Just in time for holiday and Christmas shopping (think hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, etc!), Patric Chocolates is offering up free shipping on all orders until Thursday, November 26th (Thanksgiving Day).

All orders of Patric’s yummy chocolate, whether it’s the bars, the drinking chocolate or baking nibs, made between now and Thanksgiving Day will receive the free shipping offer.
Chocolate is the perfect gift for any occasion, but especially during the holidays when people you don’t expect to give you a gift actually do — just pull out a chocolate bar (maybe with a cute little gift bow) for one of …read more

Would you believe there’s a Peanut Butter Fudge Day? This very specific holiday falls on November 20th, and if you start now you could probably perfect a batch just in time to send in to teachers or bring in to work so everyone can celebrate!

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com and combines both chocolate and peanut butter for a perfect bite of fudge that you’ll want to make a whole lot more often than just once a year. It’s also very easy to assemble — you’ve probably already got everything in your pantry!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
adapted from allrecipes.com
3 cups white sugar
1 …read more

One of my favorite newer chocolate shops, Sucré, have unveiled their Holiday collection for 2009!

The New Orleans-based confectioner Sucré is known for their delectable, hand-crafted chocolates as well as their delicious pastries and macarons (which are even Oprah-approved!). Located in the heart of the Garden District on Magazine Street, their home-made and hand-crafted chocolates and pastries are sold alongside a variety of gelatos, gourmet coffees and even champagne for in-store guests.
What makes this holiday season extra sweet, though, is that Sucré has teamed up with the Louisiana SPCA, and a portion of every dollar spent online will go directly to …read more

I have got to try this for Thanksgiving (or even before, because I don’t think I can wait two more weeks!). It comes from Pican Restaurant in Oakland, California, and was created by executive chef Dean Dupuis.

I don’t think that I would have ever thought to try white chocolate and sweet potatoes together before, but I’m definitely intrigued now:
White Chocolate & Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Filling
1½ pounds cream cheese
8 ounces granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 cup sweet potato puree (roast potatoes, then peel and pass through food mill)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces white chocolate, melted over double boiler
Pinch salt
Crust
1 cup pecan halves or pieces, …read more

This is a fun little afternoon project that I remember doing as a kid but totally forgot about until I came across it again recently in a back issue of Family Fun magazine.

These would be a great project to do a day or so before Thanksgiving and then use them to prop up some cute, handmade place cards for your guests. See the final product here.
Chocolate Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats
from Family Fun magazine
24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
12-ounce package of chocolate chips
24 marshmallows
tube of yellow decorators’ frosting
~ Set the chocolate-striped cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them apart.
~ Melt the chocolate …read more

I’m all for eating chocolate, of course, but it can also be fun to decorate with it (temporarily!) for the upcoming holidays!

This gigantic chocolate turkey from Bissinger’s is touted as a “centerpiece” decoration for your Thanksgiving table. The semi-solid piece is made from milk chocolate with some nice darker chocolate accents, and stands at nine inches tall by 8.5 inches wide. It’s also gluten-free!
Though the real turkey and sides are the stars of the meal, I have to admit I’d be eyeballing the chocolate version if it were on my table!
Bissinger’s also has a lot of other Thanksgiving-related chocolate and …read more

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

Though snacking on candy bars and other chocolaty treats is all good and well, once the kids are in bed and it’s time to pop in a movie and relax, something a little more grown up can be the perfect ending to a day!

These candy bar inspired drinks are sweet, satisfying and as easy as can be to put together.
Peppermint Pattini
1-1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
1/2 oz Crème de menthe
1/2 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 oz Cream
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a Peppermint Pattie candy …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

There are only a few days left to enter what may be the biggest Halloween treat on the planet! Mars Snackfood announced today the last chance to win an incredible Halloween treat: $1 million in the 2009 Halloween Million Sweepstakes!

U.S. residents have until Saturday, October 31, 2009, to register for the 2009 Halloween Million Sweepstakes at halloweenmillion.com by entering the UPC on packages of M&M’S, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Skittles, and Starburst candies. (A full list of candies and sizes can be found here.)
One lucky person will receive the $1 million grand prize, and thousands more will …read more