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?