Double Chocolate Cupcake

One of my New year's resolutions for 2010 was to learn how to bake something",  Yep.. I happen to be a Chocoholic that doesn't bake, So I'm currently on a quest to find recipes and easy to bake recipes for beginner's such as myself.

Here's one that I found  in the November issue 2009 of All you Magazine, I've tried  it over the Christmas holiday and even though I need a little more practice to perfect it... It was fun, quick and easy as suggested. Please click here for the recipe  Double-Chocolate Cupcakes.

Whats on your Christmas list?

Okay because I'm a chocoholic the Number one Christmas gift for me is a No brainer!  

However I had to learn how to use my brain when it comes to  Holiday gift giving for my very large and complicated family members.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
I love receiving and giving gifts and  I learned  that I can never go wrong with a food gift... be it chocolates, cocoa,  candy, cookies, cheese and crackers, popcorn, pretzels, sausage, etc.     

Food gifts takes the tedious guess work out of Holiday gift giving.                      
                                                           
 Would Dad want a new robe?  socks?  slippers? or a shaver this year?  Oh, wait..didn't Mom buy him a shaver last year? 

Mom said she doesn't know what she wants for Christmas  " just buy me something nice".

Aunt Vicky said  that she'll leave it up to me to decide what to buy her because " You know what I like"... aunt Vicky I really don't.

 My  little niece Linda already has a  My Scene,  Barbie, and  Hello kitty collection.  Don't get Nephew Randy a MP3 player he got that for his birthday.


Erin doesn't like Elmo, sing-a long toys, games or trucks that go beep beep" because he thinks that he is ten... but he's only three.                             


Cousin brandy said to surprise her..but I know her well enough to know that I better Not!              

Need I say more?.... Food Gifts  have  made my Holiday gift giving a lot more fun! a lot easier and less stressful!  and a big plus is that these gifts are very economical and inexpensive and there's a multitude of price ranges to fit any and every budget.

  Merry Christmas chocolate fans and thanks for stopping by my Chocolate blog.. Do leave a note about your favorite Chocolates be it a treat or gift I'd love to her from you.

Chili Chocolate

Chocolate fans I want to share something New to me, that may or may not be New to you.  

 On my blog, Vetsy's View I wrote about my fondness for chocolate, shared a few of my favorite desserts and asked the question:  What is your favorite chocolate dessert ?

My blogging friend Carrie from the U.K wrote back with her response:
 "I always have chili chocolate in the house, dark 70% chili chocolate. Good for the soul x"

What on earth is chili chocolate?    My imagination went wild as I conjured up and tried to compute what this combo would taste like.  Lets see.... ground beef, beans, chillies and chunks of chocolate?...

Nah!. Nope"  even though I have never seen or heard of Chili chocolate, I knew this could not possibly be it! So I wrote Carrie back and searched the net for more info and here is what I found...

My findings started out with a little History:                   

Mayan and Aztecs of Southern Mexico were the first to fall in love with chocolate. They would grind the roasted beans into a coarse paste and mix it with spices, water, and chillies to create a cold frothy drink,  hmm" and I thought that Cold coffee was a New thing"....well wonders never cease.

The Aztecs put their own spin on it with Vanilla bean, chillies, cornmeal and black pepper and the rest is History.   Later on this caught on to European traders who traded goods with these Mexican cultures. Thus.. The invention of  Chili Chocolate.

So what is Chili chocolate?... It's a blend of Dark Chocolate and Chili peppers grounded or left whole, combined to form a unique flavor and experience.  As the Chocolate melts in your mouth a warming sensation is felt a few seconds later.

This sensation I read is not the sensation or burn one would feel after the consumption of Tabasco sauce or Buffalo wings... unless it is deliberately blended to do so.

In fact the Dark chocolate tempers the heat from the chili peppers making it mellow.. yet bold and unique.

 Chocolate fans.. I can't wait to try this Chili Chocolate and when I find and taste it I will certainly blog about my experience.

Have you tried Chilli Chocolate?  If  so please blog me about it I would love to her from you.

Chocolate is good for you!

                                                                                                                            

I love the fact that chocolate can be good for you!  this makes eating it even more fun. I can eat my favorite treat and be happy and healthier for it too! 

   This healthy for you chocolate....  is Dark chocolate. It is rich in antioxidants flavonoids which are the plant compounds that studies show have wonderful benefits on the Mind and Body.

  What can it do for you ? .... It can help lower your cholesterol and your blood pressure without-causing weight gain!  This is because it has a low glycemic index meaning it won't spike your blood sugar.

It is a mild anti-depressant, So before you open those bills in your mail... take a bite of some dark chocolate.                                                                

A German study showed that just drinking a half cup of Hot chocolate a day can make your skin smoother and more hydrated!  Wow!  a delicious skin treatment I can drink!  Yummy!

These are just a few of the benefits and fun facts I wanted to share with you about the health benefits of dark chocolate.

You can learn more about it on the web, books, and magazines.

P.S... if you click on  any of the logos on my blogs from chocolate.com, It will take you directly to the Chocolate.com page.  They have a mind blowing array of  Yummy chocolates and chocolate Gifts and Favors  for Every taste bud and Every occasion and guess what?... they even have chocolate for you Vegans out there.  

                                                                       Enjoy!

I luv Chocolate

                                                                                                                      


I love Chocolate and it has been  my favorite treat, snack and dessert since my childhood.  I don't need a reason or occasions to indulge in my favorite treat.  However,  if  I'm bored, stressed, blue, or happy, there's a chocolate that fits the mood.

    I prefer that I guy woo me with chocolates. He could still my heart and get my attention if he would bring me chocolate for my Birthday, Valentines Day and Christmas!

Here's some of  my favorites :  My aunt use to make a home made German chocolate cake for Christmas, this cake has a bittersweet chocolate icing and filled with Toasty! Coconut and Pecans!  Yummy!

My Mother made us hot chocolate the old fashioned way with cocoa  powder and milk.
  I continue to make it the same way today,"  mmm"... where's my cotton  robe and  fuzzy slippers".    
                                                                                                                                       
      I would  beg my  mother for her chocolate covered turtles dad would buy her for Christmas.. "Shame on me"!,  it was one of her  favorites and mine too!.  As an adult my chocolate palet grew to include: Chocolate covered almonds, pretzels, cookies and cherries to name a few.

I'm currently searching the net for companies that sale good chocolate treats!  because I'm a girl who has her needs and I'm needing some chocolate!

Chocolate.com  is a site that I found on the net and they Got the Goodies and the Goods! I want to sink my teeth in! .. So stay tuned for future reviews on my blog about Chocolate.com and others I may review.  

 To learn more about Chocolate.com click on the photos with the Chocolate.com logos and it will take you right to their website.

So if  you're a Chocolate freak, Chocolate lover, Chocoholic.... Welcome, and  blog me and share your Chocolate Fixes and Favorites?

                                                                               _ Vetsy