Good for you!

Level Naturals makes this "shower Bomb" and for $8 you get four to a box.   You place this little guy at your feet under the direct water and don't bother with it again.   It contains organic menthol, eucalyptus and tea tree oil that steam up as the water melts it, to create a spa experience while you shower, you forget it is even there!  It is a relaxing feel good experience but also so calming for head colds, headaches and allergies!!!

Chocolate! No-Guilt!

 

These things are so cool!  Individual packets of Cocoa Powder with Zero sugar.  I add mine to my coffee in the morning.  Each packet has 350mg of flavanols, which have been studied and found to have heart benefits and decrease some signs of aging.  I don't need much of an excuse to eat chocolate anyway, but as I tell myself that it is healthy, well that just makes it all the sweeter!

These are the dark chocolate, unsweetened variety and come in a box of 30 packets.  Find them at http://www.cocoavia.com/   

Oh la la! C'est Bon!

There are two flavors I particularly love and miss from France.  These are Cassis and Anis.   These two are combined in this lovely little pouch of hard candies sent to me by a friend.   I have to crack into them to extract the seed!

Aniseed (Anis):   I don't know why Anis is not more popular here, it is so common in Europe.   Anise, Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor is a lot like liquorice and fennel combined.....

Blackcurrant (Cassis):, Ribes nigrum, is a species of Ribes berry, a perennial, is native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia.  I found out it used to be popular in the States, but evidently carried some kindof of dust particle that may cause sickness to white pine, so in the early 1900s currant farming was banned!

The fruit has extraordinarily high vitamin C , as well as good levels of potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B₅.  It is also full of phytochemicals that can fight all sorts of diseases and the oil made from it is also full of nutrients.

To me cassis has a rusty purple taste, that is tangy and sweet all at once.
  
I love this stuff and will have more entries about it later.  In the meantime, check out this awesome little company build in an old Abby in this beautiful little town, they make the scrumptious little hard candies.....

http://anis-flavigny.com 

yummy stuff....

OK, I went to this great restaurant in Raleigh, but I was too busy stuffing my face to take a picture!  This is someone's belly button, who shall remain anonymous - yes, you know who you are darling, but no one else ever shall!  It is a little odd when talking about a restaurant but the place was trendy and different and the tatoo is exotic enough - all food ends up in our belly anyway right?

Anyway, this place was called BuKu - as we say "merci beaucoup" thanks very much....http://www.bukuraleigh.com/

as it describes itself - "Global Street Food".

The ambience is sophisticated but not stuffy and the staff is very formal and accommodating.  My friend and I split 4 tapas or sides, but I would suggest 3 to a person next time.  The portions are small. 

The first thing we split was a BBQ Pork Bun, I don't usually eat pork but my friend ordered it:  The bun had a thick, almost uncooked texture, but it was light and simple enough it didn't take away from the bbq which was just sweet enough - my favorite of this however, was the shredded cucumer tangy salad that came with it.  The Beer Braised Chicken Pierogis (5 to a serving) were next, these were lovely half moons, just browned on the sides enough to be crispy but remaining chewy.  Next the Jade prawns, were cooked perfectly and served with a green mixture on a huge bamboo ( I think ) leaf...Lastly and my favorite was the beef tataki.  These strips of beef had the strongest most fresh flavor - somewhere between teriyaki and roast beef jus...it came with a pickled cabbage that was very off putting in it's texture ( think: skin like ) but quite tasty.

You would think that I was crazy for food - but I really am not.  It just always amazes me what people think up for the distinguishing (or not so much) tastes.  I enjoyed this chefs' efforts: William D’Auvray. 

PS - Have a martini with dinner....the bar has a wall of running water in the background.

toast with a tropical twist

coconut french toast, oh, I am such a sucker for the sweet mess!

Dessert Paradise!

Every night: dinner at Mosaic restaurant at The Cove. It is a full on buffet set up - of course the most interesting section to me is the dessert bar and every night I pile on my plate these little treats. Like small treasures, I just can't resist any of the them - truth be told, often prettier than tasty, I nonetheless have to try each one, except of course the sugar free purple jello - no sorry, you lost me with that one.....the most wonderful of all of these is the Guava cheesecake. Not fancy, in fact the golden rectangle might be overlooked - but SO delicious. The smooth cheesecake filling sits atop a crunchy cookie crust, the topping is a Guava fruit gelatin - my favorite part! Too yummy! And I looked perfectly natural taking several photos of this dessert at my table.

Disclaimer: can be messy when attempting to smuggle out multiples in the purse/pockets. Also do not attempt to nonchalantly walk out with a handful if you are going to forget the exit doors are glass and pull inward.....

Perfect and Free....

This is a tiny square of Manna for Nani. Chocolate and anis, a combination so delectable and perfect, it could only be tasted, well, unexpectedly.

This is how it found me......

One night, not so long ago, driving down the main road of Emerald Isle with my most beloved The Rock Star beside me, we came upon a shop, still opened, with a row of various, multi-colored, non-matching beach and rocking chairs alligned in front.

The later it gets, and as he is want to do, The Rock Star craves the coffee. Nani always craves the sweet: this shop said "ice cream" in the window. Oh yeah, we were going in.

Upon entering, I might have been momentarily distracted by the assortment of homemade chocolate fudge pieces by the door. I might have paused longer than necessary in front of the "pick your own" colored jellies and candies a few farther steps in. I might even have glanced fleetingly to the left as I passed the boxes of carolina toffees.....But still and somewhat, I was unwavering in my beeline to the back of the store and the ice cream section.

As I paced back and forth in front of the cold flavors there, I noticed a small basket of chocolate squares. Chocolate and Anis together, the two parfums together in a most splendid, bite size, package? I knew instantly I MUST INGEST! I picked through the cinnamon/curry and sweet/hot pepper combos and got myself a handful. Turns out these treasures were free as the "acquired taste" was never acquired by the natives or the tourists.....more for me...

In the end, sitting there, on a warm night on Emerald Isle, swinging in the chairs in front of this shop - we could only look out upon an asphalt sea of parking lot, but it didn't matter. I had a pocket full of the sweetest squares, shoulder to shoulder with The Rock Star, our ocean was beautiful and sweet....