Make Your Own Fro-Yo

I love frozen yogurt, also affectionately called "fro-yo", because it's a healthy alternative to heavy ice-cream. There's a shortage of this delicious treat in the New Haven region. I wanted to take the opportunity to treat myself to this chocolate frozen treat while I was at home in fro-yo country.



I'm heading back to school tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy fro-yo! Almost all grocery stores have chocolate mousse Yoplait Whips in the yogurt section. Put them in your freezer for a chocolate frozen yogurt treat at only 140 calories.

Yum.

In other news, look out for my new articles on Behind the Burner. I'll post links when my blog articles are posted.

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy roses

Finding chocolate in A Sea of Red

In the midst of a crowd, I saw a cupcake staring at me from across the room. I made my way between mazes of students, just to get a glimpse of the Cupcake Truck.

It was me versus the menu. Which cupcake would I choose? I decided to break away from my chocolate diet and try red velvet.



At first glance, there is no sign of chocolate, but after taking a bite, I realized the red velvet tasted all too familiar. Believe me, I know chocolate when I taste it. In disbelief, everyone around me kept telling me red velvet was chocolate cake with red food coloring. I did not want to believe it, but my taste buds never lie.

Convinced of red velvet's special powers, I decided to look up some recipes on Betty Crocker. Most recipes called for chocolate cake, cocoa, and red food coloring.

This surprise made me love red velvet even more. I know can embrace it into the wonderful world of chocolate dessert treats.

This is my new favorite red velvet recipe. I love red velvet's subtle hint of cocoa in each cream cheese bite. The cream cheese may be surprising, but the dairy complements the chocolate flavoring well.

What are your favorite red velvet creations?

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy rose

A New Type of Cookie Monster

New types of chocolate treats are hard for me to come by. 21 years of daily chocolate consumption inevitably leads to trying all different types of goodies. Yesterday was different -- I tried a new chocolate treat for the first time in a very long time! My roommate and friend kept talking about Oreo truffles. I was skeptical at first, but now I am a believer. They are delicious and require only three ingredients: Oreos, cream cheese, and chocolate chips.

1. Take Oreos and crush them in a zip lock bag. We like to improvise in my apartment, and my roommate used a hammer. No need for tools or appliances, a simple rolling pin will work.

2. Mix the Oreo crumbs with cream cheese. (Ratio 1 box of oreos to bar of cream cheese)

3.Roll the mixture into balls



4. You're supposed to put them in the freezer, but my roommate put them in the fridge for about an hour.

5.Melt chocolate (white, milk or dark) and use a spoon to drizzle them over the Oreo balls.



Oreo truffles taste like all the goodness of cookies and milk rolled up into a convenient sized bite! How can you go wrong with three ingredients and no baking. I am definitely adding this into my chocolate repertoire.

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy roses

Lets Get Fudged Up

Today was my first day of school! Everything has been hectic, but I still made room for --yes-- chocolate. As a new commuter, I get to spend quality time in my car. I knew I needed to have something cold, and chocolate, to escape this heat after my car registered 98 degrees.

Until recently, I would have had chocolate ice cream. About a month ago, my step sister introduced me to fudgesicles.



Not only are fudgesicles chocolate, but they are really quick. You can even take the fudgesicle on the go. Best of all fat free fudgesicles are only 60 calories!

Even though fudgesicles are healthy, they are full on flavor. I think these are a great alternative to ice cream because they still taste as creamy as the real thing.

I don't know about you, but I am going to get fudged up everyday this week.

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy Roses

How Healthy is Dark Chocolate?

My new guilty pleasure this summer has been Red Mango's pomegranate frozen yogurt. I know it's not chocolate, but I compensate by getting the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips as a topping.

I must admit, I was surprised Red Mango carried Dark Chocolate Chips as a topping. Fruit, granola, and organic foods tend to be the majority of the topping options. Red Mango also prides their fat free, gluten free, kosher delicious frozen yogurt treats. I wondered if dark chocolate really lived up to its healthy rep amongst the healthy topping options.

WebMD and eHow both claim benefits to dark chocolate, although they warn health benefits are not immediate. Certain steps must be taken to maximize dark chocolate's nutrition.

Here are some chocolate health benefits I found:

1.Both milk and dark chocolate contain phosphate, which prevents tooth decay. 2.Chocolate can also be an antidepressant by enabling the release of serotonin in the brain.
3.Flavonoids, found in chocolate, encourage nitric oxide production. This can lower blood pressure.
4.Milk chocolate can lower LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol.
5.Both contain antioxidants (these help strengthen our immune systems).

So what is the difference between milk and dark chocolate? What makes dark chocolate healthier?



Avoiding milk and dairy products with dark chocolate is vital to absorb antioxidants, according to both sites. This explains why dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate.

Yet, Red Mango products are made with pasteurized and cultured skim milk and non fat dry milk. This means dark chocolate chips may not be the healthiest option!

The difference between milk and dark chocolate comes down to antioxidants; other nutritional benefits are similar. Just remember, even though milk and dark chocolate have nutritional benefits, both high in calories, fat, and sugar. Eat your chocolate in moderation. eHow recommends only 3 ounces of dark chocolate a day.

Despite health benefits, I must say I am partial to milk chocolate. Do you prefer milk or dark chocolate?

Gift Giving: The Chocolate Edition

Chocolate is a great mood lifter when facing life's daily challenges. Buying and making chocolate for yourself is satisfying, but what is more satisfying than sharing happiness with others! If chocolate enriches your day, why not improve a friends day with chocolate?

My friend Jen recently gave me a gift this week. After returning from her travels in Australia while studying abroad, she brought me back chocolate.

I wasn't expecting foreign chocolate. I must say it was a great surprise!



This is two chocolate wafers with a chocolate cream in the middle.

The Australian chocolate was different from American chocolate candy; it creamy, rather than sweet. I felt like I was eating a cookie, rather than a piece of candy. I did not understand the nutrition label, but was delicious! If I lived in Australia I would eat it again.

It was so thoughtful of Jen to bring me back something from Australia, so I decided to share the chocolate gift giving. My boyfriend started medical school this week. I decided to surprise him with a chocolate pudding pie with chocolate whip cream because might be the only person who loves chocolate more than I do.



Giving chocolate to others is easy. You can fit this gift to any budget, diet, and personal preferences.

Everyone loves getting gifts! Even if it is not the holiday season, gift giving can still make brighten a friends day.

What are some of your chocolate gift giving ideas?

Iced Mocha Coffee: Convenience versus Local Charm

There's nothing like sipping on a iced coffee on a summer day. I'm a big fan of iced coffee, but of course, I enjoy it more with chocolate flavor! Mocha iced coffee is a mix of my two favorite flavors, chocolate and coffee. The flavors complement one another by blending both bitterness and sweetness in a little plastic cup.

When I'm at school in New England country, there's a Dunkin' Donuts every half a mile. It's hard to notice any other coffee shops! (Are there even any?) When I'm home on Long Island, I usually prefer to get coffee from local coffee shops. I wanted to compare the two flavors to see if Dunkin' Donuts mocha flavor compares to the trendiness and hype of local coffee houses.

For LI locals, the Witches Brew in West Hempstead is always a popular choice.



The mocha flavor overpowers the coffee's bitterness. I personally really like the iced mocha coffee from the Witches Brew. It's a great choice if you are a LI local, need caffeine, but are craving chocolate.

Unlike the Witches Brew, the iced mocha coffee from Dunkin' Donuts is available on a mass scale.



Dunkin' Donuts coffee would not be my first choice. I would order if again, especially in New England. The convenience factor is a plus and it satisfied my chocolate craving.

My iced mocha coffee craving comes down to my location. I can't refuse the local mocha goodness, but Dunkin' Donuts is a undeniable alternative.

What other flavors mix well with chocolate?

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy roses

40 Year Chocolate Shortage

Imagine a chocolate free world. A chocolate free existence may seem like a far-fetched reality, but it is not. Move over oil spills and world peace politics; we are living in a chocolate shortage.

A United Kingdom's Daily Mail says decreased harvesting and cocoa crop availability and altered consumer preferences in China and India are to blame for the shortage.

What does this mean? In simple terms the price of chocolate will continue to rise if there is a chocolate shortage. Economics 101 says decreased availability will decrease supply. Changed preferences will increase demand. This will increase price. Quantity of chocolate will only decrease if the decrease is supply is greater than the increase in supply.

Daily Mail isn't the only website reporting a shortage. The Washington Post has an article about Mars investing efforts to develop trees resistant to current harvesting issues. (Mars is the chocolate company responsible for delicious chocolate like MNM's.)

The Washington Post attributes bad weather with harvesting challenges.

"Although chocolate seems ubiquitous, the cocoa on which it depends is a volatile crop. West Africa, which produces 70 percent of the world's cocoa, has been hammered by bad weather in the past few years. Rainfall has dropped, as temperatures rise."

Mars plans on creating this unique tree by generating a cocoa beans raw DNA. Thumbs up to biotechnology.

I don't want to bore you with facts. This blog is not about my, or anyone's, political beliefs. If you love chocolate, my advice is start a secret, temperature controlled chocolate stash right now.

What would you do to deal with a chocolate free existence? I would probably drink a lot more coffee, although chocolate could never be replaced.

Keep it chocolate,
Mandy Rose

Fondue and Fist Pumps

Chocolate fondue is a tasty treat and something different when having house guests. I try and provide a snack when people visit my house because I don't want anyone to ever leave my house hungry!

Last Thursday I invited a few friends over for the season premiere of mtv's Jersey Shore. I wanted to make sure I got cheap and versatile snack to make everyone, and my wallet, happy. My gut reaction was to buy chips, dip and some soda until a friend mentioned they were craving chocolate.

This is when I decided to try and make chocolate fondue; it's something I've always enjoyed but never tried to make. I looked up a simple recipe on cooks.com. Each taste of the chocolate fondue was more satisfying than the next. It's also very simple to prepare and cook.



I coated the pan with an olive oil spray on medium heat. I put 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of evaporated milk. (1 cup chocolate = 1/2 cup of evaporated milk) The concoction was stirred frequently for about five minutes. This amount could easily feed 4-6 people depending on their appetites.

To top it off, I cut up fresh fruit for dipping.



Banana's (not pictured), strawberries, granny apples, and pineapples were a cold, sweet, and sugary complement to the warm, creamy, and rich fondue.

Not including the fruit, the fondue ingredients are less than five dollars!

What are some foods you prepare when you have house guests?

Instantly Delicious

Some days chocolate cravings come on suddenly. The best thing to do in these situations is to give in and feed your cravings. Rather than grabbing a candy bar or cookie, make a quick, delicious and nutritious snack.

The other day I was having one of those days. My house does not have chocolate lining the shelves, despite my love of chocolate. I did see a beacon of light on my shelves; there was one box of instant pudding. There was no fighting my chocolate craving.

Instead of any old chocolate fix I decided to do something different.

The twist? Instead of chocolate pudding pie, or even chocolate pudding, you can make individual pudding pies.


(Photo credit to Elaina Criscione)

The only ingredients necessary are pudding filling, nilla wafers, milk, and cupcake baking cups. I learned instead of using baking cups, tin foil is a more realistic alternative to complement the pudding consistency.



I tried Jell-O and Kozy Shack pudding pie fillings. The Jell-O tasted fresh and much more chocolate-y than the Kozy Shack. While the Kozy Shack is not rich in flavor, it does not require milk and has no sugar. I personally think the Jell-O is worth the flavor. It's not terrible for you and it's instantly delicious!

The pudding takes about 5 minutes. Place the Nilla wafer on the aluminum foil. Next, pour the pudding on top. Let it set. Remember to use a fork.

*Tip*- Set up the Nilla wafers and aluminum foil before stiring the instant pudding, or the pudding will set.

Keep it chocolate!
-Mandy rose

(Sign of idea//blog idea credit Jen Alberts! Thanks!)

What are your favorite off-beat chocolate quick-fixes?

Have your cake and eat it too

I can't help having a soft spot in my heart for a good piece of chocolate cake even though it can get a really bad rep! I will admit cakes tend to be loaded with sugar, fat, and calories. The trash talk is warranted, but there's no need to give up your chocolate cake just yet.

A tasty, low-cal and low-fat chocolate cake alternative is tucked away on the bottom shelf at your local grocery store in the cake aisle.



Nutrition:
Calories: 150
Fat Content: 3.5 g (5% of your daily recommended serving)
Sugar: 17 g (6% of your daily recommended serving)

Prep and cook time:
30 seconds in the microwave, 2 minutes to cool

Necessary Ingredients:
Water

These are great because they take four different spins on chocolate cake; dark chocolate, chocolate, caramel, and raspberry. It's easy to switch it up! Plus, the cakes come prepackaged, so there's automatic portion control.

Betty Crocker Mini's make it possible to enjoy a guilt free, chocolate cake experience.

What tasty chocolate alternatives do you like to eat?

"Chocolate Consuming Machine"

I believe chocolate is more than a flavor of food. Chocolate is an experience. It's a way you perceive the world around you. Chocolate is a way to show your love, and receive love from the people in your life. Chocolate does not care who you are. Chocolate is not an escape from sadness, instead chocolate elevates your senses and helps you discover a new reality.

I'm no chocolate connoisseur, but I am mainstream chocolate consuming machine. I'm here to share with you my thoughts about chocolate recipes, great finds in restaurants, and everything about chocolate in between. I want to share this information with you as a friend. So come into my world and discover how chocolate can enrich your life.