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Book Review & Book Giveaway : Cookbook "The New Thanksgiving Table" by Diane Morgan

"The New Thanksgiving Table"

cookbook by Diane Morgan

I was VERY impressed with this book. Beautiful photographs, clear instructions, unusual recipes.  

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Chocolate and Cacao a Super Food -- How it is Made

by Nancy Mehegan

OK, admit it, we love chocolate! 

It eliminates PMS (or seemed to), lifts our spirits and gives us a boost.

Originally from the Americas, Christopher Columbus said the Indians placed great value on the cacao beans.

The cacao tree is actually a fruit.  And the raw cacao bean is now seen as a healthy super food!

How Chocolate is Made

Harvest

Each cacao pod has about 20-40 seeds, or cocoa beans.  They are still harvested by hand, with poles that "knock off" the pods.

Fermented

The beans, still sticky with pulp, are placed in earthen pits or wooden bins and covered with banana leaves, then left to ferment. The heat of fermentation changes the bitter flavors .

Dried

After fermentation, the beans are dried in the sun for about a week. The flavor continues to develop during this time.  Once the beans are dry, they are ready to be shipped to a factory, where they are turned into chocolate.

The main ingredients in chocolate are the chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and milk.

Milk Chocolate Invented

Milk chocolate was a terrific invention.  Since the cacao bean contains a lot of "butter" or oils, it didn't mix well with milk.   Daniel Peter and Henri Nestle invented the process.

Cacao is Healthy

Raw Cacao Beans contain many chemicals that may enhance physical and mental well-being. This includes alkaloids, proteins, beta-carotene, leucine, linoleic acid, lysine, and some neurotransmitters such as dopamine and anandamide (the so-called "bliss" chemical.) Raw Cacao beans are also a very rich source of magnesium which helps to relax nerves and muscles, builds and strengthens bones and keeps blood circulating smoothly.

A key element found in cacao helps serotonin and other neurotransmitters to circulate longer in the brain. PEA (Phenylethylamine) is also found in cacao beans. It may help lift depression. It is a member of group of plant-based stimulants called methylxanthines. (Caffeine is the most familiar methylxanthine.)

Resources:

Buy Raw Cacao Beans

Organic Cacao Beans

Organic Cacao Butter

Free ice cream -- September 24 - Carvel

Carvel Customer Appreciation Day

Yum!  September 24 (Thursday) from 3 -7 pm CARVEL is giving away free "Lil Rounders"  -  ice cream sandwiches. 

Carvel Store Locator