I've got the goods

Recommendation time:

1. May I point you in the direction of this hot cocoa mix from Alton Brown? I know that it's practically spring but some of you may still be feeling the bite of winter. I like having a jar of cocoa mix at the ready because truthfully, those little packets are not enough. They are for an 8 ounce mug and who wants just 8 ounces or cocoa? Monks, maybe. Every year I just wing a recipe and it turns out fine but not like, the BEST. So I thought this year I would be an adult about it and find a professional to help me out. And now my cocoa jar (one that has a silhouette of a steaming cup of cocoa etched onto the glass, which I made at a Relief Society function that was more for etching your name on your Pyrex 9x13 so no one steals it at the next ward pot luck. Don't worry, I did the 9x13 too. I am nothing if not precious.) is filled to the brim. And it's gooooood. I went the extra mile and mixed in some finely chopped chocolate. I liked this recipe because every other recipe I've seen involves non-dairy creamer and/or tapioca, both of which are weird.

2. I'm loving the Washington Post's podcast Presidential (you can find it on iTunes). Each week until the election they feature one president starting with dear old George Washington and his rotten teeth. Although it's a quick 40 minutes so they didn't even get to his rotten teeth. They did talk a lot about how much the ladies liked him. The downside of the podcast is that it makes me a little nostalgic for true politics and not this slimy pandering we have now. Kind of like when I watch the West Wing and start praying that Jed Bartlett come to life and run for president with the help of the whole gang. I am hitting my cynical phase of this election season. (Oh, sweet land of liberty, please let this election season hurry up and die. I'm at the point where I think every single one of them are horrible mutants and I don't even care anymore, just make it stop!)

3. The book Radioactive by Lauren Redniss. About Marie and Pierre Curie. Geez, this was beautiful. I read the whole thing out loud to myself. Sometimes I do this, okay? It's not weird, I promise. Sometimes writing is just so pretty that it needs to be heard. And there is gorgeous art throughout. But it's a little sad, because, you know, radiation. Every time it was mentioned that Marie was sleeping with bits of her dust tucked under her pillow I would groan and say, "Oh, Marie." Also, the book glows in the dark. Just like Marie's lab notebooks still do to this day.

4. Photographer Steve McCurry's blog. You know his work with National Geographic, I'm sure. But on his blog he complies pictures he has taken over the years into a single theme. So eyes or books or prayer and puts in quotes about that theme. It's really lovely. Also, his Instagram feed is good too.