Because chocolate is too girly these days

I saw this in the check-out aisle at the grocery store today and could not resist buying one for Jeremy.


The subtitle reads "Keep from women."


The back reads, roughly translated: "A special form of softness exclusively for men, this powerful and tender chocolate is the inviolable property of men!"

When we returned home, I powered up my good friend Google and found a press release announcing the launch of the product back in 2005. The release states that the the bar is "based on deep understanding of a modern man psychology."

According to Nestle Russia official Aleksandra Tarasinkevich, "The role of woman in a society is more and more increasing. A distinction between a woman and a man is gradually drawn. So much the men would like to have things, which will belong only to them. Considering this need, "Nestle" company developed a key idea of "untouchable man's property", which was laid in the basis of Nestle® Classic for Men strategic concept."

The press release also notes that the heft of the bar makes it the right size for a burly man-palm (and presumably, too large for delicate female fingers).

Despite my voracious appetite for chocolate these days, I'll try to heed the warning on the packaging and keep my hormonal and swollen pregnant paws off the manly candy bar. At least until Jeremy gets home.

Must be made of gold

Our second week in Moscow, I went to check out the local D'etskii Mir (Children's World), which is about a 10-minute walk from the Embassy. Spotting a sale bin, I rooted around and was astounded to find, among the other items, priced in the $10-30 range, a baby dress marked down from 15,000 RUR (about $500) to 5,000 RUR (about $165). Last week, I went back to the store to pick up a few things. The dress was still there. Still 5,000 rubles. It's just been hanging there (pictured below, on the right) for eight weeks. Wonder whether a) it will ever be sold or b) they will mark it down further.

I am not a butcher

Yesterday I made this for dinner.  I inadvertently baked it at a lower temperature than necessary, and my gravy totally separated and looked horrible, but both chicken and gravy were absolutely delicious.  It's hard to screw up the flavor when the recipe calls for that much butter.  Because of the sheer fattening-ness of this dish, we won't be having it very often, but it's definitely a keeper. 

I will, however, buy pre-cut chicken parts next time.  This time I decided to use a whole fryer that I had in the freezer.  I found a Youtube video about cutting up a chicken, got out my knife, and went to town.  I'm not usually squeamish about meat, but by the time I got to the part where I was instructed to pop the bird's thigh bone out of its socket, I started to feel a bit nauseous.  I don't think I'll be doing that again.

Care package!

Yesterday's mail brought a care package from my friend Claire.  We met Claire and her husband Erik through the Bradley childbirth class we took before Natasha's birth, and they have become good friends.  Erik likes to take pictures and build stuff, and Claire loves to sing, cook and craft (hmm, does that sound familiar?).  You can follow their adventures on their blog.

Anyway, I thought her care package was so cool that I had to share:

Those are vintage recipes, a decorated-by-Claire birdhouse for Natasha's room, a real handwritten letter and a card, some Burt's Bees hand salve for the cold Russian winter, and some adorable buttons for future knitted projects. 

I always want to send care packages but never know what to put in them - now I have all sorts of inspiration.  Thanks, Claire!

Uh oh

So, you might have heard about this 5-minute chocolate-cake-in-a-mug. There are a lot of recipes floating around out there for it. I tried one last year, and it was just aight. Last night, we tried this recipe. I used more milk in place of the brandy since we didn't have any on hand (well, except for the bottle of 15-year Armenian cognac that was a wedding gift from my voice teacher; but I didn't think cake in a mug warranted opening the bottle). I also added a few pieces of Hershey bar and a dollop of peanut butter to Jeremy's cake.

The cake rose pleasingly in the microwave:


Didn't look like much on a plate, but it was SO good.


I ate about 2/3 of mine before my stomach cried uncle (and this doesn't happen often, particularly in reference to cake). Jeremy scarfed his down and ate the rest of mine. Then he lay back on the couch groaning about how much his stomach hurt. Today, though, as he was heading off to basketball, he said "Honey, can you make me that chocolate in a mug again?" This time he only ate one, but proclaimed his stomach "kinda full."

Try it. You won't regret it.