You needed a holiday for chocolate cake, so here it is. The U.S.A has our own national day to celebrate chocolate because the International Holiday on September 13th just wasn’t enough.
Chocolate increases a brain chemical called enkephalin, which triggers opioid receptors like those triggered by heroin and morphine use. This explains why chocoholics are so serious as they are baking.

Music Du Jour: Cadbury playlist for chocolate lovers

Films Du Jour:
Willy Wonka ⦁ and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Merci pour le ⦁ chocolat (2000)
Like Water for Chocolate⦁ (1993)
Chocolat (2000)
Forest Gump (1994)

Miscellaneous:
⦁ List of high-quality ⦁ American chocolatiers
⦁ A ⦁ cacao tree on average produces 2,500 beans which creates about 6 pounds of chocolate (400 beans per pound)
⦁ The largest producer of cocoa is the ⦁ Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) which harvests about 40% of the total cocoa market
⦁ The U.S. consumes 4.4 kilograms (about 10 pounds) per person each year, half as much as ⦁ Switzerland at 8.8 kilos per person

Snacks du Jour: Chocolate

Cocktail Du Jour – Chocolate Martini
This recipe makes two (2) drinks:
⦁ 1 cup heavy cream
⦁ 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
⦁ 1 oz vodka
⦁ 4 oz Baileys Irish Cream
⦁ Grated chocolate for rim decoration
Heat and stir cream slowly until boiling. Pour the cream in a bowl over the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and mix until the chocolate melts to make a chocolate ganache.
Grate chocolate and dip rims of martini glasses into cold water; then twirl into grated chocolate to cover the rim.
In a cocktail shaker add 0.5 vodka, 2 oz of Bailey’s, and half the ganache. Shake thoroughly with ice and strain into a Martini glass. Repeat for the second drink.

Mocktail Du Jour – Chocolate Martini Mocktail
⦁ 1 cup heavy cream
⦁ 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
⦁ 1 oz ⦁ non-alcoho⦁ l⦁ ic ⦁ vodka
⦁ 4 oz ⦁ Irish Cream⦁ er
⦁ Grated chocolate for rim decoration
Heat and stir cream slowly until boiling. Pour the cream in a bowl over the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and mix until the chocolate melts to make a chocolate ganache.
Grate chocolate and dip rims of martini glasses into cold water; then twirl into grated chocolate to cover the rim.
In a cocktail shaker add 0.5 non-alcoholic vodka, 2 oz of Irish creamer, and half the ganache. Shake thoroughly with ice an strain into a Martini glass. Repeat for the second drink.

Beer Du Jour
Double Chocolate Stout

Wine Du Jour
Ice Wines (white) and Pinot Noirs (red) for chocolate pairings.

Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.

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Photo credit: “Chocolate cake” by CeresB is licensed under CC BY 2.0