Sunday, April 20, 2008

Things Currently Saving My Life

So, where to begin? The house is preternaturally tidy, and there are bottles of pink goo chilling in the fridge. So, to clarify, more showings, and one kid with a sinus infection, another with an ear infection. It's been a fun week.
But it was very nice the last few days, and I dragged us all to the playground three days in a row, which was lovely. And also hilarious, because all three times we went, no matter if I was there with my sister, my SIL and one of my friends, or complete strangers, I ended up talking about pregnancy and birth. It's the inevitable conversation. "So, how old is your daughter?" I may ask, gesturing to the stocky, dark haired girl running around with Addy. Upon hearing she is three, I mention, "Wow, she's tall for her age!" The mother nods vigorously. "Yeah, you'd never know she was a preemie. They had to take her by C-section, eight weeks early...." And we're off, trading birth stories. It's like the secret password into the mom club.

I'm so tired and out of it right now. I laid awake last night, after finally getting Eli to bed at eleven thirty, suddenly panicked because I couldn't remember if his dedication at church was THIS Sunday or next. If it is this Sunday I'm kinda screwed, because I literally have bare cupboards right now, and I had invited all our family over for lunch and cake to celebrate. Looks like we'll be celebrating with takeout chicken! It is now eight forty on Sunday morning, and I still am not sure if it's today or next week. I tried to find it on the church website and the domain name was being refreshed or something and won't be available for forty eight hours. COME on! So now I'm just waiting until it's a reasonable time to call Jess. I'm assuming she'll know for sure, since her son is getting dedicated too, and like a normal, good mom, she'll probably have made some kind of MENTAL NOTE about it. Gaah.

Can I just say, in a whisper, that Eli is the worst sleeper in the world? I cannot remember the last time I slept for more than four hours at a time. I haven't had a full night's sleep (full, for me, being at least seven hours) in over a year. And our dream of somehow weaning him and helping him sleep through the night with formula is pure fantasy at this point, at he still refuses to touch a bottle until he is on the brink of starvation. He was so stuffy and miserable this week that I actually had to feed him expressed breast milk through a freakin' MEDICINE SYRINGE so he wouldn't die of thirst, as he had refused to nurse for twelve hours straight.

So ANYWAYS, to segue all this into the title, the one thing that has buoyed my spirits and kept me going the past few days, coffee and new Office episodes aside, is the discovery of this little pairing: Pillsbury crescent rolls and chocolate chips. It was in the RealSimple magazine this month as their cheat recipe, and it is heavenly in its simplicity and in its ability to satisfy my sweet tooth. You just roll ten to twelve chocolate chips (or more, if inclined) inside the dough, bake, and voila! Chocolate croissants. After the first successful batch, I got daring, adding coconut flakes, and it was just as wonderful as I had dreamed. If you enjoy chocolate and pastry together, you must try this pronto. Ideally, you would stop at two, though, and then add something sensible like bacon and eggs to round out your sugar fest of a breakfast. Ideally. But if you choose to eat four while watching Dan In Real Life- and wiping noses ten bajillion times- I wouldn't judge you. I may even have been there myself.
(Did you guys like this movie, by the way? I found it oddly endearing, despite the obvious hokyness and sap oozing out of every scene. I half expected one of them to pick up a guitar and lead everyone in a spontaneous round of Kumbaya. And yet I wanted to be adopted into their Rhode Island beach front house-living family all the same.)

Here's your mission, oh internetz. I want to hear what (fairly simple) chocolate fixes save YOUR life. Last night, croissants having been obliterated, I was reduced to eating straight chocolate chips, which, while perfectly delish, feels a little tragic and Cathy-esque. So send me some ideas to spruce those chocolate chips up into more life-saving treats!

23 comments:

d e v a n said...

*hides head in shame*
Frozen chocolate chips are my go to when there is no other chocolate in the house. I've also eaten peanut butter mixed with powdered sugar and baking cocoa.

Swistle said...

I start with melted chocolate chips.

Then I mix in peanuts.

Or pretzels.

Or I spread the melted chocolate on graham crackers.

Or on saltines, if we are out of graham crackers.

Or I dip marshmallows in there.

Put in freezer for a few minutes, until chocolate sets. Eat.

Chelle said...

Hang in there, the Man-Cub didn't sleep through the night until he was a year old. I thought I was going to die, but I made it.

As for my personal chocolate therapy recipe-hands down-warm chocolate chip cookies with a glass of really good merlot. Could be the chocolate, could be the wine, either way; heals my warped soul every time.

Anonymous said...

I have got to try the crescent roll/chocolate chip thing. Yum!

To sooth my sweet tooth, I usually make a mixture of chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet), peanuts and dried cranberries. I call it trail mix. My husband calls it PMS food (even though I'm pregnant).

Maggie said...

Ugh, being over-tired is THE WORST! Hopefully that passes soon...my fingers will be crossed!

I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I have been known to make cookie dough and just eat it without baking...

Lisa said...

Chocolate croissants sound so yummy. I'm going to have to try that. One of my favorite things is raw brownie dough. Mmmmmm! I am always buying brownie mix when it is buy one get one so I always have a stash.

I hope your little guy is sleeping better and feeling better. My first completely refused a bottle after about a month so I have been there with the dropper.

Hope all gets better soon. I just found your blog...I'm looking forward to reading more.

Valley Momma said...

OMG - I have soooo been there. The chocolate chips in the fridge are my back-up chocolate fix! Otherwise I try very very hard to keep at least something chocolate in the house. My favorite chocolate treat however is always a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Oh how I love me a peanut butter cup... :)

Black Sheeped said...

Man, I LOVE plain chocolate chips. They have helped me in emergency chocolate situations many times. Sometimes (often) my husband will have some mini candybars or other chocolate item stashed away, so if it gets dire and I just won't stop complaining about it, he'll have ammunition.

Anonymous said...

The no sleep thing is so, so hard. It just builds and builds. My first child slept beautifully. My second, not so much. And she never took a bottle. I finally weaned her (at 20 months old it was time) and she has been sleeping much better. 12 hours a night better. I hope it gets better for you soon too.

I am eating chocolate chips from the bag as I type, so clearly I have no creative ideas on the chocolate. Your croissants sound yummy though.

Anonymous said...

Funny, I've been dipping into the giant Costco bag of chocolate chips myself. And I too am all about the sweet-salty combos - I really must try this mixture you speak of. I love chocolate covered raisins (I suppose chocolate chips would work in a pinch) with salty popcorn. Or with salt and vinegar chips. Mmm.

SLynnRo said...

I have a friend that mixes them with sausage. Equally deadly to be sure.

Katy said...

How thrilled am I that someone else admitted to raw cookie dough? Actually bake it? Never. It's a guilty pleasure for sure.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the sleeping thing. Seven hours is mine's maximum. Of course, he's on a schedule because of medicine, so he might go longer if we let him.

Pickles and Dimes said...

That is a GREAT idea about the croissants and chocolate chips. I'm going to try that.

I love to melt chocolate and then dip bananas in it and freeze. Frozen chocolate-covered bananas = the best. Plus, somewhat healthy.

And I TOTALLY eat raw cookie dough. It's the best thing in the world.

LoriD said...

Good cheat recipe - I will definitely be trying that. I often melt a few semi-sweet choc chips and drizzle over Rice Krispie Squares. Yum.

It's so hard for them to nurse or take a bottle when they can't breathe through their noses. I had fairly good luck using one of those bulb aspirators (after they have been crying is good because it's good and loose), then putting a tiny bit of Vicks in the nostrils. Good luck with it!

Mommy Daisy said...

Oh, I've done the crescent roll thing....except here's what I do different. Cut the rolls in half before you roll them (makes more of a bite sized piece), and put a little bar of Hershey's chocolate inside (buy a Hershey's candy bar and break into the little pieces). For the holidays you can put sprinkles on top, too. :D

I just always have some sort of hidden chocolate in the house (M&Ms, mini-candy bars, or something). I hope that everyone is feeling better soon.

email said...

The chocolate crescents sound fantastic. And the chocolate and coconut ones sound even fantasticker. I do not care that fantasticker is not a word. I was just getting ready to start a health kick, but it will now have to wait until I bake a few rolls. I refuse to read the comments to this post, or my health kick will be put off even longer. I have no willpower.

Swistle said...

I tried Devan's "PB and powdered sugar and baking cocoa" thing. YUM.

Saly said...

OMG, all of these suggestions sound heavenly! I keep thin mints or hershey bars hidden in the back of the freezer for all emergencies.

Annie said...

I second the thin mints, and I love anything peanut butter and chocolate (Baskin and Robbin's PB and choco ice cream--yum!!). Sadly, I have been off the chocolate while BFing E, so coffee has been saving my sanity. I drank gingerbread lattes on a daily basis during the holidays, and now I have moved on to cinnamon dolce lattes.

Oh, the sleep thing sucks. It can really make a person psychotic. Just keep eating chocolate. What else can you do?

Heather said...

If chocolate came in a wine bottle, that'd be my first choice.

But since it doesn't, Reese's mini pnut butter cups are next in line.

Unknown said...

My son had the same sleeping/refusing bottle problem. We skipped the bottle and went straight to a sippy cup. That worked well. We eventually figured out that he liked his formula/milk cold not warmed. With that combo he finally started sleeping through the night. No sleep is the worst, good luck.

My chocolate fix: peanut butter & chocolate chips rice crispy squares , done in the microwave. Gooey, easy and keeps the kids busy licking off the spoon.

Shannon said...

Whoooo...I finally got that paint color for you that you commented on! I'm sorry it took so long but the can of paint is waayyyyy out of my reach. Anyways, it is Behr Warm Nutmet (ICC-71). It is still low so if you need the color mix numbers, just let me know. We bought it at Home Depot.

confiance said...

A little late to the party, but have t share my secret chocolate fix.

Layer saltines (20-30) in a pan lined with foil with a slight edge. Melt a stick of butter, stir in 1/2 sugar and a dash of vanilla. Spread over the saltines, covering all of them. Bake at 350F for 6-8 minutes, pull out, spread melted chocolate chips on the top, and stash the pan in the fridge.

BEST combo of salty and sweet.

Also, I totally do the raw cookie dough. But I leave out things like baking soda/power, eggs... you know, the stuff required to make sure that the cookies would bake correctly.