CHOCOLATE

IT IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT CHOCOLATE

2011-01-09T16:30:00.000-06:00

There are very few times of the year that I don't think about chocolate. During the end of the year holidays and when it really heats up in August here in the south my taste buds turn to other sweets than chocolate.

However, while I don't indulge in a lot of chocolate during the Christmas and New Years holidays, I begin to look towards mid January to get me back into my chocolate fix. Maybe I am getting ready for Valentines and Easter with their chcolate favors, but I really believe it is the traditions in my family that dictate my taste buds for chocolate.

During the holidays, chocolate candy like Cella, chocolate covered cherries and my chocolate covered peanut butter balls take a backseat to our family's traditions of sugar cookies with cherries on top and coconut cake. I spend more time chowing on those foods that my mother made instead of chocolate. And since this last year was our 3rd Christmas without mother, it is my way of remembering her and the foods she prepared every Christmas.

But now that the holidays have passed, and cold weather has set in, along with the snow, chocolate is on my mind again. During cold weather I like to make a pot of chili and end the meal with brownies. The two work well together especially when I add a small piece of bittersweet chocolate to the chili.

And I like a little pepper in some of the chocolates I make. My truffles include a few pinches of ceyenne or chipotle pepper, whicherv I am in the mood to make. Right now I am working on a brownie recipe that is chewy, uses some of my truffle mixture and a little dried chipotle pepper. If they turn out as good as the recipe in my head sounds I will post it here.

Indulge in your chocolate craving a little every day.

I Was Surprised

2010-02-21T20:18:00.001-06:00

Just the other day I was looking online for a chocolate magazine. I believed that since tehre is a magazine out there for all foods, that I would have no problem finding a magazine on chocolate. Boy was I wrong!!

I found one magazine, Cocoaroma, but after reading information on the magazine, it isn't a magazine published regularly. It seems that even this magazine is only published sporadically. The magazine published five issues and the last issue was published several years ago.

I can't understand how this industry can publish so many cookbooks on the subject we all love and crave, but there isn't a magazine published monthly or at least six times a year on chocolate.

I fear that some believe chocolate is one dimensional. That chocolate has one flavor and desserts are the only way to use and serve chocolate. However, we know that this isn't true.

I could envision a magazine that reminds readers of the history of chocolate in interesting ways. Profiles of chocolatiers from around the world would be included. Restaurants, caterers, bakeries that specialize in chocolate would be featured. Exotic, remarkable, incredible and indescribable uses of chocolate would be noted in each issue. Discussions ofr creating chocolate desserts, techniques, and uses of chocolate would be needed. Last, but certainly not least tons of chocolate recipes.

I forsee only a few problems with developing a magazine of this caliber. Sampling and testing rich, dark chocolate recipes on a daily basis for the magazine would have to be endured. And deciding whose recipes to include, whose bakeries, restaurants, and chocolatiers to feature each issue would be agonizing.

While the blog I write is a starting place, I want to branch out. A newsletter, a cookbook and then a quarterly or every other month magazine may begin a whole new career. Am I up to the task? I hope so. I am going to try . Comments on this endeavor are welcome.

Here is a recipe that is different from all others posted previously.

Cocoa Spice Rub
2 1/2 tspns cocoa powder
1 tspn ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tspns garlic powder
1 1/2 tspns onion powder
1 tspn paprika
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper
1/2 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn dried tyme
Mix all ingredients together.

I usually use this recipe on pork.

Gourmet Truffles

2010-01-15T12:16:00.000-06:00

I am always investigating chocolate companies and trying samples of their products. I am especially fond of truffles. So when I stumbled upon a company that specializes in making truffles I knew I had to try them.

Dan's Chocolates makes delicious truffles. Fresh chocolates using a combination of European and American ingredients go into every piece of candy they make. Their hand-made gourmet truffles feature fresh cream, fruits, and nuts for the most discerning chocolate connoisseur.

In addition, they offer our premium quality chocolates in over 200 different gift boxes for every occasion, lifestyle or event from Happy Birthday to Gardening. This adds a personal touch to the gift giving experience.

One of the best reasons I choose Dan's Chocolates is their contribution to society. Since they day Dan's Chocolates has opened they have been donating money to several partnering charities. They give back to the community and society to make them a better place.

To try Dan's chocolate truffles click on the banner below!

CHRISTMAS COCOA

2009-12-16T15:51:00.000-06:00

Hot Chocolate is one of those seasonal chocolate drinks. However, if you are in the deep south, (North America, South America, Hawaii) it may not be on your list due to the heat in your area, but here in Tennessee and in northern parts of North America that love to add hot chocolate to our chocolate list.

Our family tradition, and most likely many families' tradition is to get the recipe off the side of the Hershey's cocoa box and make the old standby. There is nothing wrong with that. It still tastes great and might bring back fond memories of family members who have past on.

Hot chocolate has been added to the gourmet chocolate list. Godiva, Ghirardeli and Scharffen Berger, to name a few, have made their own versions of decadent dark hot cocoa. However, I haven't found a hot cocoa mix that is rich and sweet enough to satisfy my taste buds yet.

I was watching a Food Network special and Disneyland makes their hot cocoa with sweetened condensed milk. I believe that might just begin to satisfy my chocolate and sweet tooth at the same time.

The history of chocolate as a food began as a drink thousands of years ago by the Mayans and MesoAmericans, which was made with the cocoa bean, spices, chiles and water. It wasn't until it was introduced in Europe that sugar and milk were added.

Those of us who are die hard chocolate fans have found ways to make the Hershey standby even more chocolaty, rich, decadent, delicious.

The basic recipe of Hershey's hot cocoa mixes cocoa, sugar, water, milk, a dash of salt and vanilla extract together to make the traditional hot chocolate. See the cocoa box for full directions.

However, I take this recipe and substitute a few things.

Here is my recipe for decadent hot chocolate:
2/3 cups sugar
2 tbs. Hershey's special dark cocoa
2 tbs. Ghirardeli dark chocolate chips
2 tbs. Godiva hot cocoa mix
1/3 cup hot water
3 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup half and half
dash of salt
1 scrape of half a vanilla bean

CONDIMENTS
cinnamon sticks
peppermint sticks
homemade marshmallows
Godiva hot cocoa mix for dusting
Andes mints broken into pieces
Whipped cream
Godiva chocolate liqueur

In a medium sauce pan mix sugar, chocolate and salt. Add hot water slowly to incorporate cocoa without lumps. Turn burner on medium heat. Add the milk, cream and half and half. Stir until cocoa is melted and hot. Don't boil. Cut a vanilla bean in half. With the tip scrape the bean off one side. Add to the cocoa mix. Turn heat to low. Keep warm.

Add your favorite condiments or some I have listed above. I add Godiva liqueur to make my cocoa an adult version.

Homemade marshmallows are not hard to make and taste much better than store bought. If you don't have time to make them then buy them from Pete's Gourmet Confections, but making them can be something fun and unique that you and your children do together. Recipes for homemade marshmallows can be found online, at Food Network, recipes.com, recipezaar.com or any recipe website.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 1/4 oz. envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
3/4 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light cane syrup
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tbs confectioner's sugar and 2 tbs cocoa mixed together; keep on hand to add more if needed

Pour 3/4 cup cold water into a stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Attach the whisk mixer and set aside. Clip a candy thermometer to a 3 quart saucepan, making sure it does not touch the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar, cane syrup, salt and 3/4 cup cold water over medium heat. Bring to a boil without stirring until the thermometer reaches 234 degrees, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Turn the stand mixer on low speed. Slowly add candy mixture to the gelatin in a slow thin stream. Add the vanilla, increasing the mixer speed to high until mixture is thick and cool.
Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil, wrapping the foil up and over the edge on 2 sides. Sift half of the confectioner's sugar and cocoa mixture into the bottom of the pan. Pour marshmallow mixture into the pan. Sift the other half of the sugar and cocoa mixture on top. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
Use the foil to lift marshmallow from the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and remove foil. Using a sharp knife dipped in cold water cut marshmallows into cubes. Don't worry if they are the same size. Varied sized marshmallows add to character. In a bowl add 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. Add the marshmallows to the sugar a few at time. The marshmallows will be sticky and the sugar will cut down on the stickiness. Shake off excess sugar after removing them from the sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Dust with cocoa powder when after adding them to your favorite hot chocolate.

Enjoy a hot cup of cocoa this holiday season. Try my version of your own favorite.
Merry Christmas to all!!

CHOCOLICIOUS

2009-10-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

I have had a love affair with chocolate for over 20 years and it is still going strong. Lately, I have been pondering about my chocolate obession. Let me tell you how bad it is. I search the internet daily looking for the perfect combinations of chocolate to make my truffles with. I look for new stores everywhere I go that will let me sample their version of chocolate to buy. I pick up a few candy bars, or bags of chocolate candy bars at the store so I don't run out, knowing that I still have a three month supply at home. I find myself researching recipes and making up new ones on a daily basis. Now that the weather is turning cold I find myself longing for a nice cup of hot chocolate and I now only drink chocolate infused coffee. I search for the latest gadgets to help me make chocolate.

My lifelong dream is to be a published author. I have been working toward that for sometime, but never seem to get the story I am working on just right. In between teaching writing, and writing stories, I develop my recipes, write them down, post them here, or tuck them away. It just dawned on me. I should be writing about what I love. Eating chocolate, finding the right chocolate, developing the right chocolate recipe are the things I love to work on. So I plan to stop writing stories and focus on developing my own chocolate book.

I have named my obsession with chocolate. I have come to view my obsession as Chocoliscious. Chocoliscious is anything to do with chocolatey goodness. Since I bring Chocoliscious into my life on a daily basis, I thought I would share it with the world.

Please visit my chocoliscious website for updates on my obsession.
CHOCOLISCIOUS

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

2009-07-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

Every summer holiday we spend at my parent's home grilling burgers and hot dogs, or some other meat, and we make homemade ice cream. This is the norm in our family and it has not varied since I was a child.

For years we made the traditional vanilla ice cream. Several gallons of it. Once in awhile we would try our hand at strawberry, but about 10 years ago we began making orange-pineapple sherbert and our tradition for our cookouts became a gallon of vanilla and a gallon of the sherbert. It was tradition, and my parents are steeped in tradition.

Well this last weekend for the 4th of July we waivered from the norm. My son, who is also an avid chocolate lover. I believe we got that from my father. He loves chocolate cake, candy bars and chocolate ice cream. Well for the last few years he had been asking us to not make the sherbert, because he doesn't like it, and to make chocolate ice cream. Well daddy agreed. So I set out to find a dark chocolate ice cream recipe.

I found several recipes online, but most just didn't have enough chocolate in them, and the other drawback was that they didn't need to be processed in an ice cream maker. You only had to put it in a container and pop it in the freezer. Now that is a nice easy way for any weekday, but for our holiday cookouts we like to get out those freezers, thank goodness for electricity and make ice cream the old fashioned way.

After searching for awhile, I remembered an episode of Barefoot Contessa on the food network channel. I searched for chocolate ice cream, but didn't find what I was looking for right away. I had to narrow my search and there it was. Chocolate gelato, an Italian style ice cream by Ina Garten. Let me tell you it is the richest chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

My son raved about it. He was surprised that it tasted like what you buy in an ice cream shoppe. I recommend Ina Garten's chocolate gelato recipe to every chocoholic.

I tripled the recip in order to make a gallon, and I didn't add the bittersweet chocolate or the chocolate candies near the end, but what a treat. I still have some in the freezer, and I can honestly say that it gets better after a few days.

Go to foodnetwork.com and type in chocolate gelato. Ina Garten's recipe is the 2nd one to come up. It is title "deeply chocolate gelato." It will definitely satisfy your chocolate cravings.

Chocolate Weight Loss Diet

2009-06-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

It has finally arrived. The best diet in the world. It allows me to eat the chocolate I love without gaining weight. In fact it helps me lose weight. I have discovered the chocolate weight loss diet. It is a book filled with tons of information on the benefits of chocolate.

The book give information onthe health benefits of chocolate. It shows how to eat chocolate throughout the day to increase fat loss. I still can't believe it. I am eating a little bit of chocolate throughout the day and losing weight. There is so much more information on the diet that I can give, but just know that a diet that helps you lose weight and eat chocolate. I am there. I will keep you posted on my progrss.

But don't just take my word for it. You've got to try this for yourself. You will love it.

CHOCOLATE WEIGHTLOSS DIET!

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

2009-04-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

I has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog. It isn't because I have abandoned my chocolate obsession. Far from it. I actually have been trying out a few new chocolates, but haven't gotten around to writing about them.

I recently received some Italian chocolate from my son. He brought me back a huge piece when he was at a convention in Orlando. He snatched up this chocolate one evening while at Disney World. It is a creamy milk chocolate with hazelnuts and nougat. Do make sure you have a cool place to store when you return home. Otherwise, it will melt into one huge glob as mine did. The nougat has mixed in with the chocolate, but honestly I love the way it tastes no matter if it did melt into a huge glob.

I also tried a new recipe. It is a double chocolate gooey butter cake. You can find the recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. It is a Paula Deen recipe. It is just great. The chocolate cake and fudgy center just sends me over the top.

Dark chocolate is still my favorite. In fact we had a silent auction at church not too long ago to raise money for vacation Bible school and church camp. I won the chocolate basket. It mainly came with the standart fair. However, mixed in the the hershey's and swiss miss cocoa was a back of Russel Stover's German Blakc Forest Truffel. It is in their Internationale collection, in a green bag. The thick soft center inside the chocolate squares was a new and different taste to say the least. I shared 1 piece with my son. The rest I hoarded for myself. I recommend that everyone try it!!

I do have a truffle recipe that I have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I know that I plan to sell the truffles, but the recipe, as it now stands, is just the dark center. I cannot find a compatible outer layering, so I may put it into molds and sell them that way.

Leave comments if you like truffles. I am interested in hearing from people who want to try new chocolates.

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR LOVED ONE

2009-02-12T14:19:00.000-06:00

Valentines is the chocolate lover’s holiday. The aphrodisiac properties in chocolate allow lovers on valentines to not only indulge in their chocolate fantasies, but carry over those fantasies to share with the ones they love.

I promised I would post a recipe in time for Valentine's day. I know that I could post the lover's standby of chocolate dipped strawberries and Champagne, and I know that would be wonderful, but I wanted to find a recipe that looks elegant, but simple. You will need to know how to bake before making this recipe though.

Please go to http:www.squidoo.com/decadentchocolate for the cookbook I took this recipe from. It is under books found on Amazon.

CHOCOLATE TRINITY PARFAITS

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. semisweet chocolate (8 oz. broken into 1/2 ounce pieces and 4 ounces finely grated)
6 1/2 cups, heavy cream
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
White and dark chocolate candy bars or baking bars
Fresh raspberries

Place an electric mixer bowl and beaters in the refrigerator.
Place white and dark chocolate candy bars in refrigerator.

Prepare dark chocolate cream; place 8 ounces of broken semisweet chocolate in top of double boiler; water heated and turned to low. Tightly cover and let sit for 8-10 minutes. Transfer the melted chocolate to a stainless steel bowl and set aside.

Place 2 1/2 cups heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a well chilled bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer. Use a hand whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Whisk until completely smooth. Add the chocolate and whip cream mixture to the rest of the whip cream. Using a rubber spatula fold the mixture together until all is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Prepare cocoa cream by placing 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in the well chilled bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the cocoa cream to another bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Prepare chocolate speckled cream by placing the remaining 2 cups have cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a well chilled bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, using a rubber spatula incorporate 4 ounces grated chocolate in the cream. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Refrigerate this cream at least 30 minutes.

To assemble parfaits.
Fill a pastry bag with the dark chocolate cream. (do not use a tip) If you do not have a pastry bag fill the dark chocolate cream in a plastic storage bag. Cut off a wide section of one corner. Fill a brandy snifter or wine glass with the dark cream, dividing the cream among 8 glasses. Repeat the process with the cocoa cream and speckled cream. Refrigerate Parfaits until serving time.

Just before serving remove the white and dark chocolate bars from the refrigerator. Shave the white chocolate bar and dark chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler. Alternate layers of white and dark chocolate on top of the parfaits. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

WHAT A GREAT EXCUSE

2009-01-30T14:51:00.000-06:00

Valentines day is just a few weeks away. What an excuse to indulge in my favorite food, CHOCOLATE.

I have a few things that are important to me on Valentines day. The first is my husband, Steve. Steve used to buy me flowers for that day for lovers until I told him that I loved the flowers, but when they died it just saddened me. He then bought me a few candy bars or sometimes a revealing nighty, but it wasn't until I made him understand that the decadent chocolate I love so much was a better choice in gifts, he finally realized that was the thing that put me in the mood for love.

Now that I get the chocolates I enjoy, Godiva, Rose City, Dove, etc. My Valentines Day is great.

I also love to make something chocolate for Valentines day. I will post that recipe soon.

Enjoy your day of love with your favorite CHOCOLATE and your lover.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-08T11:11:00.001-06:00

Christmas is a time to spend with your loved ones. Why not make them a special gift from your kitchen and give to them. I suggest chocolate cookies, chocolate peanut butter balls, a chocolate buche de noel; anything chocolate to make them happy.

In addition, give them a box of their favorite chocolates. They will love it, and you too.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler

2008-10-18T20:36:00.000-05:00

I love chocolate and raspberries. During the summer we consume fruit cobblers regularly. I found a way to add 2 favorite foods together. This cobbler has a small amount of creme de cacao, a chocolate liquor and a small amount of my favorite raspberry wine.
Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler
1 package pillsbury pie crusts
1 1lb. bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tspn vanilla
2 Tbs. creme de cacao
1 Tbs. raspberry wine (I use framboise from Low Country Winery)
6 oz bag dark chocolate morsels (I use ghirardeli dark 60% chocolate morsels)
Butter
Sugar

Mix together frozen raspberries, sugar, vanilla, creme de cacao and raspberry wine in a large bowl. Let mixture sit until raspberries have mostly thawed. Once the mixture is cool, in a 11x8 baking dish unroll one pie crust and cover the bottom of the baking dish. Add the fruit mixture. Add the chocolate chips. Unroll the second pie crust and cover the mixture, tucking and pinching edges. Cut slits in the top pie crust. Cut a few past of butter and put on top pie crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Put dish on top of a cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH CHOCOLATE

2008-10-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

Chocoholics know that you can never have enough chocolate. I have opened a cafepress store to supply the chocoholics demand for all things chocolate.

My store is called Chocolate2aT. The name comes from my two signature chocolate products I make. Chocolate torte and chocolate truffles. I do not give out these recipes because I sell them. If you are interested in purchasing these products you can contact me, but I will need several months in advance, and chocolate truffles cannot be shipped during the summer.

Enjoy these products on my store. http://www.cafepress.com/chocolate2at

A CHOCOLATE FIND

2008-10-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

This week I spent several days with friends on day excursions. We took trips an hour away from our hometown and enjoyed, visiting local wineries, antiquing, eating good food and stumbled upon a chocolate factory.

Where the place is isn't important, because you can order their products online, but finding out that the company who made those signature mints my friend was looking was a wonderful surprise.

I am getting ahead of myself. My friend and met at my home early Monday morning. We planned the day for two special reasons. One, to check out the winery in a nearby town and to purchse a box of mints that she just could not do without. Deb had received these mints as a gift from a friend and then found them in a shop in the nearby town. It had been awhile since she had made her last purchase.

We headed west through hills and valleys; Trees with brilliant colors lined the roadside. Atop each ridge we saw the trees panning out to forests of green, red and yellow. The valleys brought creeks, pastures and small farms as we made our way towards our destination. Once we left the wooded areas we topped one last ridge and below was the Tennessee river. Crossing the bridge, to the right and left the blue waters stretched for miles. We left the river behind for another day. The road opened up to four lanes as we continued west. At times we drove with no visible signs of life in the area. Other times we encountered small businesses and a few homes along our route.

We continued on our journey for an hour, catching up on what had been going on in our lives and commenting on how much we had missed one another and enjoyed each other's company. We found the historical downtown area with no problem, parked the car in search of rare finds in quaint shops, and those mints.

We were delighted to find specialty products made in Tennessee, antiques, funky handbags, specialty cooking items and at the store where we purchased mints, we found coffee and cookies awaiting us along with a few chocolate items and their wares. The townspeople were friendly and welcomed as a family. We spent quite a time at each shop, then purchased our mints and asked for a nice place to eat, since the proprieters of the restaurant where we had planned to visit were on vacation.

Slowly we made our way to Paulettes. We stopped in other stores along the way, taking our time and enjoying the day. Paulettes is a wonderful lunch place featuring quiche, salads, sandwiches, homemade bread and delightful desserts. Again we were made to feel welcome, and spent a leisurely lunch discussing our previous finds and what we planned to do next.

I had made plans to visit a local meat packer. Yes, I know, but fresh meats and foods are important to me, so I wanted to make a quick detour out of town and see what these packers had to sale. NEVER, understimate the power of a detour. Our visit to the meat market was short. They did not carry ready to go items. On our way back into town, Deb noticed a sign of the manufacturers of the mints she had bought earlier. She asked me to turn around and let's visit the place.

We made the u-turn, turned onto the country road, and dropped off the map. Our detour consisted of turns and twists, with tiny signs to guide us on our quest. In short time we made it to the farm, as they called it.

The tiny white block builiding with pink trim nestled behind a house surely could not be our destination. But we were game. We drove up and parked. The door was open, inviting us in.

Ordered chaos met us. Stacks of pans piled up on a table in front of us, pots filled the counters along the wall. A young man cleaning met us and when we stated our purpose he directed us to the woman in a room to our right. The room was just as cluttered, but this was the area where she packaged the candy she and her family made. She introduced herself as Shelby, and told us how she, her son and daughter made these lovely mints. Shelby and her husband had a friend's mother make these mints for them on their wedding day over 30 years ago. After their own careers they somehow got into the candy making business and the company is named after Ms. Sally Lane, the creator of the honey and mint candy.

She offered us a brochure and we found that this small company made more than mints. They had a product line of chocolate, as well. CHOCOLATE!! What a find. Samples lined the front counter, and we wasted no time in tasting these candies. Dark chocolate is such a passion, and I thought I had tasted different varities of candies, but the dark chocolate with black walnuts was outstanding. Their milk chocolate was much better than any I hace eaten in years, so our samples turned into several purchases.

Our detour gave us the opportunity to make new friends, indulge in our passion for chocolate, Deb shares this passion too, and learn a little about this small company. Please take the time to visit this company online at Sally Lanes Candy Farm and purchase some of their delicious candies. You will be so glad you did.

Our day continued with a visit to the local winery. I have tasted Tennessee wines before and I have to say those at the winery were quite excellent. The merlot I purchased goes well with the chocolate I bought.

I hope you take the time to take a journey and find your own chocolate at the end of the rainbow.

DARK CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE

2008-09-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

My mother made choclotate meringue pie for many years. It was my favorite, but once I began eating dark chocolate her pie just didn't have the same taste. So I have taken her version and made my own.
The pudding mixture can be made in the microwave. That cuts the cooking time down quite a bit.

2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs separated
4 tbs hersheys dark cocoa powder
4 tbs of flour
1 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1 stick butter
1 frozen 9 inch pie crust; prepared

Preheaat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Once the oven is preheated cook pie crust to a light golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand until needed.

In two small mixing bowls separate the yolks from the whites. Crack the egg and allow the egg whites to drop into the bowl separating from the yolk. Put the yolk in the other small bowl. Continue until all 3 egss are separated, making sure that no yolk gets in the whites. Set aside the egg whites for later.

In a large mixing bowl combined sugar, cocoa, flour. Mix together well, getting out all lumps. Slowly add 1/2 cup of milk stirring constantly with a whisk, so that any lumps can be stirred out. Add the 3 egg yolks, mixing well. Continue to slowly add the rest of the milk while whisking the mixture. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat for 5 minutes on 60% power. Take bowl out and stir thoroughly. Return bowl to microwave and reheat for another 3 minutes on 60% power. Stir once more and if need be return to microwave for 2 and 1/2 minutes on 60% power.

Once the pudding is thick, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Make sure the butter is melted and incorporated before pouring into pie crust.

Get the bowl of egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add 4 tbs. of sugar to the mixture and a 1/2 tspn. of cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat to incorporate.

Pour chocolate pudding mixture into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pudding mixture with the meringue. Place in the oven for 3-6 minutes to brown the mernigue. When cool, add dark chocolate shavings.

ENJOY THIS SOUTHERN FAVORITE!

MY CHOCOLATE PASSION

2008-09-26T12:21:00.000-05:00

I AM A CHOCOHOLIC!! I have had a love affair with chocolate for over 20 years. My love affair began with regular store brand candy bars. But after a few years they were not enough. I began searching the market for a better chocolate. I discovered Belgian Chocolates. At that time Godiva was the only brand name of belgian chocolates in our area. I began spending $25.00 a box on this delicious confections. Since they were so expensive I refused to share them.
Godiva chocolates introduced me to dark chocolate. I was hooked. Dark chocolate is like wine. It has aromas, different flavors and layers that unfold with each bite.
It has only been a few years now that dark chocolate has come to the forefront as a health benefit. I agree with the experts, but dark chocolate was satisfying my hunger for chocolate long before the health craze came along.
I can say with confidence that, yes, dark chocolate does lower blood pressure and alleviate heart problems because of the calming effect one gets when experiencing the flavors of dark chocolate.
ENJOY!