Tag Archive: milk chocolate

Aunt Belle’s Chocolate Fudge

Do you remember the slogan for an old commercial that had people taking sides on tacos?  Some would say, “I like making it!” and others would say, “I like eating it!”  If you are over 40 and grew up in the U.S., I’ll bet you remember.

When it comes to fudge, most people would say they like eating it way more than they like making it!
Making fudge is tiresome, tedious work that often ends with unsatisfactory results.  Fudge has to be cooked at a high temperature then cooled while stirred constantly or the sugar will crystallize into a gritty mess.

So, with patience and a gastronomic aptitude one can achieve great fudge.  That is why I like eating it. I don’t possess either one of those fudge making qualities.
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A Refreshing, Summer Pairing

Like most people, I crave a sweet treat at the end of a meal.  In the summer, when food is generally on the lighter side, I like something sweet but not TOO sweet.

After you‘ve eaten your grilled chicken breasts and pasta salad, try this pairing between Ghirardelli LUXE MILK™ Toffee and Round Hill Chardonnay.
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Sweet Obsession Chocolate

Sweet Obsession Chocolate"Simply the finest chocolates on earth!"

Whatever happened to truth in advertising?

I review a lot of chocolate, and I’d be the first to emphasize that anything I report is a matter of subjective opinion and personal preference. That is, what I write is MY personal preference. Just because I like it, doesn’t mean everyone will like it. We all get that.

This time, however, you can take my review as gospel truth and just trust me…. YOU WILL NOT like Sweet Obsession™ chocolate.
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Reunite M&M’s Milk Chocolate Candies

“The Milk Chocolate Melts In Your Mouth - Not In Your Hand”

You can definitely guess where this slogan came from. M&M’s® milk chocolate candies are one of the most loved chocolate brands. With a splash of different colors such as green, yellow, blue, brown, violet and orange, M&M’s instantly became an all time favorite for the kids and even those who are still kids at heart.

M&M’s not only satisfy one’s craving for sweets but it has also become a very entertaining tool for fun interactive games. There are a number of virtual games spreading all over the Internet with the use of M&M’s as major characters. These cute M&M’s characters are navigated in a number of virtual adventures games.
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Grandessa Irish Chocolate

I didn’t know that there were “Irish style” chocolates until I saw a box of chocolates from Grandessa.  This box claimed an Irish assortment of filled milk, white, and dark chocolate.  To satisfy my curiosity, I bought a box.

The chocolates are uniquely shaped in a square “cup” that holds caramel, lemon meringue, and strawberry truffle.  The molded piece is open at the top.  The Caramel Sensation is a smooth caramel inside a milk chocolate cup sprinkled with dark mini chocolate chips on the top.  The Lemon Supreme is also inside a milk chocolate cup sprinkled with crystalline sugar on the top.  And the Sumptuous Strawberry is dusted with a sweet red powder and tucked inside a white chocolate cup.
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Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate

It’s Monday and time for another review of a store brand chocolate bar.  This time I chose Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate.

Trader Joe’s started out as a small chain of convenience stores in the 1950s under the name of Pronto Markets. In 1967 they changed the name to Trader Joe's.

I like the line up of chocolates under the Trader Joe’s label.  They are made in the European style but have a price tag of American value.

The Swiss Milk chocolate bar I bought was only $1.99 for 100g.  The bar was smooth and creamy, with a balanced chocolatey baseline highlighted by caramel flavor notes.  The lingering finish was a very pleasant soft buttery taste.
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Chocolate Tasting Interview

A few weeks ago I was interviewed for an article with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper.  That article appeared in the print version yesterday and online the day before.

There's some great information about tasting chocolate as well as pairing chocolate and wine.  Click this link for the full chocolate and wine article.
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Chocolate and Cheese Pairings

I found a great article from the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) offering guidelines for chocolate and cheese pairings. 

With all my pairings, I consider matching flavor profiles from the chocolate’s perspective...

Since dark chocolates offer a complex set of flavors, it makes sense that the best matches would be complex, aged cheeses.
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Store Brand Chocolates

Often “store brand” food items are thought of an economical and perhaps an inferior version of its name brand counterpart.  While many times I think that ends up being true, I’m still open to give unknowns a try, especially if it costs me less.  I do get disappointed but sometimes I also get surprised.

I plan on writing a flavor review of different store brand chocolate bars; some available only in the US and some available only overseas, each Monday for as many Mondays as I have chocolates.  On this journey I know we’ll discover the good and the bad but either way we’ll have fun and eat chocolate.  Isn’t that the meaning of life anyway?
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Chocolate and Cocoa Substitutes

Have you ever discovered you were out of an ingredient?  Of course that always seems to happen right in the middle of making something!

When the recipe calls for chocolate, cocoa powder, or unsweetened baking chocolate, using the correct substitution can mean your crisis is avoided.  And no emergency trip to the grocery store!
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