#DrinkClick Chocolate Covered Cherry Mocha Decaf

I don't have to tell you that Click is my go-to protein Powder.  You know!  But did you know it's the PERFECT bedtime beverage? It is.

I use the Decaf at night to help replenish my depleted protein, vitamins, and minerals.  It helps me sleep and I do wake up refreshed.   I also tend to sleep more soundly so I awaken earlier as well.





The recipe for Chocolate Covered Cherry Mocha Decaf is very simple:

FRESH Whole Cherries, pitted.  (I prefer whole, fresh cherries. I am not too sure that Maraschino Cherries would taste the same.)

CAUTION: Eating crushed / blended cherry pits is LETHAL (Cyanide). Do NOT crush / blend cherry pits.  

I used about 1/3 to 1/2 cup pitted cherries depending on the size of the cherry.

8 ounces 2% milk  (or water, if preferred)

2 scoops Mocha Decaf  Click

1 teaspoon Sweet Cream non-dairy creamer

2 ice cubes

Blend well and enjoy.  Know that you're enjoying an evening treat the safe, healthy, and delicious way!

#DrinkClick.  I do!

DISCLOSURE:
I am working with CLICK to lose weight. I have been provided with product in order to facilitate my weightloss and my reviews. I receive no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed herein are my own and based on my own use of and experience with the item.

Endangered Species Chocolate: Review & Giveaway CLOSED!

CLOSED!

While strolling through a local grocery store, I found myself in the candy aisle. (I know... but... I wasn't going to eat any of it!) There I happened upon a very intriguing package... a chocolate bar with a photo of the Rainforest on the front!

I had to buy it.

I'm glad that I did. For I'd discovered Endangered Species Chocolate, a company out of Indiana that is dedicated to the welfare of the Earth's endangered wildlife.

ENDANGERED SPECIES STATISTICS:
At Endangered Species Chocolate our core value of Reverence for Life and more than delicious chocolate represent our mission of the conservation of species, habitat and humanity. Ther are more than 51,000 endangered or threatened species worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 3,000 species of animals and more than 300 species of plants are listed as endangered or threatened. Sadder yet, up to 100 animal species become extinct everyday.

At ESC we are fully commited to the education of both children and adults on the topics of endangered species, the conservation of habitat and helping our fellow humans. We invite you to please click here to visit The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to learn more about how the earth is losing its most valuable assets.

That, my friends, is incredibly powerful. It touches my family that this company cares so deeply and gives so much -- yet still makes a product that is of such amazing taste and quality.

I don't even know how to begin to describe their chocolate. It's rich, creamy, has an incredible depth of flavour. Needless to say, the samples we received didn't last very long at all!

Mike (Review Daddy) snatched up the Extreme Dark Chocolate while I scarfed down gently nibbled on the Smooth Milk Chocolate. :)

Poor Liz... I think she got one small square of the Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds!

Choose from a variety of ethically traded, all-natural, shade-grown, single-origin milk and dark chocolate bars. Each bar is made with all-natural ingredients and ethically traded, shade-grown Ivorian cacao, which means it was grown under the natural canopy of forests in Ivory Coast by farmers earning a fair wage in humane working conditions. Each chocolate bar wrapper has artwork of an at-risk species with educational information about the plight of that animal on the inside.

Some of the Chocolate bars available are:
Extreme Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Raspberries,
Smooth Milk Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate with Cherries plus many more!

Our verdict? OHMIGOSH!
This is superbly crafted chocolate! The in-store price is very reasonable and the sheer quality and taste just can't be matched. This is something we will buy again and again.

The fact that Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity is an added, yet important, bonus.

Yep, you heard right -- Endangered Species Chocolate gives back!

Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity.

Endangered Species Chocolate actively seeks opportunities to have a positive impact on the farming communities that harvest the all-natural and organic cocoa that makes our milk and dark chocolate.

In order to further our mission, Endangered Species Chocolate allows employees to volunteer in our local community for two hours per month during work hours. This program enables us to log roughly 50 hours of community service each month in Indianapolis.

If you would like to connect with Endangered Species Chocolate, please visit them of these Social Pages:

Endangered Species Chocolate on Facebook and @esc_chocolate on Twitter.

The generous folks at Endangered Species Chocolate have graciously offered one of our lucky readers the chance to win The Species Collection Gift Set!

The Species Collection gift set contains a variety of Endangered Species Chocolate that will make any chocolate lover melt. A birthday gift, holiday gift, bridal party gift, hostess gift, corporate gift or just because, this collection of all-natural and organic, 100% ethically traded, kosher, single-origin chocolate is the perfect gift for any occasion.

This gift set includes:
1) Milk chocolate treat bag (approx. 24 pieces of milk chocolate)

5) 3oz. all-natural chocolate bars (dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds, smooth milk chocolate, milk chocolate with cherries, extreme dark chocolate (88% cocoa content), supreme dark chocolate.

2) 1.4oz. premium organic chocolate bars (organic dark chocolate with cherry, organic milk chocolate with peanut butter.

For your chance to enter to win, just follow the instructions below!

Open to USA only, please.

***NOTICE: You *MUST* leave your email address in the body of your comment or make your email address visible in your profile. If I cannot contact you -- you can't win!***

Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Tell us which endangered species you would like to save with the donations from your purchases!

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow Endangered Species Chocolate on Facebook and post on their Wall -- tell them Terri & Liz from Gathering My Roses sent you!

2. Follow @esc_chocolate on Twitter

3. Follow Gathering My Roses PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (Located on the sidebar)

4. Follow Gathering My Roses via Facebook Networked Blogs (Located on sidebar)

5. Become a fan of Gathering My Roses on Facebook (link on Sidebar!)

6. Follow @GeorgiaMist on Twitter

7. Tweet about this contest (no more than twice daily, please!)
@GeorgiaMist @esc_chocolate Win The Species Chocolate Collection from Gathering My Roses! Ends 5/24/10 http://bit.ly/cmYegn

8. Post the link to this contest on your blog and / or Facebook and link back here!

9. Enter another contest on our blog and then come back and tell us which one.

This contest will be open from Sun, May 16th until Monday, May 24th. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 25th.

DISCLOSURE: We received a complimentary Species Collection Gift Set for the purpose of review. We were under no obligation to review this item. We did not receive any monetary compensation. The opinions expressed herein are our own and based on our own personal use of and experience with the item.

American Brownie Company: Review & Giveaway / CONTEST CLOSED!

CONTEST CLOSED!



Twill make Old Women Young and Fresh; Create New Motions of the Flesh. And cause them long for you know what, If they but taste of chocolate.
~~ James Wadworth (1768-1844) from A History of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate ~~

A little over a week ago, we were blessed to receive a wonderful package from the American Brownie Company.

The outside packaging was beautiful... oh, but inside... the deep, alluring smell of the chocolate... ah, bliss!





We stood there admiring those scrumptious brownies for several minutes before we came to our senses and dove in!

OHMIGOSH! How and where do I begin to describe these brownies to you? They are almost fudge-like in texture, rich and chewy. These are NOT your Mama's brownies! :)

We received the Spring Collection Brownie and Blondie Tower Gift Pack.

The Spring Collection consists of:

*4 - Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Truffle Towers
*4 - White Chocolate Cherry Walnut Blondie Truffle Towers
*4 - Double Dark Chocolate Brownie Truffle Towers
*4 - White Chocolate Walnut Latte Blondie Truffle Towers
*4 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Truffle Towers

I can tell you that Mike (Review Daddy) grabbed a Double Dark Chocolate Brownie right off the bat, poured himself a big glass of milk and sat happily munching away.

Liz and I were a bit more reserved. We got our milk first, then fought over chose our brownie. I chose the Chocolate Raspberry and Liz went for the Chocolate Peanut Butter.

I don't think I've ever tasted a brownie so good. EVER.

I will tell you, too, that eating one will fill you up for a while! They are just so decadent...

The good thing is that they will last you several days -- best kept in the fridge for optimum freshness!

We have warmed ours in the microwave for about 10 - 15 seconds. We've eaten them with ice cream and even topped with a dollop of whipped cream! YUMMEH!

The first you realize about the American Brownie Company is that they put all of their best into making these brownies: best quality ingredients, best care, and their love. Best of all? The brownies are made from scratch! It truly makes all of the difference.

About American Brownie Company: (From the website)

Chef Andrea Zelen has spent the last 20+ years as a Pastry Chef in some of the most renowned Five Star / Five Diamond Restaurants and Resorts across America. Some of her Signature Desserts have been served to Heads of State, Royalty, and numerous Celebrities.
Since graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in 1989, Chef Andrea Zelen has held pastry positions in some of America’s finest restaurants and resorts including San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California; Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida; the Mayfair Regent Hotel in Chicago, Illinois and at The Greenbriar in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia under the direction of Executive Chef Walter Scheib III, who in 2005 retired from the position of Executive Chef for the White House in Washington, D.C.
In 1995 Chef Andrea received a call from Walt Disney World to assist in the creation of the pastry program for the opening of the famed Disney’s California Grill restaurant, which sits atop Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Also, during her tenure she was instrumental in developing new concept restaurants throughout Disney World. Some of her signature desserts are still served at Walt Disney World restaurants and can be found in the very popular Disney Chefs Cookbook.

Chef Andrea’s desserts have not gone unnoticed. “Desserts were uniformly excellent” states The New York Times. “Desserts are pure indulgence” said Orlando Magazine. Chocolate soufflé with peanut butter custard “A peanut butter cup times TEN!” states Woman’s Day Magazine. Esquire Magazine writes the "California Grill is not just one of the Best Restaurants in America; it's a place from which American restaurateurs will surely steal ideas."

The American Brownie Company offers so many different flavours of brownies, too! Double Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Triple Peanut Butter Blondie and so many more!

The wonderful folks at American Brownie Company have generously offered to give one of our readers a chance to try the Spring Collection Brownie and Blondie Tower Gift Pack. Very sweet!




Just follow the instructions below for your chance to enter and win!

OPEN TO USA RESIDENTS ONLY, PLEASE!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit American Brownie Company, then come back here and tell me which 4 brownies you'd like to try!

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow Gathering My Roses PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (Located on the sidebar)

2. Become a fan of Gathering My Roses on Facebook (link on Sidebar!)

3. Follow @GeorgiaMist on Twitter

4. Tweet about this contest (no more than once daily, please!)
@GeorgiaMist Win an American Brownie Company Spring Brownie Tower from Gathering My Roses! Ends 4/28/10 PLS RT!
http://bit.ly/aPgeLd

5. Sign American Brownie Company's Guestbook and tell them Gathering My Roses referred you to their website.

6. Post the link to this contest on your blog or Facebook and link back here!

7. Enter another contest on our blog and then come back and tell us which one.

This contest will be open from Thursday, April 22nd until Thursday, April 29th. Winner will be announced on Friday, April 30th.

DISCLOSURE:
American Brownie Company provided us with a complimentary Spring Collection Brownie and Blondie Tower Gift Pack for the purpose of review. We were under no obligation to review these items. We received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are based on our own use and experience with the products.

COWGIRL CHOCOLATES Review & Giveaway! CONTEST CLOSED!

CONTEST CLOSED!

A few weeks ago, I was blessed to receive a sample box of Cowgirl Chocolates. Holey moley! Those were the best chocolates I've had in many a long year! Each chocolate truffle is unique in spice and taste. From mild to screaming mad -- the taste is just sensational.

How did these wonderful chocolates come into the world? From the website:
Head Cowgirl Marilyn Lysohir founded Cowgirl Chocolates in
1997. Her two favorite things in the world are art (she has a notable career as a ceramic sculptor) and chocolate. In fact her first job was working in a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania.
Marilyn mingled some favorite memories with some new ideas to create an American original, Cowgirl Chocolates.

Cowgirl Chocolates has won a total of 16 product awards and 2 packaging awards and is located in Moscow, Idaho USA. It has also been featured on the Food Network
on “Unwrapped” and “Extreme Cuisine” and in the New York Times and Toronto Star among others.

There are many great flavours available from Cowgirl Chocolates. Each tin or box can be filled with your own choice of flavours, too. The head Cowgirl aims to please! :)

These are the flavours available on the website:

Mild Truffles: Pure Milk Chocolate, Double Dark Chocolate, Ivory Orange, and Raspberry lemonade dark chocolate.

Spicy Truffles: Spicy Double Dark Chocolate,
Spicy Raspberry Dark Chocolate, Spicy Hazelnut Milk Chocolate, Spicy Cappuccino, Mini Habanero Dark Chocolates, Buckin’ Hot Habanero Caramels.

New Solid Chocolate Bar flavors:
(dark chocolate 55% cocoa, milk chocolate 33% cocoa)

Mild mannered: Milk Chocolate,
Dark Chocolate, Sarsaparilla Milk Chocolate,
Lavender Dark Chocolate, Lemonade White Chocolate

Spicy: Spicy Huckleberry Dark Chocolate, Spicy Roasted Macadamia Nut Dark Chocolate, Spicy Lime/Tequila Dark Chocolate,
Spicy Orange Espresso Dark Chocolate, Spicy Mint Milk Chocolate.

The spicy Double Dark Chocolate was my favourite truffle by far. The heat is intense... for a moment -- in the back of the throat. Then the sweet depth of the chocolate delights the tongue.
Okay. So I'm waxing lyrical -- indulge me. The truffles are just that good!

Review Daddy loved the Mild Double Dark Chocolate Truffle best of all. The look on his face was just priceless. He tells me that the flavours were perfectly balanced and tasted better than any fine European chocolates he's eaten.

However, my absolute favourite piece was the mighty spicy ***BUCKIN' HOT*** Habanero Caramel! The head Cowgirl says, They'll have you lickin' your lips and shakin' your hips!
That's no joke, friends! They are H*O*T*!
But these soft, buttery caramels are also sweet, creamy, and melt- in-your-mouth! Yeah... the heat stays with with you for a while -- but it's a good heat.

Cowgirl Chocolates also offers products such as Hot Cocoa (Spicy & Mild), Peanut Brittle, Caramel sauce, and Chocolate sauce! Indulge yourself with these oh, so delicious treats!

The head Cowgirl herself has offered one of our readers a chance to win their own 1/3 pound sampler of Cowgirl Chocolates!

Just enter below for your chance to win! Open to USA only, please!

***NOTICE:You MUST leave your email address in the body of your comment or make your email address visible in your profile. If I cannot contact you -- you can't win!***

Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Cowgirl Chocolates and pick out a flavour that you'd love to try, then come back here and tell us about it.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow @GeorgiaMist on Twitter -- leave your Twitter name for verification!

2. Follow Gathering My Roses PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (Located on the sidebar)

3. Become a fan of Gathering My Roses on Facebook (link on Sidebar!)

4. Follow @MysticRaindrops on Twitter -- leave your Twitter name for verification!

5. Tweet about this contest (no more than once daily, please!) then come back here and leave your Twitter status URL.
@GeorgiaMist Win a 1/3 pound Cowgirl Chocolates Sampler box from Gathering My Roses! PLS RT! http://bit.ly/bSkcaX

6. Post the link to this contest on your blog, Facebook, or MySpace page(s) and link back here!

7. Enter another contest on our blog and then come back and tell us which one.

8. Sign up for the Cowgirl Chocolates newsletter.

This contest will run from Friday, March 5 until Sunday March 14.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary sampler box of Cowgirl Chocolates for the purpose of review. I was under no obligation to review this item. I received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are based on my own use and experience with the item.