Cadbury

Well, it's happening again. My friends are supplying me with chocolate to blog about. Good friends! This time it is a coworker. She is a fellow chocoholic and we frequently discuss our latest chocolate emergencies. My friend Linda gave me a bar of chocolate the other day that came with less than impressive reviews. It was a Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate Bar. Linda loves dark chocolate - the darker the better. So she had high hopes for this English chocolate (now made by Hershey).

This dark chocolate however, doesn't pack the punch she expected. Usually companies will put the percentage of cacao on the package. The lack of representation on this package makes me think the cocoa percentage is only 50%. (Fun Fact: In order to truly be considered dark chocolate, at least 50% cacao must be used.) Linda thought it had a more milk chocolate taste than dark.

She asked my opinion. After coercing me to try it (yeah right) I had to agree. Don't get me wrong, it is very good chocolate. But if you're looking for that powerful dark chocolate taste, you won't find it here. If you don't like your chocolate extremely bitter but still want that antioxidant goodness of dark, I recommend you try this.

Choco indulgence of the week

Last Wednesday on my way to teach the little ballerinas how to dance, I was having a true chocolate emergency. Luckily for me, there was a Sheetz along the way. What to get, what to get? I could go with an old standby like the Snickers or Milky Way, but something else caught my eye instead.

A shiny blue package full of chocolatey deliciousness. It was a Cocoa Rice Krispy Treat. Why have I not discovered this sooner? Cocoa Rice Krispies with chocolate chunks mixed in. The best part - I left it in my warm car during dance class and came out to an even better surprise. The chocolate coating along the bottom had melted and was soft and tasty. I wasn't expecting much but the chocolate was actually very good. This Treat comes with high recommendations from me!

Hiatus

Hello fellow chocoholics (If there's any of you still left out there.)

I must apologize for my absence. I'm unsure why I haven't been posting recently. But here's a little bit of what I've been up to.

1. I got engaged! Anthony and I will be tying the knot in June of 2012. I spent my summer surfing the net, looking for inspiration for planning our wedding. We've been to a couple reception halls and a bridal show. No set plans as of yet, but stay tuned and I'll keep updating. One thing that's for sure - we'll incorporate chocolate some way, somehow.
www.theknot.com/ourwedding/anthonydegerolamo&annewatkinson

2. I've started graduate school. I'm currently attending Point Park University in Downtown Pgh. I'm working towards a Masters of Education in Secondary Education. I would love to teach English on the secondary level.

3. The 2010-2011 school year has begun. I've started working with 7th and 8th grade special education student again. I was ready to go back to work after a nice summer vacation. I love what I do and am very fortunate to have such a great job.

4. Chocolate of the month: The vanilla creme truffle from Godiva (of course). This delicacy is a dark chocolate covered truffle with a dual filling inside. One side is rich coffee ganache while the other is a complementary vanilla creme. It taste like the perfect cup of coffee, topped off with some chocolate. Perfect.

Gotta Love Wedding Season

I've been to about 7 bachelorette parties and 12 weddings this summer. (No not really. I'm exaggerating a bit, but it was a lot.) They were all lovely. I love weddings. The dresses, the flowers, the dancing, the love. The best part was the favors! I was able to snag about 8 Sarris chocolate bars from one wedding. Hey, you snooze you lose, people. I didn't even need to eat any wedding cake.

Chocolate Math

Your Age by Chocolate Math.

1. First, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate. (More than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2.

3. Add 5.

4. Multiply it by 50.

5. If you have already had your birthday this year, add 1760. If not, add 1759.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number - the amount of times you would like to eat chocolate per week. The next two numbers are YOUR AGE!!!

This is the only year (2010) this will work, so tell your friends!

Something to ponder...

If I eat equal amounts of dark, milk, and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet?

Just wondering [o=

I love a bargain!

You know how when you go shopping and you get a killer deal on something, you just have to tell someone about it? Well what could be better than that? Actually, getting a good deal on chocolate is significantly more exciting. Trust me. I went to the drug store down the street today to hunt out some good after-Easter sales. When I saw those bright yellow 50% off signs, I knew I hit the jackpot.

I got a bag of M&Ms, two Sarris Butter Cream Eggs, a Russel Stover Strawberry Marshmallow egg, and a little chocolate bunny. Wanna know how much I paid? $3.90!!!!!!!!!!! Holla!

Tell me something I don't know

Every now and then the news likes to come out with a story to tell viewers the health benefits of chocolate. And that's news? Duh! I've been saying it all along! This time, though, there are physical benefits, and it doesn't just come from dark chocolate - although experts (like me) say the darker, the better.

This study occurred in Germany with 20,000 people over eight years. What I want to know is how do I get into one of these studies?! I admit, I may be a bit biased, but I would commit 100%.

Read the whole article here.

Just ignore the last sentence in the article. It ain't true! [o=

Have you laughed yet today?

Here's someone who has! This is probably the best video on YouTube. It never fails to put a smile on my face. If you need a pick-me-up, I promise this will do the trick. Enjoy this little guy!

Hot Chicks!

With Easter fast approaching, stores are stocking up their shelves with colorful little treats. One treat that goes way back is the Marshmallow Peeps. My Grandma loves these sweet little chicks but do people still eat them? Some people just use them to decorate (My other Grandma). I don't mind eating them, but I like them a little stale. They're a bit tougher, I find.


So what do you guys do? Eat 'em? Decorate with 'em? Blow them up in the microwave?

RIP Frank Sarris

The world lost a little bit of sugar yesterday. Frank Sarris, candyman and owner of Sarris Candies in good ol Canonsburg, PA died. This man created my favorite chocolate that I have ever eaten. Do you know how monumental that is?

I worked at Sarris Candies for a year or two in high school as an ice cream scooper. Sarris also made his own ice cream. I've been going to Sarris for as long as I can remember and I will continue to go to the old-fashioned ice cream parlour and candy shoppe until the day I die.

Sarris was a local hero. Just stop inside the store and you will find endless pictures of the people he's met: Presidents, celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. Sarris always kept his business local and gave back to his community. The new Canonsburg Library is being built in his name. He's won Pennsylvania Small Business Owner of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Philanthropist of the year, just to name a few.

My deepest condolences to the family. May they find comfort in the fact that Frank was a local hero and revered man in his community. He will be missed!

Another Chocolate Covered Holiday

I could use a little Springtime right about now. I could use some blue skies, green grass and chirping birds. However the City of Champions is looking at another 1-3 inches of snow tonight. Luckily, I've got some chocolate to keep my warm and full.

Now that the Valentine's Day chocolate is gone, retailers have covered the shelves with Easter eggs, Marshmallow Peeps, and chocolate bunnies. The item I just couldn't pass up today was the Russell Stover Pecan Delight Egg. A new twist on the Turtle, this egg is a gracious amount of caramel dusted with chopped pecans and covered with smooth milk chocolate. If you like turtles you MUST try this!

I'd like to find one . . . or seven in my Easter basket!

Balloons and Choco

Check out this fellow chocolate addict I found on YouTube. She's quite eccentric but if she loves chocolate, she's a friend of mine! Here she shows us how to make adorable little chocolate cups to fill with just about anything your chocolate heart could desire. Very creative.

If I had a million dollars

We all like to fantasize about what we'd do if we won the lottery. Most people would quit their jobs, buy their dream car, and travel. I would do a chocolate tour. Check out this blog on Bing Travel about the 17 best chocolate destinations.

17 Best Destinations for Chocolate Lovers

It will take you around the globe from Switzerland, the country who eats the most chocolate, to Argentina where they have a spa specializing in chocolate therapy. Um, yes please! I'm off to buy a lottery ticket.

The Holiday for Chocolate

Well, chocoholics, this is our holiday. Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday celebrating chocolate love. Hey, I'm not complaining. Any excuse to eat chocolate is good enough for me. The only problem I have with it is how much they jack up the price!

Yasmina and I took a trip to my favorite Godiva yesterday to get our fix. They have the typical fabric red heart filled with chocolate. Wanna know how much it costs? For 29 chocolates you will pay $70. Aye there's the rub!

The same goes for flowers. You will pay an arm and a leg, and probably a kidney for a dozen red roses this time of year. Smart marketing, I suppose, because people will pay it.

My advice: go get that fabric heart February 16th. Chances are it will be on sale, and the chocolate doesn't go bad. I will accept chocolate in a red heart any time of year. I don't care if it's before, on, or way after February 14th!

I am loved.

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. I don't feel much different. Actually I feel full! My friends and I went to Buca di Beppo for dinner; and if you've ever been there, you know how good the food is and how much they give you.

So I feel full, and I feel loved. I had a very nice birthday. A friend from work made me a triple chocolate cake, and of course Anthony came through with some chocolate for future chocolate emergencies! I also got the most divine chocolate brownie with peanut butter frosting - which I ate for breakfast this morning. - It's my birthday so I'm allowed!

Girls' night with Jas

As Yasmina and I sit here polishing our fingernails, eating kettle corn, and watching Julie & Julia we are, of course, eating chocolate. We are in total girl mode.

On the menu for this evening is Nirvana Belgian Chocolates. This is no ordinary Hershey bar. The ingredients from this bar have come from all over the world. We are eating dark chocolate from Trinidad, Golgi berries from the Himalayas, Mulberries from Turkey, and Goldenberries from Peru.

The chocolate tastes divine! We can tell it is good, organic chocolate. 72% is the perfect compliment to the tart "Superberries." While I wish there were more superberries I enjoy trying these exotic flavors. The texture somewhat reminds me of tough raisins. The pairing works quite nicely.

Happy New Year

My New Year's Resolution is to eat more chocolate!

I'd also like to try new kinds of chocolate. I tend to stick to the same brands and the same kinds of chocolate. I'm thinking in 2010 I'll branch out and try some new stuff.

Here's what's in my Chocolate Drawer (yes I have an entire drawer in my kitchen devoted to chocolate) that I'm going to try:
* M&Ms Premiums: Chocolate Trio
* Green & Black's Organic milk chocolate with almonds
* Nirvana Belgian Chocolates with Goji berry, mulberry, and goldenberry
*Curenero dark chocolate with red chili peppers
*Some dark chocolate square that doesn't contain a word of English!
*and Earl Grey Tea Chocolate

Should be a good year.