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The Best of Chocolate Bytes 2008

Heather R. — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:35:04 +0000

With the end of the year upon us it’s always fun to look back at the previous 12 months!

Here are the most popular posts from Chocolate Bytes for 2008. Did I include your favorite?

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The Lifestyles Channel Summer Picnic

Heather R. — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:42:38 +0000

This month, the Lifestyles channel decided to have a little fun with one of summer’s favorite pastimes – a picnic!

Let’s start with dessert first!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch by Robust Cooking

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade at All Holiday Cafe

Rice Krispie Treats at Keeping the Castle

Homemade Oreo Ice Cream at Chocolate Bytes

Cool Summer Snacking at Inside Motherhood

Baking Delights is bringing enough chocolate for everyone to catch a chocobuzz with her favorite brownies

Nothing like sweet tea on a hot, summer day…Wait..I taste lime..mint…is that a non-alcoholic Mojito? Kettle and Cup has the answer.

Blogfabulous is serving up a super easy, keep your butt out of the hot kitchen solution to Hors’ devours.

Weary Parent is serving Chocolate Puppy Chow, a snack that’s bound to be popular with the kids

Offbeat Homes is sharing details on how to hold an offbeat picnic in four easy steps.

Tree Hugging Family shares 10 tips for an easy green picnic or green potluck

Just because you choose to live thrifty doesn’t mean you have to throw a thrifty picnic. Simply Thrifty shares tips for an elegant and inexpensive potluck

What fun is a summer BBQ if you feel disorganized and in disarray? Declutter It shares five tips to help you organize your summer BBQ.

10 Summer party ideas and themes for your next backyard barbecue, or potluck.

Add some backyard Olympic games to your next barbecue, in honor of the Summer Olympics

And speaking of games, Marriage Actually is bringing a fun game for the grownups. Life Stories – a fun way to find out more about your spouse, friends and extended family.

Cyndi won’t go anyplace to picnic unless she can grill, but she doesn’t want to spend all day doing it. Try her tips for Grilling Chicken Fast, and get a jumpstart on your next picnic!

Who says picnics have to be complicated affairs? Keep it simple with cheeses, meats and homemade bread. Brewha-ha.com has a few suggestions – including a recipe for Polish beer rye bread

Whether you’re having a picnic, a barbecue or just looking for a fun activity to do with your kids outside, Susan at PlayLibrary offers a list of 50 outdoor toys and games that are perfect for summer.

This time of year there are bugs everywhere, don’t forget to bring the bug repellent along with your favorite dish to your next cookout.

Christine at Mad Cropper not only shares her favourite winter or summer recipe but also shares that you can turn recipes into creative works of arts. Find out how!

And while you’re out having all the fun and good food you can handle, don’t forget your pets – they enjoy special summer treats too!

At Quilting and Patchwork enjoy an array of potluck foods and memories from the Food Bloggers.

You never know what medical emergency could happen while your are picnicking…Marye at Simply Home Remedies is bringing the antidote for nearly anything!

Eliza at Babylune provides a checklist of tips to consider when taking baby picnicking.

Finally, when it’s all said and done, kick back with a nice frozen beverage. MomGadget prefers the Dominican Coco Loco

[image: flickr]

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Chocolate for Father’s Day

Heather R. — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:14:04 +0000

Father’s Day is just around the corner and dads love chocolate too! A lot of the companies below offer expedited shipping, so if you’re just now realizing too that Father’s Day is only five days away, don’t panic!

See’s has a lot of great Father’s Day stuff this year. There’s the standard Seegar that’s been around for years, and they now have a Blue Ribbon Box filled with chocolate, a Father’s Day Scrapbook Box, and a Sports Dad Box.

Target has Good Fortune Father’s Day cookies, which are fortune cookies dipped in dark and white chocolate.

Father’s Day Milk Chocolate Bar Gift Box are from World’s Finest Chocolate and are chocolate bars wrapped in “Happy Father’s Day” wrappers and be personalized further for free!

Chocolate.com is offering a Happy Father’s Day Chocolate Chip Cheesecake that looks amazing!

By Nature (UK) has natural and organic chocolates and is featuring a chunky Father’s Day slab.

Phillips Candy has put together a Boston Red Sox Bucket that contains milk chocolate baseballs, freshly baked Phillips Chocolate Chip cookies, “ballpark” popcorn – and peanuts drizzled with chocolate, a Red Sox tumbler, temporary Red Sox tattoos & pencils and an adorable plush baseball.

You can find a bunch of Molded Chocolate Father’s Day gifts from The Chocolate Vault!

VirtualChocolate.com has a ton of chocolate-themed e-cards for dad, too, just in case you can’t get something else to him in time!

[image: see's product photo]

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Five Great Chocolate Valentine’s Gifts

Heather R. — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:34:49 +0000

These chocolate gift ideas are, of course, my own personal preference! I’m trying to keep a budget in mind and not going too extravagant. Feel free to comment with any additions you’d make!

I have a soft spot for the See’s Signature Red Heart. It’s such a classic, timeless Valentine’s gift and one that’s sure to please just about anyone. My mom liked it so much that we still have a “vintage” See’s heart box from the mid-60’s tucked away into storage! The satin-covered box holds two pounds of milk and dark chocolates, including Soft Centers, Nuts & Chews, Marzipan, California Brittle®, Almond Square, and Molasses Chips.

Hotel Chocolat has a seasonal Goody Bag that makes a fantastic gift. It comes with a Raspberry Crème chocolate mini slab (don’t let the dried raspberries scare you off – it’s delicious!), 40% milk chocolate mini slab, six seasonal chocolates, a bag of Caramel Canapés (which are my new favorites), and a milk chocolate dipper. It’s packed with so many goodies that Valentine’s will last a lot longer than just one day!

You may not be able to eat it but a theobromine molecule t-shirt is still one of my most favorite chocolate items! YellowIbis created this one especially for this month’s contest, but if you don’t want to wait or don’t want to enter, you can purchase one for yourself and a loved one (think how cute those would look layered over a long-sleeved tee!). They’re available in three colors — raspberry, brown and pink — and can be worn long after Valentine’s Day is over!

Emily’s Chocolates dark chocolate covered strawberries. They also have dark and milk chocolate covered fortune cookies (be still my heart) and you can choose friendly fortunes or love fortunes.

A chocolate of the month club! Now, I have no experience with this and haven’t tried the chocolate, but of course I love the idea. You can sign your loved one up for three months, six months or a full year. You’re billed monthly so it doesn’t kill you wallet in one fell swoop, and what’s better than getting chocolate delivere right to your door?

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Chocolate Around the Channel

Heather R. — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:13:36 +0000

Chocolate is always a popular topic around the Lifestyles Channel! I’ve rounded up a bunch of links from the past week or so – make sure you stop by!

~ Arieanna at Cooking Gadgets has a Valentine’s Day Cupcake Kit, and the Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate Kit.

~ Tom at Noodles and Rice writes about Choco Pies and Choco Pan.

~ Tracey at Foodie Obsessed has the scoop on a recent Project Runway episode that involved making clothing material out of anything they could find at the Hershey’s store.

~ Marye at Baking Delights makes Chocolate Intrigue Cookies.

~ Karen at Thrifty Mommy posted instructions on white chocolate dipped pretzels and Oreo cookies.

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Sweetest Chocolate Posts of 2007

Heather R. — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:16:35 +0000

2007 brought a few shake-ups to the world of chocolate, probably the biggest being that The Chocolate Manufacturers Association tried to get the FDA to relax rules about what can be called chocolate and allow for the use of artificial fats instead of cocoa butter. Thankfully, that looks to have not passed thanks to sites like DontMessWithOurChocolate.com.

A few posts here at Chocolate Bytes touched on a few issues that were important to a lot of people as well:

~ Hands down the most popular post here this year is still Hershey’s planned move to Mexico [and part two]. A lot of people are outraged, some totally missed the point, and most decided to let Hershey’s know how they feel by not buying anymore Hershey products. The discussion is still ongoing if you want to jump in!

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~ One of the funnest posts was about a chocolate-swiping squirrel in Finland.

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~ It’s always nice to read that one of your favorite foods is also healthy and good for you, right?

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~ My quest for Tim Tams finally came to fruition when a sweet friend sent me some in the mail. Everyone seems to have a favorite way to eat these!

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~ My post for the then-Home and Dining channel project for Breast Cancer Awareness garnered the attention of a site that condemned us all for being so superficial and for not doing what she thought we should be doing for Breast Cancer Awareness. Who knew a little fun with pink chocolate products could spawn so much outrage? (Regardless, it was a really fun post to put together!)

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~ A lot of you love of you love your Ritter Sport and had some excellent recommendations on what to try and where to find it! (For which I am still grateful!)

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What were your favorite Chocolate Bytes posts of 2007?

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Halloween Horror Chocolate

Heather R. — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:26:29 +0000

Chef Jules notified me that Moonstruck Chocolate has their Halloween chocolate out! I agree with him that the chocolate horror pizza above is the best and really would be easy to *whispers* copy! “A slice of milk chocolate pizza topped with an array of ghoulish goodies, including an Eyeball Truffle & Gummi treats.”

Wormy Jack
“A milk chocolate Jack O’ Lantern with attitude, filled with a gummy worm surprise.”

MORE after the cut! Thanks, Jules!

Spider Truffle and Crooked Pretzel Web
“Tasty pretzel pieces covered in dark chocolate make a sweet and salty web — all topped with an Extra-Bittersweet Spider Truffle. Delicious fun!”

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Filled Bat
“Creamy wild strawberry mousse encased in dark chocolate.”

Haunted Tree Pops – Milk or Dark chocolate
“Smooth Moonstruck signature chocolate blend — great for Halloween parties. Available in Milk or Dark Chocolate.”

Raspberry Mousse Filled White Chocolate Ghost
“An ivory chocolate ghost filled with raspberry mousse.”

Spooky Sweet Chocolate Combo Pack
“A delicious Halloween trio of Moonstruck’s Wormy Jack, Ivory Skull and Horror Pizza. This single clear bag with ribbon and gift tag contains one each of the Moonstruck Chocolate Halloween treats; Milk Chocolate Wormy Jack, Skull with Brains and Horror Pizza.”

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Pink Chocolate for Breast Cancer Awareness

Heather R. — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 07:02:14 +0000

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Home & Dining channel has put together some lists to help you show your support. Here are some chocolate ideas to check out:

~ Pink chocolate fondue sets: one and two

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, Trudeau has created a charming line of pink products that are both fun and functional- and all for an extremely worthy cause. Have some fun with this 7-pc. Chocolate Fondue Set, which includes:

- One stoneware calla lily shaped bowl
- One Pink Ribbon-shaped metal stand with four non-scratch, non-skip pads
- One tea light
- Four pink stainless steel fondue forks

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~ Pink chocolate fountains: one and two

Warm Belgian chocolate is carried to the top of the fountain where it cascades down the fountain tiers forming a flowing curtain of delicious chocolate into which your friends and kids can dip a variety of fruit and sweets. Be sure to keep some fresh fruits, some marshmallows and fudge handy.

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~ Pink M&M’s

The M&M’s Brand has joined the Komen Million Dollar Council, a special group of corporate partners. In addition to a financial contribution of at least $1 million, each partner has found new and innovative ways to spread two important messages: early detection saves lives and only through research can we find a cure.

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~ Pink Wish Tim Tams

Australia’s favourite chocolate biscuit, Arnott’s Tim Tam, has launched a limited edition product to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Arnott’s will donate ten cents to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) for every packet of Tim Tam ‘Pink Wish’ Luscious Strawberry sold, which is expected to raise more then $150,000 for breast cancer research.

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~ Strawberry Kit Kats

With breast cancer diagnosed amongst 1 in 8 women & the leading cause of female cancer related deaths, Nestlé with KIT KAT is proud to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s (NBCF) 2007 ‘Pink Ribbon’ campaign.

Nestlé with KIT KAT is supporting the worthy cause with the launch of a limited edition Kit Kat Chocolate Strawberry flavour range and a $100,000 donation to the NBCF.

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~ Pink Hershey’s Kisses

“This year, we’re significantly expanding our support for efforts to raise breast cancer awareness and help defeat this disease,” said Michele Buck, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, US Commercial Group, The Hershey Company. “Three of our most popular products — York peppermint patties, Hershey’s Kisses and Hershey’s Kissables chocolates — will turn pink this fall, adopting this widely recognized symbol of breast cancer awareness. We also are increasing our donation to the Young Survival Coalition to $300,000, continuing our support for its important work on behalf of breast cancer survivors.”

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~ Hershey’s York pink peppermint patties

Hershey partners with the Young Survival Coalition to help raise money in an effort to encourage young women to become educated about breast cancer.

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~ Dark chocolate with pink peppercorns

A perfect mold-breaking idea, this unexpected combination revives the first uses of chocolate, when the Aztecs regarded it as a stimulating beverage. Bitter, made with hot spices, the drink was reserved for princes and gods.

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~ pink and chocolate cookies
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~ Make your own pink chocolate
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Also check out:
~ The Food Bowl: Pet Pinks for Breast Cancer Awareness
~ Declutter It: 10 Ideas for your Pink Party
~ Baking Delights: Baking for Breast Cancer Awareness
~ Keeping the Castle: The Pink Room
~ Offbeat Homes: Ten Breast Self-Exam Reminders
~ Simply Thrifty: In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 10 Pink Money Saving Gadgets

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50 Easy Chocolate Snacks to Make

Heather R. — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:28:33 +0000

I love to make treats and snacks but don’t like having to wait a long time for them to be ready (and neither do the kids). So I’ve put together a list of some easy (and mostly quick) chocolate snack recipes and ideas:

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September Chocolate Contest Rundown

Heather R. — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:52:16 +0000

Here are the entries submitted for the September contest:

Winner Melissa submitted this chocolate apple crate from Moonstruck Chocolate. “Delicious chocolate apples are sectioned in halves, filled with creamy soft caramel and smooth milk chocolate ganache. 3 with nuts and 3 plain.” Yummy! She also found a bunch more links for other autumn goodies (though she only got one entry):
~ Autumn Chocolate Truffles
~ Autumn Garden Discovery Ballotin
~ Autumn wedding favors
~ Chocolate autumn leaves
~ Godiva Autumn Roulade
~ Autumn truffles
~ Autumn chocolate cookies

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Leesha submitted a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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Jennifer listed a bunch of autumn-themed chocolate goodies over at Treehugging Family, including these chocolate acorns.

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Laura found Handmade Belgian Chocolate Pumpkin Shape Rice Krisper, Handmade Belgian Dark Chocolate Turkey, Awesome Almond Crunch Belgian Chocolate Caramel Apple, and Thanksgiving Belgian Milk Chocolate Box.

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Wilbur found autumn items for chocolate labs!

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HMW shared a candy corn and peanut topped brownie recipe that I don’t know if I’m brave enough to try!

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Sandy submitted a recipe for Apple Pie Truffles.

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Rosa found a recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies.

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And thank you to everyone who linked to the contest – you helped make it successful! There probably won’t be an October contest because of the Home & Dining Fall Scavenger Hunt, but I’m already brainstorming for November!

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