Crazy for Cacao

[Adina P]

A couple pics from my chocolate tasting party yesterday.  We had a total of 9 of us at my house while my fabulous hubby took the kids for a trip to a Dr. Suess day event in town.  

It was super fun and I highly recommend hosting a chocolate tasting party.  I did it because I'm a chocoholic (or does chocophile sound better?) and because I'm really interested in mindful eating practices and thought this would be an awesome mindful eating exercise.  A dab of education and lots of yum!

Looking back I would say we (I?) got carried away and 16 different varieties might be too much (I got a bit of a cacao induced hangover I think...lol). We tried everything from milk chocolate to 72% dark, though the majority were some kind of dark. Flavors included mint, spicy, cardamom, currant, beet and more. The last one we tried was a plain milk chocolate Hershey's and although I suspected it would be less exciting after all the nuanced varieties we'd tried, I was surprised it smelled like spoiled crayon.  And the taste wasn't much better: sugar with chocolate flavor.   But as one of my friends noted, it will still be great for S'mores!

We did the tasting blinded.  I had each chocolate numbered and the variety listed inside the little card.  At first I was all school-like about it and had note cards for everyone so they could write down what they saw, smelled, tasted.  But about 1-2 chocolates in we realized it was a party with nobody talking so we scrapped that plan and decided we'd each taste the same chocolates together and discuss.  Much better.

If anyone wants to try this at home, let me know and I'll give you some tips! (Though the internet is full of them too).

P.S. the dogs were amazingly very quiet the whole time...didn't hear a peep out of them back in the mud room until Daddy and kids came in the front door while the party was winding down.

[Adina P]

Someone else will host the cheese party...and since my LOVE of cheese is fairly limited to the common varieties, I decided I need to host a Green Food Potluck for spring.  St. Paddy's day would have fit well, but it's too close for planning right now.  Here's my pinterest board if anyone wants to try it:  http://pinterest.com/bocaroca/green-food-potluck/


A dietitian friend of mine used to have color-themed parties...always so fun to see what creative things people came up with.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Oh I love this, might give it a try for the next get together!

[BG and Gavin]

What a great idea!  I love the cheese tasting party idea too.  Of course I would want to do some nice beer pairings with it.  When we have guests at the cottage I like to have a variety of cheeses on hand for mid afternoon snack since we tend to eat dinner late there.  We have a fabulous cheese shop at home and I have narrowed down my favorites.  Two are Canadian award winners "Cottage Gold" from Niagara and "Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar" from Prince Edward Island and one American favorite "Big Ed's" from Wisconsin.  Hmmm I am hungry now!

[DJ & Chance]

Yum!

[Adina P]

Of course you can't be totally mindful every single time you eat...I certainly can't with two kids at the table.  Good grief I can't even think a complete thought or chew one mouthful without my son or daughter interrupting it with talking or squealing.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

hey, I think that everyone needs some good mindless eating now and again.  :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Paying attention to and savoring good food is more pleasurable and more  satisfying than eating mindlessly, while distracted, etc" was one of my themes when I worked with clients. I still cringe when I see someone eating while driving, lol.

Do two people constitute a party? My DD and I have cheese tasting parties all the time. There are some amazing cheeses out there. We found one called Purple Haze that is flavored with lavender.

 

 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Oh man.. that looks amazing!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

That is why I did my cookie party for so many years at Christmas time. You just bake cookies and go home with as many as you baked. Nothing for sale. I never used to do real food either until some of the women had their husbands drive them (when we moved to the sticks) and then I started having sandwiches, etc.

[Adina P]

Oh Laurie, I know! Me too...because of those I was really careful to state that this would not be a buying party!