Double OMG — Chocolate "un-chip" cookies by Jacque Torres

During my weekend browsing on the downtown strip in Traverse City, I stumbled across the window at Jacque Torres. In the window of his Front Street location sat a pile of thick, round chocolate chip cookies that looked ripe for the taking. I walked in and upon realizing they are served warm, it was only a split second until the word “sold” left my lips.
I should let it be known that while I truly love dark chocolate, I’m not a girl with an overly rabid sweet tooth. I like my sweets on occasion, but they better be damn good if I’m throwing them down. Thankfully for me and the rest of my company, they were beyond reason — truly heavenly. These things are sick, mad…crazy good! And believe me; they’re worth every single penny of the $2.75 they cost. In all honesty, I’d pay $8 for this thing without blinking an eye.

The counter person warned me to take extra napkins because I would need them, so I did, but what they really need to offer is a bib and wet wipes because after you finish one you are likely to be covered from ear to ear and hand to hand in sweet dark chocolate.

No slouch, Jacque doesn’t use chocolate chips — he uses chocolate shavings and I swear the ratio of chocolate to cookie batter is 1:1. He doesn’t stop there with his unique recipe; he also uses some other ingredients like cake and bread flour instead of regular flour, and table salt? — forget it. The man uses sea salt, and for that I salute him as my personal hero because in my experience, you really can’t go wrong when you combine dark chocolate and sea salt.

Mmmm.

Thank God I’m making a repeat trip up north this weekend because the chocolate devil is calling my name.

Not Your Average Cup of Joe

I fell hard and fast for the Keurig single cup coffee/tea maker. I discovered it at a friend’s house and I was amazed with the ease of making fresh coffee on the fly. The word “keurig” is Dutch for excellence and I must say that this beauty couldn’t be more aptly named. If you are single, you love fresh coffee and you hate wasting a whole pot then this is your gadget. You make a fresh cup by popping in a single serving pod (you can buy them at your local grocery store or online) or you can use your choice of beans and then press the button. It’s as simple as that – want not, waste not. It gets an A for convenience. I have found that I can squeeze one pod of stronger coffee for more than one filling of the cup. I love this machine and so do my friends – the Keurig isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every cent. My mornings are better with Keurig.

Ka-pow! That pretty much sums up how my mouth and teeth feel after I brush with Marvis toothpaste. It’s an experience that I have not been able to walk away from since my first brush with it in New York a few years back. I’ve tried all the flavors — Classic Strong Mint, Aquamint, Lavender Mint, Ginger Mint, Whitening Mint — and they all are uniquely fabulous. Deciding which one to use is generally dependent on my mood at the time. Classic Strong Mint is a sure fire for a first date or a meeting. Lavender Mint is perfect before bed. Ginger Mint is a go-to after a night of sushi and sake. Whatever your mood, I know that Marvis will make you a believer in the power of mint! It truly elevates the everyday task of brushing your teeth. On top of the strong mint sensation it delivers, it's packaged in a beautiful tube that is sure to enhance any bathroom counter.

I love this stuff so much that I gave it out for Christmas gifts last year. Yes, toothpaste for Christmas. I believe I’ve brought in some new cult followers with that move, since I've received many more requests for the Marvis! Unfortunately, the stuff is hard to find if you don’t live in a metro area, but I do know that Anthropologie carries the Classic Strong Mint and maybe another flavor or two — I tend to order mine online in bulk. Just Google it, man.

So if you like a party in your mouth — and really, who doesn’t? — you should check it out. It’s the (minty) bomb.