Chocolate has never been a man’s favorite thing. It could be that cosmetics has always been in the realm of womanhood, being sweet and soft. The idea of chocolate being attractive to men could be as alien a concept as home decorating. However, men are actually closet chocolate lovers. A poll conducted on 100 men showed that 90% of them liked chocolate.

Manufacturers are now trying to cash in on men and chocolates as not only a novel idea but also a lucrative one. Online, there are chocolate sports balls that come in a wide array of spherical design such as chocolate basketballs, chocolate footballs and even chocolate soccer balls. Men love the idea of incorporating sports into this luscious treat. Online stores have produced hundreds of these and place them in tin boxes or circular tubes perfect for Valentines Day gift for your man.

Gourmet chocolate has also been incorporated into these fun designs with nuts like almonds, cashew and walnuts placed in the center. There are also chocolate balls with toffee and nougat surprises in the middle. Chocolate sports ball are also decorated with coconut shavings and mint pieces. Plain chocolate-covered peanut sports balls also make fun gifts for little boys. They serve as spa favors for little boy parties with a sports theme. Some bachelors like to give them away on Halloween for trick or treat.

Jenny, the owner of a candy store and sells chocolates online says orders for customized chocolate sports ball are increasing. On Father’s Day, her biggest bestseller was chocolate golf balls that she has fashioned out of white chocolate. She says that orders for these types of chocolate are usually made by women on their men’s birthdays or by moms on their son’s birthdays.

Another hit in Jenny’s online store are chocolate coins which are in great demand, surprisingly, by men. Apparently, they are being used for poker nights and for Las Vegas themed parties. They can come in all denominations and are personalized by stacking them in money tubes or in money bags. Even kids love chocolate coins since they are perfect for board games.

Manufacturers are still trying out ways to entice men to like chocolate. Some advertiser’s bank on the fact that in olden time chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac and was aptly called “the food of the gods”. Although chocolate shaped into miniature balls are getting the attention of men, manufacturers are still thinking up of ways on how they can turn into this coveted female food into men’s favorite food too.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. Online, there are chocolate sports balls that come in a wide array of spherical design such as chocolate basketballs, chocolate footballs and even chocolate soccer balls. Even kids love chocolate coins since they are perfect for board games.

The ancient Mayans were using dark chocolate thousands of years ago for its medicinal purposes. Recent research has confirmed its numerous healthful benefits. This often surprises people because it is usually associated with gaining weight and possible other ill effects.

There are two major differences in healthy and conventional chocolate. One, conventional products are heated, and processed. This not only strips its nutritional value, it adds a host of negative effects. Two, the unprocessed variety provides statistically significant health benefits not found in the other types. The key in providing a healthful benefit is to cold press the raw version without heating it.

A conventional chocolate bar, or candy, has been processed, heated, and stripped of its nutritional value. This does not even take into account all of the additional unhealthy ingredients. It’s critical to eat the unprocessed variety to get its full health benefits.

The Anti-inflammatory Power of Polyphenols

Dark chocolate is loaded with polyphenols, which have been found to exert powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory behavior. Antioxidant quality is measured sweater its ORAC rating. ORAC stands for “Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity.” Antioxidants and free radicals have been highly publicized in the media.

Free Radicals are scavenger molecules that are highly reactive. They circulate through the body attempting to become more stable. In the process, they wreak havoc on otherwise healthy cells. For this reason, excessive free radical damage has been linked to cancer, inflammation, and accelerated aging, among other disease processes.

The polyphenols in healthy dark chocolate neutralize free radicals through their antioxidant legacy perfume Research has shown that these antioxidants reduce circulating inflammatory markers. Inflammatory markers are chemicals found in blood serum that are known to cause pain and inflammation.

Supercharged Antioxidants

Let’s put the antioxidant/anti-inflammatory power of raw dark chocolate into perspective. The current food pyramid recommends at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The ORAC rating for 10 servings equals 5,000.

Based on this recommendation, a person would have to eat over one half gallon of raw leafy vegetables per day to get the recommended amount. One spoonful of raw dark cocoa powder is equal to 25,200 ORAC units. This is equivalent to over 50 servings of fruits and vegetables, or 2.5 gallons of raw leafy vegetables!

With this level of anti-inflammatory potency, it’s no wonder that so many people are reporting such dramatic results after starting a regimen.

In summary, raw dark chocolate is an antioxidant/ anti-inflammatory superfood based on scientific research. Its extremely dense levels of antioxidants provide a strong anti-inflammatory action. Therefore, dark cocoa should be included as part of nutritious and healthful diet.

To learn more about how to implement a healthy chocolate regimen, Click Here to visit Dr. Roth’s website.

Author: Dr. Randall Roth earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Biology and a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree at Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Missouri. He was also a personal trainer prior to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Roth is passionate about health and nutrition and sharing information with others. He currently lives in Plano, TX with his wife and three children.

One of the most fun parties for kids is a pirate birthday party but plastic surgey are so many ideas that you can use that it’s difficult water know where to start. Arrr! Here are some of the best pirate party ideas to make sure your child doesn’t have to walk the plank!

The best place to host a pirate party is outdoors as you are going to need some quite large props to set the scene and there should be enough room for eating, dancing and pretend sword fighting. If you have a large garden this would be ideal.

1. The first pirate party idea is props. A pirate party should always include at least two if not all items from the following list:

* A pirate ship – this can either be made from some wooden boxes or you can use a large wooden table, which the kids can then eat around. Use a long broom handle or post for a mast and some plain sheets for the sails. Also make a flag and paint on some skull and crossbones.

* A treasure chest – this can be made out of a large wooden or cardboard box and filled with plastic jewels and golden chocolate coins. Half bury the chest in some gravel for extra effect!

* Dead men – use large plastic skeletons and place around the garden as those who have lost their lives to the mighty pirates. If the children at the party are quite young it may be a good idea to give this pirate party idea a miss for fear of scaring them!

* X marks the spot – use some red tape or paint to create an X on the floor

Also make some flags and banners of skull and crossbones or pirates to further decorate your garden.

2. Pirate party food ideas:

* Chicken legs

* Hotdogs

* Golden chicken nuggets

* Fish and chips

Also for drinks use some root beer in mugs to make some pirate ale!!

3. Pirate cake ideas:

* Pirate face

* Treasure chest

* Treasure Island

* Treasure map

4. No pirate party is complete without some pirate games. Here are a few of my favorites:

* Treasure hunt- hide a small box of treasures in the garden and write out some clues on some scraps of paper. Read out the first clue such as “To find what you seek the area under the tree is where you should take a peek”. Then hide the next clue in that position and so forth.

* Pin the pirate on the treasure map – draw a treasure map on a large piece of paper, make sure you include the all important X, and hang on wall. Then make a small pirate and place a pin through the center. Each child takes it in turns to try and pin the pirate on the X.

* Pirate crafts or coloring – print out some coloring pages or make some pirate crafts such as cardboard hats or telescopes made out of cardboard rolls.

5. A great pirate party idea is to fill small treasure chests up with little pirate goodies such as chocolate coins, small treasures and pirate essentials such as an eye patch or small compass.

Shiver me timers! This pirate party planning is hard work give me a FREE step by step guide of PIRATE PARTY IDEAS!

Macaroons are a Passover favorite for many, who have a sweet tooth. For this new harvest season celebration, I have come up with a new recipe. If you love espresso, and also love coconuts and almonds then you should try this recipe. This is a delicious treat for any and all who love coconut but we are going to spice them up just a little bit, by adding espresso coffee flavor to these little coconut desserts. These mini espresso, coconut and almond macaroons will melt in your mouth, and are made with just a few ingredients. These will take some time so you may want to make these in advance.

Coconut Almond Mocha Macaroons:

1/2 cup honey

1/4 Teaspoon of vanilla bean paste

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon instant powdered coffee or espresso

2 1/2 Cups shredded, sweetened coconut

1 Cup of ground almonds

3/4 Cup matzo cake meal

2 Egg whites

1 Bag of Chocolate covered coffee espresso beans, from your local store or Starbucks has them.

First things first you will line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment paper. You will finely grind marriage 1 cup of almonds in short bursts in a food processor until they form a fine meal and set aside until ready for them. In a small saucepan you will combine the honey, cocoa powder and coffee powder while cooking and stirring over a low to medium heat until powders are dissolved and mixture is smooth. You will remove from the heat and let cool about 10 to 15 minutes.

While the cocoa mixture is cooling you will place the egg whites in a bowl, and whisk until they form stiff peaks, when they start to get stiff you will start to gradually add the sugar, and you will continue whisking until it forms a thick and shiny or glossy meringue.

You will then stir in the coconut, matzo cake meal, vanilla bean paste, and ground almonds into the somewhat cooled espresso mix, and stir for about 30 seconds or so. You will then start to combine the glossy egg whites in thirds until well-folded in. When ingredients are well mixed you will spoon out about one tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. You will place the macaroon balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet. You will continue to repeat with remaining dough, placing the macaroon balls about one inch apart. You will press one of the coffee beans into the legacy perfume of each macaroon ball.

You will then bake at 300F for 15 – 20 minutes, or until firm. You will then remove the baking sheet from oven, and remove with a spatula from the parchment covered baking sheet and cool on wire baking/cooling racks for about 20-30 minutes. Once cool you will remove the macaroons from the

wire cooling racks and store in airtight container for about 4-6 hours to make sure they are good and set. I hope that you enjoy this recipe.

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and Executive Research and Development Chef, for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA. Shelley is also the desserts editor for http://www.BellaOnline.com

At one time, while athletes in Ancient Greece began competitive events at the Olympic Games, making pieces of cheesecake began, which essentially comprised three staples: cheese, wheat flour and sweetening. They beat each of the units jointly till it arrived at a pasty consistency. They baked the assortment, chilled and dished it out to supply athletes with the vitality they needed to compete. This represented the birth of the cheesecake.

The Roman Empire then captured Greece and adopted the glorious treat and scattered it throughout Europe and whatever districts they invaded. Since then, the basic cheese, flour and sweetener, superseding whatever ingredients were indigenous to the country that embraced the cheesecake recipe. Ricotta and mascarpone by the Italians, Neufchatel by the French people, quark cheese by the Germans and cream cheese by the American natives substituted the familiar white Greek cheese. In time, this significant event in culinary history sealed the way for many different trends in producing the cheesecake.

The European Cheesecake

The Europeans represented the first to embrace the cheesecake recipe. They were as well the first to go for various versions in the conventional cheesecake. There are many nations who have also based their personal expressive style on making cheesecakes and they include Italy, France, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

First, the United Kingdom and New Zealand cheesecake is alike. coco chanel cheesecakes are broadly speaking cold desserts using neither baking nor cooking. Creating cheesecakes, those nations used fragmented digestive biscuits mixed with butter and compressed into a dish to build a bottom layer. They used fillings or toppings, which in the main consist of sugar, cheese, cream, milk and gelatin blended collectively.

In Italy, there are two ways of making cheesecakes, the Roman and coco chanel quotes style. Roman style cheesecakes use ricotta-like cheese and honey blended with flour and traditionally formed into loaves. There are also more recipes that involve bay leaves, applying these to preserve the treat. Today, baking Roman style cheesecakes is still popular in Italian areas, which upheld the culinary traditions after the downfall of Rome.

But then, Italian style cheesecakes are the modern-day variations of the Roman cheesecake. These cheesecakes use either mascarpone or ricotta cheese and substitute honey with sugar. They also excluded using bay leaves and passed on other new-age ingredients, like: barley flakes and vanilla extract. Commonly, this cheesecake is drier in comparison to American style cheesecakes and often presented with tiny scraps of crystallized fruit.

A light cheesecake is the principal description of French cheesecakes. These cakes have gelatin as the Chief holding ingredient and are mostly only 3 to 5 centimeters tall. This cheesecake accomplishes its light flavor and texture from the Neufchatel cheese. To a greater extent, discovering French cheesecakes out-of-doors in marketplaces at the South of France and good pastry shops in Paris is the best way to find them.

The American Cheesecake

In the United States, cheesecakes normally depend on cream cheese instead of the French Neufchatel. Among the commonest cheesecakes in America is the New York style cheesecake. Setting up this method a delicatessen uses cream cheese, dense cream, eggs, and egg yolks ready to add a fluid consistency and fullness.

New York style cheesecakes are likewise recognized as Jewish style and are baked in a particular 13 to 15 centimeter tall spring form pan. There are as well additional recipes of the cheesecake that employ lemon and cottage cheese for clear-cut flavor and texture.

Cheesecake recipes made easy – for beginners and seasoned cooks – find your favorite cheesecake recipe right now

Free Cheesecake Recipes

Bakery products are integral part of meals in our daily life. We use different types of food or foodstuffs prepared in bakeries in or around our neighborhood. Some common and most popular bakery products are cakes, cookies, coco chanel and breads. People from all ages love group love these products and use them in their daily meals.

However, there are a few specific products for people with some special taste of attributes. Even the same product can have different flavors or taste based on their ingredients. The choices of these products are always different for different set of people. It is not necessary that all members of a family love the same product.

Evergreen Products by expert Bakers

An expert baker knows the taste of people and then prepares the products based on their individual choices. The most important thing required in all bakery products is the hygiene, quality and durability. To fulfill the demand for different taste and flavors, bakers produces same product with different flavors and ingredients.

Some all time favorite products with different variations in their flavors, ingredients and taste are as following:

Cakes – The best example of this variation is our most loving bakery product, Cake. There are numerous flavors of cake available in market. Some people love chocolate cake, some love vanilla cake, some love pineapple cake. These cakes have different flavors. Similarly, a few people avoid having cakes that contain egg. To cater the tasting need of such customers, expert bakeries always produces eggless cakes.

Cookies – Cookies are a favorite bakery product of kids as well as elders. Everyone loves to have them after their dinner or all other time during the day if possible. Some people are crazy for cookies. They keep cookies with them always. Again, you can find variation in types of cookies. You can find chocolate cookies and other sweet cookies with different fruit flavors.

Biscuits – You cannot imagine your morning tea and evening tea without a few biscuits to nibble. Here again people have different types of taste for biscuits. To fulfill their demands bakers produce different types of biscuits including cream biscuits, sweet and salty biscuits with cashew nuts, and almonds as their secondary ingredient.

Artimex Artisan Mexican Bakery offers a wide-array of delicious, freshly baked Mexican breads and authentic Spanish bakery recipes like Conchas, Bolillo, Rosca de Reyes, Pan de Muerto, Empanadas, Polvorones and Puerquitos for any meal, occasion, or special celebration. For more information please visit: http://www.artimexbakery.com/