dark chocolate

Brides and grooms have been distributing chocolate wedding favors as personal gifts for years. Why are these favors so popular? Why should someone who attends your wedding have to be sent home with gifts? The wedding is meant for the bride and groom; your family and friends should attend because they love you not to receive anything from you.

Wedding favors are gifts that the bride and groom provide to their wedding party. There are unlimited possibilities for the gifts that the couple decides to distribute. Chocolate wedding favors have become one of the most popular gifts for wedding guests.

Chocolate wedding favors have been a favorite for guests for decades. The wedding favors are something that the bride takes upon herself to choose for her many guests. The bride normally chooses something that she enjoys as a token of her appreciation to her family and friends.

The history of distributing wedding favors dates back to the sixteenth century. Many upper class Europeans would distribute parting gifts to their guests to demonstrate their wealth and stature in society. The gifts these wealthy families provided were elaborate and thoughtful signs of appreciation to all their guests.

The first wedding favor that was given contained chocolates inside an elaborate jewel studded box, known by the French as a bonbonniere. Sugar was seen as a luxury to everyone in the sixteenth century. So, it was only appropriate that each gift contained some of the most expensive sugar made candy there was around. The bride and groom of the wedding were seen to be blessed and lucky, therefore by distributing gifts to all who attended their joyful day they could spread their blessings.

Chocolate wedding favors have grown to be the most widely used gift for a large percentage of weddings. The wedding favor has made things a lot less hectic on the bride and groom. With distributing chocolate as a favor you eliminate the stress of buying multiple gifts for different people.

Many companies these days that manufacture chocolate such as Hershey’s, among many others, will personalize the chocolate favors for a particular wedding. The bride and groom have a large variety to choose from, but can be assured that whatever cholcoate wedding favors they select will be thoroughly enjoyed by their guests.

When you start planning a wedding you need to think of food. If you start searching for a plus size mother of the bride dress you will need to consider what food is going to be acceptable for the wedding meal.

Give your wedding or birthday guests a unique and fun experience with Crepes Delice.

Halloween is a favorite holiday for a lot of kids mostly because of the candy and treats they get to indulge in. Traditionally, treats for Halloween consisted of store bought candy corns, and other assorted Halloween favorites. Making caramel covered apples and popcorn balls used to be a long time favorite when it came to homemade Halloween treats. Today, there are more creative ideas available for you and your family than ever before.

In our house, baking is as much a tradition for Halloween as it is for most families for Christmas. We make cookies, cakes, and all sorts of different kinds of candy. You don’t have to have a lot of special equipment or fancy cookbooks to enjoy doing this. Most of what you need you’ll find in your cupboards or can pick up on your next grocery trip.

Grab a pack of Halloween cookie cutters and roll out some sugar cookies. You can use different colored icing, or you can even buy Halloween cookie and cake decorating kits at your local craft store that are packed full of fun shaped sprinkles, precolored frostings, and decorations that you can add. I even saw pumpkin and ghost shaped cupcake tins on our recent shopping trip.

Want to make bat treats? Not a problem. Bake up a batch of brownies in a 9 x 13 sheetpan. Instaed of slicing them into squares and rectangles like you normally would, grab a bat shaped cookie cutter. Pipe on some white icing fangs to make vampire bat, and add chocolate chip eyes if you want to an extra touch.

Halloween is a time of costume making and preparing special treats. It’s the perfect time of the year to get the kids involved in the kitchen and helping to prepare different types of dishes, including the fun and spooky ones. You’re not just making treats and goodies in the kitchen, you’re making holiday memories that will last a lifetime. So have a great time and enjoy the day with your family on the “sweetest” day of the year.

Even if you’re not having a Halloween party, you can still make great use of the fun Halloween recipes in this booklet to make your night special. Add a ghost story or two and you’re all set for the perfect October 31st with your family.

We’re going to a birthday party for my best friend’s 5-year-old daughter this weekend, and it got me thinking. The weird thing is, it got me thinking, “How can I make a tractor shaped birthday cake?” Why? Because my son’s third birthday is next month, and he is VERY into trucks and tractors and such these days. I even bought truck invitations and plates for his party. Well, I’m not sure I’m talented enough in the art arena to make a tractor cake, and I’ve never seen children’s birthday cake pans in the shape of a tractor, so that’s out. He seems to like Blues Clues a lot too, so the thought of making a Blues Clues birthday cake does hold some appeal. There are lots of cake pans for that.

On the other hand, if I can just make a recipe for best ever birthday cake, like this Betty Crocker Oreo Cookie Cake, it probably won’t matter that much what shape it is. As long as there’s frosting on it and ice cream to go with it, I don’t think anyone will care! Here’s the recipe:

Betty Crocker Oreo Cookie Cake

Description

Chocolate lovers, rejoice! This decadent dessert combines the best of both worlds - Betty Crocker recipes and Oreo cookie cake recipes. The moistness of the cake and the crunch of the cookies complement one another nicely, and who can resist frosting?

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist chocolate cake mix 3 eggs 1 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup coarsely chopped Oreo cookies (about 12) 1 tub vanilla frosting or desired frosting

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Grease and flour 2 cake pans.

3. Beat cake mix, eggs, water and margarine on low for 30 seconds; then beat on medium for 2 minutes.

4. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the Oreos cookies for icing, and fold the balance of them into the cake batter with a spoon.

5. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350F degrees.

6. Cool 10 minutes in pans.

7. Remove from pans and cool completely before icing.

8. Crush the 2 tablespoons of reserved Oreo cookies very fine and mix into the frosting; frost cake.

Once I got into search mode for cake recipes, I started realizing that there really are a ton of them to choose from. In fact, I could probably bake a different cake every week for a year and not duplicate them. Here are just a few tasty-sounding cake recipes that I’m going to have to try (although not every week!):

Irish Cream Bundt Cake Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (Almost) Perfection Pound Cake Amazing Yellow Cake & Fluffy Frosting

There are some wonderful birthday cake ideas - birthday cake ideas for kids, too - at RecipeLion.com.

Chocolate is the new ‘Black’. Its making waves in all the health circles, as its health benefits appeal to medical and health practitioners with diverse educations and specialties. Laboratory studies reveal its potent anti-oxidant actions, and ‘chocolate parties’ reveal a great many other positive effects. We’ve all seen the surveys where many women would prefer chocolate over sex (this does not seem to be the case in European countries, however); add to this the results of an Italian study mentioning that women who eat chocolate have more sex, and the subject gets a little spicy. Spicy enough even to consider adding a healthy dose of chocolate to your life? Need more reasons? Chocolate makes your bones more dense, it prevents heart disease, its thought to attract abundance, and its full of mood-boosting and intelligence-boosting neurotransmitter precursors. Healthy, wealthy, wise and happy. So it is as easy and eating all the Hershey’s bars you can get a hold of? Well, not quite…

It happens that the somewhat controversial ‘raw foodists’ are right on the mark with this one: it’s raw, unroasted, unprocessed chocolate that’s the real health food. Really, it’s not even called chocolate, but Cacao — chocolate is the name for the roasted, fat and sugar added product that Willy Wonka makes. (But for the fun of it, we’ll keep calling it chocolate. In the long run, it’s cool to think you’ve added ‘eating chocolate’ to the list of things you do daily that are good for you.) One needs to be careful, too, as raw chocolate is relatively hard to come by. Pricey organic hot cocoa is still roasted and alkalized, changing chocolate’s chemistry significantly enough to warrant limiting its intake. You can get raw chocolate online, and it’s slowly finding its way onto store shelves. Make sure it says ‘raw’ or ‘cacao’ (pronounce ‘Ka-’, as in cat, ‘cow’) and not ‘cocoa’, and should have no other ingredients (though some actual raw chocolate ‘candy’ can be found in very hip health food stores). Got it? If you still need a little convincing, here’s a quick look at the difference between raw and processed chocolates to help you make the switch — then on to a few recipes.

Energy and stimulation is at the heart of the chocolate experience, but many people are sensitive to chocolate’s effects. There are however, significant differences in the alkaloid structures of raw and roasted chocolate. Raw chocolate’s stimulation comes primarily from theobromine, which has little anxiety producing effects. Studies by natural wellness professionals and user reports both note that while commercially prepared dark chocolate has a very stimulating action that caffeine sensitive individuals may find too strong, an equivalent amount of raw cacao does not. The stimulating effects are reported mild, gentle, and without a ‘crash’ that is often associated with caffeine. A reason for mothers to think about creating their own raw chocolate treats for their children, too. The jury is still out on the actual amount if caffeine in raw chocolate; some investigators have found none, some have found small amounts in the ’skin’ of the cacao beans, and others of found only small amounts in beans that have fermented somewhat (an indication of a lower-quality cacao). Either way, if you’ve refrained from chocolate because of it’s caffeine content, raw cacao may just be your answer to enjoying this treat again.

Next the question of anti-oxidants. Chocolate has been discovered to have exceptionally high quantities of important polyphenols. A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry was titled: “Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine.” It’s hard to argue with that. Here again the question of raw arises: One report notes that while roasted chocolate is made up of five-percent antioxidants, raw chocolate contains twice as much at ten percent. Another important note is the addition of milk to make milk chocolate. Research has shown that the addition of milk actually cancels-out the positive effects of chocolate’s antioxidants. And milk may be one of the reasons many people seem to be allergic to chocolate, as lactose intolerance is fairly common. Another chocolate myth is some individuals break out when ingesting high amounts; reports indicate that raw chocolate does not cause this response, and that it may be the refined fats and sugars present in most chocolate products producing this effect.

Finally, the question of mood-enhancing neurochemicals and precursors. Chocolate contains significant quantities of the essential amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan intake has recently been collated with neurogenesis, the development of new brain cells, and both long and short term memory. The presence of tryptophan is critical for the production of serotonin, a primary neurotransmitter associated with mood (Prozac works on the principal of enhancing the action of serotonin). Once in the body tryptophan reacts with B-vitamins in the presence of magnesium (all present in raw chocolate) to produce serotonin. Enhanced serotonin function assists in diminishing anxiety and stress - ccording to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, serotonin is literally our “stress-defense shield.” Tryptophan is heat sensitive and is often deficient in many cooked-food diets, even when animal protein intake is high. In addition to tryptophan (but not heat sensitive) chocolate also contains PEA, the ‘love hormone’ and Anandamide the ‘bliss chemical’.

Need more be said? Ready for some recipes? The simplest means of eating raw chocolate is snacking on cacao nibs. These are small pieces of cacao beans that mix well with natural granolas or dried fruit. To really get the most benefits, and for the most delicious raw chocolate creations, find yourself a source of raw organic cacao powder. The powder can be added to any drink, or easily made into bars, drops or other shaped candies. The hands-down most common preparation of cacao powder is the hot chocolate drink: Put one heaping tablespoon raw cacao powder, one teaspoon raw agave nectar, and one teaspoon high quality coconut oil in a blender (note that coconut oil quality varies greatly - a good coconut oil should taste pleasant by itself and have no chemical or rancid flavor which would otherwise be noticed in your chocolate drink). Add eight to twelve ounces of hot (but not boiling water) and blend at low speed for about ten seconds. That’s it; Chocolate magic that’s easily adjusted to your tastes — experimenting in whatever way comes to mind is highly encouraged.

There are lots and lots of recipes out there, and great reading on raw chocolate’s health benefits and preparation. You’ll cacao powder often combined with other super nutritious foods in smoothies and good-for-you deserts. Natural organic candies start with the same ingredients as the drinks, but without the liquid. Just make a paste, adding pecans, coconut shavings or whatever you like, and chill to harden. As you’re not baking anything, there’s little to go awry, and really, so many possibilities. By using raw chocolate, you’ll open up a whole new world of cooking for yourself and your family — and if you hadn’t before, you might just find yourself really motivated to treat yourself to natural health and wellness.

Waffle makers can be purchased within any budget or price range these days. They come in a variety of models with tons of different features, so how do you select the right one for your needs? The following criteria will help you determine which type of waffle machine you need and how much you should pay to get it.

Power is a big issue with any type of kitchen appliance. Usually, lower priced models of an appliance will have lower watts of power, and that means a more limited range of capabilities. These low power models are best suited to small households or consumers who will use them on a more limited or occasional basis.

For those who want to make larger batches of waffles or who will use the machine all the time, a higher watt model will be more suitable.

Capacity: How many waffles will you want to make at a time. Lower priced makers tend to make just a couple waffles at a time, but there are larger models that make six or more at once. You may pay a bit more for one that makes a larger batch at a time, but if you are feeding a large family or want to use this in a business setting, then larger is going to be a huge time saver.

Shape: Are you looking for a particular shaped waffle? If so, then make sure to look around and see all of your options before making a final purchase. Most models today come in a standard square shape, but you can find round models and even a traditional heart shaped waffle.

Price Range: The market carries these machines at a very wide price range. You could walk into virtually any store right now and find a very simple waffle maker for $20 or maybe even less. Or, you can look around online and find them well over $100. For most consumers looking to add this appliance to their home, a model in the $30 to $50 range will be suitable.

There is one good old rule of shopping that applies here: you get what you pay for. If you spring for a top of the line professional quality waffle machine, you are guaranteed to produce more waffles and better waffles than you would with a twenty buck machine you bought down the street. Yet, do you really need that level of an appliance in you home?

The trick to finding the best waffle makers is to determine what you need according to the factors discussed here and find models that fit those criteria. This will probably turn up models from different price ranges from which you choose according to your budget.

i promised to make some brownies for a couple of girls that are down in the dumps, soon to realize that i don’t have any brownie mix. so after looking up recipes i then realize that i don’t have any bittersweet chocolate either, so now i’m looking to see WHAT chocolate i do have. i have some dark, some milk, and some baking cocoa which has a conversion to make into baking chocolate squares(equivilent). if you could give me either a recipe to help or help me with my delima it would be greatly appreciated.

Many chocolate truffles you buy in stores are manufactured in factories and most of them are loaded with sugar so they aren’t really good for you and are extremely high calorie. Some store-bought chocolate truffles do not contain enough cocoa to give you the benefits of consuming anti-oxidant rich cocoa. If you love eating chocolates, then you should always look at the option of enjoying those that are also good for you instead of those that are high in calorie, high in sugar with zero benefits. For healthier, tastier chocolate experience, then make your very own chocolate truffles.

You may think it is very hard to make chocolate truffles but nothing can be further from the truth. It is pretty easy to make these delightful mouthfuls of heavenly chocolate once you know how. All you need is some very basic cooking skills and as long as you don’t burn the chocolate, you will be able to produce professional looking truffles in no time. Of course, you will need to read on the following tips first before you try your hand at making your own truffles that will tastes much better than those you found at stores.

In order to make chocolate truffles, you need to get some of the main ingredients in preparation. The number one ingredient is a lot of dark cooking chocolate, particularly the ones with very high cocoa content of preferably 70% or more. You need ones with high cocoa content because these will produce better quality, richer and more delicious chocolate truffles that are also healthy as cocoa contains anti-oxidants.If the slight bitter taste of dark chocolate is a concern for you, you can also try to use milk chocolate that has lower cocoa content.

Next, you should have on hand other ingredients you would want to be included in your truffles. Some people like almond nibs, crushed roasted peanuts, raisins, dried fruits and other nuts. So, have on hand whatever nuts or fruits you would like to add to your truffles. You can also get some colorful chocolate rice or other decorative items for your truffles.

Then let’s go to the first step. You will need to break the cooking chocolate into smaller pieces or you could chop it. Next, you put it into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Add butter to the mixture and then use a wooden spoon to stir the chocolate butter combination until it is thoroughly melted. You can also get some cream cheese to add to the mixture later if you want it to have cheesy flavor.

When the chocolate butter mixture is melted into soft, silky brown liquid, remove it from the pan and leave aside to cool down. You can then add the cream cheese, the nuts, dried fruits or whatever you want to add to your truffles. Use a mixer to blend it all together until it is all well combined. You want to make sure that the whole mixture are evenly combined so that there won’t be concentrations of nuts or chocolate or clumps of cream cheese. Lastly, you just pour the thick mixture onto a pan and leave it to cool for awhile. If it is very thick, use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to form small balls out of it. Dip the chocolate balls on the chocolate rice or some cocoa powder. Then put the balls on wax-paper lined trays. Place the trays of chocolate truffles in the fridge to firm up and there you have it, you very own delicious chocolate truffles!

The focal point of any birthday party is normally the cake. Whether you are planning your own birthday or one for someone else, you need to make the birthday cake a remarkable one. You can do this in a number of different ways. If you are purchasing a cake, then be sure to point out specifically what you want on the cake. Bakers will normally allow you to choose any design that you want.

You need to keep in mind the person whose cake you are purchasing. It is important that the cake be a reflection of the birthday person. Be sure that you are keeping their personality in mind. Even if the cake is for yourself, have it echo who you are. Make sure that when people see your cake they are reminded of you.

If you are a cake decorator, then you should keep a few things in mind as well. The third thing that you want to consider when choosing a remarkable birthday cake is the size/You should also consider the size of the cake. Be sure that you are baking the correct size birthday cake. You want to have a size large enough to feed guests, but small enough that it will not cave or fall if you are making a tiered cake. Be sure that you are keeping the cake’s structure in mind before you begin baking it.

You also need to keep the theme of your cake in mind. Look online and in party magazines if you are not sure of the theme that you want. Ensure that your theme matches the person who is having the birthday. In addition, the theme should match the party theme. You should choose the party theme prior to constructing the cake to ensure that you are following the same theme. Be sure that your themes match.

You will find that choosing the perfect birthday cake is much easier than you think. It is not that difficult to find a cake or create a birthday cake that will wow your guests. Remember, the birthday cake is the most important aspect of many birthday parties, so choose wisely.

My boyfriend and I don’t celebrate valentines day because our anniversary is the next day. We were planning on just staying in and doing something fun, so I suggested we make own own chocolate treats since we are both chocolate fanatics!
Any ideas or recipes for EASY chocolate treats?
**when I say EASY I mean as easy as possible because we both don’t have patients!

Thanks!