For all you gardening chocoholics, there is a mulch for your spring garden made of the shells of the cocoa beans that is now petsafe. Vets were afraid dogs especially would be attracted the mulch and that the theobromines in the cocoa would make the dogs sick, or worse, die. There have been few reports of this and now there is a theobromine-free cocoa mulch!
Check it out and make your garden smell of the wonderful aroma of chocolate!
The Rules of Chocolate
If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly.
Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.
The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal.
It’ll take the edge off your appetite and you’ll eat less.
A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn’t that handy?
If you can’t eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can’t eat all your chocolate, what’s wrong with you?
If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.
Money talks. Chocolate sings.
Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.
Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?
Because no one wants to quit.
Put “eat chocolate” at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you’ll get one thing done.
Chocolate is a health food. Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived either from sugar beets or cane, both vegetables. And, of course, the milk/cream is dairy. So eat more chocolate to meet the dietary requirements for daily vegetable and dairy intake.
HAPPY EASTER everyone!
Thanks to:
We love Chocolate and Orange combined at Chicks Love Chocolate! Try this recipe from one of our favorite celebrity chefs-Paula Deen!
Chocolate Orange Liqueur Souffle with Chocolate Sauce Recipe
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, divided
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, melted
3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 egg whites
Chocolate Sauce, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat the bottom and sides of a 2 1/2 quart souffle dish with 2 tablespoons butter, sprinkle bottom and sides evenly with 1/2 cup sugar. Tap out excess sugar; reserve sugar for later use.
In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble. Add milk, orange liqueur, melted chocolates, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in beaten egg yolks and vanilla.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add reserved sugar, beating until stiff. Fold whites into chocolate mixture. Gently spoon mixture into prepared souffle dish. Place souffle dish in a baking pan. Fill pan with 1-inch warm water. Bake for 55 minutes. Serve immediately with Chocolate Sauce.
Chocolate Sauce:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 (1-ounce) square bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add cocoa, sugar, cream, and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and orange liqueur.
Yum!
The title is “Chocolate Girl’s Bedroom”
HGTV says: “Host Joan Steffend and designer Kim Wahl redesign a bedroom for a mother and daughter with conflicting tastes. Redesigner Tracy Oldefendt creates space and comfort in a crowded San Francisco game room. In Trash to Treasure, Sasha Andreev shows some interesting ways to decorate with old headboards.”
Take a look chocolate lovers at this show and see if there is any interesting uses of chocolate as a design in your home!
Airs on:
March 27, 2007 9:00 PM ET/PT
March 28, 2007 1:00 AM ET/PT
March 31, 2007 2:00 PM ET/PT
www.hgtv.com
A fun recipe for adding jelly beans to and putting out for the kids to take as a treat on Easter! So easy!
Chocolate – Peanut Butter Bird Nests
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 bag (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips
1 bag (6 or 7 oz.) thin pretzel sticks – broken into short pieces
Preparation -
Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the pretzel sticks. Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons full onto a waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Use the bottom of a tablespoon to make an indentation in the center of each one. Chill until set. After the nests are set, store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to fill. Fill with tiny jelly eggs or other small candies.
I got the recipe from this great site with more great Easter ideas!
So easy for an Easter Treat!
1 package dry sugar cookie mix, prepared to package directions
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips
9 by 12-inch baking dish
Softened butter, to prepare baking dish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To cookie mix prepared to package directions, add nuts, coconut and white chocolate chips. Butter the baking dish and spread cookie dough evenly into a thin layer across the baking dish. Bake bars for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool slightly. Then cut into squares, remove with offset spatula and serve.
Chicks Love Chocolate!
I get a lot of great finds on chocolate from the Candy Addicts website. This is one more that I want to share! The chocolate craze continues with more products all the time! If you haven’t seen these in the grocery store already, look for them. They are yummy and if you like Junior Mints, these are covered with chocolate just like them!
http://candyaddict.com/blog/2006/11/16/candy-review-altoids-dark-chocolate-dipped-mints/
This recipe sounds delicious and I think the best thing would to be to sprinkle with powdered sugar to make 3 individual cakes or you can use a fruit filling in between layers with a chocolate ganache frosting to really wow everyone!
Rich Chocolate Cake With a New York Attitude Recipe courtesy Michelle Bommarito, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Show: Food Network Challenge
Episode: Food Network’s Wedding Cake Challenge
New York Cheesecake Swirl:
2/3 cup sugar
16 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 whole eggs, room temperature
16 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
Rich Chocolate Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cocoa powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 whole eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Make the New York Cheesecake Swirl:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on high speed until well combined. Add the eggs and continue to beat on high speed. Make sure to scrape down the sides to ensure incorporation of all the ingredients. Once combined, gently fold in the chocolate morsels. Chill the mixture for approximately 1 hour.
Make the Rich Chocolate Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans and set aside. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add the sugar and salt and stir to combine well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in small increments, gently folding the mixture until well combined.
Pour the mixture into 1 of the prepared cake pans, only filling the pan halfway. Randomly place teaspoon-size dollops of the cream cheese mixture atop the chocolate cake batter. Repeat with the remaining 2 prepared cake pans. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Eat Chocolate Daily!
Link:
www.foodtv.com
This is great! Now we have two cereals available in chocolate! Life cereal and Special K. The commercial is also great with a girl who eats her Special K as a late night snack instead of a high calorie chocolate treat! GREAT MARKETING on their part! Check out more information on this at:
http://candyaddict.com/blog/2007/01/08/special-k-and-life-cereals-go-chocolate/
USA Today did an article on this too!
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-12-27-chocolate-cereals-usat_x.htm
March 11 at 2:30 pm on the Food Network!
“Chocolate Fashion Bash
It s New York s 8th Annual Chocolate Show, and Giada is front and center to sample some truly delectable haute couture. 22 fashion designers pair up with 22 pastry chefs and chocolatiers to create some of the most unique and delicious chocolate inspired fashion of the year for the Chocolate Show s kick-off benefit bash. Join Giada as she samples chocolate-themed hors d oeuvres and cocktails.”
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_bh/episode/0,,FOOD_23756_42566,00.html
