Tweet Sweet

“Oh Gosh I LOVE that stuff”, I just found myself saying outloud, jumping up from the computer and grabbing another big hunk of V Chocolate’s Almond Toffee. It’s addicting stuff, that’s for sure, I even have to hide it from myself.

I recently visited V Chocolates newest retail location in the former Norwalk furniture store just south of the Fashion Place Mall in Murray, UT (East of the Macaroni Grill). It’s such a great location - tons of visibility and a quick on and off of State Street or I-215 to get there for a quick fix. They haven’t filled the whole former place with chocolate goodies, but it is a large location, and it could be temporary - I’m not sure. But what I do know, is their toffee is to die for.

I purchased a large box at the Utah Chocolate Show earlier this year, and had a nice chat with a couple people in their booth. I think they thought it rather funny I was such a huge fan. The 1lb box didn’t last long. I just keep chipping away and chipping away until it was gone and I wanted more. Perhaps it’s that bitter sweet crunchy combination. Hmmm.

So if you’re in the area, swing by and pick up some chocolates. You’ll be glad you did. Are there any other V Chocolate fans out there?

I attended the Utah Chocolate Show last weekend as planned, and had a great time visiting with some of those who had booths at the show. I purchased several things, one of which was Hot Chocolate from HC Hot Cocoa.

I purchased one of each of their products: HC Hot Cocoa Immunity, and HC Hot Cocoa Energy.

The HC Hot Cocoa Immunity has a unique blend of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to help strengthen the immune system. It can be used as a preventave messure against colds, or enjoyed after you’ve already got the cold to get you back on your feet. It includes Vitamin C, L-Glutamine (used by white blood cells), Vitamin E (antioxident), Great Tea Extract (antioxident), Vitamin B6 (red blood cells), Zinc, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12.

The HC Hot Cocoa Energy has an exclusive blend of minerals that provide a surge of energy and sustained endurance. It’s perfect for anyone who participates in any winter activities. (The folks in the booth kept on asking me if I snowboard - “why yes I do” I said.) Its ingredients include Magnesium, L-Carnitine, Vitamin E, Beta Carotene, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Grape seed extract, Chromium, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B1. All these elements help turn fat into energy, metabolize sugars to create energy or are antioxidants that provide an easy recovery from exercise.

But most of all the product tastes really good! Very creamy, light chocolate flavor.

(more…)

A good friend of mine gave me Almond Roca the other day, you know the familiar Toffee candies in the pink container?

I remember as a kid, I always thought this was an “old person” candy for some reason, but now I love the stuff. Does that mean I’M getting old? It must be the mix of sweet and bitter that appeals to the older-crowd perhaps (and me). I realized after the can was empty and I was trying to decide if it was recyclable or not, that I didn’t know who made Almond Roca. So I delved into the pink and read the can. Brown and Haley, since 1912. Wow. So I visted the Brown and Haley website.

Here’s the background from their website on this, one of my latest favorite candies, Almond Roca:

ALMOND ROCA® comes to you with a history as flavorful as its fresh almonds, and as rich as its buttercrunch toffee. It all started back in 1923 in Tacoma, Washington. Harry Brown developed a recipe for the crunchy log-shaped candy destined to become a worldwide favorite. J.C. Haley wanted an unusual name to go with the new almond confection they had invented. A local librarian suggested “roca”, and ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee was born. In Spanish, the word “roca” (pronounced Roe-ka) means “rock”, which seemed appropriate given the crunchy center.

After 5 billion pieces and 5 billion smiles, “Roca” has taken on a new, universal meaning: fresh - and - lively - crunchy - chewy - taste - sensational - buttery - chocolaty - delight.

The product was an immediate success, but some method had to be found to protect all that fresh, buttery goodness. In 1927 ALMOND ROCA® confection became the first candy in the world to be put in a sealed tin. After all, JC. Haley reasoned, if tins could keep coffee fresh they could certainly do the same for ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee. And if a regular tin could do the job, imagine what a pink tin could do!

The confection emerged from being a well-kept secret of the Pacific Northwest during World War II. Since it was packed in air-tight tins, it could be shipped to the troops overseas and remain fresh. It became so popular that an entire chapter was dedicated to the crunchy morsels in the Official History of World War II. In one memorable event, American generals would not turn over responsibility for an occupied country to other Allies until three railroad cars of ALMOND ROCA® confection could be taken with them.

ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee has traveled around the world ever since. It has been shipped to more than 63 markets over the past 80 years. Sir Edmund Hillary packed it to the top of the world on many of his Himalayan ascents. It’s one of the favorite candies of Japan’s royal family. It’s also a market leader for imported gift confections in many markets from Asia to the Middle East, including Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. Today, ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee can be found on retail shelves in over 35 countries on six continents.

Today, nine decades and three generations of Haleys later, ALMOND ROCA® buttercrunch toffee is still being made with the same care in the same factory where it all started. The factory has become a historic landmark and the candy has earned the title of “America’s Finest Confection®.”

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Paris, France is hosting its annual Salon du Chocolat for five days from Saturday Oct 28, gathering nearly 130 French and foreign chocolate specialists, and stocking up with about six tonnes of chocolate, not least for the catwalk shows of dresses made out of chocolate. This is the French version of the New York Chocolate Show I blogged about earlier when talking about the much smaller Utah Chocolate Show.

Chocolate has found its way into cosmetics, following a trend to mix fresh fruits and foods and applying them to the face. It was bound to happen knowing that chocolate contains numerous complex molecules whos benefits are still being tested. Most manufacturers tend to use cocoa butter, which has moisturizing and nourishing properties, but is easy and cheap to obtain. Using edible chocolate is not recommended because of the sugars and soy lecithin which is harmful to the skin.

Under its “Chocolatherapie” brand, Zelda Gavizon (an exibitor at the Salon) has developed a series of beauty products and considers cocoa to be a true cosmetic asset and not just a gimmick.

Read more about Chocolate in Cosmetics on Yahoo News

So I’ve been hearing about Fried Coke quite a bit, as a break-out fair food for those who love their sweet fried treats.

Abel Gonzales, 36, a computer analyst from Dallas, tried about 15 different varieties before coming up with his perfect recipe — a batter mix made with Coca-Cola syrup, a drizzle of strawberry syrup, and some strawberries.

Balls of the batter are then deep-fried, ending up like ping-pong ball sized doughnuts which are then served in a cup, topped with Coca-Cola syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry on the top.

Even at nearly $5 a piece, Gonzales ran two stands at the State Fair of Texas and sold up to 35,000 fried Cokes.

Read the article on Yahoo News.

Have you started to see numbers and percentages appear on some of your chocolates and don’t know what they mean? Yup, American chocolate makers have begun labeling their bars according to cacao (pronounced KA-cow) content, a blend of cocoa solids and cocoa butter that combine to make chocolate, according to The St. Paul Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn.

Already common in Europe, this system brings to the industry a uniformity praised by bakers and chocolate experts. But they also worry that too few people understand it and are being misled by marketers pushing bigger-is-better attitudes. The article includes a guide to what cacao labeling can and can’t tell you, and what it means for the home cook.

In brief:
For eating, stick to less than 70 percent cacao. Because sugar tempers and enhances the flavor and texture of chocolate, bars with higher ratios can taste bitter and chalky.

For baking, chocolates be-tween 40 percent and 70 percent will work best in most conventional recipes. Chocolates above 70 percent may have textural problems in some recipes, such as a chocolate mousse cake.

If you can’t resist high cacao chocolate, use recipes specially formulated for it. Scharffen Berger, for example, has recipes on its Web site developed for its bars, including double chocolate cookies that use the company’s 99 percent cacao chocolate.

Don’t want to think about numbers? Stick within the 40 percent to 50 percent range for a good all-purpose chocolate.

For the full story click here.

Chocolate Boyfriend

Originally uploaded by GreenThorns.

Here’s something interesting for you ladies. Your own chocolate boyfriend. This was a great picture that I ran across on Flickr and had to blog about it.

The packaging reads “My boyfriend really makes me drool. He’s a hotty! Super cool! But if he changes his mind and splits, I’ll chew him into little bits.

Eat him up just the way he is! All natural solid Belgian milk chocolate. If he gets any hotter, he’ll melt.”

And guys you’re not left out either… you can get a chocolate girlfriend as well. Find them both online at Le Gourmet Chef.

So I was reading the site for the Bloomer Chocolate Company, and ran across a link on their contact us page that sent me to the National Cocoa Shell’s website.

Cocoa shell mulch, also called cocoa mulch, cocoa bean mulch, cocoa bean shell mulch, or cocoa bean hull mulch is made from the shells that come off the bean during the roasting process. The shells are separated from the beans by strong air action and bagged by the National Cocoa Shell company for mulching gardens.

The mulch lasts longer, smells better, gets darker with age, and provides various nutrients beneficial to plants and the soil. It retains moisture better than regular mulch and is an excellent insulator for root systems in winter and summer. The only down-side? The sweet chocolate aroma only lasts 2-3 weeks.

I remember seeing this in an Asian-themed garden at my local garden center (Wasatch Shadows) when I went to view some plants for my landscaping project earlier this summer. It has quite a unique look, and a nice dark brown color. Check your local nursery for it… perhaps your garden might like a little chocolate as well.

So I was walking through Costco the other day. Awe, Costco… I really do try to stay away from that place as much as possible as there seems to be so many fun things to buy, a toy store for us big kids. I happen to be passing one of the isles and noticed a Chocolate Fountain made for home use.

The Rival brand Chocolate Fountain holds 3-5 pounds of any brand of chocolate. Your party guests indulge themselves by dipping fruits-strawberries, bananas, cherries, cookies, cakes, nuts, pretzels and even marshmallows, whatever their taste.

Drop by your local Costco and pick one up, cause if you know Costco, like I know it… you never know when they’ll never carry it again. Pretty cool party toy for $40. (Target also carries it, but charges $20 more)