any ideas as to what i could give to my art teacher who has helped me out ALOT.
i want to get her something to remember me by, nothing like wine or chocolate cos thats common but something she can put in her office desk and remember me by?
any ideas?
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The Chocolate Ritual
Copyright 1993, John Shepard, Performed at Dragonfest, August 1993
[Materials required: On the altar there are brown candles, a Tootsie Roll (the great big one---as the athame), a large glass with milk in it (the chalice), a small dish of Nestle's Quick and a spoon, a small dish of chocolate sprinkles, a plate of cupcakes and some Yoo-Hoo along with a goblet. Participants approaching are given 1-2 shiny pennies with instructions that they must hold on to them until the appropriate time in the ritual. When feasting begins, they must surrender a penny for cakes and one for wine or one penny for both, if only one penny is handed out.]
(Attunement chant is similar to the "Ohm" chant but is focused to the ritual, "Yum-m-m")
CLEANSE THE SACRED SPACE:
(Take the small bowl of chocolate sprinkles)
Chocolate sprinkles where thou art cast
No calories in thy presence last.
Let no fat adhere to me,
And as I will So Mote It BE!
(Take the small bowl of Nestle’s Quick and spoon)
Nestle’s Quick where thou art cast
Turn this milk to chocolate, fast.
Let all good things come to me,
And make my milk all chocolatey!
CAST THE CIRCLE (using a tootsie roll):
CALL THE QUARTERS:
AIR: Mousse of the East, Fluffy one! Great prince of the palace of dessert. Be present, we pray thee, And guard this circle from all moochers Approaching from the East.
Fire: Fondue of the South, Molten One! Great prince of the palace of decadence. Be present we pray thee, And guard this circle from all diets Approaching from the south.
Water: Cocoa of the west, Satisfying One! Great prince of the palace of thirst. Be present we pray thee, And guard this circle from all carob Approaching from the West.
Earth: Rocky Road of the North, Cold one! Great prince of the palace of crunchy. Be present we pray thee, And guard this circle from all cheap imitations Approaching from the North.
MAIN RITUAL:
HANDMAIDEN (Henceforth known as the Swiss Miss): Listen to the words of the Mother of Chocolate, who was of old called Godiva, Ethel M, Sara Lee, Nestle, Mrs. See, and by many other names.
HPS: Whenever you have one of those cravings, once in a while and better it be when your checkbook is full, then shall you assemble in a great public place and bring offerings of money to the spirit of Me, who is Queen of all Goodies.
In the Mall shall you assemble you who have eaten all your chocolate and are hungry for more. To you I shall bring Good Things for your tongue.
And you shall be free from depression, and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall have chocolate smears on your cheeks, and you shall munch, nosh, snack, feast, and make yummy noises, all in my presence. For mine is the ecstasy of phenylalanine (FEEN-EL-AL-A-NEEN), and mine also is Joy on Earth, yea, even into High Orbit, for my law is "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
(Note from Daven: It should be noted that the ecstatic ingredient in Chocolate is not phenylalanine, but THEOBROMIDE or PHENYLETHYLAMINE. For more information, please see http://www.chocolate.org)
Keep clean your fingers, carry Wet Ones always, let none stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret that opens your mouth, and mine is the taste that puts a smile on your lips and comfy, padding pounds on your hips.
I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy unto the tummies of men and women. Upon earth, I give knowledge of all things delicious, and beyond death…well, I can’t do much there. Sorry about that.
I demand only your money in sacrifice; for behold, chocolate is a business, and you have to pay for those truffles before you eat them.
SWISS MISS: Hear now the words of the Goodie Goddess, she in the dust of whose feet are the cheap imitations, whose body graces candy racks and finer stores everywhere.
GOODIE: I, who am the beauty of chocolate chips, and the satisfying softness of big bars, the mystery of how they get the filling inside of truffles, and fill the hearts of all but Philistines with desire, call unto thy soul to arise and come unto me. For I am the soul of candy; from me do all confections spring, and unto me all of you shall return, again…..and again……….and again………………and again.
Before my smeared face, beloved of Women and Men, thine innermost divine self shall be enfolded in the rapture of overdose. Let my taste be within the mouth that rejoices. For behold, all acts of yumminess and pleasure are my rituals. Therefore, let there be gooeyness and mess, crispness and crackling, big slabs and bite size pieces, peanut butter and chocolate covered cherries all within you.
And you who think to seek me, know that your seeking and yearning shall avail you not unless you know the Mystery; "We will sell no chocolate until you pay for it." For behold; I have been with you since you were just a baby, and I am that which is attained at nearly any shop in the land.
Messed Be!
SWI
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, that’s truly beautiful! I most certainly will at least be flirting with the idea of performing this for ritual at Beltain this year.
Lovely!
Thanks so much for sharing this. I hadn’t ever seen it before, and I know a number of good folks who will get as good a laugh out of it as I did.
PS-every morning I do a quick-and-dirty ritual to the Goddess Caffeina and Lord Nicotine
Recently, i’ve been trying Latte art. Since i’m new to this, i havn’t started making patterns with the milk yet, but i have done a few shapes with chocolate syrup like this guy.
Half the time i try, the syrup will stay on top. the other half, it sinks to the bottom! what am i doing wrong?
The milk foam is probably just not thick enough if the syrup is sinking. Or you could be going too heavy on the syrup.
Long associated with the rich and powerful, cigars evoke images of relaxation and rich flavor. A culture around the art of smoking, created and debated by cigar aficionados, assembles various theories and accessories to facilitate or enhance smoking. Cigar smoking, much like wine tasting, has for many years been viewed as a diversion of the elite of society.
The general consensus is that Spain is where cigars were first produced, catching on quickly in the other European countries. Although manufactured in many different countries, Cuban cigars have been considered one of the most flavorful and rich of all cigars for an appreciable period of time. This is due to the regional microclimates Cuba is blessed with, which are said to produce the highest quality tobacco. Combined with the skill of the country’s cigar makers, the result is a world standard in cigars. Other countries that produce sizeable amounts of tobacco and cigars include Brazil, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Cameroon, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Many speculate that the reason cigars have long caught the attention of so many lies in the way it is manufactured. Hand wrapping is the basis of all high quality cigars. Unlike cigarettes, which are mass-produced by enormous machines, cigars undergo a lengthy process of fermentation and aging (much like wine), creating subtle flavors and textures before they are individually wrapped by craftsmen working with their own hands. This makes cigars highly individual, each with a subtle unique character, the best of which provide no smoky aftertaste at all.
The taste of cigars is also much more complex than the flavor of cigarettes. Most cigars are created by wrapping three distinct and different layers of tobacco leaves together, yielding a depth of flavor impossible from a cigarette. Long leaves of tobacco are typically used as the filler in high quality cigars, though a combination of scraps may also be used. This creates complex flavors subtle variations, and different textures. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are mass-produced, filled from gargantuan hoppers containing generally only one type of tobacco. Cigar flavor variation is further diversified by the addition of non-tobacco flavorings. If desired, a cigar aficionado can find chocolate, apple, vanilla, or even coffee-flavored cigars! Most common, however, are cigars flavored with expensive liquors.
Despite the fact that cigars have long been enjoyed for their smooth and complex flavors, smoking them does pose a considerable health risk. All tobacco products contain the addictive substance nicotine. Everyone has heard about the negative health risks of nicotine, but not everyone is familiar with how it causes them.. As even the casual smoker can attest, nicotine is a stimulant that produces a mild sense of euphoria. It is extremely addictive and cigar smoke contains a multitude of toxins, carcinogens, and irritants. There is still a significant risk of developing various types of oral and larynx cancers even though most connoisseurs of cigars will avoid inhaling the smoke.
Robert Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/cigar-basics-82776.html
For Language Arts bonus points?
godiva chocolates
found at macys or other fine retail stores.
I’m leaving to go to a different school so I’m getting my teachers chocolates and cards and stuff. But I really don’t know what to get for my art teacher. He has helped me loads and now I want to go on and have a career in art. I thought maybe a sketchbook but then thought he probably has loads. I also don’t know if he drinks so wine isn’t realy an option. My mum thought maybe a photo album with some of my photos I have taken in it. What do you think??
are you good at art–maybe a small picture /painting done by you signed and framed with something like " i told you id be famous one day!" on the back personal and possibly worth some money one day!
When travelers think of historic Italian cities, they often think of Florence, Rome, and Venice. But for those who know the real Italy, there are other incalculable riches. One such treasure is the town of Ferrara, protected by UNESCO on the World Cultural Heritage list as a priceless example of a living, breathing work of Renaissance art.
A vast portion of the town survives from the middle ages and in the off-season, before the arrival of eager tourists, a quiet morning walk in the pedestrian center along the cobble-stoned streets and brick and stone palazzos will bring you back hundreds of years to a less complicated existence. Now picture a crisp cool day in September and try to imagine the sky above that beautiful city filled with the dancing colors of hot air balloons. First one, then five, twenty, then thirty.
Alex and I braved an actual take-off, but even from the ground, the festival is filled with sights and sounds that most of us are not used to experiencing in every day life. Imagine a flaccid piece of colored parachute-like material, slowly inflating to a balloon the size of a three story building and then float off into the sky amid the sound and sight of the flaming forced air entering it. Let’s face it, your adrenaline is going even if you are not one the lucky ones to take a celestial journey. It’s not necessary to wait until next year. Ferrara has many other sites, none of which should be missed. But should you decide to combine your trip with the experience of the magnificent “mongolfiere,” the hot air balloons will be waiting for you next September.
Our favorite hotel is Hotel Ferrara (+39) 0532-20.50.48, in the historical center in the main piazza overlooking the Castello Estense an imposing 14th century castle and the symbol of power and refinement of the historical presence of Ferrara. There could be no better base for a visit of the town. Using the complimentary hotel bicycles, we were able to bike to the Balloon Festival.
The region of Emilia Romagna is known world-wide for its food, and our dinner at the Big Night Ristorante (+39 0532 242 367), a restaurant that shares an entrance and collaborative relationship with the hotel, was no exception. We ate a crostata salata di ricotta, which is a ricotta pie topped with grilled radicchio. This was followed by pasticcio di macaroni alla ferrarese con tartufo, a wonderful macceroni pasta with truffles covered by paper thin and crispy pasta dough. Our second course was filetto di manzo in crosta con punte asparagi, crema di Roquefort profumato al tartufo nero, which is a beef fillet in pastry with white asparagus tips, a hint of Roquefort and black truffles.
All dishes melted in our mouths and were some of the finest I have tasted. The entire dinner was topped off with a chocolate masterpiece, dolcetto di cioccolato fondente con crema alla vaniglia, gelato di pistachio e curry indiano. If you can picture this, it was a warm chocolate cupcake with a liquid center, with vanilla cream, homemade pistachio ice cream and Indian curry. It would be the one food I would request should I have the misfortune to find myself on death-row some day. The chef, Fabio Zanella, is sure to have been scooped up an aggressive hotelier somewhere else in the world, were it not for the fact that he was born and bred in Ferrara and reluctant to leave.
Ferrara has many other sites, none of which should be missed. They include La Pinacoteca Nazionale (The National Picture Gallery), a home for a panorama of paintings from the mediaeval era to the 18th century and many other beautiful museums. The most heart-rendering, however, and one not to be missed by those exploring their Jewish heritage is that of the Jewish Ghetto, beautifully preserved with its three synagogues.
The Jewish community prospered here throughout the 1400s thanks to the particular protection of the Estense dukes who welcomed refugees to the city from other European countries. Later in the 1600s, the community endured taxes and other impositions, restrictions and segregations. Still later, under fascist rule, gates closed off the quarter. The history of these centuries, both beautiful and horrendous is preserved in the walls, the streets, the synagogues and the Jewish museum and serves as an enduring historic monument to all that was endured over the centuries. Much credit must be given to the people of Ferrara for their dedication in preserving it. Whether you wait for next September, or hop a plane tomorrow, we will in all likelihood see you there.
Denise Hummel
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-ferrara-balloon-festival-you-may-never-be-earthbound-again-64643.html
I am young and wondering what career to persue in the near future. I figured making rolled fondant cakes combine my two favorite things- – art and chocolate. However, before i jump into this I would like to know if it is worth it.
Cake decorators vary their prices based on their technical skill, how long they have been making cakes, and the amount of work required for a particular cake, etc. Most decorators charge per serving, generally starting at about $2 a serving (often about 2×2 inches wide and 4 inches tall) for a wedding cake.
If you have access to it, watch the television show "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network. It features Duff Goldman, who has been a competitor on several Food Network cake challenges and runs Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, MD. I’m sure many of his cakes sell for thousands of dollars. (It says on his website that their tiered cakes start at $8 per serving and smaller cakes start at $500!)
If you are passionate about cakes, I would suggest going to culinary school and specializing as a pastry chef. If that is not an option, I would recommend getting any type of job you can get (in a bakery, with a caterer, or as an assistant to a cake decorator, etc.) that will give you experience in the field. And, of course, keep baking cakes and take cake decorating classes if you haven’t already done so! (Check out the link to Wilton.com; Wilton is the leading company in cake decorating classes and products.)
Happy Baking and Decorating!
Maria
arte
frederic scailteur