Chocolate Flavored Envelopes… Yum?

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we all know that Valentine’s would be so bland without chocolate, well, at least to me.

Valentine cards also happen to be a big part of the celebration of love, but we’re not exactly thrilled about licking the envelopes we put those cards in. Imagine the horror of having to lick envelopes for a living, so my heart goes out to those who have to mail out sales letters for days on end. However, I believe the advent of Chocolate Flavored Envelopes will make things much more bearable for them.

Imagine, how much of a help this would be during the holidays when you put tons of cards into envelopes and have to taste the glue. It’s not exactly delightful. Too bad they’re only releasing them now, but who cares, right. All the ladies will dig it for sure, and of course, their male significant halves who have to do all the licking.
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Coconut Pecan Brownies

Let me feed your brain first, OK? The term “coconut,” is of Spanish and Portuguese origin. The term was derived from the word “coco,” meaning “monkey face.” This is allegedly because Portuguese and Spanish explorers found a resemblance between a monkey’s face and the base of a coconut.

Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, scientifically known as cocos nucifera, and the word nucifera means "nut-bearing." The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia, and southern Asia, and are now also abundant in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida.
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Chocolate and the pseudo-morphine effects on the Human Brain

Endorphins are chemicals that are endogenously occurring and are functioning as good and efficient neurotransmitters. These are produced mainly by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus during the experience of pain, excitement, exercise, spicy foods and yes, love.

Another derivative of endorphin, known as enkephalin, is a peptide that is able to do the activation of many cerebral opioid receptors that are responsible for the intense and insatiable drive for eating that can be compared to the same mechanism of narcotics that are bound to kill pain.

Eating in bulk, and even consistent small frequent feedings, are revolved around the idea of being overly compulsive and doing some kind of over-consumption that triggers the brain’s reward and satiety center.
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Chocolate Filled Bon Bons

What’s a bon-bon, you may ask? According to Wikipedia, the term bon-bon pertains to sweets, especially small candies, which are covered in chocolate.

Story has it that these treats' origins can be traced back to the 17th century. Supposedly, they were served at the French royal court. The term was derived from the duplication of the word 'bon,' which means 'good.' Today, particularly in European languages, such term pertains to all candies or small confections.
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Medicating Cough With Chocolate?

It's cold and flu season.  And, if you've been watching the news in the U.S. you've been hearing about how widespread the current flu is taking its toll.

Nobody likes getting sick. At least none that I know of who are still in their right state of mind, most especially me. I am not myself when I am sick. It feels like some dementor sucked out all the life out of me and left me helpless with a feverish feeling, leaking nose,cure a cough with chocolate and noisy cough.
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Frozen Chocolate Banana

New Year almost always comes with new hope, at least for most of us. Some people think New Year's resolutions are ridiculous, while others believe these give them a clean slate. With such, they get to have a fresh new start on whatever aspect of their lives it could be. Among the things that many people want to change every start of the year is their diet.

We all know how crazy our food choices could get during the Holidays, and it never fails to make many of us feel guilty and anxious come January, when their weight starts shooting up. Many of us opt for detoxification, and this recipe might come in handy since you wouldn’t want to deprive yourself of your sweet-tooth cravings. Of course, moderation is key.
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Walnut Raspberry Brownies

Have you heard of the saying “Life is like chocolate, sometimes you gotta deal with nuts.” I can literally relate to this kidder, since I’m currently going through a rough patch with certain people. And I actually deemed them nuts, at least in my brain. However, I know that this too shall pass. I know I must just let things run their course. After all, it’s Christmas time. Nobody likes a melancholic Holiday season.

Wait, this post gets better. What I’m about to give you is something you can certainly serve on your Christmas table, and your friends and family might even give you a standing ovation. And of course, it has nuts (walnuts, my favorite!) and the sweetness and tanginess of raspberry.
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Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Peppermint BarkHere's another holiday favorite by Ghirardelli!  A few weeks ago I blogged about the dark chocolate version of this seasonal chocolate.  The milk chocolate variety is equivalent in deliciousness.
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Miracle Whip Cake

Yep, I know. This cake recipe sounds funny. However, just so you know, it is truly chocolaty, and moist. Yes, it has Miracle Whip in it. The stuff you slather on your sandwich or toss into your salad. Sounds funky? Yes. Decadent and absolutely delish? YES.

You can rest assured that you won’t taste Miracle Whip in the final cake. The cake is not too rich nor is it too sweet, but the icing contributes to the sweet chocolaty punch to it. It’s just plain heavenly.
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Ghirardelli Eggnog

Ghirardelli EggnogAmong the seasonal Ghirardelli chocolates, Eggnog is my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, I do like a unique and interesting flavor in the confectionery arena.

But the chocolate tasting square is white chocolate and extra sweet, which it has to be to offer such a balanced flavor profile between the sweet nature of eggnog and chocolate.
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