Pipe Dream #83: To Git Some GT – Chocolate Fondue

At school, we are assigned these “family groups.” They’re pretty sweet because they let you get to know a small group a little better than the rest of the students. Probably the staff just wants to make sure you have friends. So we pray, play Four On A Couch, practice walking through the Old Testament with hand signs. (We are so fly.)

Anyway, we also have GT. For all of you who were not privy to my friendship prior to 2005, GT stands for “Good Times.” Now, in classic Urban Dictionary style, I will give you an appropriate use of this phrase:

Paolo: “Hey, Gwenyth, remember that one time we were standing in line for dinner?”

Gwenyth: “GT, GT.” *nods and smiles*

Simple and expressive, yeah? You can have it for free. :] And don’t even complain that I am giving you the most useful two letters ever and not a KitchenAid. It’s not like I’m getting paid to write this blog. I can’t give away any prizes except extremely culturally relevant phrases and the occasional bad analogy.

One of our recent good times was hanging out at Graih’s. She is our family “mom,” and also the housekeeper of the school. In case you were wondering, “Dad” is the graphic designer/PR person. We’ve had good chats. Anyway, we played UNO with a bunch of crazy Belgian and German rules thrown in, and THEN we had chocolate fondue.

Here’s how we contrived et:

First, we melted 300 grams of “Milk chocolate flavour cake covering” in a saucepan. I’m guessing this is kind of like the chocolate candy melts you can get in the baking aisle for dipping pretzels and things. Either way, it wasn’t super high quality chocolate, but it still tasted lovely.

Next we added about half a can of evaporated milk to the chocolate.

There were no measurements required because Graih said it was really more about getting the right consistency for dipping, so add as you like.

 

Then we chopped up millions of fruits to dip in the chocolate. It was a fantastic fruit spread. And there were marshmallows. They were even pink, some of them.

And I loved it. Plus, we had some good bonding time. In my family at home, we have to kiss everyone at the table if we drop our fruit in the fondue. I didn’t make these people do that, but I did suggest it. Awkward GT.

With brain and stomach filled,

L

Chocolate Fondue

by Graih

300 g chocolate melting pieces

1/2 can evaporated milk

various fruits and definitely marshmallows

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, being careful not to burn it. Add in the evaporated milk until the chocolate reaches desired consistency. Submerge fruit and transfer directly to your mouth.

Favorite Shots: Smile Upon Me

This post is heavy on some geeky history, so if you’re here to see some frou frou cupcakes, think again. You have been warned.

When I visited Germany in December, one of  the neat historical places we stopped was Nürnberg Castle. It was kind of like a time share property for the Holy Roman Empire. Visiting dignitaries would stay there if they were passing through, and all the local nobles would donate their best furniture to deck out the castle. After the emperor (or whoever was staying) left, all the furniture would be returned.

The castle had a 50 meter well dug straight into sandstone (it probably took them ten years), but the most interesting part to me was the double chapel. It is called a “double” chapel because there were two levels, the main level for the nobles, and the lower level for the peasants. There was no direct access to the lower level (which is literally beneath the feet of the upper class) because the nobility thought it horrible to associate at all with the lower class. There was only a big hole in the floor through which the peasants could hear what was going on above them. It is thought that this practice was the beginning of the phrase “to hear mass.”

Technically, though, this is a triple chapel. The above shot was taken from a landing made specially for the emperor, above the nobility level. You can see the face of Christ above the archway there? When viewed from the peasant level, he looks like he is frowning. When viewed from the nobility level, he has a straight face. And when viewed from the emperor level, he is smiling. So weird! But what interesting architecture.

Sidenote: this whole situation is so far from how the church is supposed to function. Jesus loves everyone the same, and no one has limited access to him.

Someday this will all be made right,

Lauren

 

Pipe Dream #82: To Stand Out

Seriously, all the Germans at my school are super beautiful. They all have gorgeously distinct features, and it makes them stand out from the rest of us drab North Americans. :] Katharina is no exception to the rule. Besides that, she is super fun and has a model face. It was a joy to take pictures of her. Enjoy!

Lauren