Monthly Archives: May 2012
The Legend of Hernando Cortes
May 31, 2012
You're probably here due to your craving of chocolate and not a craving of famous explorers. But sometimes you have to go down a new path to get where you're going.
Have you ever considered what a certain Hernando Cortes contributed? As an explorer, he is considered to be one of the most influential people of his time.
Hernando Cortes was born to Martin Cortes de Monroy and Catalina Pizarro Altamirano in Spain in the year of 1485. His father was a dominant figure in the military. In fact, he was an infantry captain. Moreover, he is closely related to Francisco Pizarro, the Great Peruvian conqueror.
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Chocolate Mint Oreo® Drink
May 30, 2012
Summer is just around the next corner. And what better way to beat the heat than downing a cold, tall glass of chocolate!
This chocolate drink recipe gives you the delectable flavor of chocolate, the coolness of mint, and the mouth-feel of crushed Oreos. All the flavors combined will send shivers down your spine!
The minty goodness you get from the candies and liqueurs mix perfectly well with the chocolate from the crushed Oreo cookies, and the result is lip-smacking good!
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Lindt’s Legal Case of Marketing Rights
May 29, 2012
Lindt and Spruengli have roots and origins dating back to 1845. It was all started by David Sprungli-Schwarz and his son Rudolf Sprungli-Ammann, who owned a small confectionery shop in the old town of Zurich, Switzerland, where major factories originated and robustly sprung up.
The legendary Lindt bunny, along with its golden foil and signature bell hanging around its neck, is readily recognizable to lots of children all over the world. But the company that has been mass-producing them has not been given any EU permit since it has been ruled that the bunny is not a distinctive character, said the European Court.
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Burlington Chocolate Fest
May 25, 2012
The Burlington Chocolate Festival takes place Memorial Day weekend each year at the Chocolate Festival Grounds in Burlington, Wisconsin.
Chocolate Fest is a family-oriented community festival with something for everyone. But it's not just a big party. All money generated from the event goes back to a wide variety of community charities and civic groups. For over 25 years, this volunteer-run festival has raised money for over 65 local and national charities.
Typically, more than 35,000 people attend the annual festival, dedicated to the celebration of all things chocolate. Attendees experience a weekend of fun, games, rides, cooking demonstrations, and chocolate.
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Dutch-Process vs Natural Cocoa Powder
May 24, 2012
There are a lot of variations of cocoa powder. Two of the most prominent types around the world are the Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been treated with a potassium solution. That neutralizes the acidity of the cocoa beans.
On the other hand, natural cocoa powder is derived from the cocoa beans that have been simply roasted and then reduced and pulverized into a fine powder.
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Caramel Chocolate Chip Cake
May 23, 2012
The National Chocolate Chip Day was celebrated last week. It’s not like we need a specific reason to have our chocolate treats, but it feels to good to have something specific to celebrate here and there.
Chocolate chips have always been am essential ingredient in an array of delectable treats, from chocolate chip muffins to chocolate chip cookies. They became famous in the 1930s, when Ruth Graves Wakefield accidentally created the original chocolate chip cookie at her Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass.
To celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day, albeit late, go get a handful of chocolate chips and bake something sumptuous for you to share with friends and family. Here is a recipe to get you started.
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Record-breaking Chocolate Sculpture
May 22, 2012
Another Guinness World Record has been broken! Qzina Specialty Foods, which is based in Irvine, California, celebrated its 30th Anniversary by building the largest chocolate structure to date.
They created a replica of the ancient Mayan temple of Kukulkan (in Chichen Itza) that weighs 18,239 pounds. That makes it 7,500 pounds heavier than the previous record set in 2010 in Italy.
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Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club
May 18, 2012
Another Mother’s Day has passed. This is a time of year when people wonder about the best way to give their mothers the love and attention that they surely deserve. This year, some of those moms were treated to a truly breath taking and mind-blowing indulgence... a gift membership to the Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club or other chocolate membership club.
The Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club offers a wide variety of chocolate confections each month. Members are treated to creative interpretations and presentation made by international chocolatiers who are primarily dedicated to quality. The Skelling’s Champagne Fizz Truffles hail from the northern realm of Ireland. The Gudrun’s Passion Fruit Heart consists mainly of a dainty dark chocolate heart with a very rich layer of caramel and tart passion fruit pulp.
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Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate
May 17, 2012
Bittersweet chocolates are simply a sweetened form of plain chocolate that contains no milk. It is basically a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and quite often, vanilla. Plus you might see a substance called lecithin on a label. That is added to serve as an emulsifier.
Cocoa that is produced via the grinding of its beans into a liquid form is usually referred to as chocolate liquor, which ironically contains no alcohol whatsoever. Unsweetened baking chocolate is chocolate liquor that has been solidified.
In the North America, a standard is set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that bittersweet chocolates are required to contain at least thirty-five percent chocolate liquor. While in the United Kingdom, the figure is usually as high as forty-three percent.
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Walnut Chocolate Rum Balls
May 16, 2012
Anytime you want to whip up dessert in a jiffy, Walnut Chocolate Rum Balls can be your go-to recipe.
Quick info... rum was made long before any other spirit was manufactured, distilled, and made. For the record, it was actually the first branded spirit. Rations of rum were actually provided for the sailors in the British Army so they could mix it with lime juice to fight off the scurvy.
With regard to walnuts, these nuts are rich sources of energy. They also pack a lot of health benefits. They contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants that are essential to achieve optimum health.
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