Em's diary

[m-mouse]

that's great mouse - well done! it's true you do get used to what size you're wearing, so when you move to something that supports you properly it feels quite odd but you'll get used to that too. whereabouts did you go? did you treat yourself to more than one new one?

just went to m & s as no bravissimo nearby. Came away with 4 new bras.

 

[Maintainer]

oooh mouse! had you been wearing the wrong size? Most people are, they say...

Emma - I couldn't read about chocolate at the moment, as probably am not in ketosis, but you sound very happy still and that target weight is very close. Holiday at the weekend?

 

[Emmma]

1 week today!

 

[robinhood]

Exciting on the holiday front, Emma. Are you moving onto conso?

Very impressed that you'll be making chocs for the wedding too - if I make some they taste nice but look hideously mis-shapen, so I know nobody would trust me with that job.

 

[Emmma]

I'll be doing the holiday 'conso style' and then back to cruise for a few weeks when i'm back to get the last few lb off - then start conso proper.

I love shopping for kitchen equipment, so making these chocs will give me an excuse to buy a couple of new pieces of kit!

 

[dukandebut]

Those are lovely ideas dd, i'll add to my list! I've ordered Chocolates & Confections: Formula, Theory & Technique for the Artisan Chocolatier by Peter P Greweling, though there are several more on my amazon wishlist including the one you'd mentioned. I've borrowed Making Fine Chocolates, Truffles and Confections by Andrew Garrison Shotts from the library which has some good ideas but the recipes all make about 30 so i'll have to cut them down for my trials.

Part of the reason to do a few varieties is so that people can choose to swap them with their neighbours if they want. The theme is vintage so all the tables will be decorated differently anyway - why not the chocolates too!

That is going to be one heck of a fantastic wedding. I love the idea of an eclectic vintage theme and the chocolates will be the icing on the cake.

If you can, I'd love to see pics of it all, the décor, the chocs, the outfits. Fabulous!

That first book sounds pretty hardcore from a technical point of view, Em. Must admit that I have an awful tendency to skip the science bit and just dive on in there with recipes - although I've never tried proper chocolate-making and I understand that it's best to seriously brush up on the correct techniques in order to achieve professional results. My experience (and there's plenty of it) is much more involved in the tasting!

We have an excellent local chocolatier and I often bring her back news of new flavours and suggestions from encounters with chocolate on my travels. She's always open to new ideas and has developed some sublime combinations. Some of her best include white Stilton or vintage balsalmic vinegar and, my own favourite - a special stout.

Another favourite chocolatier makes a fantastic extra virgin olive oil-infused ganache and another one with popping candy.

Oh, and then there's the very fabulous banana and thyme ganache!

I'd love to try plump, balsalmic vinegar soaked raisins with hazelnuts either combined into a ganache or just clumps of them covered in chocolate.

Oh no! My chocolate obsession is now back in full swing!

 

[dukandebut]

just went to m & s as no bravissimo nearby. Came away with 4 new bras.

I really think that bra shops should start paying commission to Em for inspiring us all to buy new ones!

 

[Emmma]

I love the technicality of chocolate making - it's actual chemistry that makes it set with a good temper, so i'm looking forward to reading the technical bits.

I did have the idea of something with popping candy when i did my original brainstorming, will have to try and track some down.

More good ideas there dd - keep them coming! Will see what i can do about some photos.

And yes - a commission cheque would be lovely!

 

[dukandebut]

A commission cheque could help to pay for your new culinary kit! ;-)

Whilst I'm not a fan of white chocolate, I've seen a lovely-sounding combo of white chocolate with Pimms and strawberries which might be very suitable for a wedding. Looks pretty with bits of red stawberry peeking out from the white choc, too.

Talking about the chemistry aspect, I bought a fantastic ice cream recipe book last year, read-up on the technical side and bought the kit (proper thermometer, etc) and it did make the world of difference. The ice cream seemed much more luxurious and smoother. Definitely worth the extra effort.

 

[Maintainer]

Em - did you receive the package?

 

[Emmma]

I did Jo - thanks very much!

 

[Maintainer]

Thank YOU!

 

[Emmma]

Feeling good today (again!) got loads achieved at work, and managed a hefty amount of personal admin this morning too. Went shopping after work for some holiday gear (hellooooooooo payday!) but came back with only one dress which has turned out to be too small so i'm seeing a mission into town tomorrow lunchtime.

oh, and the bloody cat threw up on the sofa today, so i've unplanned cushion cover laundry to manage tonight - nice one cat! not to worry though, this time this week we'll be airborne

B: half cinnamon galette
L: quarter chicken quiche, quarter yoghurt cake
S: bowl sweetened greek yoghurt
D: 300g luc lac turkey, rest of galette

 

[m-mouse]

oooh mouse! had you been wearing the wrong size? Most people are, they say...

Emma - I couldn't read about chocolate at the moment, as probably am not in ketosis, but you sound very happy still and that target weight is very close. Holiday at the weekend?

Well I went down 2 sizes (band wise) and up a cup size - but I'm sure that at one point I was bulging out of my old size! Not sure how I went up a cup size - I think perhaps that was a better fit than going down one band size (a bit like with width fittings on shoes!)

Thank you all for being so supportive on this issue

 

[Maintainer]

(Since losing my weight in 2003, I'd been buying "B" cup, then the b*tch at M&S told me I was an "A"... I cried a river!)

Oh dear Emma re cat! I have one who is quite regularly "unwell" so I'm used to cleaning the carpet regularly! Trust me to have a bulimic cat - the one we rescued as a kitten from the streets of Burgundy, when it was -14°C outside, has a tendency to scoff... and regurgitate!

A dress that was too small? You surprise me. (Shop? Size?)

This might seem very obvious to other Kindle users but I had a little "brain wave" this morning. And bought myself a gift voucher to credit to my Kindle, rather than have lots of teeny tiny deductions from my bank account which are harder to keep track of.

 

[m-mouse]

I was wearing a D and wet to a DD - and I thought they had all but disappeared

 

[anjuschka]

I was wearing a D and wet to a DD - and I thought they had all but disappeared

I saw / read a bit on sizing and measuring yourself, and if you are wearing a band that's a size too big, adjusting that will bring you up a cup size - ie 38B becomes 36C or something like that. I must take the time to get myself measured - I suspect I might turn from 38AA into 36A which should give me a lot more choice! However when I bought my current lot of bras in the autumn, 36 really was not comfortable but all the 38s have stretched (I don't *think* I've shrunk further) so they're a bit on the big side....

 

[dukandebut]

I also can sympathise with the cat vomit cleaning up. My last cat had dreadful furball problems and one of our current cats has both furballs and digestive problems. Sometimes she just guzzles too quickly, sometimes she has a furball and she vomits if she eats anything other than her tolerated foods.

We ended up buying an enormous economy-sized vat of vomit cleaner!

Jo - The voucher is also a good idea as credit card companies can pick up on the small single transactions for Amazon ebooks and stop your card as a fraud prevention measure. It happened to my dad a couple of days ago - my fault as I gave him too many recommendation to buy!

 

[m-mouse]

I saw / read a bit on sizing and measuring yourself, and if you are wearing a band that's a size too big, adjusting that will bring you up a cup size - ie 38B becomes 36C or something like that. I must take the time to get myself measured - I suspect I might turn from 38AA into 36A which should give me a lot more choice! However when I bought my current lot of bras in the autumn, 36 really was not comfortable but all the 38s have stretched (I don't *think* I've shrunk further) so they're a bit on the big side....

Yes exactly - a bit like kids shoes in Clarks when they always (for mine) made the kids go up a size because of their wide feet

 

[Maintainer]

Won't Emma be delighted to find all this vomit laden boob talk on her return! I love the way our posts go off track!