Chocolate covered Strawberries.

2012-02-13T14:10:00.002-08:00

Chocolate covered Strawberries, seem to be the ladies favorite this valentines day,
you never know what women want, what type of chocolate, make shoes, roses, flowers or candy for valentines. I can tell you though, Chocolate covered strawberries, seem just fine to me. I would love to really feed those to my other half. Here is the Recipe from http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com.

Chocolate covered strawberries are perfect for Valentine's Day. Around this time, you'll see them readily available at your local grocery store. However, the last time I checked the price, I have to admit that I winced. If you don't have the time and are willing to pay extra, then having them ready to go is perfect for you. But, if you do have the time and are willing to do a little extra work, then you can save your money towards a great dinner instead.

Dark chocolate is the best choice when choosing chocolates, but if you prefer, milk or white chocolate will work as well. I recommend buying dark chocolate in the 60% range. Ghirardelli sells a 60% bittersweet chocolate that is available almost anywhere or any top rate brands will work the best. I don't recommend getting cheap chocolate. Chocolate is basically one of the two main ingredients and it's important to get a chocolate that tastes good. You will be able to taste the difference!

The first project to tackle when making these strawberry delights is to temper your chocolate. This process is much easier than it sounds and you don't need to be an expert to be able to do this. The tempering process is recommended if you want to get that crisp crunch from your chocolate when you bite into your strawberry. If this step is skipped, it will appear less glossy and more than likely will be soggy.

There are a few tempering processes that can be done, but the easiest one to follow is the seeding method. Tempered chocolate is added to melted chocolate. It is then slightly cooled till it reaches the desired temperature. Don't worry, after you've read over the process this will make much more sense and before you know it, you'll be an expert!

Here's what you'll need:

2 11.5 oz block or bags of 60-66% dark chocolate

1 package of strawberries, washed and dried

Stainless steel bowl

Double Boiler

Rubber spatula

Parchment paper

1)Begin by setting up your water bath by preparing a double boiler. Place a pot of water on the stove and let it come to a simmer. You don't want it to boil because that may cause the chocolate to overheat and make it unusable.

2)Place 1 bag of chocolate in the stainless steel bowl and set it on top of the simmering water. Melt the chocolate by stirring it while it's over the hot water and take it off the heat when it is completely melted.

3)Next, add in 1 oz of chocolate from the 2nd bag and stir it into your melted chocolate. Continue stirring the chocolate for about 2 more minutes or until dark chocolate reaches around 89℉, while milk or white chocolate reaches around 86℉. The chocolate should be smooth.

4)Take a strawberry and holding onto the stem end, carefully dip it into the tempered chocolate. Alternatively, take a wooden skewer and pierce the skewer into the strawberry about half way thorough from the stem end of the strawberry. Continue by dipping it into the chocolate. Hold the dipped strawberry over the chocolate for a few seconds to let excess drip off, or gently scrape the bottom of the strawberry against the bowl and place it on the parchment. Doing this step will help in eliminating a pool of chocolate to form around your strawberry and instead will cling uniformly around it. If you do see a pool of chocolate after you have set it on the parchment paper, pick up the strawberry and place it down again on a clean area of the parchment.

5)Let the chocolate dipped strawberries harden at room temperature, or place them in the fridge to speed up the process. Leave the strawberries as they are, or top them off with a drizzle of white chocolate, sprinkles, or both!

They are best eaten the day they are made, but they can be refrigerated. Take note that if refrigerated, condensation may appear on the chocolate.

Chocolate covered strawberries are much easier than they are made out to be. This is a quick and simple way to surprise your special someone and paired with champagne this will definitely make your Valentine's Day memorable.

Love, Shoes, Flowers, Chocolate

2012-01-10T09:24:00.004-08:00

Do Women prefer Shoes, Flowers or Chocolate?

Throughout time men have always contemplated amongst themselves, what would women love to get on Valentines Day is it; Shoes, Flowers or Chocolate. The debate would go on for days amongst men, whether at the gym. basketball court the local pub, or the office lunch break room.I must say, I for one do not have these answers, so after sleepless nights and many dreams and visions on the issue, I decided to blog about sex, love, shoes, flowers and chocolate to see what the general opinion is on the topic of love and all of its accessories. You see all these are somewhat related, love, shoes, flowers, chocolate they are all matter that form meaning full relationships or on the other-hand relationships which lead nowhere, so tell me cause I would love to know, does the gift determine the love and success in regards to the longevity of a relationship and if so, what about giving chocolate or shoes or even flowers that just makes the hair on a woman's back just stand in high admiration for the giver, these questions about love, I ponder as I write this blog.

I can read your mind and one of the questions you are asking, Is it possible for a woman to love in today's materialistic world even if I don't adore here with Gucci shoes and expensive gifts. Well what is love?
After asking many women, what is this does love mean to them, I have come to the conclusion,most have no clue what love is, as they mostly seem to equate love to a feeling they feel inside and not actually a state of mind, body and soul. If you were to ask me what love means to me, well if me and my other half were to ever be stranded on a tropical island all alone, and we only had one last meal to share between us, because of my love for her, I am able to put my well being and health behind her own. Its like taking a bullet for her, to save her life, even though it might mean I might die. But then one might say, aren't men trained to take the bullet for the high value body they are guarding, hero's are born and killed everyday in the line of duty. It's in our nature, one can say. Well, when a man loves a woman, there is nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her, Kings have known to wage wars and invade kingdoms because of a woman. Look at Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It was Adam's love for Eve that made him fall and sin against God, not because he was deceived but because he knew at that point Eve eventually would die and he wanted to die wither her, examples of love as taught by our fore parents. What is your comment on true love today , what does it mean in our materialistic world today?

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What Women love, shoes, flowers, chocolate.

Chocolate covered Strawberries.

Love, Shoes, Flowers, Chocolate