November 10, 2014 1 Comment
Gratitude ~ the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindnessWe talk a lot about gratitude in the month of November. We all try to make an extra effort to count our blessings, do for others and pay closer attention to all that we have. It’s important to make this effort in every day life, and we’ve found at Chocology that it is especially important to practice gratitude in our day-to-day business dealings. Having a gratitude practice can paint a new picture on a chaotic day. Starting and running a business can bring challenges that aren’t expected at times. When we make it a point to shift our focus to what is working, rather that what is challenging, it feels as though we are swimming with the flow of life. By integrating an attitude of gratitude into our business practices, we make better decisions, even in the chaos of a challenging day. Focusing on gratitude grounds Chocology and keeps us zeroed in on giving. When we feel abundant, we feel as though we have lots to give. Our focus becomes about giving good service, good quality products and building strong relationships. We don’t have time to dwell on the things that don’t go our way, because we know that there is always another door up there on the horizon just waiting for us to walk through it. When we appreciate all of the good things that are happening, it seems to bring us even more. Chocology prides itself on making chocolate personal. Our vision is RED, putting our focus on Relationships, Education and Distinct products. All of these qualities arise from the gratitude we have for our customers and vendors. While the bottom line is important, when we put our focus on giving, the bottom line takes care of itself. We operate Chocology just as we operate our personal lives. We start our day with gratitude for our customers, our readers and all of our vendors and products. Our purpose is to bring great products and education to all that desire it and to appreciate every step we take to get there. We thought it might be nice to share some of the things that Chocology is very grateful for this month. We hope that it will inspire you to stop for a moment and think about what you are grateful for. Being thankful is the first step to creating a brand new day filled with all of our hearts desires. It really does begin with perspective. Let’s cultivate an attitude of gratitude together this month. Chocology is especially grateful for:
YOU our customers and readers
For the opportunity to share our love for all things chocolate
For all of our outstanding vendors, technical people and associates who help us make Chocology a company we are proud of
For our new Fat Ass Fudge products (We know you’re going to love them!)
For the potential to bring education to kids through Chocology Kids
For all of our pet friends out there and the opportunity to develop products that they will enjoy in the future
For all of our family and friends, who support us on this lovely chocolate adventure
We truly are thankful for the opportunity to share our passion with you. Thank you for being a part of our Chocology family. We wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. We would love to hear what you are thankful for this month. Feel free to leave us a comment, visit us on Facebook or tweet us your gratitude list.November 03, 2014
The winner of the 24-piece “You Can Have it All” Chocology Chocolates, is Ted Cart. Thank you Ted for helping us spread the word about Chocology.
Winners of our Fudge giveaway are Candy Johnson, Nitsa Swain,Tricia Folliero, DanTeresa Loos, Wesi Tresi and Beda Nelson. Thank you all for participating in our contest and sharing your love of Chocology with your friends and family.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our give aways! Be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter so that you will stay updated on all of the contests and specials we are having during the holidays. Have a terrific, chocolate filled week! ~ Linda JohnsonNovember 03, 2014
October 28, 2014
Chocology Chocolate Glossary
October 20, 2014 2 Comments
October 13, 2014
1 sweet potato 3 eggs, whisked ¼ cup Coconut Oil, melted ⅓ cup raw honey ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon cinnamon pinch of salt ½ cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
Bake the sweet potato. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, use a fork to puncture holes all around it, then throw in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Once your sweet potato is soft and cooked through, peel off the skin and mash it up in a bowl. Turn your oven down to 350 degrees.
Add your wet ingredients: eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla to the bowl and mix together.
Then add your dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips.
Mix well.
Pour into an 8×8 glass baking dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let rest to cool a bit.
If you’re looking for a decadent, super easy recipe for brownies, our favorite is right off the back of the Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate box. One-bowl brownies are so simple to make; you can be eating this sweet treat within 40 minutes, start to finish! We substitute chocolate chips in place of nuts (of course we do, we LOVE chocolate). So, if you’re feeling a bit wicked, whip out your ONE bowl and make a batch of these. They’re sure to please all those chocoholics in your family! [caption id="attachment_496" align="alignleft" width="224"] ONE BOWL BROWNIES[/caption]1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate ¾ cup butter or margarine 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup flour 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
HEAT oven to 350°F.
LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray foil with cooking spray.
MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and chocolate chips; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely. Use foil handles to remove brownies from pan before cutting to serve.
If you try one of these recipes, please tell us about it. Did you make them both? Which was your favorite? Please share with us in the comments section here or on our Facebook Page or take a picture and send it to us on Instagram! We'd love to hear all about it. Thanks again to everyone who participated in our Happy Birthday to Me Give Away! Stay tuned for more contests in the near future. We appreciate your support!October 06, 2014
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The more you share the better your chances of winning! Winner will be announced on the blog, October 14, 2014. You will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen, so be sure to check our blog next week to see if YOU are the lucky winner! I’m so excited to be celebrating my birthday with all of YOU! Thank you for helping us spread the word. On your mark. . .Get set. . . Go! And, Good Luck! ~ Linda JohnsonSeptember 30, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI&w=560&h=315]
And what about that famous line in Forest Gump? Do you remember it? If not, here’s a refresher: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJh59vZ8ccc&w=560&h=315] Remember when Johnny Depp licks his fingers after Juliette Binoche guesses his favorite chocolate in the movie Chocolat? Just about any scene from this movie could be included here, but we thought this one was pretty good. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhkCGApLP30&w=560&h=315] On this episode of Friends, things get a bit out of hand when Monica tries to impress her neighbors by making candy. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou76DXq57MI&w=420&h=315] We hope you enjoyed these clips. Chocolate is so universal that even the movie makers like to include it in their story lines. Check out Rotten Tomatoes for more chocolate covered movie themes. We probably could have included countless others in our collection here, but we want to hear from you! What is your favorite chocolate scene from a movie or television show? We’d love to know what it is! Share it with us in the comments section or on Facebook. Who knows? We might include it in an upcoming blog post! And don't forget to check out our website for some delectible chocolates you might enjoy at your next movie night!September 22, 2014
“Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me” ~ Jill Jackson MillerSunday, September 21, was International Day of Peace. The day was set aside by the United Nations in 1982, in hopes of promoting tranquility among nations and spreading the message that peace is vital to human rights and happiness. Many countries, cities and neighborhoods celebrated with festivals, peaceful gatherings and quiet meditation. Others perhaps just paused and reflected on the possibility of a more peaceful world. So, what did Chocology do for International Day of Peace? Well, we celebrated with chocolate of course! Madeline and I came up with the idea to share chocolate and the message of peace by making chocolate peace pops. This was our first real project with Chocology Kids, a division of Chocology that we are looking forward to developing. We headed to the kitchen and made 100 lollipops in the shapes of peace signs. Our idea was to mail fifty boxes to family, friends and colleagues. We even mailed one to the United Nations! Included in our Peace boxes were the following:
2 Chocolate Peace Pops that Madeline and I made. One to eat-One to share
A bag of moldable chocolate
A set of four peace pop candy molds
Instructions on what to do – One set written by Madeline (the easy version) and one set written by Linda (The more detailed version)
The instructions were to keep one of the already made peace pops and share the other with someone else. We encouraged our friends to use the molds and the chocolate to make even more Peace Pops and share them in their communities. The feedback was wonderful. Many of the people who received our chocolates became aware of International Day of Peace for the first time. Some were inspired to gather groups of kids to make lots of chocolate peace pops to share in their neighborhoods. Madeline and I made extra chocolate pops, and then hit the streets on Sunday to pass them out to neighboring businesses and strangers. Madeline passed them after her violin lesson they made everyone smile. [caption id="attachment_457" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Madeline making Peace Pops in New York[/caption] [caption id="attachment_445" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Making Peace Pops in Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_450" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Peace Pops Made in Texas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_443" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Caleb and Lucy set out to spread a little Peace in the neighborhood.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_454" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Peace Pops in San Diego[/caption] [caption id="attachment_455" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Making Peace Pops in San Diego[/caption] [caption id="attachment_456" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Making Peace Pops in San Diego[/caption] We at Chocology love sharing chocolate. We especially love promoting peace and tranquility in the world. Combining our love of chocolate along with our passion for a peaceful world made for a very gratifying experience. We hope it inspired others to share a smile, a chocolate or just become more aware of what they can do to promote peace in their family, communities and world. Sometimes all we need is a new perspective to make the world a kinder more gentler place. So what did you all do for International Day of Peace? We’d love to hear about it. Join us on Facebook and share a bit about how you strive to bring about peace in your world. And if you received one of our Peace boxes, we'd love to receive your pictures with a note about your experience with International Day of Peace. And remember to check out our website for delicious chocolates that you can share all year long.September 15, 2014
September 08, 2014
September 02, 2014 1 Comment