Saturday, May 31, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 31, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Russell Stover
Peanut Butter Crunch
(2 pieces from "Nut, Chewy & Crisp" assortment box)
Good+ - Very Good
Wt: 32 grams for 2 pieces/24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) or 680 grams for 2 pieces
Calories: 160 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $2.50* (sale)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Friday, May 30, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Oriol Balaguer
"Especias" - spiced hazelnut praline
Very Good
Wt: ~.5 oz.
Calories: ~ 80 cals.
Cost: $1.50
Purchased from: CocoaBella Chocolates, in San Francisco, CA

I love these innovative flavor combinations Oriol Balaguer has put together. His other chocolates I've tried had ingredients like tangerine pop rocks, or toasted corn nut pieces. This one was somewhat tame by comparison. There was a taste I couldn't identify in this one (olive?). I hope I'm able to travel to Barcelona one day and visit their shop in Spain.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 29, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Russell Stover
(2 pieces from a Russell Stover "Nut, Chewy and Crisp Centers" assortment box)
1.) Roman Nougat (dark chocolate version) - Very Good
2.) Roman Nougat (milk chocolate version) - Good+
Wt: 32 grams for 2 pieces/24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) or 680 grams in total box
Calories: 160 calories for 2 pcs.
Cost: $2.50* (sale)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

I'm working my way through this assortment box. There are only a few more to go.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 28, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Russell Stover
1.) Molasses Chew (dark chocolate version) - Good + - Very Good
2.) Molasses Chew (milk chocolate version) - Good+
I liked being able to taste the molasses
Wt: 32 grams for 2 pcs./24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) or 680 grams total box
Calories: 160 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $2.50* (sale)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 27, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Russell Stover
1) Caramel (Dark Choc. version)
Very Good - I like the caramels better than the chews I think. Dark version is always nice.
2) Caramel (Milk Choc. version)
Good
(These were both from the "Nut, Chewy and Crisp Centers" assortment box I started eating last month.)
Wt: 32 grams for 2 pc. serving/24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) or 680 grams for whole box
Calories: 160 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $2.50* (sale)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Monday, May 26, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 26, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Russell Stover
Peanut Chew
(from a "Nut, Chewy and Crisp Centers" assortment box)
OK+ - Good
Wt: ~ 16 grams for 1 piece
Calories: 80 calories/pc.
Cost: $2.50* (sale)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

This week I'm focused on finishing up some chocolates in an assortment box that I opened last month. So, you'll see a few more Russell Stover entries, as I try to mow through the rest of the flavors in this box, so I can move on to a new chocolate adventure. This is the equivalent of having to eat your peas on your dinner plate before you can have dessert. No, wait, bad analogy. This whole chocolate eating thing is only about dessert! Oh well, the point is that starting something new is often more fun that finishing what you already started but may have gotten bored with already.

(*The asterisk means the "cost" of an item here has already been recorded in a previous entry, for a different chocolate item; usually this is an assortment box situation.)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 25, 2008



Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 serving
Hachez
Cocoa D'Arriba - Erdbeer mit Pfeffer (Strawberry and Pepper)
77% cacao; "superior mild dark chocolate"
Good + - Very Good
Wt: 21 grams in 1/2 srvg. /3.5 oz. (100 grams) in total bar
Calories:
Cost: $0 (gift - thanks Alec!)
Purchased from: (Whole Foods?)

On this holiday Sunday, I thought to myself...Why not just have a whole breakfast with strawberry items? So, this morning I made, and sat down to enjoy, a bowl of freshly cut up fresh strawberries topped with strawberry yogurt, with some hot strawberry herb tea on the side. Oh yes, and not to forget....I also melted down a few squares of a (Hachez) strawberry and pepper flavored dark chocolate (77% cacao from Ecuador) bar -- which I ate with the fresh strawberries.

This was a great breakfast; although I think I got my urge for strawberries out of my system for awhile.

ChocolateBet: May 24, 2008


Chocolate of they Day:
2 pieces
Russell Stover
("Nut, Chewy and Crisp Centers" assortment box)
2 Cashew Cluster chocolates
Very Good
Wt: 32 grams for 2 pc. serving; 24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.)/680 grams total box
Calories: 160
Cost: $2.50* (recorded earlier for other chocolates in this box); sale price
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Saturday, May 24, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 23, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

Baratti and Milano
Finissimi Cremini al Limone (two chocolate and hazelnut layers, with a lemon layer in between)
Good+ - Very Good
Wt: 15 grams (estimate) / 2.12 oz. (60 grams) total package
Calories: 80 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A (gift that was shared with me)
Purchased from: (gift from Klaus Schilling, a family friend; who was visiting from Europe; thank you to my parents for sharing a piece of this chocolate gift.)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 22, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
The Tea Room
Green Earl Grey - 58% Cacao (Organic)
"Dark Chocolate Infused with Green Earl Grey Tea"
Very Good+ - This was definitely my favorite of the 3 Tea Room tea-infused chocolate bars I tried this week.
Wt: .45 oz. (13 grams)/1.8 oz. (51 grams) total in whole bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.99/total or whole bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Los Altos, CA

And, this concludes Day #7 of Chocolate and Tea week on the blog.

Chocolate in the News:
I am not making up this story (below). Although accidents are not fun...Admit it, you would have liked to have seen this one, right? Wasn't there a Gary Larson cartoon something like this? (Some small birds or mice got loose from a truck/accident on the street in front of a cat's house; and the cat can't believe his/her good fortune.)

RIA Novosti - World (Russian News Agency)
May 19, 2008 - 19:44

Chocolate Cookies Stop Traffic on U.S. Highway
Washington, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - "A trailer loaded with 20,000 pounds of chocolate cookies overturned in Illinois in the early hours of Monday..."
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080519/107764394.html

ChocolateBet: May 21, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
The Tea Room
Honeybush Caramel - 38% Cacao (Organic) bar
(Milk Chocolate Infused with Honeybush Caramel Tea"
Good +
Weight: .45 oz. (13 grams)/1.8 oz. (51 grams) total in whole bar
Calories: 70 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.99 total
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Day #6 of Chocolate and Tea theme week.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 20, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
The Tea Room
"Mate and Star Anis - Dark Chocolate Infused with Mate Tea, Star Anis and Nibs"
72% Cacao (Organic)
Very Good
Weight: .45 oz. (13 grams) in 1/4 bar; 1.8 oz. (51 grams) total/whole bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/4 bar
Price: $2.99 total/whole bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Given this is Day #5 of my Chocolate and Tea week, it is only right that I try some chocolate from a company called The Tea Room (based in American Canyon, California).

The star anis, cocoa nibs and mate ingredients in this organic dark chocolate bar were a bit crunchy and unevenly distributed, but the rich, earthy flavors were nice. I found I liked the second bite I had (later in the afternoon) better than the first bite I had in the early a.m. I think the bar was a bit warmer (less brittle) as well. Temperature and time of day do matter...

I plan on trying more Tea Room flavors this week.

Monday, May 19, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 19, 2008





Chocolate(s) of the Day:

3 small squares
Starbucks Chocolate
Chocolate and Tea Tasting Squares (Assortment)

1) Tazo Chai (Milk Chocolate)
Very Good - spicy
2) Tazo Passion (Dark Chocolate)
Very Good - strong citrus/hibiscus flavors
3) Tazo Citron (Dark Chocolate)
Very Good - nicely balanced citrus and floral flavors

Weight: ~.51 oz. (15 grams) for three small squares (1 of each kind in assortment); 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total/whole box
Calories: 72 calories (estimate) for 3 small squares
Cost: $5.99 (for a whole box)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Today is Day #4 of Chocolate and Tea theme week. I am usually complaining about not being able to taste floral, herbal or tea flavorings infused in chocolates. (Worse yet are the ones that use artificial-tasting ingredients and are overpowering.) These Tazo co-branded chocolates (named for Tazo Chai, Passion and Citron teas) do not scrimp on the flavorings, and you actually get a pretty strong flavor punch. The Tazo Citron flavored dark chocolate was my favorite of the three. With well-balanced flavors, you could taste the citrus flavored tea and the dark chocolate.

Chocolate in the News:
And, now if I can segue from chocolate and tea - something that has the ring of civilization to it - to a chocolate-related story that falls...perhaps at the other end of the spectrum.

http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/news/article3945139.ece
This Times story from the U.K. makes me proud to be an American Citizen, and at the same time sparks thoughts of the downfall of civilization - all at the same time. The writer (Stephen Bleach) must be talking about Las Vegas. And indeed he is. (See clip pasted below.)

Two new chocolate extravaganzas in Las Vegas...(I must go visit next time I'm there.)
"Hot chocolate, sinful chocolate
They’ve done gambling, booze, sex, but the big new thing in Las Vegas is chocolate. Caesars Palace has installed a 13ft imitation-choc cuckoo clock that has melted chocolate running through it and dispenses free truffles when the birdie pops out. The Bellagio has gone one better. Its new 27ft, floor-to-ceiling chocolate fountain pumps two tons of the melted ooze at 240 pints a minute. Apparently, they won’t have to change the gloop for a year. We’ll have a salad, thanks."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 18, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Chuao Chocolatier
Early Grey - Milk Chocolate (41% cacao) Bar Infused with Earl Grey Tea
Good+ - Very Good 
Weight: ~.7 oz. (20 grams) for 1/4 bar serving; 2.82 oz. (80 grams) total
Calories: 110 calories for 1/4 bar
Cost: $ 6.49 for total/whole bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

For Day #3 of Chocolate and Tea theme week, I returned to a combination that I've tried before - Earl Grey tea-flavored chocolate. I admit, I'm not a huge milk chocolate fan; however the Earl Grey (bergamot) flavoring was catnip to me.

Related digression: I planted orange bergamot mint in my yard several years ago. Someone told me it was the flavoring for Earl Grey Tea. Not quite. Although the leaves from this herb (which is sold under several different names) do make a nice tea, Earl Grey tea flavor apparently comes from the rind oil of a citrus fruit (bergamot orange/lime). Now, I'm finding out whether I can grow this little tree in my yard.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 17, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Marquise de Sevigne (France)
Jasmine Tea Dark - Jasmine Tea infused ganache (Dark version)
Very Good + - a bit sweet but the Jasmine flavor(s) were divine.
Wt: ~.4 oz.
Calories: ~ 80 calories
Cost: $1.25
Purchased from: CocoaBella Chocolates, in San Francisco, CA

This Jasmine-flavored chocolate is today's entry - for Day #2 of Chocolate and Tea theme week. I notice I've been eating the tea flavored chocolates in the morning (vs. after work in the evening). Since I tend to drink my tea in the morning; I guess this makes sense. Chocolate is a great way to start and/or end the day.

Friday, May 16, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 16, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Christopher Elbow
Russian Tea (Russian Tea-infused Dark Chocolate; dark ganache center)
Very Good
Wt: ~.4 oz.
Calories: ~ 80
Price: $1.50/piece
Purchased from: CocoaBella Chocolates, in San Francisco, CA

I hope I am not boring you to death with all these Chocolate Item related "theme weeks" on this blog. If I am, please let me know. Lately, I had seen quite a few chocolates with tea flavorings of some sort. So, welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Tea Week. Today I kicked this morning off with a Russian Tea, Christopher Elbow style, with nice decorations stenciled or applied across the top. (And it only left a few tiny chocolate smudges on my scanner when I captured this image. Hurray.)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 15, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Oppenheimer
Chocolate Covered Cherries
OK - Good
Wt: 1/8 of a serving =~ 5 grams/5 oz. (142 g.) total container
Calories: ~21 calories in one piece
Cost: $4.99 for total container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods in Palo Alto, CA

Chocolate and Cherry week concludes with today's Chocolate Covered Cherries from Oppenheimer (Jerusalem, Israel).

I think they lost a bit of their flavor in the long journey over here, but they were still OK. While this is really not their intended use, I am tempted to melt them down with some brandy and eat them with vanilla ice cream.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 14, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Turtle Mountain, LLC
Purely Decadent - Cherry Nirvana (non-dairy frozen dessert)
Good
Wt: 1/2 cup (100 grams)/1 pint total
Calories: 190/serving
Cost: $4.29/pint
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

The weather is heating up around here. So, it made sense to go for something cold today, Day #6 of Chocolate and Cherry week.

This Cherry Nirvana was not bad for soy milk-based, dairy-free frozen dessert; but it is hard to beat the taste and "mouth feel" of the real thing.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 13, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Lillie Belle
Cherry Cordial (Organic Rum Soaked Cherries and Vanilla)
Very Good
Wt: ~.6 oz.
Calories: ~85 cals. (estim.)
Cost: $2.45 for 1 cordial ($70.00/lb.)
Purchased from: Cocoa Bella, in San Francisco, CA (bought by the piece)

Today is Day #5 of Chocolate and Cherry Week. Once you bite into a filled chocolate like this, you're committed. You have to jam the whole thing into your mouth, or you will end up wearing the liquid center on your shirt. Other than that, I enjoyed this chocolate. This particular cordial is at the high-end of the cherry cordial range, and is priced accordingly. (I tried to scan in an image of this red foil-wrapped piece, but it just did not work. So, you will have to use your imagination for this one.

Monday, May 12, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 12, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving/pkg.
Christopher's/Adams & Brooks Inc.
Big Cherry
Good+ - Very Good
Wt: 1-3/4 oz. (50 grams)
Calories: 230 calories
Price: $0.79
Purchased from: Longs Drugs, in Mountain View, CA

This is Day #4 of Chocolate and Cherry week, and I was pleasantly surprised when I had one of these Big Cherry candies for lunch today. I bought this because this is chocolate and cherry week after all. However, I think I have passed over this candy on the shelves at the store for many years, because I pictured it might have a thin milk chocolate coating and an overly sweet, artificially colored and flavored red goo center. But, it is more interesting than that. The Big Cherry has a fairly thick chocolate and chopped peanut layer on the outside, and then a pinkish cherry middle, with a "whole cherry center" inside that. OK, it's not totally natural, but it is good, and more complex/interesting than I thought it would be.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 11, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Cocoa Bon
Dark Chocolate Cherry - Bite-Sized Chocolates
Good (no trans fats and light on the corn syrup; no artificial flavor)
Wt: ~ 1 oz. (28 grams)/2 oz. (56 grams) total
Calories: 180 calories/serving
Cost: $2.49 ttl pkg.
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Cherries Week, and Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate this holiday. I shared some of these at our Mother's Day brunch at my folks house. I like this relatively small 2 oz. package; it's just big enough to share, but small enough to carry with you.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 10, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Maglio (Puglia, Italy) - sold through Cocoa Bella Chocolates in San Francisco, CA
Maglio Cherry Marzipan (Cherry, Liqueur, & Almond Paste (covered in dark chocolate))
Very Good+ - Very nice combination of flavors
Wt: ~.5 oz.
Calories: ~80 calories
Price: $2.70 for 1 piece (At $45.00/lb. - this is high-end chocolate)
Purchased from: Cocoa Bella Chocolates, in San Francisco, CA

This is Day #2 of chocolate and cherry week. (This is much easier than chocolate and meat week, which was last week's theme.) This was a very nice chocolate. The marzipan around the cherry was natural tasting, and the cherry, in the cherry & liqueur center, looked like it had been a real cherry at one time as well. Too often in more popular chocolate and cherry candies, sugar, corn syrup, and perhaps artificial flavorings, seems to overpower what the natural cherry taste might have been. Chocolates like this remind you of what's possible with this combination.

Friday, May 9, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 9, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Gelato Classico
Burgandy Cherry Gelato w/ chocolate sauce
OK-Good
Wt: ~ 4 oz.
Calories: ~250 cals.
Cost: $4.00 inclu. tip
Purchased from: Gelato Classico, in San Francisco, CA

I've decided to continue with the chocolate theme weeks....This is Day #1 of chocolate and cherry week. It was just warm enough in San Francisco to stop and grab some gelato on the way back to the car.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 8, 2008



Chocolate of the Day:

2 servings
Swiss Knight (Imported) Fondue Au Chocolat + Southern Tsunami/AFC Corp. Ocean Crab Roll (Crab and Avocado Sushi)
OK - Good (Each item was very good separately; they were OK together.)
Wt:
Fondue: 2 oz. (56 g.); 7 oz. (200g.) total container +
Sushi: 10.5 oz. (298 g.)
Calories: 280 calories (fondue) + ~1,000? cals. for 12 pcs. crab roll = 1,280 cals. total (estim.)
Cost: $7.99 (fondue) + $7.25 (sushi) = $15.24 total (This was an expensive experiment.)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Day #7 of Chocolate and Meat Week calls for something daring. Or, as my daughter would say, gross. But I thought to myself why not try sushi fondue? Wouldn't you? :-). (It was either that or lamb with chocolate pomegranate sauce -- a dish I was going to invent on the fly. But, I had to work late, and I ran out of time to cook anything elaborate.)

I have to admit, I am glad to see the back of Chocolate and Meat Week. I was running out of items or combinations to try. I thought about dunking turkey hot dog pieces into chocolate fondue this evening, but went for the crab roll instead. I have to admit that after this I would have been out of ideas. What I learned this week: a really nice, rich chocolate-y mole sauce goes well with most meat or main entrees. And the remaining edible chocolate + meat alternatives generally also involve a close relative of a mole sauce. All other possible combinations are pretty iffy.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 7, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Chapala Mexican Restaurant
1 beef taco & 1 chicken taco dipped in a side of their mole poblano sauce
Very Good
Wt: ~10 oz.
Calories: ~600 calories/meal eaten
Cost: $9.11 for a la carte tacos + drink
Purchased from: Chapala Mexican Restaurant, in Mountain View, CA

Day #6 of Chocolate and Meat Week finds me sampling yet another meat and sauce-with-chocolate combination. Since Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) fell on this week, it seems fitting that I'm eating different versions of mole sauce, with different meats. I like the richer, sweeter (more chocolate-y) versions of mole. This one was nice. (There are many different kinds of mole sauce from different parts of Mexico: black, red, green, yellow, and some may be fruit-sweetened vs. chocolate-sweetened. Some are more bitter, and some are sweeter.)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 6, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 plate/meal
Taqueria El Grullense (restaurant)
Chicken Mole Plate/Meal
Good - the mole sauce on the chicken was a little bit bitter (anchiote?) for my taste; the homemade corn tortillas and also the pineapple fresca were very good.
Wt: ~14 oz.
Calories: ~ 700 calories
Price: $10.25 for the whole meal + drink
Purchased from: Taqueria El Grullense

Day #5 of Chocolate and Meat week led me to try a different kind of mole dish for dinner this evening. Earlier this week my chocolate/meat item I ate was enchiladas with a mole sauce. The sauce for these enchiladas was a different blend, a bit sweeter/less bitter, at another restaurant. (I need to find out whether this flavor that is slightly bitter is anchiote or not - just to satisfy my own curiousity.) Mole sauce ingredients, I've found out, can vary widely. Some contain banana, ground sesame seeds, cracker crumbs, and other interesting ingredients beyond tomato sauce, spices and cocoa.

Monday, May 5, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 5, 2008



Chocolate of the Day:

2 servings
Hillshire Farm - Beef Lit'l Smokies + Homade (Red) Chile Sauce + Vosges Oaxaca bar
Very Good (sauce = 4 Tb. chili sauce + 1 very small square choc.)
Weight: 4.5 oz. (estimate)
Calories: 420 calories total (320 calories for 10 small links + 100 cals. for sauce)
Cost: $4.99 (Smokies) + $3.69 (Chili Sauce) + $0 (choc.) = $8.68 total
Purchased from:
- Lit'l Smokies links: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA
- Red Chili Sauce: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA
- Vosges Oaxaca bar: Whole Foods, in Cupertino, CA (gift of 1/2 bar - Thx Alec)

I'm having to get a bit more creative on Day #4 of Chocolate and Meat Week. I'm mixing a few ingredients to get something that tastes good. For some reason there are just not a lot of chocolate and meat products at the store. Buying lots of ingredients (as opposed to one ready-made, turnkey retail chocolate product) makes for more complicated record-keeping; but it's fun to experiment with different combinations.

How did I make this dipping sauce for the Lit'l Smokies? I put the red chili sauce in a small glass bowl with a small square of chocolate bar, and a few grains of cinnamon (and heated just to the point where I could stir the chocolate piece into the sauce). My first batch of sauce was heavier on the chocolate side. I enjoyed the sauce better with the Smokies when it was mostly red chili sauce, and just a little melted chocolate. This Vosges flavor with chilies went well with this sauce.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Rub with Love (Spice Rubs & Sauces)
Cocoa Nib Barbeque Sauce (with ribs)
Very Good - nice blend
Wt: 33 grams (2 tbsp.)/16 oz. (456 g.) total jar
Calories: 50 calories/serving
Cost: $5.39 total jar (16 servings) (+ ~$6.00 for small rack of ribs for this dish)
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Chocolate & Meat week is progressing. Today is Day #3. Today I enjoyed barbeque sauce (with ground cocoa nibs) on ribs.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 3, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving/dinner
La Paloma (Restaurant)
Enchiladas de Mole
Very Good
Wt: ~10 oz.? for whole dinner/plate, including two enchiladas and sides of rice and beans.
Calories: ~ 900/dinner
Cost: $10.75 + tip = ~ $12.55 total for meal
Purchased from: La Paloma, in Santa Clara, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Meat Week. This evening I enjoyed some nice enchiladas stuffed with white meat chicken and mole poblano style sauce (which contains ground spices and cacao/chocolate). Dinner came complete with live music, and a festive atmosphere at the restaurant.

Friday, May 2, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 2, 2008



Chocolate of the Day:

1 cookie + 1 strip
Arico Natural Foods Company & Brunckhorst's Boar's Head Brand
1 Chocolate Chunk Gluten Free Cookie + 1 strip Fully Cooked, Naturally Smoked, Gluten-free Bacon
Good - especially if you like sweet and salty flavors together; although it was a bit odd in spots - the flavors didn't quite mesh in every bite.
Wt: 1 cookie =~ 13 grams (4.76 oz. (135 g.) total bag) + 1 strip bacon =~4.6 grams (2.29 oz. (65 g.) total box)
Calories: 50 cals/cookie + ~23 calories for bacon strip
Cost: $3.39 (total bag of cookies) + $5.49 (total box of bacon)
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Cupertino, CA (cookies); and Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA (bacon)

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Meat week on the blog. Yes, I readily admit this combination is just going to gross some people out. But, I'm determined to find a good match here if I can. There are more chocolate and meat items than you first might think. For example, chicken with mole sauce (which contains chocolate). I've been looking at different dishes with mole sauce. I've already tried a Vosges Mo's Bacon bar (which I liked), so it won't be on my list for this week. And there are cookies with meat...

OK, I haven't tried baking chocolate chip cookies with bacon from scratch (although you can see a link to a recipe on my links list), but I thought it might work just as well if I wrapped a strip of cooked bacon around a chocolate chip cookie. Did it work? Well, sort of. Now, I'll have to try some kind of similar home-baked version (with the bacon chopped up and baked up more completely with a cookie or cake batter or some sort) as a control group later this week, if I have time.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

ChocolateBet: May 1, 2008


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar/serving
Sultans Turkish Delight
(Rose Flavour - Covered in Milk Chocolate)
Very Good - I like floral and chocolate flavors together, so I enjoyed this.
Wt: 1.75 oz. (50 grams)
Calories: 200 calories
Cost: $ 1.59
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

I'm happy to add Turkey to the list of countries of origin for the chocolates I've eaten. (This small bar is a "Product Of Turkey," and is distributed by British Wholesale Imports - a company based in Westlake Village, CA.)

Chocolate in the News
---------------------------
Pregnant women are told it might be healthy to eat dark chocolate.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353399,00.html
Apparently the cardiovascular benefits of eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate extend to those women who are expecting as well; and a daily dose of the dark stuff appears to significantly cut risks of women developing preeclampsia. (This according to a Yale study published in the May 2008 issue of Epidemiology.)

Also, Happy May Day (May 1) all. One custom on this day (at least in some areas of the world) is to leave a May Day basket with fresh flowers and sweets for family members/friends/others. So, I applaud those people who include chocolate items in their baskets/gifts. I dimly remember my elementary school class walking/skipping around a Maypole out on an asphalt playground years ago, and making paper woven baskets in our classroom. However, I don't remember whether chocolates were involved or not. Enjoy.

ChocolateBet: April 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Orchard Valley Harvest
Gourmet Nuts and Caramels
Very Good
Wt: 1/4 cup (42 grams); 12 oz. (340 grams) total container
Calories: 210 calories/serving
Cost: $7.29 total
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

These chocolate covered pieces were fresh-tasting and fun. You had the opportunity to guess which kind of nut you might be biting into from the shape of the chocolate. Cashew? Almond? Pecan? Macadamia? Walnut? Or... Caramel?

OK, I'm dragging my feet here - I'm still eating chocolate and nut items, and I'm supposed to be starting a Chocolate and Meat Theme Week this week. Maybe in another day or two...
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