Stick with dark hot chocolate

With the recent passing of National Chocolate Milk Day on September 27, 2009, the FDA recall of hot chocolates made with powdered milk and the Food Navigator – USA reporting that Nestle purchases 10 to 15 percent of their milk from a farm owned/seized by Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, I believe everyone is better off with drinking dark hot chocolate.

Need I say more?

Try, try again...

With another trip back home underneath my belt, I am festering over the disappointment of missing out on churros (opps! a "Spanish fritter") and hot chocolate from Xooro in Santa Monica.

Yes, they are known for their "Spanish fritters". However, I was drooling to try one of their three hot chocolates on the menu: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Dulce de Leche White Hot Chocolate and Premium Spanish Hot Chocolate.

Although this opportunity was missed, I had the chance to enjoy the eclectic vibe of 3rd Street Promenade.

Cravin' Crepes

Yes! I am back in California for a few days. As usual, I must try to dine on all the wonderful delicacies around the LA area. My first stop since landing last night is Cafe Crepe in Santa Monica.

My sister noticed the restaurant during a recent visit to the 3rd Street Promenade H & M. It looked tempting during her trip, so she recommended it for today's lunch. We restricted ourselves to crepes only as both of us are on a very tight budget. However, since their prices were quite reasonable we had the option of splurging on other items, if we wished. I chose a half Mixed Greens Organic Salad with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, and a crepe with strawberries and sugar.

The salad was extremely fresh and the simple blend on Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar was scrumptious. The mix greens were laid on a bed of fresh tomatoes slices creating a tangy combination.

But the grand finale was (drum roll please)... a delicious crepe stuffed with fresh strawberries and topped with a dash of sugar. I was simply amazed how tasty the crepe was without the strawberries. Normally, crepes are garnished with powdered sugar, whipped cream etc. to accent the crepes flavor. However, my sister and I both agree this crepe was absolutely divine by itself. The strawberries purely accented the crepe's delicious flavor.

My sister and I both agree we will be back!

Microwave Chocolate Explosion

So, the chocolate beverage of the morning was Valor Taza to Go. Valor Taza to Go is the next generation drinking chocolate that arrived on the scene last year. It replaced one of the top selling drinking chocolates I had on my shelves, Valor CAO. The liquid form provides two cups of drinking chocolate. The downfall is that once you open the container you must indulge in the second cup within five days and the packaging lacks a closure to keep it sealed until your next cup.

I was already cranky from being up since 4:00 am this morning and I just knew a wicked cup of chocolate would whip me out of this funky mood. Upon opening the package, I poured the extremely thick drinking chocolate into a mug. It looked just like the pudding. The good thing is that I am accustomed to the thick texture as one of my favorite drinking chocolates was Mandarian a la Taza. To my dismay it is discontinued.

Valor has been making chocolate for over 125 years. We all know that in Spain, chocolates are done right! I didn't realize that Valor CAO was discontinued until I started receiving large orders of 5 and 10 units per order. Unfortunately, I had to call the last Valor CAO customer to let them know the cacao powder was officially gone. It was lights out for another popular hot chocolate.

Since I was preparing to donate the short-dated Taza to Go inventory, it provided the perfect opportunity to try a new drinking chocolate.

When I placed the mug into the microwave, I didn't pay attention to the time I entered. When the timer went off, I was preparing to dive in to some deep, rich chocolate. Upon opening the microwave door, I saw a hot chocolate mess. It looked like a glass chocolate molten cake. If my husband was home, he would probably use his finger to capture every last drop of this chocolate explosion.

After wiping up around the mug, I took a tiny sip. Wow! Way too hot. I waited for it to cool down a bit. Attempt number two was much better, however, I was like "hmmm". Attempt number three confirmed, this was not a drinking chocolate for me. Just to be sure, I will try it again as my over "nuking" make have contributed to the beverage's taste.

Next Gen Abuelita

A new spin on a traditional Mexican Hot chocolate. Try a free sample of Nestle's new Abuelita Granulado.

Dreyer's Slow Churned Hot Cocoa Ice Cream

Oh my! Dreyer's has announced a slow churned limited edition Hot Cocoa Ice Cream for the holiday season! How did I miss this announcement? Has anyone tried it yet?