Chocology Today

We were so busy this week we almost forgot to post our blog and say Happy National Fudge Day!  Since it was National Fudge Day (what a perfect day to celebrate!) and since we have so many new follower’s we’ve decided to repost our popular blog The Origins of Fudge.  

Have you ever wondered where fudge came from? Is it American or French or Canadian? What exactly is it that sets fudge apart from other candies?  And why do we love it so much?

We at Chocology like to know everything there is to know about the products we offer. Since Chocology acquired Fat-Ass Fudge in early November, we thought it might be fitting to do a bit of research about the history of fudge. While we know all about the makings of fudge, since we make it in the Chocology kitchen, we weren’t quite sure about the origins of this sweet delight. So, we set out to do research and of course, when we learn something new, we like to pass it on to you.

Every story about the beginning of fudge differs a bit but it seems that it may have started in the late 1800’s in a women’s dorm room in the United States. Here’s the picture we envision:

Several women hover around a stockpot simmering on a hot plate in a dorm room. One of the women, currently enrolled in a taffy making class, stirs the pot as the others take in the aroma. The taffy student is working diligently to perfect her caramel for class the next day. Another woman stands by the door as a look out, lest they get caught cooking in their room. She whispers, “They’re coming!” The women quickly put out the fire and hide the pot behind the rocking chair.

When the coast is clear again, the taffy student stirs and stirs but realizes the caramel is a flop. They have failed to get the temperature hot enough!

Dismayed that the ingredients were now wasted, they dipped their fingers in to see what the concoction tasted like. To their delight, it was delicious! They called their new discovery “fudge”, to identify it as a mistake. The taffy student takes her fudge to class the next day and a new product is born.

We will probably never know exactly what happen that night in the dorm room. But we do know that the first fudge was sold at a Baltimore grocery store in 1886 for forty cents a pound. In 1888, Emelyn Hartridge obtained the recipe for fudge. After selling it at an auction at a Vassar College, fudge became the newest popular confection. The desire for fudge spread to other women’s colleges where new and improved recipes were developed.

The ladies in the dorm room were only two degrees away from their caramel. Lucky for us, the pot got turned off too quickly resulting in the fudge recipes we enjoy today.

Fudge is generally made by mixing milk, sugar and butter and then heating it to 240 degrees. The mixture is then blended with chocolate and beat while it cools to obtain a creamy, smooth consistency.

Over one hundred years have passed since the invention of fudge. The recipes have developed over the years and now we have access to thousands of interpretations of that first mishap. Experimentation with ingredients has yielded us the many varieties of fudge that we enjoy today.

Our Fat-Ass Fudge is made with goats milk,  goats butter, sugar and the finest Belgian chocolate available. We then mix it with other quality ingredients to bring out the most decadent taste imaginable. A lot of care goes into our recipes; attention to detail, temperatures and fine ingredients are strictly followed. We think this makes our fudge one of the best on the market.

We hope you will give our Fat Ass Fudge a try. With prices starting at $10 you can’t go wrong! Choose from Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with nuts, Dark & White, Peanut Butter fudge, White chocolate and White chocolate with nuts and our latest creation… Cappuccino. There’s something to please everyone’s palette! And keep checking back. We are in the process of developing new flavors to add to our fudge line in the months to come.

Plus we are proud to announce a collaboration with the following non-profit organizations who pull on our heartstrings:  Back on My Feet, PA, Operation Freedom Paws, Caterina's Club, Pathways to Peace, Maritime Explorium.  To sweeten the pot even further, you can help. . . simply by eating our Fat Ass Fudge!  Chocology will donate $1.00 from every fudge order ($2.00 for orders over $50.00) to one of the above charitable organizations using their code at checkout..

We would love to hear from you when you try our fudge. Be sure to comment here or visit us on Facebook and let us know if you think this is the best fudge ever!

Here’s some of the feedback we’ve received so far about Fat Ass Fudge:

Linda, My fudge arrived today.  I am more excited than a dog with two tails.  I have eaten a lot of fudge in my day, but nothing like yours; it’s DIVINE!

I hoarded it for Thanksgiving but will buy more for Christmas to share with family members.

I can't get over how GOOD your chocolate tastes - every other chocolate maker's chocolate I have tried over the past ten years has been just awful - lots of sugar, no chocolate. 

So glad you have taken over this company and are experimenting with additional varieties, also.  However, your dark chocolate with nuts is TOPS with us.

The white fudge was incredible. Appearance and fragrance much better quality than other companies and it melted so deliciously "white" on my tongue.

Hi Linda - Owner and Maker of Fat Ass Fudge that I could easily become addicted to ...Your fantabulous fudge arrived on Thanksgiving morning by carrier messenger ... And it has totally changed my desire for chocolate!  I had almost forgotten how delicious - truly fresh and rich chocolate can be - I LOVE IT!!!  I LOVE YOUR CHOCOLATE!!!

Wishing you our loyal followers a happy belated National Fudge Day.  Enjoy!

Our Dad’s deserve a special day. They do so much for us and often it goes unnoticed. Father’s Day is a great opportunity to show Dad just how much you appreciate him and all that he does to make your family special.

Father’s Day is June 21st this year. Will you barbeque in the backyard? Or perhaps you’ll shoot a few rounds of golf. Whatever you have planned, don’t forget the chocolate!

Dad’s are notorious for urging us not to buy them gifts. He probably doesn’t need another tie or dress shirt. But who can turn down a box of exquisite Chocology chocolates or creamy mouth-watering Belgian Fudge made with organic goat’s milk and butter? Those are gifts that everyone enjoys receiving . . .even Dad!

Did you know that Chocology gives back to charities around the United States with every fudge order we receive? Perhaps your dad would love the idea of nibbling on fudge that has helped to secure a home for a family in need, empower Veterans to restore their own empowerment or assist the homeless in getting back on their feet. Knowing that your gift has helped someone else might be just the thing that puts a sparkle in his eye.

Maybe your dad is a true blue chocoholic. If so, why not have a box of our artisan chocolates sent to his office every month? The Chocolate Lover’s Club by Chocology is a great choice for the chocolate fans in your life. Imagine a fresh box of chocolates landing on his desk for the next 3, 6 or 9 months with a note from you. At Chocology, we aim to make each and every delivery special and unique. With this gift, Dad feels your appreciation the whole year through. You can’t go wrong with a gift from Chocology.

However you choose to give to Dad this Father’s Day we at Chocology wish you a wonderful day celebrating the special men in your life.

Your wedding day is one of the most important and special days of your life. We at Chocology know that planning a wedding affords many choices.  From choosing the wedding gown, preparing the guest list and determining the food that will be served, each decision brings you closer to that special day of celebration.

We're proud to say Chocology has had the honor of helping couples create that special wedding day. Whether creating platters of chocolate to be incorporated into the menu, pairing chocolates at your cocktail hour or assisting the bride and groom with favors for their guests, our top priority has always been to make our clients and their guests feel very special.  We do this by working closely with you and/or your Wedding Planner.

Incorporating fine chocolate into your wedding personalizes your special day. Chocolate favors are always a good idea, especially if they're made with love by Chocology.  Hand selected chocolates chosen to coordinate with your colors or wedding theme makes an elegant and tasty statement, adding detail the dessert table. Imagine your guests surprise at our delicious miniature works of art.

Or perhaps you want individual gifts to send along with your guests. Choose from our array of smooth and creamy fudge selections or boxed variety of fresh chocolates customized specifically with you in mind. Do you want special ribbon? Your picture included in the boxes? A special hand written note by you? Chocology will customize your favors so that your guests feel your personal sentiments and gratitude.

Is your special day coming up? Have you thought about an intimate little gift to say a big thank you?  Contact Linda at her website or on Facebook to find out more about how you can incorporate elegant chocolate into your wedding celebration. We’d love to be a part of making it personal.

Cheers to… Sweet Endings and New Beginnings!

After a month of cross-country travel, Madeline and I arrived home Friday May 15, having driven a total of 8,001 miles since our departure on April 17th. We had so much fun driving through so many states and witnessing the beauty of this amazing country of ours. Reconnecting with friends and family and making new friends along the way was such a joy! Although we discovered that we feel at “home” wherever we are, it was nice to pull into Port Jefferson and relinquish the car keys for a while. It's really is nice to be home.

Just because we’re home doesn’t mean our busy schedule ends though. We’re moving onward and forward on our chocolate mission and of course we want you to come along with us!

With treats in hand, Chocology made it’s debut at the Port Jefferson Farmer’s Market on Sunday offering our Fat-Ass fudge to market goers. We shared time and space with lots of local Long Island vendors and met so many wonderful people, families and even pets!

In addition, today we’re into our test kitchen and off to our Commercial Kitchen on Thursday trying out a variety of new fudge flavors. We got so many suggestions on the road and couldn’t wait to get back and test them out. We’ve discovered that taste varies, depending on what part of the country you live in. Here’s a smattering of possibilities:

Maple Bacon
Garlic
Raspberry Chocolate
Cabernet
Spicy Mexican

And finally, we will be adding another fundraiser to our Chocology Gives Back lineup.

Maritime Explorium:

How is this organization changing the world?

Families exploring the fun and interactive hands-on exhibits at the Maritime Explorium at Port Jeff Harbor will enjoy the excitement of scientific discovery, develop a broadened cultural awareness and experience a sense of artistry while learning about Long Island’s rich and varied maritime heritage.  

From now until December 20th every Fat Ass Fudge order that you place using the code EXPLORIUM, Chocology will donate $1.00 ($2 for every order of $50 or more) to help this organization empower and enrich the lives of our youth.

We’re excited to be home safely and ready to jump right in to more chocolate adventures! Won’t you help us spread the chocolate love? Share this post on Facebook and Twitter with friends and family so that they too can be a part of the Chocology family!

Cheer's to being Home Sweet Home. . .

~The Chocology Team

#ChocologyRoadTrip

Day 14
San Francisco, California
4,200 miles

 We left New York on April 17th with 8,004 miles ahead of us. Madeline and I plan to return to home base by May 17th - putting us currently at the half way mark of our Chocology Gives back cross-country extravaganza. Madeline and I are in absolute awe of this great country we live in, especially of the people we meet along the way!

We have a system. I drive – Madeline navigates. Being in the car together for long stretches of time has given us lots of opportunity for deep philosophical conversations. Besides solving all of the world’s difficulties, Madeline and I have decided that we’re not just New Yorkers, were citizens of America! Home is where we land each day and the people we meet are family. What an honor it is for us to work with people across America who make a difference in the world by giving back!

Besides working with some awesome organizations, we’ve had the chance to visit with friends and family and do lots of chocolate tastings along the way.

So. . . who have we visited and what have we been up to besides driving? Well, helping causes, sharing our Give-Back philosophy and passing out chocolate of course! It's been a really great adventure so far, here's a sampling of where we’ve been:

Back on My Feet In Philadelphia

Short visit with friends in Atlanta and Texas

Booked two wedding while in Texas

Homeschooling Conference in Texas

Interviewed the Director of Corporate Citizenship at Disney in Anaheim

Brought some messy Chocolate fun to the Boys and Girls club in Anaheim

Visited Madeline’s 2011 CNN Hero - Chef Bruno

Met with RoadTrip Nation in Costa Mesa

Homeschooling Event in California

A smattering of visits to family and friends

We'll share all of our adventures with each of these wonderful people and organizations when we get back, so stay tuned.

It’s not too late to jump in our virtual backseat! Experience our adventures on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and join the Chocology Gives Back conversation! We’d love to have you with us.

On the road again. . .

Madeline and Linda

Many people believe that Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico’s Independance. But it’s not. According to Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo (5th of May in English) is the day reserved to commemorate the Mexian Army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla back in 1862. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Cinco de Mayo:

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on 5 May. It is celebrated in the United States and in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). Mexican Americans also often see the day as a source of pride; one way they can honor their ethnicity is to celebrate this day.

 The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day - the most important national holiday in Mexico -which is celebrated on September 16.

At Chocology, we love any reason to celebrate ~ and chocolate is the tool in which we bring it all together!

So, to celebrate the battle fought back in 1862, we thought we would bring you a couple of recipes.

Can you imagine chocolate in chili? Well, we’ve tried this recipe and can say with confidence that chocolate actually taste GOOD in chili! Perhaps you’ll give it a try at your Cinco de Mayo celebration. Originally found on the All Recipes website.

  Paleo Chili

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings


1 cup boiling water


1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil


1 cup chopped yellow onion


1 cup chopped green bell pepper


1 cup chopped red bell pepper


4 garlic cloves, minced


1 pound ground bison *


1/2 pound spicy ground pork sausage *


1 tablespoon chili powder


1 tablespoon ground cumin


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder


1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes


1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt


1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dried chipotle pepper, stem removed

Directions

Soak chipotle pepper in boiling water until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove pepper from water and mince.

Melt coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir garlic and minced chipotle into onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir bison and sausage into onion mixture. Cook and stir until meat is browned and crumbly, 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa powder, and Worcestershire sauce into the bison mixture; add crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper and stir.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors are blended, 10 minutes.

*Note: We used regular grass-fed hamburger in our recipe in place of the bison and sausage. It was terrific!

The second recipe came about quite by accident. Madeline was rushing off to a friend’s house with Nacho ingredients in tow. As an afterthought, I threw in some white chocolate fudge for the kids to enjoy as desert.

Much to my surprise, the friend’s mom called later thanking me for the ingredients for the white chocolate nachos! They had mistakenly grated the white chocolate as “cheese” for the Mexican dish. But it was a hit! And I had a new recipe. Maybe you’ll try it with your Paleo chili.

White Chocolate Nachos

Ingredients

1/4 lb White Chocolate Fat-Ass Fudge!

Bag of Corn Tortilla Chips

1/4 lb Pepper Jack Cheese

Whether or not you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, it’s always fun to have an excuse to play with chocolate. If you try either of these recipes, be sure to let us know what you thought. Or perhaps you have a unique Mexican recipe that calls for chocolate. Share with us in the comments section or of course on Facebook or Twitter.



Our mom’s are so special. They pamper us, are always there for us and love us more than anyone else in the world. No wonder we have a special day set aside to honor these special women in our lives.

Mother’s Day is May 10th this year. What do you have planned for your mom? Breakfast in bed? Or perhaps you’ve made reservations at a plush restaurant? However you choose to indulge your mom this year ~ remember the chocolate!

All mothers love chocolate. Our Mother’s Day collection will melt the hearts of all the women in your life. Beautiful handcrafted truffles or mouthwatering fudge will cure any woman’s chocolate craving. Nothing says “I appreciate you” more than a box of deluxe chocolates.

Want to consider purchasing a gift that keeps on giving? Our Chocology Chocolate Lovers Club is the perfect gift giving choice this Mothers Day. With this gift, you remind your mom month after month of how much she means to you.

Your mom will receive a box of fresh chocolate once a month for 3, 6 or 9 months depending on the depths of her cravings. Each box comes with our signature card on How to Eat Chocolate Mindfully and is delivered right to her front door. Imagine mom’s smile every time she receives this gift. Everyday becomes Mother’s Day with our Chocolate Lovers Club.

However you choose to give to your mom this Mother’s Day, Chocology wishes you and your mom a spectacular day celebrating the most important job in the world ~ being a mom.

We’re packing for our cross-country road trip coming up on April 17th. Can you guess what’s at the top of my suitcase list?

So, were you able to guess what the big announcement is? Did you follow our Facebook, Twitterand Instagram clues we told you about in last weeks blog post?

Well, if you guessed that Chocology is taking a cross-country trip – You were correct! Four years ago Madeline and I took a road trip to meet people who inspired us. We had such an amazing time meeting new friends and seeing new places. So much so that we’ve taken a road trip every year since then.

For our upcoming trip, we are putting our focus on giving. In the past, we were able to give of our time but not so much of our money. This year, we can give both and we are super excited.

Madeline and I will hit the road in a couple of weeks with chocolate in tow. We’ll leave from New York and work our way cross-country to California. We have several causes that pull at our heartstrings therefore the focus of our trip is to cross the country giving to many of these causes.

Madeline loves helping animals and has volunteered at PetSmart’s (A Wing and A Prayer) for many years. Many of our efforts will be going in the direction of assisting our animal loving partners in the world. I’ve always had a soft spot for women, children, the homeless, veterans and peace in our world, which has inspired us to seek out organizations that support these areas with passion and grace.

We’ve learned that when we give, we get the best gift of all. The gift of knowing that maybe we’ve made a little dent in the Universe and left the world in just a little bit better shape.

Won’t you come with us? Hop in our virtual backseat and travel cross-country with us as we give back to the principles and ideals we believe in.

How about we play a game? We’ll live post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout our trip and give clues as to where we are on our journey. Perhaps you can guess where we are and what we are doing there? We’d love to have you join us. You never know what surprises will come your way on a cross-country trip. We plan to have many and look forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones along the way.

Oh, and never fear! We have a terrifically talented team at home who will be standing by to take your Chocology orders. Our customers are our priority and it will be business as usual on the home-front.

We look forward to sharing travel, workshops and giving back with you, our Chocology family, and certainly hope that you will join us. Here’s wishing you happy trails and safe traveling!

~ The Chocology Team

Fun with Chocology