May 19th, 2012
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May 19th, 2012
Did your mouth just get choco-lusciously sweet, watering and tantalizing taste-buds intensely craving for a bite right now? Did it just remodel the pleasurable image of someone treating you with chocolate or even trying to win your heart? Or on the converse, it invoked the harsh rebukes of your mom on you eating every existing flavor even with rotten teeth? Infinitely more than all of this must have happened to countless. Well, hit the refresh button in your head and come back to know the surprising reasons associated with it.
Since ages, chocolate has been a part of innumerable amount of research, books, novels, movies and celebrities have been going crazy giving their impressions about how they indeed feel about this irresistibly delightful confection. Even the western holidays like Valentine’s Day and Easter is never complete without it.
The underlying mysteries are now going to be unveiled here, making obvious the reasons of the power and position that this brown cocoa captivates throughout the globe.
A recent research reveals that the melting of chocolate in one’s mouth increases heart-rate and brain activity and the effects last four times than that of any pleasurable passionate activity you can possibly imagine. This report was highlighted by BBC. So, students and stressed-out workers, just take a 5 minute break, grab your favorite cocoa bar, shut your eyes while leaning and just let the flavor sync with your brain and heart. When done with this activity, imagine how much more proactively you can work at this later moment.
As proposed by American Heart Association: “Dark chocolate supports coronary vascular function… These Immediate beneficial effects were paralleled by a significant reduction in oxidative stress.”
Another research-based news broadcasted by BBC illustrates that eating chocolate can prevent tooth-decay. Hey kids now you can show your mom this authentic news so you may no longer be reprimanded on stealing chocolate from your refrigerator.
Parents too should now be letting their children have chocolate and to top it up, they too can enjoy the confection even if being faced by obesity problems. Sure I understand the element of surprise here but truly, dark chocolate can help you reduce weight. Since chocolate accelerates the production of serotonin, which is an active ingredient in human brain to control emotions and appetite, it makes the person feel full well before the stomach bulges out. Therefore healthy dark chocolate proves to be an endowed ingredient to keep your cravings balanced and weighing-machine happier. But beware of that sugary milk chocolate that could sky-rocket your level of obesity. Nevertheless, dark chocolate is found delicious too.
Children and adults can now proudly face their no-more-guilty confessions about chocolate but what about the elderly who still at times want to snatch a bite from their grandchildren? Researches show that chocolate increases Cognitive ability in the elderly people. It might cause Osteoporosis but research is still being made to support the evidence.
To mention a few, reduction in cholesterol level, heart diseases blood-pressure and risk of cardiovascular problems are some of the great pleasures this consuming passion piggybacks with it. On that account, your sweet tooth will no longer be exasperated. Putting on the lid here by quoting Catherine Aitken “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.”
This Article is Written By “Ghalia Akram” Senior Author At Envirocivil.com
Originally Published by www.envirocivil.com
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May 16th, 2012
If you have a sweet tooth you’re probably familiar with chocolate chips, but did you know that May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day? Chocolate chips are an essential part of many recipes, like chocolate chip cookies. How much do you know about these delicious bite-sized morsels? Find out all about chocolate chips!
Chocolate Chip Creation
We’re used to seeing chocolate chips as small, flat and round or teardrop shaped—perfect for slipping into baked goods like muffins and cookies, but the first chocolate chips looked more like their name, tiny chunks of chocolate that were broken off from a larger bar.
In fact chocolate chips were created specifically for chocolate chip cookies! In 1937 Ruth Graves Wakefield from the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts created a new kind of cookie when she added cut up pieces of semi-sweet Nestle bar to her recipe. The cookies were a wild success and pretty soon Nestle was knocking on her door asking to put her recipe on their chocolate bar’s packaging in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate! In fact Nestle not only added the recipe to the packaging but also included a small chopping tool. By 1941 they started creating chocolate chips as an ingredient to sell separately. The Nestle brand Toll House is named after the inventor Ruth Wakefield’s inn, but there are lots of different companies that now produce chocolate chips.
In 1997 Massachusetts honored its historical chocolate chip association by declaring that the chocolate chip cookie was The Official State Cookie!
Choice of Chips
Chocolate chips may have started out as semi-sweet, but since their invention there have been many delicious variations on these tiny treats, such as:
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white chocolate
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dark chocolate
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milk chocolate
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bittersweet
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peanut butter
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butterscotch
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mint chocolate
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white and dark swirl
In The Mix
You can add chocolate chips to all kinds of different recipes to give your sweet treat a flavor boost, here’s a few of our faves!
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Cookies
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Muffins
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Banana Bread
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Pancakes
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Crepes
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Waffles
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Cakes
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Trail Mix
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Rice Crispy Squares
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Ice Cream Sundaes
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Granola Bars
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S’mores
Hot Tip!
Because chocolate chips are made to retain their shape they don’t melt as easily as baking chocolate (which has more cocoa butter in it), but you can still use them to make chocolate sauces or melt them for ooey gooey goodies-just remember that they melt best between 104 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Who doesn’t enjoy slipping their chocolate chip cookies back in the oven or in the microwave to enjoy those melted morsels?
Have Your Say
What’s your favorite way to eat chocolate chips? Let us know in the comments section below.
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May 16th, 2012
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May 13th, 2012
Which ticks more ethical boxes? Fairtrade organic olive oil from the Palestinian territories? Or organic chocolate grown by a co-operative of Grenadian peasant farmers on a solar-powered farm and transported to Europe from the Caribbean in a sailing ship with no engines?
The olive oil sells for £8.50 for a 500ml bottle, but the first 24,000 bars of “handpressed, single-estate, vanilla-free, vintage rootstock, grown-with-a-windward aspect” chocolate in the world arrives in Portsmouth next week – winds permitting – on the Tres Hombres, a 32-tonne square-rigged wooden sailing cargo ship.
The environmental impact of growing, processing and transporting the chocolate is said to be minimal, but the retail price for the food billed to taste of fruit, tobacco and grass is eye-watering. A 100g bar of Gru Grococo will sell at an introductory price of £12.95, but if bought while still at sea will cost £60 for six bars – the equivalent of around £1.50 a mouthful.
“It may well be the most expensive chocolate in Britain,” says Chantal Coady of Rococo chocolate who will sell it online. “But we think it is the only truly carbon-neutral chocolate. People are not paying anywhere near the real environmental price for chocolate when they buy an ordinary bar. This is chocolate without an impact. Plus, for every bar we make, we are returning 60-70% of the retail price cost to the growers, compared to next to nothing with conventional chocolate. All the value added with this cocoa is in Grenada.”
Industry and government research suggests that shipping by conventional sea or air transport is only a very small part of food’s overall environmental impact. But Fairtransport, the Dutch company which owns the Tres Hombres ship, argues that the only truly sustainable way to carry food from the tropics is by sail.
The Tres Hombres, which can take 30 tonnes of goods a time, crosses the Atlantic several times a year. In two years it has shipped aid to Haiti and elsewhere, as well as rum and fruit.
“This is only a beginning. The next step is to build a much larger sail-powered cargo ship, a 3,000 tonne EcoLiner equipped for container traffic and fully competitive with the oil guzzling competitors”, says Fairtransport director Jorne Langelaan. “We want to re-establish sailing ships as a natural alternative to an anti-ecological culture. We want to see a revival of the great age of sail, as a means of Fair transport for cargo around the Atlantic”.
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May 13th, 2012
My daughter has requested an chocolate cake with marzipan for her 8th birthday. I bought marzipan dough (gyumrmarci) and she made the marzipan figures 
Happy birthday to Tamara!
Recipe of the chocolate cake:
Ingredeients for the cake:
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May 10th, 2012
I’m not much of a dessert eater, I rather have another plate of pasta for dessert but when I do I always go for chocolate! I don’t need much to satisfy my sweet tooth so this rich, dense, not too sweet chocolaty cake is perfect. I love the fact that it’s flourless as well which means my daughter Alexandra who has Celiac disease can enjoy this too! This cake is easy to prepare and looks really impressive with its’ shining coat of rich velvety chocolate poured over the entire cake. WARNING! This cake is rich so a small slice should satisfy your sweet tooth! The cake will last in the refrigerator for up to a week.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE
3/4 cups (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter cut up into pieces plus 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter for greasing the pan
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature (set 3 eggs whites aside; save the other 2 for an egg-white omelet)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Use half of the 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter to grease the inside of an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper; grease the paper with the other half of the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Dust with the cocoa powder.
In the top of double boiler over simmering water, combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup of butter, and melt completely. Mix together will and set aside to cool, about 20 to 30 minutes.
PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 300 F.
Using a mixer with a wire whisk on medium-high, beat the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1 tablespoon of the coffee, the vanilla, and the salt for 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick. With the mixer on medium-low, slowly add the cooled chocolate mixture; beat until well incorporated.
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites, using the wire whisk until foamy. Gradually add the 2 tablespoons of sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Gently fold the half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until no streaks remain.Spread the batter in the pan. Bake for 40 minutes, until the cake puffs slightly and toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist. Do not over bake. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake; then invert it onto a flat plate. Gently lift off the pan and peel off the paper. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour; refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
MAKE THE GLAZE
To make the glaze, combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water and melt, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup until the glaze is smooth and shiny. Set the cake on a wire rack over a large baking sheet. Pour the warm glaze over the center of the cake. The glaze should cover the surface evenly, spilling over the edges and down the sides, with all the excess falling onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours uncovered.
Slice the cake in small slices (it’s very rich), dipping your knife into hot water and wiping it dry before you cut each slice.
The cake will keep in the refrigerator covered for a week. Bring slices of cake to room temperature before serving it should take about 20 minutes. The cake tastes better and room temperature but cold from refrigerator is great too! Love to serve it with a scoop of French Vanilla Bean ice cream!
Enjoy!
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May 10th, 2012
I know I promised a final installment to the Dole Summit recaps (and I’ll be posting that one next), but I just had to share this amazing smoothie that I guzzled
After spending the past three days with a miserable cold (damn you, recirculated airline air), I woke up today feeling marginally better and craving something substantial–but also comforting. This drink hit the mark perfectly, since it combines a few of my very favorite things: breakfast; chocolate; my VitaMix; quick; and easy. I mean, with a quintet like that, how can you go wrong?** For me, it’s just what the doctor naturopath ordered.
I adapted this recipe from one I came across in Ladies Home Journal magazine (May 2012 issue). I loved the concept of a mocha/nutella mix, but wasn’t crazy about the 305 calories, 15 grams (!) of fat, 6 grams of fiber and only 7 grams of protein in each serving.
My version replaces banana with pear (and if you can do banana, please feel free); coffee with Dandy blend; and nutella with the base ingredients of hazelnuts and raw cacao. I also used some chocolate rice protein powder to increase the nutritional content.
This low glycemic, dairy-free and whole foods version clocks in at 275 calories per serving, with 11.5 grams of fat, 12 grams of fiber and 12.5 grams of protein. I’d say that’s an improvement. . . and it seems to have given the boot to my cold today, too. Way better than a musical serenade, any time.
Chocolate Hazelnut Breakfast Smoothie
adapted from Ladies Home Journal, May 2012
This smoothie is a perfect combination of dessert-like flavors with nutritional value. Quick and easy, it provides a good balance of healthy fats, carbs and protein. I keep cored, quartered pears on hand in the freezer for just this type of recipe.
1/2 pear, frozen
2/3 cup (160 ml) rice milk, plain or chocolate
2/3 cup (160 ml) water (use ice if your pear isn’t frozen)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) whole hazelnuts, lightly toasted
1-1/2 Tbsp (22.5 ml) chia seeds
1 tsp (5 ml) Dandy blend or other instant coffee substitute
1 serving chocolate rice protein powder (I use Nutri-Biotic)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) raw cacao powder (or use cocoa, but increase the stevia)
10-15 drops plain or chocolate stevia liquid, to your taste
Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
Suitable for: Anti-candida diet Stage 2 and beyond; dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, Diabetic-friendly.
** Actually, there is one quintet I’d rather be greeted with in the morning (which we heard live a few years ago). But giventhat the HH was born without a “romance gene,” I’d say there’s no chance he’ll be arranging a private concert for me any time soon.
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Other smoothies on DDD:
© Ricki Heller, Diet, Dessert and Dogs
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May 7th, 2012
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May 7th, 2012
Shall we bake? It’s been sometime since we baked right? Here is something simple to put together, if you are in a hurry. I was searching for a simple eggless chocolate cake and google took me here. This cake is really moist and I fell in love with its colour I think, this will be my go to recipe for an eggless chocolate cake. What I liked most about it is, it isnt very sweet, even with the frosting. Just the right amount of sweetness for me.
I wanted this cake to have a very homely look, because I was baking it for a friend… who is crazy about homemade baked goodies. So what do you think, does it look like a simple homemade chocolatey goodness to you?
You ready with your whisk, measuring cups, flour and apron… shall we roll?
Recipe Source: Food Tale
In a large bowl sift together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Make a well…
Add all the wet ingredients one by one. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. You can also use a wire whisk. Do not over beat it.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake in the pre heated oven for about 30 min. Check the cake with tooth pick. Toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come clean when the cake is ready.
I got a 6 inch square cake and 6 mini cupcakes with the above qty. You can use a 7 or 8 inch cake tin, to make the whole qty as cake. I used a hand whisk to combine the batter.
I used low fat milk and low fat yogurt for the cake. I measured the yogurt after beating it well.
You can also use hot milk instead of hot water for icing. I used hot water.
I kept the frosted cake at room temp for 2 days in an airtight container. You can store it in fridge for 4-5 days. The cake was very moist, even when I had it straight out of the fridge, though the icing was a tiny bit hard. If you want the icing also to be soft, keep it @ room temp for 10-15 mins, before serving.
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Good Morning.
We should destroy this on december 21st
Anybody else hungry? Or have the weirdest boner? If so keep it to yourself assface
hmm did he clean his shoes before??
Quick, somebody get 2000 jars of Jif.
they’re stepping all over it!!!!!
Chichen eats-a?
Just add bacon!
Mayan calendar already ended about 8 months ago, remember all the leap years since they started…