Pinterest Treat

Pinterest has become quite a big thing and for a minute there I got pretty into it. When I first visited the site I was probably on it for a good hour just looking and admiring! I clicked that I wanted an invite to Pinterest, but was informed that I would be emailed with information for joining when space opened up. . . or something along those lines! Since then I haven't been going on Pinterest as much. When I am not able to be actively participating, but am just watching from the sidelines, I get a bit disinterested. Hopefully they send me an invite soon, because I would love to get to pinning!

While on Pinterest, I came across a dessert that I just had to try. It is a variation of one of my most favorite go-to desserts, a hot fudge brownie sundae. This creation was a combination of chocolate chip cookie dough, Oreo's and brownies. I was pretty sure that this was going to be the best thing ever! I made the Nestle Tollhouse recipe for chocolate cookies and spread that in the bottom of my glass pan, then layered Oreo's on top, and finally poured the brownie batter over it all. This sounds like it should be absolutely amazing, right? Well, my experience of this dessert was not as wonderful as I had hoped.



I knew this dessert had to be tasted in it's full glory, so I topped it with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate and caramel syrup. It was tasty, and not 'bad' in any way, but I just felt that I could just stick with my regular brownie and be more than satisfied. In this Brownie Cookie Oreo Sundae, the cookie layer at the bottom was really thick. I decided that I would rather enjoy the Tollhouse cookies by themselves in their normal cookie state, because in their thick layer in this dessert I felt like it was too much cookie at one time. Then the Oreo's may as well have not even been in there, because I couldn't taste it really at all compared with everything else going on. The brownie on top was delicious though, and I really wished it was just a brownie the whole way through.

I give this dessert a 7 out of 10. . . Of course I ate the entire dessert, because it was tasty. It just wasn't as good as a traditional hot fudge brownie sundae. Sometimes the classics just don't need to be changed!

So when viewing Pinterest, remember, looks can be deceiving!

Best Chocolate Cake Ever!

My life is complete. . . I have tasted the best chocolate cake in the whole entire world! Well, maybe that's a little over dramatic, but that was how I felt when I had my first bite of this dessert!

From March 12 - 17 I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for the American College Dance Festival. I got to take some amazing dance classes such as Afro-Carribbean, Advanced Modern, Experiential Anatomy, Contemporary African, and Improvisation. I also performed in a piece that was adjudicated and a piece I choreographed was performed at an informal concert. All in all, it was an amazing experience!

One evening our whole group went to eat at a place called Desert Edge, which is located in Trolley Square for anyone who knows the SLC area. The food everyone ordered was pretty tasty, but then came my dessert - Chocolate Decadence - A rich, flourless chocolate cake covered in a bittersweet chocolate glaze with toasted almonds on a chocolate crumb crust. . .



This cake was utterly divine! Under the shavings of white and dark chocolate was the top of the cake; a crisp, thin layer that almost immediately melted in your mouth. The cake itself was hardly like a cake at all, but more like a chocolate truffle that was smooth and luxurious. It was bold, rich, sweet, incredible! I cannot say enough about how wonderful this cake was. Just to give you a better idea of it's caliber, after the first bite I realized I needed to savor it for as long as possible. I therefore took two bites initially, took another three bites later that night, and finished the rest the following evening. I normally never have this great of self control, but I knew that this dessert was worth it! I had to enjoy it for as long as possible, knowing my chances of ever having it again are slim.

I rate this dessert a 10 out of 10!!! If you ever visit Salt Lake City, go find this restaurant and try this dessert. . . believe me, it is worth your while! Oh, and bring me back a piece, would you? :-)

www.desertedgebrewery.com

Dark Chocolate Almonds

After saying that Hershey's kisses are a great snack in my last post, I thought I would share another of my favorite dessert snacks aka 'snasserts'. This time we are on a better snack track with something a little bit healthier. . . I said a bit. . . :)
This week I am rating Trader Joe's Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds! If you haven't tried these, you must. They are delightful! The sea salt balances so well with the dark chocolate and it makes for an addicting snack. And it isn't too bad of an addiction, because, like I said earlier, they are healthy (okay slightly healthy)! Really, though, from the dark chocolate you get antioxidants and from the almonds you get the benefits of fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fat, which may help lower LDL cholesterol. Not too shabby!
The outside coating of these almonds has a bit of a powdery cocoa taste. Once you bite into it you get the initial crunch of chocolate and almond, then the combination of coarse chocolate and sea salt, and finally the smooth chocolate finish combined with the hearty almonds. If you are out and about, you may need some floss with you as the almonds may get stuck in your teeth, but don't worry, this aspect never deters me from a craving for these bite sized treats!
Trader Joe's Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds are a win-win because the taste is perfect for snacking - a combination of sweet and salty - and you don't feel guilty after eating them as you can think of all the healthy aspects of your overindulgence! I give these Dark Chocolate Almonds an 8 out of 10 as a snassert!

Chocolate Bouquet

I have stated that I want to make this blog about desserts as well as my dance endeavors, but as of yet I have not posted anything about dance. . . well last night I found the perfect segue to begin talking about my dancing through dessert. . .

I am a Dance Instructor, as well as Director, for a company called Rhythm Motion (visit our website: www.RhythmMotion.net). I was teaching a hip hop dance class for special needs students and last night was our final class of the session. We prepared a little 15 minute performance for the students' family and friends to come see and we showed our warm up, one of our creative movement games, a dance routine, and then played freeze dance with everyone who came to watch the performance. It was so much fun and the students were wonderful! After the performance, one of the parents came up and presented me with a chocolate rose bouquet to show their appreciation of me teaching this class. I was so touched! And I couldn't believe they got me chocolate flowers instead of real flowers (I had never mentioned my obsession with desserts to them . . . I must have 'chocolate lover' written across my forehead or something)!!

Here's the bouquet:



And it is hand made! The mom who gave it to me made it herself with Hershey's kisses and a variety of other items such as fabric, cellophane, ribbon, etc. to put it together. Isn't it lovely? I really am so blown away by the gesture!

Now, however, I have to be honest and stay true to my rating of desserts. . . Hershey's kisses count as more of a snack to me, not a dessert. If I asked for dessert and someone handed me Hershey's kisses I would be very confused. That would be like expecting roast beef for dinner, but instead getting beef jerky. But, don't get me wrong, as a little pick me up treat during the day, those little kisses definitely do the trick. The other side of this rating is the presentation. This bouquet is beautifully done and you can tell a lot of time and effort went into it. So my overall rating is an 8 out of 10. The generosity and craftiness of the gift outweighs the taste of the chocolate :-)

Has anyone made these chocolate bouquets before or knows of a link to how to make them? If so feel free to post it in the comments section. These make a wonderful gift and I would love to be able to make chocolate bouquets to present as gifts to others in the future!

Until next time. . .