There are afternoons when I simply crave chocolate covered pretzels. This is not a recipe post. I buy my pretzels, thank you very much, because on the days when I crave chocolate covered pretzels I am definitely not in the right state of mind to deal with tempering chocolate. I don't even care if the pretzels I buy are no longer perfectly tempered because it was 90+ degrees in the car on the ride home and they melted a little and stuck together. What matters is that the pretzels are fresh, salted and thickly coated in quality milk chocolate.
It's important to find a moment alone to enjoy them. My husband and daughter are the lights of my life but I am one of those people who appreciates a little bit of solitude, and not just when I'm working. I find that a little time to myself recharges the batteries. It's hard to come by these days and I've adjusted to embracing those moments wherever I can find them, usually when the two of them are playing in the backyard. Hearing them enjoy themselves frees me to do the same. Although there is a laundry list of work projects, emails and other miscellanea that require my attention I ignore them. It's not easy, as my conscience nags quietly in the background. but I persevere. Arranging a couple of pretzels on a pretty plate and taking them off to a quiet spot to enjoy, I consciously force myself to relax.
Why do I love chocolate covered pretzels? That first bite explains everything. Teeth sinking through the creamy chocolate and encountering the sudden salty crunch of pretzel. It shatters against my teeth, crunchy and crumbly before melting into a velvet wash of chocolate bliss. Because of the shape of the pretzels and the random scattering of salt, every bite is different. It lets you focus on the experience and enjoy each different, fleeting sensation. And before you know it the pretzel is gone. I rarely get to finish two, there are interruptions, I get full or distracted. But that first pretzel is delicious. It's a few moments stolen in time that are all about me. A small luxury that is easily attainable when I really need it to be.
