Thursday, March 21, 2013
LIFE ON THE ROCKY ROAD
When life hands you
lemons, you make lemonade. But when life hands you a rocky road, well…what else
should you do but embrace it and take it on.
While many people may
reach for rocky road ice cream – here at We Solved It we make Rocky Road
Candy. The inspiration has come
full-circle.
Both of us, Athena
& Tess come from World War II veteran fathers and mothers who survived
challenging times. Some would say it was
a time that was one of the ultimate rocky roads of life. During this economic struggle and recession
our families had to try to make the best of times.
We learned early on
that rocky roads were something that we just had to accept and do our best to
endure the struggle. But it was in that struggle we discovered that the
strength pulled from those times, gave us the tools to actually solve more
problems than we realized because we had to become resourceful in getting by
and providing what happiness we could within our family structures to make it
through. It is during these times –
that yes, we do find out what we are made of.
And we do discover who we are and what we are capable of.
It is also during
these times we learn how not to take good things for granted and pay forward
the respect, compassion, empathy and understanding even while we ourselves may
be going through a tough time, which is what has inspired us to remain
solution-oriented.
On the Big Island of
Hawaii, there is a rocky road. This is a
real road (pictured above) with a sign that really does say “Drive Carefully,
Unimproved Road Ahead.” Let’s remember
that the islands are made from volcanoes.
But if we take a step back and think about how an eruption can create beauty
and look at life through these same eyes, we will soon discover the magic that
resides within the journey to get there to appreciate WHAT IS.
This road is much
like this. And yes, you will need 4
Wheel Drive to get through it – but it is a real road one that is unpaved and
one like a challenging obstacle course that one must get through in order to see
what is awaiting one’s eyes on the other side.
What is on the other
side? Well, the bluest ocean you will
ever see. The tallest palm trees swaying
playfully and freely in the island breezes and the sun glistening upon the
ripples of the water which sparkles in a way you think can only happen in
movies or dreams. But IT IS REAL and it
DOES EXIST. And the vision is beyond
sweet.
So this is what the
inspiration is behind this blog and yes, making this recipe a life ritual for
making life sweet, to endure the rocky road of life we all face at one time or
another and of course, knowing that the gift of sweet paradise awaits us. But it is the rocky road of life that makes
us APPRECIATE life when it is sweet and to take the time to KNOW and UNDERSTAND
that while the rocky road is not always easy, that it makes us who we are and
gives us the better perspective of appreciating the journey along the way. It’s about survival and knowing we not only
can, but we must also savor the moments we can make for ourselves and for each
other as a reminder that we can experience a break in the process to enjoy a
sweet moment we must make and create ourselves.
Make rocky road
candy… and know you are not alone.
~ Athena & Tess – We Solved It
SOLUTIONS for everyday PROBLEMS
ATHENA’S
ROCKY ROAD CANDY
16 oz. of chocolate, chopped (you can pick your favorite:
milk, semi-sweet, and 60% dark or white)
3 cups of miniature marshmallows
1 cup of chopped nuts (your choice – walnuts, almonds,
cashews, pecans or pistachios)
Butter
a 9 x 13 glass dish. Melt chocolate in a
double boiler. If you do not have a
double boiler pan, simply get a pot, fill it 1/3 of the way with water and
place a heat-proof glass bowl on top, making sure that the glass bowl does not
touch the water in the pot. Put
chocolate in the bowl and simmer water over medium heat. Be careful you do not overfill the pan with
water. You do not want water to boil over, underneath the bowl where the
chocolate is sitting. Once chocolate is
melted, remove from heat. Take top of
the double boiler or bowl off the hot water (be careful – use a pot
holder!). Add marshmallows and nuts
into the melted chocolate and stir to incorporate. DO NOT over stir; you do not want to melt the
marshmallows. You want to keep them as whole as possible. Use a rubber spatula and pour melted
chocolate mixture into buttered dish.
Chill in the refrigerator until set.
Cut into pieces. Enjoy!
NOTE:
The better quality the chocolate you use the better the rocky road turns
out. Baker’s Chocolate is sold in
grocery stores and is generally used for candy making over chips. But you can
use chocolate chips and it will turn out tasty.
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