Archive for September, 2009

We always want the optimum Chocolates!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Hmm chocolates! I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t enjoy this delicious chocolate treat. The optimum chocolates are made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree, but most of us don’t care where it comes from or how it’s made, because we just love it for its taste.We all love a bit of chocolate just as we enjoy a slice of our favorite cake, but some of the optimum chocolates around are known to have some very useful medical properties according to scientists. The key ingredient, ‘theobromine’, is actually a third more effective at stopping a persistent cough than drugs containing codeine and it won’t make your drowsy either.

We’re lucky enough, we have a specialist chocolate store in our town and the selections here are absolutely unbelievable. It’s not all is in fancy boxes either and there are a lot of options to try by the piece. Every Christmas we make our own chocolate gift baskets using world chocolates and we know everyone loves to receive these as presents.

The varieties in chocolate vary enormously from chocolate covered almonds, assorted bars, dark and white mix, caramels, whirls, eggs, nuggets, creams, oh the list is endless as are the shapes, sizes, designs, and tastes.

I love optimum chocolates so much that I savor the taste as long as possible by freezing all but the soft centers. There’s no greater way to reward your taste buds than sucking on cold chocolate. Hmm! So, what are you waiting for? There’s bound to be a shop near you with loads of chocolate treats just waiting to be tried.

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/we-always-want-the-optimum-chocolates-1286342.html

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Celebrate Special Occasions with Chocolates

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

You want to celebrate occasions of your love one in a unique manner! Having chocolates on the special occasion is something brilliant. Chocolates are the best food item that we all love to eat. Chocolates are the best for celebrating any occasion; it goes beyond into a glorious world of delicious and fashionable food and adds color to our enjoyment. There are different varieties of chocolates such as dark chocolates, milk chocolates, white chocolates. Usually we use chocolate cake to celebrate special like anniversaries, birthday, Christmas day, new years, valentine day, and many other occasions.

You are available with various sorts of chocolates in the market with different sorts of decoration. Decorations make the chocolate more beautiful as well as sumptuous. Decoration can be done with distinct materials but you need to have plenty of ideas to improve the look of chocolate. They are offered in different shapes and sizes like guitar, cartoon characters, etc. Not only this, there are numerous items such as chocolates, candies, butter creams, fruits like pineapple, strawberries, etc that can be use to decorate chocolate cake according to the occasions.

With the advanced technology, it’s very simple to have a chocolate at your home without moving from your place. These days, a lot of online stores are available on the Internet that offers the service of ordering chocolate cake online. Everyone is busy in their life therefore, sometime they don’t have sufficient time to go market and buy chocolates. Online order is the best way to order chocolate online. They offer fast and on time services to place your order anywhere and anytime.

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/celebrate-special-occasions-with-chocolates-1281935.html

Chocolates… Everybody’s Weakness

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

We all are aware of the fact, that everybody loves chocolates. Chocolate is the voice of passion and love, whether it is the love of chocolate itself or as an expression of love for another person. The way its quality feels in your mouth as it melts is very satisfying and its richness takes this pleasure to a whole new level. Some people believe that chocolate brings a lot of pleasure. Valentine’s Day or Saturday, chocolate is the perfect gift for those we care about or just want to impress, it’s right that chocolate is very delicious, and some chocolates are more enjoyable than others.

There are sofiaraj chocolates available to fulfill any chocolate lover’s hole.  However, you can give luxury chocolates if you ever wanted to make friends with someone. Sofiaraj chocolates really blow me away. There are different from others, they are so rich, so sweet, so complex and flavorful, and so lingering in texture and taste.

There are many different kinds of chocolates such as dark chocolate unpolluted by other flavors is enough to satisfy the craving. Occasionally it is nice to have a good chocolate truffle or something like that. Truffles of all kinds are also available for those with an additional sweet tooth, whether you love dark, milk or white chocolate it is all available. The truffle as a entire is more delicious than any of its parts. In addition, there are also boxes of chocolate to suit anyone. Some people really enjoy coffee filled chocolate or cherry filled chocolates. In a box of chocolate, all these are possible and even things you never thought imaginable will be waiting for you when you open the lid. And if you want a plain chocolate bar than those are available too, all but everywhere. Dark, milk or white chocolates are available for chocolate bars so you will get your chocolate fix.

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/chocolates-everybodys-weakness-1281986.html

‘NEW ME’ -FOOD Part 1. Journey into the NEW ERA of ‘raw chocolate’

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

 ’Exercise is a dirty word… Every time I   hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.’ :-)

I am a chocolate lover. There is nothing else in the world that tastes as good as chocolate to me. It makes me happier - simple. Definitely a brain food and definitely an addiction.

There is a downside to all of this of course. The reason why many of us - women refuse this appetizing piece of chocolate cake at Cousin Alvin’s Wedding. Yep, the extra few pounds here and there. They stay with us to remind about the chocolate affair we have been having. No secret kept.

It got me wondering a little. Is there a solution to all this? What are the choices I have?  Do I always have to make the choice - eat or look good? 
Well, there were 3 Solutions I saw, since I have decided to do something about my weight :
- No more chocolate, sweets. This meant a constant battle of senses, constant guilt.
- To join a gym and keep eating the amounts I have been until now,  
- To minimize quantities and improve the quality of the food I have been eating.

After thinking for a little bit I have decided to choose Solution #3. Not that the gym wouldn’t be great (uff, all those HOT HOT men), simply because the gym wasn’t me.

I knew that my decision would not make my 6 pounds disappear of course.  It would improve however the way I looked and felt without changing much of my lifestyle. And I do have a busy one believe me…

I begun my research. I wanted to find chocolates that were not as fattening and not loaded with sugar and all that chemical stuff. I found plenty and raw chocolate among them - this was definitely my prime choice.

New Era has begun for me - a new naked chocolate, an entirely new raw experience, true chocolate with all its psychoactive properties, nutrition and brain activators. Why?

Well through my research I found the following:

Health benefits:
Raw cacao is the primary source of the alkaloid Theobromine (Theobroma cacao, the botanical name of the cacao nut tree, literally means ‘food of the gods’); it also contains high levels of the flavoniods catechin and epicatechin, which are antioxidants. There is a plethora of information relating to scientific and medical research regarding the health benefits of these substances as well as their therapeutic applications.

Ordinarily these substances, along with other essential vitamins and minerals are broken down by a heating processes. Fortunately eating raw chocolate is the answer - it presumes all ingredients at their best. 
Chocolate originates from the pure energy of the cacao bean, also known as ‘the food of the gods”.  All chocolate is made from cacao, the seed of the fruit of an Amazonian jungle tree!

The heating process however  used in almost every chocolate out there destroys most of the benefits cacao has to offer. This means that even if there is a nutritional value in the chocolate, it is probably minimal. Instead we get lots and lots of carbohydrates combined with fats. Not a good combination to begin with. Then there all the colourings, E’s and God know what else.

OK. Knowing this ‘ my tasting’ began.

I have started to taste this ‘raw’ novelty for the first time in my life beeing a bit sceptical, I must say. I remember I have unwrapped the bar with hesitation craving Mars or Kit Kat. But that was then…

I remember I have managed to get few bites and…And BINGO! Loved from the first taste. ‘Yeah, BABY! I could survive eating only this’ - I thought.
Raw Chocolate appeared to be less sweet (no processed sugar at all! - sweetened with dry fruits or flower nectar only) and incredibly rich (packed with real cacao solids). Wonderful wonderful experience. I will not name my favorite as I do not want to advertise them to anyone (well, I guess if you click on my page www.sweetorganicgifts.com you will figure it out anyway ;-) But I must say surly raw chocolate has been since then a big part of ‘NEW ME’. 

I am very happy I did manage to try this kind of chocolate. I do not eat as much chocolaty things and raw makes me fill fuller quicker. I have limited my sugar intake (sugar is very addictive and unhealthy!) and yes, I have actually lost some weight. Thumbs up for the raw extravaganza.

Thank you for your attention.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of ‘NEW ME’ FOOD - SUGAR FREE or Not Sugar free that is the question? Until next week then… TA TA

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/new-me-food-part-1-journey-into-the-new-era-of-raw-chocolate-1269932.html

How to Make a Chocolate Gift Basket

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

There are lots of different chocolates but you want to use your favorite chocolate. The reason behind this is the delicious taste and the other is to give a really nice gift. Any chocolates will work to make the basket extra special. Chocolates are tasty and loved by all.  Mixture of dark chocolates and milk chocolates are good idea to give a nice variety to the gift basket.

Select a beautiful basket that reflects the quality of the chocolates gives the appearance and makes the gift basket even more appealing. Choose a dark brown basket that is elegant and beautiful. Buy some straw or beautiful fabric to stuff in the bottom of the basket and then put the chocolates. A great way to give form to your basket is to place foam under the straw or fabric and then glue small sticks on top of the backs of the chocolates so you can stick them in the foam and create a shape.

These are just few suggestions to help you to create a professional chocolate basket that will be a wonderful gift. In fact, you can have several of these made up, as long as they are stored in a cool area, and  when a special occasion arises you have the perfect gift to present anyone. This is a gift that will be appreciated by anyone for almost any occasion. Weddings, showers, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and everything in between are perfect occasions to give a chocolate gift basket. So, go ahead and start making up some beautiful chocolate baskets of your own to present someone special in your life, and it won’t take you very long before you can do it in no time!

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/how-to-make-a-chocolate-gift-basket-1271903.html

Are you familiar with Chocolates

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

We all love eating chocolates. But we don’t know the basics of chocolates such as where it comes from, how they manufacture it, the types of chocolates etc

basically the ingredients of chocolates are same cocoa butter, cocoa, sugar and milk. Hot chocolates are fine powder that could be used as beverage next to milk and sugar. Preparation of chocolates may be by two processes there are handmade chocolates and factory manufactured chocolates.

Chocolate Manufacturing process: there are about two forms of process in which the bitter cocoa solids are treated and in the other process the cocoa butter is treated with baking soda. The procedure known as tempering and conching are applied to create the soft chocolates.
Types of Chocolates: There are three kinds of chocolates, namely white chocolates, plain dark chocolates, milk chocolates. All these chocolates have cocoa butter, coca solids, vanilla emulsifiers and the proportion of the combination may vary giving difference in finished product.

Hot chocolates are given as fine powder and hot water is added and stimulated brisk with other ingredients like spices they make a nourishing and unique beverage. A spice added to hot chocolates includes nutmeg cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Hot chocolates used from tinned cans, different recipes could be prepared by adding sugar milk and cream. Special occasions like Christmas, diwali could offer an opportunity for innovating new recipes. One such famous recipe consists of the ingredients like egg, caster sugar, butter and flour, Flour is mixed with butter, and sugar. Then beaten eggs are added and this mixture is baked in the oven. Then it is cooled while pouring them in Tupper ware containers and sheet of icing sugar and hot chocolate powder are added in successive layers.

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/are-you-familiar-with-chocolates-1271952.html

wedding without choclates - noway

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Everyone wants to make their wedding day totally unique and special assuring it will be memorable not only to the couples, also to the parents, to the groomsmen, to the bridesmaid, to the guests and to everyone that will be present on the event. Today, it’s your time to make this happen make your wedding the best among the rest!

Traditionally, wedding days are filled with flowers and laces, yes, that could still work but where’s the uniqueness and “one of a kind” concept that you are looking for? Instead of settling to the use of flowers and laces, why not try chocolates and sweets? They will not just serve as an adornment but they will be a truly delightful treat for your guests. Here at Chocolates Dreams and Wishes, you could find all the chocolate wedding favors that you need. Our full selection of chocolate wedding favors includes photo cookie wedding favors, personalized chocolate lollipops, chocolate wine bottles, chocolate candy bar, chocolate covered oreos, chocolate place cards, edible chocolate menus, chocolate greeting cards and groomsmen chocolate gift card. Each of these wedding favors could take significant part in making your special day filled with sweetness.

Wedding give-away such as figurines, mugs, and candles are usually set aside after the wedding. They are usually put on the shelves until they get dusty and old. For your wedding give-away, we suggest that you choose from photo cookie wedding favors, personalized chocolate lollipops, chocolate wine bottles, chocolate greeting cards, chocolate candy bar and chocolate covered oreos. These little somethings that are made from crunchy chocolate cookies, luscious chocolate coverings and designed with you and your partner’s photo and note will definitely retain memories on your guests, making them ponder how the special the celebration has been. By every bite that they take while looking on the picture clips, they will be fascinated by the love and the feelings that you and your partner are treasuring. These chocolate wedding favors could still be personalized further by sprinkling additional colors to match your wedding theme and make it look more attractive.

On the reception area, chocolate place cards and edible chocolate menus could add beauty and elegance on every table. The chocolate place cards could be used to indicate the seats for your guests and the edible chocolate menus could show the list of all the food available to be served. Just like the chocolate wedding favors they are designed uniquely to create impression and good thought on the event.

Aside from the guests, there are other persons like the groomsmen that played an important role in the event that should be given appreciation. To acknowledge their presence and participation, they deserve to be given Groomsmen Chocolate Card that bears their names and your personal note or poem. They will be totally surprised by this and surely they will never ignore this gift.

All of our wedding favors could be made from milk, dark and white chocolate depending on your preference. We could even enhance their designs and add some decorations to satisfy your idea on how it should look.

With us, all your wedding dreams and wishes will come true. You will be proud to show these wedding favors to your guests because they come wrapped in high luster cello bags that could completely keep quality and freshness. They are all set and prepared for your wedding day to ensure no hassles and inconveniences would occur. We want to make sure we could sweeten up your special day!

GURU NANAK CATERERS H.O-1372/3 , PHASE 11 , MOHALI is one of the leading caterers which provides quality catering services for all occasions like wedding, formal and informal parties, events and others. Its highly authentic Indian food reputation and popularity makes it a number one choice in entire area of chandigarh , mohali , panchkula.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/wedding-without-choclates-noway-1201497.html

Chocolate Facts And More

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

When you’re in the market for chocolate, you will wind up doing a lot of research through consumer magazines, products reviews and the Internet in order to get the best information and chocolate facts. Knowing what to look for in the highest quality will make your choice a lot easier.

Dark chocolates are made without milk as an additive. Milk chocolate is made with milk powder or condensed milk added. White chocolates are a confection based on cocoa butter without the cocoa solids. Unsweetened is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter or baking chocolate. Couverture is a term used for chocolates rich in cocoa butter. Bittersweet is chocolate liquor to which some sugar, more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin has been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate. Compound chocolate is the technical term for a confection combining cocoa with vegetable fat, usually tropical fats and/or hydrogenated fats, as a replacement for cocoa butter.

Cocoa powder. There are two types of unsweetened baking cocoa available: natural cocoa and Dutch-process cocoa. Both are made by pulverizing partially de-fatted chocolate liquor and removing nearly all the cocoa butter. Natural cocoa is commonly used in recipes while Dutch-process cocoa is frequently used for drinks. Chocolate is a product based on cocoa solid and/or cocoa fat.

Chocolates contain phenylethylamine which is a mild mood elevator and anti-depressant. It happens to be the same chemical that produces the love or happiness feeling in our brains. It also contains a very small amount of caffeine. It is also considered an aphrodisiac. Very much like red wines, fruits, teas and vegetables, cocoa seeds contain important antioxidants called flavonoids, and has been linked to cardiovascular health. Dark chocolates contain about twice as many antioxidants as the milk chocolates do. Not everything that tastes good is bad for you and chocolates is definitely one of them. While chocolates and cocoa butter contain both saturated and unsaturated fat, but unlike many saturated fats the stearic acid in chocolates is a neutral fat and does not raise your bad cholesterol levels.

Proper storage and care is important and here is a short but very important list to ensure you will be enjoying every last bite. Store in a cool, dry place at approximately 65-70 degrees F. It can and will absorb aromas and odors of other foods stored around it and should be kept in mind when storing. For the most part the shelf life is around 1 year if stored properly. Do not store in the refrigerator, the moisture from the refrigerator will effect both the appearance and texture. The same is true with storing in high heat, this will cause a "bloom" effect which will not affect the taste but it definitely affects the appearance.

So, there you have it. Now that you have been given at least the basic information, the next step is up to you. Take these chocolate facts and make use of them, if your a chocoholic or know one these tips will benefit you for a lifetime.

Sophie has been writing articles for several years and has many interests. Her latest interest is in gravity inversion tables. Stop by her latest website over at www.gravityinversiontable.org

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/chocolate-facts-and-more-1205865.html

Chocolate Gold Coins - Why are chocolate gold coins popular?

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

The tradition of chocolate coins are centuries old. Memories associated with it are aplenty. Remember dressing up as a slot machine on Halloween to grab some chocolate gold coins or a pot carrying chocolate gold coins on St. Patrick’s Day? Scout treasure hunt when you dug for the legendary chocolate gold coins. These priceless gold coins are worth so many childhood memories. A range of yummy gold coins, dipped in a variety of chocolates and flavours are available.

Chocolate gold coins and wines are ideal gifts. It has always been a hot favourite for parties and favours. Why are they so popular? The main reason is that they can be personalised. And more than that, with a technology called chocolography thousands can be made. Wish it could be done with the real coins too! Whether it is a corporate logo or message or a very personal note, a chocolate gold coin can have the luscious stamp of approval on it. Some imaginative wedding planners have introduced chocolate gold coins with the bride and groom’s pictures with their names written too. The wedding seal is a hot favourite during the wedding season.

Ideally milk, white or dark chocolate is ideal for making gold round coins. It can come in other shapes too. But to make them look real round shape is most popular. Ever since the FDA has approved the embossing, chocolate gold coins have minted money for the vendors and speciality stores. Traditional gold coins came in gold or silver foil wrap. But with people wanting personalised and customised gold coins anything goes now. It is a creative challenge for the makers to produce something which the client desires. They make a delicious impression. The round discs moulded into fake currency coins are appealing to all age groups.

Invest in relationships and present these invaluable choco gold coins to friends, relatives and sweat heart when celebrating special occasions. For parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary- present a beautifully packed personalized gold coins. It’s Christmas; give kids precious mini chocolate gold coins as a gift Santa Claus. It’s your anniversary- make her breakfast and put a little pouch carrying chocolate gold coins with a message “You are the love of my life” for a romantic start to the day. It’s Mother’s Day thank her with- a chic organza pouch carrying prized gold coins, “World’s Best Mom”. What more, get going with the gold!

Chocolate Favor World provides delicious & attractive chocolate gold coins at competitive prices.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/chocolate-gold-coins-why-are-chocolate-gold-coins-popular-1212710.html

Luxury chocolate Fountains

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

A chocolate fountain is a tool for serving chocolate fondue. It comes in different sizes, depending on the number of guests you wish to cater for. The fountain has numerous tiers over a heated basin at the bottom. Chocolates are melted in the basin and then pulled up through the augur and continuously flows over the tiers. When it flows over the tiers guests are able to choose a condiment they would like to dip into the fountain, using a skewer, they select a dip of their choice and coat their item in delicious, warm melted chocolate

essentially; a  chocolate fountain is composed of two parts: The base is the motor and a heater. The heater is designed to reverse heat through the base to keep the chocolate in liquid form. The motor lifts the screw in the upper part of the fountain. The screw lies in a tight cylinder in a perpendicular fashion with several holes at the bottom of the screw. The screw lifts the chocolate to the top of the cylinder from where it flows over numerous plates and down the fountain to be recycled again. This is the basic principle of a chocolate fountain, because the chocolate is thick, there is no need for a pump as the screw is a better means for lifting the chocolate up.

Make sure that you have a variety of dips available, the best to use are strawberries, grapes and other fruits such as pineapple and melon but fruit works really well with chocolate. Ensure that you have skewers sufficient for your guests; these are willingly available at a variety of shops, especially hardware shops that sell barbecues. Finally, presentation is the major key, make sure that your skewers are kept together and that you present your home fountain as clean and attractive on a surface that is easy to wipe to ensure that drips don’t spoil your display.

The blend of luxury combined with best ingredients, design, art and thought brought Sofia raj to life. Sofia born into a world of creativity and art, it was but natural for her to gain expertise in all kinds of arts from a young age. Whilst still in school, Sofia gained expertise in different paint forms and art styles.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/luxury-chocolate-fountains-1212931.html