The Darkest Desire

Clean and Green

2010-06-14T02:37:00.000-07:00

N-VIROnment http://www.bloggerwave.com/Bloggerwave/c/391/26723/0

The fast phase development in all parts of the world has contributed to the overall quality of the environment that we have. Impurities have significantly conquered almost all areas of the world, the deepest sea and the atmosphere is in awe. For as long as men live, the generation of waste materials will continue and it will continue to trouble us in whatever aspects of our lives. Disconcerting as it is, thus, leads men to do whatever it takes to make this earth a hazard free place to live. That is what N-VIROnment aims for, to help men make this world a better place to live in.

Advocacy for cleaner environment as well as the recycling of the generated waste is now a common practice all over the world. Different treatment and techniques have been introduced and technologies have aid humanity in this goal for cleaner and sustainable development. For instance in the Philippines (banana production), the use of manure as a replacement to the synthetic fertilizer has been encouraged in order to protect the natural elements present in the soil. This practice preserves the acidity level of the soil which is necessary for growing banana. In areas where there is scare resource for water such as Saudi Arabia, desalination procedure is being done to purify salt water into usable one. Such processes help men live a better life despite of his self-inflicting activities.

Man is ingenious, his ability to create something out of his desire, research and inquisitive mind has helped him lived life and survived it through all challenging times. Man invented different gadgets for communication and it connects everyone around the world in just a matter of click. Man invented cars, and other important transportation means but have contributed green house gases that caused climate change. Man invented nuclear power that provide electricity but can also destroy thousands of people when irresponsibly used. Man invented rockets, and invaded the moon. What else man cannot do?

Today man is fighting for a better, sustainable and balance environment. Renewable energy is being utilized since the current source of energy which that is non-renewable is getting scarce. Efforts in transforming waste into energy are being doubled to maximize the use of waste. Technologies such as that from N-VIROnment are very helpful in achieving ends of a better environment and use of resources. Its suite of green technologies complement each other and build upon a unique concept transforming waste products into a beneficial fertilizer or ultimately creating N-Viro Fuel a renewable alternative fuel perfectly synergistic with the coal combustion industry. The company promised more development to come in providing opportunity fuels out from its developed technologies.

Let us support waste recycling.

Unusual Hotel

2010-02-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

Out'N'About Treehouse Treesort
Takilma, Ore.
Rates: $250 a night for four
Sleep 32 feet off the ground. Me Tarzan. You Jane. The owners waged an eight-year battle to get treehouses recognized as real "hotels."

Dog Bark Park Inn

Cottonwood, Idaho
Rates: Starts at $92 a night/double occupancy
Their motto: "Where sleeping in the dog house is a good thing." Guests of the Dog Bark stay inside of a wooden dog that the hotel claims is the world's biggest beagle, at 35 feet tall.

Quaker Square
Akron, Ohio
Rates: Starts at $95 a night/double occupancy
The converted silos once held 1.5 million grain bushels. Sleep in the round rooms where your breakfast was once stored.

McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel
Portland, Ore.
Rates: $110 a night/double occupancy
The hotel, with rooms featuring blackboards, is a converted elementary school that originally opened in 1915. You won't get in trouble for drinking a single-malt in class.

Jules Undersea Lodge
Key Largo, Fla.
Rates: $550 a night/double occupancy
Guests take the plunge — literally. Scuba dive 21 feet to your room in the form

er underwater laboratory, and sip a

glass of wine and look out the window onto the undersea world.

Chocolate Wrapper

2010-02-14T03:59:00.000-08:00

From early times of manufacturing chocolate bars paper became most popular material for chocolate wrappers. under outer paper wrapper is always inner wrapper (foil) usually made of aluminium or plastic.

There are 3 main types of paper chocolate wrapper. First type is strip of paper wrapped over the chocolate bar so it is usually easy to take off the wrapper from chocolate.This wrapping method was more frequent in the past. It is used mostly in USA, England, the Netherlands, Estonia or in many asian countries now. Second type covers complete chocolate bar like a envelope. This envelope style of paper wrapper is widely spread in most countries. It is sometimes necessary to open these wrappers carefully and try not to tear them. For some chocolates is often used as a wrapping material cardboard paper. Typical is for some filled chocolates especially those with liquid filling like spirits, for chocolates with whole hazelnuts, for higher weights chocolates, portioned chocolates like Schogetten, for luxury chocolates or for chocolate bars with unusual shape. Also worldwide known chocolate bar Toblerone is covered with cardboard wrapper. Except most frequented paper other wrapping materials like cellophane, metalized foils or plastic foils became more and more popular from economic reasons. Typical use is for square chocolates, some cheaper chocolates or for chocolate candy bars like Mars. German manufacturer of square chocolates Ritter used cellophane as a wrapping material till 1978, then paper wrapper combined with aluminum and since 1991 plastic foil wrapper which is easy to open without damage. Among European makers of chocolate bars is more and more common to wrap the chocolates in plastic foils. Almost all small bars and candy bars are now packed in plastic foil and also some cheaper chocolates like 100g bars of Trumpf or Waldbaur in Germany or Lola chocolates by Swiss Halba. Specific type of wrappers use some scandinavian companies - they combine paper with inner metalized foil in one wrapper. This method is often used for packing chocolate pieces in rolls. Some companies like Italian Delicia also use combination of plastic wrapper with inner metalized foil.

For your Chocolate Wrapper needs check out the AluFoil Products Co., Inc. It has several chocolate wrapper that meets your personal and business requirements

Get Paid Blogging

2009-08-06T21:00:00.001-07:00

Updated: 28 Sites Now.

Writing paid post is perhaps the most straight forward ways to earn some revenue from blogging. The way pay post works hasn’t changed much; after reaching mutual agreement with advertisers, you write aboutthem, they pay you. And if there is a 3rd party (middle man company) involve, they take cut. Most middle man company provides marketplace for advertisers to look for publishers, vice versa.

If you firmly believe that writing pay post is one good way to revenue from your blog, here’s a list of web services that pays you to write for them. This list will be updated periodically, so if you have a paid post service I’ve missed out I’d like to add them to the list. Necessary credits will be given.

Also read: Top Paying CPM Advertisement Network

451 Press
451 Press is always looking for bright, talented writers who want to have their voices heard. We are looking for writers with unique voices to contribute to our growing network of blogs. Our blogs cover a wide range of topics. If you have a passion for a subject then we just might have a place for you.
[FAQ] [Sign Up]
Be A Guide (About.Com)
All About.com Guides are freelancers who work online and set their own schedules, giving them the flexibility to log on from anywhere in the world whenever they have the time. With no timesheets to fill out and no timecards to punch, working for About.com gives you the flexibility to write when you want, even if you have a full-time day job.
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BlogBurner
So here’s how it works:
- You create an account with us.
- You create an account with Google Adsense.
- You login and write content to your "blog" on our site.
- You try to write as often as you can.
- We publish your content to our site.
- We serve ads on the pages that have your content.
- Half the time you make money on the ads. Half the time we do.
[FAQ] [Sign Up]

Blog Feast
We are a blog community that:
1. Host your blog for free
2. Provide you with readers and traffic
3. Serve your Adsense ads 90% of the time
4. Helps you to make money blogging
5. Leading you step by step to earn $1,000 a month!
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Bloggerwave
We’ve got advertisers that would like you to write about their products or services. So you do. In your blog. And get paid!
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Blogitive
Once you are approved to the Blogitive system, you are given access to opportunities from companies to post about their news releases. You are paid per posting.
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Blogsvertise
Once approved, your blog goes into the assignment queue. The blogsvertise administrator then assigns writing tasks for what our advertisers want you to mention in your blog.
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Blog To Profit
We connect you with advertisers that are interested in sponsoring your blog, you post to your blog and get paid!
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BOTW Media
If you are an experienced writer and/or an avid blogger, can write passionately about a topic, and enjoys working as part of a group, you may be a good candidate for a BOTW Media author.
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CreamAid
Anyone can start using CREAMaid by inserting a CREAMaid Conversation widget inside her post. (more info) Your post will most likely be selected as long as you abide by these rules. Once selected, your post will be syndicated to all the participating posts through their embedded Conversation widgets. When your post is selected, you will be able to instantly collect a royalty
for your contribution.
[FAQ]
Creative Weblogging
Get paid to blog with us at Creative Weblogging! We are one of the largest blog networks, with over 135 blogs in five languages.
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DayTipper
If you have a tip that is insightful, helpful, and original, we will publish it and pay you $3 (US). You write the content. We share it with the world.
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Digital Journal
Unlike most websites where bloggers post for free (and the company takes in all the ad revenue), DigitalJournal.com shares a portion of its advertising revenue with all Citizen Journalists. With an always-growing cash pool, every single Citizen Journalist gets a chance to compete for a share of the cash pot. The more you contribute, the more you earn.
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Helium
Earn a share of the advertising money earned here at Helium. If you write well, and write often, you earn even more recognition and reward.
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In Blog Ads
You’ve been writing about web sites, products, services and companies for years, now you you can also get paid for it. With our system, you get paid for each post request you fulfill.
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Link Post Of Link Worth
Unlike some other services, we pay our Partners up to 70% for each LinkPost written. Access to thousands of advertisers hungry for reviews. A variety of payment options. Receive payouts monthly by check, PayPal, direct deposit, or Wire. Automated advertising management. An easy way to sell paid blog posts.
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LoudLaunch
If your blog and interests are aligned with an advertiser’s campaign then you can do your own research and write about them in exchange for pay—not in exchange for a pre-determined outcome but for a fair assessment.
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Pay Me To Blog About You
Our messaging system allows bloggers and advertisers to negotiate directly with each other instead of working through advertising agencies or middlemen and we provide a secure way of transacting advertising compensation via Paypal.
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PayPerPost
PayPerPost is an incredible new self-service marketplace that allows you to get paid to blog about the products, services and websites you love. You can easily earn $500 per month or more with your current blog!
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Review Me
Get paid $20 – $200 to review products and services on your site. You control what you review.
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Shvoong
The more abstracts you post at Shvoong, the more chances to attract readers. Create link to your abstract elsewhere(on blogs, forums, your personal homepage, or other sites). Spread the word by joining our “Invite a friend” and/or “Affiliates” programs, and earn bonuses equivalent to the invite members’ royalties, upto $100 for every new writer.
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Smorty
Get paid for blogging. Write your opinion about peoples products, services and websites on your blog. Get paid weekly.
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Sponsored Reviews
Earn cash by writing honest reviews about our advertiser’s products and services. Write reviews in your own tone and style, and gear them to your audience’s interest.
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Squidoo
Every lens carries Google AdSense ads. Those are used to generate royalties for the whole co-op (ie, everyone gets a cut). If you want to increase your direct royalties, though, you should consider adding commercial modules that the visitors to your lenses will appreciate.
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Weblogs Inc
Looking to get paid to blog about subjects you love? Tell us what you’re passionate about and let’s find out if there’s a fit!
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Wise Bread
WiseBread.com is one of the top 5 personal finance blogs. We give our bloggers 100% of the advertising revenue they earn on their blog posts.
PS: Thanks Fab
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B5media
We’ll pay you to write about what you love. We’re the one of the largest blog networks in the world. We want to be the biggest. Want to help? It’s easy to apply.
PS: Thanks Jeremy

Godiva Special Offer

2009-07-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Exclusive online savings extended through Sunday at Godiva.com. To ensure delivery of Godiva emails to your inbox, please add godiva@email.godiva.com to your Address Book. To view this email in your web browser, click here.




*Special savings on select Birthday and Thank You Gift Collection is valid in US only on orders placed on Godiva.com through 7/19/09, 11:59PM ET. Not valid in Godiva Boutiques, department/specialty stores, or through 1-800-9GODIVA. Not valid on previous purchases, and cannot be combined with volume discounts or other promotions or offers. Not redeemable for cash. While supplies last.
Godiva Chocolatier is contacting you because you have requested to receive updates about new products, events, special offers and promotions. View our privacy policy \| Change your email address \| Unsubscribe © 2009 Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. 139 Mill Rock Road East, Suite 2, Old Saybrook, CT 06475. All rights reserved. www.godiva.com \| 1-800-9GODIVA \| letters@godiva.com

Chocolate for the Summer

2009-05-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Although I have already blogged on about seasonal chocolates, I think a chocolate without something behind is incomplete. This time I will let you decide on a perfect combination of chocolate for the summer and a summer heat reliever. The personal list that have here is all worth a try, and superb cooler.

No. 1 Smooth Cocoa with Ice and Buttery Biscuit in Chocolate Fillings.

I really like smooth cocoa, but lately Banana Frost was my indulgence. What is so amazing about cocoa is its stingy odor when it reaches your nostril. It should be topped with smooth cream and chocolate globules or shredded chocolates. I wont specifically recommend any butter biscuit since you can make it personally. Its up to your taste, and the available resources you have. Again don't think that making your chocolate summer would not be successful with a very simple, fun and inexpensive chocolate delights.

No. 2 Chocolate French Toast with Cappucino Cooler

The first time I tried french toast was superb food discovery. A friend of mine introduced like 2 years ago and I have been experimenting on it based on the available ingredients I have at home. When a chocolate package from my cousin arrived, I've tried filling it with chocolate and coated it with rich milk. It turned out to be extravagant.

Cappucino cooler has also been my favorite when I gone to coffee shop and chocolate bars. If you do it yourself, I recommend to sprinkle it with ground cinnamon to add up woody spell and of course the ever famous cinnamon taste. Do not forget as well the ice cream, vanilla will certainly do

No. 3 Chocolate Muffin and Malted Root Beer

Summer with a very cold beer is a relief. Added with vanilla ice cream and malted milk and syrup is even more. Try this one, its also easy but superb in taste.

My uncle cooked us this Muffin with granulated chocolates all over it. This really tasted good. This also best coupled with the malted root beer when I tried it at home. Best consume during warm night while looking at the starry sky and while listening jazz tempo or even your favorite summer music playlist.

What Is It Like To Be Legally Dependable?

2009-05-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hoping that life will get better, career shift is I think a good way to do. Although my first choice is to take Masteral Degree in Econometrics this coming semester, I just felt that taking Law as well is a brilliant option.

What is it like to be a Dependable Legal Adviser, Defender and Friend?

If I were a person seeking for legal advices, I might choose the one who has a track record specific to my needs. But it is not my absolute requirement, my choice varies depending on my needs and lawyer must be dependable. Dependable means that lawyer is not just capable of winning the battle but finding truth without a burden of doubt and capable of accepting defeat in a justifiable manner. Winning is not all the truth in life, sometimes losing the battle gives us very important lessons to learn. Whatever our reasons are we always need advices and this is what Central Jersey Legal Services can provide. Central Jersey Legal Service provides wide array of legal service from personal injury lawsuit down to estate management. Since the demand for legal advices and services gone complex nowadays due to complexities of our legal system, it is just right to really evaluate dependable lawyers and legal services providers. I tell you choosing the right one is a tedious task, you don not just need right information but also a trust that is often time hardest to entrust with.

If time permits me to become a lawyer, then surely I will be a dependable one.

Knipschildt Chocolate

2009-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Forgive me guys, especially those who love their average chocolate because what I got here for you is the one and only Knipschildt Chocolate "Chocopologie". I never tried it myself but its the best in the world wide market. What makes it the best? It is just the world's most famous chocolate, not only that it holds the record of being the most expensive but it also holds acclamations and honor amongst many famous personalities and award giving bodies.

Mr. Fritz Knipschildt

I clearly remember when I walked into my first job in the restaurant business. I had just turned 13 and my sister was sick, so I filled in for her as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.It was a small kitchen full of chefs, a lot of noise, and steam everywhere. I guess I fell in love with all the activity and excitement. The owner was french and had four restaurants – The Plaza Hotel, Marie Louise, and 2 other excellent places; all with very disciplined kitchens and a truly “old school” approach.

In a short amount of time, I quickly advanced and with the opening of a new restaurant in the north of Copenhagen, I was incharge of the bistro kitchen. This was before I had even attended Chef school. After that I worked for another French gentleman at a small 30 seat restaurant called Le Provence. I finally went to hotel and restaurant school for 4 1/2 years in Denmark where I was born and raised.

After just a month of training at Hotel & amp; Restaurant School, I was selected to represent my town in the Danish championship for young Chefs. It was a great experience to compete against the best young Chefs across Denmark. After finishing school, I had the opportunity to work in the beautiful Mont Blanc area of France twice and also in southern Spain.

I would have to say that my love of food started at a young age. I was very fortunate to have parents that took my sisters and I on many trips throughout Europe where we were exposed to all different types of food at a very early age. My parents loved food and to travel. My father's side of the family are all artists and my mother's side of the family are all entrepreneurs. I guess a little bit of both rubbed off on me as I'm creative with food, but also interested in business.

By now, I was flourishing in the restaurant industry and at the same time, the chocolate industry was going through a radical transformation. We had access to the best raw chocolate and incredibly fresh ingredients. This was heaven for a young creative chef and I absorbed it all. With my background in the savory kitchen, I loved to experiment with sweet & savory flavors and I continued to do so with chocolate.

At that time, I moved to the USA as a private chef cooking for the rich and famous. After which I was sponsored by a french restaurant in New York. People were truly stunned when they tasted the infusions of chocolate and spices. They thought I was crazy, but as they tasted the chocolates, they soon realized that these combinations were true matches in heaven. It felt good to be a pioneer in the modern chocolate making and bring new spicy sweet experiences to people.

Whimsical Food! Is it decadence or decency?

2009-05-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Change is the only constant thing as we say, then it must be that we cannot avoid two opposing consequences. Since our obsession to changes is brimful, decadence and decency have become collateral. In technology for instance, the creation of radar has changed the way we communicate and the downbeat is its health disadvantages. The morality of change must be a field of good interest; it is where we can find value of man’s activities, the dynamics of it and how changes affects the way we live, and our philosophy in life.

My fascination to food innovation has led me to question the morality of change. Is decadence to food innovation a matter of moral arguments, or is it that its moral judgment lay down on personal indulgence? I have to admit that innovating is a necessity for us to be able to find better ways of doing things. However we have to be cautious about it as we often time lose the inherent and natural characteristics of it to what we expect it to be. Thus, resulting to decadence and losing food decency.

Whimsical food are food prone to erratic changes depending on geographical location since geographical ingredients differ from one place to another. It also dependent to food culture and belief. While inherent cultural taste often differ from one place to another and is also considered as factor that contributes to whimsical food.

The Mexican Taco Vs. Chocolate Taco Vs. Indian Tacos

In Mexico, the word taco is a generic term like the English word sandwich. A taco is simply a tortilla wrapped around a filling. Like a sandwich, the filling can be made with almost anything and prepared in many different ways (anything that can be rolled inside a tortilla becomes a taco). The contents of a taco can vary according to the geographical region you are eating them. The taco can be eaten as an entree or snack. They are made with soft corn or fried corn tortillas folded over. On the other hand, a chocolate taco is like a real taco only that it has chocolate poured over the top, and chocolate's a dairy product like the cheese in a real taco, has peanuts, which are in fact not nuts at all but legumes like beans, which people often eat with real tacos, it has vanilla ice cream, which could be said to slightly resemble a real taco's sour cream if you squint a little, has fudge striping that represents a meat.

Chocolate Taco....................................... Tacos de Asador:Mexico........................... Indian Tacos:Navajo Tacos

2009-05-11T01:30:00.001-07:00

A Symbol of Courage Primarily used to identify soldiers during war or battle, the dog tag has become a symbol of courage and strength through the years.

Now, Ako Mismo is using the dog tag in its advertising campaign to identify the brave Filipinos who are taking a stand against apathy; those who have decided to fight the indifference that is plaguing our country. No more complaints, no more excuses. Wearing the Ako Mismo dog tag is a sign of the commitment to do something, big or small, for the country.

This is I think one provocative tag line that I will ever use in showing my eagerness to help change what has been plaguing my country. It shows a very strong conviction of self determination, self worth, self development and a drive to make oneself an instrument of change. Indeed it is about time to start a new era of better changes by challenging the current dreadful conditions.

Mga Filipino, ako mismo ang magsisimula ng pagbabago!

F3 Racing Car Powered by Chocolate

2009-05-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Racing industry conquers chocolate factory and even more titillating for environmentalist because of its eco-friendly advocacy.

Researchers in the UK have invented a world first, formula three racing car, powered by chocolate and steered by carrots.

Developed by Warwick's University's international automotive research centre, the vehicle is made almost completely from fruit and vegetable matter.

Making it even more environmentally friendly, its biodiesel engine is configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil.

'The engine runs on biodiesel - now we can produce biodiesel a number of ways but we managed to take the waste product from chocolate which is cocoa butter and turn that into diesel,' Dr James Meredith said.

Formula three cars can't currently use biodiesel in competition.

But the car's inventors say motorsport will inevitably go 'greener' to survive.

'We have already seen formula one adopting some green technologies in the (KERS) - Kinetic Energy Recovery System - that we are seeing on cars this year which have actually have improved performance and making the sport more exciting,' Dr Steve Mags, a Warwick University engineer behind the project said.

'I am convinced that some of these technologies will be sustainable materials technology will see them on not just Formula one but other aspects of motorsport as well.'

Savoring Chocolate With All Of Your Senses

2009-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

For a chocolate lover, the art of tasting—which is quite different from merely eating chocolate--- has the power to transform a casual nibble into a world of new pleasures. The seemingly formal protocol used by professional chocolate makers, and connoisseurs, to compare and evaluate chocolates is simply a way of focusing attention on the chocolate, with all of our senses. It’s also loads of fun, challenging, delicious and great for the vocabulary.

Anyone can easily learn to taste chocolate for pleasure. No expertise or equipment is required. Tasting can be done at home alone, with close friends after dinner, or you can make it a party.

How much do you know about chocolate? This handy primer will turn you into a chocolate impresario in no time!

The Primary Types of Chocolate

Bittersweet or Semi Sweet (Dark) Chocolate
Sweetened chocolate with a minimum cocoa bean or chocolate liquor content of 35% by weight, and which may contain up to 12% milk solids. Dark chocolate is the latest rage, often preferred by adults with equally sophisticated food palates. The current trend favors bittersweet and semi sweet chocolates with far more than the minimum required chocolate liquor content, and with little or no milk content, resulting in more intense chocolate flavor and complexity, and less sweetness.
Milk Chocolate
Chocolate that contains a minimum of 10% by weight of chocolate liquor, at least 3.39% milk fat, and a minimum of 12% milk solids (inclusive of milk fat). The current trend favors milk chocolates with more than the minimum of chocolate liquor, producing more chocolate flavor and less sweetness.
White Chocolate
A sweet ivory-colored confection that contains by weight at least 20% cocoa butter, at least 14% milk solids, and at least 3.5% milk fat, and no more than 55% sweeteners.

Chocabulary from A to Z

Alkalized or Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder that has been chemically treated (usually with potassium carbonate) to reduce acidity.

Aroma: The variety of scents given off by individual chocolate. Hold different kinds of chocolates to the nose and you’ll quickly see that each has an individual and distinctive aroma.

Bloom: Dullness, streaks, graying, or whitish discoloration on the surface of chocolate caused by poor tempering, temperature fluctuations and/or moisture in storage. Bloom is unattractive but not harmful.

Cacao: The defining ingredient in all chocolate and chocolate products. The term “cacao” refers to the tree and its fruit and the seeds (otherwise known as cocoa beans) inside the fruit, which are processed to make chocolate.

Varieties of Cacao

Forastero: The hardiest and most productive of the three or four cacao varieties, Forastero is believed to have originated in the Amazon basin. Today it is grown around the globe and accounts for over 90% percent of the world’s cacao. Chocolate manufacturers value Forasteros for basic robust chocolate flavor.
Criollo: Considered the rarest and most prized of the three or four recognized varieties of cacao, Criollo is native to either northern South America and or Mesoamaerica. Prized for their fragrance and delicate and complex flavor, criollos are “flavor beans” which account for less than 1% of the world’s cacao.
Trinitario: One of three or four recognized varieties of cacao, Trinitario is a hybrid of the flavorful Criollo and hardy Forastero. Along with Criollos, Trinitarios are considered “flavor beans” and they account for less than 5% of the world cacao crop.
Nacional or Arriba: The proposed fourth variety of cacao from Ecuador, otherwise considered a finer strain of Forastero.
Theobroma Cacao: The botanical name for the tree, fruit, and seeds from which chocolate is made.

Cacao Beans/Cocoa Beans: Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which are the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree.

Chocolate Liquor: Also known as unsweetened chocolate which is often used in baking, chocolate liquor is pure ground-up cacao nibs (see cocoa nibs). There is no alcohol in chocolate liquor however!.

Chocolate Truffle: A rich confection made from chocolate and cream (ganache), although it may contain butter, eggs, and other flavorings. Truffles may be dipped in chocolate and or rolled in cocoa powder. Although American-style chocolate truffles are larger and may be decorated, the original European chocolate truffle is bite-sized with a rough cocoa-y exterior.

Cocoa: The term cocoa is used in different ways. When it appears on a chocolate label with a percentage, it denotes the total cocoa bean (cacao) content of the chocolate and the term is sometimes used interchangeably with chocolate liquor, cacao, cocoa beans or cocoa solids. Not to be confused with Cocoa Powder.

Cocoa Powder: Used as an ingredient in baking, or the base for a hot beverage. Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor, which has been pressed to remove most of its fat, and then pulverized to a powder. High fat cocoa powders typically contain 22%-24% cacao fat; low-fat cocoa powders typically contain 10% or less cacao fat. Natural Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder that has not been “Dutch” processed or treated with chemical alkalis.

Cocoa Butter: The unique ivory colored fat that constitutes 50 to 54% of roasted cocoa beans. Cocoa butter has little flavor of its own, but it adds considerable richness and depth to the flavor of chocolate. Cocoa butter makes chocolate fluid when melted and crisp when hardened. Chocolate melts readily and luxuriously on the tongue because cocoa butter melts at body temperature. Cocoa butter contributes to the creamy smooth texture and the long finish that characterizes fine chocolate.

Cocoa Nibs: Pieces of hulled, roasted cocoa beans. Nibs are composed of fat called cocoa butter (50%-54%) and non-fat dry solids fat (46%-50%).

Cocoa Mass or Cocoa Masse: An alternate term for the total cocoa bean, cacao, chocolate liquor, or cocoa content of chocolate.

Conching: Conching is the prolonged heating, mixing and scraping or grinding process done during the last stages of chocolate manufacture. Conching produces both a smooth texture by reducing the size of the particles and mixing them, and a smooth flavor by driving off unwanted harsh flavors and aromas.

Couverture: Chocolate with a minimum of 32% cocoa butter. Most couverture these days contains even more than 32% cocoa butter!

Dry or Non-Fat Cocoa Solids: The non-fat portion of the cocoa bean.

Dutch Process Cocoa: cocoa that has been processed with alkali to reduce acidity (and darken color).

Ganache: A mixture of chocolate and cream used as the filling for chocolate truffles, but also for sauces, glazes and cake fillings.

Gloss: The satiny sheen or mirror-like shine on the surface of a perfectly tempered piece of chocolate.

Lecithin: A natural emulsifier added to chocolate to promote fluidity when the chocolate is melted. The lecithin used in chocolate manufacture is derived from soy.

Mouthfeel: The texture of a substance in your mouth; how the chocolate feels as it melts on your palate.

Notes: The variety of distinctive flavors or hints of flavor that one can pick up when tasting and appreciating an individual piece of chocolate. Chocolate, like fine wine, has a flavor profile that’s very individual. It’s common to pick up hints of smoke, coffee, cherry, vanilla, nuts or citrus in chocolate. Further, no two people will necessarily pick up the exact same notes in chocolate, depending on their experience savoring chocolate.

Percentage: The percentage label on chocolate bars indicates the total amount of the bar, by weight, comprised of cocoa beans (including added cocoa butter or dry cocoa solids). Dark chocolate generally features a higher percentage of cacao than milk chocolate. While a high cacao percentage (60% or more) is a sign of quality in dark chocolate, 90% cacao content in a bar is not necessarily “better.” This is because as the cacao percentage is increased, chocolate becomes more and more bitter in flavor to the point that it becomes unpalatable.

Snap: The sound and the feel of chocolate as it breaks or is bitten. A sharp, crisp snap indicates fine particle size, high quality cocoa butter, and good tempering. Dark chocolate generally has more “snap” than softer milk chocolate.

Tempering: The process of controlled heating, cooling and stirring that creates a stable structure of the cocoa butter (fat) crystals in chocolate. Tempering causes chocolate to harden uniformly with an even color, brittle texture (snap) and glossy surface.

White Confectionery Coating: Although apparently similar to white chocolate, white confectionery coating contains no part of the cocoa bean. It is made with sugar, milk and milk fat, vanilla, lecithin, and vegetable fats.

On My Silver Birthday: Is this a Form of Internet Begging?

2009-05-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

A list of few wishes on my upcoming birthday. It is up to you to decide which one/two/three or for you'd like to give. So long as it reaches the person asking, then your kindness is much appreciated.

No. 1 Macbook Pro White

No. 2 iphone
No. 3 Sony Vaio AW Series

No. 4 Sony Digital Camera

Is this a form of internet begging?

Internet begging, cyber-begging, or internet panhandling is the online version of traditional begging, asking strangers for money to meet immediate and other needs (money, food, and shelter). Internet begging has the clear advantage to street panhandling in that it can be practiced with relative anonymity, thereby eliminating or reducing the shame and disgrace apparent of begging in public.

If you believe that it is not, then you may opted to grant my wish.

Happy Mama Day

2009-05-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

The chocolate companies have been sending me their mother day special promos and it all sound so chocolatey.

Here is the list of a few.
1. L.A. Burdick
2. GODIVA
3. Cadburry
4. Chocopolognie
5. Suchard Tobler Vertriebs
6. Ghirardelli Chocolate

If you are interested the links are provided just on the right bar.
Give your mom a gift she cant forget. The love!

Happy Moothers Day!

Dinner Shawarma at TURQUOISE

2009-05-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

The food scare sometimes is not enough halting factor for cravings when you have the passion for food and especially when the food your dying to indulge with is mediterraniane in flavor. Taste good right?

So I am giving you a mediterraniane inspired food called Dinner Shawarma of TURQUOISE restaurant located at SM Davao City. The restaurant offers variety of Turkish foods that are worth your penny.

What I love most about Dinner Shawarma is its Turkish rice. The rice really taste like milk with a very soothing effect. The garlic sauce is also excellent.

Swine Flu and Food Safety

2009-04-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

For over a week now, the news have been reporting swine flu outbreak in Mexico and everyone else seemed bothered on their safety to food consumption. As food enthusiast, I could not also find serenity while the rest of world is in uproar. I am very much saddened about what is happening right now, the world with its wonder and beauty is getting too difficult to deal with for human's existence.

In an apparent attempt to douse mounting fears over the “swine flu" virus, the Office International des Epizooties on Tuesday declared that the said global health problem could not yet be considered a pandemic, much less an outbreak.

But looking at the “pandemic chart" of the World Health Organization, the swine flu scare had already prompted international health authorities to raise the global pandemic alert to Phase 4.

This means that the current situation is just barely two notches away from a “pandemic state" or Phase 6.

Important Events:

Mexico

Everyone told Maria del Carmen Hernandez that her kindergartner's illness was a just a regular cold. But it seemed like the whole town of 3,000 was getting sick.

As early as February, neighbors all around her were coming down with unusually strong flu symptoms — and the caseload kept growing. When state health workers came to investigate March 23, some 1,300 people sought their medical help. About 450 were diagnosed with acute respiratory infections and sent home with antibiotics and surgical masks.

Five-year-old Edgar Hernandez was still healthy then. Hernandez wanted to keep him home from school so he wouldn't get sick, but her husband said, "We can't be afraid of what might or might not happen."

Then he came home with a fever and a headache so bad his eyes hurt. She took him to a clinic, and after a few days of antibiotics, he too recovered.

No one told Hernandez that her son had become Mexico's earliest confirmed case of swine flu until the Veracruz governor helicoptered in on Monday. But Edgar's case confirmed for residents what they already believed: their hillside town is ground zero in the epidemic.

Local health officials and Federal Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova downplay claims that the swine flu epidemic could have started in La Gloria, noting that of 35 mucous samples taken from respiratory patients there, only Edgar's came back positive.

World Health Organization

In Geneva, the World Health Organization issued a phase 4 alert - the first time it has raised the pandemic threat level since the system was established in 1999.

Level 4 means sustained human-to-human transmission has begun and containment is no longer possible. Five means the virus is widespread, and phase 6 is a full-blown global pandemic.

Philippines

MANILA – Siyam sa 12 bansa na tinamaan ng nakamamatay na swine flu virus ang pinagkunan ng karne ng baboy ng Pilipinas noong nakaraang taon, batay sa talaan ng Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

Sa datos na nakuha ng GMANews.TV sa BAS, lumitaw na umabot sa 85, 531 metriko tonelada (MT) ng karne ng baboy ang inangkat ng Pilipinas sa 24 bansa.

Sa naturang bilang, 83 porsyento o 70,900 MT ang galing sa siyam na bansa na tinamaan ng virus: United States (26,274 MT); Canada (20,536 MT); France (8,672 MT); Germany (6,521 MT); South Korea (5,138 MT); Spain (3,487 MT); Great Britain (151 MT); Brazil (97 MT); at New Zealand (24 MT).

Pinakamarami sa siyam na bansang nabanggit o 30 porsyento ay nanggaling sa US. Sumunod ang Canada (24 porsyento), France (10 porsyento) at Germany (8 porsyento).

Panglima naman ang South Korea (6 porsyento), sumunod ang Belgium (5 porsyento), Spain (4 porsyento), Denmark (3.8 porsyento), Netherlands (2.8 porsyento) at Australia(1.7 porsyento).

Kabilang sa mga inangkat na bahagi ng karne ng baboy sa ibang bansa ay mga frozen swine, hams, shoulders and cuts, pork bellies, fore-ends, swine liver, offal, bacon, dried pork skin, sausages at luncheon meat.

Palawakin ang ban

Bunga ng pagkalat ng virus na pinapaniwalaang nagmula sa Mexico, nagpatupad ang Department of Agriculture (DA) ng total ban sa pag-angkat ng mga karne ng baboy sa US, Canada, at Mexico.

Ngunit posible pa umanong madagdagan ang mga bansa na makakasama sa ban dahil nadadagdagan din ang mga bansa tinatamaan ng virus, ayon kay DA Secretary Arthur Yap nitong Martes.

Bukod sa US, Canada at Mexico, may naitala na rin umanong kaso ng swine flu virus sa Spain, New Zealand, UK, France, Israel at South Korea.

Sa isang pahayag ng Animal Health Organization o ang Office International des Epizooties (OIE), ang virus ay naipapasa ng tao sa tao sa pamamagitan ng pagbahing at pag-ubo. Wala naman indikasyon na makukuha ang virus sa pagkain ng karne ng baboy.

“The better side of prudence tells us to impose the ban. But we assure consumers that Philippine pork is safe to it. We have not contacted the virus yet and we hope it will not reach our country," ayon kay Yap.

Upang mapunan ang mawawalang suplay ng karne ng baboy mula sa ibang bansa, sinabi ni Davinio Catbagan, director ng Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), na kukuha sila ng suplay ng karne ng baboy sa Mindanao. - GMANews.TV

What is Ahead?

Having told all these things, is food safety now a commodity?

Pineapple Marmalade

2009-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Pineapple Marmalade

Ranchero Grill Baby Back Rib

2009-04-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

As much as I like chocolate, I can't help but tell you also about my other cravings. This time, is all about my one and only "Baby Back" of Ranchero Grill located near Central Bank in Davao City serves mexican food at its best.

What you see only cost around 450 pesos and is good for three persons if the three tummies are half filled. If its not, surely it wont be enough. The sauce is great, and the meat is so tender.

Of course, food will always be special and much more when you share it with someone who truly makes your day complete.

Thanks for that moment. I will never forget that night.

Eggplant Salad

2009-04-22T20:02:00.001-07:00

Eggplant, one of the most popular plant in the Philippines and is well loved by Filipinos not only because it is easy to prepare but it also adds color to life. Violet symbolizes dread but eggplant that is violet in color symbolizes sexiness, lust and everyone's desires. As the Filipino joke says, eggplant is the only plant that is perfectly combine with eggs and hotdogs that can be freshly served anytime of the day. It maybe a joke but certainly it gives another side of a violet color of life.

Eggplant salad is prepared mainly with the following ingredients:

1. Coco milk
2. Eggplant

This has been my favorite eggplant meal and still looking for another eggplant recipe. If you have another eggplant recipe which will surely satisfy my taste bud, please feel free to post it.
Grilling eggplant is suggested when making an eggplant salad.

Chocolate: An Aphrodisiac?

2009-04-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

I was researching on literature about chocolate ingredients when I got into this site and read on the article entitled “Ditch the Viagra and Eat Chocolate at Beleza”. The article tells about erotic chocolate on the menu of Beleza, a company own by Kristen Hard who specializes in chocolate aphrodisiacs. What I have you here is an article that explains chocolate as an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate aphrodisiacs or Euphamism

"In most parts of the world chocolate is associated with romance, and not without with good reason. It was viewed as an aphrodisiac by the Aztec's who thought it invigorated men and made women less inhibited. So when it was first introduced to Europe, it was only natural that chocolate quickly became the ideal gift for a woman to receive from an admirer or a loved one, and of course, vice versa".

What does chocolate have in common with lobster, crab legs, pine nuts, walnuts, alcohol, and Viagra? It has a reputation as being an aphrodisiac. Throughout history, there has been a pursuit for sexual success and fertility by various means including foods and pharmaceuticals. The American Heritage College Dictionary defines aphrodisiac s "arousing or intensifying sexual desire...Something such as a drug or food, having such an effect". Accordingly, "an aphrodisiac is a food, drink, drug, scent, or device that, promoters claim, can arouse or increase sexual desire, or libido". Myths and folklore have existed since the beginning of time asserting that specific goods, or aphrodisiacs, increase sexual capacity and stimulate desire. Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, she was claimed born from the sea and many types of seafood have acquired this reputation. Similarly, chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac originated in both Mayan and Aztec cultures over 1500 years ago. Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac? How does it work? Does it produce different effects for men and women?

Made from the cocoa bean found in pods growing form the trunk and lower branches of the Cacao Tree, the earliest record of chocolate was in the South American rainforests around the Amazon and Essequibo rivers. The Mayan civilization worshipped the Cacao Tree for they believed it was divine in origin, thus its Latin name, Theobrom Cacao, means "food of the gods", and "cacao is a Mayan word meaning 'God Food.' Cacao was later corrupted into the more familiar "Cocoa" by Europeans". Since emperors were considered divine, the Aztec emperor Monteczuma drank fifty golden goblets of chocolate a day in order to enhance his sexual ability. Consequentially, when the Spanish Conquistadors discovered chocolate and introduced it to Europe and the rest of the world, it continued to be associated with love.

Chocolate is a very complex food and scientists have investigated it in order to unlock its secrets. When consumed, it has been observed to have affects on human behavior. Chocolate contains two particular substances called Phenylethylamin and Seratonin, both of which serve as means for mood lifting. "Both occur naturally in the human brain and are released by the brain into the nervous system when we are happy and also when we are experiencing feelings of love, passion and/or (dare I say it?) lust. This causes a rapid mood change, a rise in blood pressure, increasing the heart rate and inducing those feelings of well being, bordering on euphoria usually associated with being in love".

When chocolate is consumed, it releases Phenylethylamine and Seratonin into the human system producing the same arousing effects. Since eating chocolate gives an instant energy boost, increasing stamina, it is no wonder why its effects have given it a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Both Phenylethylamine and Seratonin are substances that can be mildly addictive, hence explaining the chocoholic. But women are more susceptible to the effects of Phenylethylamine and Seratonin than men. This illustrates why women tend to be chocoholics more than men.

Three other chemicals and theories are used to explain why chocolate makes people feel "good." "Researchers at the Neuroscience Institute in San Diego, California believe that 'chocolate contains pharmacologically active substances that have the same effect on the brain as marijuana, and that these chemicals may be responsible for certain drug-induced psychoses associated with chocolate craving'". Although marijuana's active ingredient that allows a person to feel "high" is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a different chemical neurotransmitter produced naturally in the brain called anandaminde has been isolated in chocolate. "Because the amounts of anandamide found in chocolate is so minuscule, eating chocolate will not get a person high, but rather that there are compounds in chocolate that may be associated with the good feeling that chocolate consumption provides".

In the body, anandamide is broken down rapidly into two inactive sections after produced by the enzyme hydrolase found in our bodies. In chocolate, however, there are other chemicals that may inhibit this natural breakdown of anandamide. Therefore, natural anandamide may remain extensively, making people feel good longer when they eat chocolate.

Although chocolate contains chemicals associated with feelings of happiness, love, passion, lust, endurance, stamina, and mood lifting, scientists continue to debate whether it should be classified as an aphrodisiac. "'The mind is the most potent aphrodisiac there is,' says John Renner, founder of the Consumer Health Information Research Institute (CHIRI). 'It's very difficult to evaluate something someone is taking because if you tell them it's an aphrodisiac, the hope of a certain response might actually lead to an additional sexual reaction'". Despite scientific difficulty in proving chocolate an aphrodisiac, it does contain substances that increase energy, stamina, and feelings of well being. The reality is that chocolate makes you feel good and induces feelings of being in love. Everyone appreciates receiving a gift of chocolate from a loved one because it makes you feel loved. Perhaps the historic euphemism associated with chocolate is what really provokes people to feel it is an aphrodisiac.

Banana Frost with Chocolate Twist

2009-04-18T03:10:00.001-07:00

It feels better after hectic loads over the weekend. Just after my company presentation, I visited a new coffee shop wandering what it can offer. I tested their Banan Frost and I brought with me a choco munchy. The shop did not fail me and like to come back soon. I love banana since it is where I am earning a living, that is our company's business. The company where I was first employed as well was into banana production.

Finally, started to share a few bits of my life and it feels great.

Pasalubong ni Ate Mitz

2009-04-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Got a present from my cousin who just arrived from abroad. Its a lindt chocolate and I love to munch the dark one.

Oh beside chocolate is a krispey kreme which she bought from the airport.

Yeah, its 85% percent richer choco.

Cadbury I love it too... What I like most in Cadbury is its fruit filled chocolate.

It is Called Chocolate Love

2009-04-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this article to someone whom I truly chocolatey love. I hope that you will read this on your birthday.

Chocolate Love is a personal term given when I found out that after all of being in the state of loving, in return I was able to taste the bitter taste of fate of not being loved back, and because of that experience I have learned to be more passionate and in control of desires. Being unrewarded is a remorse feeling for some, but I found new meaning to it. Being unrewarded is an invitation to examine owns life, being unrewarded means that there exist loopholes of why can’t a person be just accepted of his investment. In this case, it is an investment of respect, of caring, of responsibility and of LOVE.

To you whom I will continue loving for as long as my heart and soul still want that state, I will accept this Chocolate Love that is regrettable for others. I love you because I saw best of me in you, I love you because I can feel that I can endure test of life when I am with you, I love you because I find refuge being with you. This love will continue, but I know that it can get tired too.

I will wait for that right time when you are ready for my investment. When that happens, it must be one happiest moment. But, I just hope that my love can wait. If it happens that my love ceases to love you, then I must thank the moment I had that feeling, I must thank that I was able to endure Chocolate Love, I must thank that once in my life I found one who has brought the best in me. I will continue to love you but in the Chocolate World of Love, and I will cherish you forever. I will reminisce the days that you made me better and complete.

I know that it would take time to free myself from this state; it is because my love for you still gets stronger.

I wrote this article not because I want you to feel pity on me. I wrote this because on your birthday I will find milks and sweeteners to make bitter taste chocolate into a lustful munchies.

I Got Awarded

2009-04-14T01:53:00.000-07:00

I received this award from Shengy..thank you for giving me this award. It is such an honor to have this.

Here are my list of recipients for this award:

Closet-SgSpree and Jane

Chocolates for Summer Season

2009-04-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived! Not my favorite season.

The dilemma when your a chocolate ardent is that you cannot find chocolate that seems to fit the spectacular sunlight of the east, the smell of summer breeze, the chocolate hills of Bohol, the inviting falls, and even the simplest sight seeing of the night sky. Hardly you can find chocolate that is as enjoyable munching hobby during the heart-giving time of December.

So what must be done? I guess changing the concept of traditional chocolate into a more flavorful, more gay in taste, more spirited and lustful is just right. However, risks is up ahead. The challenge is when chocolate makers deviate from the tradition to a new taste and texture and other introduction that may change the total quality of chocolate, these can intricate the traditional belief as well as the human understanding of chocolate. Another is that summer is seen to be not so chocolatey in nature. It is also unlikely to give a hot chocolate during summer olympics.

Seasonal Chocolate

But here is some good news, Hotel Chocolate came with an exciting summer chocolate. Summer Collection of exclusive chocolates features light, fresh recipes in perfect harmony with the season. For picnics in the park, al fresco dinner parties and summer frolics.

Summer Breeze Lime Belgian Chocolate Truffle

Summertime, and the livin' is easy! while under that spreading palm tree you'll find an oh - so easy to take lime truffle! Crafted of natural lime oil, white Callebaut Belgian chocolate, and fresh cream. The summer tropic breezes you'll have to find - will bring the tangy taste of summer along!

Abstain for Jesus's Love Sake

2009-04-07T02:13:00.000-07:00

If you are chocolate fanatic and have a sign of obsession to it. I believe that you must at some point of your life abstain from eating chocolate because after all, there are more important things to think about these holy days. Palm Sunday signals the beginning of God's suffering and it is important for us Christians to make a sense of it. I am inviting everyone who have respected and loved his religion and faith to at least give way on your indulgence to chocolate just for Holy days. Meditate and find God in your heart. God is asking us not to die for him, He just wants us to live in Godly ways. God in his suffering asked us to bring ourselves back to him, he did not ask us to suffer like him.

Be it in chocolate, beer or in many forms of abstinence, keep in mind that no sacrifice ever can compare what God had suffered to save His men.

ISO Chocolate Café

2009-03-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Over the past months, I have been bombarded with hundreds of literature to read related to ISO (International Organization for Standardization0). Since I am new in this endeavor, I have to make sure that I am able to keep up with the job requirements. I also expect much for myself because I believe that there is nothing I can not do unless I don not like doing it. I love my job, and I knew that bright future is up ahead of me in this journey.

As a consequence of my zest to learn, I came across with this site originally called The ISO CAfe but I had loved to call it my own with a taste of chocolate "The ISO Chocolate Cafe". This site offers a wide range of topics for you to learn if your into this job. But of course, anyone is welcome!

Here is the site!

Sad Chocolate Story

2009-03-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Santa Felomina Beach

I had a friend named Ann during my elementary years in our province, she was diabetic ever since. I was aware of that since her family told me all about her condition. It was nothing serious for a childish young Dan at that time. It never did matter for I was not sure of my understanding about her disease. All I knew was not to let her eat chocolate or any other sugar filled foods as it may increase her sugar level making her suffer a lot of complications. It was funny to know someone at her young age was suffering such old-type disease.

We were really good friends I must say, we went to the same school, and we shared most of our dusk play hours in park of Cateel where we play the local games like “TAGO-AN” (Hide and Seek). This game was our favorite. I can still remember her reactions when I caught her unaware hiding in her favorite hiding area. There was burgeon sampaguita flower in Cateel park where she often times hide. You can hardly see someone when hiding there making it strategically witty to hide. Besides, it is located near the tree post of the one who is “TAYA” responsible to look for ones hiding.

One Friday towards the mid of March, we were heading to park for our usual routine. I gave her a piece of chocolate since I knew that she was not allowed to eat much. That chocolate was a present from my sister who just arrived from Davao for vacation. She ate her chocolate without any uncertainty. After awhile, she said that she was feeling dizzy. It did not matter to me and I was not aware of symptoms. When we arrived at the park, we rest for awhile waiting for our other friends. After about 20 minutes of waiting, the game began.

During my turn, I looked for her all over the park areas where she can possibly hide but could not find any traces of her. I looked for her and was never successful. So I left the park and told her parent of her lost. I was scared, I can hardly speak when detailing to her parents. I and her parents went to the park. I started feeling nervous; I knew that she was in danger since she was feeling bad. I was heading towards her favorite hiding place “sampaguita”, the flower was blooming and smelled perfume. The fragrance was scattered all over park. As I was approaching sampaguita, I felt anxious. I knew that she was in agony since she confided to me that she was feeling dire. I was dreadful to see her lying in a netted twines of sampaguita twigs with no trace of life. I solemnly cried, frightened and in denial. Her father took her and carried her, while on our way her mother noticed her closed fist. Her mother opened it and saw a chocolate wrapper. I was more frightened since I knew that it came from me.

After the burial, the caused of her death was left unknown. Until her parents asked me about what happened during that day we were playing at the park. So I told them about the chocolate, the game, about what happened. I started to cry when I was telling them about the chocolate I gave her, the time she told me of her distress and my regrets of not being aware of the symptoms. Her parents told me not to clinch to it as my fault since their daughter had a severe Type 2 Diabetes. They knew that the life of their daughter will be short lived and they were ready for that. The only thing they could do is to allow her daughter to enjoy life she has, allowing her to enjoy her childhood years, and even a little bit of chocolate. It was not the chocolate that caused her painful lost. It was her disease that took her life, her chance to enjoy much of life. It was not anybody’s fault; no one is to blame not even the chocolate.

This is a fiction story, a result of my endless imagination as well as my mode and emotional state.

The Most Expensive Chocolate sundae

2009-03-30T02:25:00.000-07:00

$25,000 for a Hot Chocolate? No thanks.

August 15th, 2008

The Frozen Haute Chocolate at the Serendipity-3 restaurant in New York has taken the cake, according to Guinness World Records, as the most expensive dessert in the world.

One year ago, the dessert emporium teamed up with jeweler Euphoria New York to create the “Frrrr-ozen Haute Chocolate” a $25,000 chocolate sundae.

The dessert is made from a blend of 28 cocoas from all around the world and contains five grams of edible 23-karat gold. It is topped with whipped cream, more gold and a side of La Madeline au Truffle from Knipschildt Chocolatier, which sells for $2,600 a pound.

The whole mass is served in a goblet surrounded with a crown made, of course, of gold. And diamonds. If that is not enough, the spoon is gold, too.
It even comes with souvenirs, an 18K gold bracelet with a carat’s worth of diamonds that rests at the base of the goblet and a gold spoon set with white and chocolate-colored diamonds.

Joe Calderone, a spokesman for the restaurant, said the lead time for an order is two weeks. “Everything is created for the order,” he explained. “The truffle has to be flown in from France; we order the cocoas from around the world; we have the gold flown in from Switzerland, so it takes time to put it together.”

Sounds delicious ? And now the glamorous side of the story

A week after the announcement of its new record-holding dessert, the four-star restaurant Serendipity 3 shut its doors due to pest infestations (roaches, two types of flies, and mice).

Health inspectors also found standing water in the two-story restaurant’s basement. The landmark was closed after failing two health inspections in one month, according to a report from the Associated Pres.

Polly's Chocolate Cake

2009-03-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

They say that a taste to remember is that when it last a lifetime and has walked a million miles. The taste that has became part of festivities, family occasions and a visit presents. I have this fascination to stories that has this kind of character. A story that is extra ordinary, a story that reflects Filipino values and culture. Of course a story of chocolate.

Ms. Polly's Specialty Cakes (Philippines)
I never really tried once Ms. Polly's Chocolate but I have heard so many satisfying stories that tells about her Extremely Moist Choco.

Ms. Polly's Specialty Cake
Kubiertos

Why Chocolate Price Rises?

2009-03-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

It seems that chocolate feeders will have to endure hard times since the world is already in its deep remorse while the economy is pumping out pressure of depression. As an effect, companies like in chocolate industry have to employ remedies of survival as it is predicted that economic revival will have to take longer. The world's government entities on the other hand are in close monitoring of economic activities to ensure that well being of consumer is protected. For the past months, there have been news featured chocolate price hikes all over the world that have caught attention to chocolate enthusiast. The news have provided us a bit of facts about the current situation and how its is affecting our lives.

Some important news is here for your information.

Eaurope Chocolate Companies Suspected of Price-Fixing

"German officials investigating possible chocolate price-fixing have raided the offices of some of Europe's biggest confectionery companies.

Nestle, Mars and Kraft confirmed that competition officials visited their German headquarters last Thursday.

Four other chocolate companies were also examined by the German Federal Cartel Office.

Nestle said it was cooperating with authorities and that price rises were due to rising costs of raw materials.

"There have been, worldwide, hefty increases in the price of cocoa. That naturally leads to the adapting of prices," Nestle spokesman Francois Perroud said.

The investigation was prompted by suspicions the companies had colluded on prices in the German market."

Canadian investigation

It is the second recent investigation into the chocolate industry.

Last November, Canadian regulators launched an investigation into allegations of price-fixing.

Canada's Competition Bureau said it was looking into chocolate products but the investigation could be widened to examine other types of sweets.

Cadbury Warns of Rising Chocolate Prices

Cadbury, the British confectionery giant, announced today that 250 jobs will go as part of a cost-cutting programme and warned that the price of chocolate will rise next year due to higher commodity prices.

The company, which receives more than 80 per cent of its revenues from outside the UK, also said today that it would put more focus on its international operations by changing its reporting structure.

Its previous four-region management structure will be replaced by seven to reflect continued growth in areas such as Latin America. This will effectively remove a layer of management and many of the job losses are expected to come from this change.

Cadbury demerged its drinks business Schweppes one year ago and has since introduced a plan called "Vision into Action", which is designed to increase the food company's profit margins. It is investing £650 million to increase its margins into "the mid teens" by 2011.

In a third quarter trading update, Cadbury said that its revenue growth in emerging markets was 13 per cent compared to an overall increase of 6 per cent. Its guidance for the full year was unchanged.

However, it did warn of higher product prices next year as input costs for 2009 were already 6 to 8 per cent higher than this year.

Cadbury said: "We continue to expect further cost pressures in 2009, particularly in respect of cocoa costs.

"Consequently, we are in the process of implementing price increases in most of our major markets to cover the impact of these future cost rises."

Todd Stitzer, chief executive of Cadbury, said: "Our new streamlined organisation, together with additional cost reduction initiatives, will increase the focus on implementing our strategic plans and underpin delivery of our margin targets.

"Despite weaker economic conditions, we expect strong profit growth for the year and reconfirm the revenue and margin guidance we gave in July."

Cadbury announced last week that Ken Hanna, its chief financial officer, would step down next April after five years with the company. Mr Hanna oversaw the demerger of the confectionery giant from its US soft drinks business. He will become chairman of Inchcape, the UK car dealer where he has been a non-executive director since 2001.

JDV at the Mansion

2009-03-27T01:03:00.000-07:00

With my best friend at the mansion.

The Chocolate City Speech

2009-03-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

I greet you all in the spirit of peace this morning. I greet you all in the spirit of love this morning, and more importantly, I greet you all in the spirit of unity. Because if we're unified, there's nothing we cannot do.

Now, I'm supposed to give some remarks this morning and talk about the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You know when I woke up early this morning, and I was reflecting upon what I could say that could be meaningful for this grand occasion. And then I decided to talk directly to Dr. King.

Now you might think that's one Katrina post-stress disorder. But I was talking to him and I just wanted to know what would he think if he looked down today at this celebration. What would he think about Katrina? What would he think about all the people who were stuck in the Superdome and Convention Center and we couldn't get the state and the federal government to come do something about it? And he said, "I wouldn't like that."

And then I went on to ask him, I said, "Mr. King, when they were marching across the Mississippi River bridge, some of the folks that were stuck in the Convention Center, that were tired of waiting for food and tired of waiting on buses to come rescue them, what would he say as they marched across that bridge? And they were met at the parish line with attack dogs and machine guns firing shots over their heads?" He said, "I wouldn't like that either.''

Then I asked him to analyze the state of black America and black New Orleans today and to give me a critique of black leadership today. And I asked him what does he think about black leaders always or most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many? And he said, "I really don't like that either.''

And then finally, I said, "Dr. King, everybody in New Orleans is dispersed. Over 44 different states. We're debating whether we should open this or close that. We're debating whether property rights should trump everything or not. We're debating how should we rebuild one of the greatest cultural cities the world has ever seen. And yet still yesterday we have a second-line and everybody comes together from around this and that and they have a good time for the most part, and then knuckleheads pull out some guns and start firing into the crowd and they injure three people." He said, "I definitely wouldn't like that.''

And then I asked him, I said, "What is it going to take for us to move and live your dream and make it a reality?'' He said, "I don't think we need to pay attention anymore as much about the other folk and racists on the other side.'' He said the thing we need to focus on as a community, black folks I'm talking to, is ourselves.

What are we doing? Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood? He said we as a people need to fix ourselves first. He said the lack of love is killing us. And it's time, ladies and gentlemen.

Dr. King, if he was here today, he would be talking to us about this problem, about the problem we have among ourselves. And as we think about rebuilding New Orleans, surely God is mad at America, he's sending hurricane after hurricane after hurricane and it's destroying and putting stress on this country. Surely he's not approving of us being in Iraq under false pretense. But surely he's upset at black America, also. We're not taking care of ourselves. We're not taking care of our women. And we're not taking care of our children when you have a community where 70 percent of its children are being born to one parent.

We ask black people: it's time. It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild a New Orleans, the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don't care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day.

This city will be a majority African-American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way; it wouldn't be New Orleans. So before I get into too much more trouble, I'm just going to tell you in my closing conversation with Dr. King, he said, "I never worried about the good people -- or the bad people I should say -- who were doing all the violence during civil rights time.'' He said, "I worried about the good folks that didn't say anything or didn't do anything when they knew what they had to do.''

It's time for all of us good folk to stand up and say "We're tired of the violence. We're tired of black folks killing each other. And when we come together for a secondline, we're not going to tolerate any violence." Martin Luther King would've wanted it that way, and we should. God bless all.
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The speech generated an intense reaction, much of it negative. The "Chocolate City" metaphor was seized on and parodied by commentators, and cartoons depicting Nagin as Willy Wonka appeared in print and on the internet. A Times-Picayune commentator suggested that Nagin had just ruined his own chances at re-election. [2]

Political commentators point out that while this may just have been another example of Nagin speaking off the cuff, it will likely hurt his standing among white voters.[3]

Many people believed the word uptown to be a coded reference to wealthy whites, such as those who live in the old mansions on St. Charles Avenue or around Audubon Park. However, Uptown New Orleans actually is one of the most ethnically and economically diverse sections of the Metro area. Many of Nagin's original supporters live Uptown. [4] As Uptown contains the largest section of unflooded high ground in the city's East Bank, at the time of the speech Uptown had the city's largest concentration of locals back in their homes, businesses back open, and displaced New Orleanians from other more severely damaged parts of town living there. Locals protested the Mayor's comment which some felt suggested he did not care about an important section of his city.

Nagin later attempted to explain away his remarks by offering a more racially inclusive metaphor, saying "How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk and it becomes a delicious drink. That's the chocolate I'm talking about."[5]

Nagin said that his remarks were meant to be a call for African Americans to once again return to New Orleans despite the supposed belief that many of the people Uptown did not want them back. [6]

The Mayor apologized for the suggestion that people Uptown (a mixed neighborhood) were racist, noting the importance of that section of town in the city's recovery. He particularly stated regret for the statements about God. "I don't know what happened there," he said. "I don't know how that got jumbled up. That whole God thing, I don't know how that got mixed up in there." Nagin concluded "I need to be more aware and sensitive of what I'm saying... Anyone I've offended, I hope you forgive me." [7]

In his speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, comedian Stephen Colbert playfully mocked Nagin by calling Washington D.C. the "chocolate city with a marshmallow center and a Graham cracker crust of corruption."

Chocolate Related

2009-03-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a great stuff to know about businesses related to chocolate. You might not know how it all started, but sure of flavorful chocolate during its humble beginning.

Chocolate Printing System (Chocolography)

This incredible system enables the printing of high-resolution, full color pictures, images and text directly onto the surface of various food products. This amazing system allows its user's to create unique products for the vast personalized candy and food marketplace. All pictures made from specially formulated FDA approved food colourings and the colorings do not have a taste of their own. You don not need to worry eating your own personalize image since it is 100% edible.

Turn Your Logo or Sales Message-Into Chocolate!

Here is another catch of extremely innovative advertising related to chocolate. It is called Turn Your Logo or Sales Message - Into Chocolate!, the idea is that this business provides advertising service that uses chocolate as its medium to reach out to customer.

The Chocolate Hills

2009-03-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

The Chocolate Hills are simply a mystery. Legend says that the hills were made when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight. When they were finally through fighting, they became friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. Others believe that the hills are exposed coral formations weathered from thousands of years. Whatever the history, the 1,200 hills in Bohol are magnificent to see—completely uniform in size and shape. They stand about 30-50 meters high, covered in grass, but at the end of the dry season, turn chocolate color. You can climb 214 steps to an observation hill near the complex to view the immensity in the number of hills.

To get there--Plenty of tours go to the Chocolate Hills. If you want to go there on your own, get to Tagbilaran, then take a bus terminal in Dao and catch a bus to Carmen. Ask the driver to drop you off at the Chocolate Hills complex, you will then take a 2.5 or so mile walk to the complex. If you are coming from Tubigon, a few buses will go to Carmen daily.

There are very few places to stay in the Chocolate Hills, so you should make this a day trip.

Darkest Secrets of Life

2009-03-19T00:22:00.001-07:00

Finally I have decided to express my romantic relationship with the "Food of Gods", the "Bitter and Sweet", and pieces of "Aphrodisiac".

I hope you will enjoy luxury of life as we unraveled truth behind the Darkest Secrets of Life.

The Darkest Desire

Clean and Green

Unusual Hotel

Chocolate Wrapper

Get Paid Blogging

Updated: 28 Sites Now.

Be A Guide (About.Com)

Link Post Of Link Worth

Godiva Special Offer

Chocolate for the Summer

What Is It Like To Be Legally Dependable?

Knipschildt Chocolate

Whimsical Food! Is it decadence or decency?

F3 Racing Car Powered by Chocolate

Savoring Chocolate With All Of Your Senses

On My Silver Birthday: Is this a Form of Internet Begging?

Happy Mama Day

Dinner Shawarma at TURQUOISE

Swine Flu and Food Safety

Pineapple Marmalade

Ranchero Grill Baby Back Rib

Eggplant Salad

Chocolate: An Aphrodisiac?

Banana Frost with Chocolate Twist

Pasalubong ni Ate Mitz

It is Called Chocolate Love

I Got Awarded

Chocolates for Summer Season

Abstain for Jesus's Love Sake

ISO Chocolate Café

Sad Chocolate Story

The Most Expensive Chocolate sundae

Polly's Chocolate Cake

Why Chocolate Price Rises?

JDV at the Mansion

The Chocolate City Speech

Chocolate Related

The Chocolate Hills

Darkest Secrets of Life