The Chocolate Box for Chocoholics

No problem. Scientists may one day claim you need the stuff to be at your healthiest.

It's a theory growing from a study of the diets of a small Indian tribe in the Panamanian islands. High blood pressure is virtually unheard of within the group. And tribe members drink three or four 10-ounce servings of cocoa per day. Coincidence?

Killer Compounds
The Panamanian tribe doesn't drink run-of-the-mill cocoa. Because of the gentle way they process their cocoa beans, their cocoa is chock-full of epicatechin, a flavonoid that helps widen and relax blood vessels. If the tribe's lack of high blood pressure (as well as other diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer) does turn out to be because of epicatechin, researchers speculate that the flavonoid could one day be given vitamin status.

Other Potential Reasons
But before you buy stock in Hershey's, there's still research to be done. The tribe members also eat lots of fish and fruit, and their diet or their lifestyle -- or both -- may be part of the lack-of-disease equation. So far, researchers have ruled out genetics.

Bottom Line
What remains true: Flavonoids are good for your heart; lots of research points to this. But dark chocolate is just about your only hope for chocolate that hasn't had its flavonoids completely destroyed by processing. And if you need to cut calories to lose weight, a little bit of chocolate goes a long way.

Article used with the kind permission of RealAge.com

And...look at their article'Does Dark Chocolate on Valentine's Day Help Your Heart?'

According to the Telegraph, Kate and William's wedding cake will be a multi-layered fruitcake with a floral design...BUT there will also be a McVities chocolate biscuit cake! This was Prince William's favorite cake as a boy. Good taste I say...

McVities has been making biscuits since 1830 and what an advert they are getting.

Just a nibble a day can keep blood pressure at bay!

Between January 2005 and December 2006 Dr Dirk Taubert of University Hospital of Cologne, Germany conducted a study with 44 adults aged 56 to 73. All participants had hypertension but no other health problems.

Dark chocolate contains polyphenols which is a group of chemical substances believed to have health benefits.

During the study participants were randomly selected to receive a 30 calorie (0.126 kilojoule) square of dark chocolate and the other group received a square of white chocolate that has no polyphenols. The dark chocolate used was 50% cocoa.

After 18 weeks those eating the dark chocolate had a three-point drop in systolic blood pressure (that's the top reading) and a two-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom). There were no changes to their weight, cholesterol or blood sugar.

Dr Taubert concluded that "Chocolate may be helpful for reducing blood pressure and therefore, the risk of heart attack and stroke".

So, chocoholics, go eat your dark chocolate square and be healthy.

Eating dark chocolate, having plenty of sex, and eating cold meat and fish for breakfast all boost your brain power! The eating of chocolate can help sharpen the mind and possibly even help fight fatigue -- helping you when you've had a lack of sleep. Yes, it may even help the effects of aging.

As many chocolate lovers will know, trying to resist chocolate is futile as you end up eating a whole lot more than you would have -- particularly women.

The NZ Sunday Star Times(4 Jan 08) states that "A stroll followed by a glass of chocolate milk could help maintain muscle function and promote longevity amoung older people."

Dark chocolate has been found to be as effective as asprin in preventing blood clots.

It has been found that the Kuna Indians of Panama who drink large quantities of flavonoid-rich cocoa do not suffer age-related rises in blood pressure.

What more can I say? Chocolate is just magic.

According to a recent article in Real Age Chocolate is great for your skin. It does have to be dark chocolate but a daily dose makes the skin smoother, more hydrated and less sensitive to the sun. >>Read the article here and there is also a recipe for Healthy Hot Cocoa.

As true lovers of chocolate we've always known that it IS healthy...

Terri Grace of Nimwue Skin confirms that chocolate has many benefits and that dark chocolate in particular "contains high levels of chromium, a substance that is proven to control blood sugar". When asked how it affects the skin she confirmed that the overall diet does show on the skin but it is high-glycemic foods that are the culprit. Cocoa is a low-glycemic food and so does not affect your skin.

Zest, Wednesday 31 March 2010.

2 lb steak and kidney cubed pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt and 1/4 tp black pepper
3 tbl butter or dripping
1 clove crished garlic (optional)
1 breakfast cup coarsley choped onion
1/4 tsp each dried savoury and majoram
1 1/2 cups water or stock
1 desertspoon Bournville Cocoa
Pastry for crust

Sprinkle the meat with half the flour, seasoned with pepper and half the salt. Brown in the butter. Sprinkle on the remainder of the flour and gradually add the stock. Add the rest of the salt, garlic, onion and herbs and cook on a low heat until tender. Mix the cocoa to a paste with cold water and stir into the steak and kidney. Pour into a pie dish and cover top with pie crust. Bake in a hot oven (450 deg) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for a further 20 minutes, or until the crust is nicely colored on top.

4 oz Unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c Butter
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
3 lg Eggs
1 1/4 c Sugar
3 c All-purpose flour
1/2 ts Baking powder
1 c Hazelnuts or walnuts; chop
1 Egg white; lightly beaten

Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until frothy; gradually add sugar, beating until thick and pale (about 5 minutes). Add chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts. Flour hands, and form dough into a 13" log. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with egg white. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Cut log with a serrated knife crosswise into 24 (1/2-inch) slices, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes on each side. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Crust:
1 pk Chocolate cake mix
1/2 c Butter or margarine -- Softened
1 Egg
1/2 c Pecans -- chopped
Filling:
8 oz Cream cheese -- softened
14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
1 ts Vanilla
1 Egg
Heat oven to 350. Grease 13 x 9 pan. In large bowl, combine cake mix, margarine and egg; mix at low speed until combined. Stir in pecans. Reserve 1 cup for topping; set aside. Press remaining mixture evenly in bottom of greased pan. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until fluffy. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

It was over 2,000 years ago that the Aztec and Mayan Indians discovered the importance of the cacao plant.

The frothy beverage that came from the crushed cocoa beans was used in Mayan sacred ceremonies and among royalty. References to a plant etched on the walls of their temples referred to the "food of the Gods".

The Aztecs served a warm beverage that they called "chocolatl" or translated "warm liquid". Only certain honored members where allowed to partake of the ceremonies where chocolatl was consumed. The Aztecs also used cocoa beans as a currency.

The beans where brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus who presented them to the King and Queen of Spain. It was thought that they had no value.

It only when Hernando Cotes was offered the chocolatl beverage by the Aztecs while in what is now Mexico that his interest was aroused. He decided to try experimenting with sugar cane to sweeten the bitter taste for the Spaniards. Realizing the potential of this cocoa bean he established plantations.

Back in Spain the beverage became popular when mixed with spices and served hot. Spain now saw the potential and began planting cacao trees in Venezuela, Jamaica, Peru and Ecuador. Spanish monks were appointed to process the beans for consumption.

Mass production began with a mechanized press in early 1800 and more people now had access to the beverage. In 1847 a British company introduced a solid chocolate made by blending cocoa powder with melted cocoa butter and sugar.

Some thirty years later a Swiss, Daniel Peter, began adding milk to the chocolate and this made chocolate even more popular. Henri Nestle joined forces with Peters and formed the Nestle Company.

In World War 1 the US Government supplied chocolate bars to the troops serving overseas as it was noticed that chocolate was a great source of energy.

1 stick plus 3 T. butter or margarine
3 c. white sugar
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla
2 c. applesauce, unsweetened
3 c. white flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Prewash 8 pint-sized wide mouth canning jars (be sure to use the kind
that have no shoulders) in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, dry and let
them come to room temperature. Grease insides of jar well with
butter.

Beat together butter, and half of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and
remaining sugar, vanilla and applesauce.

Sift dry ingredients together, and add to the applesauce mixture a
little at a time. Beat well after each addition.

Pour 1 c. of batter into each jar, and carefully remove any batter
from the rims.

Place jars in a preheated 325 oven, and bake for 40 mins.

While cakes are baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and
carefully add jar lids. Remove pan from heat, and keep lids hot until
ready to use.

When the cakes have finished baking, remove jars from oven. Make sure
jar rims are clean. (If they're not, jars will not seal correctly)

Place lids on jars, and screw rings on tightly.

Jars will seal as they cool.

Cakes will slide right out when ready to serve.

Eat within 1 month.

Salon Du Chocolat, Chocolate Lovers' Festival, Eurochocolate, Chocolate Rush, Garfield Park Chocolate Show, Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival, these are just some of the best chocolate festivals celebrated all over the world. And they are usually attended by hundreds of thousands of chocolate lovers like me. They flock to these events to view and taste fantastic creations from world-renowned chocolatiers and take pleasure in chocolate inspired activities.

Even in New Zealand there is a festival. The famous Cadbury Jaffa Race was held down the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street, Dunedin on Friday 29 July 2011. Chocolate Carnival

...what's a Jaffa? Well, it's a marble sized round ball of cocolate coated with a crunchy orange shell.

The Menu

Don't force a sit down, four course meal. Do it just like you would on a regular barbecue Sunday. Serve grilled chicken, pork chops, pasta, and mashed potatoes, anything you are familiar with! Now, the simple chicken pieces and pork chops can be made magical by adding chocolate inspired sauces like mole, a Mexican, chili-chocolate essential. Round it up with chocolate desert such as chocolate cakes, pastries and don't forget to serve a pile of different kinds of chocolates. Make sure to have tons of them because you will be using them on games and other activities, anyway! You don't need to buy those expensive gourmet chocolates, just grab the regular ones, your favorite brands - unless the gourmet chocolates are really what you're going for.

If you want to serve fondue, then prepare fondue matches like marshmallows, pretzels and fruits. Do some research on wines that would go well with chocolates!

Set the Stage

Take out your best linens. If you have chocolate designed-linens, that would be great! You can line two or three tables with them. One table will be for eating and the other for chocolate and wine tasting. It can also be a place where you can display desserts that fellow choco lovers may want to indulge in anytime they want to while at the party.

Decorate your party area by incorporating chocolate brown colors in your design. Set the sound system and make sure you have great happy music to match the ambiance. And finally, make sure that your programme is ready along with the materials that you would need in games or activities.

Here's a list of things that you can do at your chocolate party aside from chocolate and wine tasting. You may choose one or few of them, at least whatever is possible and could easily be done without having to spend so much.

1. Game - Who Can Eat The Most Chocolates?
2. Chocolate Painting - where you use chocolates and your hands to draw pictures
3. Stage an exhibit on the history of chocolates, print pictures and put them on display so everyone could have a look and learn while having fun
4. Chocó Poker - Use chocolate pieces as chips. Your guest may take home whatever chocolates they can win.
5. Bake-off Challenge - Who Can Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie?
6. Special cooking demonstration - learn a new chocolate recipe and share it with friends

It's so simple, right? You don't have to wait for a special occasion to throw a chocolate party! Being a chocolate lover is reason enough. But if you want to make your birthday, Thanksgiving, reunion or any get together fancier let the chocolate lover in you come out and let your loved ones experience a feast that was originally made for gods and kings!

Scientists at the University of Warwick have developed a chocolate powered racing car that is 95 percent biodegradable.

A Wairarpa "chocologist" (in New Zealand) says our choice of chocolate flavours and centres says a lot about our true personalities.

Read the article Chocolate and personality linked says 'chocologist' here.

4 tablespoons Flour
4 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Cocoa
3 tablespoons Milk
3 tablespoons Oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
1 egg
Small splash of vanilla essence

1 large coffee mug (not extra large, just normal)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add milk and oil and mix well. Add chocolate chips and vanilla and mix again

Cook in microwave on high for 3 minutes (1000 watt)

Cake will raise over the top of mug don't worry - placing mug on a plate is a good idea. I also suggest spraying the mug with oil to avoid sticking.

Allow to cool a bit

You can tip it out on a plate if you wish

EAT and enjoy!