ChocolateBet: June 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

got milk? Magic Milk Straws
Chocolate
Good
Weight: .32 oz. (9 g.) for 2 straws / Net wt. .95 oz. (27 g.) total package of 6 straws
Calories: 32 calories for 2 straws
Cost: $ close-out sale price
Purchased from: Lucky Supermarket, Union City, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week.

I inserted two of today's "got milk?" Chocolate Magic Milk Straws (marketed and distributed by FMMI in Minnesota) into a glass of milk. And when I sipped milk through the straw, it became lightly flavored with chocolate. These straws were partially open at both ends and were filled with little round, chocolate "beads" that dissolved slowly as they interacted with liquid, turning the milk a very light chocolate color.  A very clever idea.

I liked that the milk was less sweet than chocolate milk usually available in stores. According to the label, these straws contained no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, and were gluten free. Even better.

ChocolateBet: June 11, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Silly Cow Farms
Hot Chocolate - Chocolate Truffle
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) / 16.9 oz. (479.54 g.) total bottle of mix
Calories: 200 calories
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Piazzas Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week.

The location where I sample a chocolate can often be as an enjoyable as the chocolate itself. For example, this morning I was sipping this Silly Cow Farms hot chocolate mix (that came packaged in a glass milk bottle) at a Hiker's Hut in the coastal mountains of Northern California, with a gorgeous view.

This Silly Cow Farms hot chocolate mix was made by Bread and Chocolate, Inc. (Wells River, VT), also known as Burnham and Mills (after two outlaws from the past). The couple who founded this company live in a home that apparently housed a jail in the late 1700s; and Burnham and Mills may have stayed there. It's nice to have a colorful story to go along with you morning cup of chocolate.

Straus - Brown Sugar Banana ice cream with chocolate chips - June 10, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Straus Family Creamery
Brown Sugar Banana ice cream with chocolate chips
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (91 g.) / 1 pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 220 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $4.99 for 1 pint
Purchased from: Molly Stone's Markets, Palo Alto, CA

Another warm, sunny day. Another cool treat with chocolate in it.
What could be better than organic, gluten free, authentic tasting, rich, creamy, Brown Sugar Banana ice cream from Straus Family Creamery? Why some chocolate of course. In this case, chocolate chips.

The chocolate chips added some crunch, but as with all chocolate chips in frozen ice cream, the chocolate flavor itself was not as accessible in semi-frozen state. Possible toppings to help accentuate a chocolate flavor: a teaspoon of Kahlua (rum and coffee liqueur), or rum chocolate sauce as a light, accent flavor. Too much chocolate sauce would overpower the subtle banana and caramelized brown sugar flavors. A slice or two of fresh banana would be delicious too.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week.

I bought this ice cream at Molly Stone's, a local supermarket. My favorite part -- a visit to the produce section, where there was an animatronic farmer and barnyard full of animals -- including a friendly cow. This group came to life and performed periodically. I'm sure these characters were singing about fruits and vegetables. And, no, it wasn't a chocolate cow; but I'd love to see a singing piece of chocolate (cacao fruit?) in that line up too.

Chocolate of the Day:

Straus Family Creamery
Coffee ice cream
Weight: 1/2 cup (91 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $3.50 for 1 Pint
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Some people like fresh coffee on their breakfast tray*. On a sunny day like today, a cup of Coffee ice cream (with a hint of cocoa powder included) hit the spot. Pot of coffee, pint of ice cream...whatever floats your breakfast boat. A little of both is good.

And life is good with organic, gluten free ice creams from Straus Family Creamery. At 240 calories per rich and creamy serving, no one will confuse this Coffee ice cream with non-fat frozen yogurt, but sometimes a little healthy butterfat is very satisfying. Thank you to the cow on the label and to all the cows who made the milk and cream for this ice cream.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week.

*OK, I admit it, I use a breakfast tray a few times a year -- less frequently than I eat over the sink. But, the term breakfast tray does conjure up a nice leisurely lifestyle, doesn't it?

ChocolateBet: June 8, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Horizon Organic (WhiteWave Foods)
Chocolate organic lowfat milk
Good +
Weight: 8 fl. oz. (236 mL)
Calories: 150 calories
Cost: $1.25 total container
Purchased from: Safeway, in Menlo Park, CA

This handy, lunchbox-sized container of organic, chocolate lowfat milk was made with organic cocoa and evaporated cane juice. The tiny carton came with its own tiny, telescoped straw, and was emblazoned with two cartoon mascot versions of black and white Holsteins -- a popular breed of dairy cow. Organic cows, the label explained, "give an average of 5 1/2 gallons of milk per day. That's about 90 glasses of milk!"

After a mention of Vitamins A and D, the acronym UHT also appeared on the container -- an ultra-high temperature processing and packaging method that allowed the Horizon milk to be stored unrefrigerated, and extended shelf life to 6-9 months (for an unopened container). I'd prefer as little processing of any food as possible, but UHT is handy if you need to pack some milk in a lunchbox or snack bag for eating on the go.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: June 7, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Unican (Nexus)
Milkita Chocolate Milk Candy
Good
Weight: .1066 oz. (3 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bag of 30 pieces
Calories: 12 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 for total bag of 30 individually-wrapped pieces
Purchased from: Daiso, in Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate Cow Theme Week. It's only fair that cows get their due.  They do supply milk for milk chocolate, and chocolate milk. And images of cows grace countless ads and marketing materials.

Today's Milkita Chocolate Milk Candy wrappers were decorated with cows in several different positions -- the cow on the outer packaging appeared in baseball uniform (#07) with a bat. Some cows were lounging, others appeared to be celebrating a happy occasion. Another set appeared to be playing with a red water balloon (?).  Very cute, even if I didn't understand all the different cow poses.

Inside these wrappers: smooth, oval-shaped, candy lozenges (different shape than the squares in the outer wrapper illustration). These candies were chewable, as long as I bit down and up with care, so as not to pull a filling out in my tooth. 

ChocolateBet: June 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Grindstone Bakery
Chocolate Crispy Almonds cookie
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total cookie
Calories: 229 calories in 1/2 cookie
Cost: $2.51 total cookie
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Toffee Theme Week.

If I had to make my favorite chocolate and toffee ice cream sundae, I might start with organic ingredients from all Northern California companies.

I might (and did) line a glass cup with crumbled pieces of this brownie-like, wheat-free, Chocolate Crispy Almonds cookie from Grindstone Bakery (Rohnert Park, CA). I then added Caramel Toffee Crunch ice cream from Straus Family Creamery (Petaluma, CA); and topped this with more cookie crumbs, and a square of Dark Coconut Toffee bar from Alter Eco (San Francisco). After mixing in a few organic almonds, I had my chocolate and toffee sundae.

This generously sized, vegan, wheat-free* chocolate cookie, made with extra virgin olive oil (no olive taste was detectable), and was relatively moist and crumbly. The cookie had a rich chocolate smell and taste.

*Note: While the Grindstone chocolate cookie was wheat free, it did contain some stoneground barley, meaning that it wasn't gluten free. (Grindstone makes both wheat free and gluten free baked goods.)