My husband recently got a job in Qatar so, we up and packed our things for a middle eastern adventure.
Well now that we are hear I can say that the Qatari's love Chocolate almost as much as I do. While out shopping you can find, the shelves brimming with all kinds of confection, but I stumbled upon a box of Galaxy Jewels, I had never seen them in the UK so I had to buy them. Galaxy is also a favourite of my husbands so it wasn't hard to persuade him to put the box of lovelyness in the trolly. Well I can say with some certainty this box of chocolates is banned from my children....they are really that nice. If you like Galaxy then youl love Galaxy Jewels. This is one of my favourite milk chocolate brands, and all I can say is that when I get back to the UK they had better start selling these.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
The best chocolate cake in the world
I have it on good authority that this is the best chocolate cake in the world. It was given to me by my mother in-law who's chocolate cakes were to die for. Since inheriting the recipe not a celebration goes by that it doesn't get used. I like to add a few variations evey now and then but the basic cake always stays the same.
Ingredients
CAKE
50g/2oz cocoa powder
175g/6oz unsalted butter
275g/10oz caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250g/9oz plain flour
1.5 tsp bicarb of soda
half tsp baking powder
FILLING
75g/3oz unsalted butter
175g/6oz icing sugar
ICING
75g/3oz unsalted butter
4tbsp milk
350g/12oz icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
CAKE METHOD:
This cake is served best with a very strong dark coffee, lol. Other variations I use is to make a Chocolate Orange Jaffa Cake. I add orange jest to the cake batter and orange juice to the icing.
Ingredients
CAKE
50g/2oz cocoa powder
175g/6oz unsalted butter
275g/10oz caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250g/9oz plain flour
1.5 tsp bicarb of soda
half tsp baking powder
FILLING
75g/3oz unsalted butter
175g/6oz icing sugar
ICING
75g/3oz unsalted butter
4tbsp milk
350g/12oz icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
CAKE METHOD:
- Step One: Preheat the oven to 180oC/350F. Grease 2 20cm cake tins or lightly spray with oil a suitable silicone baking pan.
- Step Two: Blend the cocoa with 8floz/240ml of boiling water. Place in a mixing bowl, softened butter, sugar and 4 tbsp of the cocoa mixture and beat together til the mixture is light a fluffy.
- Step Three: Gradually beat in the eggs to the mixture and the remaining cocoa mixture, it will look as though it is separating but don't worry it wont. Sift the flour bicarb of soda and backing powder on top of your mixture and gently fold in until thoroughly mixed.
- Step Four: Pour the mixture into your cake tins and bake for 25 Min's until risen and firm to the touch. Increase you cooking time by 20 Min's if you are baking the mixture in one pan.
- Once cooked turn out onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Place butter and milk in a saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted. Sift in icing sugar and cocoa and mix until smooth and glossy. Take out two tablespoons of the mixture for the filling and chill the rest.
- Beat the butter and icing sugar together until they are smooth then add the reserved icing and mix together.
This cake is served best with a very strong dark coffee, lol. Other variations I use is to make a Chocolate Orange Jaffa Cake. I add orange jest to the cake batter and orange juice to the icing.
Top Ten Chocolates
Are you in need of some gorgeous chocolate that will set your tastebuds alight? You know you do...I found an online code for "The Chocolate Trading Co" just in time for some tasty fathers day treats.
To get an 8% discount off your order (p+p not included) just pop in the promotuional code Dad8. The offer runs out on 30th June so get your skates on and stock up on some chocolate goodness.
Take a look at their top ten chocolates.
1 Equinoxe Collection Gift Box
A gourmet chocolate gift box of assorted, luxury chocolate nibbles of Valrhona
high quality. Dark chocolate enrobed candied orange peel, milk and dark
chocolate enrobed hazelnuts and almonds and milk chocolate enrobed biscuit.
Price £29.95
2 Domori Cru Rio Caribe, 70% Cocoa, Single Origin, Dark Chocolate Bar
Created using Rio Caribe, a Trinitario cocoa from the Hacienda San Jose
plantation in Venezuela. This bar holds notes of nuts, ripe fruits, raisins and
tobacco. A perfectly balanced chocolate with many characteristics. Price
£3.95
3 Gran Couva, vintage 2009, 64% Cocoa, Single Estate, Dark Chocolate Bar
NEW The Valrhona Gran Couva bar is created from fine flavour Trinitario cocoa
beans from a single years harvest at the San Juan Estate (Gran Couva
plantation), found on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. This 2009 vintage
chocolate provides predominant flavours of roasted almonds and hazelnuts with
slight notes of spice. Very little tart fruits, unlike the Ampamakia, and less
sweet than the Palmira. Price £3.95
4 Celaya, Hot Chocolate
If you are in the majority and prefer your hot chocolate to be sweet then this
is the drinking chocolate for you, with just 50% cocoa content and so without
any bitterness. Price £9.95
5 The Superior Selection, Luxury Chocolate Hamper
A sophisticated and contemporary chocolate hamper filled with a winning
selection of our famous "Superior Selection" range of chocolates. Containing
both milk and dark chocolates of the highest and purest quality, such as the
assorted 12 box, two fine chocolate bars and two speciality chocolate gift bags.
Price £35.99
6 Chocolate Dice
An assorted bag of 75, milk chocolate dice measuring 2cm square. Large
quantities of chocolate dice are available in stock for promotional &
advertising use. Price £13.95
7 100 Yellow Foil Chocolate Hearts
A bright, metallic yellow foiled milk chocolate heart. Ideal for table
decorations, wedding favours, token gifts, Valentines day, hospitality or
promotional/advertising campaigns. Approximately 100 foiled hearts per bag.
Price includes VAT. Price £12.95
8 Michel Cluizel Passion Chocolate Box
NEW! A lover's gift box containing 8, superior quality chocolate hearts. The red
foiled heart is made from fine milk chocolate with an almond and hazelnut
praline centre. The pink foiled heart is a single estate dark chocolate from the
Los Ancones plantation with a rich ganache centre. Price
£5.95
9 Chocolate Trading Co. Superior Selection, 6 Assorted Chocolate Box
A small, window gift box of 6 milk, dark and white assorted chocolates from our
Superior Selection range, ideal for that token gift but without compromising on
quality. Containing only the purest and highest quality of ingredients. This box
can be easily personalised, if required. Price
£4.95
10 Organic Champagne TrufflesLight and creamy, dark chocolate and Champagne truffles made with 56% smooth dark chocolate and packed with a punch. Dusted with fine cocoa powder. Another winning chocolate truffle from Booja Booja in our opinion. Organic chocolate at its finest. Price £8.45
To get an 8% discount off your order (p+p not included) just pop in the promotuional code Dad8. The offer runs out on 30th June so get your skates on and stock up on some chocolate goodness.
Take a look at their top ten chocolates.
1 Equinoxe Collection Gift Box
A gourmet chocolate gift box of assorted, luxury chocolate nibbles of Valrhona
high quality. Dark chocolate enrobed candied orange peel, milk and dark
chocolate enrobed hazelnuts and almonds and milk chocolate enrobed biscuit.
Price £29.95
2 Domori Cru Rio Caribe, 70% Cocoa, Single Origin, Dark Chocolate Bar
Created using Rio Caribe, a Trinitario cocoa from the Hacienda San Jose
plantation in Venezuela. This bar holds notes of nuts, ripe fruits, raisins and
tobacco. A perfectly balanced chocolate with many characteristics. Price
£3.95
3 Gran Couva, vintage 2009, 64% Cocoa, Single Estate, Dark Chocolate Bar
NEW The Valrhona Gran Couva bar is created from fine flavour Trinitario cocoa
beans from a single years harvest at the San Juan Estate (Gran Couva
plantation), found on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. This 2009 vintage
chocolate provides predominant flavours of roasted almonds and hazelnuts with
slight notes of spice. Very little tart fruits, unlike the Ampamakia, and less
sweet than the Palmira. Price £3.95
4 Celaya, Hot Chocolate
If you are in the majority and prefer your hot chocolate to be sweet then this
is the drinking chocolate for you, with just 50% cocoa content and so without
any bitterness. Price £9.95
5 The Superior Selection, Luxury Chocolate Hamper
A sophisticated and contemporary chocolate hamper filled with a winning
selection of our famous "Superior Selection" range of chocolates. Containing
both milk and dark chocolates of the highest and purest quality, such as the
assorted 12 box, two fine chocolate bars and two speciality chocolate gift bags.
Price £35.99
6 Chocolate Dice
An assorted bag of 75, milk chocolate dice measuring 2cm square. Large
quantities of chocolate dice are available in stock for promotional &
advertising use. Price £13.95
7 100 Yellow Foil Chocolate Hearts
A bright, metallic yellow foiled milk chocolate heart. Ideal for table
decorations, wedding favours, token gifts, Valentines day, hospitality or
promotional/advertising campaigns. Approximately 100 foiled hearts per bag.
Price includes VAT. Price £12.95
8 Michel Cluizel Passion Chocolate Box
NEW! A lover's gift box containing 8, superior quality chocolate hearts. The red
foiled heart is made from fine milk chocolate with an almond and hazelnut
praline centre. The pink foiled heart is a single estate dark chocolate from the
Los Ancones plantation with a rich ganache centre. Price
£5.95
9 Chocolate Trading Co. Superior Selection, 6 Assorted Chocolate Box
A small, window gift box of 6 milk, dark and white assorted chocolates from our
Superior Selection range, ideal for that token gift but without compromising on
quality. Containing only the purest and highest quality of ingredients. This box
can be easily personalised, if required. Price
£4.95
10 Organic Champagne TrufflesLight and creamy, dark chocolate and Champagne truffles made with 56% smooth dark chocolate and packed with a punch. Dusted with fine cocoa powder. Another winning chocolate truffle from Booja Booja in our opinion. Organic chocolate at its finest. Price £8.45
Love chocolate how about a diploma to prove it.
Well while I was looking around the web I found this "Chocolate University". As you can imagine I had to take a closer look. Click Here! to take a peak yourelf. Let me know if your a member im poised with my finger over the join now button.
My thinking behind joining is that if Im serious about making my own chocolates I should have a sound knowledge to start with. I litterally live in the sand dunes so im house bound most of the time, oh woe is me lol. So going to culinary school is out of the question ( its about 100KM away!).
My thinking behind joining is that if Im serious about making my own chocolates I should have a sound knowledge to start with. I litterally live in the sand dunes so im house bound most of the time, oh woe is me lol. So going to culinary school is out of the question ( its about 100KM away!).
Crazy about Cocoa
I dont know about you but I can't do without my daily dose of Chocolate. It doesn't have to be much but it's part of the day I love the most. This is ME time, I can sit down by myself with a strong cup off coffee and indulge in my guilty little pleasure, lol.
While sat there nibbling on the last piece of smooth lovlieness I sit and imagine what it would be like to creat my own little chocolaty treats. I had hinted that I wanted to have a chocolatiers course for my big 30 but my hubby didnt get the hint, LOL. So it looks like ill have to try and learn at home and im sure that there are a whole host of books and materials out there to get me started I just need to start lol.
I got to admit I tend to start all sorts of different craft type projects but Im sure that this one will get my full attention, and I know that my kids will happy to try the morsals I offer up to them.
Well im off to search the web to find the goodies I need to get started. Oh Im all excited....its the simple things that please me, lol.
While sat there nibbling on the last piece of smooth lovlieness I sit and imagine what it would be like to creat my own little chocolaty treats. I had hinted that I wanted to have a chocolatiers course for my big 30 but my hubby didnt get the hint, LOL. So it looks like ill have to try and learn at home and im sure that there are a whole host of books and materials out there to get me started I just need to start lol.
I got to admit I tend to start all sorts of different craft type projects but Im sure that this one will get my full attention, and I know that my kids will happy to try the morsals I offer up to them.
Well im off to search the web to find the goodies I need to get started. Oh Im all excited....its the simple things that please me, lol.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The dilema when choosing your wedding ring.
So your getting married, the date is set and your ready to get planning the most important day of your life. Now next to all that stuff, you will be wearing the ring for the rest of your life so you need to be 100% sure that the ring you have choosen is the ring you really want.
The ring is so important as its a symbol for you and to others of your marriage. You can garantee that on your wedding day everyone will want to see your sparkling ring. You will spend a lot of time with your had distended towards others, and think again if your special day is about you and your partner,...wrong generally its about your guests and they will all want a piece of you, you've been warned, lol.
The ring is so important as its a symbol for you and to others of your marriage. You can garantee that on your wedding day everyone will want to see your sparkling ring. You will spend a lot of time with your had distended towards others, and think again if your special day is about you and your partner,...wrong generally its about your guests and they will all want a piece of you, you've been warned, lol.
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