Dean’s Low Fat Chocolate Ice Cream

Low fat chocolate ice cream has come a long way.  Maybe I'm dating myself, but I remember when lowfat and fat free icecream was first introduced into the marketplace.

Dean's Country Churn ChocolateThe chocolate ice cream had little chocolate flavor and tons of sweetness which was not worth eating as far as I was concerned.  Over the years things have changed (thank goodness!!!!) and now I can enjoy a great tasting light icecream.
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The Importance of Tempering Chocolate

I admit my mind works differently than that of other chocolate lovers.  I am a scientist first, I guess, then a chocolate lover. 

One day I was attending a local street festival and happened upon a vendor selling “Fresh Pineapple – Chocolate Covered!”  Most people’s first reaction might be, “Yum!” but mine was more like, “Well, this is interesting.  It is either a chocolate disaster in the making (there’s too much moisture in most fresh fruit to support a tempered chocolate) or a major discovery!”

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Chocolate – Smells so Good (but don’t eat)

My family and friends have learned that giving me gifts that involve eating, wearing, or smelling like chocolate are encouraged.  Over the past year, I have been given three different chocolate scented body wash products as presents.  Just the other morning, I called my daughter into the bathroom where I asked her to sit and take notes as I compared the three products in the shower.

The first product is an oldie but goodie. By oldie, I mean, I don’t think it is being made anymore and by goodie, I mean, it’s been my gold standard for the past year. I am talking about Bath and Body Works: Wickedly Hot Chocolate Body Wash, Shampoo and Bubble Bath. You couldn’t ask for a product to do more!  The very dark and thick brown gel has a strong chocolate aroma and feels smooth on my skin.  It foams into a sudsy lather right away.  By the end of the shower, the odor does fade.  The lingering smell is a creamy, honey, vanilla- like scented candle.

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Having Fun with Antique Chocolate Molds

I love collecting things and I love all things chocolate.  It seemed natural to put the two passions together.  Now I enjoy collecting chocolate making tools and other items related to chocolate history and chocolate making.

Antique chocolate molds (or moulds) from the 19th- and early-20th-century are quite collectible.

Candy makers of yesteryear used coated-tin chocolate molds to create whimsical chocolate shapes.  You may have fond childhood memories of chocolate bunnies and Santas at holiday time.  These were the most abundantly made designs.  Tin and tin-coated metal chocolate molds can still be readily found these days.

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Personalized Chocolate – M&Ms®

Did you know that the surface off m&ms® can be customized?  You can get personalized writing or even have a picture imaged onto the surface.  Personalized chocolates can be a neat gift idea for the right occasion.

What a great way to celebrate a special event like a wedding (imagine a photo of the bride and groom), birthday, graduation, anniversary, or even a holiday!  Or you could use it as a promotional item for your business with your logo on each m&m.

Start out by picking your favorite m&m color.  There are currently 20 different color choices ranging from various shades of white to all the usual m&m colors, to aqua, light pink, and a shimmering golden color.
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The Missing Cocoa

City of Cocoa, FloridaA month ago we spent a week in the Space Coast area of Florida.  Perhaps you saw the related blog articles: Chocolate in Space and Caffe Chocolat.

Today I was looking through some photographs and realized that I had taken a picture that I wanted to share with our readers.  While we were staying in Titusville, we had the opportunity to drive up and down the Atlantic coast.  Usually we were in search of interesting sights and nice beaches.

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Real Chocolate Relief Act?

Where have I been?  I suppose too busy working on Chocolate University Online lessons and support materials as well as handling website and blog issues.

Back in May, Mars put up a website at www.realchocolate.com that is giving away chocolate on Fridays through October.  I just discovered this today!

In their words, "Times are tough and we at Mars want to help. How, you ask? Every Friday through October, Mars will give away free real chocolate to 250,000 people."
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Want a Chocolate Fling?

There's a new candy bar in town!  And, she's looking for some steamy romance...

I'm talking about the new Fling bar, the first new candybar brand from Mars in more than 20 years, which proclaims to be "naughty, but not that naughty."

OK, before I get into the steamy details, let me back up a bit.  First of all, Fling may not actually be in your town yet.  She's been let loose, and is running wild in California, but those of us in other states cannot yet run to the grocery store and expect to see it on the shelves.
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Caribou Coffee – Mocha

I'm sitting at a local Caribou Coffee waiting for a business associate to arrive.  This morning I ordered a medium Mocha from the Espresso menu.

caribou-mochaThe medium Mocha is 2 shots of espresso, steamed milk, cocoa, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.  It is served with a chocolate covered espresso bean set on the cover.  That's where I started today. Sometimes I save the espresso bean for the end, saving the best for last so to speak.  Not today.  I figure it's time to start with a bang, get some strong flavor, along with a bit of caffeine in a quick dose.
 

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Fit & Active – Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars

Bryn brought home a box of Fit & Active brand chocolate fudge low-fat ice cream bars.  This is a product that you can buy at Aldi grocery stores.

Chocolate Fudge - Low Fat Ice Cream BarsFirst off I'll point out that there is a sticker on the front of the box that we have that says, "Compare to Weight Watchers."  That might normally be a warning to me, saying something like, "stay away, the flavor has been compromised."  But, I'm not here to bash the product.  Actually quite the opposite.
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