#Date and Almond Chocolate Clusters

[thetockablog]

Date and Almond Chocolate Clusters

Date and Almond Chocolate Clusters Ingredients110g Medjool dates, chopped50g sliced almonds, lightly toasted, plus extra for garnish150g dark chocolate, meltedFlakey sea salt MethodAdd chopped dates, toasted almonds, and melted chocolate in a bowl. Mix ingredients until the dates and almonds are coated in chocolate.Line a baking tray or plate with baking paper, and use a tablespoon to scoop out…

[history-of-hanover]

A Taste of Hanover

Home to the very first “Marylou’s”

Hanover, MA is home to the very first Marylou’s, one of the most popular coffee shops on the South Shore. “The best coffee in town,” makes getting out of bed easy with their delicious selection of their own original flavors. Located at 211 Washington Street, you will be able to find a coffee to satisfy your every craving. With so many to choose from, you won’t be disappointed. Marylou’s will make your morning just a little bit sweeter. 

The coffee shop was started back in 1986, right in one of the most historical parts of Hanover, called “four corners.” Dating all the way back to 1856, a hotel was located in this part of town but was later torn down after World War I. The spot where the hotel was has since been turned into new shops such as baking and floral shops, and the rest of the area is surrounded by old houses, some of which even date back to the 1700s. The Marylou’s building also happens to be an old house that was converted into a coffee shop. Whether you are looking for something minty, sweet, fruity, or just a classic cup of coffee, Marylou’s has you covered. Their variety of flavors is what keeps customers coming back.

If you are looking for just a simple coffee, you can always just get black coffee and if you wuld like, you can add sweeteners or try one of their flavors, made however you like it. To name a few, you can choose from white chocolate chip, mocha mint, strawberry nut, banana nut, blueberry cinnamon, hazelnut, snickerdoodle, and many more. If you are going for something even sweeter or with all the more flavor, you can select from their “specialty” coffee menu, which includes flavors such as butterfinger, twix, peanutbutter, and almond joy. Lastly, if you are really having a sweet tooth, you can choose from the “extra specialty” menu, which I would say is their most popular menu, especially amongst the middle-high school age range, with flavors such as girl scout cookie, strawberry shortcake, minty lou, caramel lou, and many more including their signature drink, the funky fanabla, a delicious chocolatey treat. 

On top of all their coffee choices, you can also indulge in other options such as smoothies, frozen drinks, and even food such as pastries and breakfast sandwhiches. Their most popular frozen drink would have to be the oreo cookie monster, often ordered by young kids, but great for anyone to enjoy.  My personal favorite comes from the extra specialty menu and it is called the turtle, inspired by turtle chocolate clusters. It's the perfect balance of sweet and flavorful while still tasting like coffee. While the turtle is my personal favorite, I would argue that girl scout cookie is their most popular flavor. It has the perfect mint and chocolate combination, just like how you would imagine a girl scout cookie to be. Regardless of the flavor you choose, your drink will taste exactly like what it is called. With so many different coffees to try, how would you not you not want to keep coming back to try them all?

Upon entering the shop, Marylou's friendly staff will make you feel welcome. There is always a bubbly and active atmosphere that fills the building, and if you come by often enough, chances are they will definitely refer to you by name and know your order. The employees show great care towards their customers, as they will often ask them how their drink looks or if they would like anything else to be added to it. Feel free to take a seat at one of the stools by the window and chat with your friends while enjoying your cup of coffee. I have always felt welcome and comfortable when walking into a Marylou’s, and I have never left unsatisfied by the service or my order. The service is always quick and efficient and it is always a great experience each time I go.

Their pink and black color scheme that fills the store is one you would recognize anywhere. Since the Hanover shop was started back in 1986, many more locations have opened up across the South Shore, including five stores in Rhode Island, and one on Cape Cod. If you are ever visiting the South Shore of Massachusetts, Marylou’s is a place that you must visit. With so many options to choose from, I am sure you will find something you like, and want to come back for more.

[ronniefein]

I’m experimenting with some snacks for Passover and decided to make these matzo farfel chocolate clusters. It’s an old recipe but instead of using the usual chopped almonds I substituted chopped dates to make these nut-free. Still delicious, now with a chewier texture because of the extra dried fruit. Here’s the recipe (use equivalent amount of chopped nuts for the dates of you prefer). The cayenne (optional) is a terrific surprise — not enough to make these spicy but enough to give it some pizzazz. MATZO FARFEL CLUSTERS 2 cups matzo farfel 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup chopped dates (or toasted almonds) 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup shredded coconut 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel pinch cayenne pepper, optional Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the matzo farfel on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, tossing the farfel around once. Remove the pan from the oven and let the farfel cool. Melt the chocolate. Add the farfel, dates, cranberries, coconut, orange peel and cayenne pepper, if used, to the chocolate and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Spoon heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper or aluminum foil. Let set. Makes about 3 dozen clusters #chocolate #chocolatelovingfoodies #chocolatecandy #chocolatecandies #passovercandy #pesachcandy #chocolateclusters #matzofarfelcandy #matzofarfel #matzafarfel https://www.instagram.com/p/CqVdUUaLQsI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[spn-safeandsound]

09. Hurt Feelings

Safe and Sound

Dean Winchester x Original Character

Episode: 1x13; Route 666

Word Count: 10,028

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence and gore, arguing

Author’s Note: New chapter alert! Sam and Julia finally talk about her feelings for Dean? Hope you enjoy! Reblog and like!

Masterlist in Profile Description!

Julia paced up and down the candy aisle at some gas station that she hadn't bothered to learn the name of. Her sweet tooth was out of control so she wanted to stock up on sweets before they continued on their journey to Pennsylvania. She already had some chocolate bars, goldfish crackers, and a couple of mini pies for Dean in the basket she was carrying around but now she needed fruity candies.

She reached forward, picking out a bag of Air Heads and then hesitated, eyeing the Skittles and Starbursts. After a couple of seconds, she grabbed a bag of each and threw them in the basket with the other snacks. As she moved on to the drink coolers, she grabbed a bag of jerky for Sam.

Sam found her by the Gatorade, searching for her favorite blue flavor.

"Are you almost ready?" he asked as he searched the basket, clicking his tongue in disapproval when he saw all the sweets. "Dean wants to get going."

"Well, Dean can wait," Julia stated. "I need a drink."

Sam sighed and opened the cooler door, reaching above her head to grab the lighter of the blue Gatorades. "There you go, Glacier Freeze."

"Thanks!"

"You should get some water, too," Sam advised as he grabbed a couple water bottles from the cooler. "You're gonna need it if you're eating all that sugar."

"Sam, hasn't anyone told you never to comment on a girl's eating habits?" Julia pursed her lips at him; Sam sent her an apologetic smile. "Okay, so, did you find a way around that construction?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," they walked through the aisles and to the counter. "We're not going to Pennsylvania anymore."

She smiled at the worker as they put their things on the counter so they could pay. "What? Why not?"

"An old friend of Dean's called. Her name's Cassie," Sam informed her as she slid her card through the machine. "I guess she needs our help."

Julia wrinkled her nose, trying to figure out Cassie was familiar to her. "Wait, Cassie Robinson?"

"I guess so. Why?"

Julia took the plastic bag from the worker. "Thanks so much," she said before she and Sam started walking out of the gas station. "Dean called me, like, two years ago drunk out of his mind and—"

"What?" Sam interrupted her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That was after you two stopped talking, Sam," she reminded him; he nodded in realization. "Anyway, he was drunk and for some reason he called me."

"About Cassie," Sam assumed.

"Yep," Julia slowed down as they exited the building, her eyes on the Impala where Dean was waiting for them. "Did he say anything about her to you?"

Sam shook his head. "Not much. Just her name and that her father was killed in a car accident."

Julia hummed. When Dean had called her about Cassie, he was upset that she had dumped him. He had given her the ghosts-are-real-and-I-hunt-them speech and she had bolted, breaking up with him and calling him crazy. He had been in love with the girl, too. It was one of the only times that Dean had ever been truly honest with Julia about how he was feeling—though she was pretty sure it was because he was wasted.

Julia never mentioned it again and she didn't even know if Dean remembered calling her. She was just a little apprehensive about them going to see Cassie; she was protective of her boys and she didn't like when anyone hurt them.

"There you are," Dean sighed in aggravation as Julia and Sam slid into their respective seats, shutting their doors in unison. "What'd you need? A stockpile?"

"Well, I guess I can go return the pie I got..."

Dean eagerly turned around, an enthusiastic smile on my face. "Apple?"

"And cherry."

"Ooh, baby, you're so good to me," Dean playfully winked at her as she passed up two of the pies. Her cheeks flushed a dark pink as he turned back around and, when Sam gave her a small smirk, she practically threw his bag of jerky at him.

As Dean pulled out onto the road, a bite of pie already in his mouth, Julia spoke up, "Sam told me about Cassie," Dean paused mid-chew but he eventually he nodded. "Where does she live?"

"Cape Girardeau, Missouri."

Julia nodded and tore open the Almond Joy bar, ripping the almond off the top and throwing it into the garbage bag they kept so the Impala wouldn't get dirty. She stuffed the coconut and milk chocolate in her mouth, enjoying the sweetness on her tongue.

"So, this Cassie..." Sam looked over at his brother with a curious smile. "By old friend, do you mean...?"

"A friend that's not new."

"Wow, thanks for that," Sam rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Dean."

"Fine," Dean grunted in annoyance. "we went out."

"You mean you dated someone?" Sam seemed surprised. "For more than one night?"

"Am I speaking a language you're not getting here?" Dean snipped. "Dad and I were working a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college. We went out for a couple of weeks."

And fell in love, Julia supplied mentally, and then broke up because she thought you were crazy.

"And...?"

Dean shrugged in avoidance.

"Okay," Julia sighed and rested her chin on the back of their seat. "not to be negative here, because it's really sad that she lost her dad, but it sounds like a normal car wreck. I'm not seeing a connection to what we do."

"Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?" Sam added, both of them looking at the oldest Winchester for answers.

Dean licked his lips, like he was about to say something, but then pressed his mouth shut, thinking better of it. He avoided their eyes by keeping his right on the road, which was unusual for him. Julia was pretty sure that Dean was one of the most distracted drivers she had ever seen in her life but somehow he was still one of the best drivers.

Sam could connect the dots about Dean's awkward behavior. "You told her. You told her the secret," he proclaimed, voice completely shocked but a little angry, too. "Our big family rule number one: we do what we do and we shut up about it."

Dean sighed but Sam wasn't finished.

"For a year and a half, I do nothing but lie to Jessica and you go out with this chick in Ohio for a couple of weeks and you tell her everything?" he asked in disbelief. When Dean didn't answer, he raised his voice. "Dean!"

"Yeah," Dean finally spoke. "Looks like."

Sam gave his brother a bitch face but Dean pointedly ignored it.

"I know this isn't the best time but...Sam, why did you sound more upset about the fact they were Ohio than anything else?"

Sam gave Julia the bitch face, too.

-

The newspaper that Cassie worked for was squished into a small brick building in downtown Cape Girardeau. It was actually kind of cute, with small clusters of desks put together so that all of the workers were grouped with their own—the reporters with the reporters, the photographers with the photographers, the editors with the editors.

Julia, Sam, and Dean had been pointed in the direction of where Cassie would be by the receptionist. They made their way over to a gathering of three people conversing in the back corner of the office. Two of them were men and the woman had to be Cassie.

Cassie was beautiful with light brown skin and dark curls that seemed to lay perfectly. And, despite losing her father only days before, she looked well put together. It took Julia two weeks to even leave the house after Naomi died, so she knew Cassie had to be a strong woman. Dean wouldn't have fallen for her if she wasn't.

The man on Cassie's left was confronting the other man when the three of them walked over. "Two black people were killed on the same stretch of road in the same way in two weeks."

"Jimmy, you're too close for this. Those guys were friends of yours," the man tried to placate him before turning to Cassie. "Again, Cassie, I'm very sorry for your loss."

The second man turned and walked away and after a few seconds, so did Jimmy. Cassie was left alone but her eyes quickly fell upon Dean who was watching her with a small, if not awkward smile.

He nodded at her when her eyes widened.

"Dean," she sighed in relief, walking toward them. Her eyes were only for Dean, though. She hadn't even noticed Julia or Sam.

"Hey, Cassie."

Sam and Julia exchanged a small but amused smile when Dean and Cassie continued to silently stare at each other for around twenty seconds.

Finally, Dean cleared his throat. "This is my brother, Sam," he nodded at Sam and then at Julia. "and his friend, Julia."

Julia gave Cassie a quick smile in greeting but then it promptly fell. Why had he introduced her like that? First of all, she was Sam's best friend—as in, he was her brother and she was a sister to him. Second of all, she considered Dean to be her friend so did he not consider her as one?

"Sorry about your dad," Dean continued.

"Yeah," Cassie agreed sadly. "Me, too."

A half-hour later, Julia, Sam, and Dean were squished into a small couch with each other at Cassie's house. Cassie had made Julia and Sam some tea, with Dean declining the offer, and then sat on the seat across from them.

"My mother's in pretty bad shape," Cassie told them sadly. "I've been staying with her. I wish she wouldn't go off by herself, she's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about Dad."

"Why?" Dean wondered as Julia and Sam sipped at their tea.

"He was scared," Cassie answered. "He was seeing things."

"Like what?"

"He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him. "

"A truck," Sam repeated, setting his teacup back on its saucer. "Who was the driver?"

"He didn't talk about a driver, just the truck," Cassie told him. "He said it would appear and disappear. In the accident, Dad's car was dented, like it had been slammed into by something big."

"Now, are you sure that this dent wasn't there before?"

Cassie shook her head. "He sold cars. Always drove a new one. There wasn't a scratch on that thing," she stated. "It was raining that night, there was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks leading from Dad's car leading right..." her voice broke; Julia could feel her sadness and grief. "leading right to the edge, where he went over. One set of tracks—his."

"And the first victim was a friend of your father's?" Julia asked, taking another sip of her tea.

"Best friend. Clayton Soames," Cassie confirmed; at least she knew the difference between a friend and a best friend. "They owned the car dealership together."

Julia pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "The same thing?"

Cassie nodded. "Dent, no tracks, and the cops said exactly what they said about Dad. He lost control of his car."

Dean gave Sam a pointed look and then asked her, "Can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?"

"No."

"And you think this vanishing truck ran them off the road?"

Cassie laughed slightly at Sam's question, though it sounded bitter. "When you say it aloud like that..." she shook her head. "Listen, I'm a little skeptical about this...ghost stuff or whatever it is you guys are into."

Dean scoffed. "Skeptical," he repeated angrily. "If I remember, I think you said I was nuts."

Cassie pursed her lips. "That was then," Dean hummed sarcastically. "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there so I called you."

The front door opened and a woman walked in—well, stumbled in. Cassie jumped to her feet to rush over to her, while Julia, Sam, and Dean stood politely.

"Mom, where have you been?" Cassie steadied Mrs. Robinson. "I was so worried about you."

Mrs. Robinson waved her off, eyeing Julia, Dean, and Sam. "I had no idea you'd invited friends over."

"Mom, this is Dean, a..." Cassie hesitated before continuing. "friend of mine from college. This is his brother, Sam, and his friend, Julia."

Julia waved slightly, hiding her bitterness with a sympathetic smile.

She didn't even know why she was so bitter that Dean didn't consider her a friend. If he didn't, that was fine. They had only known each other for twenty years and spent almost everyday of the last seven months together in close corridors.

"Well, I, uh, I won't interrupt you," Mrs. Robinson went to walk out of the room but stopped when Dean spoke.

"Mrs. Robinson, we're sorry for your loss," he apologized. "We'd like to talk to you for a minute, if you don't mind?"

Mrs. Robinson looked at him wide, angry eyes. "I'm really not up for that right now."

As she walked out of the room, Cassie turned to them apologetically. "Sorry, she's having a rough time."

"It's no problem," Julia assured her. Grief effected everyone differently; Julia was rather avoidant and distant, herself, when she grieved. "It's late, we should get going..."

Dean nodded and stared at Cassie for a few seconds; she stared back, neither of them saying anything. It was incredibly awkward—for Julia, at least; Sam looked very amused at the situation Dean was in.

-

Julia was angry about something. Sam knew it from the moment he woke up to her shoving clothes back into her bag with quiet huffs that seemed to boom across the room. Dean was still dead to the world when she went to get ready for the day but now Sam was fully awake. He quickly got dressed and was pulling his toothbrush from the toiletry bag they shared when she came back out in spandex leggings and her Stanford crewneck, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"I'm gonna go for a run," she informed him and it was only the second or third time in their life-long friendship that he heard her grumpy first thing in the morning. "Then I'm stopping at the diner for breakfast. Do you want me to bring you something?"

Sam shrugged. "I could eat."

"Then you will," Julia grabbed her debit card and license from her wallet and zipped them into the small pocket on her thigh. "See you in a bit."

"Be careful."

As Sam brushed his teeth and made sure his hair was neat, he wondered what Julia was angry about. The only thing he could think of is the fact that they were here on a case for Cassie. He wasn't sure if she knew about her feelings for Dean but he sure did.

His brother and Julia were both oblivious, though. It was concerning for both sides because Dean usually knew when women were attracted to him and Julia was pretty smart. How they couldn't see the feelings they had for each other was so frustrating, especially since Sam actually wanted it to happen so bad.

Dean was awake when Sam left the bathroom, his hair pointing in all directions like a hedgehog.

"Morning," he greeted his brother as he sat at the table to log into his laptop.

"Morning," Dean grumbled back, his eyes scanning the room. "Where's Jules?"

Sam hid his smile behind his laptop. "She went for a run. She's bringing back breakfast."

"Oh, good, I'm starving."

Twenty minutes later, Julia showed back up with breakfast. Sam watched his brother check her out—just like he knew he would because she was wearing those spandex leggings Dean loved—as she set the plastic bag and two coffees on the table.

"I got you a cheese and ham omelet," Julia said as she pulled a styrofoam container from the bag. "and toast with no butter."

Sam grinned as he took the coffee and food from her. "Thanks, J."

"No problem, Sam, that's what friends do."

"What'd you get me?" Dean bounded over to the table with a look of anticipation.

"Oh," she said flatly. "I didn't know you wanted anything."

Okay, this wasn't good. There were three different channels Julia would take when she was angry. There were the tears—which was her most usual one—the silent treatment—when she was so angry she didn't want to say anything to make it worse—and when she was petty, it meant that she was hurt and angry.

Not getting Dean food in the morning and then claiming she didn't know he wanted some was petty. Julia knew full well that Dean was hungry from the second he got up, sometimes even sooner. There had been numerous occasions the past few months the three of them spent together that Julia would pick up food early just so Dean could eat as soon as he got up.

So, she's hurt, too, Sam assumed to himself.

Dean gave her a horrified look. "You got Sam food."

"We're best friends."

"We're friends!" Dean exclaimed.

"Are we?" Julia's voice was dead calm and a lightbulb went off above Sam's head. "I hadn't known."

Julia was mad that Dean introduced her to Cassie as only Sam's friend and not their friend. Her friendships were important to her—Sam was pretty sure it stemmed from the fact that she didn't have many friends while growing up because she was from a prestigious family and she skipped a couple of grades, which freaked her classmates out. She was possessive and protective of her friendships and when Dean hadn't called her a friend, her feelings had been hurt.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Dean raised his eyebrows at her. "Of course we are. I've known you your whole life!"

Julia pressed her lips together in an even line and hummed before walking over to her bag and pulling out normal day clothes. She told them she was taking a shower before walking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind her.

Dean waited until he heard the water start before he looked over at Sam for answers.

"I think you hurt her feelings," Sam said quietly as he opened up his food container; Dean eyed it enviously.

"What'd I do?"

"You introduced her to Cassie as my friend."

"She is your friend."

"No, you made it sound like she was only my friend and not yours, too," Sam explained patiently; Dean wasn't the best with emotions.

Dean raised his eyebrows incredulously. "I didn't mean it like that," he defended himself. "That's really what she's hurt about?"

Sam nodded. "Well, and angry."

Dean huffed, pressing his lips together. "How'd you know that?"

"She didn't bring you breakfast," Sam pointed out and Dean frowned at the reminder. "She's being petty."

"Petty?"

"Yep," Sam confirmed and went on to explain as if he was a Julia-whisperer. "See, Dean, there are three channels of anger Julia takes. Tears, silent treatment, and pettiness. You've seen the first two before and now you're seeing the pettiness."

"So, when she's petty, she's angry and hurt?" Dean's voice was flat, like he couldn't believe that Julia could react that way. It was surprising to Sam since Dean could be pretty petty himself.

"Yeah."

"Well, she's a grown ass woman, it's not my fault her feelings were hurt," Dean huffed and reached for the second coffee Julia brought. His eyes softened when he saw his own name on it. "Damn it."

Sam's lips quirked at the look of regret on Dean's face.

It was quiet until Julia came out of the bathroom dressed in skinny jeans, a gray sleeveless blouse, and a black cardigan. "I need to do laundry tonight," she informed them, shoving her running clothes into her laundry bag. "What about you, Sam?"

"Yeah," Sam said thoughtfully. "I could."

"Good, I saw a laundry mat a block or so from the diner," Julia slipped on her gray ankle boots. "We'll hit it after dinner."

Sam nodded and Dean took the chance to try to get her attention. "Shortcake—"

"I also need more shampoo and conditioner," Julia interrupted like she hadn't heard him say her name. "I saw a Target in town, so maybe we can go there."

"Okay," Sam agreed.

"We can get you guys some more undershirts and things while we're there, too," Julia went on. "And I'm pretty sure you guys need shaving cream."

"Yeah, I think we're out."

Julia nodded and grabbed the notepad that the motel provided from the nightstand. She sat at the table and wrote down a list of things they needed; Sam smiled when he saw her include cooling and windshield wiper fluid for the Impala.

Dean finally had enough of her ignoring him. Maybe he realized just how much the two of them usually interacted compared to the silence she was giving him now.

"Julia, I'm sorry for telling Cassie you were only Sam's friend," he apologized quickly.

Both Sam and Dean looked at her expectantly. Julia just waved a hand at him. "It's fine."

Dean looked to Sam, perplexed, but Sam just shook his head. It wasn't fine.

And now Dean was getting mad. Sam could see the stormy look growing in his eyes. He knew he was in for a day of tense silence and angry looks. He was just grateful it wasn't as bad as their last argument; Dean probably wouldn't let their anger get that far again, though, since he still felt guilty about her getting injured while he was supposed to be her backup.

Two hours later, after getting a call from Cassie to tell them about her another death, they headed to the scene of the accident. Her boss, Jimmy, had crashed on the same stretch of road that Mr. Robinson and his business partner had died on.

When they arrived, Cassie was already talking with the man they saw her and Jimmy with the day before.

"Jimmy meant something to this town," the man said solemnly. "He was one of our best. We won't be the same without him."

"Our best seem to be dropping like flies," Cassie retorted angrily. "Clayton, my father, Jimmy..."

The man gave her an exasperated look. "What is it exactly you want me to do?"

"How about closing this section of road, for starters?"

"Close the main road," the man scoffed. "The only road in and out of town? Accidents do happen, Cassie, and that's what they are—accidents."

Dean stepped in then, probably sensing that Cassie was about to blow a gasket. "Did the cops check for additional denting on Jimmy's car to see if it was pushed?"

The man looked to Cassie. "Who is this?"

"I'm Dean Potter, private investigator," Dean informed him before Cassie could answer. "This is my partner, Sam Granger—" he gestured to Sam and then Julia. "and our assistant, Julia Weasley."

"They're family friends," Cassie added to the man, before introducing him. "This is Mayor Harold Todd."

"There was one set of tire tracks," Mayor Todd said matter-of-factly. "One. That doesn't point to foul play."

"Mayor, the police and town officials take their cues from you. If you're indifferent about—"

Mayor Todd cut her off indignantly. "Indifferent!"

"Would you close the road if the victims were white?" Cassie demanded.

Julia, Sam, and Dean's eyes all went to the mayor, waiting for an answer.

The mayor looked at her in shock. "You're suggesting I'm racist, Cassie?" he asked her and went on without an answer. "I'm the last person you should talk to like that."

Cassie pursed her lips. "And why is that?"

"Why don't you ask your mother?"

The mayor walked away without a word, leaving Cassie severely frustrated and confused.

"Uh, Jules and I are gonna go talk to some people, see if we can find out some more information," Dean said awkwardly; Julia pursed her lips, unhappy that she was paired up with the brother she was fighting with. "Sam, you stay with Cassie."

Sam nodded and stepped closer to Cassie as Dean and Julia walked away to question some of the police.

"So," Cassie started; Sam turned to her to see that she was looking over at Dean and Julia, who seemed to be arguing more than trying to find a person they could talk to. "How'd you and Dean meet Julia?"

"She's family friend, my best friend," Sam told her. "We've known her almost all our lives."

Cassie hummed and crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze was still on the pair and he looked to see that Julia was playfully pushing Dean, a suddenly amused look on her face. He must have told her a corny joke or something because Dean was laughing too.

That was how a lot of their arguments ended. Dean would tell a joke that wasn't really funny—Julia was a huge fan of dad jokes—and she would get distracted. They laughed together and then they'd get over whatever they were squabbling about. Sam much preferred those arguments than the ones that ended with Dean storming out of the room to cool off or Julia bursting into tears and hiding in the bathroom only for Dean to lure her out with a candy bar or cookies a half-hour later.

"He looks happy with her," Cassie commented softly. Her tone wasn't jealous or even bitter. It was simple and to the point like she was stating a universal truth.

Sam smiled softly as he continued watching his brother and best friend. Julia had gestured over to one of the coroner's employees and, when Dean nodded, she started toward the woman. Dean's eyes followed her for a few seconds before walking after her.

"Yeah, he does."

-

Sam walked out of the bathroom, shrugging on his suit jacket as he went. Julia was already dressed in a casual work-dress and black heels as she stood in front of Dean, reaching up to straighten his tie for him.

"Well," he spoke up, earning a brief glance from Julia. "Cassie sure is fearless."

"Mmhm," Dean hummed, keeping his eyes on Julia's face.

"I bet she kicked your ass a couple of times."

Dean finally turned away from Julia as she finished with his tie and gave Sam an annoyed look.

"What I think is interesting is the fact that you two never look at each other at the same time," Julia spoke up as she went to sit at the foot of Dean's bed, crossing her leg over the over; Dean's eyes followed the movement. "You look at her when she's not looking and she looks at you when you look away."

"That's true," Sam agreed. He had noticed that as well but he also noticed that the same thing applied to Adrian and Julia, too.

Dean gave them both annoyed looks now. "You think we might have more pressing issues here?"

"Ooh, Sam, I think we hit a nerve," Julia cooed teasingly.

Dean pressed his lips together. "Oh," he complained, turning away from them to leave the room. "Let's go."

Julia smiled and raised her eyebrows at Sam, earning an amused grin in return.

The three of them went down to the docks by the river, looking for friends of Jimmy's that were both his next of kin. They were posing as insurance agents who needed to investigate the matter of Jimmy's death. Sam and a reluctant Dean let Julia take the lead on the questioning since she had a better track of getting old men to answer her questions.

"Excuse me," Julia walked over to a table where two men who matched the description of who they were looking for sat. "Are you Ron Stubbins and Clarence Thomas?"

Both men nodded.

"And you were friends with Jimmy Anderson?"

"Yeah," Ron confirmed when Julia smiled charmingly. "Whatcha need, girly?"

"Me and my partners, here, are from Mr. Anderson's insurance company, All National Mutual," Julia informed the men. "We just need to ask you a few questions to make sure our report is correct. Is that okay?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

Sam saw Julia flinch only slightly—a left over response from her run-in with the shapeshifter—and then cover it up with a smile. "We were just wondering, had Mr. Anderson mentioned any unusual recent experiences?"

Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, unusual?"

"Well, visions, hallucinations," Sam listed helpfully.

Ron and Clarence gave him a weird look.

"It's part of the medical report, Mr. Stubbins and Mr. Thomas," Julia assured them kindly. "It's just standard questioning with car accidents."

"Right," Ron nodded. "Well, no, he wasn't."

"Had he mentioned seeing a big black truck?" she continued to dazzle them. "We've got some local reports so wewant to make sure there's no correlation to Mr. Anderson's accident."

"He didn't say anything to me," Ron denied.

"Was this truck a big scary monster-looking thing?" Clarence asked.

"Yes, sir."

Dean and Sam gave each other impressed looks. Julia was crushing this.

"I've heard of a truck like that," Clarence said. "but it's been years."

Julia raised her eyebrows curiously. "Years?"

Clarence nodded. "Back in the sixties, there was a string of deaths—black men," he informed them. "Story goes, they'd disappeared in a big, nasty, black truck."

"Did they ever catch the person who did it?"

"Never found him," Clarence shook his head and scoffed. "Hell, I'm not sure they even really looked. See, there was a time this town wasn't too friendly too all of its citizens."

Julia gave him a sympathetic smile and reached out to shake both of their hands. "Well, thank you for answering our questions, gentlemen," she said sweetly. "You two enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too, honey," Clarence grinned at her while Ron smiled gratefully.

Sam and Dean each shook Ron and Clarence's hands before they left the dock.

"The truck," Dean spoke up when they were far enough away from the dock so they weren't overheard.

Sam nodded. "Keeps coming up, doesn't it?"

Dean hummed. "You know, I was thinking...you ever heard of the Flying Dutchman?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "a ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit. It was basically a part of him."

"Yeah, so, what if we're dealing with the same thing?" Dean theorized. "You know, a phantom truck, an extension of some bastard's ghost, reenacting past crimes."

"The victims have all been black men," Julia said thoughtfully. "but they're also connected to Cassie's family in some way."

"I was thinking the same thing," Dean agreed with her.

"All right," Sam nodded. "Dean, you work the Cassie angle and go talk to her."

"Yeah, I will."

"Oh, and you might also want to mention that other thing," Sam suggested.

Dean gave him a confused look as they approached the Impala. "What other thing?"

"The serious unfinished business," Sam reminded him. "Dean, what is going on between you two?"

"All right, so maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said," Dean admitted.

Sam nodded skeptically. "Oh, okay."

"Okay, a lot more, maybe," Dean sighed. "And I told her our secret, about what we do, and I shouldn't have."

"Look, man, everybody's gotta open up to someone sometime," Sam told his brother, his eyes darting to behind Dean, where Julia was leaning against the Impala and staring at the river with an impassive glare.

"Yeah, I don't," Dean stated as if he didn't already know that. "It was stupid to get that close. I mean, look how it ended."

Sam smiled at him.

"Would you stop?" Dean gave him an uncomfortable look. "Blink or something!"

"Dean," it was Julia who spoke this time, getting both brothers' attention. "you loved her."

"Oh, God," Dean groaned in disgust.

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You loved her but you dumped her?"

"No, she dumped him," Julia corrected him absentmindedly.

"She dumped you?"

Dean shot her an annoyed look. "Julia, what the hell?"

Julia gave him an innocent smile but it didn't seem to work.

Dean huffed and opened his door. "Get in the car," he ordered, sliding into his seat. When neither Sam nor Julia moved, he repeated himself, "Get in the fucking car!"

Julia and Sam exchanged another amused look before getting in their respective seats.

-

"Got any fours?"

"Nope," Sam replied. Julia sighed and leaned forward, picking a new card up out of the deck.

The twenty-four-hour laundry mat was empty except for them, though it was because it was close to midnight. The air was cold and Sam was chilled but Julia sat on the counter in just pajama shorts and a tank-top, unbothered by the temperature. The girl had fire in her veins, she was never cold.

They broke out the deck of cards as they washed all the dirty clothes they had, taking up four of the washers and dryers. Luckily, they were almost done. They had one last load of Julia's clothes in the dryer that had to finish and then be folded, but other than that, they were pretty much finished.

They'd gone through two games of rummy, one game of war, and one game of slapjack by the time they settled on go-fish. It was child's play but it was better than doing nothing. Julia's iPod was turned on and they were able to listen to music that didn't have an insane drumbeat.

"Do you have any nines?" Sam asked as Yellow by Coldplay started playing.

Look at the stars, look how they shine for you...

Julia pouted and pulled a nine from her hand, passing it over to him. "Why are you so good at this?"

Sam chuckled. "It's just luck, J."

In truth, it was because he could see her cards. She wasn't the best at hiding them but he didn't say anything because it amused him. It was like with Dean when he only picked scissors when they did rock-paper-scissors.

And everything you do. Yeah, they were all yellow...

Julia hummed doubtfully. "Okay, go again."

"Um, two?"

Julia's face lit up. "Ha! Go fish!"

Sam made a show of rolling his eyes while he grabbed a new card.

"Do you have an eight?"

Sam silently handed over the card to her, making her pump her fist excitedly as the chorus of the song played.

"Okay, what about a five?"

"Go fish."

"No!" Julia sighed dramatically, picking up a card. "Your turn, S."

"Ones?"

"Go fish."

"Tens?"

"Go fish."

"Fives?"

Julia gaped at him in disbelief. "You said you didn't have any fives, Samuel!"

"And then I picked one up," Sam defended himself with a slight smirk. "So, do you have a five?"

"I hate you!" Julia threw the card at him.

"No, you don't," Sam put down his pair. "Okay, ones?"

"Go fish."

I swam across, I jumped across for you. Oh, what a thing to have done and it was all yellow...

"This is a good song," Sam commented as he grabbed a card from the deck.

Julia nodded. "Yeah, it reminds me of someone."

Oh, really? He thought to himself. Someone, whose name rhymes with Wean Dinchester?

He decided to just bite the bullet. "Someone like Dean?"

Julia's eyes immediately darted up to his. "What?" she shook her head in denial. "No, of course not."

"Right," he nodded in agreement. "Of course, not."

And you know, for you I'd bleed myself dry...

As the guitar solo started, Julia blurted, "Yes, it's someone like Dean."

"I knew it!" Sam grinned. "I knew you liked him."

Julia rolled her eyes. "God, I never thought I'd be having girl-talk with you, S."

"Yeah, well, how many times did you listen to me yearn over Jess?"

Julia chuckled. "For about a year," she grinned fondly. "and then, when I got back to the dorm, she'd talk about you."

Sam changed the subject before the grief could start in. "You should tell Dean."

Julia raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"...No."

"Sam, Dean isn't the love type of guy," she reminded him. "He doesn't do relationships."

"He loved Cassie and he dated her a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, well, obviously, that's different."

"Yeah, you have more history and chemistry with him," Sam pointed out. "You've known him your whole life."

"Exactly!" she pointed at him. "He still sees me as a kid—do you have a two?"

"Go fish," Sam answered. "and trust me, J, he doesn't see you as a kid."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that he'd be in jail if he looked at a kid like he looked at you."

Julia scoffed and reached forward, slapping his thigh. "Samuel William!"

"What, it's true!" Sam rubbed the spot where she hit him. "You should see the looks he gives you. You look at him like that, too."

"I don't leer at him!"

"I didn't say anything about leering, you said that on your own. Do you have a one?"

"I don't have any ones, Sam, God!"

"It's the only card I have left."

"Well, now you have another one."

Sam reached for a card from the deck. It was a one. He chuckled and set down his last pair, grinning triumphantly at Julia's disappointed pout.

"Why do you have to win every game?"

"Because I'm awesome," Sam said quickly. "Now, back to Dean..."

"Okay, first of all, you're way too excited about this," Julia jumped off the counter as Sam started picking up the deck. "Secondly, Dean and I aren't gonna happen."

Sam closed the deck and slipped it back into Julia's purse. "You don't know that."

"Why hasn't he called us yet?" Julia asked pointedly. "He never goes over an hour to check in if we're by ourselves. It's been six hours since he went to Cassie's and there's been no word."

"So?"

"So, obviously something is going on over there and I don't think it's because he's in danger."

"Okay," Sam had to admit that she was probably right. "but that doesn't mean they're together. Dean's had one-night-stands before."

"Not with someone he loved."

Sam sighed. "Look, Dean may have had feelings for Cassie but I doubt it was love."

"Oh?"

"When Dean loves someone he fights for them," Sam declared and Julia's lips twisted thoughtfully. "He fought to find our dad. He's fought for me so many damn times that I've lost count. So, if he really loved Cassie as much as you think he did, he would have stayed and changed her mind."

The Coldplay song ended and one by Britney Spears started up. The last dryer beeped, signaling that Julia's clothes were done.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Sam," Julia sighed as she brought the laundry cart over to the dryer to take out her clothes. "It just gets my hopes up and I don't want to deal with the fallout when Dean inevitably rejects me."

"Julia..."

"Seriously, Sam."

"Okay, fine," Sam gave in and walked over to the table where the rest of their clothes were, already folded. He picked up one of her t-shirts and folded it, putting it in her pile. "You know, we should go see a movie soon."

"Yeah?" Julia raised an eyebrow at him, approving of the subject change. "Which one?"

"I saw that Stick It is getting good reviews."

"We'll go for your birthday," Julia promised. "The lucky twenty-three. God, you're so old."

"Shut up."

-

Julia acted like the conversation she and Sam had the night before hadn't happened. Sam didn't bring it up, either, especially since Dean never came back to the motel room. She seemed okay, though, she didn't seem jealous or bitter like other twenty-year-old women might have been when the guy they had feelings for met up with an old flame and spent the night with them. There were moments where Julia could be a little brat—like most younger sisters—but the older she got the more mature she was getting.

And, when they got a call about the mayor's death, she was the one to call Dean to tell him about it.

It was way too cold for mid-April, so Sam and Julia were bundled up in their warmest jackets—which, really, was just Sam's usual canvas jacket and one of Julia's crewnecks—as they went to see what had happened to the mayor. They questioned the police, using the same private investigator alias that Dean brought up the day before, and waited for Dean to meet up with them.

Just as they were finishing up with one of the police officers, the man's eyes flickered behind them. Julia and Sam turned slightly and noticed that Dean was approaching them.

"He's with us," Sam informed the police officer. The man walked away and Sam expectantly turned to Dean. "Where were you last night? You didn't make it back to the hotel."

Dean turned away from Sam and Julia, watching the mayor's body bag being carted by. "Nope."

"I'm guessing you guys worked things out?"

"We'll be working things out while we're ninety," Dean grumbled. "So, what happened?"

"Every bone in the mayor's body was crushed," Julia spoke up, curling her hand into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "Internal bleeding all over the place...none of the cops know what happened."

"It was like something ran him over," Sam finished.

"Something like a truck?"

"Yep."

"Tracks?"

"What was the mayor doing here, anyway?" Dean wondered.

"He owned the property," Julia informed him. "Bought it a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, but he's white," Dean pointed out. "He doesn't fit the pattern."

"And the killing didn't happen up on the road, so that doesn't fit, either," Sam stated.

"Okay," Dean sighed, running a hand down his face. "I'll go see if Cassie can help me get access to whatever happened in the sixties. You two go to the courthouse to see what you can find out about the mayor and why the truck came to this place."

The three of them split up again, Julia and Sam teaming up once more to form their dynamic duo. With two of them being able to research without Dean distracting Julia—who was already prone to being distracted—they easily found the property records that the mayor just purchased.

They called Dean when they got back to the motel with lunch.

"Yeah?" Dean answered.

"Okay, the courthouse records show that Mr. and Mrs. Mayor bought an abandoned property," Sam informed his brother while Julia munched on her lunch of grilled cheese and fries. "The previous owner was the Dorian family, for, like a hundred and fifty years."

"Dorian?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't you say that Dorian family used to own this paper?" they heard Dean ask Cassie.

"Yeah," Cassie confirmed. "Along with everything else around here. Real pillars of the town."

"Right, right," Dean hummed; Julia and Sam heard the light clicks of a computer mouse. "That's interesting."

"What?" Julia wondered, popping a fry in her mouth.

"This Cyrus Dorian, he vanished in April of sixty-three," Dean told them. "The case was investigated but never solved. It was right around the time the string of murders going on back then."

"Well, we pulled a bunch of papers up on the Dorian place," Julia sighed. "It must have been in bad shape when the mayor bought it."

"Why's that?"

"The first thing he did was bulldoze the house."

"Mayor Todd knocked down the Dorian place?" Dean asked Cassie.

"It was a big deal," Cassie told him. "One of the oldest houses left. He made the front page."

Dean clicked his tongue. "You got a date, shortcake?"

"The third of last month."

There was more clicking on the other line. "Mayor Todd bulldozed the Dorian family home on the third," Dean declared. "The first killing was the very next day."

-

Julia passed the cup of tea to Cassie with a small smile, making sure she wouldn't burn herself.

Cassie sighed heavily. "Maybe you could throw a couple of shots in that."

Julia just gave her another smile and sat down on the couch next to her. Cassie had called Dean an hour after they had eaten dinner, frantically telling him that she had seen the scary black truck that had been killing people. The three of them rushed over to her house to keep her safe and comfort her.

"You didn't see who was driving the truck?" Dean asked from Cassie's other side.

Cassie shook her head. "It seemed to be no one. Everything was moving so fast and then it was just gone," she gave him a frightened look. "Why didn't it kill us?"

"Whoever was controlling the truck wants you afraid first," Dean told her.

Sam, who was sitting in one of the chairs across from the couch, turned to Mrs. Robinson, who was sitting next to him. "Mrs. Robinson, Cassie said that your husband saw the truck before he died."

Mrs. Robinson stared at him, the teacup in her hands shaking.

"Mom?" Cassie prompted.

"Oh, Martin was under a lot of stress," Mrs. Robinson said. "You can't be sure about what he was seeing."

"Well, after tonight, I think we can be reasonably sure he was seeing a truck," Dean bristled, his voice growing firm. "What happened tonight, you and Cassie are marked, okay? Your daughter could die so if you know something, now would be a really good time to tell us about it."

Cassie gave him a warning look. "Dean."

Dean didn't back down, staring at Mrs. Robinson expectantly.

"Yes," Mrs. Robinson answered. "Yes, he said he saw a truck."

"Did he know who it belonged to?" Julia asked.

"He thought he did."

"Who was that?"

"Cyrus," Mrs. Robinson answered Dean, her lips pressed together emotionally. "A man named Cyrus."

Julia turned to Dean and Sam with raised eyebrows, getting similar looks back from both of them. She pulled the newspaper article that Dean had printed about Cyrus Dorian from her purse and showed it to Mrs. Robinson.

"Is this Cyrus?"

Tears filled Mrs. Robinson's eyes. "Cyrus Dorian died more than forty years ago."

"How do you know he died, Mrs. Robinson? The paper said he went missing," Dean asked, his face falling in realization. "How do you know he died?"

"We were all very young," Mrs. Robinson started to explain, her voice trembling. "I dated Cyrus for a while and I was also seeing Martin—in secret, of course. Inter-racial couples didn't go over too well back then. When I broke it off with Cyrus and he found out about Martin..." she paused and shook her head before quietly continuing. "I don't know, he changed. His hatred—his hatred was frightening."

"The string of murders," Sam assumed.

"There were rumors, people of color disappearing into some kind of truck," Mrs. Robinson confirmed. "Nothing was ever done."

Julia frowned, angry that the people who were killed by Cyrus didn't get justice for what happened to them.

"Martin and...Martin and I, we were gonna be married in that little church near here but last minute we decided to elope because we didn't want the attention," Mrs. Robinson went on, sniffing back tears.

"And Cyrus?"

Mrs. Robinson's face contorted as a sob escaped her throat. "The day we set for the wedding was the day someone set fire to the church," she cried; Julia inhaled sharply, her own tears filling her eyes. "There was a children's choir practicing in there. They all died."

"Did the attacks stop after that?" Julia whispered shakily.

"No, there was one more," Mrs. Robinson told them through her sobs. "One night that truck came for Martin. Cyrus beat him something terrible but Martin, you see, Martin got loose...and he started hitting Cyrus and he just kept hitting him and hitting him."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Why didn't you call the cops?"

Julia gave Dean a pointed look; he knew damn well why they didn't call the cops. She didn't blame them; Cyrus deserved what he got.

"This was forty years ago," Mrs. Robinson cried. "He called on his friend, Clayton Soames and Jimmy Anderson, and they put Cyrus' body in the truck and they rolled it into the swamp at the end of his land. All three of them kept that secret all of these years."

"And now all three are gone," Sam said quietly. "and so is Mayor Todd."

"He said that you, of all people, would know he is not a racist," Dean looked to Mrs. Robinson. "Why would he say that?"

"He was a good man," Mrs. Robinson's cries calmed as she placed her hands on her neck. "He was a young deputy back then, investigating Cyrus' disappearance. Once he figured out what Martin and the other had done, he...he did nothing...because he also knew what Cyrus had done."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cassie asked her mother, her voice breaking.

"I thought I was protecting them," Mrs. Robinson's sobs started up again. "and now there's no one to protect."

That's not true, Julia thought to herself. She has Cassie.

Dean had the same idea. "Yes, there is," he told her before looking over at Cassie. Mrs. Robinson did, too, her face falling in realization.

Julia, Sam, and Dean reconvened out by the Impala to discuss what they found out.

"Ah, my life was so simple," Sam sighed playfully as he and Julia leaned against the car and Dean paced back and forth in front of them. "Just school, exams, papers on polycentric cultural norms..."

"Translating old Hebrew proverbs, comparing and contrasting Islam and Christianity, trying to tell the difference between classical Latin and archaic Latin..." Julia added wistfully.

"Well, I guess I saved you two from a boring existence," Dean stopped pacing to lean against the car, too.

"Ah, occasionally I miss boring," Sam sighed heavily.

"So, this killer truck—"

"I miss conversations that didn't start with this killer truck," Sam added, more playfully.

Dean chuckled a little. "Well, this Cyrus guy. Evil on a level that infected even his truck," he stated. "When he died, the swamp became his tomb and his spirit was dormant for forty years."

"So what woke it up?" Julia asked,

"The construction on his house," Dean told her. "or the destruction."

"Right," Sam nodded. "Demolition or re-modeling can awaken spirits, make them restless. Like that theatre in Illinois, you know?"

"And the guy that tore down the family homestead, Harold Todd, is the same guy that kept Cyrus' murder quiet and unsolved."

"So, now his spirit is awakened and out for blood."

"Yeah, I guess," Dean shrugged. "Who knows what ghosts are thinking, anyway?"

"You know we're going to have to dredge that body up from the swamp, right?" Sam pointed out.

Dean smirked at him, causing Sam to let out a groan. "What?" Dean asked innocently. "You said it."

"Yeah."

Dean shook his head and looked toward the house, straightening up when he saw Cassie walking toward them. "Hey."

"Hey," Cassie smiled at him. "She's asleep. Now what?"

"Well, you should stay put and look after her," Dean told her. "and we'll be back. Don't leave the house."

"Don't go getting all authoritative on me," Cassie shook her head with a small smile. "I hate it."

Julia wrinkled her nose as they flirted, looking over at Sam to see that he was already smiling at her. She smoothed out her face and tried not to react as Dean apologized to Cassie and they started making out right in of them.

This is so incredibly awkward, she mused.

Sam cleared his throat and Dean reached behind his back to give him the finger.

When Dean pulled away from the kiss, he told Cassie, "Julia's gonna stay with you, all right?"

"What?" Julia spoke up, unpleased. "I'm going with you and Sam."

"No, you're staying with Cassie," Dean's tone was authoritative and it made her bristle. "I don't need to babysit you while this is going on."

"Dean."

Sam winced as Julia's eyes started to water. "Babysit me?" she scoffed. "How many times have I saved your ass since I started hunting with you?"

"Don't change the subject," Dean almost barked. "Do what I said and stay by Cassie's side."

Julia angrily pressed her lips together and grabbed her laptop from the backseat of the Impala. "You're a dick," she spat at Dean as she stormed past him, Sam, and Cassie back up to the house. "Don't come crying to me when you need my help!"

It was awkward and quiet when Cassie came back into the house and sat with her in the living room. Julia had already booted up her computer to work on an upcoming essay in her Hebrew class when Cassie spoke up.

"I'm sorry you had to stay with me," she apologized.

"It's not that I have to stay with you," Julia assured her with an apologetic smile. "It's that Dean treats me like I'm a kid and I can't make my own choices."

Cassie hummed knowingly. "I know what that feels like," she shared. "If it makes you feel any better, though, I think he's doing it to look out for you."

No, Julia thought, he wanted me to look after you.

She just gave Cassie a small smile, deciding that if Dean wanted her to be with Cassie, it was because he trusted her. Either way, she was still irritated. She didn't like being bossed around; if he just asked her to stay instead of commanding it like she was his assistant, it would have been fine.

It was another hour later that Sam called Julia, asking for information about the church so they could get rid of the spirit truck which was now following Dean around the back roads. Cassie gave Julia the information and she called Dean right away.

"What?" Dean snapped, the engine revving in the background. "This better be good."

"Where are you?" Julia asked as she looked down at the map Cassie had pulled out for her.

"In the middle of fucking nowhere with a killer truck on my ass!" he shouted, causing her to wince from the volume. "It's like it knows I put the torch to Cyrus."

"Listen to me, this is important so I have to know exactly where you are."

"Decatur Road, about two miles off the highway."

Julia scanned the map, easily finding the road. "Okay. Are you headed east?"

"Yes!" there was a loud crash of metal and then, "You son of a fucking bitch!"

"Okay, turn right," Julia said hurriedly. "Up ahead, turn right."

The squeal of tires met Julia's ears. "Did you turn?"

"Yeah, I made the turn!" Dean shouted. "You're gonna need to move this thing along a little faster."

"Do you see a road up ahead?" Julia consulted the map, biting her lib anxiously.

"No—wait, yes, I see it."

"Okay, turn left."

"Okay, now what?"

"You need to go exactly seven-tenths of a mile and then stop," she advised him.

"Stop?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Exactly seven-tenths, Dean."

"Seven-tenths, seven-tenths..."

More tire squealing and then just the engine of the Impala as it idled.

"Dean, are you still there?"

"Yeah."

"What's going on?"

"It's just staring at me," Dean reported. "What do I do?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Stay still and bring it to you."

"Wha—?" Dean stammered. "Come on, come on, come on..."

There was a loud roar of an engine, much different than the Impala's, and then it disappeared. Julia looked up at Cassie, who was looking at the phone with an anxious expression.

"Dean, are you okay?" Julia called, knowing that he was probably okay. There would have been a loud crash, otherwise.

"Where'd it go?"

"Dean, you're where the church was."

"What church?"

"The place that Cyrus burned down and killed all those kids," Julia informed him. "Even if it's not still standing, it's hallowed ground. Evil spirits cross over hallowed ground and sometimes they get destroyed. Sam figured it out and I had to find the location."

"Well, what if it hadn't of worked?" Dean almost yelled.

Julia frowned. Even when she and Sam saved his ass, he was still a dick. "Hey, I was just following orders," she snapped at him. "I guess that's all I'm good for."

She snapped the phone shut and threw it in her laptop case. "The spirit's gone," she told Cassie, a little snippily. "If you want to talk to Dean, you'll have to call him from your phone."

"Yeah, no problem," Cassie nodded. "Thanks for your help, Julia."

"I didn't do much of anything," Julia sighed and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about your dad, Cassie."

Cassie smiled sadly. "Me too."

-

It was silent in the motel room that night. Dean had gone to town as soon as he dropped Julia and Sam off at the room and, an hour and a half later, he still wasn't back. Sam had started reading a book that Julia told him about and she watched America's Next Top Model re-runs next to him on the bed.

Sam looked away from his book every so often, seeing that Julia's nose was still wrinkled in displeasure. From what Sam understood, it was because Dean had yelled at her on the phone after the two of them saved his ass

"You okay?" he asked her, slipping his bookmark into the book where he left off.

Julia turned her head away from the television. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "You just seem sad."

"Oh..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Julia's eyes stung as she practically lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Sam, you are the bestest friend ever. I don't deserve you. Seriously, I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Sam chuckled into her hair. "You tell me every day, J."

"You deserve to hear it every day, S," Julia declared as tears leaked from her eyes. "You're a good man."

Sam felt her body shake with her cries. "Why are you crying?"

"Cause I'm just happy to have you in my life."

"I'm happy to have you in my life, too," Sam forcefully unwrapped her arms from him and gave her an amused smile as she pulled back. "but you were choking me."

Julia frowned and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

The motel door opened and Dean walked into the room, carrying a couple of plastic bags. One of them was from a local Chinese restaurant, while the other two were from stores in the mall.

"Hey," Sam greeted him as he got off the bed. "Where'd you go."

"I got a peace offering," Dean proclaimed, walking over to Julia's side of the bed. "Junior, I'm sorry for everything, okay? You are my friend and you did save my ass tonight. I'm sorry I wasn't more appreciative."

Julia's lips quirked a hint.

"So," Dean pulled a Converse box from the larger of the bags in his hand. "I got you these to replace the ones that were ruined at Roy's place."

"Thanks, Dean," Julia whispered, opening the box to see the low-top white Converse. They were the exact ones she had been looking at recently. "These are great."

"And," Dean gave her the other bag, which was smaller. "This is because you've been kicking ass lately."

Julia gave him a curious look as she pulled out a small rectangle box. She gasped when she opened it to reveal her own switchblade with a design on the handle and 'Shortcake' engraved on the blade.

"Dean!" she squeaked, tears coming to her eyes again. "Thank you so much, oh my God!"

Sam grinned as Julia jumped up and pulled Dean into a tight hug, crying into his shoulder. It was already a cute situation but damn it if Sam's heart didn't melt when Dean kissed her on the forehead in return.

(Gif is not mine)

[foodffs]

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Almond Lace Cookies

Anise Cookies

Buckeye Cookies

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Classic No Bake Cookies

Classic Thumbprint Cookies

Coconut Macaroons

Cranberry-White Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Cucidati

Dark Chocolate Chunk Eggnog Cookies

Empire Cookies

Filled Raisin Cookies

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Grandma’s Biscotti

Homemade Cannoli

Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (Giuggiulena)

Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Mini Cheesecake Cookies

Nut Crescents

Nutter Butter Snowmen

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Pecan Sandies

Pecan Tassies

Peppermint Whoopie Pies

Pizzelle

Rugelach

Salted Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

Snickerdoodles

Snowball Cookies

Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

Soft and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Ultimate Ginger Cookies

CHRISTMAS CANDY

Chocolate Bourbon Balls

Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

Date, Coconut & Walnut Balls

Eggnog Fudge

Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

Homemade Torrone

Nutella-Pretzel Truffles

Oreo Balls

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Peanut Butter Fudge

Peppermint Bark

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Peanut Brittle

Pistachio & Cranberry White Chocolate Bark

Reindeer Chow

Saltine Toffee

Snickerdoodle Fudge

EASY BAR DESSERTS

Avalanche Bark

Decker Cake

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Oatmeal Carmelita Bars

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Scotcheroos

Seven Layer Bars

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Zia Lena’s Date Bar Cookies

CHRISTMAS CAKES

Buche de Noel with Espresso Mascarpone Filling

Classic Gingerbread

Cranberry-Eggnog Cheesecake

Eggnog Bundt Cake with Rum Icing

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Gingerbread Pound Cake

Homemade Rum Cake

Sticky Toffee Pudding

CHRISTMAS BREADS

Chocolate Babka Wreath

Christopsomos (Greek Christmas Bread)

Date Nut Spice Bread

Nut Roll

Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)

Follow for recipes

Is this how you roll?

[paleorecipecookbook]

33 Crave-Worthy Paleo Desserts

Going Paleo means kissing goodbye to gluten-filled grains, refined sugars, dairy, and countless other not-so-good-for-you ingredients typically found in popular desserts.

The good news? You don’t have to completely eliminate desserts from your life; just find ways to use whole food ingredients to create delectable, and, dare we say, better than the original, treats.

We’re talking homemade candies like white chocolate, keto-friendly truffles, Paleo peppermint patties, Girl Scout cookie-inspired truffles, and more.

More of a sweet bar fan? We’ve got several of those too, from simple almond butter blondies to chocolate chip blondies, salted caramel brownies, cheesecake bars, and raspberry crumb bars.

Cakes and cookies abound also, including ooey-gooey chocolate lava cake, and simple and quick almond butter cookies. If you’re looking for something more unique, you’ll find Paleo monkey bread and cinnamon roll apple pie.

Whatever sweet craving strikes your fancy, we bet there’s a recipe here for you.

Coconut Flour Caramel Apple Brownies

Cinnamon-infused apples stud every bite of these caramel apple brownies, while a date-based caramel makes everything gooey and delicious.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Flour Caramel Apple Brownies

Almond Butter Blondies

These chewy, nutrient-dense almond butter blondies are so yummy, you won’t believe they’re Paleo-friendly and vegan.

Recipe: Detoxinista | Almond Butter Blondies

White Chocolate Keto Truffles

These keto-friendly truffles could not be any easier to throw together: All you need is coconut butter, coconut cream, vanilla extract, monk fruit sweetener, and unsweetened coconut.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | White Chocolate Keto Truffles

Grain-Free Apple Crisp

This grain-free apple crisp harnesses the natural sweetness of apples to make this dessert totally free from added sugar.

Recipe: Living Well Mom | Grain-Free Apple Crisp

Coconut Maple Raisin Ice Cream

You’ll love how simple it is to make creamy, coconut-y ice cream at home with this recipe.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Maple Raisin Ice Cream

Paleo Samoa Truffles

Forget Girl Scout Cookies – you won’t be able to put the Paleo truffle version down!

Recipe: What Molly Made | Paleo Samoa Truffles

Utterly Deadly Chocolate Sweet Potato Pie

Luscious, thick and creamy sweet potato purée serves as the base in this rich, chocolate-heavy treat.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Utterly Deadly Chocolate Sweet Potato Pie

Strawberry Pudding Soufflés

These soufflés, made with whole food ingredients, are the definition of fluffy and sweet.

Recipe: Perry’s Plate | Strawberry Pudding Soufflés

Easy Bread Pudding with Fruit and Pecans

Bread pudding may sound like an impossible feat on the Paleo diet, but this Paleo-friendly version is every bit as warm, gooey, and satisfying as the original.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Easy Bread Pudding with Fruit and Pecans

Chocolate Covered Almond Butter Balls

Pop one of these chocolate-covered almond butter balls to satisfy a sweet craving. You won’t regret it.

Recipe: Isabel Eats | Chocolate Covered Almond Butter Balls

Hot Chocolate Floats with Hot Fudge and Coconut Ice Cream

You haven’t lived until you’ve devoured frosty coconut ice cream as it melts into a hot, fudge-laced mug of hot chocolate.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Hot Chocolate Floats with Hot Fudge and Coconut Ice Cream

Paleo Peppermint Patties

Craving candy? These Paleo-friendly peppermint patties boast just four wholesome ingredients: coconut butter, raw honey, peppermint, and chocolate.

Recipe: Empowered Sustenance | Paleo Peppermint Patties

Coconut Caramel Cashew Clusters

These coconut caramel cashew clusters are delicious on their own, but feel free to jazz things up by adding pomegranate arils, coconut flakes, orange zest, or a drizzle of almond butter.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Caramel Cashew Clusters

Paleo Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Butter Cups

These dark chocolate cups feature a strawberry coconut butter filling so creamy and luscious, you won’t be able to stop at just one.

Recipe: 40 Aprons | Paleo Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Butter Cups

Keto Eggnog Cheesecakes Made in a Muffin Tin

You may not believe it possible, but this recipe makes delectable individual cheesecakes that are totally Paleo and keto-friendly. Yum!

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Keto Eggnog Cheesecakes Made in a Muffin Tin

Paleo Tiramisu

How do you make this dairy-laden Italian classic Paleo-friendly? With some smart substitutions, like whipped coconut cream and a coconut flour-based cookie layer, you have a decadent but wholesome take on the Italian dessert.

Recipe: Eat Something Delicious | Paleo Tiramisu

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

Chocolate and sweet potato strike again with this ultra-rich cake, complete with a dark chocolate coconut cream frosting and fresh berries.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake

Maple Vanilla Bean Meringue Cookies

These gorgeous, crispy meringue cookies only look difficult to pull off, but they’re actually quite simple.

Recipe: Kit’s Coastal | Maple Vanilla Bean Meringue Cookies

Paleo Monkey Bread

Have you ever had monkey bread? The sticky, pull-apart treat is easily made Paleo in this recipe, which requires just 15 minutes of prep.

Recipe: The Banana Diaries | Paleo Monkey Bread

Chocolate Lava Cake

Dark chocolate and cacao powder make this lava cake ultra-rich, while almond butter lends a smooth, nutty flavor to the whole thing.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Chocolate Lava Cake

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin packs in a ton of moisture and flavor in this pumpkin roll with an extra-creamy coconut cream center.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Flour Pumpkin Roll

Paleo Pumpkin Bars

Chewy, fudgy pumpkin bars get frosted with a thick layer of decadent maple frosting – amazing.

Recipe: What Molly Made | Paleo Pumpkin Bars

Coconut Flour Everything Cookies

Can’t decide which type of cookie to make? Try “everything” in this everything cookie recipe.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Flour Everything Cookies

Paleo Chocolate Chip Blondies

How do you ensure you get the best of both the brownie and blondie world? Make blondies, with chocolate.

Recipe: Bakerita | Paleo Chocolate Chip Blondies

Coconut Flour Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

These Pinterest-worthy coconut flour cookie ice cream sandwiches taste a lot better than anything you can get on an ice cream truck, with a much better nutritional profile, too.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Coconut Flour Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Paleo Coconut Crack Bars

If you’re craving Mounds candies, these coconut crack bars are your Paleo-friendly fix.

Recipe: Sweet and Savory Meals | Paleo Coconut Crack Bars

Dreamy Paleo Salted Caramel Brownies

Soft and chewy, these salted caramel brownies come together in under an hour.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Dreamy Paleo Salted Caramel Brownies

Paleo Pecan Caramel Cheesecake Bars

How do you make cheesecake bars Paleo-friendly? Harness the magic of creamy cashews, of course.

Recipe: The Movement Menu | Paleo Pecan Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Topped with minty avocado-spinach ice cream (we swear, it tastes nothing like spinach), these chocolate cupcakes are the perfect dessert.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Paleo Almond Butter Cookies

On those nights when you need something sweet, whip up these almond butter cookies! They only require five ingredients and 20 minutes total.

Recipe: Tastes Lovely | Paleo Almond Butter Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

Which do you love more: apple pie or cinnamon rolls? With this decadent cinnamon roll apple pie, you don’t have to choose.

Recipe: PaleoHacks | Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

Paleo Raspberry Crumb Bars

Fruity, sweet, nutty, and crisp, these raspberry crumb bars are essentially a raspberry pie in bar form.

Recipe: Wholesomelicious | Paleo Raspberry Crumb Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Almond Butter Bars

For those days you can’t be bothered to turn on the oven, whip up these easy, chocolate almond butter bars.

Recipe: Beaming Baker | No-Bake Chocolate Almond Butter Bars

(You’ll Also Love: The Best Paleo Desserts for Holidays – Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)

The post 33 Crave-Worthy Paleo Desserts appeared first on PaleoPlan.

Source: http://bit.ly/10qRbxJ

[briamonroe]

ABCD

A   :   AFFECTION. how does your muse show affection?

Bria is a nurturer at heart, which really means her affection shifts based on the people who need it and what she knows will be the best form of affection for that person. However, if she had to choose favorites physical touch and talking people up are definitely two of the top ways in which she does show affection. Bria will compliment the hell out of somebody as much as possible if it means making them feel good and helping them see themselves as she does.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

Tulips, hands down. Not just because they are gorgeous and grow in spring showing new beginnings after dark and cold times, but especially because planting them in front of her house with her parents is one of her youngest and only memories she has of her childhood with them.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

What woman in their right mind wouldn't like chocolate in one form or another. Although she obviously loves a good actual chocolate like almond clusters or milk chocolate caramels, her favorite form of chocolate is a chocolate malt milkshake.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Bria has definitely dreamt up her ideal romantic date, from being showered in flowers and having a picnic on the dock of a moonlit lake to a private rooftop dinner in New York City, she has pretty much dreamt it all up. Never thinking of a who, aside from when she was actually dating Nate in which he was the obvious fill in, instead always fixating on the scenery and the way the ambiance would make her stomach turn in flutters. However, recently, she kind of began to realize that even the simplest of things could turn into her ideal date if it's with the right person, so her perception may be shifting.

[fantasticvegansandhowtofeedthem]

Bridie’s Vegan Paleo Granola (GF)

While we’ve been doing the elimination diet (details here), there have been no grains allowed, which honestly made me feel personally attacked. I look forward to my granola with coconut yoghurt every morning and losing that felt like losing a brother. Granted, that’s a strong sentiment, but it was how I felt - you don’t get in between a girl and her granola!!

I was looking for grain-free granola, but found it so difficult to buy without honey, although the Paleo Foods Company do a great version here, but I ended up adding dried fruit to mine because it felt like it was missing something. I finally landed on just making my own, which seemed like a labour of love, but I actually really enjoyed it, and it has become something we make on Sundays that lasts the whole week, with about 25-30 portions of 1/3-1/2 cup. It also forms lovely clusters, which I really love in granola.

This grain-free granola is delicious, gluten-free, packed with fruit and nuts, elimination diet friendly, and most importantly, family friendly. It comes in at approximately 37p per portion, and a protein-rich 145 calories.

Ingredients:

2 cups hazelnuts

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 tbsp super seed mix (anything with linseed/flaxseed is a great choice for healthy fat and protein)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp salt (we love smoked salt)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger powder

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (crushed)

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup ground almonds

3 tbsp liquid coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp almond butter (any nut butter will do but this is our favourite)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup goji berries

1/2 cup raisins

Pick and pull ingredients you do/don’t like, this recipe is a result of about 5 different recipes and 20 minutes spent drooling over the selection of dried fruit and nuts aisle in Sainsbury’s.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/180C and line a baking tray with parchment

2. Mix everything except the dried fruit together in a large bowl, we like to crush the walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts but you can leave them whole.

3. Spread the mixture evenly onto the baking tray and place in the oven

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden, taking it out halfway through to give it a shake and stir

5. Leave the bake to cool, then add the dried fruits and decant into an airtight container

We recommend:

Bridie - 1/3 cup granola with a teaspoon of Pip’s chocolate nut butter, and some unsweetened almond milk (elimination diet friendly)

Amanda - 1/3 cup granola with coconut yoghurt, date nectar, and dried banana chips

[kaitlosingweight]

We’re bringing dessert to our family Christmas Eve and I spent the afternoon getting these little beauties together. I wanted to share them because they’re three super sweet and tasty (no bake!!) treats that are slightly healthier options. The “caramel” cashew clusters are made with date caramel (blended soaked dates, vanilla extract and sea salt) and the peppermint balls are just almonds, dates, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, coconut oil, mini chocolate chips and a bit of crushed peppermint! You can also never go wrong with chocolate and orange in my opinion. What treats are you guys having this holiday season?👩🏻‍🍳🎄

[silicachild83-blog]

Based upon The Two-step Cluster Study.

Health Benefits of Dates

Dates are taken into consideration to become one of the best nutritious fruits on earth. Dates have a lot of health benefits and are actually a best food to contribute to your day-to-day diet regimen. Several of the primary health benefits of dates feature:

These are simply some of the health benefits of dates as well as you can simply incorporate them to your diet regimen to strengthen your health. As you grow older, you require to possess more selection of meals, consisting of a great deal of fruits and veggie to maintain you healthy.

Dates are among the best healthy fruits around the world and also lots of folks opt for to take this fruit as a result of the various health benefits. For instance, dates include a high attention of fiber and vitamins A, C, D, E, K, as well as B6.

Dates are the fruit of the palm that is actually native to South Asia and also Egypt. They are cultivated in some portion of Africa, especially the Gulu Mountains. The golden-colored fruits of dates concern the size of grapefruits.

Dates were one of the initial fruits to become planted on the planet. In Egypt, they utilized to become phoned "Loxodromes" which indicates "gold swellings". This label probably stems from the Egyptian term for "spirit".

Dates are actually believed to be a great resource of fiber, which assists you remain normal as well as healthy and balanced. Fruits are the ideal mix of carbohydrates, proteins, as well as excess fat. This creates the fruit's a fantastic technique to get all the necessary nutrients you need for your body and also health.

Dates are amongst the absolute most popular fruits that you locate in the food store. They are actually the excellent snack you can enjoy in between foods. Dates are one of the very best low-calorie treats you may possess when you want to eat something that will certainly not wreck your health.

Being among the greatest health foods, dates additionally possess lots of healthy protein as well as carbs, which are actually required by your body so as to perform adequately. Consuming fruits additionally provides your physical body its very own anti-oxidants, which aid the body eradicate health conditions. These are extremely important for your health due to the fact that they assist the body eradicate ailment.

The health benefits of dates are actually a very easy and also pleasurable means to increase your power and also keep your body functioning well. When you consume dates, your body is going to experience delighted and invigorated.

A number of the health benefits of dates feature:

Dates are actually incredibly abundant in water material and fibre thus you may have a well balanced diet which contains considerable amounts of fruits and veggies. You will discover a bunch of benefits when you include this fruit in your diet regimen.

Dates are actually nutritious fruits that are actually fantastic for your diet. They are actually readily available at your local area grocer's or even on-line where you can easily buy all of them directly coming from the maker. So perform yourself a favor as well as start eating well-balanced by possessing these fruits in your diet regimen.

Dates and also Fruits

The dates as well as fruits are actually in some cases referred to as Medjool dates and also are widely known for their various flavors. The dates are utilized in the food preparation, to make honey, ice cream, delicious chocolates, ice, as well as several other items. Medjool dates are utilized in the planning of clean milk or even as a fruit extract.

These Medjool Dates are actually the most well-known and widely shipped on earth. It is actually of quickly offered environment-friendly, yellow and also brown tinted dates that are actually mostly in use for making sweets as well as gelato. Aside from this, these dates and also fruits are actually utilized in mostly all kinds of fruits like apples, oranges, fruits, cherries, mangos, blueberry, papaya, pears, plums, and also lots of others. They are actually made use of thoroughly in making gelato as well as beverages.

Dates as well as fruits have acquired the taste of numerous fruits and also they are different from each other in preference. It is very easy to vary dates as well as fruits from each other by their color. The Medjool dates as well as the fruits are easily accessible on the market.

Dates include pectin, which is a type of glucose. Therefore, dates are actually wealthy in thread, iron, healthy protein, and vitamins. The dates, specifically the Medjool dates, have received the unique preference of many fruits and therefore it is actually a favorite with lots of people.

Dates have obtained the ideal structure of vitamin B. They have actually obtained much of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. It is wealthy in fiber, magnesium mineral, potassium, healthy protein, iron, calcium, and also a lot more minerals. It is simple to squash Medjool dates and also this can be used in salads, desserts, juices, ice cream, as well as desserts. The major component of Medjool dates as well as fruits is pectin, therefore dates and fruits are actually remarkably helpful for intestinal health.

Dates contain wheat and this produces them a quite well-balanced meals. They additionally include reduced calorie and also low fat. The dates are actually likewise rich in thread, magnesium mineral, phosphorus, iron, potassium, protein, and numerous various other minerals.

Dates are certainly not simply edible however are actually readily available in a variety of measurements, shapes, colors, and flavors. https://zenwriting.net/pvcpump91/barhi-dates-with-almonds-in-syrup-nino-salvaggio are on call in several colors, including yellow, eco-friendly, reddish, orange, brownish, and also some exotic tones like pink, purple, orange, blue, violet, as well as numerous others. The Medjool dates and also the fruits are actually simple to consume and have good taste.

Dates as well as fruits are actually highly healthy. It is rich in iron, minerals, vitamins, fibers, minerals, as well as thread. These dates and also fruits are actually available in various shapes, measurements, colors, and flavors. There are dates, fruits, and also Medjool dates.

[elainescookingforthesoul]

TRANSCRIPT for Episode 1.01 "Sam's Chia Pudding" (PART 2/2)

ACT II

SAM: Thanks! I did it myself. I can do yours too, if you want! You haven't been using hair conditioner, have you? 

ELAINE: Why? 

SAM: Oh, Elaine. Everyone knows that after a nuclear event you have to, one, shave your head and beard, and two, avoid conditioner. It locks in moisture right alongside airborne radioactive materials. 

ELAINE: Oh my. Then I suppose I will take you up on that haircut offer. 

SAM: We can do it here if we have any down time tomorrow. Seems like we're seeing fewer and fewer patients these days. 

ELAINE: But more of each other! So it's a trade-off. But Sam. As much as I'd love to keep admiring your new clean-shaven look you have, we should probably wrap up this delicious recipe you brought, a Choco-Coco Chia Pudding! 

SAM: That's right, Elaine! Before the break we combined a cup of whole chia seeds, a quarter cup of the highest quality unsweetened cocoa powder you can find. For us, that's medium quality, folks.

ELAINE: True. Then we added an entire 32oz carton of coconut milk, plus a whole 13.5oz can of coconut milk. We whisked all of these ingredients together and let them rest for twenty minutes. 

SAM: Fun fact: chia seeds are one of those super-foods that people went crazy for a while ago. They are just extremely healthy, but also happen to taste tolerable and can be added to many different dishes as seeds or in a ground powder form. 

ELAINE: Plenty of fiber and protein. By itself, it has extremely few calories, but lucky for us the coconut milks can provide us with that much needed element. 

SAM: I think this is ready! In a past life, I may have chilled this for another hour after letting these chia seeds soak up what coconut milk they could, but since all our refrigeration and freezer units were seized last week...heck, we're just going to enjoy as is! 

ELAINE: Here are our two mugs I fetched from the tech lab. 

[MUGS ARE SET DOWN]

SAM: Perfect. I'm just going to fill these guys up... 

[PLOPPING OF CHIA IN MUGS]

SAM (CONT’D): ...and we're ready to dive right in! 

[SPOONS SCRAPING]

ELAINE: Mm. Oh my, Sam! It is chocolatey, textured, yet not too heavy! 

SAM: Oh shoot, Elaine I forgot the final surprise! Close your eyes! 

ELAINE: What-- 

[BOX OPENS, POURS CLUNKY CONTENTS INTO MUGS]

SAM: It's a simple topping. I'm not adding much to each mug. Just a small fistful for extra crunch and a little kick of sugar. It's-- 

ELAINE: My favorite brand of breakfast cereal, Assloads of Oat Clusters with Almonds! Sam, this really sets the whole thing off! 

SAM: I know, right? 

ELAINE: Well. I must say, although things appear to be endlessly worsening in the outside world, it is moments like this, when I get to dine upon the very genius of my lovely friend and trusted colleague, that I feel most like myself. 

SAM: Elaine, I know exactly what you mean. Now here's the thing. 

ELAINE: The thing. 

SAM: I know what you all are probably thinking. Oh, big fancy dental assistant guy. Happens to have medium-quality unsweetened cocoa powder on hand. Must be nice. 

ELAINE: It's fair to say that most people can't afford such luxuries these days. 

SAM: I just wanted to say...I feel that. I bartered probably more than what is reasonable. A can of tinned meat and four packs of Top Ramen, plus a pair of socks, the fresh ones I was gonna make into hand puppets. It is still possible to get chocolate if it's worth it to you, like if you're celebrating a birthday or a reunion with an old friend. 

ELAINE: Oh Sam. 

SAM: But let's say you don't have chocolate powder. I was hoping that I could share a few alternative takes on chia pudding. If you don't mind, of course. 

ELAINE: Please do! 

SAM: So maybe you can't rock that cocoa powder lifestyle just yet. Maybe you have some imitation vanilla to sub in! Maybe you've got part of some canned peaches you can add. Maybe you're the kind of person who has stocked up on granola before this whole nuclear apocalypse unfolded. Add that on top! And if I can be perfectly honest…

ELAINE: I'll brace myself. 

SAM: The stuff is pretty good on its own. It's just a light, yet nutrient-dense snack that can serve up to six people. If you're eating this on your own, I'd say you have three solid meals here. It probably won't be super- safe to eat after sitting unrefrigerated for more than a day, but if you're anything like me, you're no stranger to playing with the boundaries of food safety just to make it through. Have I gotten a tummy ache once or twice? 

ELAINE: Okay-- 

SAM: Sure I have! Has e.coli made a visit to the gut of Sam H. Gately? Just a few times. 

ELAINE: I don't know if everybody wants-- 

SAM: Have I spent a few sultry nights between a five-gallon bucket and the toilet seat because I was spewing out of both ends?

ELAINE: Oh my. 

SAM: It's just a part of living, baby! 

ELAINE: I feel I should stop you there. 

SAM: I'm talking about diarrhea, here, folks. We're all dealing with the same diarrhea. And there is really only one way to deal with diarrhea. Loudly and proudly. Am I right, Elaine? 

ELAINE: Well, I can't deny I've been foolish enough to attempt to will certain items beyond their expiration date and...paid the price.

SAM: Right, and you paid through the butt for it. 

ELAINE: Fine. 

SAM: With diarrhea! 

ELAINE: I wonder if there is a good- practices guide to how many times a non-medical podcast should use the word "diarrhea." 

SAM: How many are we at now? 

ELAINE: Oh. Let me see. 

[CLACKS AWAY AT COMPUTER] 

ELAINE (CONT’D): I knew this transcription software would come in handy. Six times! Oh my, I hope we haven't alienated our audience too much. 

SAM: Nice. Well, the rest of the chia is yours to keep, Elaine! I really gotta get going. 

ELAINE: Oh, you sure? I mean, I've kind of lost my appetite for this chocolate pudding here after all the talk about-- 

[RUSTLING OF CLOTHING]

SAM: I'm positive! I'm riding my Razor scooter home, so I can't really carry the leftovers anyway. I'll see you tomorrow? 

ELAINE: I can only hope. Sam, thank you so much for joining me after work hours to put together this truly charming episode.

SAM: My pleasure. And if I could leave your audience with one last tip? 

ELAINE: By all means. 

SAM: The best way to deal with diarrhea is prevention. Boil your water and avoid all perishable items, especially vegetables. Barring that, don't be too proud to seek out Imodium. It'll stop you right up in a good way. 

ELAINE: Sam Gately, folks!

[APPLAUSE SFX]

SAM: Goodnight!

[JANGLE OF OUTSIDE DOOR]

ELAINE: Listeners, there is so much to be said for consistency--the act of being consistent, I mean. The unfolding of the flower every morning, the bubbling coffee pot, the tired but genuine smile of an old friend. How you perceive these small evidences of continued existence--heartbreaking or beautiful, or perhaps a mixture of both--is the only choice left. At a time where everything seems so uncertain, it is tempting to pretend like nothing has changed. But things are changing, and rapidly. It is possible that this podcast will be heard well after the raw wound of this nuclear apocalypse has been healed over by time. On the other hand, perhaps things are about to get inconceivably worse, and these episodes will simply be a few moments of perfectly encapsulated, tragic innocence. I dare to be optimistic enough to hope for the former. I hope this humble cooking podcast finds you safe, happy, and turning towards the rising sun. This has been Elaine's Cooking Podcast for the Soul. Please join us next week for another new and clear recipe for our nuclear lifestyle! In the meantime, I'm Elaine Martínez, not crying, hugging you goodnight. 

[OUTRO MUSIC] 

END OF ACT II

[itunesbooks]

The A-Z Guide of Delicious Popcorn Recipes: Over 100 Recipes! - Rachel Redmond

The A-Z Guide of Delicious Popcorn Recipes: Over 100 Recipes! Rachel Redmond Genre: Courses & Dishes Price: $4.99 Publish Date: August 24, 2011 Publisher: BT Elite Publishers LLC. Seller: BT Elite This fabulous book contains over 100 recipes for creating gourmet popcorn. Check out some of the recipes listed below: - Across The Border Popcorn - Almond Mocha Popcorn - Almond Toffee Popcorn - Ammaretto Popcorn - Apricot Treat Popcorn - Astronaut Popcorn - Bacon & Cheese Popcorn - Bayou Popcorn - BBQ Popcorn - Buffalo HotCorn - Butter Pecan Popcorn - Butterscotch Brownies A-Poppin - Butterscotch Popcorn Crunch - Cajun Popcorn - Candy Apple Popcorn Balls - Caramel Popcorn - Cheddar Popcorn - Cherry Popcorn - Chicken Popcorn - Chili Popcorn - Chinese Popcorn Delight - Chocolate Cream Popcorn - Chocolate Glazed Popcorn Squares - Chocolate Popcorn - Cinnamon Apple Popcorn - CocoaPop Fudge - Coconut Pecan Popcorn - Coconut Popcorn Pie - Cracklies - Cranberry Popcorn Balls - Curry Parmesan Popcorn - Drunken Popcorn Balls - French Fried Popcorn - Fruited Popcorn Bake - Fruity Popcorn Cookies - Garlic Cheddar Popcorn Balls - Golden Popcorn Squares - Granola Crunch Popcorn - Granola Popcorn Bars - Harvest/Fall Popcorn - Hawaiian Popcorn Mix - Heavenly Hash Popcorn - Holiday Popcorn Balls - Honey Pecan Popcorn - Hot Mustard Popcorn - Ice Cream Popcornwiches - Jamaican Popcorn - Jelly Bean Popcorn Heaven - Jungle Popcorn - Kentuky Praline Popcorn - Kiddie Popcorn Crunch - Lemon Popcorn - Licorice Popcorn - LolliPopCorn Surprise - Mac-Corn-Roon Cookies - Mapled Corn Squares - Marshmallow Creme Corn - Mushroom Popcorn - Nacho Popcorn - Orange Candied Popcorn - Parmesan Chive Popcorn - Parmesan Pepper Popcorn - Peanut Butter Popcorn - Peanut Butter Popcorn Cups - Peppermint Candy Popcorn - Peppery Popcorn - Pesto Popcorn - Pina Colada Popcorn - Piquant Popcorn - Pizza Popcorn - Popcorn ala Koolaid - Popcorn Clusters - Popcorn Haystacks - Popcorn Honey Balls - Popcorn Italiano - Popcorn Macaroons - Popcorn Muffins - Popcorn on a Stick / Popsicle Style - Popcorn Party Cake - Popcorn Peanut Chip Cake - Popcorn Power Munch - Popcorn Pudding - Popcorn Snowmen - Pop-N-Fluff Cookies - Praline Popcorn Crunch - Pumpkin Spice Popcorn - Rainbow Popcorn Balls - RockyPop Fudge - RumCorn Balls - Saffron Butter Popcorn - Savory Italian Popcorn Mix - Sesame Maple Popcorn - Simon & Garfunkel Popcorn - Southern BBQ Popcorn Mix - Sugar & Spice Popcorn - Sugared Popcorn Balls - Sun Dried Tomato Basil Popcorn - SuperBowl Popcorn - Sweet Cinnamon Popcorn Mix - Swiss Popcorn - Thai Popcorn - Toffee Popcorn & Peanuts - Triple Herb Popcorn - TropiPopCorn - Vanilla Popcorn - Vermont Maple Popcorn Balls - Wonder Popcorn Bread - Yogurt Glazed Popcorn With this many gourmet popcorn recipes you’re sure to find many favorites in this book! Delight yourself with popcorn today! http://bit.ly/2F5ZvjF

[pemborongkurmaselangor6875-blog]

Antibacterial Activity Of Date Palm (PhoenixDectyliferaL.) Fruit At Various Ripening Stages

Receive the most recent hints on lifestyle, exercise and healthful living. Regrettably, coastal Southern California lacks the elevated sustained heat and aridity for appropriate fruit maturation and curing to produce conventional soft-ripe dates of good eating quality. From the deep south, Queen palm bushes are landscaped for parking lots, airport terminal entrances, business, and home landscapes.

Eating much more fruit on top of your common diet program won't help you lose down, but replacing some higher carbohydrate foods with fruits could. It's also for people who lead stressful lifestyles and eat up large amounts of acidifying foods like protein, sugar, processed food, cereals, starches, and caffeine, with little alkalinizing vegetables.

Back in 1989, researchers from your pomology department at Cornell college extracted an immune fire blight gene from a nocturnal moth and poured it into an apple fruit, causing the total defeat of fire blight in that certain Apple-Tree cultivar.

However, all dates, both fresh and dried, are rich in anti oxidants as per a study posted in a 2005 issue of this "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. " Exactly the exact research also discovered that fresh dates had a higher antioxidant material than dried dates.

Cosmetic material such as potassium, potassium, sodium and calcium have been seen lower in the dehydrated fruit than in fresh fruit. Dates have an abundance of potassium, and this is an electrolyte the body needs for good heart health. This type of dates tend to be eaten fresh new or , in the mature period and also seldom in the ultimate dried, wrinkled (tamr) stage.

Dates are additionally processed to cubes, glue referred to as "'ajwa", disperse, date syrup or "honey" termed "dibs" or " rub " from Libya, powder (date sugar), vinegar or liquor Vinegar made from dates is a traditional product of the Middle East 27 28 Recent innovations include things like chocolate -coated dates and products such as sparkling date juice, found in some Western countries being a non-alcoholic model of champagne, for special occasions and religious times including Ramadan When Muslims breakfast in the evening meal of Ramadan, it's traditional to consume a date .

Studies have revealed that dates possess the highest concentration of polyphenols one of dehydrated fruits. In Pakistan, viscous heavy syrup made from the ripe fruits is employed as a coat for leather totes and plumbing to protect against dripping. To reduce the calorie counts of things you're consuming however keep precisely the very same level of food, substitute chopped fruits to get a number of one's breakfast cereal, granola, baked products, rice or meat.

Research suggests that great feeling maylead theres a increased preference for healthy foods over-indulgent foods. A healthy tree http://www.kurmamurah.com carries several clusters. Some different wholesome, fuller foods include sunflower sprouts, flax oil, brown basmati rice, millet, soaked almonds, tomato pieces, fresh avocado, vegetable soups or green tea juices.

Noni juice lowers blood glucose (antilipidemic), H AS anti inflammatory positive aspects, cancer prevention, lowers blood pressure, and lowers blood sugar. The mix of effective antioxidants antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals as well as the countless micro- and macronutrients make fruits incredibly valuable for your well-being.

A outstanding way to stop cardiovascular troubles, dry fruits and nuts reduce the danger of coronary heart issues. Date Palm tree is very helpful and the dates are delicious. This really is really where Dates have been in. Dates containselenium, manganese, copper, and calcium, all of Buah Kurma which can be integral to healthy bone progress along with strength.

Beginning in the Middle East, these sweet fruits lay leading of date palm bushes together with branches of feathery seeking, challenging, green leaves that are sharp and lengthy. Men and women consume themin numerous approaches, like blending the glue of these dates with milk and yogurt or as a bread propagate for a delicious and healthy morning meal.

Predicated on the observation that date consumption reduced serum triglyceride amounts in human areas 25, combined with our previous scientific studies elucidating that the NR-mediated molecular mechanisms of activity of GSPE 3-7, 38, 40 - 42, we prepared and characterized an infusion from California-grown date palm fruit in order to try the hypothesis that dates comprise bioactive compounds that can govern FXR-mediated target-gene expression ranges leading to the observed triglyceride-lowering effects in human subjects in vivo.

[thesparkandthespread]

Question Time!

I was tagged by @perpetualvisionary ~ thanks! ♥ It’s been a while since I answered some questions on here.  

1. Are you named after someone? – Yes, my mom’s grandparents and Sammy Davis Jr.

2. When was the last time you cried? – I can’t remember, which is sort of weird for me.

3. Do you like your handwriting? – Ya, I do, most of the time.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? – I don’t eat meat.

5. Do you have kids? – Nope.

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? – Ya! haha I totally would.

7. Do you use sarcasm? – From time to time. I usually flirt with sarcasm, because I’m a terrible flirt.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? – Nope!

9. Would you bungee jump? – I don’t know. Probably not.

10. What is your favorite kind of cereal? – It’s a step out of the box, but I love granola so much that I cannot in good conscience answer this question without saying that I like granola more than cereal. I eat it the same way, with fruit and seeds and such with almond milk … so that counts, right? Cool.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? – Depends on the shoes, really. If I can keep them tied forever, I’m all about that. I have a pair that I think I tied once and never untied or tied again. I also often wear shoes that have no laces, so …

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? – 100% yes.

13. What is your favorite ice cream? – I love the chocolate sorbet at Whole Foods and also So Delicious brand’s salted caramel cluster cashew milk ice cream.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? – This might sound super new-age-y, but their vibe. Or their smile or their style.

15. What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? – I try not to think negatively about my body. But ever since going off birth control pills, I’ve had more breakouts, some worse than others, and there have been days I hate my skin. But it’s improving, and I don’t mind it as much anymore. It is what it is. I promised myself that if it improved, I’d stop obsessing about it, so now that it has, I’m actually grateful even if it’s not perfect.

16. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? – black leggings and no shoes, barefoot

17. What are you listening to right now? – Phantogram and thunder outside :-)

18. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? – hmm. Right now, I feel like a light green.

19. Favorite smell? – the scent when it’s snowing, the new spring breeze, damp fallen leaves, pine, basil, lemon …

20. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? – probably my mom

21. Favorite sport to watch? – baseball

22. Hair color? – brown

23. Eye color? – brown

24. Do you wear contacts? – No, glasses sometimes.

25. Favorite food to eat? – I eat a lot of dates haha let’s go with that.

26. Scary movies or comedy? – It depends. Either as long as they’re not super ridiculous.

27. Last movie you watched? – Moonlight. Watch it. It brings people out of the shadows of society whose lives need to be witnessed and understood.

28. What color of shirt are you wearing? – white

29. Summer or winter? – winter

30. Hugs or kisses? – both

31. What book are you currently reading? – Jane Eyre ♥

32. Who do you miss right now? – no one at this very moment

33. What is on your mouse pad? – I have a laptop, so I don’t have one.

34. What is the last TV program you watched? – 24: Legacy 

35. What is the best sound? – music, rain, birds, wind …

36. Rolling stones or The Beatles? – Led Zeppelin (okay, The Beatles)

37. What is the furthest you have ever traveled? – Israel

38. Do you have a special talent?  – ya, being me.

39. Where were you born?  - Las Vegas

I’m tagging the usual suspects: @calpernian, @poeticethic ... and anyone else who wants to answer :-)

[decent-articulation]

if i did it: confessions of the killer

Desperately clinging to that good feeling, as usual. I feel myself being pulled to the sweets and snacks available in this kitchen. I hear my mind trying to justify an episode of overeating. My brain tingles with the promise of the familiar rush of glucose, I am fiending. If the rest of my family, who just witnessed me eating a meal a few moments ago, weren’t currently occupying this space, I’d already be ravishing the cupboards. Momentarily inconvenienced, but facing the kitchen keeps the craving aroused so perched atop the island counter is my MacBook. Like a nympho caught horny in public, inwardly indulging into my fantasies is the only available outlet.

Some background information: an eating disorder was my primary coping mechanism from ages thirteen to twenty. Although I’ve ‘recovered’ emotionally and don’t have the devastating binges/purges, or bouts of starvation, there are still habits and compulsions surrounding food that remain. ‘Binge’ should be taken lightly, because I generally just compulsively overeat now-a-days.

I’d start by eating more of that pistachio and almond mix, maybe a spoonful of almond butter and a Medjool date or two. The episode would begin healthy, because one side of me knows I don’t want to binge but the pull is too strong to resist. So I abuse the whole foods. The fridge would be opened and scanned for healthy but palatable pickings. Guacamole and celery sticks, blueberries and raspberries… oh! That creamy cashew cheese. That’d be slowly, methodically dispersed onto a carrot, making sure the spread stays even and level in the container. Maybe I’d discard the carrots, which slow down the process, in favor of my finger. Once this casual grazing has turned sinister and my control begins to lessen, the fresh foods will be abandoned. Those chips on the counter seem lonely. Greasy, maltodextrin and salt covered fingers will keep them company and introduce their irresistible crunch to my teeth. Staring blankly ahead, disconnected, my hands continue to repeat the motions. Obsessive thoughts begin, keeping me distant from my physical actions and allowing the cycle to continue. Tomorrow we’ll cut out this and that, tomorrow we’ll exercise, tomorrow we’ll fast. The thoughts aren’t a dialogue as much as it is a movie reel of fantasies about eating, health, weight, myself, and control. It’s an avoidance of taking responsibility for my current actions. I readily give up control to give myself permission to cry about being powerless, of being the victim of my own dirty tricks.

Back to the pistachios. Cabinet to the left, overtop the microwave has been hoarding all the crackers, cookies, and cereals. Most contain milk and therefore I disregard them without any lingering longing - ironic isn’t it? Even in the most desperate state of binging, I’d keep my veganism in tact. A jar full of homemade granola is fair game, though. The clusters are my favorite, I’ll seek them out like a pig hunting for truffles. Oats, dried cranberries, and slightly burnt cashews binded with maple syrup. Someone forgot to toss the granola around the pan with a spatula while it was cooking, I can tell by the overdone, smoky flavor of burnt sugar and oil. It’s unpleasant, I’m turned off. Abandoning these shelves, I pull out the drawer with the candy. Caramels, peppermints, sugar-free bullshit, nothing of interest or appeal. A bowl of Larabars sits closeby, as well as a chocolate fudge protein bar. If I commit to unwrapping and eating one of these, I ponder, it’ll bring more guilt than necessary. There in plain view is the nutritional information; the bar is pre-portioned, which ruins the ambiguity I require to continue this run. The decision has been made, they’re off limits.

Remembering the last time I was here, I rush to the freezer to check for vegan chocolate chip cookies my dad made - uh, I’m hesitant to say this - nearly two years ago. He sent me some while I lived in Philly, but I moved from there in Spring of 2015. Of course, they’ve been frozen so I consider them fair game. Foil is peeled back, then parchment paper to reveal a stack of 15 thin cookies. It’s hard to break off an individual one because of how long they’ve been frozen. Impatience claws at the edges of the treats, breaking off bits and pieces in a mildly infuriating fashion. Bigger pieces go straight to my mouth but crumbs fall. Eventually two cookies break off the stack and I am able to pry those two apart for immediate consumption. Even after all this time they still taste fresh, they still melt in my mouth and crunch. In between bites I wonder if my dad used coconut oil in this recipe. Again, the thousand yard stare disassociates mind from body to allow the worst behavior to be excused. Should I go for the entire stack? Tempting. Should I put almond butter on these? That’d absolutely be appetizing. How about that cashew milk ice cream, scooped between two cookies to make a sandwich? No, too intentional. Plus I’m not particularly fond of ice cream, especially what promises to be extremely freezer burnt.

I wrap up what’s left and put it back. Am I done? Lingering keeps the buzz alive, so I scan the countertops for anything other edible impulses. Almonds. Pistachios. A brazil nut. At this point, guilt and shame that even the sugar induced euphoria can’t stifle creeps up. The binge is over but the war has just begun. Now is when I pay for that disassociation through exhausting mental bickering and a distended stomach. Future headaches from sugar withdrawal and insulin resistance from the countless times I’ve purposefully flooded glucose into my bloodstream. Poor digestion due to the massive amount of food I guzzled until reaching an uncomfortable fullness. What is truly unbearable is the internal abuse that simultaneously laments about lack of control while berating about should haves. Crawl into bed, struggle to sleep with a doped up brain. Tossing and turning is all that is manageable for a while.

Quite a discouraging series of events, right? Events that have repeated for the past nine years of my life, albeit in irregular intervals, dormant at times but ever-present. Writing down this process has provided new insight; a rebirth of sorts. Usually it’s impossible to see past the desire for immediate gratification. Sure, I’m well aware of the consequences of my actions but they’re abstract concepts until they’re concrete actions. Including them in my fantasies kills the fantasy, hence why consequences aren’t forethoughts when the goal is satisfaction. Still facing the kitchen, enough time has passed that the lingering desire is gone. I guess writing provided a way to distract myself while still indulging. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

[hurtigtslank]

Dark Chocolate Almond Bark

Salted dark chocolate almond clusters, chocolate covered almond butter stuffed dates, white chocolate Paleo fudge, chocolate-coconut bites, shortbread cookies drizzled...

The post Dark Chocolate Almond Bark appeared first on Paleo Leap | Paleo diet Recipes & Tips.

from Paleo Leap | Paleo diet Recipes & Tips https://ift.tt/2s92ynM