homemade chocolates and control freaks

I admit it. I am a control freak. Not to the point where it’s my-way-or-the-highway, but to the point where if my husband asks me where the ketchup is; I just go get it. Or, how to do something… I just do it.

Then he says, “You could have just told me.”

There are numerous occasions where I could have just told, but instead I just did.

WHY?!

I have no idea.

Is it to avoid frustration of explanation? I know the ketchup is in the fridge, but I don’t know exactly where, but I know I can find it a lot quicker than I can explain it.

Same goes for computer stuff: He asks how to modify a size of a document he wants to print. Ugh, I can’t explain that!!! I just know you pull up this menu and right click on that drop down menu. I can’t tell you the name of the menu, I will know it when I see it. So, I CAN”T JUST “TELL YOU”.

Slight control freak? Or is it underlying laziness? Maybe I’m a lazy control freak.

I also like to plan. But, that’s a whole other side of me.

I really see my control freakiness surfacing now that I am homeschooling. Especially in the kitchen. Especially when it comes time to melt, stir, pour, etc.

Oh dear. Time for a season to grow.

So, for the week preceding Valentine’s Day; I incorporated chocolate for science and the history of Saint Valentine for History supplements. Chocolate, of course meant making homemade chocolates: melting cocoa butter, adding cocoa powder, sugar and chocolate starter crystals, melting and tempering stirring and pouring. Not good for my control issues, since tempering chocolate is an exact science. As in 94F exact science time to put in the “starter crystals” (which are actually just bits of chocolate) But, before all that we start out with cocoa butter. You know, the stuff you put on your growing belly when you’re pregnant? Yes, well… not from the drugstore. This is “food grade”:

Melted, it’s like gold….

add sugar, cocoa powder

Wait for it to reach 94 degrees. This kit came with a handy sticker that turned green when it reached the proper temperature, but the control freak side of me kept on using my digital instant read thermometer.