then sixteen. She had thought about quitting that year because she has so many other things that she is involved with at school, but she has friends that are still involved so she decided to stay in. One of the adult advisors asked her if she would take part in the leadership skills training seminar that is offered in Chicago. This is a national course that only a select few members are invited to attend. My daughter was very honored and excite about the invitation. She could not wait to tell me all about it.

The office I work at is close to our home. I was surprised when my receptionist told me that my daughter was there to see me. I told the receptionist to send her in. My daughter was actually glowing she was so excited when she came in. She told me about the invitation for leadership skills training. Her excitement was being selected and also the trip to Chicago. I was excited for her, but I also knew that this meant taking on a leadership role in the 4-H community that would be quite time consuming. I asked her if she was ready to give up some other things to take on this role. She had not thought beyond the leadership skills training course. She was not considering that this would put her in a position to train others and to lead several groups of 4-H members. I assured her that I thought she would be very good at this, but I wanted her to accept the invitation to the leadership skills training with a full understanding of what was expected of her. She decided that she wanted to do this.

My daughter is now twenty six years old and is the youngest woman to be the CEO of the company she works for. Her decision to take of the leadership skills training and the responsibilities that accompanied it allowed her to grow in maturity beyond her years. I am so proud of her and the wonderful way she leads her company. I am glad that she was given an opportunity and that she chose to take it.

Swing Dance Lessons

When my girlfriend first proposed that we take swing dance lessons together, I was not thrilled by the idea. I have never been a dancer. My mom made me take ballroom dancing lessons when I was little, and I hated it. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life. I really felt like I had two left feet. Nonetheless,  we had an arrangement. she would go to rock shows with me, if I would do something for her. I owed her, so I consented to the swing dancing lessons.

It took me a long time to warm up to the idea. The first swing dance lesson that I took brought back all of those old painful memories. My girlfriend has always been much more graceful than I am, and she was a natural at swing dance lessons. She took to it like a fish takes to water, or like a flying fish takes air. For me, however, it was much more difficult. I fell no less than three times during the first of the swing dance lessons! As a matter of fact, it was several months of lessons before I could get through a whole session without falling. I never would have stuck with it except that I did owe her. Looking back, I'm glad that I persevered.

I never know what it felt like to really be able to dance. Once I completed the swing dance lessons, something amazing happened. Suddenly I had this sense of joy in every movement. I felt so graceful dancing there. I could move effortlessly, swinging my partner around, throwing her up in the air, and catching her again. My own moves were stunning. If the swing dance lessons had started slowly, they certainly had ended with a bang. I was something to behold.

If you want to learn to dance, but have never had any luck with it, my suggestion is to go out of obligation to a friend. This may sound silly, but I never would have succeeded in the swing dance lessons unless I had to. It is easy to give up on something like that. Some of us are so clumsy that it seems like we'll never be able to dance. The reality is, however, that if we stick with it, we can master swing dance lessons. There really is nothing to it except putting in the effort. Some people learn faster while others learn slower, but everyone can learn to dance. I know I did!

Common Characteristics of Addictive Behaviors

According to W.R. Miller, in The Addictive Behaviors, an individual can become dependent, addicted, or compulsively obsessed with any activity, substance, object, or behavior that gives him or her pleasure. What are addictive behaviors? There are similarities between physical addiction to alcohol and other chemicals, and a psychological dependence that occurs with such activities as compulsive gambling, sex, and eating disorders. Many individuals with addictive disorders report a blackout for the time they were engaging in the behavior and don’t remember how much or what they bought, etc.  Endorphins are released in the brain during an addicting activity and a feeling of well-being and euphoria results, which can lead to some people getting into an addictive cycle.

The behaviors of the addicted person may progress into negative health and/or social consequences because the person becomes obsessed and will seek out the substance or activity at the detriment of work or interpersonal relationships. He or she will compulsively engage in the activity even if there is no desire to do so, when not engaging in the activity withdrawal symptoms will often occur, like irritability, craving, and restlessness. The individual may not feel that a problem exists because of the addictive behaviors, and deny that it is affecting them and their livelihood, even when confronted by concerned friends and family members. He or she may feel that it’s just a bad habit, they have total control of the situation, and that they can control how often they engage in the behavior, which is in direct opposition of the term compulsion.

Depression is common in individuals with addictive behaviors, as is low self esteem, and they usually come from psychologically or physically abusive families. According to professional literature, there is no common consensus as to the etiology, prevention, and treatment of addictive disorders. Many people consider these behaviors diseases while others consider them to be behaviors resulting from a combination of heredity and environmental factors. Some people disagree that addictive behaviors are diseases simply because there is no definite cause and course of treatment used by all practitioners. This lack of agreement among researchers and health care professionals causes problems with prevention and treatment approaches, because no one approach works for every addict and his or her addiction. All this aside, there are various types of therapy that do work, and continue to be a successful for treatment of addictive behaviors.  

Good Vacation Activities In Hawaii

Finding vacation activities in Hawaii isn't hard. Basically, your number one activity will be hanging out on the beach. There is more than one way to do this, however. Swimming can be fun, and sunbathing is a necessity, but you should consider some other Hawaiian activities while you're at it. For example, just renting or buying a snorkel and a pair of fins can make your beach trip much more exciting. There are so many things to look at under the water! When I was there, I saw sea turtles, coral, and literally dozens of species of tropical fish. The water was warm, the waves weren't too bad, and the views were out of this world!

Of course, no Hawaiian vacation is complete without at least a few tours. There are literally hundreds of activities in Hawaii to choose from, and it really depends which island you are on. I went on my catamaran tour around Kauai when I was visiting, and I loved it. I would recommend it. You see, on that particular island, a lot of the shore isn't accessible by foot. The mountains are too steep in the interior, so the gorgeous sandy beaches on the North of the island can only be seen from above. Not only were the beach is beautiful, but the majestic towering cliffs were absolutely awe-inspiring. My Hawaiian vacation trip definitely wouldn't have been complete without seeing it.

One of the most classic activities in Hawaii is the luau. If you are only going there for a week or two, give up the idea of seeing a traditional Hawaiian luau – they are very hard to find, and generally closed off to tourists. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't go to see one, however. You will be able to enjoy delicious Kahlua pork, fire dancing, drinks, music, and good company.  Add to this the scenic backdrop of the beach and the sound of the waves crashing over and over again as the warm tropical trade winds blow ceaselessly, and you're all set up for a heck of a good time.

In terms of nightlife, the scene varies greatly depending on which islands you are visiting. Kauai is actually pretty quite at night, but the big island is something else. There is a great music scene, as well as theater, movies, and anything else you might expect in a thriving community. All in all, there are more than enough activities in Hawaii to keep you busy!

30 Minute Meals

I would love to say that I have the time to whip up amazing meals each night. There are a few problems with that thought. For one, I am not the best cook in the world, and secondly, I just don’t have a lot of time. I remember my grandmother would spend most of her day in the kitchen, and that was something that she seemed to enjoy. For me, however, it is just not possible. Instead, I look for great and interesting meal ideas that I can make fast. That means that the 30 minute meals you can find are some of the best options for me.

I was never sure how I felt about Rachel Ray, but I love her 30 minute meals. Not only are they pretty easy, they are also meals that is not the ordinary fare that I give my family all of the time. We get stuck in a rut sometimes with the same meals over and over, and that is mostly because they are tried and true favorites. The meals in 30 minutes are great, and they don’t have to be extremely complicated to keep everyone happy with our menu.

Many of the 30 minute meals are so easy that someone like me can do them. I have make many mistakes in the kitchen, and I think it has to do with my short attention span. Finding great meals to make in 30 minutes is just about right, and is something I can concentrate on. These are not your average meals either, so it does require some extra shopping. However, if you can plan your 30 minute meals ahead of time (a week or two ahead) you can get all of your shopping done without worrying about being out of or missing something essential.

You can watch Rachel to get your 30 minute meals, or you can find listings online if you want to plan ahead. You can also find meals in 30 minutes by buying one of her cookbooks. Because she is so popular right now, you can find her books almost anywhere that sells cookbooks, or you can find them easily enough if you do a search online. After a while, you may even be able to come up with some of your own meals that you can make in a half an hour or less. You’ll learn a lot about food and cooking by following along and figuring out how to put things together in a pleasing and fast way.