dads are motivational

I bet you thought I forgot Father’s Day, huh?

Well, I didn’t.

I just figured I’d bring home my gift this weekend and wait to blog about it until I’d bestowed it on its very deserving recipient.

I’ve continued with the name theme on this parent-centered day. This one’s just a bit more cryptic, but it might help to know that’s a coffee cup filled with coffee flavored chocolates. The mug cozy pattern comes from here. 

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Cuppa Joe Truffles

Ingredients:

4 oz. dark chocolate

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

½ cup agave nectar

¼ cup almond milk

1 tsp coconut oil

2 tbsp powdered espresso

Melt the dark chocolate and paint the inside of a chocolate cup mold. Put in the freezer for a few minutes, remove, and paint more chocolate on any uncovered spots. Repeat as many times as necessary to solidly coat the cups. Meanwhile, heat the unsweetened chocolate, agave nectar and almond milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly. When completely melted and blended, turn off the heat and add the coconut oil and powdered espresso. Stir until smooth and allow to cool. Pour into coated molds and freeze. When completely cool, top the cups with more melted chocolate and refrigerate. Pop chocolates out of the mold and wrap in candy foil.

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It seemed appropriate to give my dad a coffee-themed gift, but in hindsight, he doesn’t really need the extra caffeine. My dad has always been full of energy…running, keeping up the yard, cooking, working. Or maybe it’s not that he had so much energy, but that he was always happy to do just a little more if it meant making us a little happier.

When we were little, he used to come home from work to a maximum volume, “Daaaaaadddy’s hooooome!!!” We’d race to the door, and then drag him to the living room, where the games began. First, we’d spread two blankets on the floor (baby J wasn’t born yet), and my sister and I would each sit in the middle of one. Somehow, my dad would gather up the corners of each and throw one of us over each shoulder, like rucksacks. Then he’d tromp through the house and we’d pay careful attention, because when he put us down, we’d guess where we landed before he opened the blankets.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The second game involved rolling us up in the blankets as tight as possible. Then we’d wriggle out…no unrolling allowed. On really fun nights, he’d roll the both of us up in one blanket, each of us at opposite ends.

Isn’t it amazing how much fun you can have with so little? And isn’t it amazing how my dad managed to be so great at the end of long days? He has always been 100% there and supportive of me. And he's given me that insatiable appetite to learn and do and live life with energy. It's one of the greatest gifts. So this is the least I could do.

I love you, Dad!

Happy (belated) Father's Day!