Author Archive: Joanna Maligaya
Soft Chocolate Caramels
May 28, 2014
What do homemade caramels remind you of? Me, it specifically reminds me of times when my siblings and I gathered around and just ate whatever we wanted. But today, I can eat some any day of the week.
I always go for my mother’s caramel recipe for the most part though. This time, I want my caramels more chocolatey. Little did I know it would be as easy as adding chocolate to the initial caramel mixture. I went with a different recipe and the end result shocked me.
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Eat Chocolate, Slow Down Aging Process
May 23, 2014
Going grocery shopping? Make sure you add chocolates to your shopping list. Why? I said it a million times, it acts like serotonin in your brain -- it makes you happy! On top of that, the catechins in chocolate help keep wrinkles away.
See to it that you buy dark chocolate with at least 85% cacao, though. Otherwise, the sugars undo what chocolate does. You body may be older than you would like it to be, however you can still do something to slow down the aging process. Here are some tips to heed:
Banana Mocha Ice Cream
May 21, 2014
Double Dutch used to be my favorite ice cream growing up. Rocky Road followed suit. I wasn't crazy about straight vanilla until I was in my teenage years. Now, I'd prefer it over Double Dutch any day of the week. Rocky Road, and any chocolate-heavy ice cream, for that matter, will always be at the top of the list.
Mocha is a different story. Mocha, to me, is coffee with some cocoa in it. Coffee and chocolate will always go together like salt and pepper or peanut butter and jelly. These two flavors combined are phenomenal to me.
Chocolate Butterscotch Swirl Brownies
May 14, 2014
When it comes to chocolate dessert, I don't have a favorite. If they were Pokemon, I'd catch 'em all! Right?! Right?! No? Okay. 🙁 moving along...
I may not be able to pick my favorite, but I would say brownies are among the best chocolatey confections. My go-to pick almost always includes butterscotch brownies. I can positively murder a batch if I'm left unattended with them. Yup, these brownies are mah jam.
A World Without Chocolate?
May 9, 2014
Based on a research in the journal Climatic Change, global food production could drop 0.5% within the incoming 7 years. And by mid-century, an astounding 2.3%.
And global welfare losses could go beyond $200 billion in 2050. All these brought about by one thing: Climate Change.
An Oilprice.com report says the "study ranks the UK, France, Germany, the US and Russia as medium-risk countries in terms of climate-change effects, while Bangladesh, India and the majority of African countries are listed as the most vulnerable economies."
Chocolate Mint Layer Cake
May 7, 2014
When you're feeling down, just think this: It's already summer next month! Many of us wait all year for summer. The tan lines and beach hair are just too chic to let them pass you by. However, I don't always belong to that club. I mean, yeah, I love it, but I'm 50% member of the Holidays-lover club.
To me, you don't just bounce back after the Holidays, I live in it for months on end. By some means, the scent of an evergreen tea and the sight of the twinkling lights signal to my brain that 'tis the season to be joyous! And they stay with me for months, I tell ya. Until, like, June, tops.
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The Chocoholic’s Paradise: the Caribbean
May 2, 2014
The Caribbean islands are almost surreal when it comes to the ever-so-fantastic cacao bean. You’ll get to stumble upon a history with astounding backstories, chocolate factories, and enthusiastic chocolatiers. Here's are a few places places to visit (as summarized from an article in USA Today, A chocoholic's guide to the Caribbean).
Hotel Chocolat, St. Lucia
As you enter the on-site restaurant, Boucan, it’s safe to say you will be awestruck. You can devour cacao-inspired cuisine such as cacao ravioli, along with chocolate soup topped with banana, caramel and toasted almond. Their mahogany floors scream chocolate, too. One of the must-try experience is the tree-to-bar in which you get to choose ripe cocoa pods from the trees and whip up your own chocolate bars. Read more
Pecan Turtle Brownies
April 30, 2014
Here is something you will learn eventually. Either a person like nuts in his or her brownies, or they don’t.
There are people that I personally know who had sworn off nuts, and it’s not because of allergies and whatnot. They simply aren’t fans of the taste. Or texture? But whatevs. Me, I will forever love nuts in my brownies (and cookies, and frosting, among many others)!
There is one thing that’s hard to resist, though. And it’s turtle brownies! Even the finickiest eater cannot say no when you play the turtle card. I’ve always been a loud and proud pecan-lover, and it goes without saying it’s one of the things that make me gush about this recipe. However, you can choose to top these brownies with a thick layer of caramel, chocolate chips and pecans.
Problems with Chocolate Milk Ban
April 25, 2014
Recently, a pilot study done by scientists at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab has shown that offering skim milk in lieu of chocolate milk during school lunch diminished the milk sales by 10% and amplified milk waste by 29%. 11 Oregon elementary schools participated in an effort to eliminate unnecessary sugar intake.
The school district's PTA members were against chocolate milk, believing it’s equally bad as soda. Such a policy may get rid of the added sugar in chocolate milk, but it’s also in some sort asking for trouble, nutritional- and economic-wise. Little kids, more often than not, don't choose foods for health, but instead for taste.
German Chocolate Cake Frosting
April 23, 2014
German chocolate cake, initially dubbed as German's chocolate cake, refers to a layered, chocolate cake filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting.
Contrary to popular belief, German chocolate cake does not trace its roots back to Germany, as it originated in the United States. It was 1852 when an American named Sam German developed a type of dark baking chocolate for the American Baker's Chocolate Company.
Just so you know, making German Chocolate cake frosting from scratch makes an astounding difference! If the canned stuff is all you’ve ever tried, then have a blast with this one. It’s actually a breeze to make, too. I could make the icing all the time and just eat that!