ChocolateBet: December 1, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 shoe
Barbie - Dylan's Candy Bar (Distrib. by Galerie)
Good
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) for 1 shoe/1.48 oz. (42 g.) total box
Calories: 120 calories for 1 shoe
Cost: $16.00 for 1 pair/1 box
Purchased from: Neiman Marcus, in San Francisco, CA

"Would you like the left shoe, or the right shoe?" I asked my daughter. Eating a chocsimile of a famous make-believe doll's shoe. I'm not sure how we got here, but it's fun, isn't it. All except the price. Ouch. At $16.00, girlish fantasy doesn't come cheap. The chocolate was OK, but the hot pink and black packaging was very snazzy, very hip Barbie.

ChocolateBet: November 30, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
3 pieces
Bergen Marzipan & Chocolate Inc.
Brandy Pralines
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.)/9 oz. (254 g.) in total box of 18
Calories: 190 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $5.99 for box of 18
Purchased from: TJ Maxx, in San Francisco, CA

These round truffle-shaped chocolates, rolled in chopped nuts, had a strong almond flavor (which I liked). The ingredient list included "toasted almond," but not specifically marzipan. However, I'm guessing from the company's name (Bergen Marzipan & Chocolate) that there may have been a touch of extra almond paste or flavoring involved as well. In any case, nicely done.

ChocolateBet: November 29, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Russell Stover
Santa Milk Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 310 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.29
Purchased from: Walgreens, in midtown Palo Alto, CA

Today concluded chocolate money week. Christmas candy started to appear in stores early this year (after Halloween). So, today also marks the transition to the Christmas chocolate season. This Russell Stover ($1 million dollar bill) milk chocolate bar was stamped with the phrase "In Chocolate We Trust;" whereas "In Santa We Trust" was printed on the outer packaging, as was the signature of Mrs. S. Claus (Wife of Santa). I have to say that both chocolate and Santa have both proven relatively trust-worthy; so all this sounded OK to me.

ChocolateBet: November 28, 2009

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolate #1
2 pieces (coins)
Steenland Chocolate BV
Milk Chocolate Good Fortune Coins (2 types)
Weight: .266 oz. (7.533 g.) for 2 pcs./(4 oz. (113 g.) total mesh bag
Calories: 40 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Cost Plus World Market, in Mountain View, CA

Chocolate #2
1 piece/coin
Sweet Treats (by Metro Candy Sales)
Chocolate Coins (gold foil wrapped chocsimiles of U.S. Liberty Quarters)
OK+-Good
Weight: .15 oz. (4.35 g.) for 1 coin/6 oz. (170 g.) total bag of 39 coins
Calories: 22.5 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.99 for bag
Purchased from: Diddams store, in Mountain View, CA

Who knew there were so many types of chocolate money? It's no surprise that chocolate money theme week has extended well beyond the originally planned 7 days. However, in the interest of diversity, I think tomorrow will be my last entry in this category for awhile. Best wishes for a prosperous holiday season to all.

ChocolateBet: November 27, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Steenland Chocolate BV
Milk Chocolate Bank Vault Coins
Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.)/5.29 oz. (150 g.) in total bag
Calories: 90 calories in 2 pieces (1 coin +1 bar)
Cost: $3.99 for mesh bag of 26 pieces (22 coins, 4 bars)
Purchased from: Cost Plus World Market, in Mountain View, CA

Gold prices have continued to go up. This month, I have pegged my fortunes to a chocolate gold standard. How sad, but how delicious. Today I ate chocsimiles of
1.) 1 (fyngoud) fine gold 1-oz. (Suid Afrika) South African 1981 Krugerrand
2.) 1 "Credit Europe" 10.5 g gold bar ("Fine Chocolate Gold 9999")

Because these chocolates seemed rather lonely by themselves, I ate them with a small dish of pumpkin pecan dessert in honor of Thanksgiving weekend. Not quite guilding the lilly, but getting close. Guilding the dessert perhaps.

ChocolateBet: November 26, 2009

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolate #1
2 mini bars
Heidel Confiserie
Heidel Chocolate Euros
Good +
Weight: .52 oz. (15 g.)/1.7 oz. (50 g.) total pkg.
Calories: 78 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.99 for pkg. of 7 small bars
Purchased from: Cost Plus World Market, in Mountain View, CA

A total of 885 chocolate Euros, for only $2.99. Such a deal. I ate two: the 500 and 200 Euro chocolate bars. I liked the small bar size (.26 oz/7.5 g. each), the pleasing Euro graphic art, and also the fact that these bars were made from whole milk powder (and no added lactose, from what I could tell.)

Chocolate #2 - A cautionary tale
1 taste
Baskin Robbins
Ice Cream Turkey - full size
Purchased from: Baskin Robbins store, in Palo Alto, CA (1 year ago)

One cryogenic turkey, brought back to life one year later for Thanksgiving. It's alive! Well, my dear Igor, not exactly. The storage conditions in my freezer this past year were apparently not ideal. The dear departed ice cream turkey was nestled in the back among the frozen broccoli, chopped onions and old popsicles. And, in absorbing all those other flavors, it did not age well.

I shared one of these Baskin Robbins turkeys with family a year ago, and it was great. Very realistic looking, and tasty. The outside (turkey skin) appeared to be painstakingly applied caramel and chocolate syrup(s). I saved this second turkey (with chocolate "dark meat" inside), because everyone was stuffed after eating the first one (with vanilla "white meat" inside). Happy Thanksgiving to all in the U.S. and elsewhere.

ChocolateBet: November 25, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
5 pieces (coins)
Steenland Chocolate BV
(Piggy Bank with Chocolate Coins)
Good +
Weight: .77 oz. (22 g.) (estimate)/2.82 oz. (80 g.) total piggy bank
Calories: 115 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.99 for total "bank" of 23 coins
Purchased from Cost Plus World Market, in Mountain View, CA

High-flying finance with chocolate and pigs...piggy banks that is. Today's clear plastic pig from Steenland Chocolate (Netherlands) was filled with gold foil wrapped chocolate coins in the following denominations:

1.) U.S. Quarters ($0.25) (1993)
2.) Japanese Yen? (10) (????)
3.) French Francs (2 Fr) (1979)
4.) Chinese Yuan? (100) (1992)
5.) Danish Kroner (10 K) (1979)

I consumed one of each, for the sake of international diplomacy. (Note: I took my best guess as to #2 and #4 coins.)