Wednesday, September 30, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 30, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Equal Exchange Chocolates
"Organic (& fairly traded) Mint Chocolate" bar
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (49.5 g.)/3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: ~262 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store, on 24th St., Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA

This dark chocolate bar (with 67% cacao content) had a slightly crunchy texture from peppermint and vanilla beans, which worked.

Switching to strange holidays...September 30 is (according to holidayinsights site) National Mud Pack day. So, my daughter and I applied a packet of Masque Chocolat to our faces. Mud never smelled so good. This followed a stroll along San Francisco Bay with a friend and her dog, Sadie -- who supplied her owner with a few extra spots of mud, at no charge. She's a smart dog.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 29, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

~1 oz.
MarieBelle - New York
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.)/3.1 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: ~150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.50
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

This bar was a very skillful blend of dark chocolate and banana. There seemed to be a nice, slight crunch to this as well, perhaps due to strategically mixed in grains of potato starch.

Happy Confucius Day. This Asian philosopher is quoted as saying "With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bent arm for a pillow -- I have still joy in the midst of all these things." Throw in some chocolate, and maybe a good book, and I'm there. Simple things are best, yet I always seem to want to add a few more items.

Monday, September 28, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 28, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 pudding cup
Lucerne Foods, Inc.
Eating Right Kids - Artificially flavored Chocolate Pudding (cups)
Good +
Weight: 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in one pudding cup/14 oz. (396 g.) in package of 4 cups
Calories: 80 calories in 1 pudding cup
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Safeway?

I knew I was making a good choice when I bought these pudding cups, because the Tasmanian Devil* is eating a huge spoonful of this pudding; and (on the back side of this package) Bugs Bunny is trying to hand me a carrot.

No, I'm not suffering from chocolate hallucinations. These are the characters on the pudding cup packaging, geared toward getting kids to eat fat-free pudding I'm guessing.

I liked the relatively small serving sizes. I ate mine with a small handful of toasted walnuts. This pudding does contain cocoa, so I was a bit puzzled about why the artificial flavoring was needed.

*The Tasmanian Devil was a personal cartoon favorite of mine when I was little.

ChocolateBet: September 27, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Melzy Enterprises, Inc.
Figamajig Raspberry Dark Chocolate Covered Fig Bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.)
Calories: 130 calories
Cost: $2.50
Purchased from East West Bookstore, Mountain View, CA

Today, during a walk along the San Francisco Bay, I spotted a small fig tree growing out of the marsh grasses, thistles and assorted non-native plants and weeds, several yards from the water.

To honor this lone little tree by the Bay, I ate a Figamajigs raspberry flavored, dark chocolate covered fig bar from Melzy Enterprises (Sonoma, CA). It was very rich and satisfying after a long walk.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 26, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 straw
Bridge Brands Chocolate
"got milk? chocolate flavored straws"
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .35 oz. (10 grams) (estimate) + 1 cup milk
Calories: 23 calories for 1 straw + 140 calories for milk = 163 calories total
Cost: $0.99 for one straw
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolato, San Francisco, CA

I love chocolate magic. In this case, you "just stick a chocolate straw into a fresh glass of milk and sip." That's what I did, and the straw turned my glass of plain old, low-fat milk into chocolate milk.

And to think, a few centuries ago, people were wasting time on alchemy, trying to turn straw into gold.

Friday, September 25, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 25, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 small bar
Kshocolat
Honeycomb and Vanilla - Milk Chocolate
Good
Weight: .35 oz. (10 grams)
Calories: 52.5 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $5.00 for a package of six small bars
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

This little milk chocolate bar from Kshocolat (Scotland) certainly tasted sweet, but it was hard to pick out the honey flavor amongst all the sugar molecules.

Three of these Honeycomb and Vanilla bars were packaged together with three Kshocolat's Orange and Cardamom dark chocolate bars. Both were good, but the latter also had wonderful citrus and cardamom notes.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 24, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 small bar
Kshocolat
Orange and Cardamom - 72% dark chocolate bar
Very Good +
Weight: .35 oz. (10 grams)
Calories: 52.5 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.00 for a package of 6 bars
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered in San Francisco, CA

If you like fragrant spice items, like gingerbread and chai tea, you should try this Orange and Cardamom dark chocolate bar from Kschocolat (Scotland). I enjoyed it very much, and started fantasizing about melting a few of these dark chocolate bars into a gingerbread cake recipe. This small bar is a perfect size: large enough to satisfy, and small enough to prevent chocolate overload. (These bars were packaged with Kshocolat's Honeycomb and Vanilla Milk Chocolate bars, featured earlier.)

ChocolateBet: September 23, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 Tablespoon
Fudge is My Life
Ginger Chocolate Sauce
Weight: ~.7 oz. (20 g.)/10 oz. (284 g.) in total jar
Calories: 80 calories in 1 Tablespoon
Cost: $8.00 for 1 jar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

I tried this ginger chocolate sauce with a wheat-free lemon cheesecake I bought from IKEA. In the future, I'd like to try this fudge sauce heated, over vanilla ice cream, or cherry vanilla ice cream.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 22, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 square
Z. Cioccolato
Black Panther Fudge
Very Good
Weight: ~2.12 oz. (60 grams)/~4.48 oz. (128 g.) total bought
Calories: ~250 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.48 for total mini-slab I bought
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolato, in North Beach, San Francisco, CA

Z. Cioccolato, a store in San Francisco, is a great place to find good fudge and novelty chocolate items. Last night, I bought a 1/4-pound mini-slab of Black Panther* fudge, to try today; and I found some other fun chocolates to sample later. (I did not buy the bacon wallet, or the toast wallet, or the Hostess (King) Ding Dong lunchbox, but I did find a straw that turns ordinary milk into chocolate milk. More on that later.)

My apologies to Z. Cioccolato for the unflattering image of the fudge above; it looks more like a slab of meat than fudge. It looked much nicer in the shop.

*Black Panther is the name of a Marvel comic book character. Also, The Black Panthers name refers to an African-American revolutionary group and political party that was active in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both the character and the group came into being in 1966.

Monday, September 21, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 21, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

NewTree
"Thym Alpha" - Dark Chocolate with Thyme
(aka Chocolat Noir Au Thym) with Omega 3
Very Good +
Weight: 2.35 oz. (66.67 g.) (estimate) for 5/6 bar /~2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 5/6 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

It's thyme for college students to return to classes this week; and, sadly, it's thyme for summer to end today and for fall to begin tomorrow.

Brightening up the mood a bit was today's chocolate bar from NewTree with, you guessed it, thyme. Crunchy bits of rice and roasted flax seeds mixed with the herbal taste of the thyme in this "Alpha" dark chocolate bar made for a great combination of textures and flavors.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 20, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
B.T. McElrath Chocolatier, Inc.
Salty Dog Chocolate Bar
Very Good
Weight: 3.0 oz. (85 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: ~420 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.50
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Arghh. I missed the opportunity to eat this yesterday, September 19, which was Talk Like A Pirate Day. It's hard to keep track of all the interesting holidays (that provide creative fodder for eating different chocolates). This was good. However, as much as I enjoy good dark chocolate, a version of this bar with 60% cacao (vs. 70%) would probably make it easier to taste the nice, embedded toffee bits and sea salt.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 19, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Al Nassma
"Dates" (camel milk chocolate) bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 70 grams (2.46 oz.) in 1 bar
Calories: 369 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Last week, one little fresh, yellow date (four cents worth) rolled down the black grocery check-out strip, along with my other groceries/chocolates. I wanted to try one date, before buying a large cluster of them. It was very good.

When I lived in Santa Barbara years ago, a friend from Indio (known as the date capital of the U.S. at one time) got me hooked on date milkshakes with a dash of nutmeg. Heavenly. So, it was with these fond date-related memories in mind that I bit into this unique Al Nassma camel milk chocolate bar, from halfway around the world (Dubai, United Arab Emirates). It was well-made and quite tasty. I imagined sitting in the shade in my own little oasis, eating this Dates bar with toasted walnuts and fresh orange slices. It probably wouldn't be half bad in a date milkshake either.

Change of subject...

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19).

Tomorrow's chocolate will be B.T. McElrath's Salty Dog Chocolate Bar, in honor of this day. Also, this weekend is the Austin Chocolate Festival in Texas, with Fat Turkey Chocolates and others, and proceeds going to Susan G. Komen organization. (O.K. I have to try a Fat Turkey chocolate; the name is too good.)

Friday, September 18, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 18, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

3/4 bar
Vosges
Mo's Dark Bacon Bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.25 oz. (63.75 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 172.5 calories (estimate) for 3/4 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

As the days have grown shorter, I've become more interested in heartier food, such as bacon and eggs for breakfast or brunch; bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches or salads for lunch; and bacon with chicken and vegetables for dinner. Sensing a pattern here, today I decided to try the dark (62% cacao) version of Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges (Chicago, IL), with Applewood smoked bacon, Alderwood smoked salt, and dark chocolate.

Both the original milk and the dark chocolate versions of this Vosges bar are quite good. However, it was easier to taste the bacon in the Mo's Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar, a plus for me.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 17, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Al Nassma Chocolate LLC
Arabia bar (camel milk chocolate, spices)
Good +
Weight: 35 grams (1.23 oz.)/70 grams (2.46 oz.) total bar
Calories: 184 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

If the label hadn't disclosed this milk chocolate was made with camel's milk, I wouldn't have guessed.

It was good, although (like many milk chocolates I've tried) it was a bit sweet. The spices used were subtle. In addition to honey and vanilla, I thought I tasted just a little bit of coffee, cardamom and cinnamon. But, I could be wrong.

Twelve dollars sounds like a lot to spend on a few ounces of chocolate; but, it is much less expensive than flying to Dubai (part of the United Arab Emirates). Al Nassma apparently maintains their own camels adjacent to their facility that they use to make camel milk chocolate products.

What an interesting chocolate field trip this would be.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 16, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Fudge is my Life
Dark Chocolate Sauce - used to make...
A Chocolate & Vanilla Soda (homemade)
Very Good
Weight: 8 fl. oz. + ice
Calories: ~175 calories in one serving
Cost: $?
Purchased from: (Piazzas, in Palo Alto, CA?)

I decided to make my own chocolate soda, with Fudge is My Life's Dark Chocolate Sauce, Monin's Vanilla syrup, seltzer water, and ice. It wasn't bad. The chocolate sauce was definitely tasty. So, this (Day #7) entry concludes Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009. (The next chocolate beverage theme week will be (or probably should be) chocolate diet or reduced calorie drinks.)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 15, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving - 1/2 bottle
Yoo-hoo (distributed by Motts)
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Good +
Weight: ~ 7.7 fl. oz. (229 mL)/15.5 fl. oz. (458 mL) in total bottle
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bottle
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Yoo-hoo was my choice for Day #6 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009. I may have tried a Yoo-hoo many, many years ago; however, I couldn't remember what it was exactly. Carbonated chocolate milk perhaps? It was better than I expected it to be.

The label advised me to "Shake It!" and so I did. I mean, who would resist such instructions? The Yoo-hoo name evokes great nostalgia* for many baby boomers. Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink debuted in the 1920s, and the fun name has helped keep the product afloat since then. Technology company names, like Yahoo!, and even Google (with its catchy mathematical origin), probably owe this company an indirect debt of gratitude. The Yoo-hoo brand may have undergone changes over many years, but the name has stayed.

*Yoo-hoo is definitely on my chocolostalgia list.

Monday, September 14, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 14, 2009



Chocolate of the Day:
1 milkshake
Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream and Fudge
Fudge Marble Ice Cream => Milkshake
Very Good
Weight: ~ 16 oz. (regular size)
Calories: ~800 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.50
Purchased from: Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream & Fudge, in Palo Alto, CA

Thanks Alfredo for your help in reviewing chocolate ice cream flavors that might make good milkshakes this week. I've been working my way through the list of Rick's ice creams (with chocolate in them). I justified having a milkshake for two reasons: 1.) I walked to Rick's from my house, 2.) it's Day #5 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 13, 2009


Chocolate of the Week:
1 small cup
Boomerang (Australian Vodka) & Ghirardelli Chocolate Syrup
Chocolate Martini
Very Good
Weight: ~ 2 oz.
Calories: ~ 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: ~$1.33 for this sample (1/15 of $20 sample package)
Purchased from: Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival organization

This was Day #4 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009. Today's chocolate (syrup) was shaken, in a cocktail shaker with ice and Australian vodka. (The image above is scanned from a Boomerang Australian Vodka hand-out.)

With apologies to those old Master Card ads, I'll sum up our chocolate adventures today with the following:
Tasting Package for Chocolate Festival at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco: $20.00.
Price of gasoline to drive to San Francisco: ~$10.00.
Parking in high-traffic tourist area of San Francisco: $14.00.
Eating 20 different chocolates in one hour and getting a sugar, chocolate and tiny-martini buzz: priceless.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 12, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1.) 1 milkshake + 2.) 1/5 milkshake
Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream and Fudge
1.) Banana Nut milkshake (16 oz.) - Very Good
2.) Sideways milkshake (~ 3 oz.) Very Good
Calories: ~ 800 calories (estimate)
Cost: ~$16.00 for three milkshake orders (shared w/ others)
Purchased from: Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream & Fudge

Rick's Banana Nut ice cream had a little chocolate in it; however, I wanted to be sure. So, I had part of a second milkshake made from Sideways ice cream (vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, red wine -- so named, I'm guessing, for the 2004 movie "Sideways"). All this milkshake sipping was in honor of National Chocolate Milkshake Day. (And, on a smaller scale, this was Day #3 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009 on my blog here.)

ChocolateBet: September 11, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 milkshake
Peninsula Creamery
Milkshake (with Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream, peanut butter, and banana)
Very Good
Weight: ~ 20 oz.?
Calories: ~ 800 calories
Cost: $5.95 + .75 + .95 + tax and tip
Purchased from: Peninsula Creamery, in Palo Alto, CA

Chocolate Milkshake Day isn't until tomorrow (Sept. 12). However, the local Peninsula Creamery restaurant/diner is famous for their milkshakes. (Many years ago they even made and sold their own ice cream.) I probably mixed too many flavors together in this shake. But, it was still good, after a long walk.

As many of you know, I sometimes group related chocolate items into theme weeks on this blog. Today was Day #2 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week 2009.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Today I Celebrate Three Years of Chocolate

Today, I celebrate my birthday, and three years of eating chocolate. On September 11, 2006, I started eating a different kind of chocolate every day. I thought I would run out of different chocolates after six or seven months. Not so. There are at least 2,000 chocolates out there today, and I should be able to eat my body weight in chocolate by mid-2012. This is a testament to all those who are creating wonderful new chocolates every day in the U.S. and elsewhere.

This weekend is a busy weekend for celebrating chocolate. Apparently, Chocolate Day is Sunday, Sept. 13, and Chocolate Milkshake Day is tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 12). I can find online references to this 'shake-related holiday going back to 1996; but I'm not sure how it actually got started. (FYI, Milton Hershey was born on Sept. 13, 1857.) I may research the intersection of Chocolate Milkshake Day with other holidays or events to help choose a flavor to mix into a chocolate milkshake. (Chocolate monkey (banana) milkshake day perhaps? -- Sept. 12, 1966, the singing group, the Monkees made their television debut. Chocolate + banana is a better fit than combining it with National Pet Memorial Day, which apparently also falls on Sept. 12. Who knew? I hope you're up there watching Big Purr. (Big Purr, my childhood cat, only liked the occasional plain cake doughnut, and not chocolate.)

Chocolate Covered, a shop in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco, carries a great selection of chocolates from around the world. I'm hoping to drive there to buy some chocolate from the middle east (made with camel's milk). And, on the same trip, I'm planning to attend a chocolate festival at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. After that, a long walk -- or any activity that doesn't involve sitting behind a computer and letting all those chocolate calories settle in undesirable places -- would be good.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 10, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 cup
O (Organics)
Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk
Very Good
Weight: 1 cup (240 mL)/1/2 gallon (1.89 L)
Calories: 170 calories in 1 cup
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Safeway

A chilled glass of this chocolate milk was very refreshing after a long walk on a warm day. Reducing the fat a few percentage points seemed like a good idea. It was like drinking a low-fat liquid chocolate milkshake. I considered this a practice run for National Chocolate Milkshake Day (really), which is the day after tomorrow (Sept. 12, '09).

Given the focus on shakes this week, I felt it was appropriate to launch Day #1 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week for 2009.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 9, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1/3 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
Cool Peppermint bar
Good +
Weight: .66 oz. (18.66 g.)/2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 99 calories (estimate)
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, New York City, NY

Smell is such an important part of taste. This morning, before I tried this raw, organic chocolate "Cool Peppermint" bar from Gnosis (NYC, NY), I enjoyed sticking my nose into a bunch of fresh cut lavender from my front yard. I like strong herbs like fresh peppermint and lavender that can stand up to dark chocolate.

On a related note, I am planning to unearth some recipes for home spa treatments that involve chocolate in some way. These may be featured in a(nother) chocolate theme week soon.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 8, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
Slow Food Fast Children bar
("Special Cause Bar" to help school nutrition programs)
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 grams)
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, New York City, NY

Yesterday I watched Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary, Super Size Me, in which he ate nothing but fast food from McDonald's restaurants in New York City (and other U.S. cities) for one month. The decline in his own health helped to underscore the points he was making. Among them, don't eat fast food too often, and adults and children in the U.S. are not eating well, and not getting enough exercise.

Today's raw, vegan, and gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free chocolate bar was designed to help address one of these issues, with 35% of the proceeds going to "schools across the country who are implementing child nutrition programs," according to the label.

The title of today's (raw) chocolate bar was the inverse of fast food and slow children. The Slow Food Fast Children bar was handmade (in New York City), vegan, and free of gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugar. I've noticed that I can eat a whole 2-oz. Gnosis bar and still feel pretty good. There are other chocolates where I wouldn't even attempt to eat this much. OK, I'm sold on healthier/raw chocolates, based on trying several different bars over time.

Monday, September 7, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 7, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 square
Russell Stover
Mississippi Mud Truffle
(American Classics Assortment; Private Reserve)
Good+
Weight: .56 oz. (16 g.) / 6.2 oz. (176 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 95 calories for 1 individually-wrapped square
Cost: $3.48 for total package
Purchased from: Walmart, in Mountain View, CA

This morning I did some hiking out in the Baylands, and the tide was out. There were large areas of bay mud glistening in the sun. So, these Mississippi Mud truffle squares from Russell Stover seemed like an appropriate chocolate for today.

Many months ago, I bought a package of Mississippi Mud Truffle squares to try. However, my daughter and others ate them before I had the chance. So, I "re-bought" these last night when I saw them, even though they were only available in a larger assortment package that contained three Russell Stover American Classic flavors (I sampled the other two flavors quite awhile ago). I opened the 6.2 oz. package and found just one Mississippi Mud square. Yikes, $3.48 was a lot to pay for just one square. Oh well. This square was good, but it was too sweet for me.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 6, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

2 squares
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Milk and Peanut Butter
Very Good
Weight: 1.03 oz. (29.3 g.)
Calories: 160 calories in two squares
Cost: $2.84 in total bag
Purchased from: Walmart, in Mountain View, CA

These individually-wrapped milk chocolate squares with crunchy peanut butter filling from Ghirardelli Chocolate (San Leandro, CA) were very good.

I may try melting these on (wheat-free) toast - for a chocolate and nut-spread effect. (This may seem odd unless you've tried Nutella, or similar knock-off chocolate and nut spreads.) I can't have wheat, but if I could, I might trip slipping one of these inside a croissant and microwaving it for 10+ seconds.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 5, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
"Surthrival Choc" bar
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 300 calories (guesstimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate

This morning, as part of a 1,000 mile walk, I woke up early to hike a segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail, through a dicey neighborhood. (For more about this silly walking the bay business, see: www.walking-the-bay.com). I had to pump myself up for this walk.

So, in keeping with facing my fears and just doing it...I ate a "Surthrival Choc" raw chocolate bar from Gnosis Chocolate (made in New York City, NY). This Gnosis bar was chock full of interesting ingredients (e.g., goji berries, horny goat weed, Yohimbe, Lion's Mane Mushroom, Passionflower), and many adjectives. It was: handmade, raw, vegan, and was made without refined sugar, cholesterol, gluten, dairy or soy.

The word "Invincibility" is printed next to a purple-clad super hero-ess. Founder Vanessa Barg (aka Chocolate Girl) is young, energetic, and committed to making it happen. And, she's committed to inspiring herself, and others, to thrive and to attain dreams and goals.

Oh, and did I mention that part of the proceeds from this bar go to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation?

Speaking of chocolate-related adventures, and facing your fears, check out Solomon Jones's entertaining account* of his trip to Hershey's Park:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090905_Solomon_Jones__Chocolate__B-stings__nausea_make_a_Hershey_staycation.html

*Postscript: Sorry, this story is not longer available on philly.com

Friday, September 4, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 4, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
2 brownies
(homemade, gluten-free beer brownies)
Oppenheimer
"Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips"
Very Good
Weight: 2 brownies = ~ 4.59 oz. (130 g.)
Calories: ~ 480 calories for 2 brownies (estimate)
Cost: ?
Purchased from: ?

I found a recipe for Guinness stout brownies. I swapped the flour and Guinness for gluten-free baking mix and gluten-free beer, and put half the batter in a conventional oven, and half in a solar cooker outside. The batch from the conventional oven came emerged hot and gooey (great with ice cream), but these brownies firmed up as they cooled down. The outside batch went into the Tulsi solar cooker at 2:00 p.m., and took them out of the cooker a little after 5:45 p.m. Both batches turned out well.

After cleaning up from baking brownies, this evening I visited the Mars website to enter to receive a coupon for a free chocolate bar/product, as part of the "Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act" promotion. Clever.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 3, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
The Chocolate Fetish
Ecstasy truffle line, Velvet Sin
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 grams)
Calories: ~ 127 calories in one piece (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift) Thank you Ginger!
Purchased from: The Chocolate Fetish, in Asheville, North Carolina

This hearty truffle's ganache center was made with a blend of four dark chocolates. Last night I found this in a box (in my mailbox) from my friend Ginger who lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She stopped at The Chocolate Fetish during a recent trip. Given the recent hot temperatures in California, these arrived in good shape. But, just to make sure they were really OK, I had to eat the Ecstasy Ancient Pleasures chocolate truffle with cayenne last night as soon as I opened the box. (So, I'm not including this second truffle in today's entry, but will try to in the future, as it was very tasty.)

Note: the image of The Chocolate Fetish storefront above was scanned from a reprint of an article that ran in the February 2009 issue of Rapid River (Arts & Culture Magazine).

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 2, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
Almond Fig Spice bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 grams)
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate

I liked the combination of flavors: almonds, figs, cinnamon and other spices in this handmade, raw, organic chocolate bar from Gnosis Chocolate (New York City, NY). The texture of Gnosis chocolates seems smoother than many handmade, raw bars I've tasted.

The bar was also vegan, and contained no refined sugar.

Congratulations to Gnosis founder, Vanessa Barg; I hope you received the TV coverage this week you were hoping for.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

ChocolateBet: September 1, 2009


Chocolate of the Day:

3/4 bar
Tropical Source (by SunSpire)
Toasted Almond Dark Chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.25 oz. (64 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 375 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $0 gift (thank you Alec)
Purchased from: n/a (gift)

I melted down this (dairy- and gluten-free) bar to include it in a chocolate pudding cake of sorts. (I can't follow recipes, but it's hard to go wrong if you combine chocolate, egg, oil/butter, and a bit of rice flour.

I list vendor name(s) for each chocolate I eat. Determining who made this bar was a bit confusing. Tropical Source (by SunSpire) is owned by nSpired Natural Foods - now owned by Hain. This made me think of a nested set of Russian dolls, or of the little fish who was eaten by the medium-sized fish, who was then eaten by the larger fish, and so on. I don't know if this list of names was the result of a branding or acquisition strategy. Waves of change and disruption tend to wipe out lots of carefully crafted product names and brands over time. Ten years from now, I wonder how many chocolate brand names on my blog will still exist.
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