Happy Valentine’s Day: (In an anime, this is called a filler episode)

So over the holidays since I had and still have no money, I just made a ton of baked goods to bring to parties and treat my friends. Mr. Chokkattu’s favorite cookie is the gingersnap, small and crispy and normally purchased for like $6 from the store only to be demolished in 2 hours or less.

If your significant other is similar, you should try this cookie recipe and maybe buy yourself a heart cookie cutter.

Happy Valentine’s Day Mr. Chokkattu.

I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, whom I’ve followed for at least 5 years now if not more, who adapted it from other recipes herself.

Mr. Chokkattu was upset when I started to pack cookies for my family and his family. He was under the impression that all of the gingersnaps I made would be going exclusively to him during the holidays.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!(Carnal Flower)

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you have as lovely a one as I will with someone special!

First of all, it’s freezing where I’m writing this. Mr. Chokkattu’s new landlord sounds like a cheap bastard from all I’ve heard of him and seems to be illegally turning off the heat wherever he feels it would save him money. This is coming from a household that tries to keep the heating and cooling to a minimum, and regularly has to turn up the heat or up the air conditioning for guests; what I am experiencing is worse. I had my feet on a radiator for a while and that radiator has been shut off for god knows why.

Anyway, all this to say that this is not the optimal temperature for Carnal Flower, and I know this, so while I’m going to write my reactions based off of how I feel now, I’ve had Carnal Flower for a while and I know it’s an entirely different beast when allowed to bloom in say, 80 degree weather when driving to the beach, as I have worn it in the past.

Frederic Malle Carnal Flower, for those who may not know, was composed by Dominique Ropion. Mr. Ropion has concocted other potions for Frederic Malle, as well as Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dior, Armani, Givenchy, Gucci, JLo, Kenzo, a regular crap-ton for Lancome, YSL, and the creator of Thierry Mugler’s Alien and Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb. His career has been a pretty veritable success, and I’m sure if we measured perfumers the way we measure musicians, he would have hit platinum or double platinum or whatever the distinction above that is by now. Read More