Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

1c. skim fat-free milk
1 envelope instant breakfast, chocolate Drink Mix
2 tsp. peanut butter
3 ice cubes

Put all ingredients into blender container.
Blend until smooth and frothy.

Chocolate Coffee Latte

3 squares Semi-Sweet baking chocolate, chopped
3 cups milk
1/2 cup coffeeS of any flavor

Microwave chocolate and milk in medium microwavable bowl on high 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

Whisk or stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
Stir in flavored instant coffee.

Pour into large cups or mugs. Garnish each serving with Whipped Topping and additional chocolate, grated.

Frothy Hot Chocolate

4 1/2 cups low-fat milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coffee liqueur(optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together 1/2 cup milk, sugar, coffee liqueur (if using), cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms.

Heat the remaining 4 cups milk in a medium saucepan until steaming. Remove from heat and whisk vigorously.

Whisk the cocoa mixture into the milk and pour into mugs.

Chocolate Malted Milkshake

1 teaspoon malted-milk powder
1/4 cup chocolate soy milk
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
whipped cream

Blend chocolate ice cream, soy milk and malted-milk powder in a blender until smooth. Spray whipped cream on the top of the ice cream.

Chocolate-Earl Grey Sorbet

4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 ounce good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add tea bags and remove from the heat. Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea bags and discard. Place the pan over medium-high heat and slowly add cocoa, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Pass through a strainer into a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Break into chunks and process in a food processor until smooth. The sorbet should be thick and icy after processing. If you prefer it firmer, place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookie and Walnut Crunch

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
3 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 large egg yolks1 14-ounce can nonfat sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup chopped chocolate sandwich (or wafer) cookies
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you make the base for the ice cream.

Pour 1 1/2 cups milk into a large saucepan. Add cocoa and chocolate to the milk.
Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until steaming. Whisk egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking until blended. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the back of the spoon is lightly coated, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil or the custard will curdle.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl. Add the softened gelatin and whisk until melted. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Whisk the ice cream mixture and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add chopped cookies and walnuts to the ice cream maker. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

Chocolate Zabaglione

8 egg yolks
100g of caster sugar
1 nip of brandy
150ml of white wine
1 vanilla bean in half
good-quality, bitter chocolate

whisk 8 egg yolks with 100g of caster sugar in a large bowl, until the mixture is pale and thick. Add a nip of brandy and 150ml of white wine and mix well. Split a vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds and add to the mixture.

Place the bowl over a pot filled to a third with simmering water and on a medium heat. The bowl should sit snugly on the pot but the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Keep whisking the zabaglione until it thickens and doubles in volume.

Cool the zabaglione before pouring into glass goblets. Shave some good-quality, bitter chocolate on top before serving.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 ounce Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup Cream
2 cup milk
3 tablespoons Brown sugar packed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 Cinnamon stick
Whipping cream whipped

Chop the chocolate. You may reserve some for a garnish.

Put chocolate, milk, chili powder, 1 stick cinnamon and sugar in a pot. Heat over medium high heat, stirring often.

Once it boils, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, taking care not to boil.
Remove cinnamon and add vanilla.

Pour into 2 espresso cups. Top with whipping cream and a cinnamon stick.

Maple Hot Chocolate

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in hot water and butter; bring to a boil. Add the milk, maple flavoring, vanilla and 8 marshmallows.

Heat through, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted.
Ladle into mugs and top each with a marshmallow.

Rich Thick Hot Chocolate

2 (3.5-oz.) dark chocolate bars (at least 70% cacao), chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Marshmallow Whipped Cream (optional)

Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.

Cook remaining 3 1/2 cups milk in a large, nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan (about 4 minutes; do not boil). Whisk in chocolate, honey, vanilla extract, and salt until blended and smooth. Whisk in cornstarch mixture.

Bring milk mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.) Serve immediately with Marshmallow Whipped Cream, if desired.

A little chocolate humor to brighten your day

I could give up chocolate but I'm not a quitter.

Put the chocolate in the bag and nobody gets hurt.

A day without chocolate is a day without sunshine.

Life without chocolate is like a beach without water.

I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?

I am a serious chocoholic. For the serious chocoholic, chocolate is better than sex.
If you believe that, you REALLY need to meet that special someone who can change your mind.
If you HAVE met that special someone and still believe that, I REALLY NEED to know where you get your chocolate!!!

Chocolate is the best when it melts so creamy and soft in your mouth and it slides down your throat.

Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty.
Chocolate isn't like premarital sex. It will not make you pregnant. And it always feels good.

How to Select the Best Dark Chocolate

Does that mean you need to know the difference between Godiva and Hershey's? Nope. Choosing the best chocolate means knowing what's in it. If you pay attention to the ingredients, you will be able to select the best chocolate almost every time.

Dark chocolate should have:

1) Cocoa liquor. Sometimes called cocoa mass, cocoa solids, cocoa, or chocolate. (It is not actually a liquor and does not contain any alcohol.)
2) Sugar. Cane juice, molasses, and other natural sweeteners are acceptable substitutes.
3) Cocoa butter.
4) Vanilla. (optional) Vanillin is a fake vanilla made from pine sap. Avoid it!
5) Soy lecithin. (optional) It's used to make the chocolate bind together better. It is sold as a health food supplement, though some argue that it is not healthy.
6) Any add-ins, such as nuts, fruits, or flavorings. Make sure none are artificial or hydrogenated.

How to Put Movies into Chocolate?

There is no doubt that Chocolate is such a popular item, you can find it everywhere and many major movies are about Chocolate or at least have some Chocolate touch. Some of the best films about Chocolate are:

Chocolat (2000)

This movie, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, tells the story of a woman who cannot settle down and travels the world with her six-year-old daughter. The woman, called Vianne Rocher, opens a chocolate shop every time she moves into a new city and the film starts when she arrives in a small conservative town in the South of France. This film is based on the homonyms book, Chocolat, written by Joanne Harris.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Starring Johnny Depp, this film is a remake of an old movie, called Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, made in 1971. Both books are based on the novel for children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by British author Roald Dahl.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of a child from a poor family, who wins one of the golden tickets to visit the mythical Chocolate factory belonging to Willy Wonka.

Consuming passions (1988)

This film, titled ‘Cioccolato Bollente’ in Italian, was made in the UK and is a grotesque comedy about a young executive who tries to modernise a chocolate factory.

Like Water for Chocolate (1993)

This movie is based on a novel by the Mexican author Laura Esquivel. It tells the story of a strong passion between the youngest of three daughters of a widow in a remote ranch and Pedro. Pedro falls in love with the widow’s youngest daughter, Tita. However, Tita’s father wants to keep to the family tradition that the youngest daughter cannot marry until the oldest has. So, Pedro marries Tita’s oldest sister to remain close to Tita. Pedro and Tita keep having a highly sensual relationship, through the food that Tita prepares for Pedro. The expression ‘like water for chocolate’ (como agua para chocolate in Spanish) in Spanish speaking countries has a double meaning and it is a metaphor for describing a state of passion or sexual arousal.

French Hot Chocolate

50g plain chocolate, finely chopped
30g caster sugar, to taste
2 large pinches of cinnamon
½ vanilla pod, split length ways

Put 300 ml of water into a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, then add the chocolate, sugar and cinnamon. Using the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add into the saucepan mixture.

Using a balloon whisk, whisk the mixture thoroughly; when a good amount of froth has been created, pour the mixture into the warmed mugs, spooning the froth on top!

Benefit of Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate contains a high concentration of stearic acid (a saturated fatty acid with a neutral effect on cholesterol), essential minerals including magnesium, copper, potassium, manganese, and most significant, flavonoids. The latter are phytochemical plant pigments that act as natural antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals that can damage body tissue and cells.

Dark chocolate actually contains more flavonoids per gram than any other food tested so far, including green tea, red wine, and blueberries. The good news doesn't stop there. The high percentage of cocoa in dark chocolate also gives it a low glycemic index, a ranking of carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. This means it produces only small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels.

Spicy Hot Dark Chocolate

6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 quart soy milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and whisk over medium-low heat until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is steaming hot, about 5 minutes. Serve.

According to Ayurvedic medicine, warming spices such as cinnamon and cardamom can help boost energy. And by swapping soy milk for regular, you ensure that dark chocolate's antioxidants will be more fully absorbed.