Monthly Archives: August 2013

Chocolate Bar Gag Wins Funniest Joke

August 30, 2013

The winning joke of Rob Auton, 30, was included among the 20 shortlisted by a group of comedy experts before the fans had any say in it.

He is from York, and has been doing stand-up since 2008. He got almost 1/4 of the total votes (24%) for his one-liner: "I heard a rumour that Cadbury is bringing out an oriental chocolate bar. Could be a Chinese Wispa."

Steve North, general manager Dave, said: "Now celebrating its sixth year, Dave's Funniest Joke of The Fringe continues to highlight the best one-liners coming out of the Fringe. This year's Top 10 is quick, sharp, witty and clever, and Rob is a very worthy winner."

Coffee Chocolate Tarts

August 28, 2013

Planning a party and running out of food ideas? Or, do you want something to whip up for your friends who plan on coming over this weekend? This recipe will definitely be on for the books!

You can make use of metal pastry rings for the tarts placed on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can buy them at kitchenware stores. You can also find chocolate short-crust pastry at specialty food stores and delicatessens.

Chocolate and Bones Could Be Life-Threatening For Your Dog

August 23, 2013

Before you give in to your beloved dog’s pleading eyes when he hints he wants a piece of the chocolate bar in your hand and some bones from the food you just ate, heed this warning: chocolate and bones can be harmful to your pet.

Truth be told, chocolate can be fatal to a dog. It depends on the size of the dog, as well as how much chocolate and what type of chocolate he eats. Also, bone splinters could get lodged into your dog’s throat and gastro-intestinal tract.

Chocolate is known to contain theobromine, a bitter, caffeine-related alkaloid. This can come with dangerous effects on the dog that gets to eat chocolate. Your pet may fall victim to a theobromine-caused condition known as chocolate toxicosis. He could die within hours.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Banana Split

August 21, 2013

Chocolate and peanut butter? How can I say no?

Do you have kids and want to impress them? Whip this up and you’ll be hearing them sing your praises in no time!

With each decadent bite, you will feel like it’s so sinfully calorie-laden, but it's definitely not!

Chocolate Pavilion

August 16, 2013

A mouth-watering design, with the use of innovative materials in architecture, has produced what seems to be the wildest dream of a chocoholic. A pavilion purely composed of chocolate.

Engineers at Princeton University have collaborated with the Belgian chocolate company Barry Callebaut, the biggest chocolate manufacturer in the world, to create the first ever functional structure made entirely out of chocolate.

"I think most people just do what has been done before, and I think that is very restricting," said Sigrid Adriaenssens, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton who participated in the said project. "I think especially in structural engineering, a lot of the systems that we use have specific names and people think that they can only use the systems that already exist."

White Chocolate and Blueberry Pancakes

August 14, 2013

Nothing beats a hearty breakfast. You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Who would want to skip breakfast if white chocolate and blueberry pancakes are served on the table?

With a delicious drizzle of maple syrup and your favorite cup of Joe (or tea) on the side, what more can you ask for? So much win!

Chocolate Scent Can Boost Bookstore Sales

August 9, 2013

Belgian researchers did a 10-day experiment at a general-interest chain bookstore which involved comparing the behavior of customers with and without the scent of chocolate. There were dispensers that released a scent of chocolate set in two different locations.

Researchers observed every fifth customer who came into the store, for a total of 201 customers. They were able to notice different “purchase-related” customer behaviors such as closely checking many different books, going over the summaries of books, hanging out in the store, speaking with and inquiring the staff.

Chili, Chocolate, and Beef Casserole

August 7, 2013

It may sound quite bizarre, but trust me, you'll love this recipe. It has an interesting mix of an extremely rich and heartening beef dish, accompanied by a subtle touch of creamy sweetness of chocolate and a little chili sensation to boot.

Chili, Chocolate, and Beef Casserole

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sauteing
• 2 leeks (or onions) sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds of diced beef suitable for long slow cooking
• Chili - up to you - I use 1 purple and 1 green Poblano (mild flavor) diced. You can use more or hotter chilies.
• 2 peeled and large dice carrots
• 2 sticks of celery large dice
• teaspoon grated nutmeg
• teaspoon cinnamon
• cup of red wine
• cup of red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa
• 16 oz. of stock
• To finish: chocolate - about 4 cubes, around 1 ounce

Alcohol-flavored Chocolate Readily Available to Children

August 2, 2013

Imagine these little children walk up into a supermarket and buy alcohol-flavored chocolates all in their gloriously bright colors side by side with other candies. Supermarkets, candy manufacturers and alcohol distillers are the ones who are getting the most out of this. It’s such a bummer that there are countries that have no laws that ban the sale and marketing of alcohol-flavored chocolates, lollipops and other snacks to little children.

There was a specific time when rum and vodka-flavored chocolates were readily available in only exclusive outlets in Nairobi, but now they are widely available in leading mass distribution retail outlets in the capital.