The best hot chocolate

I ordered the Gourmet Drinking Cocoa mix from King Arthur Flour, not realizing it was really a bag of dark chocolate chunks to be stirred into hot, steaming milk and allowed to melt. Oh.......my........god! So good. The chunks are good by themselves (my chocolate-loving 4-year-old grandson told me he loves my chunks!) but they make me feel like an Aztec goddess when I stir them into milk with a dash of cream added. Seriously, I think I'll get me a headdress and a gilt throne. I could SO be an Aztec goddess all day.

Be sure to leave plenty of room in the mug after pouring in the milk because the chunks take up some space. I've had accidents and this is one drink you don't want to spill. Keep your spoon so you can stir occasionally while drinking. Then when you're finished, you can scrape out the bottom of the cup to get the last bit of the rich, melty, dark chocolate.

Marshmallows optional (and not really very Aztec-y).

Confession of a lame indulgence

Okay, I was rewarded tonight for all of the extra work I've been putting in at my real job(s) with a carton of Whoppers. My husband brought them home and I know the chocolate is weak, but they're good, right?

I figure the malted milk center can't be all bad for you. Isn't malt in Malt-O-Meal? Isn't that something encouraged upon children for years (at least when I was young) but was only tolerable in the chocolate flavored variety? That reminds me, I have a really good muffin recipe that uses chocolate Malt-O-Meal that is tasty and probably keep you regular. I'll try to drag it out later.

Now, back to Whoppers. They come in funky packages that look like old fashioned milk cartons. It seems to help keep them from being smashed, if that is even possible. I like to put one in my mouth, suck off the chocolate, and then allow the malted milk center to dissolve on my tongue.

A few years back we went to Ohio and stopped at an Amish family restaurant-slash-gift shop. They also sold home made candies and among them were some AMAZING malted milk balls. They were probably double the size of Whoppers, with probably double the chocolate coating, and the chocolate was better (darker and less waxy). I still swoon a bit when I think of them. We found comparable ones at a Cracker Barrel but I still think the Amish ones are the finest.

But we can't all live in Ohio and have access to the Amish version of Whoppers or the cash (they were considerably more expensive) so we'll just have to make do. Whoppers are a nice treat and a really nice gesture for someone who has been working crazy hours. Don't forget the milk.

Chocolate cake? In 5 minutes?

Because I've received this recipe in a couple of different e-mails, I'm guessing it's okay to post here. I just tried it, and it ain't bad. In fact, it's pretty dang good. My own preferences are to use King Arthur Flour, Ghiradelli cocoa, and Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. The texture isn't the same as a regular batter cake, but it's close enough.

I'm guessing a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream on the hot chocolate cake would be amazing, but I don't have either one. Eat it hot. I'm positive it's better that way.

I used an oversized mug (a soup mug) to make it but I'm not sure if it makes any difference. The chocolate chips kind of sank to the bottom but that's okay since it becomes the top of the cake when you turn it out and it was kind of like icing.

Okay, enough speculating. Just make it.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Portion control

I am always on the lookout for ways to have my chocolate and not overdo it. When I eat M&M's I do two things: I put a small amount into a small dish (don't eat out of the bag) and then I eat them one at a time, biting off the colorful candy shell and then sucking on the chocolate. I know, gross. But it slows me down so I don't eat the entire family-sized bag.

My husband brought home some Dove Miniatures (ice cream bites) in the dark chocolate variety pack. They are individually wrapped, are about the size of a 35-mm film canister and delicious. One is just what is needed after dinner. Better than dishing up a big bowl of ice cream and wishing I hadn't.

But if I really want a scoop of ice cream, that's exactly what I do. I get a little dish and get one scoop. Seriously. One scoop will do it most of the time.

I'll also mix in little chocolate pieces (M&M's, Raisinets, etc.) into other stuff like nuts or granola. It only takes a bit to satisfy and you get a little crunch with your chocolate.

Okay, now that we've seen how little chocolate I can eat to satisfy my craving, let's talk about how much I can eat.

To be determined....

Chocolate Club

I belong to a Chocolate Club and have for years. It is a very loosely organized group of four friends who began with a friendship and a common thread of enjoying chocolate. We called ourselves the Chocolate Club and used to get together regularly. Every gathering included chocolate. Every gathering built camaraderie. Every gathering brought laughter.

I should reveal that one of our members wasn't the chocolate fan we were. We called her our token vanilla member. She didn't hate chocolate, but she didn't live for it like the rest of us did. We loved her and let her belong anyway.

One of the members loved chocolate with orange flavor in it. I never understood that. A local ice cream parlor made some kind of chocolate ice cream with orange flavoring and she would just go nuts for it. My opinion was "Ehhh." Give me a chocolate chocolate chunk any day. But the good thing about our club was we accepted each other's quirks....with the understanding that my own choices were the correct ones of course.

Several years ago one of our members moved out of state. We were sad. Then later on our vanilla member died of leukemia. We were very, very sad. I planted a white flowering crabapple in my back yard to remind me of her. But even now, although we don't see one another as often as we used to, the remaining members of the chocolate club are the dearest of friends. Every time I see a photograph of four women friends, I think of the four of us. It was a very special group. It wasn't chocolate that brought us together, but it helped make our time together special.

I have a favorite chocolate treat for cold nights. I love hot chocolate and have since I was a kid. When I was little, I used to have "cocoa and toast" for breakfast which is hot chocolate and buttered toast that is dunked in the mug. My favorite brand has always been Nestle's instant (used only with milk) and now I use Nestle's sugar free. Now that I don't have cocoa and toast for breakfast (bran muffins are my breakfast of choice now.....sigh) I have only the occasional cup of hot chocolate in the evenings when I'm chilly. Know how to make it even better? Substitute a good dose of Bailey's Irish Cream for a quarter to a third of the milk. Then make it like you normally would. It is the best way to: (a) warm up, (b) wind down, (c) relax.

Marshmallows are optional.

Brownie secret

Do you want to know my secret to the most delicious, awesome brownies? Cardboard.

I admit it. My favorite brownies come from a boxed mix. I can also make brownies from scratch that are pretty darn good, and I'm not ashamed to serve them. But the wow brownies are the ones I get from the baking aisle at the grocery store.

Two brands I like are Ghirardelli and Hershey's. Both of them are double chocolate chunk or triple chocolate chunk or something like that. I like to go to Sam's and get the economy packs that have four mixes in each box. That way, I can make an 8 x 8 pan with one mix or a 13 x 9 pan with two, so no matter where I need to take them I'm covered.

I will say that wherever I take them they are well received. They are creamy/chewy in the center with a thin crust on the top. Just enough crust to provide additional texture and make them interesting. They don't come with nuts which I like in brownies but they could be added easily.

I'm a purist. I like English walnuts in my brownies. Period. No black walnuts, no pecans, no pistachios. No almonds. Don't tell me they are great in brownies. The only thing great in brownies are English walnuts and chocolate chunks. Not mint chocolate chunks. Chocolate.

If you want to mess with the brownies by sticking strange stuff in them, call them something else. Pistachio-Mint Choco Chews or something like that.

I do make Blonde Brownies which is just a chocolate chip cookie dough spread in a pan rather than dropped by spoonful. I make them when I don't have time to wait on individual pans of cookies to bake. But they're not really brownies and I don't pretend they are. And I would call them Chocolate Chip Bars but my husband has always called them Blonde Brownies so I let him.

I'm going to be baking tomorrow. Can't wait to lick the bowl.

Chocoloco

I haven't had any chocolate today. At least I haven't had any chocolate I remember. That may be a sign I eat too much chocolate--when I eat it and don't even remember eating it. But I don't think I ate any because there is nothing in the house except dark chocolate Raisinets and chocolate bits and I'm pretty sure I didn't get into those.

No wonder I feel a little off.

We've got a trip to the store planned to get back on the chocolate track. I also have plans to do some baking this week which will include my chocolate chip biscotti. It's basically a chocolate chip cookie recipe baked in a 13x9 pan that is lined with foil. After it's baked and sat for an hour in the pan, you lift it out by the foil and then slice it in half-inch slices. Then it's baked again until browned on the edges. It is the most amazing stuff ever. And it's unbelievable when it's fresh out of the oven.

I also need to have some M&M's or some sort of chocolate miniatures on hand. The M&M's at the grocery store have not been good lately so I'm not sure what we'll get. We usually get dark chocolate peanut M&M's and the peanuts have been a little iffy. Maybe we'll stop by the drugstore for those.

Guess I'd better go make up a list.

Dark chocolate everything

Dark chocolate is all the rage right now. Something about antioxidants and stimulating the production of endorphins. Most of the major brand candy makers jumped on the bandwagon and are creating dark chocolate versions of their best sellers. Is this a good thing? Let's discuss.

1. Where were they years ago when all I could find was a Hershey's Special Dark bar to satisfy my semi-sweet tooth? I'm holding a bit of a grudge about that.
2. Some things shouldn't be included in the fad, like things I don't really like anyway. Why? Because of my grudge. What? I can't remember for sure but I'm thinking the dark Milky Way bar didn't do it for me.
3. Some things should be included in the fad but aren't. I love M&M's. I love them any which way including plain, peanut, almond and peanut butter. So far, I've only been able to find the plain and peanut M&M's in dark chocolate. Finish the job!
4. Some things are made awesome. I could ignore Raisinets and did for years. Now that they make them with dark chocolate, I consider them a delicious health food. Dark chocolate! Dried fruit! Together! There is no downside!
5. Dark chocolate packages of Hershey's miniatures? Killer! Just think about a wonderful medley of tiny little Special Darks, Krackel, and Mr. Goodbars. But I miss the fourth offering that the original miniatures had. I know they can't make the Hershey's Bar dark because then it becomes a Special Dark, but can't they come up with a number four? Something with peanut butter maybe? Almonds? It's doable!
6. I found some dark chocolate covered Altoids that were pretty darn good. I'm not an Altoid nut like my husband, and I'm not a peppermind fiend. but the dark chocolate covered ones weren't bad.
7. Let's see. What was the discussion about?

Okay. Here is one of my favorite snacks or mix for when I'm feeling that I need to eat healthy even if I'm not eating light. It is awesome and infinitely modifiable.

Mix approximately equal parts of:
Spanish peanuts
Dried blueberries
Dark chocolate Raisinets
Mariani Premium dried fruit mix in Harvest Medley (tiny bits of apples, cherries, and I can't remember what else)

Eat. Feel good about yourself. Pat yourself on the back. Repeat.

A day without chocolate....

....is just stupid.

I'm 51 and I have chocolate nearly every day. That kind of sounds like "I'm Shirley and I'm an alcoholic" doesn't it? Although I do like the occasional glass of wine or fruity mixed drink, I could give them up in a heartbeat. I could not, however, give up my chocolate.

I'm thinking you are like me. If you weren't, you wouldn't have Googled "eating chocolate" and ended up here after sorting through the gabillion sites that particular search brings up. Enjoying chocolate is complex. It is fun and satisfying on a very basic level, and it can also be a complicated endeavor. I prefer dark. Given the choice, I rarely go for milk chocolate, but it will do in a pinch. I prefer my chocolate to be of a little better quality, but the waxy drugstore bargain brand will take the edge off until I can get the good stuff. I prefer it to be unencumbered, but will eat it with (certain) nuts, fillings, fruits (dried), baked in a cookie or hardened on the outside of an ice cream cone.

I'm not really overweight, but I've got about 20 pounds that I can probably blame on chocolate. (I almost changed that number to 15 but I need to be honest here.) I think that's a small price to pay for the happiness factor that chocolate brings. It's good anticipating it, it's good going down, it's good savoring the flavor in your mouth long after it's gone. It's pretty. It smells awesome. Heck, it's better than most dates.

So maybe I just need to celebrate it. I have recipes and anecdotes, and I'm always getting more. It seemed like a good idea to put them together and invite others to add their own. I'm not a chocolate snob. Recipes can be simple, complex, or just a recommendation of a good brownie mix. It can even be just a suggestion to use it in a way that is unusual. Here is mine for the day:

I made come caramel corn the other day and when it had cooled, I drizzled lines of melted semi-sweet chocolate bits on top. It went over big at my office where I took it so I wouldn't eat the whole darn thing.

So let's see where this goes.