Valentine's and Chocolate

There's nothing more traditional a gift for Valentine's Day than chocolates. Every year stores overstock their aisles with throngs of tasty chocolate of all sorts! And every year the day after Valentine's Day, you regret the decision you made to eat an ENTIRE BOX of sickeningly sweet, over processed sugary chocolates. Why is is exactly that we consume this delicious treat on the most love oriented day of the year?

It may date back to the Aztec ruler, Montezuma, who believed chocolate was an aphrodisiac. Brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, as a tribute to Queen Isabella of Spain, chocolates exotic lore of being an aphrodisiac spread quickly across Europe and the rest of the world soon after.

There may even be a scientific explanation for why Valentine's Day is linked to chocolate. Modern science says the chemical phenylethylamine in chocolate triggers attraction. Chocolate also contains a stimulant called theobromine, which has been known to cause feelings of happiness.



Some may look as chocolate as plain candy, but it's history and it's scientific components make it so much more than that! Try any of Cocoa Cravings delicious cocoas and chocolates and see for yourself what the fuss is about! (Makes a great gift, too!)

~~Teri Ridley~~

Special Cake for a Special Day

I've had some very ornate cakes for my birthday. One year when I was younger I got a "Little Mermaid" cake complete with toy characters I'd mistaken for frosting (ouch!). Another year I got a gourmet cake, made from a famous bakery in Chicago, from the most exotic(and expensive) ingredients, and to be mostly looked at than eaten.. Last year I got a simple homemade cake from my sister that meant more to me than any of those other cakes. Simple and delicious try this recipe for a meaningful birthday gift or a present from your beau on Valentine's Day.

P.S. Don't skimp on the chocolate chips!

                                                      Four Egg Chocolate Chip Cake

(Serves 4-5)

• 1 cup shortening 
• 2 cups sugar (we recommend eSutras Organic Cane Juice Sugar)
• 4 eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract  
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 3/4 cups milk 
• 1 cup of Cocoa Cravings Semi-Sweet Vegan Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool. 
5.  Sprinkle chocolate chips liberally over the top and serve!

-Teri Ridley

Lose Weight with Cocoa Cravings!

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of weight loss is not chocolate, but in fact some types of cocoa can be used for weight loss purposes. Weight loss products usually taste horrible and if it doesn't you are a slave to counting calories, but Cocoa Cravings Hoodia Cocoa takes a different route. Cocoa Craving Hoodia Cocoa is especially crafted to be effective in helping you keep your weight loss resolutions.Made with pure, organic, raw cocoa powder and and the unique botanical "hoodia" to formulate a tasty, yet healthy drink. Hoodia in usually found in Africa's Kalahari Desert. Traditionally it was eaten by the San Bushmen, to ward off hunger on long journeys. Sometimes the most ancient ways to lose weight or even be healthy is through a natural botanical our forefathers stumbled upon.


Try it in Drinking Chocolate (with chunks of vegan chocolate throughout) or Hot Cocoa!

-Teri Ridley