That’s how I feel about this coming week, which if all goes to plan will look a little something like this…

Monday - school & centre

Tuesday – school & centre

Wednesday – a early morning flight to London, 2 trains, a V.I.M. (very important meeting), 2 more trains and another flight back to Edinburgh.

Thursday – school & collapsing into an exhausted heap (I expect)

Friday – school & picking up things for chocolate morning…

Saturday - Our chocolate morning fundraiser where we will be selling copies of our Chocotastic recipe book! Woo! Thank you so much again to people who spread the word on Twitter & Facebook, sent me recipes and so on.

Sunday - a sleep in (well earned I feel), a rock gospel choir rehearsal (my dream of being in Sister Act is FINALLY sorta coming true) & church. Oh, and then Top Gear!

Hello it’s me again…
I come back with a new tat =)
To me this means ”words are my life” I write poetry and i’m just big on words in general so yeah…..
also I ate at a restaurant that is specialized in chocolate!!!!!!(even though it took so long to find) The dish I ate had  the cutest display..

while W had this huge bowl of ice cream!!! it was too much for anybody to finish..

While I adore a great bar of plain dark chocolate, once in a while it’s luxurious to have a box of little bonbons. Valrhona’s small box of 10 assorted morsels provides a lovely departure from my normal fare.

Five of these are dark: mocha, plain dark, jasmine tea, apricot and candied orange peel. The orange peel was my favorite (probably because I hadn’t had it in ages), though the the other four were each delicious in their own right. The flavors assertive enough to be noticeable, but not in your face. Each was startling fresh and enrobed in just the right amount of couverture.

The two white chocolates, an almond praline, and an almond and hazelnut layered rectangle were a bit sweet. Good texture, and nice nutty flavor. I am simply not a fan of white chocolate.

The last three tidbits were milk chocolate. Valrhona’s milk is like many: very creamy and sweet.  One piece housed a ganache of dark and milk that was smooth and luscious. The other two had almonds, or almonds and hazelnuts.

It’s certainly fun to open a box of chocolates and see all the possibilities, but we all know no one likes every piece equally. Luckily for me, the chocolate covered orange peel is available on its own.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Here’s a recipe for those of you with a serious sweet tooth.  Peanut butter popcorn with chocolate drizzle.  I didn’t enjoy this one any where near as much as I loved that cinnamon popcorn I made a while back.  It tasted more like candy to me, than the salty/sweet snack I was craving.  Jim and Sam liked it though, so I wanted to share it.

I’ve also got a camera update.  I happily upgraded just a little from my old, broken point and shoot camera to a new Nikon L100.  It’s still a point and shoot but it offers me more flexibility and choices when I’m taking pictures.  Now I just have to learn how to use it!  And thank you for all the blog-commiserating when my camera broke!

Recipe:  Peanut Butter Popcorn

(slightly adapted from Frantic Home Cook)

8-10 c. popped popcorn

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. granulated sugar

1. c. peanut butter  (I used smooth, but I think chunky would be great too.)

2 pinches of kosher salt or sea salt

chocolate candy melts for drizzling

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Stir corn syrup and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Be careful!  This is super hot! Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat.  Pour popcorn onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Spoon popcorn onto wire rack covered with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Allow to cool completely.  Melt candy melts in microwave following package directions.  Drizzle over popcorn and allow to set.  Break popcorn into pieces.  Store in airtight container.

Author: Robert Palmer

Chocolate is consumed as an after dinner drink, infused in alcohol, and can be purchased for oneself as a snack or treat, or given to a loved one as a gift they are bound to enjoy.

The pursuit of fine chocolate is a lifetime of new discoveries, with chocolate being produced around the world and with different sensations from one chocolatier to the next. A good chocolate can be nothing short of heavenly, whilst an average chocolate is a complete disappointment, and does little to justify the likelihood that it will add to the muffin top!

Chocolate comes in more varieties than you can count; milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, rum and raison, liquor infused, flavoured, high cocoa content chocolate and chilli chocolate, and even gluten-free. Its form varies from an individual portion, to a gift box of little delicacies, a family size block, and gourmet collections presented in hampers.

There are few exceptions for a poor gift in the way of chocolate. The basic guideline would be to steer clear of the generic, buy in the supermarket, chocolate for gift giving, and to track down a chocolate they will consider an indulgence. The supermarket stock tends to be great for a night in with friends or to stock up the pantry, but probably not reflective of an overly thoughtful gift for a close friend or family member.

Chocolate gifts ideas can include:

• Visiting a boutique chocolatier, and tracking down a selection of hand crafted chocolates. If you are not entirely sure of their flavour preferences, go for a selection of milk and dark chocolates, and add in a few with the traditionally popular fillings, such as mint, orange, or strawberry. By all means go for something fruity or nutty, but just make sure you inform your gift recipient in advance in case they have any allergies!

• Consider chocolate gifts from some of the finest chocolate making regions; Belgian chocolate is universally regarded as being the leaders in quality chocolate, with some of the better known brands including Guylian and Neuhaus. Italian chocolate as well lends itself to Ferrero Rocher, today one of our most recognized and loved chocolates, and their presentation of their chocolates is almost as impressive as the chocolates themselves.

• Hampers and bouquets. Online shopping makes life easy, with many companies offering a wide selection of bouquets to cater for almost any taste. Edible blooms dedicates chocolate bouquets to those who just love chocolate, and they are categorized by event, such as birthdays/anniversaries/Valentine’s/Easter.

• Chocolate is the perfect gift for Christmas, and bouquets are available to tie in with the Christmas theme, including Christmas Wreathes, Stockings, and Trees. Chocolate bouquets with teddies are available for the kids, whilst the adults can indulge in chocolate bouquets complemented with a bottle of Veuve champagne.

Chocolate truly is one of the most versatile gifts to both give and receive!

–

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1203698_47.html

Author: Henrik Koudahl

By the early 1950’s, Michelle Ferrero, son of Pietro, took over what had become an industrial production facility. After the worldwide acceptance of Nutella (it is said to outsell peanut butter) Ferrero introduced Kinder Chocolates and Tic-Tac mints. In twenty years these products were extremely popular in Europe and became known all over the world. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Tic-Tac was introduced to the United States. Shortly after, state of the art production facilities were built there that equaled the factories then in Italy, Germany and France. Tic-Tac remains the best selling breath mint in the U.S. Quickly the new Ferrero Rocher line of high end chocolates joined the other quality products and earned increased popularity. Known more in Europe, Ferrero also produces the Mon Cheri and Pocket Coffee products, but it is expected these will win world wide demand very quickly.

Chocolate found its way to Italy in the 16th century once Spanish importers brought it back from Mexico and the New World. In 16th century Europe, as there, it was served as a hot drink, and was reserved for the wealthy or privileged. Today in Torino (Turin), a yearly celebration lets Piemonte showcase their products and honor this “food of the gods.” In the Piazza Vittorio Veneto visitors will be graced with all things chocolate. A cup of local hot chocolate is thick enough to stand a spoon in, and will banish all thoughts of the flavored milk you might have tasted. When solid chocolate was invented at the end of the 18th century, a new world of flavor combinations opened. Today as then, a regional favorite of Piemonte is a mixture of hazelnut paste and chocolate.

Specialties have been created by several famous chocolate producers in Torino, and whether you visit a shop, factory or family owned sweet shop, they will amaze and delight your senses. Gelato (grown up ice cream), Alpino (liqueur filled), Baci (“kisses” of hazelnut and chocolate), Torta Sabauda (Torino’s own very rich frosted cake) and chef’s creations like roast venison with chocolate sauce will satisfy even the most ravenous chocolate monster within. To make sure, purchase a “ChocoPass” from the local tourist office and you will sample a wide range of delicacies from several locations.

Chocolate events held in many of the wineries, shops or restaurants let the visitor learn how to pair wine and chocolate. Bitter chocolates blend deliciously with local Barolo wine. Every chocolate from milk to darkest flavors will combine with a particular local wine ranging from young fruity reds to aged, full bodied vintages. For the connoisseur and lover of life, Piemonte may well be a modern Shangri-La.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_812820_26.html

Author: Alice Peles

Mom and I braved the crowds at the mall yesterday (aren’t we supposed to be in a recession? Sure doesn’t look like it at all). Looks like Christmas has come a little early this year.

Photo teaser! You’ll have to make your way through the rest of the post for more

I started my Saturday like any other – by sleeping in and making a leisurely breakfast. All while enjoying some figure skating on TV.

When I have time, oatmeal always seems to make it on the menu.

• 1/3 cup oats, almond milk, water
• 1 tbsp Ruth’s Chia Goodness cereal
• 2 dried figs, chopped
• dried cranberries
• splash of vanilla
• peanut butter swirl
• Artisana Cacao Bliss

With the last of the Oasis Pomegranate Berry juice.

Once all that food was ingested and skating was over, we made our big trek to the mall, as well as the grocery store. By the time we got home, it was after 3 pm! Doh! I had to find lunch stat.

Good thing we had leftover Veggie Mediterranean pizza. Didn’t even bother to heat it up!

Then I was having a total chocolate craving. My dad brought this chocolate bar.

So I had a square…or two.

I had hoped to go out in the evening, since my parents were having a bunch of their friends over, but alas, I couldn’t get ahold of anyone to see if they were up for doing something, so I spent the evening in my pj’s doing pretty much nothing. And I didn’t even get around to eating dinner until almost 10 pm…what’s up with that?!

I made myself a little sandwich – turkey, ham, cheddar cheese, spinach on these little sourdough buns we found at the grocery store.

Then I dug into the appetizers that were in the kitchen

A wee little spinach quiche.

And my favourite – Tex-Mex dip with the best tortilla chips.

Oh, I definitely had seconds on that dip.

And guess what? There was dessert as well! I had a wee slice of this rum soaked pound cake with a touch of whipped cream, grapes, and cantaloupe.

I was glad the cake didn’t taste too rummy – not exactly my favourite flavour. But it was super moist.

I mostly hid out in my bedroom all evening, goofing around on the interweb. It’s true, I was a total hermit on a Saturday night. Oh well, sometimes that’s just how it goes, right? And even though I had plenty of time to post last night, I just didn’t feel the writing urge.

Okay, okay…want to see my fancy new boots?

Can I just say, the boot shopping experience was tough! I tried to get boots made in Canada, but the only decent pair I could find didn’t fit in the heel at all (I have a narrow heel compared to the rest of my foot). And then, trying to find boots that fit my giant size 10 feet without making them look like skis was a whole other issue. I tried on this super cute pair of moccasin style boots, but OMG – they made my feet look insanely huge. My mom and I joked I could go out snowshoeing in them without the snowshoes. LOL.

Now I can go to school without getting soaking wet feet, and still look somewhat stylish – since I’m such a fashionista and all.

The rain has stopped, so I think I’m going to head out for a walk. Later gators.

Yesterday was gray and blustery, and I was feeling a bored and needed to find something exciting to do. Yes, the trials of a housewife are great…

I suddenly decided I felt like making brownies, but not just any brownies. I wanted to make two-bite brownies, from scratch. Every time I’ve had the store-bought variety, I’ve asked myself why I didn’t just make them, free of the chemicals that prolong their shelf-life into infinity. I knew I had seen a recipe in my cookbook, Home Baking by Alford and Duguid. Judging by the quality of their other recipes, I had faith this would produce the brownies I craved. After meandering through the book’s other yummy recipes, I finally found the brownie recipe, only to realize that it called for bittersweet chocolate, and I didn’t have any in my trusty baking cupboard! Having already been to the grocery store TWICE in one day, I refused to make yet another trip. So the hunt was on for a recipe that called for cocoa powder rather than chocolate.

*Note: You can substitute cocoa powder for chocolate in a recipe, but you have to increase the butter content significantly, and I was unwilling to make the brownies any more calorific than they already would be.

The internet is truly a wonderful thing…I found many recipes for two-bite brownies, most of which sounded suspiciously like any other brownie recipe made in a mini-muffin tray rather than a square pan. I discarded all the low-fat recipes. Why bother?! Here are the brownies I finally made, thanks to Canadian journalist, cookbook writer and blogger, Julie van Rosendaal.

I made them in the silicone mini-muffin cups we got for Christmas last year. By far the one of the best kitchen gadgets we’ve received as a gift, these silicone muffin cups are re-usable, fit into a regular muffin tray, and are much more environmentally friendly than paper cups. Just make sure they don’t accidentally get thrown away! (*Note: They aren’t great for gas ovens, although we’re not sure why. And do not put them into the dishwasher. The smell of the detergent will never go away, leaving you with muffins that always taste a bit soapy.)

Two-Bite Brownies

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Beat sugar and butter together until well-blended. Add in the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Add to the butter mixture and mix until there are no more lumps of flour. Spoon into muffin tins (lightly greased), or mini-muffin cups. Bake for 12-15 minutes, but make sure you do not overbake! They will collapse slightly when they come out of the oven, but they still taste delish! Makes 24 mini-muffin size brownies, or 12 large ones (which then are no longer two-bite, but more like four-bite, unless you have a big mouth).

This is my favourite cake.  When I was young I was always asking my mother to prepare it for my birthday .  Now I’m a bit older, and this one was for a farewell party.

Cake:
10 eggs
220 g minced walnuts
220 g powder sugar
70 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tblsp of cocoa powder

I personally split the ingredients into 2 parts, as I do not like cuting the cake into 2 pieces.

Cream:
3 eggs
200 g of powder sugar
250 g butter
3 tblsp of cocoa powder
red currant jam
Chocolate glazing or 100 g of chocolate for cooking and 50 g of butter.

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 270 °C. Cut the wax paper and place it at bottom of cake pan. Butter the cake pan.

2) Seperate the eggs for the cake mixture.  In a bowl beat the egg yolks with sugar until they are thick and pale yelow.  In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff.

3) Mix the flour with the baking powder and minced walnuts and add into the egg mixture. Finally add th egg whites gently, folding them into the mixure.

4) Bake for 45 minutes. You can check if the cake is ready with a wooden stick. If the stick remains dry the cake is ready. Cool on a rack  before removing the outer rim of the cake tin.

5) In the meantime prepare the cream. Beat the eggs with sugar over steam for 20 minutes until they are pale yellow and thick.  Add butter and cocoa powder to the hot mixture.  Let the cream to cool down and then put it into the fridge.

6) Cut the cake into 2 pieces (unless you baked it in 2 pieces like me).  Beat the cream and place between the cakes. Put red currant jam on the top. This is not necessary, but adds a nice taste to the cake.

7) Prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt butter and chocolate over a low heat or steam. When ready pour over the cake. Use your fantasy for decoration I’ve used cinamon and grapes covered with cocoa powder.

Enjoy it

It sounds decadent, but these little cookies are healthy and filling.

Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1.25 cups steel cut oats

4 TBL cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 TBL olive oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup  sugar

1 Ener-g egg replacer (or egg substitute of your choice)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or margarine, etc. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add in wet ingredients. Mix well, adding an extra tablespoon of water if needed. Place teaspoon sized balls of dough on the cookie sheet, bake 10 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. (Makes 24)

Peanut butter frosting

4 TBL peanut butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 TBL soy creamer

1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, whisk to combine. Top cookies with about 1/2 tsp of frosting per cookie.

The other day I had a diner date with two of my good friends. We decided on a chain restaurant in a fairly new outdoor shopping mall because we also had theater tickets that night and it was sort of a middle meeting ground for all of us. As usual, I wasn’t really expecting anything interesting or remarkable about dinner. And, as usual, I was right. However, before we even got inside the joint to order, our eyes were assualted  by a vintage airstream camper with a giant cupcake sitting on top. To say it was out of place is the understatement of the decade. For a moment, I thought someone from a carnival had parked it there while running into one of the upscale shops it was blocking. I realized that this was ridiculous as the rather large, plastic cupcake, which had a huge dollup of pink frosting and a ton of sprinkles on top, was obviously a business of sorts.  Being a lover of just about everything sweet, I knew I had to learn more.

I was good, I made it through dinner with only a few casual mentions about the potential of cupcakes for dessert. When the waitress asked if we wanted cheesecake or ice cream to finish off our meal, I smiled and  politely declined. Afterall, I had my sights on something chocolatier.

Instead we braved the cold drizzle to peruse the hand-written menu on the white board posted in front of a little glass window with a small counter. It was set up like a food booth at a local carnival, but it had a certain charm that let me know it was a bit classier than the fried cheese on a stick vendor I drool over each summer. Maybe it was the bright pink Cupcake Camper logo on the front, or the small decorative curtains inside that gave it a little more kitch and charm and a little less backwoods fun fair flair.

There were five cupcakes to choose from and the menu promised that flavors changed daily. There was the jumbo cupcake (a 6 oz. treat that did seem to live up to its name), three classic cupcakes and a special for the day: The Rogue Cupcake, named in honor of Sarah Palin who was stopping at a local bookstore on her book tour.

Now, I’m not a supporter of Palin, but seeing as she got none of the profits from the cupcake and TACA, an autism charity did, I said what the heck and went rogue. It might have been a mistake!

First, it was a HUGE cupcake. Obviously it qualified as a jumbo selection. Since it was accompanied by a charitable donation, it was $4 instead of the usual $3.75 for the jumbo. It was also more cupcake than I should have eaten in one sitting. Not that I let that stop me.

I feel I need to start with the frosting which might have actually been bigger than the cake itself. It was a mountain of pink buttercream icing swirled to a peak and dusted with tiny chocolate shavings. The picture at the top of the page does not do the frosting height justice as I’d already eaten quite a bit of it before I remembered to take the picture. In fact, I had to start just eating the frosting because there was so much of it. I took my fork to it and dug in.

The frosting was very sugary, which came through in the texture. It had a slight crunch to it as many heavily sugared frostings do. I don’t think it was a true buttercream (ie one that used butter in the recipe), but more of a decorator’s buttercream (which usually relies on shortening). The difference in sugar consistancy between the two types of buttercream usually isn’t that significant, but the film the frosting left on the roof of my mouth screamed shortening and not butter. Now, that doesn’t mean it didn’t taste good. In fact, most professional cake makers do use a decorator’s buttercream since it is a stiffer frosting which is easier to design with and holds its form well. The frosting on these cakes held its shape, even after falling over in the box.

I actually thought the frosting was decent. The slight sugar crisp didn’t bother me. The chocolate flecks on the top didn’t really contribute anything to the taste as the sugar from the frosting overpowered them. I do, wish there had been less frosting on the cake. I thought it looked good, but the taste got old. My two friends agreed. One, who generally doesn’t eat frosting at all, pulled all but a bite or two off of hers. The other really didn’t care for the frosting. She was hoping for the taste and texture of a canned frosting, which is usually the butter based buttercream. She was non-plussed by the taste.

I’ve taken several cake decorating classes and am used to this type of buttercream. I find it very edible and even tasty, however, I would have enjoyed a slightly creamier frosting, and less of it.

As for the cake itself, it was a chocolate cake. The cake was moist and a little creamy, but not overly chocolatey. I’m a little spoiled. When I cook any sort of chocolate cake from scratch, I use a Dutch process cocoa which gives my cakes a rich, velvety chocolate taste. This cake tasted like it was made with regular cocoa, which didn’t add as much of a chocolate taste as I like. It did taste like a homemade cake. It had none of that artificial chocolate taste that many boxed cake mixes have. The cake was also very well cooked as it practically melted in my mouth. The last two bites I had of the cake, after I got most of the frosting off, were actually the best. They were top bites and they were very flavorful. I not only got more of a chocolate kick, but I also got a creamy, buttery texture I appreciate in a cake.

I did have to eat the cupcake with a fork because it was so large. And if I had not been worried about it going bad, I probably would have prefered to eat it in more than one sitting. I felt a little sick after I finished it. It was too much of a sugar rush for me. My two friends, who were smart and split the other cake were mixed. One loved it (sans the frosting). The other was rather  indifferent about it. Her exact words were, “Muh, it tastes like a cupcake I could have made.”

Overall, I think the Cupcake Camper went in a bit more for presentation than for tate. They were very pretty to look at, but could have been tastier.

For appearance, I’d give them a 9.5/10

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10

Aloha!

I had an amazing, exceptional experience at the Tom Bird Write Your Book in 8 Days retreat in Sedona in October! My book actually morphed into two books. I am in the editing process now, enjoying the process of preparing these for publication.

I highly recommend this retreat—if you’ve got a book in you, Tom will definitely help you get it out! I had been meaning to ‘get around to’ writing my book for five years! With such a busy schedule producing festivals and events and radio shows, I hadn’t had a chance to sit still long enough to do it.

Click HERE to check out Tom’s 2010 retreats!

Laura and her manuscript overlooking the red rocks of Sedona

I often dined at the restaurant owned by my friends Kelly Johnson and Jenn Warr, called The Chocolatree.

Laura at the Chocolatree, an awesome Sedona spot with lots of raw foods

Super Yum Salad at Chocolatree

After the retreat, I visited with my friends Morgan and Puma at their home and retreat center, Grace Grove.

Laura, Morgan and Puma at Grace Grove in Sedona

The working titles are Collaborative Visioning :: Co-creation Through The Resonant Field, and Visioning Together :: New Paradigm Tools for Co-Creation. Not sure what the names will end up as! However, the process continues to be fun, and Tom even taught us about the insider’s scoop on the publishing world, looking at all the choices of how to publish, and getting query letters out to publishers before we even left the retreat.

Tom Bird

Tom was able to hold us in a solid space of movement forward through his techniques which help us get into the “author within connected state.” With a group of mentors who had taken the course before, Tom helped us track our word counts and stay in the ‘fast writing pace’ which allows us to stay a clear channel for our book. The lucidity of the writing is surprising, especially for new writers. Words just start flying out… and they’re good, even on retrospect!

Here’s what happened with all the students at this retreat ::

·         Forty-one students completed a total of forty-three books;

·         Collectively, the group received over 1200 offers from literary agents to potentially represent their books to the top publishing houses in the country;

·         Eleven students were offered contracts from literary agents within three weeks of the retreat;

·         17 agents actually took the time out of their busy schedules to call my students;

·         And one student set a record by actually having over 100 agents interested in potentially representing his first book.

As you can see it was a great retreat.

As a result, Tom has scheduled three retreats in 2010 – March 6-14; June 11-20 and September 18-26.

Check it out. If you have had a feeling there’s a book in you, after this experience, I’m sure there is! And you should go for it.

Tom Bird Retreat Info

Blessings!

Laura Fox

VisionaryCulture.com

Vegas is obviously known for their casinos, which I had a great time in quite a few of them, but I had just as much fun checking out some of the other things Vegas is known for. I didn’t have a clue what exactly before the trip happened, but thanks to About.com I had a little bit of guidance.

Mandalay Bay
The first (and only) thing that always pops into my mind about Mandalay Bay are the  boxing matches that go on over there. I’m not much of a boxing fanatic, but I’ve become one with the greatness of Manny Pacquiao, a fellow Filipino man. It’s a beautiful casino from outside to inside.

We checked out the Shark Reef Aquarium inside, and it was a pretty neat experience. The main draw is the giant size aquarium that engulfs you, that is filled with many different types of fish and obviously, sharks. Although I would never do this, partly because i’d be scared as heck to do it, but for a giant rate you can actually gear up and swim inside with the sharks. No thanks, not that daring.

Minus 5

Also in Mandalay Bay is probably my favorite experience while out in Vegas. It’s such a different concept because a place this cold shouldn’t be out in the desert, but it was a sweet thing to check out. I wish I was able to to take pictures, but because it is literally below freezing in there we weren’t allowed to take in anything electronic inside the bar. But it was pretty awesome to be dressed up in a thick winter coat and given gloves upon entering. Everything is made up of ice carvings, from the walls to the bar and to the cups for your alcohol. The bartender was really awesome and encouraged us to dance to keep from freezing our buns off. To motivate us, she happily danced beside us. That was nice.

M&M’s World
4 floors of chocolaty goodness. The smell of chocolate emanates throughout the entire store which I’m sure just a quarter of the aroma comes from the giant size dispensers of single color M&M’s the store carries on the 2nd floor.

And with the calls of free samples on the top floor made it so much easier to cruise through and check out all the cool merchandise and models this place has.

One thing that I thought was the best was not so much the chocolate, but the orange M&M character. The way they drew him out and the type of personality that he must carry makes him to be a befuddled, confused and kinda worrisome. In some ways he reminds me of me…or just Butters from South Park.

Godiva……Milk Chocolate Flower Lollipop

This delicious chocolate flower lollipop is being sent out to ALL OF YOU that have a sweet tooth…like me! I love to have a piece of chocolate with my coffee in the morning! It REALLY gets me going! So, enjoy! Have a WONDERFUL day! Smile, laugh, and eat lots of chocolate!

Luisa Doraz

Godiva……Milk Chocolate Flower Lollipop

This delicious chocolate flower lollipop is being sent out to ALL OF YOU that have a sweet tooth…like me! I love to have a piece of chocolate with my coffee in the morning! It REALLY gets me going! So, enjoy! Have a WONDERFUL day! Smile, laugh, and eat lots of chocolate!

Luisa Doraz