My Chocolate Fantasy

Jason Storm asked:


Christmas is a lovely holiday and the time when we like to give special and personal gifts to the people we care about.

Chocolate is something everyone loves and to give someone a unique designed truffle box with your greeting on it or your own picture really makes it something out of the ordinary.

This is the times when we are wanting to treat ourselves with all sorts of delicacies and not save in on anything. Chocolate definitely is the number one treat for the holidays. One could say that Christmas without chocolate is not completely Christmas.

As a special holiday gift to either a dear friend or to a business partner or customer, why not create a basket with different types of gourmet food and include some bars that have your greeting on the wrapper?

Take a basket and fill it with some nice crackers, a bottle of wine and some gourmet chocolate and you will definitely make someone happy. It has the quality to be everyone’s favorite and to add this to a delicious gourmet food basket really makes a difference.

For company owners it’s a great idea to give your employees and partners a chocolate gift with your logo on and a greeting for the holidays.

Chocolate has the great benefit to be gender neutral and it is well received by almost everyone; a given winner if you want to create a harmonious and happy work environment.

To people that you are closer to you have the ability to make your gift as personal as you would like to. Think about whether the person prefers dark or milk chocolate; maybe it’s a real chocoholic and you want to give a mixture of many different types.

As a Christmas gift for a grandmother, a bar or box with her grandchildren on the wrapper will most certainly be dearly received and appreciated. You can have the wrapper designed exactly the way you want it and combine it with your own personal greeting. This is a great way to ensure that the person receiving the gift are aware of how much you care about them.

The combination of getting a delicious, smooth and flavorful chocolate together with the first impression of a personalized wrapper makes this the perfect gift to almost everyone; young and old, man and woman, makes no difference, chocolate makes everyone happy.

Linda Kling asked:


Who doesn’t love chocolate?! The rich sweet taste appeals to everyone from little kids to their great grandmothers.  So if you’re looking for that special ingredient to add something extra to your next party, why not choose chocolate?  You can make it your entire party theme or just the crowning touch to your celebration.  Here are seven ways you can use chocolate to elevate your party to the next level.

1. Chocolate invitations.  Set the tone for your party by choosing invitations with a rich chocolate brown color scheme.  It’s become a trendy color in the past few years, so the invitations shouldn’t be difficult to find.  Add a drop of chocolate fragrance oil, chocolate scented perfume or even chocolate scratch and sniff stickers to the back of the envelope before mailing.

2. Chocolate atmosphere.  Just about any candle shop will carry scented chocolate candles.  Scatter small lit chocolate candles around the party for an inviting scent.  Decorate with chocolate brown balloons.  You can use other balloon colors to accent the brown, such as silver, gold and red.  If you want to take it a step further, you can have napkins, plates and tablecloths in the same or coordinating color.  Using your digital camera on macro mode, take super close up photos of candy bar wrappers or the inside of a box of chocolates.  Make poster size enlargements of your candy pictures and display them at the party.

3. Chocolate fountain.  This makes an elegant centerpiece and is a lot of fun.  Although a word of warning, it also very messy.  You can buy small chocolate fountains for a reasonable price and rent larger ones.  For a cheaper alternative, consider a chocolate fondue pot.  You can still dip pieces of fruit, cake, marshmallows, graham crackers and pretzels into the mixture.  But since the fondue tends to be a bit thicker in consistency than the fountain chocolate, there is also less mess potential.

4. Chocolate games.  If you’re having an entire chocolate theme party, you might want to also include some games.  Hide gourmet wrapped truffles for a sort of Easter egg hunt.  You could fill a jar with M&Ms and have everyone guess how many candies it contains.   The person that comes the closest can take home the entire jar as a prize.  Play chocolate trivia by researching chocolate facts online.  Use wrapped chocolates as game pieces for bingo or other games.

5. Chocolate tasting.  You could build a whole party around this.  Invite your guests to taste and rate a variety of chocolates.  Break apart each bar of chocolate and display on individual plates. Make sure you label each chocolate plate with the name of the chocolate, country of origin, and anything else interesting about it.  This way, your guests can distinguish between the samples, when they mark the cards you printed for their ratings.  Don’t forget to offer breadsticks and crackers to cleanse the palate between tastings.

6. Unique chocolate menu items.  Instead of just the usual chocolate cake, how about chocolate croissants?  Replace standard brownies with chocolate raspberry cookie bars.   You can serve chocolate covered potato chips, white chocolate covered popcorn and chocolate dipped orange peel. Believe it or not, chocolate covered bacon is actually for sale.  You don’t have to go that far, but it certainly would be a conversation starter!

7. Chocolate favors.  Whether you have a chocolate theme party or a regular traditional event, you can’t go wrong if you send your guests home with chocolate party favors.  Personalized chocolate bars are popular.  The candy bar wrappers are imprinted with your message and sometimes even a photo.  You can also find little mint size tins filled with gourmet chocolates with the top cover displaying a personalized design customized for the occasion.  Your chocolate party favors don’t have to be limited to the edible variety.  You can also give away chocolate scented candles, lip balm and bath beads.  Or how about a funny T-shirt or magnet with a quote about chocolate?

So, the next time you plan a party, think chocolate.  Whether you add just a little sweet touch to your celebration by giving your guests chocolate party favors, or pull out all the stops and throw a big chocolate theme party, your guests will be delighted.

Allison Jacobs asked:


Nothing melts a chocolate lover’s heart like a valentines chocolate gift. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to create your own unique gift that will show her how much you love her on Valentine’s Day. Here are valentine chocolate gift ideas for the chocolate lover in your life.

Chocolate Kisses

You really should give her more than the old standby, but if you insist, at least be creative on how you give them to her. There are many different ways you can use kisses without coming across cheap. You can create your own red or pink gift box and pack the inside with kisses with a love letter. Another thing you can do is make a path of chocolate kisses that leads to another gift like a bouquet of red roses.

Chocolate Heart Box

Either create your own heart-shaped box or look for a nice fancy one and fill it with gourmet chocolates and truffles. You can buy candy boxes in the shape of a heart but leave the candy out and replace it with gourmet chocolates. You could even put chocolate kisses inside.

Valentines Chocolate Card

Visit a specialty candy shop, or confectionery store, and have them create a card made entirely out of chocolate. This is a unique valentines chocolate gift she’ll be sure to remember.

Bouquet of Chocolate Roses

Sure red roses are nice, but why not try something totally different? Why not give her a bouquet of chocolate roses instead? Better yet, combine the two and create a bouquet of real roses mixed with chocolate roses.

Chocolate Basket

Create a gift basket that is filled with her favorite chocolates, or surprise her and include chocolates she’s never tried before. You can also include chocolate covered pretzels or strawberries and top it off with an arrangement of chocolate roses. A romantic music cd and a bottle of wine is a nice touch. The possibilities are endless. Be creative!

Chocolate Fountain

Put the fondue maker back in the closet and instead bring out the latest chocolate craze – the chocolate fountain. Imagine her coming home to a flowing fountain of chocolate with red roses surrounding it with romantic music playing in the background.

Chocolate Tour

Take her to a local chocolate factory or if you want to go all out, take her on a weekend getaway to Hershey, Pennsylvania! That would be the ultimate valentine chocolate gift!

Valentine’s Day doesn’t always have to be about roses and jewelry. She’ll appreciate a heart-felt gift you created for her more than anything. These valentine chocolate gift ideas should help you get your creative juices flowing so that you can create a romantic gift for her that she’ll never forget!

Kathryn Beach asked:


Our mothers feed us once, then again and again, and forever we experience comfort whenever a woman close to our hearts cooks for us.

So let’s show our mothers how much we appreciate them by returning the favor. Chocolate roses are romantic, sweet, and gorgeous. Dads and kids, put on your aprons!

Chocolate Clay Ingredients

10 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped chunks or chips)

1/3 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over hot water, stirring occasionally. The correct method for doing this is to boil the water, take it off the heat, then put the bowl with the chocolate on top. If the chocolate cools and thickens too much, return the pot of water to the stove over low heat.

Stir the corn syrup into the chocolate, mixing well and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold the syrup into the chocolate until you can no longer see the syrup and the mixture thickens into a ball. Using wax paper or plastic, pour and spread the mixture with the spatula until 1/2inch thick. For about two hours, let it sit and thicken uncovered at room temperature. Now it’s ready for making your roses.

Chocolate Roses Instructions

Knead a handful of chocolate clay at a time on a counter or cutting board until it is soft and pliable like regular clay.

Roll the chocolate dough into twelve 1/2-inch diameter balls (for each full-size rose) and put them on waxed paper about 1 inch apart. Press each ball with your fingertips until it is a flat disk about the size of a quarter. Make the bottom thicker than the top.

Roll one disk into a cone to make the center of the rosebud, being sure to roll the thinner edge into the top of the cone. Wrap the next disk around the opening of the tepee and the third disk at the back of the tepee – this is the rose bud. Now continue adding one disk at a time as individual petals, gently curling the top edge slightly downward. You can leave some roses as rosebuds, then make various sizes, making them larger by adding more petals. If there is excess chocolate at the bottom of your roses, pinch it off with your fingers to make more balls.

For a day or two, let the roses harden at room temperature, then package them in airtight containers and store in a cool, dry place. To retain the best chocolate flavor, it is best not to store them in the refrigerator.

You can get fancy for Mothers Day if you like by using white chocolate and experimenting with adding food coloring. Or, decorate your chocolate roses by painting them with melted white chocolate.

Tulips are fun too, and are really pretty made with white chocolate and then painted.

To make larger roses, start with larger chocolate balls.

Richard Walker asked:


t food can be anything that is better than normal in quality, and is something everyone will try, even if they are picky eaters. Often gourmet cooking has more than the normal range of ingredients, but sometimes can contain just a few, carefully selected ingredients. The same is true when it comes to gourmet cheese, candy and cookies. While they can be simple in ingredients, they are elegant and luxurious in taste.

Cheese:

When it comes to gourmet food, cheese is often an ingredient. Cheese itself is can be a gourmet food depending on how it is served. Brie is considered gourmet, and is a popular appetizer cheese, especially when served with crackers and vegetables.

Other gourmet cheese may include compound spreads that have added ingredients, such as some of the spread-able cheese spreads that have flavoring added like bacon and Swiss, or cheddar with port wine, for example. Cheese can also be turned gourmet when made into a spread with lump crab meat, onion or garlic and served with biscotti.

Cheese balls or cheese logs are another gourmet serving suggestion for cheese, where nuts are added to the outside, or cream cheese has become popular with chipped beef, onion and garlic, served as a cheese ball.

The semi-soft to hard cheeses, like mozzarella, Gouda, gorgonzola and parmesans, for example, are varied in taste and variety, so you can make a gourmet gift from different kinds of cheese from around the world.

Candy:

When it comes to candy, the first thing that comes to mind is truffles, which are luxurious and have a smooth creaminess and variety of flavorings. Everybody loves truffles.

Filled chocolates are another kind of gourmet candy, and fillings of coconut, caramel, nuts, marshmallow and nougats in different flavors are popular gourmet candies. Of course, there are some of the gourmet candies made in different regions like saltwater taffy, fudge, peanut clusters and turtles, or hard candies from around the world that are considered gourmet.

Cookies:

This is a sinfully wide category that can include any number of gourmet cookies. Gourmet cookies typically offer more than average ingredients, so even chocolate chips can become gourmet when they have large chocolate chunks, with marshmallows, peanuts or something else added. Ladyfingers, turtle brownies, or heath bar cookies can be considered gourmet. There are many cookies from around the world that are served in gourmet tins and are simple such as Danish butter cookies.

Some of the more recognized gourmet cookies like lemon bars, or cheesecake cookies and peanut butter chocolate chunk are traditional styles of cookies or brownies, with added ingredients to make them more rich and gooey. Decorated cookies, for example are considered gourmet, and can be topped with icing, coconut, chocolate drizzle, caramel and nuts, among other things, to make them more than a typical cookie.

Whatever your gourmet ****** is, many people love gourmet cheeses, candy and cookies, no matter what time of year or day it is. With the internet, it is possible to have any kind of gourmet treat shipped right to your door. Why wait for a special occasion when you can order them anytime, from the convenience of your home, and can get your favorites for a snack or a gift basket for somebody else.

One thing is for certain, everybody loves gourmet food, especially cheeses, candy and cookies.

Richard Walker asked:


t food can be anything that is better than normal in quality, and is something everyone will try, even if they are picky eaters. Often gourmet cooking has more than the normal range of ingredients, but sometimes can contain just a few, carefully selected ingredients. The same is true when it comes to gourmet cheese, candy and cookies. While they can be simple in ingredients, they are elegant and luxurious in taste.

Cheese:

When it comes to gourmet food, cheese is often an ingredient. Cheese itself is can be a gourmet food depending on how it is served. Brie is considered gourmet, and is a popular appetizer cheese, especially when served with crackers and vegetables.

Other gourmet cheese may include compound spreads that have added ingredients, such as some of the spread-able cheese spreads that have flavoring added like bacon and Swiss, or cheddar with port wine, for example. Cheese can also be turned gourmet when made into a spread with lump crab meat, onion or garlic and served with biscotti.

Cheese balls or cheese logs are another gourmet serving suggestion for cheese, where nuts are added to the outside, or cream cheese has become popular with chipped beef, onion and garlic, served as a cheese ball.

The semi-soft to hard cheeses, like mozzarella, Gouda, gorgonzola and parmesans, for example, are varied in taste and variety, so you can make a gourmet gift from different kinds of cheese from around the world.

Candy:

When it comes to candy, the first thing that comes to mind is truffles, which are luxurious and have a smooth creaminess and variety of flavorings. Everybody loves truffles.

Filled chocolates are another kind of gourmet candy, and fillings of coconut, caramel, nuts, marshmallow and nougats in different flavors are popular gourmet candies. Of course, there are some of the gourmet candies made in different regions like saltwater taffy, fudge, peanut clusters and turtles, or hard candies from around the world that are considered gourmet.

Cookies:

This is a sinfully wide category that can include any number of gourmet cookies. Gourmet cookies typically offer more than average ingredients, so even chocolate chips can become gourmet when they have large chocolate chunks, with marshmallows, peanuts or something else added. Ladyfingers, turtle brownies, or heath bar cookies can be considered gourmet. There are many cookies from around the world that are served in gourmet tins and are simple such as Danish butter cookies.

Some of the more recognized gourmet cookies like lemon bars, or cheesecake cookies and peanut butter chocolate chunk are traditional styles of cookies or brownies, with added ingredients to make them more rich and gooey. Decorated cookies, for example are considered gourmet, and can be topped with icing, coconut, chocolate drizzle, caramel and nuts, among other things, to make them more than a typical cookie.

Whatever your gourmet ****** is, many people love gourmet cheeses, candy and cookies, no matter what time of year or day it is. With the internet, it is possible to have any kind of gourmet treat shipped right to your door. Why wait for a special occasion when you can order them anytime, from the convenience of your home, and can get your favorites for a snack or a gift basket for somebody else.

One thing is for certain, everybody loves gourmet food, especially cheeses, candy and cookies.

Jay Gaulard asked:


Are you looking for that last minute gift idea that will make the recipient love you forever? If you are, just close your eyes and tell yourself, “This is not as hard as I’m making it.” The reason why you want to do this is because it really isn’t as hard as you’re making it. As a matter of fact, this type of food is going to help you make them really want to be on your Christmas list year ever year. But don’t buy a gourmet food item just because it says “gourmet food” on the label. You can actually go to your local department store and find plenty of $2 and $3 items that say “gourmet food” on the label, but the question is whether or not the food is really gourmet. It may just be a way to make it sound fancy because it may be considered gourmet according to the manufacturer’s standards.

So what you need to do is go on the Internet and look up real gourmet food. Now this doesn’t mean you have to pay $50 for 2 ounces of something. It is affordable. However, this is not that the food that comes from the gift section of the department store that is bland. This is an entirely different ballgame.

True quality

Yes, it can be quite confusing when you’re looking for this type of food. You may find that a lot of it is manufactured in foreign countries. You may deal with foreign language labels and incredible price tags. This isn’t going to go too well because, when buying gourmet food for someone as a gift, you want to make sure that what you’re buying is something that is of true quality and contains class.

So when surfing the Internet for the perfect food item, make sure you look closely. You should be able to tell the difference between something that is of a high quality and something that isn’t. You will find that you will learn about the product, which will help you determine what sort of class it has. The more information provided to you in the form of reviews and ratings, the better the decision you’re going to make.

When the website consists of reviews and ratings of their own that have been written by others, this shows that they stand by the product. They’re being honest about the product. When consumers are allowed to submit a review on the website, this allows individuals like you to make an informed decision. You’re not making a blind purchase like many individuals make even when they have the item in front of them on a store shelf.

Types of gourmet food

If you’re wondering what types of gourmet food you can buy as a gift, the list goes on and on. Here is a rundown of some items that you may want to consider. Even for those individuals who are hard to buy for, you will more than likely find that gourmet food that will make their holiday. So here are some items for you to consider:

Hot chocolate – Hot chocolate is a hot item during the holidays. Most everyone loves it. In the gourmet food sector, you may find that hot chocolate mixed with other flavors such as cinnamon.

You’ve probably had gourmet coffee or tea at some point in your life. Afterward you probably wondered, “Where can I get that from?” There are too many times that we taste something that is wonderful and then never taste it again. It is just a matter of knowing where to purchase those things.

Chocolate – Gourmet chocolate speaks for itself. There is nothing like it because there are many ingredients not used in your commercial chocolate, giving gourmet chocolate a unique flavor.

Breads – There are so many different variations of bread. You can have it plain or you can have it with fruit and nuts. When buying this as a gift, ensure you buy some for yourself. You’re definitely going to be in for a treat.

Candy – You can buy gourmet gum, hard candy, breath mints, and so much more. You’ve probably tasted gourmet candy at some point and realized that it has quite the unique flavor to it.

Cookies and desserts – Cookies and desserts are very popular gourmet items and they are very popular as gifts, so this is something else to consider.

There are so many gourmet food items. If you’re not quite sure what to get, just think about what it is the person you’re buying the gift for likes. If they are not a picky person, then go with your best judgment. You just might be surprised how successful you are at picking out the perfect gourmet food item for that person. Then again, you may find that food is not right for them at all. You may find that gourmet food accessories make for great gifts.

Accessories

You can purchase food accessories as well. You can purchase the cookbooks that teach you how to make some delicious dishes. You can also look into buying water filtration systems for a person who may live in an area that doesn’t exactly have clean water. You may even look into giving the coffee lover a fantastic home brewing system and buying them some gourmet coffee to go with it.

You have so many possibilities when it comes to food and these types of food items. For the hard to buy individual, you’ll find that it isn’t so difficult after all. And to avoid battling the large crowds during the Christmas shopping season you can make sure you make the Internet your stop to shop. You’re going to find everything that you need to make your Christmas shopping a success. Just make sure you don’t drive yourself crazy with all of the excellent choices that you will come across. That can actually become more difficult than trying to buy something for that hard to buy for individual. So good luck this Christmas season and, most importantly, have fun.

Richard Walker asked:


ght (c) 2009 Richard Walker

Chocolate and tea lovers know a good quality chocolate or tea when they taste it. Gourmet treats are always a welcome change from the regular varieties found in your average grocery store or worse, convenience store. When you really have sophisticated tastes you need to explore the world of gourmet food.

What is Gourmet Food?

Categorizing what is and what is not a gourmet food is a challenge for some people. Generally speaking, gourmet food is food that is a cut above your average food items. Gourmet food is often considered a special treat, not only because it tends to be more costly, but because it is made to extremely fine standards using the best ingredients. Gourmet food is definitely for those who crave more distinguished tastes. Another feature is that they often take a much longer preparation time than other foods. A lot of care and perfection goes into creating gourmet foods.

Gourmet chocolate and tea are both much higher quality than your average chocolate bar or cup of tea. With chocolate the finest cocoa beans are used. There is a careful measuring of ingredients and most are 100% handmade. Gourmet chocolates can be milk, dark or white chocolate. They may have flavors or fillings that are unique flavors.

Gourmet teas are made with carefully grown and harvested tea leaves. Every step of the process is done with extreme care. Gourmet teas come from all over the world. Where the tea comes from it not what makes it gourmet. They usually have exotic flavors and are much purer than average tea. Gourmet tea can be green, black, oolong or herbal.

Type of Gourmet Foods

Even if you are not particularly into chocolate or tea, there are many gourmet foods that you can try. Gourmet food is just more special than your everyday, ordinary fare. Here are some treats to try if your taste buds ache for something more.

If you want something different to drink then you can try gourmet coffee. Blends of gourmet coffee come from the highest quality of beans from all over the world.

If fish is your thing then try gourmet seafood. They are prepared with special methods. Only the highest quality fish are used. Almost any wish can be gourmet when it is handled and prepared the right way.

There are also gourmet meats. Gourmet meat is becoming quite popular. High quality cuts are used and many styles are available. Gourmet meat can include dried and cured cuts, too.

Get great Foods

Gourmet foods are not as difficult to find as you may think. The internet provides the perfect opportunity to order gourmet food. Shipping techniques used today make it possible to ship any food item without losing quality. You can get food fast that maintains its gourmet quality.

Whether you are into chocolate and tea or you want to try out other gourmet foods, you are in for an amazing treat. Your taste buds will be very grateful to you for providing them with mature and mind blowing tastes that you get from gourmet food.