I'm OUT!

Out visiting the Righteous Perverts and talking about my love for chocolate.  There's a contest going on until the 9th ... comment and you could win a Tilly Greene bag full of goodies, sweet!  Oh, and there's one treat that chocolate and no calories or sugar, WHAT?!?

Go here and read what I've never said anywhere else and enter!

Here's a hint:

 

Hmmm, what could it be :-)

 

The best business card ever, EVER!

Advertising agency Draftcb+Ulka, based in India, created the best business card I ever have seen...the BEST!

What makes it stand out, be memorable, and represent the business well?

They printed the wrapper of a piece of chocolate with all the appropriate details while passing over a sample of the goods.

You're very lucky premium chocolate boutique chain Choko la - that's a card I would keep - after I devoured the treat, of course!

February Means Chocolate Time - Day 5!

The fifth and final stop on my hot chocolate hunt was in Munich and also one on the list of Best Hot Chocolate from Travel & Leisure Magazine I've been using as inspiration and trial since 2007.

Trachtenvogl Cafe-Lounge [Reichenbachstr. 47]

"Thirty flavors of hot chocolate fill the menu at this cozy-chic retreat in the lively Isarvorstadt distrct.  Our favorites: vanilla Cream, Chestnut, Orange Cinnamon, and the signature cuppa, Hot Chocolate Aztec, with its blend of chile, cloves, peanuts, and extra-bitter cocoa.  Soy milk in on hand for nondairy drinkers."

That's what Charolotte Druckman, the author of the list of four establishments, had to say and I don't disagree.  It was fun, unique, hip in how it used a 50's vibe in a bright, front room kind of setting.

The cutie was there and he speaks German so he ordered for me, a heisse schokolade, a hot chocolate.  I can't remember which he said it was, the menu was extensive, what I do know is that I enjoyed the delightful cup.

Was it my favorite of the four, actually two since that's all I've been to on the list, no but it was very good and the place was fun to sit and chat.  What I've learned from this latest hunt is that the cafe itself played a part in how much I liked a cup of hot chocolate, but I'd also recommend you visit any that I've listed - there were others that, for some reason, didn't make the cut or even rate a mention.

Oooo, I'm so tough!  I guess I am when it comes to a fantastic cuppa cocoa :-)

February Means Chocolate Time - Day 4!

I took the hot chocolate hunt to a new country, The Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam.

This was a last minute stop and I had no clues what to do besides visit the museums and snack on frites with satay sauce.  Well, I didn't end up having any of the latter, but through the Knopf MapGuides Amsterdam*, we found a gem of a place that I intend to take my cutie to when we go to Amsterdam.  Yes, it was that good, in fact, it was my favorite cup of hot chocolate through the entire 2 months of travel and that's saying a lot!

De Bakkerswinkel [Roelof Hartstraat 68]

"Very popular bakery and tearoom, renowned for the quality and freshness of its products.  It has an extensive snack menu and excellent teas and coffees."*

It was the cat in the window that encoruaged us to walk in even though the place was packed.  We shared a large family-style dinner table with 9 other people and the garden at the back.  I had a croque monsiuer and the other two I was with ordered the special...not one of us was disappointed.

The space isn't huge, its a neighborhood spot, and the smells coming from the kitchen teased the senses.  The people who worked there were friendly, I mean genuinely happy, and the folks who we sat closet to at the table were a local family, older, and absolutely lovely to talk to.  They finished their lunches off with a scone, cream and lemon curd and recommended we do the same.  We did, of course, and oh yes, that was so very tasty.

Are you getting the gist of what happened at Bakkerswinkel?  I'm not a fan of food, but everything about the place rang my bells.

Okay, okay, on to the hot chocolate!

As you can see from my pics above, it came in a glass with chunks of chocolate with a few other bits of nuts settled on the bottom, and a frothy layer at the top.  Using the long spoon, I stirred it up and then set the spoon to cool down before repeating the process.  The older gentleman we spoke with helped me out on this one - explaining the science of it all [that part made me miss the cutie].  Let the spoon cool and stir with it to get the hot chocolate down to drinking temp. 

This glass of hot chocolate was light yet tasty, just a hint of spice and fabulous from the first sip to the last!  If you ever make it to Amsterdam, make a point to visit Bakkerswinkel and enjoy the experience.

February Means Chocolate Time - Day 3!

I've given you my suggestion for best hot chocolate in Rome and Florence so that leaves Venice.

From what I could gather through the various travel books and talking to folks who had been, there was no great place for sweets much less hot chocolate - shocking, because it would be a great place sure to thrive on the romantic aura of the city.  Shame, but all was not lost.  I actually found a wonderful cup of the liquid brown nirvana in:

Pizzaria Antico Panifico [Campiello Del Sol]

After walking over the Bridge of Sighs, we made a random left and stumbled upon this gem of a place looking for someplace to have lunch.  It was perfect.  Don't let the exterior fool you, I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat for more than the ciocolata.  The pizza and pasta were to die for and I don't say that easily - not a fan of tomatoes or mushrooms, two things which tend to show up too frequently and in great quantity in American-style Italian food.

Inside this restaurant was a bright open feeling with a lunch crowd that was distinctly not touristy.  You always hope to find those types of places and enjoy more of what they themselves like, not what a guide book says they like.

As for the ciocolata, it was thick and lovely.

There was no cream and that was fine, this was a cup of joy and needed no fussing.  I find it interesting how, both in France and Italy, sugar is offered as if the hot chocolate needs it and I don't think it does.  The flavor is perfectly balanced, the occassional dollop of cream is all that I personally want to stir in, but even it isn't necessary.

For me, Italy offered yummy ciocolata.

February Means Chocolate Time - Day 2!

Yesterday was Rome and today is Florence.

There were so many piazzas with their own cafes dotted all around the historic district where we stayed and spent most of our time.  We tried at least one on everyday, but only one place did we go to twice - okay, we were so tired we didn't remember we'd been there for dinner two days before.  We don't consider it a mistake, we truly enjoyed:

Rivoire [Piazza della Signoria]

Even though it was November, the weather was so nice, we sat outside and watched tourists and Florentines alike make there way through the bustling piazza.  This was also the one that had the David statue I wrote about earlier.  Knopf MapGuides for Florence says:

"This smart confectioner opened in 1872 to sell what it is still famous for today: a heavenly thick hot chocolate.  Unbeatable location too, on the city's most beautiful square."

It was all true.

The cioccolato con panna [hot chocolate with cream] was thick, not spoon stand up and stay up thick, but a sipable thickness that loosened with each dollop of cream added.  Maybe it was the atmosphere again that helped push me to think this was the best of Florence because it was utterly delightful - who wouldn't enjoy sipping on something lovely while overlooking a piazza dotted with larger than life sculptures depicting many of the ancients.

After sampling hot chocolate in Rome and in Florence, I can say what I found was unfussed with hot chocolate that wasn't overly sweet but neither was it bitter.

February Means Chocolate Time - Day 1!

On my recent travels I partook, as I almost always do, in hunt for the best hot chocolate and thought I’d share my findings. This all started with a list of four places the articles author noted back in a 2007 Travel and Leisure magazine. I’ve been to one place on the list, Angelina’s in Paris, but sought other cafes out at the same time and found, while wonderful in chocolate offering and ambiance, it was one of a few that were also good. The list is not final or by any means the ultimate list, it was and continues to be a starting point.

Now, back to this last trip when I visited a second of the four on the list, but because my brain works in a funny way, I’ll begin where the trip started, in Rome, and my favorite cup there was found at:

Antico Caffe Greco [86 Via Condotti]

“Stendhal, Leopardi, Ungaretti…all have sat in this prestigious café, founded in 1760 and concealed between the boutiques of the Via Condotti. The interior retains its velvet chairs, marble-topped tables, red -colored walls, pictures, sculptures and tail coated staff. Pastries, coffees and ice cream. Cheaper if you sit at the counter.”

Is what the Knopf Mapguides to Rome said and, yes, it’s all true and so much more. People came in and had a quick drink as they went through the day, others sat and read while drinking something delicious, and then there were those like us who were just taking a break and talking while I enjoyed the delightful café.

There were little room, hallways and a more private nook that were filled with tables and all were enticing. The front has a counter and glass cabinets full of sugary treats, but we chose to sit in the room beyond the front two with a great view of most of the happenings.

I ordered a  cioccolato con panna [hot chocolate with cream] and the cup came with a separate of cream which I stirred a dollop in whenever I felt it was needed.  By no means was this a large cup, but it was large on flavor.  Not sugary sweet, but pure delightful unadorned chocolate.  The consistency was a bit thick, which makes me think it was made with full fat milk.

Yes, I enjoyed this cup as much as I loved the cafe.  The atmosphere was exactly what I expected from the brief description above.

Chocolate Caculator

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATHS from a friend of mine who knows me very well!

Don't tell me your age, you'd probably lie anyway, but the Hershey Man will know the truth!

This is pretty neat.

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute ...
Work this out as you read ...
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
This IS one of those waste of time things and it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10).

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold).

3. Add 5.

4. Multiply it by 50 - I'll wait while you get the calculator .

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1760, if you haven't, add 1759.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number.

The first digit of this was your original number (i.e. how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE! (Maybe in 7 years, but then again, I could've been off in the amount of times I would like chocolate in a week - possibly :-))

Thank you L! Good fun :-)

A bit of random ridiculousness...

So, you're expecting to receive some chocolate over the holidays, and yet still have Halloween goodies hanging around. What can you do? Well, here's an idea for the chocolate bars - yes, even those with nuts, berries, or whatever:

1. Break the bar or bars up into chunks [about a 1/2 cup worth] and put in a mug.

2. Put mug in the microwave and turn it on for 15-20 seconds, use a wooden spoon to stir a bit and break it up a bit more. Repeat.

3. Once almost all melted add a teaspoon of butter - yes, butter! - and do the final melt, and then stir.

4. Add milk to the chocolate/butter mixture and slowly, like before, heat it up. Stir occassionally with your wooden spoon and dip you finger in occassionally to decide when it's a toasty temp to drink.

5. Decorate your hot chocolate feast with either whipped cream or marshmallow [I usually do the minis because they melt and meld into the beverage where the big ones can create a shelf]. After that, you can sprinkle the small pieces that didn't make it into the mug over the top, or anything else you fancy - like broken candy canes.

Yummy, and now you're ready to receive some more chocolate.

Hump Day Reflections

To prepare for Valentine's Day...let the licking begin!

What's for dinner?

Okay, playing corporate wife right now and tonight the cutie pulled me out for dinner. Lovely to meet up with a couple of the other wives, but trouble was brewing.

We went to a seafood restaurant and I eat nothing from the sea.

So what did I have?

Well, I made a minimal pretense at the meatloaf, but this was what held all of my attention: the chocolate bag filled with whipped white chocolate and fresh berries.

LOVELY!

No, I didn't finish it, not even close, so they boxed it up and I brought it back with me. In fact, I even knicked a fork to help finish it off :-)