El Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, is an ancient holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans that honors those who have died.

The holiday is usually celebrated over two days, November 1st and 2nd, and it’s believed that over these two days it’s easier for the souls of the dead to communicate with those still living. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull, and celebrants use sugar and chocolate skulls to give as gifts to both the living and the dead, usually inscribed with the name of a deceased loved one on the …read more

It’s a chocoholic’s favorite day — or at least a really good excuse to indulge in some really good chocolate!

I’ve actually found conflicting dates for National Chocolate Day — some say it’s today, October 28th, others claim it’s December 24th, and there are even random dates in September and July thrown into the mix. However, there seems to be more info for the October date, but I see nothing wrong with celebrating several times throughout the year anyway.
If you’re in a make-your-own chocolate kind of mood (which I always am at this time of year), you could celebrate by …read more

I know the holidays are still over two months away, but I like to start getting an idea early on for the goody tins I want to give out to friends, neighbors and my kids’ school teachers.

I just came across this idea for chocolate pretzel kisses, and since it requires easy to find ingredients and pretty much no other prep aside from assembly and warming up, they might just make it into this year’s gift! The “recipe” is easy to find pretty much anywhere, and I picked this one up from allrecipes.com.
Chocolate Pretzel Kisses
24 circular or square bite-size pretzels
24 milk …read more

Today, September 23rd, is National White Chocolate Day. Though not a holiday in the sense that it’s not observed or, well, even recognized as a real holiday, it doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with it!

White chocolate, which is actually a recent “invention” by Nestle created to use up excess cocoa butter, is a good addition to many baked goods, though it was first introduced as a confection. It hit the U.S. in 1948 when Nestle unveiled its Alpine White Chocolate bar, which contained white chocolate and almonds. (Am I the only one who can’t get this jingle out …read more

Chocolate Milkshake Day is September 12th, which means I’ve only got four days to plan for it! Just kidding, I’ll only need two.

Though the weather (in theory, anyway) is cooling down, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a nice cold chocolaty treat. Think of it as a farewell to summer!
The delicious drink couldn’t be easier to make. Simply put some chocolate ice cream, some milk and some chocolate syrup in a blender, give it a whirl, and voila — instant snack or dessert.
If you want to really get creative you can gently fold in some crumbled brownies or maybe …read more

There are some holidays that you just can’t incorporate chocolate into easily. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween — those are easy. But holidays like Labor Day or Memorial Day don’t usually have big displays of candy set up for them at the grocery store, which isn’t such a bad thing, it just means you get to be creative and come up with your own way to celebrate if you need that chocolate fix after a big barbecue!

My ideal way to celebrate a holiday on the brink of or middle of summer is to not turn on the oven, but since that’s …read more

A lot of people like to say they “don’t need a reason to celebrate” something, aaaaaand I’m no exception! Especially when it comes to these fun “faux” holidays, and especially when it comes to a fun faux holiday that’s all about chocolate!

National Milk Chocolate Day, oddly enough, doesn’t seem to have much background info attached with it. Some speculate it was created by chocolate confectioners, and others say it’s a reason for the 65% of the US population who prefer milk chocolate to proudly display their love for their yummiest weakness!
Regardless of why the holiday exists, I say we all …read more

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow and because there aren’t many sweet — and especially chocolaty! — treats associated with the holiday you have to get a little creative if you want to make something to have after the corned beef and cabbage!

White chocolate frosting couldn’t be easier to make, and there are several variation. Pick one that’s easiest for you, or, if you’re like me, one that you happen to have the ingredients on hand for!
Each recipe can easily be tinted with just a bit of green food coloring (I prefer the gel).
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 oz. white baking chocolate, …read more

Easter is still almost two months away (April 12th this year) and while out getting some necessities yesterday at the store I saw that they already have their displays out.
I know this isn’t out of the ordinary anymore, especially given the current economy and retailers wanting to get a jump on as much as they can as soon as they can, but it never fails to throw me for a loop how soon we’re faced with the next holiday season, no matter how far away it may be. The past few holidays have seemed to creep in sooner than …read more

This week’s chocolate links have a ton of yummy holiday treats and desserts. Did you get all of your holiday goodies made in time?

Chocolate Mint Bûche de Noël at Apple, Pie, Patis & Pate

French Yule Log at Use Real Butter

Easy Christmas Truffles at Shaved Ice Sundays

Red Velvet Yule Log at Big Red Kitchen

Martha’s chocolate chip cookies at Slow Like Honey

French Yule Log at Lemonpi

Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart at Kiss My Artichoke

Chocolate Banana Cake at Chowtimes

Chocolate Crackle Cookies at Butter and Sugar

Graham Cracker Toffee at Eat Boutique

Cookie Dough and Oreo Truffles at Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats

Chocolate Covered …read more