Monday, December 31, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 31, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Coconut truffle (milk chocolate)
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
$ 0 (gift)
Ordered/sent from: Godiva Online

I happen to like coconut and chocolate, and Godiva chocolates, so no surprise that I enjoyed this truffle flavor combination.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

ChocolateBet: December ३०, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Eggnog Truffle
Very Good
Weight: ~ .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
$ 0 (gift)
Ordered/sent from: Godiva online


Saturday, December 29, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 29, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
Gingerbread Truffle
Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
$ 0 (gift)
Ordered/sent from: Godiva online

I really enjoy gingerbread flavors in coffee and chocolate drinks and desserts, so it's not a great surprise that I really liked this truffle.

This truffle has inspired me to make some kind of flourless chocolate gingerbread cake (maybe a variant of one of the recipes on the Godiva web site).

I'll add this cooking opportunity to my New Year's resolution and "to do" lists. It is December 29, and I'm down to one of the last days of the year (2007), so to do lists are on my mind as I try to finish some items that haven't gotten done yet. I probably shouldn't be adding more items to my list right now - but, what the heck, it's chocolate-related, so it will at least be more fun than all the clean-up, organizing, recycling, laundry, personal biography/resume updating, and other tasks I seem to be putting off at the moment. Happy de-cluttering and de-to-do-listing to everyone.

ChocolateBet: December 28, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece/truffle
Seattle Chocolates
Cafe Mocha
Good -Very Good.
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 70 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift)
I received in my Christmas stocking at a family celebration a few days ago.

The coffee taste in some Seattle Chocolates items is a bit too strong (burnt flavor?) for me. This is surprising as I really like strong coffee flavors and I also tend not to mind crispy-singed BBQ veggies, potatoes, and meat items. I salute Seattle Chocolates in that they are not afraid to go for it with the intense coffee roast here. I'd rather see bold statements like this than be frustrated by chocolates where the flavors are lost or too weak/muddled.

Can you take flavors too far? Other than the chocolate-covered bugs I tried, I'd have to say I haven't found too many chocolates that I thought were too strongly flavored - other than those that perhaps use artificial flavors which don't taste quite right. Start with a good base chocolate, and I think almost any great flavor might work. Just my opinion.

Friday, December 28, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 27, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pcs
See's
California Brittle - Milk Chocolate
Very Good. I prefer the dark chocolate version of this chocolate, but these are still very good.
~ 1.75 oz. for 2 pcs
~ 260 calories for 2 pcs
~$1.50 for 2 pcs
Purchased from See's, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

ChocolateBet: December 26, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pcs.
See's
California Brittle - Dark Chocolate
Very Good - Yum; I really like these. They are like a very robust Heath bar - with bigger hunks of toasted almonds inside the middle brittle center.
~ 1.75 oz. for 2 pieces
~ 260 calories
~$1.50 for 2 pcs
Purchased from: See's, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 25, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small serving of shavings
Godiva
Dark Chocolate Santa (foil-wrapped)
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.5 oz./71 g. total
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. of shavings
Cost: $6.50
Purchased from: Macy's at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

This was Very Good; especially given that most little figures or sculpted/molded chocolate figures over a certain size taste a bit waxy or dull (probably due to ingredients used to help them keep their shape I'm guessing, or to cut down on costs/weight perhaps).

OK, I admit it; I have an odd sense of humor. Because Christmas can be a time when expectations can run high, and family time and commercial overload can be overwhelming, I think there is a place for a bit of comic relief. This fine Godiva chocolate Santa was transmogrified* (see Calvin and Hobbes comics) into chocolate shavings and included in a hot milk, brandy, cinnamon and spices drink for a nice cold winter evening. Poor Santa got shaved by a vegetable peeler.

ChocolateBet: December 24, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Frango
Candy Cane (mint chocolates) - Limited Edition
Very Good+
Weight: 16 oz. (453 g.) for 1 box
Calories: 80 calories (estimate) for 2 small pieces
Cost: $15.40 total (30% off sale) originally $22.00
Purchased from: Macy's, at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

I shared this box of crunchy Candy Cane and chocolate sweets with family at a holiday dinner get-together.

My sister, who lived in Seattle, WA, for many years assured me that Frango mints originated in Seattle -- and that a smaller department store that originated these chocolates/mint line was bought up by Marshall-Fields department store. Eventually Macy's bought out Marshall-Fields, or Macy's became the Frango distributor. Glad to hear that a favorite sweets brand survived all these transitions. (Frango is also listed in wikipedia for more info.)

I believe the limited edition chocolates can only be found at specific times of the year, and that these Candy Cane chocolate mints fit under this category.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 23, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Anette's Chocolates
Traditional Cherry Cordial
Good - Very Good
~ .5 oz.?
~ 75 calories?
$0 (gift box)
From: Anette's Chocolates, Napa, CA

This cherry cordial was the last chocolate in a fairly large assortment box. While cherry cordials aren't my favorites, this was good.

As noted previously the good news with assortment boxes is that I can share chocolates with friends and family -- carefully guarding the ones I want to keep for myself for recording in this blog! -- and also I can skip my furtive hunting around for new chocolates for several days. The bad news is that it limits your sense of variety and new adventures, and you may also be tempted to eat more than you originally planned. This is the old security-and-comfort vs. the thrill-of-a-new-adventure trade-off. As with life, there is a balance point that lies somewhere between boredom and terror. The 2- or 3-piece assortment box seems to be that balance point for me.

ChocolateBet: December 22, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Anette's Chocolates
(Milk Choc.) Almond Flip (like a choc caramel turtle)
Very Good
~ 1.2 oz.+? (could be closer to 2+ oz?)
? calories
$ 0 (gift box)
From: Anette's Chocolates, Napa, CA

Friday, December 21, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 21, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 large piece
Anette's Chocolates
(Dark chocolate-covered) Rocky Road candy (with pink? marshmallows and walnuts inside)
Very Good
~.7 oz.
~ 100? calories
$ 0 - gift box
From: Anette's Chocolates, Napa, CA

ChocolateBet: December 20, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
French vanilla truffle
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz  (14.1 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - $ 0 - gift assortment box
Purchased from: N/A - Godiva online order sent to my office

It can be difficult to taste vanilla with chocolates; it's more of a background flavor in most. I was hoping to get a smidge more authentic vanilla flavor in this French vanilla truffle, but it was still very good.

Went to go see holiday lights and windows and trees and carolers in San Francisco; very nice. I passed by the Macy's Frango (famous mints) table; will return later to see if I can't pick up a new flavor I haven't tried. I still remember these mints from some time ago, and they were quite good. More chocolate memories.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 19, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Anette's Chocolates
milk chocolate covered caramel
~ .5 oz. for 1 piece from assortment; Net Wt. 16 oz. (1 lb.) total
~ 75 calories
$ 0 (gift)
Sent from Anette's Chocolates, Napa

ChocolateBet: December 18, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
(truffle assortment box)
..... (flavor)Weight: ~ ? oz.
Calories: ~ ? calories
Cost: $ 0 (gift box)
From: Godiva online?

ChocolateBet: December 17, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Godiva
...... (flavor)
(truffle assortment)
Weight: ~ .5 oz?
Calories: ~ ? calories
Cost: $0 (gift box)
From: Godiva online?

ChocolateBet: December 16, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1/4 hunk
Fiasconaro (Whole Foods)
Torrone A Pani (drk chocolate with almonds)
~1.2 oz. out of 5.2 oz. total
Very Good - Drk choc covered almond nougat
? calories
Cost: ~$1.00 for what I ate ($4.50 total)
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

Eating Chocolate past the expiration date:
This chocolate covered candy was quite good even tho 1 yr old/past suggested "sell by" date. This leads me to an uncivilized topic - how far past the expiration or sell by date are you willing to chance something? I'm all for chucking older items in the fridge or the cupboard that could make you very sick: such as meat, eggs, milk, suspicious-looking cans, and other products. But, I admit it, I've probably pushed it a few times with chocolate or candy items. My feeling is that provided their stored properly, it's probably not going to kill you.

I suppose I will continue to hope that on the rare occasion when I decide to live on the edge like this that all that sugar acts as an effective preservative. What would Miss Manners say about this tacky and unhealthful practice?

ChocolateBet: December 15, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Michael's (restaurant)
Chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream in a glass goblet dish.
Very Good
? oz. (2-3 oz?)
? calories
$ ?
Purchased from: Michael's restaurant, Mountain View, CA (next to Shoreline Park golf course)

There is nothing like getting out for a movie and lunch on a sunny December day, even if it is a bit cold. This restaurant also has a great chopped cobb salad.

ChocolateBet: December 14, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Anette's Chocolates
almond toffee crunch??
~ .5 oz.
~ 75 calories
$0 cost (gift box)
From: Anette's Chocolates, Napa, CA

Thursday, December 13, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 13, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1-2 pieces
Anette's Chocolates
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Very Good - a touch of what tastes like cinnamon is a nice touch
~.4 oz.
~ ? calories
$0 (gift box)
From: Anette's Chocolates, Napa, CA

ChocolateBet: December 12, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving (3 individually-wrapped squares)
Russell Stover International
French Cafe Vanilla Creme
Very Good
Weight: 1 serving/3 squares (38 g.) / 4.95 oz. (140 g.) total package
$?
Purchased at: Long's Drug store, Mountain View, CA


Today's milk chocolate, individually-wrapped squares from Russell Stover had a very nice vanilla flavor (French Cafe Vanilla Creme) in the center.

ChocolateBet: December 11, 2007


Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving (3 squares)
Russell Stover Private Reserve
Very Good
Weight: 38 g. for 3 pieces/1 serving; total package = 4.5 oz. (128 g.)
Calories: 190 calories for one 3-piece serving
Cost: $ ?
Purchased at: Long's Drugs, Mountain View, CA

These individually-wrapped dark (60% cacao) chocolate squares from Russell Stover (Kansas City, MO), part of the company's Private Reserve, Origin Select product line,  were made from "100% Ecuador cacao beans."

ChocolateBet: December 10, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
Went to Brindles Awesome Ice Creams in a shopping center in (Northwest) San Antonio, TX. Thank you D. for the introduction to this place. This is one of those great ice cream stores that makes their own ice cream.

1 serving - two flavors
Brindles
Azteca (chocolate, cinnamon), and Coffee (Heath Bar?) in a cup
Very Good
? Calories
$?
Brindles

ChocolateBet: December 9, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small bar
NewTree
Pleasure Indulgence/Extase
Very Good
Weight: .32 oz. (9 g.) for each little/individual bar in package/small box of 3
Calories: 46.8 calories/bar (Found on NewTree website* under individual chocolates)
Cost: $2.99 for a package of 3 small bars
Purchased from: ?

I like the very small size of these (individually-wrapped) Mini Bars (which come package of 3 in a tiny box); much better than the huge bar size. They are much easier to transport and eat. These bars were made with 73% cocoa dark chocolate.

Health information
*Health information on this "Indulgence" Mini Bar (below) was copied and pasted from the www.newtree.com web site.
"INDULGENCE
Chocolate is a multifunctional food with health benefits. 73% pure dark chocolate has specifically been selected by NEWTREE for its nutritional richness, because it provides all the nutritional elements necessary for the development and maintenance of a healthy body.

A natural source of proteins, iron and zinc – good for muscle tone and vitality – dark chocolate provides magnesium for muscular balance and alimentary fiber facilitating digestion.

Chocolate also contains numerous antioxidants and polyphenols, which have shown, through independent scientific studies, an incredible variety of positive benefits for the human body, from improving cardiovascular health (lowering LDL oxidation), to relaxation of the blood vessel walls, to diminution of platelet aggregation.

DARK CHOCOLATE
Dark chocolate contains the greatest quantities of cocoa. It is a mixture of cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar and lecithin. Most of its nutritional value is derived from the beneficial properties of cocoa.
Chocolate containing ingredients other than cocoa has a lower fiber content, proportional to the content of cocoa solids. NEWTREE dark chocolates contain around 11g of fiber per 100g."
-----------------
I believe one little bar is also supposed to contain about 5% of my daily iron needs, if I've read the text correctly. Good to know. Not that I needed any further justification to eat chocolate, or dark chocolate, but good to know nonetheless.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 8, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving, 3 pieces
Russell Stover (Private Reserve)
Origin Select chocolate; 100% Belgian Milk Chocolate; 41% cacao
Very Good
Net Wt. 38 grams for 1 serving; 4.5 oz (128 g) total
Calories: 230 calories for 1 serving
$2.99/pkg.
Purchased at: Longs Drugs, Mountain View, CA

This was not bad for milk chocolate; but, does "Belgian" count as single origin?

Friday, December 7, 2007

ChocolateBet: December 7, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

Russell Sifers Candy Co.
Valomilk (The Original "Flowing Center" Candy Cups
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (1 cup) / 2 oz. total package (2 cups)
Calories: 140 calories in 1 cup
Cost: $1.59
Purchased at Powell's Sweet Shoppe, in Los Gatos, CA

Additional Notes: Even though this was very sweet, sugar seems tastes so much better than corn syrup to me. This candy has marshmallowy goodness; I ate only one cup as the other cup had already "flowed" away. Inside the wrapper it was very sticky, much like the stickiest fly paper you can imagine. I had to wash my hands twice to extricate the 1 cup from the wrapper. Valomilk is the winner of the messiest candy so far!

Change of Subject...
Magic Eight Balls and Chocolate and Silliness

What, you may be asking yourself, do magic eight balls have to do with chocolate? Well, one of the beautiful things about today's search engines is that you can find a web site with a magic eight ball. I found one. I typed in queries and received answers to the following important questions:

1) Should I eat another piece of chocolate today? (Answer: Outlook not so good)
My analysis: Yes, I had already decided I'd had enough. How did it know? :-)

2) Can I request that I die from eating too much chocolate? (Answer: No way!)
My analysis: OK, I'm a little disappointed to hear this; but I still might try.

3) Do I like chocolate? (Answer: Maybe)
My analysis: Hmmm. Maybe? (See #4 and #7 for possible "explanation", i.e. it "knows" i don't just "like" chocolate....)

4) Do I love chocolate? (Answer: No way!)
My analysis: Ah, I get it. It thinks I meant "love" romantically...(See #7 below)

5) Do I eat too much chocolate? (Answer: Definitely)
My analysis: Well, this answer is spot on.

6) Will I have a successful chocolate blog? (Answer: Maybe)
My analysis: I better work harder at this blog; it still might be possible!

7) Do I love eating chocolate? (Answer: Absolutely!)
My analysis: Re: #4 above...See, I just had to re-phrase the question to get the right answer!

It's as if it's reading my mind! Amazing. I would have flipped a coin to get answers to these questions, but a coin is just so...binary (e.g. heads - yes; tails - no). OK, enough fun for now.

For test the magic eight ball I used, go to:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi
Thank you to Steven Santy.

Have you ever used outside help to make a chocolate-related decision? (I feel another short story writing itself...)

ChocolateBet: December 6, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
3 individually-wrapped pieces/1 small box
Chick Chocolates (Seattle Chocolate Co.)
Nutty Chick (milk chocolate with almonds and toffee)
Good-Very Good; cute packaging, but seems overpriced for 3 small pieces
1 oz. (28 grams)
155 calories
$3.29
Purchased at: Powell's Sweet Shoppe, in Los Gatos, CA

Change of subject
Chocolate in the News (Dec 6 story):

LG Electronics reports that they've sold more than 15 million Chocolate Phones (no, these aren't edible) worldwide. These mobile handset devices are from Korea and have sold well. (I've considered buying one, just because I'm thinking so much about all things chocolate these days.) Another example of a chocolate tie-in boosting sales of an otherwise unrelated product? If yes, might we see more chocolate appliances? Could a chocolate car or house be far behind?

ChocolateBet: December 5, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Nestle
Carlos V (chocolate bar)
Good - Very Good
Weight: 0.75 oz. (21 g) in 1 bar
Calories: ? (this info wasn't printed on the wrapper); 100 calories (guess)
Cost: $0.59
Purchased at Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Los Gatos

This little Carlos V milk chocolate bar is "the authentic Mexican chocolate bar - the king of bars in Mexico" according to materials I was able to find (primarily on the Nestle web site). The bar is a perfect size for a royal snack, at a price that regular people can afford.

ChocolateBet: December 4, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Cadbury
Crunchie
Very Good
Weight: 40 grams
Calories: 185 kcals per bar (or 775 kJoules)
Cost: $1.09
Purchased at: Powell's Sweet Shoppe, in Los Gatos, CA

The Cadbury Crunchie candy bar was quite good; its light crunchy "honeycombed centre" was covered in milk chocolate.

ChocolateBet: December 3, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Cadbury
Bournville - Classic Dark Chocolate
Good+ - Very Good
45 grams
220 calories
$1.89
Purchased at: Powell's Sweet Shoppe, in Los Gatos, CA

ChocolateBet: December 2, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 cookie
Gayle's chocolate macaroon
Very Good - Yum
? oz.
? Calories
$?
Purchased at: Gayle's (Santa Cruz); split with Elise L.

ChocolateBet: December 1, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 piece
Gayle's
Peppermint Stick Pie (similar to a chocolate cream pie topped with whipped cream and pieces of peppermint stick
Very Good; sweet and rich but very nice
? oz.
? Calories
$ ?
Purchased at Gayle's

ChocolateBet: November 30, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 srvg, or 3 squares; approx. 1/4 - 1/3 of a 3 oz. bar
Vosges Haut Chocolat
Woolloomooloo "exotic candy bar"
Good - Very Good
Weight: 3.0 oz. (85 grams) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories/serving
Cost: ~$6.95 (estimate)
Purchased from: Whole Foods?, Los Altos, CA?

This one didn't quite grab me like some of the other Vosges exotic bars; but I love the fact that Vosges is putting these different exotic flavors together. This Woolloomooloo bar contained roasted and salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut, and hemp seeds -- mixed into what they're calling deep milk chocolate.

ChocolateBet: November 29, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 pkg
Ocean Spray
Craisins Trail Mix
Cranberry and Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (49.6 grams)
Calories: 230 calories for 1 package
Cost: $?
Purchased at: ?

I can't always tolerate cashews (a relative of the poison oak family); so I shared the 6-7 cashew pieces in this trail mix serving with the neighborhood squirrel in our yard instead of tossing them out.

The squirrel enjoyed them, and I enjoyed watching the squirrel enjoy them. No chocolate pieces though for you Mr. or Ms. Squirrel. Even though I saw your cousin eating part of an Oreo cookie in the next yard over one time several years ago...
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