Praise God for Chocolate!

I knew that there was going to be cheesecake and chocolate torte at Genevieve and Nathan's wedding this past weekend--which meant yummy desserts and Margaret and Gina should not eat if we wanted to enjoy the company of our dear brothers and sisters. So, I decided to make a milk-free, soy-free, flourless chocolate cake. I was skeptical as to whether it would work, but it did and it tasted great and fit right in with the chocolate torte that was at the wedding. Here's the recipe adapted from Epicurious.com:

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°F and oil an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with oil, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

What I've Been Avoiding Reading

Well, perhaps avoiding is a bit too strong of a word, but I've been putting off reading for a very long time what everyone kept telling me I'd like. I did believe them, but I always felt like there was something closer to the top of my list, more worth spending time on. Well, last night I finished the seventh Harry Potter book about a month after I started the first one. And after a long time of only half-believing all the fans, I would definitely say that it is not to be taken lightly, and it is worth reading.

Back to School

So we've finally started school again for the year this week. We are all technically fourth-years, aka seniors, now. We moved back up on Sunday, though we didn't have really to move since we are still in the same apartment. After getting some things settled, we decided to rearrange the furniture in the study and the living room. It is very interesting how the way a room is arranged affects how you want to use it/be in it. We had a lot of fun doing this. One thing I really enjoyed about moving into this apartment last fall was getting to decorate it and arrange the furniture in it with Anne and Gina. It was an amazing co-creative experience. We all have similar taste so that was helpful :) I was sad, coming back to school this year, that we would not have that kind of opportunity. But we created one for ourselves anyways, and it was great. And now I like those two rooms a lot better!!

w0rk, w00t!

Today I was thinking about how I haven't posted in forever, and just now I was thinking about my summer working at LaSalle Company... and well, I decided to post about working at LaSalle... Wow, that was the most boring intro to a blog-post you've ever read! I guess I should stop writing and show pictures... This is me, hard at work in my cubicle, or reading an email as it appears. (I stole this pic from Lizzy--payback I guess for taking it in the first place, she scared me half to death!)
This is from the beginning of the summer... me and Lizzy... It was way fun to get to work with Liz this summer, though since she had to leave for school a month before me, I was left behind without her for a while... But it was great, we had many discussions about history, politics, solving the problems of the world, life in Christ/in the POP, and of course Harry Potter 7!!! We also worked. A lot. In case you were wondering.
Laura and me, with our lovely head-sets :) Laura, above, and Sarah, below left, are permanant employees of LaSalle, so they won't leave while I'm here :) It's been great to be able to work with them!
Another pic from Lizzy, of Sarah, me and Liz, (again featuring our lovely headsets...)Me taking an order, live in action! I'm still here for one more week before I go back to school in Chi-town :)

Praise God for being able to work for the People of Praise, and with the People of Praise!