Time Flies!!

WOW!! My last post was in March and Dove Chocolate Discoveries had an amazing special on the tempering unit. Now it is already September, I haven't posted in 6 months and guess what? The tempering unit is back on special!!

This little machine really packs a punch when it comes to making chocolates. Tempering 1.5 pounds at a time will make a huge batch of truffles, or about 2 dozen chocolates. What an amazing gift to give a friend. Not only would you be sharing a SWEET gift, but you made it too! Your friends will love you, and your chocolates too!

Here is the gist of the special.....
If you purchase the Candy-Land Bundle for $54.00 you have the option to purchase the tempering unit for $100.00 for a savings of $213.00. The Candy-Land bundle includes 1-1/2 pounds of either dark or milk chocolate (your choice), 1-pound of white chocolate and the beautiful new transfer sheets designed for the winter season. Give a unique and personal gift no one will ever forget....CHOCOLATE!

An Added Bonus!!

Pre-Order your unit by August 31, 2010 and I will give you an additional 10% savings!

Please call me 303-898-1380 or drop me a note ChocolateDreamer01@gmail.com with your order.

NOW....back to our regularly scheduled BLOG!

You can Temper Chocolate Too!!

In my last post I showed you how to make chocolate bowls and tempering your chocolate with a Choco-Vision machine. Wouldn't you LOVE to make chocolate easily?? Now you can!!

For the month of March you can purchase the ChocoVision tempering machine (valued at $399) PLUS $68.00 worth of chocolate and candy making supplies for only $154.00. This is such a SWEET deal that I will be ordering an additional machine for myself. Let's make some candy together!

Chocolate Bowls

I was recently asked to do a demonstration with local artist Mary Scrimgeour , and the chosen pieces were my chocolate bowls. I learned early on that these bowls were very easy to make and could be made with a variety of looks. Anyone can make these bowls, and with a little practice you too will be a chocolate artist!

I always use high quality chocolate whenever I am molding with chocolate. This keeps frustrations at bay and brings enjoyment to the project. I also use a Choco-Vision Tempering unit so I can focus on what I'm creating, not how to make the medium. To begin I temper enough chocolate for the number of bowls I am planning on making. I do short runs so I am not needing more that 2 pounds of chocolate at a time. For this demonstration I tempered about 3/4 of a pound of white chocolate and had left over tempered milk chocolate from a previous bowl making session.

Once the chocolate is tempered, as indicated by the green light on the tempering unit, stop the machine and remove the baffle. Spread the chocolate evenly in the bowl. With a pastry bag you will put a simple design on the surface of the chocolate. Here I have just made simple circles.

With a bamboo skewer or any other similar utensil, draw through the circles to stretch the edges. Drawing it from the center to the outer edges and then from the outer edges to the center makes for a very nice design.

After this just dip the bottom of the balloon into the chocolate. To add a bit of interest to the design you can slightly twist the balloon.

After dipping the balloon gently set it on a pan or cookie sheet that is covered with parchment paper. The chocolate needs to just barely touch the paper. If you press the balloon down on the paper you may have a hole in the bottom of the bowl.

Move the balloon to the refidgerator to set up. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the tempurature in the air and the refridgerator. If you are unsure, just give a bit of extra time to be safe. Once the chocolate is set it can be removed from the refridgerator to a counter. The next step is the most fun. Hold the top of the balloon with one hand and with the other make a small cut at the very top of the balloon.

The air will quickly escape and will pull away from the chocolate revealing the beauty of your creation!

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010!!

This will be a perfect year to accomplish just a few things.

"Just a few things" you ask?

Yes, just a few.

With each new year we all try to set lofty goals to achieve during the year and by the end we look back and see that we only reached a few, and feel disappointment for not reaching them all. So, logic says...set just a few and celebrate!!

I have a few that I am looking at. The biggest one is to expand my horizons with chocolate. For those of you who do not know me, let me explain. Although I am a chocolatier and I know chocolate really well, I'm really bad in the kitchen. The story I love to tell that describes my talent in the kitchen has to do with pasta. I was having guests for dinner one night and I decided to serve spaghetti. It is a pretty easy recipe and it would serve a group of friends. The sauce was simmering and approaching that peak of perfection. I put a large pot on for the noodles and once it reached boiling the noodles were added as instructed. I went to my computer to catch up with a few friends and my senses returned to my cooking with the smell of something burning. I rushed to the kitchen to find the pot of noodles furiously boiling away and, to my amazement, flames were leaping out of the pot through the splashing water!

Really...I caught spaghetti on fire while it was boiling in a pot! I have burned everything imaginable and as a result I get a little intimidated when it comes to baking, or creating anything that takes too much time or effort. Any cook will tell you how disappointing it is to spend 2 hours preparing a dish only to have it go up in smoke.

In 2010 I am going to go beyond my kitchen fears and make a few amazing things! I don't know what I should make first. Will it be a cake? What about chocolate mousse from scratch? Oh, the possibilities are limitless! Through 2010 I will share this adventure with you. I will be publishing this adventure through stories and photos. You will witness my successes and laugh with me through my failures!

Now, to keep this all fair I will be needing a few recipes. When I go to my vast selection of cook books I look through them and feel overwhelmed and quickly slam the cupboard shut leaving those books in the dark. You, my sweet readers, are so much braver than I and can open a cookbook. I would like you to send me a recipe and I will prepare it to the best of my ability. Because this blog is about chocolate everything I attempt needs to have chocolate as at least one ingredient. It can be chocolate in any form: cocoa powder, semi-sweet, bitter, chips, chunks, etc. You can post your recipe here as a comment, or send them directly to me via my website.

So, here's to a few new goals! I raise my glass to you and pray that I don't burn too much this year!!

Chocolate of the Month Club

I have long loved the many clubs that offer a monthly "gift" each month. I used to belong to the Peach of the Month Club until my taste for peaches was over-run by too many peaches month after month. I spread my wings to apples and oranges so I could have a full range of fruits parade through my kitchen. Then there was the "Book of the Month Club" which I still consider one of my favorite clubs. But, alas, I had children and my ability to read at my leisure turned into diapers, feedings, and many re-runs of Peter Pan and Dumbo. I do read now that my kids are nearly grown, but I never have gotten back into the rhythm of the monthly book.

Now I have found a Flavor of the Month Club that I can really sink my teeth into (yes, that pun was intended). Dove Chocolate Discoveries has started a NEW sweet treat to give to yourself or to a friend. The Ultimate Chocolate of the Month Club is a yummy sensation that is available for a limited time only and I, for one, will be the first to order this luscious gift! Imagine coming home from a hard fought battle at work to a surprise of chocolate at your doorstep. You drive up and there is a mysterious box on the porch that has been left by the delivery driver. "What's this?" you ask yourself. "I don't know," you answer, "Let's take it in and open it." The return address isn't as clear as you would like...someone has smudged the name. Inside is a beautifully wrapped box, and snuggled in each little compartment is a taste sensation that will create a party in your mouth. Sea Salted Caramels.

One bite and your day has just turned into heaven on earth! Each piece of chocolate covered caramel has just a dash of salt from around the world. You travel from France to Bolivia then Australia, the Mediterranean, on to Asia, then back again to France. A world tour in one box of chocolate. Just think, that's just January! Your itinerary for your world tour is mapped out for you and you can travel to one location each day for 24 days, or you can hop from country to country in a matter of minutes.

After your tour you will be ready for February's "Fruit of the Month" in DCD's Fruit Collection. This is fun in a box with blueberries, cranberries, and cherries all swimming in dark chocolate. There are three bags in this box of berries each containing each fruit. A suggested way to eat these would be to have only one bag every ten days. Will they last that long...NOT! I try to limit my fruit intake to only one bag a day although I do know of some very disciplined chocoholics that eat only one bag a week. AMAZING.

March has a delicious cup of cappuccino waiting for you...well, a cup of Chocolate-Covered Cappuccino Biscottini that is. Biscotti is wonderful when dipped in coffee and this is the answer to that age old question...."How can I have everything I love in one bite?" Take one bite of these and you will smile all the way past the local coffee shop. These bits of cappuccino biscotti are covered in a thick layer of chocolate so you have it all in one bite; chocolate, cappuccino, and biscotti.

April, May, and June are just as wonderful with Double Chocolate Caramel Nut Clusters, Milk Chocolate-Covered Cashews and Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds, and the truly astounding Merlot Fudge Sauce. Just the names of these send my taste buds into a frenzy!

There is nothing on this earth (well, almost nothing) that can compare to chocolate and to get a surprise every month is the best way to kick off a new year and a new month. So, join the ULTIMATE Chocolate of the Month Club with me and let's have a chocolate party every month!

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Use Your Passion

As seen in USA Weekend Sept 14-17

I like to talk about my working life online because I've done it all: I've worked in a mousetrap factory, designed jewelry and been a jet mechanic in the Air Force.
Now I have my own work-from-home business, leading a sales team for Dove Chocolate Discoveries. I'm selling something I have a longtime passion for -- chocolate!
The Web is a great tool, especially when it comes to expanding my customer base. You also can get candid advice online on career-focused forums.
In turn, I try to help fellow moms on these forums take advantage of the positive aspects of a bad economy by finding great bargains or getting their home loans refinanced at a lower interest rate. Good times or bad, nothing lasts forever, so you take advantage of "down" cycles so you'll be in a position to enjoy the better days ahead.

My top tips
Family first. For every business opportunity, ask yourself, "How will this affect my family?" My business allows me to be home for my kids when I'm needed.
Quitting isn't an option. I've seen many people who've given up on a challenge, and then they regret it. If something isn't working, don't quit it. Change it.
Be passionate. A lack of enthusiasm will hurt your job performance. Passion will drive you through the low spots that happen in every career.
Pay with cash. By using cash, I've built my company without adding unnecessary debt. You need your money to work for you, with interest on investments.
Stay connected. Networking on the Web is a wonderful way to get the word out about what you do or to help you find a job.

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An added note: I want to add a couple of my favorite networking groups here for all of you to take a look at. Each group is unique. Visit all of these sites to see which group fits your "style" the best.

MomsLikeMe.com is where Moms gather on-line. They are stay at home Moms, professional Moms, working Moms, and Moms who are Moms to Moms. This is also the "birth place" of the article above. A special thanks goes to Valentina and her dedication to our Denver area group!

LinkedIn.com is for the professional. This is a wonderful place to meet and network with other professionals who share your business interests.

BehindtheMoonInc.com holds networking meetings all over the Metro-Denver area. Each meeting has plenty of time to meet and share business with others. Take a look at their calendar to find an event near you.

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Here is the direct LINK to this story.

Now - On to Something More Fun

Every once in a while everyone has to Blog about something that is dry and boring and I am not immune to such things as proven in the last post I did. I wrote that story about 3 years ago for my local on-line newsreel and I thought it would be worthy information to include here. Well, it is worthy, but I really have to get on to the fun stuff now!

Anyone like chocolate??

Yes. Now that's what I'm talking about! Chocolate is one of those things that makes you smile. It is one of those things that brings comfort to your soul no matter what state it is in. I love the idea of a food that can be found at every social gathering that has ever been put on. It doesn't matter why people have gathered...the chocolate is always there.

Throughout history the cocoa bean has led a life in society unlike any other food. In its youth, chocolate was reserved for royalty only. The commoner rarely got a taste of the bitter elixir. In the early 1500's cocoa beans were used as currency. Imagine being able to buy a rabbit dinner for 4 beans or, for just 10 cocoa beans, you could buy the services of a prostitute. By the 1600's, 200 small cocoa beans were valued at 1 Spanish real, or 4 cents. Can you believe it? Money really did grow on trees at one time!! *

I love all chocolate, but my favorite is dark chocolate (have you taken my poll yet?). You all might be thinking that it is for the health benefits that I love dark chocolate. Granted, there are many reports and studies that show health benefits, but if you really knew me you would know that I'm the last person sitting on the health food train. I could live on chocolate if my body would let me. Alas, I do have to eat real food sometimes. In reality I love that bitter bite that is combined with a sweet swirl in my mouth. Add a bit of bitter coffee and you have a Mocha Java that is to die for!

My daughter would rather eat milk chocolate. She loves it on her face, her hands, her knees, and even her feet! No matter how carefully she eats her chocolate it can be found everywhere...including on the back of her neck. How she manages these feats is beyond me. I knew the answer to this when she was 4 and 5 years old. What can any mother expect of a dear young one? Now that she is nearly 17 I have to ask, "How did that chocolate find its way to the bottom of her feet??"

So, the next time I go blogging I will remember to eat some chocolate as I write. It will keep my mind on the fun of this business rather than the business of this business. I invite you to sit back, open a box of sweets, find your favorite chair and savor every bite. I hope your day filled with chocolate!

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*http://www.chocolatemonthclub.com/chocolatehistory.htm