Will move for chocolate

Did I mention that Dan was coming to visit? It very well may have slipped my mind. Not like I was counting the hours until he arrived…

Coincidentally, he arrived right when I was pulling some of Angela’s salt and vinegar chips out of the oven.

For the record, I saved that one for myself. See?

No worries, though, there were a few more chips for Dan. That boy is a salt and vinegar fool!

The next few hours were spent catching up on all that had happened within in previous 60 hours. Way too much time to spend apart, if you ask me.

Dan transitioned straight for a full week of finals to a full week of work, so I knew he’d be ready for a break and a good night sleep. So, while he snoozed, I got up and went to work on some of Meghann’s carrot cake waffles with a few variations of my own.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 C oats
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 C grated carrots
• 1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
• One egg white
• 1/2 C unsweetened soy milk (or regular milk)
• 1/4 C white chocolate chips
• 1/4 C dried cranberries

Directions:

• Add everything to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Cook on a waffle maker, according to manufacturer’s directions.

Right as I was peeling the last pair of waffles off the griddle, Dan found his way up the stairs and into the kitchen.

Before he even knew what was going on, I served him up a couple of waffles and a glass of juice. I didn’t hear too many complaints, though.

The rest of the morning was appropriately leisurely. Dan had to take care of some stuff around lunch time, so we split up. I hit the bike trails for a decent, albeit chilly, run. Then, I went back home to serve up a light lunch for myself.

Consumed: Spinach salad with almonds, dried strawberries and strawberry vinaigrette. A side of toast with some cheese spread and an apple. I also had a “lunch dessert” of a few Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels and some white chocolate chips.

When Dan got back, we went right back into relaxation mode for the afternoon. In fact, the only thing that could motivate me to get up was a mad craving for chocolate covered pretzels.

Praline-Sprinkled Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

Ingredients:

• Chocolate almond bark
• Pretzel rods
• Praline candy bits

Directions:

• Melt the almond bark in the microwave in a shallow bowl. Stir it until smooth. Using a small spatula, rotate the pretzels while coating half of it in chocolate.
• Place pretzels on a sheet of wax paper. Sprinkle with praline bits while the chocolate is still wet.
• Allow chocolate to harden.

After a little while of napping hanging out, it was approaching time for dinner. Dan and I decided to go big with a night out by going to dinner and a movie downtown — And when I think “restaurants” and “Lincoln,” I always think of Indian Food. Kind of unexpected, right? Seriously, though, some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had is right here in the modest ol’ town of Lincoln.

First up was the obligatory roti.

To be specific, it was stuffed paratha with curried potatoes and peas. Note that this was past tense for a reason — It went fast!

Before we could even gobble down the bread, dinner was served.

Consumed: Vegetable Jalfrezi with some Basmati rice.

Thank goodness it came quick, too, because we left just in time for the movie. Strange that for “not being movie people,” Dan and I have seen a lot of movies lately. Tonight we agreed on “The Next Three Days.” I was actually quite impressed — On the edge of my seat, for sure. I’d recommend it for a good date movie.

Random side note: The theater was almost empty, which wasn’t strange for a Monday. Dan and I were the first ones in the theater. A few minutes later, a group of three guys came in together, but then split up in totally random, spread out seats.

Just kind of strange. But, who am I to judge? I only move when chocolate pretzels are on the line.

Questions: What motivates you to move on your lazy days? Is your town especially known for a certain type of cuisine?