Do you have any kitchen quirks? What about your partner or roommates?
Maybe you are wondering what I mean by a kitchen quirk. Basically it’s anything that drives your significant other batshit crazy.
I’ll offer some examples:
– Always sticking produce stickers on the counter despite your husband’s pleas not to (my long-time readers will get this, if you don’t, see Part 1 and Part 2)
– Loading the dishwasher in a very specific way (spoiler alert)
– Only wanting the cutlery drawer to be perfectly stacked with everything facing the same direction
– Organizing the fridge or pantry in a certain way and insisting that it’s kept in this precise order
– Debating with your partner/roommate about whether certain foods should be refrigerated or not
– Turning cans so that the label always faces the same way, are arranged by alphabet/colour/etc
I like to think of myself as a recipe creating tornado and I frequently drive Eric nuts because he is so much more organized than I am. When you are with someone for almost 15 years you learn every one of their little (and big) quirks. Day by day….by day.
Want to know what Eric’s biggest kitchen quirk is?
Aside from me, it’s the dishwasher.
The guy has a thing for dishwasher organization. It’s his pride and joy. And it’s actually impressive, the dedication that he puts into carefully loading and stacking the dishwasher every day. He has refined his technique over the years too, always improving. Impressive. At first glance, you might think that he’s just a normal guy unloading or loading the dishwasher, but you’d be wrong, very wrong. He is not normal. Eric has been trying to enlighten me with his genius dishwasher short-cuts ever since we got together. I stubbornly refused for years until I recently discovered how amusing it is to see him so proud when I use his “tricks”. He beams with pride.
My sister was over yesterday and after dinner we got talking about how her husband/my brother-in-law insists that the dishwasher is loaded in a certain way. Hmm sounds familiar. So began a hilarious conversation with us and the guys talking about how a dishwasher should be loaded. She said, “Steve will actually UNLOAD the dishes that I have loaded and then reload the machine!” Well, that rings a bell. I hear Eric tinkering away with unloading and reloading my dishes every night. He also has a system of loading my measuring spoons (because I typically use about 20+ on any given day of recipe testing). We have a dishwasher with a narrow top tray for cutlery and he has created this whole system of how to load the measuring spoons and other utensils so that they don’t collect/pool any water…right down to which direction they face for optimum drying. Like I said, not normal…but impressive.
I should also mention that we had a 10+ year ongoing debate about whether ketchup should be refrigerated or not. I said that, yes, ketchup should be refrigerated and he always said it shouldn’t (just a personal preference on his part). One day I pointed out the label which reads “Keep refrigerated” and it’s been in the fridge ever since! Case closed. Mystery solved. He finally gave in (even if it’s perfectly fine at room temperature).
Of course, this story wouldn’t be complete without Eric weighing in on my biggest kitchen quirk.
Without even blinking an eye he said, “chaos.”
Nailed it. Martha would so not approve of my kitchen ways.
Ok, it’s your turn to spill the beans. What are your kitchen quirks? What about your partner or roommates’ quirks?
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Crazy Good Coconut Oil "Chocolate" Bark
Yield
20 pieces
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
15 minutes
Total time
This homemade chocolate is made with just a few essential ingredients - virgin coconut oil, cocoa or cacao powder, and pure maple syrup. (Feel free to use whichever liquid sweetener you prefer). The virgin coconut oil replaces the cocoa butter found in traditional chocolate so while it needs to be kept in the freezer, it’s a great way to sneak some coconut oil into your day. You can also use any toppings you'd like - dried fruit, nuts, + seeds all work lovely. It melts much faster than regular chocolate, so be sure to keep it chilled until ready to enjoy. I prefer it straight from the freezer.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/3 cup large flake dried coconut
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder, sifted if necessary
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon smooth almond butter, optional
- pinch fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a 9" square pan or a small baking sheet with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Set aside.
- Add hazelnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet and add the coconut flakes and spread out. Continue roasting the nuts and coconut flakes for another 3-4 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly golden. Watch closely to avoid burning - coconut burns fast!
- Place hazelnuts on several sheets of damp paper towel. Wrap the hazelnuts and rub them vigorously with the paper towel until the skins fall off. It’s ok if some skins don’t come off. Discard the skins and roughly chop the hazelnuts and almonds.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa (or cacao) powder, maple syrup, and almond butter (if using) until smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. Stir in half of the almonds and hazelnuts.
- With a spatula, spoon the chocolate mixture onto the prepared parchment-lined pan or sheet and smooth out until it's about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle on the remaining nuts and all of the coconut flakes. Place into freezer on a flat surface for about 15 minutes, until frozen solid.
- Once frozen, break apart into bark. Store in the freezer until ready to eat. I don't recommend keeping it out on the counter long because it melts fast.
Tip:
Tip: To make this nut-free, simply omit the almond butter, hazelnuts, and almonds. It will still turn out just fine! You can try adding toasted sunflower seeds on top for a little crunch.
Enjoy!
This is so funny, Angela! Growing up, my dad was crazy particular about how the dish washer was loaded, and was particular about all the cuterlery facing stem down so the “used” part got a good wash.
My “roommate” or fiance is HORRIBLE about taking his socks off and leaving them wherever they are removed! It’s very cute that he can’t stand to have stifled toes, but awful seeing evidence around the apartment!!
Made this chocolate bark and it was heaven!! So so good
I love the almond butter stirred right into the chocolate. I’ve made chocolate bark but I hadn’t thought to try that… Another excuse to make more chocolate! :)
Delicious, Angela! I just made this (I didn’t have large flake coconut so I just used shredded) and it came out perfect. I also couldn’t be bothered with the topping so just chucked all the nuts and coconut into the mixture and poured it out. The quickest and easiest chocolate treat ever. The only problem is I don’t think one is supposed to eat half a cup of coconut oil in one sitting! :)
Errmergerd im never eating normal choc again this is insanely good and so easy !!!
MUST try!!
These are stupid good. Seriously. How could you possibly have posted a recipe like this?? So cruel but so amazing. To make this last longer than a day tests every bit of my willpower. I’m not even supposed to have cocoa, but heaven help me, I can devour this thing in mere hours, consequences be damned! (I have a very strict diet and don’t ‘get out’ much!)
…which brings me to my other point: I also tried the recipe substituting equal parts cocoa with carob powder. It was good but oddly much chewier and all the coconut oil couldn’t be absorbed properly so it sort of sat on top (still yummy!) Makes me wonder if I put a little less coconut oil and a few other yummy things (chia?), this could almost become a snack bar-type thing. Something to try??
Love your site!!
This looks so good! I am going to try this as soon as possible. Another one of my favorite health(ier) treats to make is blueberry muffins. Heres the recipe I always use! http://www.thebrookeeper.com/food/healthier-heavenly-blueberry-muffins/
They always turn out SO good. Thanks for sharing this!
I couldn’t even finish the first paragraph before I had to quickly comment that no matter how your husband/partner/roommate wants to put the dishes in the dishwasher….let them!! ha, my husband doesn’t even know that one is in our kitchen! Twenty years of marriage and still has never emptied or put dishes into a dishwasher…never washed a dish in the sink either…so consider yourselves lucky to have such a great problem…. I know you all do ;)
wow this looks amazing! I love the chocolate & coconut combo :) can’t wait to make a batch!
Your Crazy Good Coconut Oil “Chocolate” Bark recipe makes me crave it. I’m really excited to make my own. Perfect alternative to the “regular” candy bar I buy. Nutritious snacks are delicious thanks to these recipes.
My biggest kitchen quirk is probably that, when I’m cooking, I like to spppppppread out all of my ingredients on the kitchen island/counters. So, for maybe one batch of granola, I take over an entire countertop. I don’t even realize I’m doing it until someone else tries to make lunch and I realize they have no space…oops!
Maybe this chocolate bark will be less of a world domination attempt…doubtful, but we’ll see! ;)
Oh, some of these comments are just priceless!
But yes, my quirk is arranging the cups in the cupboard in a stacked arrangement, handles aligned (that’s not weird, they are arranged for optimum stability and easy grabbing!)…..if somebody else does the dishes they always do it all wrong! Terrible! Oh and also, every utensil (mini sieves, scrapers, measuring cups) MUST be in the right place, or I wander around the house going “WHO did THIS? Placed the brownie pan next to the springforms?”
My girlfriend throws waste into the sink when she cooks, which I find super-weird. [She does pick it up and throws it to the bin eventually, but I fail to get why would anyone not throw things to the bin in the first place.]
My quirk- Probably an attempt to use as few dishes as possible, which results in me shopping vegetables in the bowl instead of on a cutting board, for instance.
I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. I thought I was alone, I am so glad that are others who live with The Dishwasher Police. I don’t bother even attempting to load the dishwasher anymore. When I have tried, my husband will shake his head, chuckle and say “You are so funny. Good try.” And then unload and reload the whole thing. It has a fancy cutlery compartment. When we bought it, he read the manual and suggested I do the same, so that I could learn the correct slots for spoons, knives and forks. I think life is too short to read dishwasher manuals. He can have the dishwasher and load it his way. Now if we get on the topic of how to properly fold towels, that is another story….
This is so great haha I am cracking up reading everyones comments! I am a clean/organization freak so I understand ALL of these, especially since I live with my carefree boyfriend and his brother and am constantly following them around the house fixing the way they put away or “clean up” anything. We have a MASSIVE tupperware drawer that I keep very organized and the boys mess it up pretty much every other day :|
I made the bark tonight and I can honestly say I think it is much better than all the dark chocolate I have tried and without the heavy milk and dary and processed sugars. So healthy for you and yet so amazingly delicious. Thank you for your recipe!!!
I made the bark tonight and I can honestly say I think it is much better than all the dark chocolate I have tried and without the heavy milk and dairy and processed sugars. So healthy for you and yet so amazingly delicious. Thank you for your recipe!!!
My thing is fridge and cupboard organisation. Everything has its place, and has to be in that place! (In the fridge – dairy at the top, meat at the bottom!) My boyfriend never remembers this and drives me cray cray. I cant let him unpack the food shopping cause its just CHAOS in the cupboards.
I would love to try to make this bark. I have a nut allergy- do you have any suggestions for a substitute? or just keep the coconut? www.sugarpeel.com