Delighting in December

Chocolate has long been touted as a “cure-all” for any form of despair in my family. Need to experience feelings of love and adoration but don’t have a warm body to cuddle? Eat some chocolate. Have a bit of a headache that just won’t go away? Chocolate will, in most cases, cure it. Lying in a sick bed and need something to warm you up and make your day that much better? Grab some hot chocolate…or have someone bring you some (even better!). Need something to comfort you when you’re just feeling out-of-sorts? Grab something nice and soft and smooth like…you guessed it: CHOCOLATE. It’s the best thing to pick you up when you’re feeling…meh.

Deep breaths. Count to ten, Jennifer.

Well, as many people close to me are very well aware, I have been a bit meh lately (and for that, I wholeheartedly apologize). Too much to do, too little time to do it in and too many people asking me questions that I have honestly gotten to the point of not wanting to answer (“yes”, “no” and “yes, I am sure” are my answers for now). November was a bad month for me emotionally, physically, mentally and intellectually. I couldn’t concentrate; I actually fainted once and hit my head on a table; my heart had its ups and downs; I did no exercise; hardly any walking and I ate crap, pretty much every day (in the forms of food and mistreatment).

Things are getting worse, please send chocolate.

So I enthusiastically welcome the month of December. It will be a month of peace and tranquility, of bliss and contentment. A month dedicated to serenity and of course, good food, great fun and much laughter and merriment. I will go to yoga, I will walk and walk and walk some more. I will smile and sing and dance. I might even sign up for a kickboxing class (I need to get my frustrations out somewhere). Life will indeed, be excellent.

To kick off the month-that-will-be-awesome, I decided to make a perfectly beautiful, deliciously tasty chocolate ganache tart. I added the raspberries for some gaiety and the white chocolate for some bling. What more could a girl want…really?