I'm looking for ideas of things to do for a bereaved neighbor
My neighbor’s son passed away in April last year and what would have been his son’s 23rd birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so I know the next few weeks are going to be really hard on him. We’re friends, but not super close. I’d like to do something for him, but can’t think of much beyond bringing over food and/or flowers. Any suggestions?
Help! My cat's pee could double as a chemical weapon
So I’ve got two female cats, a 1 year old and a 6 year old, and the younger one has such an ammonia stench to her pee that it’s utterly noxious. Common suggestions online are that the cat is dehydrated - which with two water fountains, wet food twice a day, and the sheer monsterous size of the pee clumps, is not the case. They’ve got three litter boxes which are scooped daily, so it’s also not like we’re leaving things to fester and grow more pungent. It’s not a new development, her pee has always been really potent, so I’m also not thinking UTI. I’ve tried sprinkling baking soda in the litter after scooping, which helps a bit with residual smells, but I’m looking for any suggestions to counter this constant ammonia assault. The culprit: [https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d5103a91-2831-4199-aa79-7cabc4a00112.jpeg]
I looove some pecans and/or walnuts in my brownies, especially if toasted first. Disagree that you can’t taste them and I like the textural variety.
If it’s a texture thing for you, how do you feel about chocolate chips in your brownies?
I’d like to think I’ve got a pretty adventurous palette, and I’ve tried all kinds of fruits with chocolate; fresh, dried, in various preparations, and while some are tolerable, is just tolerable really what you want when reaching for a treat?
I was about to use your mention of cherries and say that a German chocolate cake is far superior to a black forest cake, but that had me realize - is coconut a fruit? Perhaps I’ve got one exception…
Chocolate and fruit do NOT go together
I feel like I’m the only one in my life who holds this opinion, but I have never tasted a combination of chocolate and fruit that wasn’t significantly worse than the individual components. - Chocolate covered raisins? Blegh. - Chocolate dipped strawberries? I’ll eat the shell then the rest. - Raspberry bits in fancy chocolate? You’ve ruined it. - Candied apple? Just plain caramel please, no chocolate. - Chocolate fondue? I’ll stick to the marshmallows and graham crackers, thanks. - Gorp mix? I’m selecting handfuls with either raisins + peanuts or m&ms + peanuts, no blending. Now I know taste buds are subjective, but how is it that folks will say a mixed bowl of m&ms and skittles is diabolical, yet happily chow down on other fruity chocolate combos? Give me my delicious fruit and chocolate - separately!
