Is Chocolate Good for Pregnancy?
August 17, 2010
Eat chocolate if you're pregnant, research says. As if a woman, pregnant or not, needs an excuse to eat chocolate!
A recent study has shown that the beneficial effects of chocolate can lower cardiovascular problems and prevent hypertension during pregnancy.
The antioxidants and flavanols in chocolate may protect cells from damage caused by oxidation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The exact mechanism of the cardioprotective properties in chocolate are unknown, but the positive effects are well documented.
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Chocolatier Hachez
August 16, 2010
In 1890 Joseph Emile Hachez, originally from Belgium, established the Bremer Hachez Chocolade Company in Bremen, Germany.
In 1922, they began producing what would become their signature product, a chocolate autumn leaf called Brown Leaves.
Brown Leaves comes in either solid milk or dark chocolate or praline leaves filled with fine nougat. This traditional line of chocolates is only part of what they offer now.
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How Much Caffeine is in Chocolate?
August 15, 2010
I can’t talk about caffeine without mentioning another similar chemical called theobromine. So, I’ll discuss both and even compare some things between them.
There are two chemicals present in chocolate that qualify as stimulants (alkaloid molecules known as methylxanthines), caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine affects people in a similar way to caffeine but is much weaker. Although there is significantly more theobromine in chocolate than caffeine, it triggers these “caffeine affects” on a much smaller scale.
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Peanut Butter and Chocolate
August 14, 2010
You can probably guess what PB&J means. Peanut Butter and Jelly. PB&J is a classic American combination mostly reminiscent of childhood. Now that you are grown up, I suggest you switch to a more sophisticated flavor combination – Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Can we call it PB&C?
The most accepted theory of who put peanut butter and chocolate together is the story of H.B. Reese. Mr. Reese started out as a dairy employee for Hershey Chocolate Company in the 1920’s. He soon ventured out to start his own company and began to manufacture a single product called peanut butter cups, known today as REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups.
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Superfudge Truffle to Retire
August 13, 2010
About a month ago, ice cream retailer Baskin-Robbins retired 5 flavors on their menu. The company wants to make room for new flavors so they put these five into “the deep freeze.”
One of the flavors being retired is Super Fudge Truffle which was introduced in 2007. Superfudge Truffle is a chocolate fudge ice cream with chunks of chocolate ganache and toffee truffle pieces.
In my opinion, you should never retire an ice cream flavor that includes chocolate ganache!
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Invite Chocolate To Your Wedding!
August 12, 2010
Chocolate and celebrations go back as early as the ancient Maya, maybe even earlier. The Maya served a frothy chocolate beverage made from crushed cacao beans. Perhaps it was used for the first toast by the best man!
Today, the tradition of serving chocolate at weddings continues. Receptions serve guests chocolate wedding cake, the bride and groom thank their guests with chocolate wedding favors and, the pièce de résistance, a chocolate fountain for dipping!
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake
August 11, 2010
I wonder who thought the pairing of chocolate and zucchini in a cake would make a good idea?
It is a rather unusual combination. (My husband claims that foods commonly served as vegetables should not be added to cake!)
I did a little looking around to find out some history behind the invention of chocolate zucchini cake and noticed there are a lot of theories but no one really knows for sure. I like the most logical one; someone had to find a way to use up the most prolific invader of the garden!
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Green and Black’s Miniature Bar Collection
August 9, 2010
I am hard pressed to think of a box of chocolates that claims to be everything to everyone, but I may have hit the jack pot with Green and Black’s Miniature Bar Collection.
The collection contains milk chocolate, dark chocolate, almonds, butterscotch candy bits, crystallized ginger, dried sour cherries. Everything’s organic. The tasting samples are the perfect size. Also suitable for vegetarians. Did I miss anything?
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Working With Chocolate and Caramel Filling
August 8, 2010
It is true that even the smallest amount of water and chocolate don’t get along. The combination often leads to problems like seizing and sugar bloom. Yet, you can buy chocolate-covered caramels and see for yourself that they look good and tastes good. They have a fairly decent shelf life, too.
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