Chocology Today

#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

The cold days of winter continue to linger but the promise of spring peaks in around the corner, with hints of warmer days, budding flowers and Easter. Anticipation of the upcoming season has us excited about celebration and how chocolate fits into all of it.

When Chocology visited the Atria Senior Living Center a couple of weeks ago, the residents there got to reminiscing about their Easter festivities as children. Some remembered the Easter Bunny bringing them chocolate filled eggs in a variety of flavors. Others remembered receiving huge solid chocolate bunnies. We enjoyed watching them smile and giggle at the fun they had as children during their spring holiday.

Every time we talk about a holiday, conversation eventually turns to chocolate. Easter is no exception. Chocolate is a universal way for us to celebrate, it seems. When the conversation turns to chocolate, people always smile with delight.

With Easter at our doorstep, we thought it would be fun to find out what you’re hoping to get from the Easter Bunny this year. Won’t you help us inform the world’s most favorite rabbit what to leave in your Easter basket? Now a days, there are so many choices. Let’s make sure our friend knows what to bring!

How do you and your family celebrate Easter? Do you have a particularly memorable Easter or spring celebration that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear your story. Please share it with us in the comments section or on Facebook or Twitter.

Chocology wishes you warmer days ahead, renewed growth and of course ~ lots of chocolate in your Easter Basket!

Chocolate is revered around the world and it is quoted in many different ways. Some turn to chocolate to improve health, others for romance and still others to get themselves through difficult times in their lives. Since ancient times, chocolate has been held in the highest esteem by cultures around the world.

We thought it would be fun to share some of the quotes we’ve been collecting ~ all relating to chocolate. Perhaps you have a favorite? Share it with us in the comment section, on Facebook or via Twitter.

Chocolate and Health

"The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain." - Thomas Jefferson

"Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits." - Baron Justus von Liebig

"If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?" - Marquise de Sévigné

"All of the evil that people have thrust upon chocolate is really more deserved by milk chocolate, which is essentially contaminated. The closer you get to a pure chocolate liquor (the chocolate essence ground from roasted cacao beans) the purer it is, the more satisfying it is, the safer it is, and the healthier it is." - Arnold Ismach, The Darker Side of Chocolate

"It has been shown as proof positive that carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested... that it is above all helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work." - Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Chocolate and History

"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one?s life ... but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country." - Roald Dahl

"Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing." - Milton Snavely Hershey

Chocolate and Friends

"There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate." - Linda Grayson

"I never met a chocolate I didn't like." - Deanna Troi, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Chocolate and Love

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz

"Forget love ... I'd rather fall in chocolate!" – Anonymous

"It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man." - Miranda Ingram

 "Nothing is more romantic than chocolate." - Ted Allen, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy

Chocolate and Science

"Look, there's no metaphysics on earth like chocolates." - Fernando Pessoa

"Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world's perfect food." - Michael Levine, The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars

Chocolate and Therapy

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." - Dave Barry

"Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put "eat chocolate." Now, you'll get at least one thing done today." - Gina Hayes

"Any sane person loves chocolate." - Bob Greene

"The 12-step chocoholics program: Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate!" - Terry Moore

"Life is like a box of chocolates ... You never know what you're gonna get." - Forrest Gump

 Chocolate and Humor

"Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." - John Q. Tullius

"Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can't remember what they are." - Matt Lauer

"I owe it all to little chocolate donuts." - John Belushi

Which was your favorite quote? Did these quotes make you feel as though you could use a box of chocolates? Valentines Day is coming up. Perhaps you’ll get yourself a box from our Love & Kisses Valentine collection to make life just a bit sweeter. The last day for standard shipping orders is February 9 so order soon. Orders over $75 will receive free standard shipping.

While Valentines day has been coined “The Day of Romance” many of us feel a bit pressured to feel “romance on demand” when Valentines Day rolls around.

We first contemplated writing a post about how we might fill Valentines Day with all things romantic. We even thought about suggesting breakfast in bed, leaving a trail of chocolates in your loved one’s wake or taking the time to bathe in chocolate at the end of the day.

But. . . then we got real.

The elderly mom called – she thinks she took too much medication and needs your help - NOW. Your beloved 9 year old spilled a whole river of milk under the refrigerator last night and thought he cleaned it up, but your shoes are glued to the floor, so a quick swipe with the mop is in order. To top it off your dog coughed up some indescribable substance that looks a bit like mouse guts. Now, a full mop job is required. Your older two are tapping their watches, indicating they are going to be late to baseball practice AGAIN.

The pressure to “get romantic” can lead to a feeling of lack in our lives. It can lead to feeling as though our romantic life is not living up to what society says it should be. Because we’re dealing with life’s demands, we feel that we are missing something. Do other people actually prepare breakfast in bed and have full days of romance on Valentines Day? How do they find the time and energy?

So, we scratched our idea to write a post on how to make your Valentine’s Day full of romance. Instead, we’ll offer the following.

Stop the madness! We all know that the hurried attempt at gift giving on Valentines Day just leads to a quickly purchased heart-shaped box chosen on February 13 at the local drug store, which usually ends up in the trash can after a respectable amount of time. Chances are, the heart-shaped box will be accompanied by a bouquet of flowers, the cost of which just about prevent us from getting the mortgage paid this month! And why? Because we want our significant other to feel as though we haven’t forgotten them on this special day.

Why not drop the gifts? Instead, decide on and purchase a quality box of chocolates that you can share through your hurried activities. Chocology can help you with our exquisite truffles and heart shaped fudge. With a wink and a smile, lovingly pop one into your significant others mouth as he wipes up the spilled milk and you race out the door to do carpool. Nothing says I love you more than a cheerful busy person with a stash of quality chocolate in their possession.

Romance is the natural bi-product of two happy people who are working through life’s challenges and joys together. Cherishing the busy moments and decisions that we must make together are what really cultivates intimacy. In our mind, that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about.

While it might be nice to get breakfast in bed, a note written in chocolate and a fancy night out on the town, most of us just long for simplicity. We don’t want a whole world of things to add to our “to do” list on Valentines day just because we’re “suppose to”. Why not take the pressure off and just enjoy a day of getting through life’s curve balls together.

At the end of the day, when the kids are in bed, you’ve cared for the elderly parents and your house just might pass a health inspection if needed, perhaps you can pop in a romantic comedy, make some Rich Hot Chocolate and collapse in exhaustion – together – leaving the expectations of some Harlequin Romance in the rear view mirror. Perhaps Valentines Day is a day of acceptance that our life is not about the gifts we can hurriedly grab for one another or the surprises we can think up, but about the connection that we already have and are living, moment by moment, together.