I know that DRIPPING CHOCOLATE is an odd title for a blog post, yes. But how else would you describe what happened in the heat this week? For us, we definitely felt like we were dripping chocolate. That was the highlight of the week for us, so no wonder we choose this as our #WordOfTheWeek. I can imagine that if everyone was to write a blog post this week, the heatwave would feature prominently.
You would think that being from Jamaica we would be used to this heat. Well, in Jamaica, there’s usually a cool breeze that accompanies the heat. Here, it was standing in a fire, almost. So of course we were melting and dripping chocolate!
Graduation
In the middle of the week, we had the pleasure of attending the Loughborough university graduation as our big son graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Social Psychology. I was the proudest mom👌🏾 that day. It was a lovely affair and a little bit of a competition to see which family could cheer the loudest for their graduate.
I quite like that the ceremony was short (just over an hour). Not at all like graduations of times gone by. Help me pray for his continued success. He has always been a focused and hard worker and his results always showed that.
We’ve put highlights from the day on today’s video too.
Chocolate cereal bar
This week we really didn’t do much cooking due to the heat. Whenever we cooked, we did the bare minimum and also did it in the early mornings or a night. Best way to get out of the kitchen early I say. Leisa managed to come up with a cute idea to make some cereal bars that we could munch on all day. They were healthy and we didn’t buy anything extra. We used up oats, apple juice, bits of leftover chocolate bars, dried fruits, cherries, cashew nuts, flax, pumpkin and sesame seeds and some golden syrup.
She mixed it all together to form a big cohesive lump which she then placed into silicone moulds, big and small. They were then put in the freezer to set. Once they were set, she removed them from the moulds, placed them on a baking tray, and baked them for about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size.
Trust me when I tell you that they tasted divine. We only had two little pieces left by the next day. We will definitely be making them again soon. We are trying hard to think of ways to improve on the recipe and it’s hard. Maybe a sprinkling of cinnamon maybe. You should definitely give it a try. You’ll surprise yourself.
The best supermarket visit ever!
I had to pop to the supermarket on one of the hot days as I realised I needed a pair of flat comfy shoes for the graduation (who could be bothered with staying sturdy in high heels in the heat?)
It was the best trip to the supermarket in a long time. It was very cool as they had the air conditioning on. I could see several people just entering to get some of the cool air. I must admit that I stayed there longer than necessary too.
The garden
The garden seems to have flourished during the week and a lot more of the flowers have bloomed. The one sunflower is bent but still holding a full head up! We also were blessed to see some of the lilies bloom in splendid yellow shades this week too.
Of course, we had to try to keep up with the watering despite what the water company said as the garden would dry up otherwise. Sadly we could not save the lawn in the back so it is now a scorched mess. Hopefully, the little rain we got last night will be followed by a lot more this weekend and into next week.
Did you see all the memes and witty things on social media about the heatwave? We had a good laugh at times but we also think of those who lost property in terrible ways as a result.
I hope you all had a good week despite everything. Make the best of it, we will soon be snowed in, lol.
What we ate in the hot weather
It has been a bit of a scorcher. I have read over the last week that 30/40C in other countries feels so different to the same temperature here. We had a it of a breeze here but it was anything but cool.
Well done your son at Uni. You must be ever so proud.
The cereal bars sound like a great idea and very tasty.
My garden has really started to bloom despite the heat but our grass is scorched too. It’s looked like rain here all day but it hasn’t appeared yet.
Have a great weekend. x
Kim Carberry recently posted…This week my Word of the Week is: Heat! #WotW
Hoping for kinder heat next week
Well done to your son, you must be really proud. I think melting chocolate is a great word of the week, I know we had some chocolate this week and it was kept in the fridge. I really love cereal bars, I’ve never got around to making my own, maybe I should. We have no chance of our garden being scorched…we are at the bottom of a slope and when two of our neighbours empty their paddling pools it goes straight into our garden. That’s why we are growing trees that soak up a lot of water because half of our garden is a constant bog!
Anne recently posted…Word of the Week Twenty Nine is Keeping Cool
I hope you don’t get too much water in the garden with that situation. and yes, I’m a proud momma.
It was so hot this week – we were melting as well. Congratulations to your son on his graduation and wishing him all the best of luck for the future. Those cereal bars sound delicious – might have try making some! #WotW
Thanks for the good wishes.