If you usually get some grayish-white blemish on your chocolates, this simply means that it never reached the proper level of tempering. The perfect texture of chocolates should be glossy, rich and creamy. If it is rough once you try tasting it, wasn’t simply tempered well. The chocolate should melt in the mouth and not its package.

Chocolate enthusiasts take extra care with making their chocolate confectioneries. They always make sure their confectioneries go through proper tempering before they even debut them to the market. Since chocolates are not originally creamy and glossy, it should pass several processes first such as conching and tempering. Conching is the process where chocolate liquor goes through a number of rollers that can make its grains more refined. Tempering is the process where Type V crystals are being produced as much as possible to make the chocolate smoother.

To be able to create a real chocolate, it must come from cocoa butter. The cocoa butter is the one responsible for the creaminess and glossiness of the chocolates. On the other hand the chocolate liquor or paste can be obtained when you crush the roasted cocoa beans. These cocoa beans usually have 50 to 60 percent cocoa butter. If it does not go through the process of tempering, the cocoa butter usually falls apart and ends up as white blotches on the face of chocolates, which is also called blooming.

This is the very reason why tempering can be considered as the critical stage of a chocolate’s life. Cocoa butter is composed of numerous fatty acids; these fatty acids differ in melting and crystallization points. Once chocolate is melted, the crystals in the cocoa butter disintegrate. The very idea of chocolate tempering is to stabilize the fat crystals to eliminate the blooming effect.

You can temper the chocolate in three different ways; the hard, easy, and fastest.

When you say tempering the hard way, the process is done by the hand throughout the process. It is usually melted until it’s lump-free then separated in two parts: two-thirds for working first, then another one-third. The first two-thirds is folded over and over on a heat-drawing stone slab until it reaches the right texture and reaches a cool of 80F or 27C, and then the other one-third is added up with the rest in the same way. Different types of chocolates have their own type of temperature.

The easy way is using the method called seeding. Seeding is done by adding chocolate into the pre-tempered chunks of chocolates to hasten crystallization.

The fastest way includes the use of the chocolate tempering machines, which are programmed to work the chocolates at the appropriate temperatures for the more desirable crystal forms so you do not really have to do anything, just turn the machine on and put the chocolate chunks.

Fannie May had humble origins, but it has proven that great customer service, high quality, and a stunning selection are the secret recipe for succeeding. The story started in the Windy City in the early twenties. And so this much loved business has evolved from one store to a successful network plying the country with delicious goodies.

Fannie May’s talent of mixing premium ingredients in precisely the right way made them such a favorite that they grew to just below forty-eight branches in just fifteen years. During wartime food shortages, the doors of the stores were shut, as they preferred not to shave the quality of any recipes. Luckily for us, many of the recipes it used back then are even being manufactured and sold today. Naturally all the candies are beautifully boxed. Don’t forget to order a decorative presentation box or tin if the chocolate is for someone else, it will add a perfect finishing touch. How much you give is wholly your choice, from a single chocolate to a basket filled with each flavor of chocolate truffle, caramels and even gourmet pretzels. It’s simple to select a carefully chosen variety of types on the website or you can personalize the order with unique varieties to ensure everybody has enough of their favorites. To make life even less complicated, Fannie May is proud to have multiple branches all over the nation and around the world. So you can place an order online and have your gift sent anywhere. There are some chocolates that are not suitable for transportation during the summer, but Fannie May has the business network to deliver all sorts of their products all over the world. Particular dietary demands aren’t any problem. Bakery items and other goodies are available not to mention gourmet chocolates with no sugar added. Should you want large numbers of gift boxes or wedding favors, Fannie May can assist you there as well. You only need to ring them up and let them know what you require.

Fannie May has become such a popular chocolate manufacturer and it is all down to its dedication to excellence, its great customer support and its large selection of offerings. In fact, the only difficult task is selecting from the huge range of alternatives on offer. With everything from truffles to caramels readily available, you are bound to get precisely that ideal present!

To learn more, you are advised to review this terrific page for chocolates products!

Each Christmas fete demands activities, not merely for children, but for grownups as well! You have worked so hard at adorning, preparing and baking to occupy your home with Christmas cheer so that kin and acquaintances might come together and share in the celebrations of the season, so be sure to take on great fun games or activities to keep the party good, festive and jovial. Both your invitees and you will relish the fun after the long shopping and occasion prep work of the last few weeks.

The basic concept of the Secret Santa game is simple, making it a Christmas party games many will be familiar with. Just remember that the fun is in the concealment. All of the participants’ names are put into a hat or package and merged. Each individual then chooses one name from the box, but doesn’t tell anyone which name was picked. She is now responsible for buying a present for the individual selected.

When a Secret Santa wraps her gift, she should tag it with the receiver’s name but ought to not suggest who the present is from. All the gifts are then placed in a general area for opening at a assigned time. When the gift-exchange time arrives, each recipient finds his/her gift and must imagine who their Secret Santa is. If they can’t imagine, their Secret Santa eventually concedes.

Remember to put a few uncomplicated rules to keep it affordable and fashionable. Set the gift price minimal and the gift cost upper limit. (i.e. $20.00 - $40.00). This lets all gift exchange participants know how much they can spend on their gift recipients. You can also specify the game a motif (i.e. Musical, Epicurean Foods, Bar, Eco-Friendly, Fashion) to make it more amusing. Not only does it contribute a fun curve to the game, but it can also help out someone who has no idea what to buy for his or her chosen person.

There are plenty of activities to pick out from. Easy activities like Bingo can be changed into themed occasion games with the replenishment and modifications of a few rules. Well-known holiday movies, characters and songs can also be adjusted into festive trivia activities that invitees of all ages will enjoy. The small excess work it takes to lend activities to your fete preparation is well worth it! Both your invitees and you will relish the fun after the long shopping and occasion preparation work of the last few weeks.

It is a fact that many haunted homes are common, with their sound effects (evil chuckles and weak stair creeking galore) and the many netherworld creatures stalking around who look more than barely like your neighbours. Present your acquaintances and family a break from the norm and host your own marvelously horrific, haunted house celebration. Our supreme guide to beverages and decor for your shindig will assist you through it all, from frightening beginning to a terrifyingly splendid finish.Give a ghoulishly good time!

This Halloween, I’m going to transform my lawn from a suburban patch of green into a gory, wild graveyard complete with chartreuse muck oozing up from the earth.

Within the last 5 years, Halloween party ideas and fanciful decor to go with them have exploded in the marketplace where you can buy just about any scary ornament you can think of to turn your household into house of horror. I’ve been searching around for the swankiest wicked particulars on line, to help you go way beyond the well-known bowl of macaroni for “brains” in your Halloween decor. Leave the haunted garage to the guy down the street, and create a zealous cemetery setting in your front yard. Many people compile their creepy tableaux with a mixed bag of bought ornaments and a little imaginativeness.

The key to getting commercial decor “spooktacular” is how you put them together, and a bit of ornamentation.

To add a fantastic touch to your party, assemble a haunted treat bar:

Ready a dining room table or snack bar with a long black tablecloth for a magnificent background. Make two tall ghost pop ‘trees’ by spray painting styrofoam floral cones black.

Create ghost pops by cutting a 7″ shape from white fabric. Lay the middle of the square over a circle lollipop (charms bubble pops work well). Tie a white string around the base of the lollipop to produce a ghost head. Use a black pen to draw on void black eyes and a grand mouth.

To make a bloody drinking chocolate fountain, contribute red treat dye to white drinking chocolate. Get black bowls overflowing with noshes.

The sugar-laden, costume centric Halloween we recognize and enjoy holds little resemblance to the holiday’s roots. Read on to see the history behind America’s second-popular holiday (just behind Christmas)!

During the 18th and 19th century, Halloween was also trusted to be the night when a young woman could discovered who she was going to marry. Therefore, many young women spent Halloween performing elaborate rites involving yarn and mirrors in order to get a glance of their future husbands.

Candy corn was devised in the 1880s and is developed today by numerous. October 30th is National Candy Corn Day. An calculated 35 million pounds of candy corn, that’s 9 billion pieces of halloween treats, will be farmed this year.

Some 36 million American youngsters go trick-or-treating each Halloween, but most probably do not recognize that the practice was once proclaimed going a-souling. In Spain, houses would present unlucky citizens soul cakes in return for a promise to pray for the souls of dead relatives. Safe to say: the soul cake savored nothing like Candy Corn. Carving pumpkins, then again, comes from an Irish legend. Cheap Jack, the history goes, cornered the demon in a tree and engraved a cross into the tree. The demon took retaliation by making Jack perpetually wander the Earth at night. The Irish sculptured turnips, but Americans made the jack-o-lantern out of something more readily usable: pumpkins.

Melbourne has some wonderful hospitality service and has some amazing places to wine and dine. I have migrated here for more than 6 years, I have been lucky enough to have tried some of the top-quality dishes from several cuisines offered by eateries in Melbourne.

Taking an interest in the Japanese culture, I have always craved for Japanese food. Since being in Melbourne, I have tried many japanese eateries and have tasted many dishes that they have to offer. Some great and some bad, I can often tell if the food is good by the people running the restaurant. I have established a good presumption that if the eatery is ran and operated by Japanese, the food that it creates is dependable.

There are numerous Japanese cuisine franchises in Melbourne which are not owned and operated by Japanese. The level of service and quality of food that it creates is questionable. Yes, the price will be more inexpensive but the authenticity of the taste and the level of service that you are getting is bad. If you are serious about Japanese food, take the time to research and ask around. You will often find that there is a Japanese restaurant just around the corner from you that you have not noticed.

I find myself dining in this particular restaurant in Melbourne more often these days ” Takumi. They is based handily in the city and is accessible by public transportation. They specialized in wagyu beef and modern Japanese cuisines. They are fully owned and operated by a Japanese family and the level of service that they have provided me is tremendous. They offer a different style of barbecue dishes with their advanced smoke-free bbq tables.

So, if you are visiting Australia, be sure to take the time to explore and visit the many Melbourne Japanese restaurants.

On a bone chilling icy day nothing could be better than the sound of fire crackling from the fireplace, the smell of soup in the kettle, and cornbread in the oven. My nose was teasing my taste buds. My taste buds were basking in expectations of being bathed in absolute delight.

The usual calling card (aroma’s from the kitchen ) was being left and had commenced drawing everyone from each corner of the house, inside and out, to have a need to get a drink of water, a cup of coffee, or anything that would put them in, or near the kitchen. The only thing was we all knew that when Aunt Nelly was in the “cooking business” you didn’t dare disturb her unless, you had a chore in the kitchen, or, a 911 emergency which included blood! The reason being that cooking for a small army required much concentration and much more work.

Aunt Nelly was preparing Emerald Soup which would be partnered with hot butter Corn Bread. She had soups of all colors in her collection of recipes. Ruby Red Soup (Cream of Tomato & Pimento), Yellow Harvest Soup (Creamy Butternut Squash & Pumpkin), Brown Beef Soup (Savory Vegetable Beef). There was even a Plum Purple Soup which was served cold over a small square of pound cake as a dessert soup on hot summer days. What can I say, Aunt Nelly was a colorful individual. Her soup was not of this world, as Aunt Nita would say, “simply Heavenly”, or “this is divine!”.

Don’t be fooled by the secret ingredient here! It lends lot of flavor and even those who literally hate it can not tell you put it the pot unless you tell them. When you serve this creamy, appetizing Emerald Soup, your friends will be green with envy.

Emerald Soup
2 Ham Hocks

5 C. Water

1 C. Vegetable Broth

1 16 oz. pkg. of split peas

1/2 C. of canned spinach with juice (pureed) {secret ingredient}
salt & pepper to taste
1 C. Half n Half

3 T. butter
1 small yellow onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
pinch of ground cumin

In a large heavy stock pot place Ham Hocks, water, and vegetable broth. You may add salt to taste. Bring to a rolling boil.

Add split peas stir down and adjust heat setting to medium heat. Cover with lid, let boil slowly for 1 hour. Stirring occasionally, being sure to scrape down sides and bottom of stock pot.

While peas are boiling, in a small skillet on LOW heat melt butter.

Add onion, and garlic to the butter. Sauté’ until transparent. Add to peas, stir well, replaced lid and continue the slow boiling. Stir about each 10 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of pot.

Puree the spinach in a food processor making sure that all of the Spinach is completely pureed. Pour pureed spinach into the peas, stir well.

Add the Half n Half. Stirring well.

Add pinch of cumin. Stirring well once more. Remove lid from soup pot and DO NOT REPLACE.

Place heat setting on low simmer. Stir often, keeping the sides and bottom scraped. Let soup just simmer for about 15 minutes more.

Serve in a bowl with a dallop of sour cream placed in the middle and a sprinkling of parsley. Don’t forget the hot buttered corn bread!

from a collection by Joyce M. Edwards (Smile, It’s Food Talking)

As the low carb diet becomes so popular throughout the world, many companies especially the brewery companies have come to consider some of the necessary products for any sports and games, and interestingly, one of the essential products for any game trend is the low carb beer.

The emergence of the low carb beer is generally caused by the action that the beer industry has taken. Accordingly, the beer industry has responded to the low carb trend and that is by rolling out the low carb beers. The low carb beer is considered to have a reduced carb count, however, this does not ultimately mean as reduced flavor for the reason that it is all in your mouth.

In relation to that, it is noted that for years, the followers of Atkins diet and other low carb regimens have had to turn clear of beer for the purpose of maintaining the carbohydrate minimums. Now Michelob has made the some development in the brewery industry and have been enjoying a drink while following a low carb deit easier. And interestingly this was made perfect with the introduction of Michelob Ultra, a low carb, and low calorie beer.

Unlike the regular beer that contains 145 calories, the low carb beer contains for about 95 calories only that is why many reviews have considered it as a marketing trick. Speaking of the carbohydrates, when it comes to the low carb beers, the carbohydrates are another factor. Essentially, the regular beer usually contains 11 grams of carbohydrates, but then the low carb beers can in fact drop that to as little as 2.6 grams of carbohydrates. With such contents, a single bottle is then compared with some of the popular beers like Stella Artois, Grolsch, and Smirnoff Ice which have pretty much carbohydrates and calorie contents.

Today, given the facts about the basic contents of the low carb beers, it is noted that this certain product is now one of the requirements for any trendy game party. Perhaps, with this kind of product, all the girls will think that you’re such a doll for taking their favorite low carb beer. And as a matter of fact, most of the guys nowadays think that having this kind of requirement makes you pretty cool and great.

And perhaps, one of the reasons that most people took this kind of product is that they are obviously health conscious. Well, the thought of bearing this product at your trendy party is just a typical thing. So if you want to have a cool party experience, then you go for the low carb beer.

Check out our low carb recipes site. Feel free to redistribute this article as long as there is an active hyperlink pointing to our site. Enjoy.

Who doesn’t adore lavender, that lovely blue eradicator of the blues, anger and insomnia? It is generally accepted that the word lavender stems from the Latin lavare, to wash, as the Romans used in the herb extensively in their baths. But in early Latin lavender was known as livendula, meaning, “to turn blue,” from the same root as our word
“livid.”

Lavender
has long been used in love potions. The primary market still today for the
essential oil is in perfumes and cosmetics. It is also used to scent love notes
and clothing, where, in your chest of drawers, it makes an effective moth
repellant. Ironically, despite its erotic associations, during the Renaissance
it was believed that lavender worn with rosemary would preserve a woman’s
chastity.

There
are about 30 species of lavender, plus countless hybrids and varieties, far too
numerous to list here. But they include both tender and hardy perennials with a
great diversity of colors - including pinks and whites - shapes and heights.

Lavender
is a mint native to the Mediterranean. Like most herbs it prefers a sunny location
in light, dry, rocky soil. It should be pruned lightly in the fall and fairly
vigorously in the spring, removing any deadwood.

Lavender
is a wonderful relaxant and antidepressant. In The Eve of Saint Agnes, John Keats wrote “And still she slept an azure sleep, /In blanched linen, smooth, and
lavender’d.” Lavender essential oil gently rubbed into the temples or the
essential oil simmering in water in an aromatherapy lamp will ease you off to
sleep and make your headache vanish, especially if it’s stress related. A
lavender eye pillow at the end of a stressful day is far more effectual and
healthful than a double martini.

Lavender is virtually de rigueur in potpourri. Here’s a recipe
for Lavender and Geranium Potpourri to
add relaxation and romance to any ambience:

4 cups of dried lavender
flowers

2 cups of dried rose geranium
leaves

2
cups of dried rosemary

1 oz. of orris root

15 - 20 drops of lavender
essential oil.

Mix all
the ingredients thoroughly and place in a sealed jar. Age at least one month.
Shake the jar frequently.

Lavender
essential oil is antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial with a low level of
toxicity, making it one of the few essential oils that can be applied directly
to the skin undiluted. Added to the bath it will alleviate muscular pain and
tension. As recent as WW1, the oil was used as an antiseptic wound dresser. As
with all essential oils, do not take
lavender oil internally unless it is strongly diluted. The dried flowers
infused as a tea will relieve indigestion, colic, gas and bloating. It is even
helpful is some cases of asthma, especially when nervousness is a factor.

Recent
research shows promise that one of lavender’s compounds, perillyl alcohol, may
be useful in combating cancer of the breast, pancreas, colon and prostate.

In the kitchen lavender blooms
are used to flavor vinegars, soups (especially cold fruit soups in the summer),
cookies, ice cream and sorbets. This markedly fragrant herb can be used in many
ways by creative chefs.

Try the following Salmon with Lavender and Fennel:

2 medium sized salmon steaks

1- tsp. dried, crushed
lavender flowers

1- tsp. crushed fennel seeds

Juice of lemon

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Mix all
the ingredients together and cover both sides of the steaks. Then marinate them
in the refrigerator for several hours. Sauté over medium to high heat in a
non-stick pan until done - about six minutes per side.

Lavender
and lamb make a surprisingly good combination. The following recipe occasions a
pleasant change from the usual rosemary and garlic accompaniment.

Lavender
Lamb with Basil

1 leg of lamb

1 cup of milk (non-dairy such as nut or coconut milk may
be substituted)

Juice of lemon

8-10 lavender flower heads

8 basil leaves

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the lamb in a
tightly-fitting lidded casserole. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over
the lamb. Marinate for several hours, turning the lamb occasionally. Remove
from the marinade and bake, uncovered, at 325F for approximately 30 minutes
per lb. When the meat is done, strain the marinade, and then make it into gravy
by pouring it into a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Reserve about a
quarter cup and thoroughly blend in 1 tsp. of arrowroot powder. When smooth,
stir into hot marinade and simmer until thick.

That little piece of bark (yes, cork is bark harvested from a kind of oak tree) is the focus of much controversy among today’s winemakers. Here at Ross Valley Winery, we think there is something more to the discussion than the substitution of cork by alternative closures as a quality issue.

Proponents of alternative closures beat the drum of TCA, triclorolaminisol, the chemical produced by certain molds that give “corked” wine its wet cardboard smell. Some say as much as 8% of all wine is infested with this disgusting smell, but I personally think that figure is grossly overstated and being used as a “fact” to drive wineries toward other closures. I have been making wine commercially at the Ross Valley Winery since 1987, have pulled countless corks here in the tasting room or at home and have smelled each one of them. I can count the “corked” wines on one hand. It simply is not a problem for this winery. What is true is that some people are much more sensitive to the smell than others, so I have a small bottle of TCA on hand here if you feel you’d like to educate your nose palate to the smell. You’ll never forget it.

I believe the popularity of say, plastic substitutes or even screw top closures is based in money and is a decision made by the corporate controller, who, as wineries look more and more like refineries, is responsible for assuring the corporation’s financial quality.

A decent 1 3/4″ cork cost about 30 cents. If you buy 100,000 of them, the price doesn’t drop significantly. . I just got off the telephone having received a quote for the same sized cork at 11.8 cents each. Twenty cents difference doesn’t seem like much, unless you are bottling twenty million bottles; then the difference would pay plenty of hungry stockholders. And if you bought 20 million artificial closures, youd get an extremely good price; all the manufacturer has to do is turn on the extruder. Meanwhile it takes that 25 year old cork tree 7-9 years to develop a new bark to be made into corks for Ross Valley Winery’s merlot or cabernet.

And even though “The Ross Valley Winery” prints very nicely on plastic closures, the closure is part of the aesthetic and tradition of the entire product. And wine is anything, it’s traditional.I say that when Chateau Petrus starts using artificial closures, so will I. Meanwhile, I’ll stick with natural cork.

About the Author

Paul Kreider, who made his first wine in 1975, is the owner and winemaker of the Ross Valley Winery in San Anselmo, California. Since 1987, with notable success, his small Marin County bonded winery has specialized in transforming modest lots of unique grapes into vineyard-designated wines, each with its own individual character and particular personality. Check our website at www.rossvalleywinery.com.