Thursday, February 17, 2011

Valentine's Day

This week Valentine's Day came and went (as well as my Aunt Angela's birthday!)
 Since this is a chocolaty blog and chocolate and Valentine’s Day go so well together,
why not post more pictures of chocolate, right?




Drooling right now J









 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Chocolate Quote for the Week
  
"Two important and great things come from God, Love and Chocolate."
~ Macy Boriack



Chocolate Pumpkin Bread


  • 1½ Cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup chopped nuts
  • ½ - 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices together. Then combine with dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until straw comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and cool on a rack. Eat it up and enjoy!

I’m so sorry for the long wait everyone! To make up for it I’ve posted 12 awesome pictures of chocolate. Enjoy! :) 

























 

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

  Well, it happened! I turned 15 last Sunday. Surprisingly, it doesn’t feel much different than being 14….just a little more mature. ;) There are advantages: like: 1. I can’t wait to start driving! (Although my Mom did remind me that just because I CAN start driving definitely doesn’t mean that I WILL start driving.) 2. It flat out sounds awesome! ...that’s all I can think of. Have any you can add? And the disadvantages: 1. I’m becoming the “oldie” now. 2... actually I can’t think of a “2”. You can suggest disadvantages as well if you’d like. ;) Since I’m not in a creative mindset at the moment; I’ll just keep moving on.


   For my birthday my sisters took me out to Panera Bread for breakfast. It was so good!! Since my birthday was on Sunday, I stayed and ate lunch at church with my friends. After that I picked up some friends (some met us there) and we went rollerblading! It was really fun (I found out the faster you go the easier it is). I hope to keep improving (since I can’t get any worse!) and I can’t wait to go again!

~Ryle

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

    Hello everyone, we are so sorry we have not posted in a long time. We will try to post more often so please, keep checking. Here is our next post!




Chocolate Quote for the Week

“Everything exists in limited quantity-especially chocolate, so eat it while you can.” -Picasso (Quote was edited.)





The History of Chocolate

    For some of you history is just an annoying thing you have to do for school, for some of you it is fascinating facts. Either way you are sure to enjoy this story about chocolate, where it came from, how it was used, and other interesting facts.
   
  The tasty secret of the cacao tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The story of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican drink into a global sweet encompasses many cultures and continents.

   The first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink.

    Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created. Eventually, and the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe. Since then, new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favorite flavors.


Chocolate’s Roots in Ancient Mesoamerica
We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet candy created during modern times. But actually, chocolate dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who drank chocolate as a bitter drink.

  The first people clearly known to have discovered the secret of cacao were the Classic Period Maya (250-900 C.E. [A.D.]). The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.

When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy chocolate drink.




One-bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake

    For a coffee break that’s over the moon, pair your next cup with this beauty. Brewed coffee and chocolate morsels make our One-bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake a taste sensation!



Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups All-purpose flour

1 cup Granulated sugar

1 cup Packed dark brown sugar

¾ cup Unsweetened cocoa

1½ teaspoons Baking soda

1½ teaspoons Baking powder

½ teaspoon Salt

1 cup Reduced fat mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Canola oil

1 cup Hot strong brewed coffee

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

⅓ cup Semisweet chocolate morsels

Cooking Spray



Mocha Cream:

¼ cup Boiling water

1 tablespoon Instant coffee granules

1 (7-ounce) Jar marshmallows

1 (8-ounce) Container frozen light whipped topping, thawed

⅓ cup Light chocolate syrup (such and Hershey's light syrup)



1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredient in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise and oil; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Slowly add brewed coffee and vanilla; beat at low speed one minute or until well blended. Stir in chocolate; pour batter into a 13x9-inch baking pan coated with baking spray. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
3. To prepare Mocha Cream, combine water and coffee granules in a large bowl; stir until granules dissolve. Add marshmallow cream; beat with a mixer at low speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread Mocha Cream over top of cake; drizzle with chocolate syrup. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 16 servings.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

    In our church we have a book of the month; this month’s book is called The Faithful Parent by Martha Peace and Stuart W. Scott. In one of the chapters (the one titled The Teenager) it listed a bunch of versus about what a fool is. In my mind, whenever I pictured a fool, he was sort of like a court jester. Weird I know, but it’s true. A fool isn’t someone who amuses the king and his guests, but a real person being a real fool. So what is a fool? :



A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
(Proverbs 18:2)



The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
(Proverbs 12:15)



Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
(Proverbs 19:1)



It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
(Proverbs 20:3)



Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
(Proverbs 26:12)



Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
(Proverbs 28:26)



A fool gives full vent to his spirit [anger], but a wise man quietly holds it back.
(Proverbs 29:11 explanation added)