Month: September 2017

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Don’t Be Afraid of Stevia

There are those who say “stevia” like it’s something awful and won’t touch it with a ten foot pool, and then there are those who won’t go anywhere without it and start getting worried when their supply of vanilla creme (or hazelnut or English toffee) starts running low.

Me? I don’t hate stevia, and then again I’m not crazy about it.   I’ve not tried many chocolates sweetened with stevia, but there is one brand I have tried and can recommend:

Lily's Creamy Milk Chocolate - Sweetened with Stevia

Lily’s Chocolate (Pictured: Creamy Milk 40% Chocolate)

I’ll readily admit that the lack of sugar makes this chocolate less sweet than many other chocolates I have tried, but it allows the actual chocolate flavor to “shine”.

Lily’s seem to be a popular sugarfree chocolate option; I keep seeing some tasty baked goods/breakfasts featuring this chocolate.

Chocolate for breakfast?  Yes please! 🙂Save

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There Are Other Food Groups?!

Just had to share…

Recently I was listening to an episode of  The Slow Melt chocolate podcast where the host Simran Sethi interviews Sam Maruta, co-founder of Marou Chocolate (bean-to-bar chocolate made in Vietnam).

It was a very informative and entertaining episode, and close to the end it made me laugh out loud. Sam was asked (and I’m paraphrasing here) if there was anything the general chocolate-eating public should know and he said: “Maybe don’t eat too much of it. It’s good, but there are other food groups. And you also need protein.”

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: There are food groups other than chocolate. (I’m trying to get over the shock.)

On a side note, the bar being tasted during the podcast was Dak Lak. There are just two Marou bars I had photographed but not shared yet and I thought “wouldn’t it be a neat coincidence if one of them was Dak Lak?” Lo and behold…. One of them was:

Marou Chocolate Dak Lak Vietnam

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Today is a Big Day

Today is September 13th.
Today is a Big Day.
And you’re thinking…..oooookay.
“It’s Wednesday.
It’s not a holiday.
Maybe I’m forgetting something?!”

Yes. You are. September 13th happens to be INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY.

This is not to be confused with National Chocolate Day (October 28th) or Every-Day-is-Chocolate-Day (Jan 1st – Dec 31st) (yes I made that last one up).

No doubt chocolate lovers around the world have big plans. (I know I do!)

If part of YOUR big plans are trying new chocolates, I’ve got just the one for you:

Millcreek Cacao Roasters Blackberry

This is Millcreek Cacao Roasters in Blackberry.

If I had to pick one adjective, I’d have to go with superb.

If I could pick a few more, I’d go with fudgy, creamy, fruity, & tangy.

This bar checked all my dark chocolate boxes; not bitter/astringent, very, very well conched (so creamy!), with a little taste of fruit included.

It’s made from scratch (ok, fine, bean to bar) (make that FARM to bar) in Utah. To read more, go to: http://www.millcreekcacao.com

It’s quite amazing how much craft chocolate is made in Utah.  (I don’t really have a list, but as of a few years ago, I’m certain Utah wouldn’t have made the list of the top 25 places that I think it would be fun to travel to. Now Utah would rank somewhere in the top 10.)  🙂

Have a great, chocolate-filled day!

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