December 2010

In Memory of Wesley Bronez

by MomGrind

I just learned that Wesley, whom I briefly met online, a brilliant, extremely sensitive young man, took his own life on October 11th.

Dear Wesley, We knew each other on a very superficial level, but I knew you were in pain – you had to be, you were so sensitive. But I had no idea it was that bad for you.

I am so sorry Wesley that you couldn’t take it any more. Your mom says on the Facebook group that was started in you memory that you were extremely lonely. I wish I could have reached out to you and told you to keep going. Life can get lonely, I know, but it can also change in a second and become amazing when you suddenly meet someone and fall in love with them. Or when you make a new, close, lasting friendship.

Falling in love, being in a long-term, committed relationship, starting your own family, developing new friendships, finding the best career for you, pursuing your passions and realizing your dreams – none of this will happen to you now. You died too young.

When I wrote this post, I wrote it to help you. I knew you were hurting because of the lack of attention your blog was getting. You were desperate to get more readers, and I wanted to help you put things in perspective. Reading it now, I doubt you thought it was very helpful. You were hurting, and craving connection, on a much deeper level than I could possibly understand.

When I wrote this post, it was inspired by you and by your beautiful gesture on Facebook.

I just talked with my children about you, and I told them this: No matter how bad things get, never ever give up. We can’t look into the future, so we don’t know what life will be like a month, a year, or five years from now. When the “now” becomes bad, even unbearable, try to see beyond it, and have faith that the future will be better. So much better, that it’s worth to keep living, just to find out how much better it can get.

May you rest in peace, Wesley. I am so sorry you were in so much pain. I am so sorry I never had a chance to ask you to keep going.

I am so sorry we have lost you.

Rich, Moist Chocolate Cupcakes (So Good, They Don’t Need Frosting!)

by MomGrind

chocolate cupcakes

I love chocolate, but baked goods containing chocolate are often disappointing. The addition of flour, milk and eggs often means that the decadent richness of chocolate is gone, and the chocolate turns into just another flavoring. I feel that many “chocolate cakes” need to be named “chocolate *flavored* cakes” – The intensity of the chocolate experience is just too low.

These chocolate cupcakes are different. They are rich, moist and have an intense chocolate flavor. They are so good, that my family prefers to eat them without the frosting. They’re based on several chocolate cake recipes, tweaked so that the chocolate-to-flour ratio favors chocolate without ruining the recipe (I’ve ruined many recipes in the process, though).

It’s an easy recipe. Just a few ingredients, no need to separate the eggs, beat the egg whites and carefully fold them into a stubbornly thick batter (this is probably my least favorite baking-related chore), and you mix all the ingredients in the pot you used to melt the chocolate. This makes it a perfect recipe to prepare with your kids.

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

♦ 200 grams (about 1 cup) unsalted butter, preferably European or European style
♦ 200 grams (about 2 bars) high quality bittersweet chocolate. Today I ran out of chocolate, so used just a small amount (about 50 grams or half a bar) Ghirardelli dark chocolate, and the rest was chocolate chips. But the better the chocolate, the better the cake will turn out.
♦ 1 cup sugar
♦ 1 cup all purpose flour, mixed with 1.5 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh) and 1/4 teaspoon salt
♦ 4 eggs, lightly beaten
♦ 1/2 cup whole milk

Frosting ingredients:

♦ 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
♦ 1.5 cups powdered sugar
♦ 2-4 tablespoons chocolate syrup, depending on how chocolaty you want it

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and lightly spray with oil.

In a large pan, over low heat, melt the butter, sugar and chocolate, stirring frequently. Chocolate burns quickly, so keep heat low and remove from heat as soon as melted.

Gradually add milk, flour and eggs to pan, mixing with a wooden spoon.

Spoon cupcake batter into muffin tin, filling lined muffin cups about 3/4 full.

Bake 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Avoid over baking – you want them to be moist. Start checking after 13 minutes.

baked chocolate cupcakes

Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Avoid the temptation to eat them warm. They’re much better once they’re completely cooled.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting: beat the cream cheese until softened, using an electric mixer on medium. Slowly add the sugar and chocolate syrup, and beat for a couple more minutes, until creamy.

Frost the cupcakes, and serve. They keep well in the fridge for a few days – just warm in the micro for 5 seconds per cupcake before serving.

As I said, we actually prefer these cupcakes without the frosting:

powdered cupcakes

30 Fashion Lies We Tell Ourselves – Or Choose To Believe

by MomGrind

hair rollers

1. This garment is “One Size Fits All,” it will absolutely fit you.

2. Don’t worry if it’s too big, it will shrink after you wash it.

3. Don’t worry if it’s too small, it will stretch with wearing.

4. It’s OK to take a different size than the one you need if you really like the item and the store doesn’t carry your size

5. These high heel shoes will feel REALLY comfortable if you wear them with inserts.

6. Cool colors, warm colors? Doesn’t matter. If you like a piece of clothing, forget about the color and whether it flatters your skin tone and just get it.

7. It washes beautifully, no shrinkage, no loss of color. You’ll wear it for YEARS.

8. No, it’s not see-through at all.

9. Go for it! Why not? There’s no such thing as age-appropriate anymore. You and your teenage daughter can totally share clothes.

10. It’s 2 sizes too small but I KNOW I’ll lose the weight someday. I’m keeping this dress in my closet!

11. It’s OK to wear these 5-inch heels. I won’t do much walking tonight anyway.

12. It’s OK to wear 5-inch heels if the heel is chunky.

13. Black looks great on everyone, always.

14. If it’s on sale, I should get it.

15. If it’s a hot trend, I should get it.

16. If my friends are wearing it, I should wear it too.

17. I’m overweight, I’d better stick with loose clothes.

18. If it looks good on the celebrity in the photo, it will look good on me.

19. You can never be too thin. The thinner you are, the better clothes will look on you.

20. If it’s by a designer, it will look fabulous.

21. One must suffer in order to look good.

22. Designer clothes are always worth the high price tag.

23. You can’t look good unless you spend a lot on fashion.

24. Fifties-inspired, “Mad Men” style, ultra-tight clothing are comfortable, thanks to modern fabrics.

25. I absolutely have to have this, I don’t care how much it costs.

26. Skinny jeans look amazing on everyone.

27. Low-rise jeans that show off you butt crack when you sit down are not tacky. They’re HOT.

28. These high-waist jeans don’t make your butt look huge.

29. Super-distressed, torn jeans are SO COOL.

30. No, honey, these pants don’t make you look fat.