Author Archive: Jeffrey Kirk
Personalized Chocolate – M&Ms®
August 11, 2009
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.
Read more
The Missing Cocoa
July 31, 2009
A 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.
Real Chocolate Relief Act?
July 24, 2009
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."
Read more
Caribou Coffee – Mocha
July 8, 2009
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.
The 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.Fit & Active – Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars
July 6, 2009
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.
First 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.
Read more
Semi-Sweet Ganache Torte Recipe
July 4, 2009
Here's one of my favorite chocolate dessert recipes. Bryn is making it today for the independence day party.
Semi-Sweet Ganache Torte
15 chocolate graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter (not margarine), melted
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup fat-free half & half
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pint your favorite berries (raspberries wonderful, frozen are OK)
Read more
Caffe Chocolat in Titusville, Florida
June 29, 2009
Last Tuesday we stopped at Caffe' Chocolat in Titusville, Florida. We noticed it in the historic downtown part of Titusville a couple days earlier as we drove out to Playa Linda beach. When we drove by a second time, on another adventure, we took the opportunity to stop.
The cafe portion is truly a restaurant with a complete menu including sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, and salads. They also serve specialty coffees, hot and iced. Of course they have fine chocolates and other desserts.
Our interest was in their Chocolate Salon. Here they had a wide assortment of chocolates made right in the store. Pam, owner and chocolatier, has been making the chocolates for more than six and a half years now.
Read more
Chocolate In Space
June 24, 2009
We spent the day enjoying our time at the Kennedy Space Center. What does that have to do with chocolate?
Apparently the astronauts need their chocolate fix too. Or, at least, the marketing department is quite active in its desire to have us think so.
First of all, our kids had to get some freeze-dried ice cream. You know that's official "space food," originally developed for early Apollo missions.
Read more
Rice Crispy Bars with Chocolate and Wine
June 18, 2009
For dessert tonight Bryn's mother made Rice Crispy bars. She melted some Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips, spread it on the bars, and then put another layer of bar on top. So it was kind of a layer cake, the layers being rice crispy bars and the frosting being semisweet chocolate.
Read more
Mo’s Bacon Bar
June 11, 2009
When I first laid eyes on the Mo's Bacon Bar by Vosges, Ltd. I was in shock. My mind raced. Who would put bacon in a chocolate bar? Isn't that some kind of violation? Serious penalties should follow. 
Then another thought crept up, "I wonder what it would taste like?" Did I really think that? Could I try something that sounded so strange? My resistance fell and I walked out of the store with a new-found creation.
Read more