Of Emergency Travel Kits and Daydreaming

Escape with Ghirardelli dark chocolate #escapewithdarkchocolate @ghirardelli

Daydreaming is an art – it truly is a special skill. My high school French teacher would disagree, as he wrote my daydreaming as off as lack of concentration, but I believe it’s the key to creativity. And, let’s be honest, it’s a coping mechanism for escaping from reality. Especially when your reality comes in the form of travel headaches like lost luggage, cancelled flights, and poor customer service.

I’d like to think I have pretty good travel karma, but really just it’s just a matter of time before the bad stuff hits. And, when you travel as much as I do, it hits pretty often. This winter I’ve been caught in a Nor’Easter, had luggage fly east when I was heading west, and clocked in time at airport cafés while coping with grounded flights. And, that, my friends, is when I daydream.
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The Dental Hygienist And Her Sugar Stash

Chocolate-Almond Butter Easter Eggs from www.aidamollenkamp.com

My mother loves Peeps. And cheap white cake. And candy corn. Which is totally ironic because she was a dental hygienist and rarely had sugar in the house when we were growing up (that we knew of).

Her sweet tooth goes into overdrive during the Easter season when she can be found diving into her stash of Chocolate-Peanut Butter eggs with abandon. But those over-the-counter eggs are loaded with all sorts of subpar ingredients never mind the fact that they could just be so much better with a few tweaks. So, this year I made her homemade chocolate eggs. 
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Chocolate-Pistachio-Wafer Wedge

Aida Mollenkamp Chocolate-Pistachio Slice Whole Recipe

This recipe is dedicated to all you guys out there looking for a last minute, very affordable Valentine’s gift. Yes, I’m calling out the men on this one but it’s with good measure. Over the course of the last day, I have had not one, not two, but three guys start to panic in my presence. It starts with realization and then frustration that there’s less than 24 hours to pull off something classy that looks like it took weeks to plan. Well, boys (and procrastinating girls), I’m giving you a freebie: Chocolate-Pistachio-Wafer Wedge.
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Chocolate-Coconut Cream Pie

Aida Mollenkamp Easy Dessert Recipe Chocolate Coconut Pie

Hawaii has become a home away from home as I’ve spent a good amount of time out here for the past few years. During that time, I’ve learned about all the unique foods and flavors of the state, which have, in turn, influenced my cooking. This year will be my third Christmas on the islands and, with each year, my holiday menu is reflecting more Hawaiian flavors, like this Chocolate-Coconut Cream Pie.
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