Chocolate Truffle Recipe!

Hello, friends! One of the symbols of the Christmas season for me is making and giving chocolate truffles.  I originally saw the recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle in the early '80s and have been making about 400 a year ever since then. That's one of the reasons I love rollerblading...so I can indulge in sinful treats such as chocolate truffles upon occasion.  I'm partial to the dark chocolate varieties, but I've branched out to make milk chocolate, white chocolate and semisweet ones too.  Here's my recipe for the original dark chocolate ones.  They may not turn our looking picture perfect the first time--or even the 20th time--but they will taste great no matter how they look! Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles Chocolate Truffles Centers:                                                                       Yield: 30-36 truffles              1 c. heavy cream                                                   6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels                                    4 oz. unsweetened chocolate                     3 T. unsalted butter 1/4 c. liqueur (such as Amaretto, Chambord, Crème de Menthe, or Grand Marnier) (optional) 1/2 c. finely chopped nuts (optional) 1 capful flavoring extract such as peppermint or almond Chop unsweetened chocolate into morsel-sized pieces.  Simmer cream in a saucepan.  When cream comes to a boil, remove pan from heat.  Add both chocolates and butter.  Stir firmly with a wire whisk until chocolate-chip effect goes away and mixture is like pudding.  Pour into a bowl and continue to whisk until chocolate and butter is dissolved.  Stir in liqueur (and optional nuts or flavoring extract).  Cover and refrigerate overnight. To shape centers, scoop about 1 tablespoon with a spoon; roll in your palms to form a ball.  Place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.  Freeze centers overnight. Coating:   12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate                    6 oz. unsweetened chocolate Note:  make sure you do NOT get any water in the melting chocolate.  Even a small amount of water will cause the chocolate to seize up. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (or a bowl set over a pan of almost simmering water).  Remove chocolate from heat.  Dip frozen centers into chocolate one at a time.  Let extra coating drip off and place coated truffle on waxed paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate.  Before serving, allow truffles to warm about 15 minutes at room temperature.   They keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.                   White Chocolate Mint Milk chocolate and white chocolate require a different recipe.  If you don't like dark chocolate, try the recipe above using all semisweet chocolate.  Leave me a note here (or email me) if you would like the challenge of making milk or white chocolate varieties.  Even my white chocolate mint truffles look a bit lumpy and I've made them dozens of times! Enjoy your truffles if you make them and happy holidays to you and your family! Keep skating! Nancie ♥  My last skate: 12/12/12  Skate #169 Lafayette-Moraga Trail 4.51 mi (How many truffles does that earn me?)

Wet Pavement: Moving Past Limits

Hello friends!

This time of year is my busiest season.  Between my jewelry business and my personal obligations, I sometimes have a hard time skating or doing other activities that keep me balanced.  Add Liz Reynolds and my holiday boutique last weekend plus very raining weather, and I'm jonesing to get out skating.  I actually start feeling like an addict who has had to quit cold turkey.

We in northern California had some major wet weather last week.  (I know you folks that live in other parts of the country are feeling no sympathy!)  Finally on Sunday afternoon the skies dried and the sun came out--just minutes after my poor husband finished cleaning out the gutters yet again!  I waited as long as possible to give the trail the best shot at drying out a bit but still early enough that I could get a skate in before darkness took over.  When the time was right, I made my move!

I started on the Lafayette Moraga trail at the Commons in Moraga.  It seemed like many other people had the same idea and the trail was filled with walkers and bikers...an extra challenge but not insurmountable.  I was the only fool on skates however.

I've written before about trying different techniques to mix up my skate a bit and to keep increasing my skills.  This day, I didn't need to try too hard…between the plethora of sticks, leaves, acorns and rocks and the still-wet pavement, I had all the challenge I needed!  There was even one section where the water was running freely right across the trail:

Note the gravel washed onto the trail and the 1/2 inch deep water still flowing across the trail

To my surprise, as long as I stepped a bit cautiously on the wet sections, I didn't have too much of a problem.  Mind you, it was plenty challenging…the least bit of wet when I'm skating hard means that my skates slide sideways out from under me.  On the wet surface I had to take smaller steps and be continually ready to correct my balance.  

With a little trial and error, I found I could remain pretty steady on my feet and manage to get a satisfying workout.  The workout combined with seeing a bit of sunshine, and my mood was soaring before long.  I kept to the mile-long section between the commons and Rheem Boulevard.  I did the same section two times to get a 4-mile skate and then managed to come home tired, sweaty and happy.

The next day the trail was drier still and I was now armed with the knowledge that my limits were not what I had thought them to be.  It gave me confidence to skate further and skate harder.  

I guess my surprising takeaway message was that my previously believed limits were largely self-imposed.  Because of my previous bad experiences with wet pavement, I had thought it was something that I couldn't handle at all.  Instead, I now know that with a bit of care and practice I CAN skate on wet pavement.  

A challenge is not the same thing as a limit unless I allow myself to believe it to be so--a good thing to learn and to put into practice in other areas of my life.

What other challenges do I have that are holding me back because I think they're non-negotiable limits?  Something for me to think about.

Keep skating!

Nancie  ♥ 

12/2/12 

Skate #162

4.12 miles

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 

Beautiful Bay Area Fall

Hello, friends!

What a glorious, sunny, crisp, clear fall day!  I feel so lucky to live here and have such great skating trails at my doorstep.  

Today my husband Marty and I slept in a bit while both our kids got up early and went off to work.  There's something that feels so delicious about that!  With fewer hours of daylight, often wet trails, and a deficit of skating time over the last month, I'm hot to go whenever I can fit it in, but I did need to at least wait until the sun was up enough to dry off the trails a bit and to begin shrinking the puddles and patches of wet leaves.  

Marty dropped me off on his way to the gym and I got right to skating.  Because I had a good chunk of skating time to fill until he had finished his workout, I set out from the Commons Park in Moraga towards the Lafayette Community Center.  At my usual turn-around point, I kept going.  I ended up skating further than I have ever skated before (at least since keeping track with my Nike + Running app on my phone).  I ended up skating a 10k.  Yay me!

Did the trail have acorns, leaves, sticks, and puddles for me to deal with?  Yes, yes it did.  Here is a picture of one of the challenges.

The Lafayette-Moraga trail near the Lafayette Community Center

As I skated past the Lafayette Community Center, I came across this sign:

Have you ever seen such a thing?  Well, you can't say they didn't warn us!

Years ago when our extended family took our annual ski trips together, my kickass-skiing cousin Suzi used to tell us that you need to push yourself when you ski.  She thought that a good measure of pushing yourself enough is to fall down every so often.  That way you would continue to improve as a skier.  I think of her advice often when I skate.  Not that I am okay with falling while skating…I try to avoid that if possible.  But I do make sure I keep pushing myself so that I keep improving.  

I consider it a successful skate if I have at least one bobble…an almost-fall-but-not-quite moment...every time I skate.  That way I know I'm pushing my limits...getting better and better with each passing week.  

The funny thing I've noticed…the more I'm comfortable pushing my limits skating, the more I'm comfortable pushing myself into other uncomfortable areas in my life.

How do you like to push yourself?

Keep skating...or whatever you like to do!

Nancie ♥ 

My last skate:

11/25/12 

Skate #160

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 6.85 mi

Too busy to blog, but not too busy to skate...

Hello, friends!

I've been so busy getting ready for Liz and my 8th annual Holiday Boutique that I've barely had time to write, but I have made time to skate.  Our boutique:

  Friday, November 30           9 AM - 8 PM

 Saturday, December 1         9 AM - 2 PM     

370 Redfield Pl, Moraga, CA

We are so excited about the many wonderful gift items we're busy making...jewelry, scarves, food gifts, baby gifts, holiday decor, and paperwhites ready to bloom in your home or for a friend.  We're serving food, drinks, champagne in the evening, we're having a drawing for prizes such as jewelry and other gifts, and giving a free gift to everyone that attends.  It's a fun event and part of our proceeds will benefit Friends of Faith, a local non-profit, in memory of Faith Fancher, which supports underserved women battling breast cancer.  Bring a friend for a special 20% off incentive on one regularly priced item in our boutique.

(Shameless boutique plug done!)

Despite how busy I've been, I've used managed to skate 11 of the last 13 days and that makes me a happy camper.    I passed my personal goal of 150 skates in 2012.  So great!  I haven't had much time to write about skating though, so I thought I'd share a hilarious commercial of babies skating that my friend Joan sent to me.  Check it out for just 10 seconds and I think you won't be able to stop watching.

If only I had started skating at such a young age!

Click here for how I wish I could skate!

Keep skating (or whatever it is that YOU like to do)!

Nancie ♥ 

My last skate:

11/14/12 

Skate #154

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 5.25 mi

Signs of Fall: Acorns and Sticks and Leaves...Oh My!

Hello, friends!

Due to my mom's open heart surgery and a trip back east that was extended due to Hurricane Sandy, I found myself unable to skate for 2 full weeks!  By the time I returned to the bay area last week and my mom was released from rehab and home with my sister and stepdad to help out, I was climbing the walls with a desire to get back on the trails with my rollerblades. 

And skate I have!  I have skated every day over the last week, racking up over 30 miles altogether.  It felt so great!  At the same time, I've resumed my yoga practice, another critical piece of my well being.  My yoga instructor, Howard VanEs, is just a fantastic teacher and I find myself enjoying yoga more and more.  Click here to check out his series of books.

As I've been busy preparing for increased holiday sales of my jewelry and the extra demands of the holidays, I've needed the intense exercise even more than usual to keep my brain clear and happy and my energy level high.  The weird thing is that until this year, I had never been that consistent with my exercise routine except for short periods of time.  Now I'm at the point where I can no longer envision my life without yoga and without skating.

Fall skating is beautiful and here's why I love living in Northern California:

But it does have its challenges:

Acorns, Sticks and Leaves

Some sections of the trail are just covered with the litter from the trees.  My rear wheels scoop up the leaves and the brake on my right skate traps them.  I'm toying with the idea of removing my brake, but I still have the occasional time when I am very happy for that brake...especially on the downhills!  

Lesson for handling the extra detritus on the trail...keep light on my feet, pay attention, relax, be prepared to make a quick correction when one of my wheels suddenly completely stops turning.  All part of the excitement!

Darkness Descends

The end of daylight savings time found me on the trail one evening this week as the daylight was fading quickly.  I skated as fast as I could racing the sun, trying to finish up before darkness really set in.  Alas, the sun was much faster than I was and I found myself returning to my car in almost complete darkness for the last 5 minutes.  The plus side: since I couldn't see the leaves, sticks, and acorns, they didn't really even bother me. 

Maybe I need to get one of those miner's headlights.  I think my cousin Suzi has one I can borrow.  Can you help me out, Suzi?

Rain!

Okay, here's the one obstacle I can't figure a way around.  It started raining today before I got a chance to skate.  Bummer!  It was to be my 150th skate of 2012...an arbitrary milestone but still one I was looking forward to.  Not only do I need to wait till it stops raining, but I'll also need to wait till those leaves are dry enough to stop being a slimy, slippery accident waiting to happen.

Here's a quote I love that helps me face obstacles such as acorns, sticks, leaves, errant shoelaces, darkness and rain:

The universe provides obstacles to see how much you really want something.

I think it's a great way of looking at all the obstacles that might otherwise derail us from what we really want to accomplish.

What goals do you have and how badly do you really want them?  Do you want them enough to push past the figurative acorns that might get in your way?  

Here's my 88-year-old mom, Jane, showing me how to overcome an obstacle such as a torn aortic valve.  She's walking every day with my 90-year-old stepdad around a track near their house,  building her stamina back up after her valve replacement 3 weeks ago.  You go, Mom! 

Keep skating! 

Nancie ♥ 

My last skate:

11/7/12 

Skate #149

Iron Horse Trail 5.08 mi

How To Make Do When You Have To Do Without

Hello, friends! 

In the midst of my mom's recovery from open-heart surgery, my daughter Melanie and I came to Pennsylvania for a few days to attend a dear friend's wedding.  Our trip had been planned for months, while my mom's surgery was planned just recently.  We decided not to cancel our trip, as my brother Mark and my step dad Dan were holding down the fort in our absence.

Our plan was to fly home today, but Hurricane Sandy had other ideas.  By Saturday, we learned that our flight had been canceled.  While we are stranded in Pennsylvania, my brother is stranded in San Francisco, as his flight home to Nepal was to have gone through New York.    So now Melanie and I have an unexpected bonus two days in Pennsylvania, giving me two more days with some family and friends.  We are hunkered down at my cousin's house with plenty of food, water, and other emergency supplies.  

Meanwhile, there has been no skating in my life for over a week and won't be for a number of days in my future.  This is the longest I've gone without skating since January of this year.  So what to do?

First of all, I am counting my blessings for my brother and step dad keeping an eye on things with my mom.  She is recovering quickly and is in good hands, having been released from the hospital to a rehab facility a few days ago.  

Secondly, although I am jonesing to go out for a long skate, I am appeasing myself with the knowledge that I have made skating such an integral part of my life that I know I will jump right back into it as soon as I can.  I'm relaxing and enjoying a bit of a break, eating all the yummy foods of my childhood: ring bologna, Philly cheese steaks, pizza, Tastykakes, and Aunt Barbara's chocolate cake (see recipe below).

I am also enjoying just hanging with some family and friends.  Today for instance, we hunkered down inside, watched endless mindless TV interspersed with updates on Hurricane Sandy, played cards, and howled over funny YouTube videos.  Here's one I particularly liked...it makes me cry with laughter every time I view it:

Click here for the video "Every Infomercial Ever"

So while this is where I can't wait to be skating...

...instead I'm practicing the life skill of patience.  I know my skates and my trail will be waiting for me when I get home and get my mom settled back into her home.  Will my muscles be a bit squishier and my desire to skate more intense by the time I can get back out on the trail?  Perhaps.  Will I get back to my favorite exercise knowing that the interruption was just a temporary blip?  You bet!

Keep skating! 

Nancie ♥ 

My last skate (9 days ago!):

10/20/12 

Skate #143

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 4.52 mi

Aunt Barbara’s Extra-Rich Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring to a boil in a saucepan:

1-1/2 sticks butter

1 c. water

Sift together in a bowl:

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients.  Stir.

Add to bowl:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 buttermilk or sour milk (to make sour milk: put 1/2 tsp. vinegar in a measuring cup, fill to 1/2 c. mark with milk, stir)

Beat together.  Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and back for 20-20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Do NOT over bake...it may seem a little undone in the middle, but this is just right.

While cake is still hot, sift together in a mixing bowl:

1 lb. sifted confectioners sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

Bring the following to a boil in a medium saucepan:

1 stick butter

6 T. milk

Remove pan from heat, pour over dry ingredient and stir.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla. (If desired, add 1 c. chopped nuts such as almonds, pecans or walnuts.)  Beat until well mixed.  Pour icing over hot cake and allow to cool.

This cake is fantastic when served with cold milk.  

Seizing Opportunity...Making Hay While the Sun Shines

Hello, friends!

Sometimes life situations get in the way of doing what we want to do.  In my case, I've been prevented from skating as much as I'd like by a combination of life events and weather.  That's just how life is.  It's like that John Lennon quote:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."  - John Lennon

We can't control what life throws at us, but we can control how we respond to it.  

For instance, our Bay Area fall has been so warm and sunny, but last week we had a couple of wet days.  It sidelined my skating and made me realize that there would be no-skating days ahead as our wet winter arrives.  And when it comes to skating--at least for me--there's no such thing as just a little moisture.  Even the slightest bit of wetness on the trail means that I can't skate.  

I learned my lesson on this score last spring when I accidentally slid through a puddle and ended up flat on the pavement face first.  (Okay, to be honest I was doing some hot dog maneuvers around some puddles...I could have easily avoided them but I was showing off a bit and was thinking to myself, "Damn, I'm looking pretty great at this...I wonder if anyone is watching what a good skater I am?"  Then I hit the puddle, skidded and "splat!"  I was glad no one was actually watching!)

Anyway, I didn't get to skate for about three days in a row last week and I was starting to feel a bit antsy.  As I prepared for my mom's open-heart surgery this week, I knew that I had to make every opportunity to skate as soon as the pavement dried.  

Here's a self-portrait I took
while skating earlier this week.

And skate I did!  I skated 4 days in a row for a total of over 20 miles.  I felt so satisfied that I haven't even minded missing the last 2 days while camping out in the hospital for my mom's surgery.  Which brings me to the lesson I've learned: take every opportunity you have when it presents itself, because you don't know when the next opportunity will come around.  For me this applies to finding time to skate, creating a new piece of jewelry, or spending time with those you love.

If life is what happens while you're making other plans, then make sure you are ready to capitalize on whatever it is that does happen.  

My mom, Jane, right before surgery.
She'd be upset with me if she knew I
posted a picture of her without her makeup.

By the way, my 88-year-old mom's surgery went off without a hitch Wednesday and she is doing better than anyone could have expected.  And now I'm making the most of the opportunity to spend time with her, my stepdad Dan, and my brother Mark, who has delayed his trip back to his home in Nepal for her surgery.  

My mom and Dan, laughing at something funny her
anesthesiologist said.  She is so great--she's about
to have her chest split open and she can still laugh!

It surely wasn't our plan for my mom to have to go through this procedure at this time, but I'm trying to see it as a wonderful chance for all of us to have a close shared experience, and I'm making the most of that.  And when my next opportunity comes around to hit the trails again, you can be sure that I will seize that opportunity too.

As they say, "Make hay while the sun shines."  And in my case, skate while the sun shines.

What opportunities do you want to take advantage of?

Keep skating and tell somebody you love them!

Nancie ♥ 

Click here to see my online jewelry shop

10/16/12 

Skate #142

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 5.40 miles

Patterns While Skating: Wheels!

Hello, friends! 

Have you ever noticed that once one event happens, a string of events seem to follow in the same pattern or theme?  That's how it's been for me lately where it relates to wheels. (I've also got a pattern developing with one of our cats and a skunk, but that's another story and a pattern I hope won't extend past the 2 encounters we've already had in the last month!)

Case in point where wheels are concerned:  last week, I picked up a screw in the tire of one of our cars, necessitating a trip to Big O Tires.  No big deal, although I first tried filling the tire with air more than once, hoping I delay dealing with it.  No dice!

Then the next day I was out skating, and one of the wheels on my favorite rollerblades started sounding like the bearing was packed with sand...more like tiny particles of dirt, but enough to make it sound like metal grinding as I skated.  This is my favorite pair of skates and the only ones I feel comfortable skating the hills with.  Have I mentioned I'm addicted to hill skating...I love the speed.  It really gets my adrenaline going.  Yee-haaaaa!  Sometimes it's exactly what I require.

The best solution to my troublesome wheel would have been to remove the wheel and clean or replace the bearings.  Not having the required cleaning kit or extra bearings, I did the next best thing...cannibalized parts from one of my other pairs of skates.  This is where having 3 pairs of skates comes in handy!  Problem solved--or at least postponed for another day! 

(Note to self--order cleaning kit, extra bearings, and, while I'm at it, a new set of wheels...for inline skate supplies I love the site Inline Warehouse.)

Unbelievably a day or two later, I took one of our other cars into the shop for regular servicing and was told that we needed 2 new tires.  It wasn't a total surprise, but seriously, what's up with me and wheels lately?

The universe was not done showing me that this is the month for wheel and tire maintenance.  Yesterday I was again skating the Lafayette Moraga Trail on the steepest part...the only part that I need my brake for...and my brake picked up a small stick and lodged it against my rear wheel.  When this happens, the stick essentially acts like a chock on that wheel, locking it into a stopped position.  Normally, the forward momentum of the skate on the pavement breaks the stick and releases the wheel or at least merely slows down the wheel, but not this time.  This time, the stick was lodged in so well, that the wheel would not turn even a tiny bit.  I had to make an emergency stop, take off the skate, and dig the stick out.  All this on the fastest part of the downhill.  All part of the excitement, my friends!

I'm hoping I'm done with wheels for a little bit!  In the grand scheme of things, I realize that these problems are tiny.  I'm just wondering if there is some message here for me and what it could possibly be.  

Speaking of round things, here is the exercise ball I use for stretching and also as a fantastic ergonomic chair when sitting at my jewelry bench or working on the computer.  It is the largest size they make.  It's been so great for my back and my posture--I recommend it.  Plus look at that pretty color:

click here to check it out at Gaiam.com

Remember, keep your tires inflated properly, rotate your tires, rotate your rollerblade wheels, and clean your rollerblade bearings every once in a blue moon....or keep some extra wheels on hand!

What patterns are you noticing in your life?

Keep skating!

Nancie ♥ 

P.S. If you have a skunk encounter, here is a good recipe and instructions for dealing with it:

Click here for directions to deskunk a pet

Click here to see my online jewelry shop

10/9/12 

Skate #138

Lafayette-Moraga Trail 5.22 miles

(Fastest mile ever today: 4.31 minutes)