Important events may take place in the life of each person. That's why we will have to make a present to people sometimes. There are no doubts that all people like to receive gifts. But when selecting a present most of people are usually puzzled. What to present? Just remember how many times you have asked yourself this question. It usually occurs when you are invited to wedding, Mother's day, birthday party or even Valentine's Day. Of course, you can simplify this task and make a traditional present, but be absolutely sure that a person will be never surprised with such a gift. The present should be unusual and highly impressive! Do you have any ideas? Ok, let me give you a tip. I would advise you to consider a chocolate bouquet as a good alternative. Does it sound interesting for you? Congratulations! This article is the right place for you! Thus, you are welcome to continue reading!
At first, we would like to draw your attention to the benefits of presenting a chocolate bouquet. It should be noted that such a gift is very beautiful, tasteful, memorable and in some degree innovative. Such a present is well-appreciated as well. Presenting this unusual thing you will perfectly decorate any celebration table. Most people find the process of selecting a chocolate bouquet as a very pleasant activity. This fact can be explained by a wide selection of chocolate products available today. They have different all shapes and sizes. There are a lot of candy stores and online shopping websites, where you can easily order a present. Undoubtedly, such a beautiful pleasant gift will make an unforgettable impression on any person.
As it is known, gift selection process is considered to be the art. Nevertheless, be sure that if you decide to choose a chocolate bouquet you will master this art easily. This present can be purchased either in traditional or online store. However, before to make any online order we would recommend you to search for a valid chocolate coupons to receive a discount!
Do you Crave Chocolate?
Most of us do, some more then others. Did you know the average American consumes around 12 pounds of chocolate per year? While that may be true, but why do we crave chocolate? After doing a little digging, to confirm what I knew to be true. . . eating chocolate makes you feel good. We feel relaxed after we eat chocolate.
The scientific reason is because the chemical called serotonin found in chocolate is a neurotransmitter that regulates many functions, including mood, appetite, and sensory perception.
Fantastic, we can eat chocolate. . . . but what about the potential weight gain if we eat to much?
Remember the old adage "everything is good for you in moderation!" Keeping that in mind, the chocolate lover in all of us can enjoy the wonderful flavors of chocolate, in moderation. The key is to find a satisfying chocolate treat that keeps one from over indulging. . . which would lead to the waist line issue.
Here are two perfect solutions to help satisfy the chocolate craving without the guilt from going overboard!
Solution Number One:
Find one Chocolate treat you really enjoy eating, break it into portions. . . this way you satisfy the craving without the guilt. Eat what you like just less of it. Doing this solves two situations. First you feel better now that you had a chocolate treat and because you ate only a small piece you don't feel like you have to go to the gym and exercise for an hour!
For Example: I have this fantastic recipe for Coconut Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies. My all time favorite. Bake these chocolaty delightful cookies, share some with your friends, which by the way they will LUV these cookies, and freeze the rest. They last for a few months in the freezer, although they have never made it past about 6 weeks in my freezer.
Everyday after lunch or dinner treat yourself to a cookie. One cookie, okay sometimes two. If you make them small and it is one of those days where you need just a bit more, go ahead eat another one, they're small. Pretty easy solution, right!
Solution Number Two:
Food Exchange. There might be several dietitians who would not agree with this solution, but when you really want a decadent chocolate desert, try eating less the meal before the meal in which you know you are going to eat a tasty dessert.
For example, you have been invited to a birthday party. . you know there will be cake, cut back on the amount you eat for lunch because you are going to a birthday party that evening. It works every time. You will enjoy each and every bite of that birthday cake. And try not to worry about the calories. That would just take the pleasure out of eating a delicious dessert.
Keeping in mind that everything is good for you in moderation, find great recipes that allow you to freeze a tasty treat. Enjoy a little at a time without worry about inches. Try not to deny yourself those good feelings you get from eating chocolate!
Chocolates usually make any day instantly better. There is just something about that rich, smooth flavor that seems to melt away the troubles of life. It is a welcome gift for almost any occasion: Graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, general accomplishments, corporate gifts, just because, etc. Seeing a person's face light up when they open their box of gourmet chocolates is a treat that never seems to get old to experienced chocolate givers.
A fun, unique gift is an emergency choc-aid kit. You take the person's favorite types of chocolates and put them into a little first-aid type of container. When they are having a hard day at work or school, a piece of chocolate toffee or a dark chocolate cherry truffle will give them a mini vacation from the chaos around them.
Chocolate cigars, baby bottle pops and baby rattle pops can be a great gift for family and family when you are announcing birth of a baby. They are such a cute novelty treat, and people will be talking about the unique way you announced your baby's birth for years to come.
Thank your wedding guests for attending your wedding and supporting you by giving them gourmet chocolate wedding favors. You can personalize the chocolates, the ribbon on the box and the color of the box itself. You can add an additional personalized touch by adding labels with your name and wedding information to the boxes. Bride and groom caramel apple favors are also a wedding crowd pleaser. It's not everyday you see a groom apple dressed in a "tuxedo" and bride wearing "pearls" They are so excellently crafted that they are almost too pretty to eat...almost!
To show someone you are thinking of them all year long, you should consider joining a chocolate of the month club. The sweet treats will arrive at just the right time to make long days at the office better. And you will be the hero of gift giving when you surprise someone with Belgian chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolates are a great gift to give when you aren't completely sure what to buy someone. They can be as impersonal or as intimate as you want them to be. You could buy them for someone that you've know for a week or give them to someone that you've married to for 60 years. Either way they are always special and always appreciated.
Any client would be ecstatic to receive a personalized gift backset filled to the brim with their favorite kinds of cookies and candies. The gift basket can almost single handedly guarantee that they will definitely be doing business with you again. Not only that, but they will spread the word of the great types of chocolate gifts they received from you and probably encourage others to do business with you.
If you are interested in the types of tasty chocolate treats you've just been reading about, make sure you visit http://www.indulgeinchocolate.com/ to see the world of chocolate that awaits you. Remember that if someone isn't a fan of milk or dark chocolate, you can always tempt them with white chocolate.
Chocolate bars of candy and for cooking and baking have been around for centuries. In the Eighteen Hundreds, Daniel Peter, a former candle maker in Vevey, Switzerland, decided to try to make a true milk chocolate candy bar. This was a project that he worked on for many years until he finally succeeded. His milk chocolate was so successful that his demand for the product was bigger than his ability to supply it. He then went to work for his friend Nestle and took his product with him. He worked for the Nestle Company until 1919 when he died at the age of ninety. To this day the best chocolate allegedly comes from Switzerland.
There is no end of what one can do with chocolate bars or chocolate candy. Had a fight with your spouse? Whether male or female you can appease them with it. Want a romantic evening? Chocolate will help. They come in all forms: some with nuts and fruits and some with marshmallow and mints.
There is something about chocolate that gives a person that feeling of contentment and security. Every man, woman and child has some pleasant memory or activity that they can associate with it. Chocolate candy comes in all forms from drops, bars, fancy forms of cremes or covering fruit and its peels. Who does not like fudge, cookies or cake? Very few people do not truly like chocolate.
Some people may admit to not liking the dark chocolate but enjoy white or pink version of it. The white and pink chocolate candy bars are relatively new on the market. No matter what kind of chocolate you favor you will never run out as chocolate is here to stay for many centuries to come. There will always be changes and improvements but the basics of the chocolate bar will always remain. It will continue to make pleasant and romantic memories and bring sweet dreams to the younger and older generations. Make some of your own pleasant memories by bringing someone you love a box of chocolates or, just a couple of chocolate bars.
Labels: Chocolate
Milk chocolate, as it is called, is simply chocolate from the cacoa bean that has beed mixed with sugar, and cacoa butter, and then mixed with condensed milk or milk powder. There are other additives that a manufacturer may add to give it their signature, but that is the basics of it.
Everyone in the world has been effected by milk chocolate in one way or another since its invention centuries ago. Being taken form South America, constantly perfected in Europe, until it has become a world phenomena. But I have no problem with that, do you? We use it for everything we can use it for. Cookies, cakes, cereals, beverages, toppings, flavorings, decorations, etc., chocolate has its place in history for good.
Is Milk Chocolate Healthy?
It is said in a study that the average American eats 10-12 pounds of chocolate every single year. They have never met me. It is also known that eating chocolate is rich in Phenols(antioxidants) which is good for the heart. Millions of pounds of milk is used every year in the production of milk chocolate.
Yes, to a degree. Ok, so the health benefits of milk chocolate are not as many as dark chocolate, however, there still some to be considered. It is a stimulator, to the brain, to the emotions, thus, increasing your stamina. Of course, moderation, because it is high in fat content and sugar. Point to be taken here is we need fat in our diet, seriously, and milk chocolate can be a great source for that fat percentage, just not all of it should come from eating milk chocolate. Be sure to read the nutritional section of each chocolate substance you obtain so you know what you have to eat or bake with - very important.
There are milk chocolate bars, milk chocolate fondue mixes and hardware, chocolate drinks, like hot chocolate and etc. There are many great recipe books that can teach you what to do with milk chocolate if you are fresh out of ideas and feel a bit overwhelmed. Just start reading and let the imagination roll. Some of the best milk chocolate recipes have come from the laboratory so to speak. Perhaps you will be the next Thomas Edison of milk chocolate.
Artisan Chocolate Truffles and the Spices That Love Them, Part XIV - Star Anise
0 comments Posted by Dehaas at 5:12 PMStar anise is a very unique star shaped seed pod derived from a small to medium sized evergreen shrub, which is a member of the magnolia family. Grown primarily in Southern China, Japan and Vietnam, it is used extensively in Asian cuisines, and to a lesser extent, also makes an appearance in many Indian dishes as well. Star anise is also one of the main ingredients ingredients found in most chai tea recipes as well. It has a very pungent licorice flavor and aroma, similar to anise seed, only stronger. The assertive flavor of this unusual spice lends itself well to bittersweet chocolate truffle recipes, because it's plenty strong enough to stand up to even the highest percentage cacao chocolates. In fact, it's best to use a cautious and restrained hand when adding ground star anise to any dish, including chocolate truffles, because it can easily overwhelm the formula, and throw the overall flavor out of balance.
As always, when purchasing spices to add into chocolate truffle recipes, make every effort to find the particular spice in it's whole form, as any spice will quickly lose it's punch within days, or even minutes in some cases, after grinding. Therefore, star anise should always be purchased either in whole seed pods, or broken into pieces, if you can find them... not ground. Star anise will also benefit from a light toasting before grinding, so start your recipe by taking 2-3 whole seed pods and placing them in a hot, dry skillet to toast for a few moments to toast them up, and begin releasing the volatile oils. As soon as you start smelling the licorice notes, (2 minutes maximum) take them out and put the seed pods into a coffee grinder. Grind them up a bit, but not too fine, so that you can strain them out later. Then chop up about 200 grams of 70% or higher bitterseet chocolate, until very fine. Place the chopped chocolates into a mixing bowl, and set aside. Then place about 100 grams of good fresh, heavy cream into a heavy bottom sauce pot, and add in the chunks of toasted star anise. Bring the cream and spice to a scald, and then immediately pour it through a wire mesh strainer to remove the spice, right into the chopped chocolate. Let the hot cream and chocolate sit for a minute, and then stir it together, until smooth, with a rubber spatula. After the gananche is very smooth, add in about 30 grams of room temperature unsalted butter, and stir the mixture until it becomes glossy. After the chocolate sets up to a firm, yet still pliable consistency, use two teaspoons to form small elegant quenelles. Drop the truffles directly into a bowl of fine cocoa powder, and then sift the truffles out. Arrange the star anise truffles on a pretty serving platter and serve them with some nice creamy chai, or strong black tea for a sophisticated presentation that is sure to impress!
Since Xocai made it's appearance in the marketplace the chocolate world (and also the fitness food world, the diet industry and undoubtedly your e-mail inbox) has been buzzing with the idea of "healthy chocolate." While there definitely are benefits to dark chocolate and unquestionably benefits to a number of the ingredients utilized in the unique "healthy chocolate" the very simple continues to be that the most effective way to get healthy, slim down, have more vitality and prevent possibly uncomfortable side effects is to simply eat a healthy diet, workout and for God's sake indulge yourself every now and then.
The entire notion of a "healthy chocolate" is laughable and rather reminiscent of the notion of a "cookie diet". One who expects to slim down through eating only cookies can't possibly expect as many health rewards from their diet as they might were they to simply get up exercise and eat proper meals in the first place. That said - is there any reality to the "healthy chocolate" stories which are floating around on the web?
Xocai is a product owned by MXI Corp. Their business framework operates similar to that of Mary Kay, they recruit resellers who are paid out a portion of revenue and compensated with bonuses and allowances for product sales volume. Regrettably due to this method numerous resellers are quite happy to tell you absolutely whatever you are prepared to hear in order to make their sale.
Xocai is a popular new toy on the chocolate market being pushed everywhere you look by anybody and everybody that has subscribed to their resellers program. What about the actual product though? Most Xocai items incorporate dark chocolate. There are several benefits of including a small amount of dark chocolate in to your daily diet. These health benefits include reduced blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, enhanced blood circulation and lowered probability of infarction. So now we've got the benefits that may be found in Xocai along with plain old high quality low-cost dark chocolate. Exactly what does Xocai have that regular dark chocolate hasn't got? The greatest bragging point of Xocai or "healthy chocolate" is the ORAC values of ingredients in the particular products.
What are ORAC values? ORAC values are Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity units, a means of calculating the antioxidant values of particular ingredients. Antioxidants like those present in dark chocolate are beneficial for a lot of reasons but specifically for neutralizing free radicals in the body (which according to popular belief slows aging.) So back to those ORAC levels in "healthy chocolate." It's well known that dark chocolate has high levels of anti-oxidants, we also are aware that particular "superfoods" include high levels of antioxidants too. Fruits like the acai berry and blueberry are regarded as two of those "superfoods" and contribute significant amounts of antioxidants in supplementation to the already large levels of antioxidants in dark chocolate. It is basically a matter of mathematics then when it comes to the question of why Xocai has such large antioxidant values, whenever you blend several items with high antioxidant values it only adds up that the ORAC levels are going to be greater than one of those items alone.
Is Xocai a sensational revolution in healthy chocolate? Most likely not. Does Xocai offer some gains that can't be obtained in standard dark chocolate? Possibly, however were you to consume a few acai berries or blueberries with your dark chocolate you'd probably take in just as many antioxidants as you would with the Xocai mixture and pay a substantially smaller amount of your paycheck. The truth is, if you are searching to become healthy think about foregoing the chocolate all together and augment your diet with all-natural berries along with other foods high in antioxidants like standard unsweetened cocoa powder, cranberries and spices.
Then why the hype? Healthy chocolate is a unique product on the market which includes two of our favorite words, healthy and chocolate. Even though our minds realize that this could never be the sensation we would like it to be we persuade ourselves that it is...or else we're persuaded by the countless Xocai resellers. While Xocai does absolutely incorporate natural ingredients and health and fitness benefits it's not a staple of a nutritious diet and regrettably numerous "healthy chocolate" sales reps are pushing it as such. Xocai is not only not an efficient to way diet but it is a very costly one. The soundest way to diet is and always will be eating healthy unprocessed foods and integrating physical exercise into an everyday routine. It also needs to be mentioned that the jury is still out on whether acai berries really do offer any kind of slimming benefits at all without the inclusion of thermogenic additives.
Well since there are some advantages to Xocai are there any negative effects? The so called "healthy chocolate" includes acai berries that in addition to antioxidant advantages also have the natural quality of cleaning the bowels. This can lead to diarrhea and increased bowel movements. It's also entirely possible that anyone who has a serious allergy to pollen could have a serious allergic reaction to acai berries causing itching eyes, congestion and a rash. While there is little data available about the specific adverse side effects of Xocai in general it could be well worth noting that every website in searching range about Xocai also ends up having a "buy your healthy chocolate here" link on it too.
Xocai is the most recent idea, the follower to the acai berry diet, that was the follower of the cookie diet, that was the follower of the Hollywood diet and it is certain that there will be a newer idea to follow Xocai when it's moment passes. Meanwhile I recommend that you use caution but most importantly use your common sense. A healthy chocolate with absolutely nobody telling you about their unfavorable experience but simply everyone publishing their remarkable experiences with reseller links? Even Godiva have their critics.
Hello again, as we all know chocolate bars such as snickers, Twix & Butterfinger have skyrocketed in price over the last couple of years, so what can we do. We can do a few things, we can absorb the increase in price, we can pass on the price to our customers, or we can substitute some of the chocolate bars with some higher profit items. If you do not have these items in your vending machine then try them, Nutty bars (these are chocolate wafers with peanut butter between them), Oreo cookies (6 pack), Sweet & salty bars & Fruit by the foot.
My vending customers love the nutty bars & Oreo's are a big favorite, there are other substitutes out there you have to find them & try them. You can sell these items at a lower price (your customers will like that) & your profit & profit margin will be higher. An example would be snickers cost around 43 cents & most are charging around 80 cents to non-commission accounts. The profit would be 37 cents or 46%. If you used nutty bars you can charge around 65 cents to non-commission accounts & the cost is only around 20 cents. The profit would be 45 cents or 69%, in the case of the Oreo's the profit should be around 40 cents or 61%.
In both these examples I am using 65 cents as a sale price, 15 cents less then the choc. bar & in both cases the profit was higher with both substitutes. Again both of these items are cheaper for our customers to buy & both are very popular in my machines. A couple of things before I end, chances are you will not be able to take out all the chocolate bars lets be realistic, our customers want some chocolate bars so you still have to decide what to do about the price of those items. Second you will have to experiment with each vending account before you find out what choc. bars you can substitute & what substitutes sell in each account. Keep the big sellers & move out the smaller selling bars, this will keep them happy then sprinkle in the substitutes & see what happens.
Labels: Chocolate, Substitutes