Recently a friend and I were in a store, standing in the check-out line. I found a coupon to take X amount of money off if I was at a certain price point. I was $2 shy. Nobody will be surprised to learn that I looked over at the chocolate section beside me that I had been trying to ignore. 

The line was moving so I grabbed up these pretzels, turned to my friend and asked: had she ever tried these? No. Neither had I. In the cart they went and I got my discount.

Back in the car, opening the bag up, I told my friend about the documentary I had recently watched where it said Reese's peanut butter cup was the #1 selling chocolate in America. Personally I am not a huge fan of the peanut butter cup, although trust me, I can get one down if offered. 

These--with the addition of pretzels . . . is excellent. Right now they are my favorite chocolate covered pretzel.

Mayana Chocolate

 I discovered this chocolate quite by accident.

It was late at night when a friend forwarded me an email from a quilting company (of all places) that also sells chocolate and needed to mail out their inventory before the hot summer months approached. The bars were all discounted and for the price I tried ones I had never heard of. Mayana chocolate was one of them.

This may be the best chocolate bar I've ever had. 

Now to find it in my area.

I went online and found that Whole Foods sold the brand. This is a 45 minute trek for me during Michigan's 5th season: construction. I couldn't find it in the store any place. Located an employee who told me the chocolate bar/sweet treats person had just left for the day. Did I want to leave my name and number and they would get back with me? Possibly they could special order it for me. Yes, that would be fine.

And the name of the chocolate bar? I told her the company name. Her head shot up, she looked at me for the first time and said, "Oh, you don't mean a chocolate bar. You mean that absolutely decadent chocolate sensation." Yes, that's what I mean. "Come with me."

They had them in two spots. Neither of them with the plain old chocolate bars. Large size was here and small size was in with the desserts.

Today I needed to make the trek up there again. Unfortunately they didn't have my favorite: Space bar. It was sold out. All that greeted me was an empty spot pointing out that everyone got there ahead of me. Not even the box was left. They did have Kitchen Sink and Fix bar, both excellent. 

While writing this I needed to look up the name of my favorite since I couldn't remember it. Well, great. I discovered Mayana offers a monthly chocolate box. 

My family will be happy to know their Christmas shopping for me is done.

   My Chocolate Obsession (has gotten the better of me . . . again)

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a chocoholic.  Anyone who knows me well, knows which chocolate in a box to leave alone, what dessert to order for me at a restaurant if I have left the table or to warn someone who doesn't know me well to not eat the last one.  Everyone will pay if that happens.

It was closing in on Christmas and I had a friend Maggie who shared my love of chocolate.  I was checking out all the chocolate bars in the grocery store when I noticed a new one.  One I had not tried before--the flavor--the brand I recognized as excellent.  I decided to grab one for myself and one for my friend.

Once home, I placed both bars in my once-upon-a-time-secret-chocolate-drawer (The kids have flown the coop and my husband has no interest so all my chocolate is safe now).  From there I put my groceries away; did some other jobs around the house and then decided to try out my new treat.

I got the bar and sat down at the dining room table.  I savored a few pieces, folded the foil back around it and seeing the Christmas present I had wrapped for Maggie sitting there, thought to put my chocolate bar on top as a reminder to get her bar out when the time came to exchange.  

Some days later we made arrangements to meet.  This we did.  We chatted, we exchanged, we went back to our respective homes.

2:00 in the morning I come suddenly wide awake and sit bolt upright in bed.  Did I give Maggie my chewed-on bar or had I remembered to exchange the chocolate out?  I really hoped I had been smart enough but had no recollection of doing any such thing.  

I tossed and turned.  Surely I had exchanged the bars.  I couldn't remember it because it had been so automatic, right?  Like closing a door or shutting off a light.  Come on, who gives their friend a partially eaten chocolate bar as a Christmas present?

All I could envision laying there in the dark was my beautiful, kind-of-expensive chocolate bar in the trash--undeservedly so, because Maggie would assume someone at the store had snuck a bite.  The horrors!  I couldn't bear the thought!

The logical step was, of course, to get up and look at the other bar.  The problem was that my not-so-secret-chocolate-drawer was on the other side of the room, on the other side of the bed, meaning, on my husband's side.  Like, right next to him.

I couldn't stand it.  The torture was keeping me awake.  I grabbed up my little flashlight, carefully got out of bed, tiptoed around the bed and kneeled on the floor,.  Slowly, oh so slowly, I pulled the drawer open.  Good, no sound.  I reached in for the one chocolate bar nestled in around other various chocolates and slowly extracted it.  I felt along the length and swore.  It felt solid.  How could I be that stupid?  I had had several days to switch them out.

Well, if the bar had been excellent, instead of just good, I'd have polished it off and wouldn't have this problem.  This really isn't my fault.

The light was starting to dim and I decided I had to look.  It wasn't enough to just feel.  I was carefully teasing the paper back when I heard:

"You've got a serious problem.  You know that, right?"

The next morning I called Maggie.  "Hey, have you had a chance to try that chocolate bar yet?" I asked light and breezy.

This was met by a slight snort.  "Yes."

"Let me explain," I began.

She burst out laughing.  "I knew it was you!  My husband told me to throw it out, someone at the store had sampled it.  I said, absolutely not.  This is J. R.'s handiwork.  I agreed I wouldn't eat it until I found out for sure but I wasn't throwing it away because I was sure you'd done this.  You would have a logical explan--well, an explanation for it.

"So, you didn't throw it out," I stated relieved.

"No.  I know better than that where you and chocolate are concerned."

 

As a footnote, since other people have asked: Maggie is hanging on to my chocolate bar.  At some point we will get together again and exchange them . . . as long as I don't eat hers.

Chocolate Chip Cookie a Different Way

Over the weekend my daughter, her friend and I went shopping for the day and ended up at a winery that none of us had ever been to.  We enjoyed 8 tastings but were also kind of hungry.  They are one of the few wineries that I have been in that also had a cafe on the premises.  Among the food items they had four cookies to choose from. My daughter picked the chocolate chip with bacon and I picked the chocolate chip with potato chips. 

The one with bacon was alright.  You could definitely taste the bacon.  But the potato chip one . . . was great!  All three of us agreed on that.  We noticed that while the chocolate chip/bacon one looked like a chocolate chip cookie the chocolate chip/potato chip one looked more like a shortbread cookie. 

The next day at home I was kicking myself for not buying the last potato chip cookie on our way out.  Maybe I should make a batch and see how mine turn out?  I didn't really want to do this though because I had homemade frozen chocolate chip cookies waiting to be eaten and I had, a few days previously made shortbread cookies. 

Well then, just suffer through the day without.

Wait a minute.  I still have shortbread cookies.  Definitely have chocolate in the house and didn't my husband buy a package of potato chips?  I immediately got up to look.  Yes, there weren't many left but it would work for my experiment.  I laid the chocolate (with caramel) on top of the shortbread, bit into that and dropped some potato chips in my mouth.  Oh, my word!  Did that hit the spot!

           This may be the way I always have my chocolate chip potato chip cookies from now on.

Icelandic Chocolate

Walking through an unfamiliar grocery store, actually looking for a health drink that I am finding harder and harder to find . . . I somehow came across the candy aisle (don't know how that happened).

I have never seen chocolate from Iceland before so I needed to buy this.  I have been breaking off pieces of this and just eating it but I now discover that there is a recipe for making hot chocolate on the back of the bar. 

Well, darn . . . I've eaten too much.  Will just have to go back and buy more.  Winter is coming.

After the Detroit Zoo

For our wedding anniversary my husband and I decided to go to the Detroit Zoo.  Do something a little different.  I have not been since I took three of our four children there.  The fourth one wasn't even on the horizon yet and all are grown so -- a big number anniversary. 

Mainly I wanted to check out the new Penguin Exhibit. 

Our son and daughter-in-law wanted to join us and we all agreed to pack a lunch and eat there.  While my husband and I packed peanut butter sandwiches and a couple bags of chips they arrived with a basket full of huge sandwiches that they had picked up at the deli around the corner.   I wasn't jealous until dessert time. 


Actually my daughter-in-law had some type of pudding cup with fruit on top so, I wasn't jealous about that.  But they did talk about the fabulous chocolate desserts that were there that I might like.  Where is this place?

Yes, they have fabulous desserts.  No, I didn't think to snap any pictures until after we had eaten, however, I had also picked up these candy bars.

                                  Strawberry, champagne, truffle.  What's not to love?

I think it was Sanders that made the really good honey chips that I can't find anymore.  I don't like spicy, hot food but decided to try out the honey pepita caramel anyway.  They are both very tasty but the honey one has a bit of a bite to it due to the chili powder.  Not bad but it's there. 

A Little Liqueur . . .

A friend in her travels brought me back a wonderful surprise -- Chocolate!  And not just any chocolate but little tiny shaped bottles of the stuff with various liqueurs inside each.  I am having more fun trying these out. 

                                                          Thank you!  Thank you!