Kägi-Fret is a Fancy Kit Kat (Because You're Fancy)

Eat this.

I found this classy little candy bar at a liquor store, of all places. Made in the Swiss Alps, it's delicate, crispy sheets of wafer layered with milk chocolate.



You know how, in the Spring, children have to be content with hard boiled eggs dyed in food coloring? When you were a kid, no one could trust you with anything more elegant because you were a monster and you would have smashed something like a blown or carved egg.

This candy bar is like that. When you were young, you had to eat Kit Kats. The chocolate is off-puttingly thick and the wafer layers are hastily smashed together. But it was fitting, because you were a brute.

Now that you're an adult, we can trust you with more graceful and refined things, like Kägi-fret. The chocolate is thin and the wafers are delicate and thoughtfully arranged You've earned this superior candy by proving that you could handle the Kit Kats. Congratulations! Dig in.

(P.S. While googling for a link, I discovered that in the US you can buy these just under the name "Kägi" - my "Kägi-fret" must have sneaked in from overseas! The scamp!)

Lose Weight Eating Cake

It’s New Year’s Resolution Time! You’re going to eat right and fit into that itsy-bitsy suit/bikini/jeans you’re always talking about!* I pre-congratulate you because I know you are just the type of badass who will kill it.

About a year and a half ago, I lost 1/7 of myself. It’s not an enormous number, but it’s notable. I am in no position to tell you what the best weight-loss solution is. I'm not a doctor. But I can tell you that I never stopped eating dessert.
If you don't let yourself have little breaks, you will be miserable. And one day you will pass a doughnut shop and lose your mind. Don’t be that person shame-eating half a dozen bearclaws under the covers alone in the dark.
Instead, eat this warm, fudgey, marshmallowy cupcake. 145 calories.

Instead of icing, you will use a melty marshmallow (use chocolate if you're smart). That is literally the entire "trick." Don't we all feel silly for worrying about cake this whole time?

The thing is, it's usually not the actual cake itself that is the major calorie bomb. It's those piles of buttercream frosting, made almost entirely of sugar and fat. But marshmallows, those perfect little clouds of sweetness, are much less worrisome.

You can toast the marshmallows right in the oven if you are feeding a crowd. But if you are planning more for  everyday sweet tooth attacks, whip up a bunch and freeze them. Pull one out of the freezer and top with a marshmallow. Skewer the marshmallow with a toothpick to keep it from falling off and rolling around and ruining your life. Microwave for about 15 seconds until it's soft and smooshable.

And....done. Toss on some sprinkles and eat. It's practically unhealthy not to eat these, right?

For mine, I used Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake, prepared as instructed on the box. You know I prefer homemade cakes, but box mixes are good enough and much less work/math if you're calorie counting. If you do want to make them from scratch, you can search by nutrition info on Yummly. I found these for only 120 calories.

Cake: 110 calories (if you get 24 cupcakes like the box says - I actually usually get more like 29)
Marshmallow: 25 calories
Sprinkles: 10 calories for 1/2 tsp

*Of course you don't HAVE to lose any weight at all. You are super foxy, independent of any number on the scale. I just know it's a very common resolution, and it's one I had something to say about.

Coffee is an Event with Stroopie

Such a delightful way to wake up on a Sunday morning.

Erik's mom sent me some stroopie for Christmas. Otherwise known as Dutch syrup waffles or stroopwafels, they are waffle cookies sandwiched around a syruppy filling. While your tea is brewing or your coffee is still hot, place a stroopie on top of your mug and let the steam melt the gooey syrup inside. (The package advertises that it's 12% butter, so you know they're not messing around. They take your breakfast seriously.) After a minute, you have a wonderfully soft, cinnamony, caramelly, syruppy delight in your head before you're really fully awake. It's so cozy.

Thank goodness they were wrapped with a note explaining how to eat them! I'm sure they are delightful straight out of the bag, but I haven't had the heart to eat one without steaming it first. Warm waffle cookie prelude to your tea? It's a no-brainer.