Say I Love You With Gourmet Gift Baskets This Valentine's Day

It's February which means Valentine's Day is nearing. Sometimes it's hard to know what to give the people you love. One thing that I know for sure is that you cannot go wrong with food-related gifts. I know I love getting tasty treats delivered! Gourmet Gift Baskets has a wide variety of food gifts to please every person's taste. They offer everything from chocolate, cookies, fruit, wine, beer, cheese, crackers, snacks, and more. 

We received the prettiest Valentine's Day Chocolate and Cookies Gift Basket. It came packaged so well, complete with a Valentines-themed greeting card. This lovely basket is filled with sweet, chocolatey yumminess.  

The contents of the Valentine's Day Chocolate and Cookies Gift Basket are: 

Vanilla & Chocolate Sweet Heart Cookies by Rustic Bakery, Chocolate Fudge Slab by Annalie's Chocolates, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Kettle Corn by GourmetGiftBaskets.com 

Single Box - Magnetic Closure, Chocolate Cubetti by Fusion Gourmet, Vanilla Cubetti by Fusion Gourmet, Chocolate Covered Cherries by Marich, and Red Velvet Cookies by Mississippi Cheese Straw Factory. 

The sweet heart cookies are our favorite. So buttery with a crunchy, yet light texture. They go nicely with a hot cup of tea. The red velvet cookies are simply divine. I really like the little keepsake box with magnetic closure. It's perfect for random little knickknacks, hair ties, costume jewelry and more. 

Let me tell you about that fudge-- it is insanely delicious! It's creamy, rich, not overly sweet. and oh so chocolatey. It's a chocoholic's dream! The one item I refuse to share is the dreamy chocolate covered cherries. It's the perfect treat, and also my favorite brand. This was our first time trying the cinnamon and brown sugar kettle corn, and we really liked it. It has a nice balance of sweetness and flavor. 

All of the goodies in this gift basket are top notch quality, and is a wonderful way to tell someone you love them. In just a few clicks, you can have a gift sent out to everyone on your list. Be sure to check out GourmetGiftBaskets.com for your Valentine's Day gifting. Also, keep them in mind for other occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and even just because. You can even personalize a greeting card to go with it. Trust me, the recipient will love it! 

We want to thank GourmetGiftBaskets.com for sending us this delicious gift to review. All opinions are 100% our own. Thank you for stopping by today! 

4 Ways That Dark Chocolate Benefits Your Health

One of the most decadent and appreciated treats on the planet, chocolate is available in white, milk, and dark varieties. Although which chocolate you prefer indulging in when you eye the Chocolate Display Cases is a personal choice, dark chocolate is definitely the variety with the most health benefits. Next time you have the urge to eat a piece of chocolate, reach for the dark variety, and leave the guilt behind.

1. Promotes Heart Health

One of the most touted benefits of dark chocolate for your body is its ability to improve your cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that individuals who consume it on a regular basis have less of a risk of developing heart disease and stroke. Researchers attribute this finding to the flavonoids found in dark chocolate, which help the body produce nitric oxide. In turn, blood vessels relax and your blood pressure lowers.  

2. Beneficial for Your Brain

Studies have also shown that eating large amounts of dark chocolate is beneficial to your brain. This is due to the fact that chocolate stimulates pleasure and reward centers in the brain, which lessens stress and betters your mood. Brain health improvements were also found to be due to the presence of flavonoids found in it.

3. Reduces Risk of Diabetes

Although eating chocolate doesn’t sound like the best way to prevent diabetes, studies have shown that eating small amounts of dark chocolate each day has the ability to improve the way that glucose is metabolized by the body. In a 2017 study, the flavonoids in dark chocolate were shown to lower oxidative stress, which is believed to be the main cause of insulin resistance. When insulin sensitivity is improved, the risk of you getting diabetes is lessened.

4. Good for Your Skin

Dark chocolate is packed full of vitamins and minerals, such as copper, iron, and magnesium. It also contains manganese, which helps the body produce collagen, a protein that keeps your skin from aging prematurely. The calcium found in dark chocolate is important for healthy skin repair and renewal, and its high antioxidant content works to protect your skin against free radicals.

You may be wondering if all dark chocolate is created equal. If you are looking to reap its health benefits, the optimal cacao percentage you should look for on the label is 70% or higher. The higher the percentage of cacao, the more nutrients and antioxidants it contains.

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Chocolate lovers all around get a natural high when we indulge in chocolate. Whether it is white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate, we naturally would be in paradise even after enduring a stressful day due to eating or drinking chocolate.

And even if we start to feel guilty for enjoying chocolate a little too much, we shouldn't feel too guilty. We should watch out for excessive sugar consumption. However, there are also some health benefits when it comes to chocolates, especially dark chocolate.

Chocolate experts can tell you the details about the health benefits, and they are the ultimate creators of different, delicious types of chocolate. They also know that dark chocolate reigns supreme when it comes to health benefits.   

The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

According to the Department of Agriculture, the typical size bar of dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cacao has approximately 24 grams of sugar and 600 calories. It is also high in antioxidants. Since dark chocolate has significantly more cocoa solids than other types of chocolate, it is an indicator of how much more dietary flavonoids it has.

Flavonoids are also in certain drinks, vegetables, and fruits. Additionally, more dietary flavonoids consumption links to a lower propensity for coronary heart disease. 

In addition to health-promoting flavonol phytonutrients, dark chocolate has the most antioxidants than milk chocolate. We can benefit the most from cacao beans when choosing cocoa powder due to having no sugar or fat. Consuming cocoa products is linked to a lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. We can boost our immune functions and HDL levels. We can significantly boost our arterial functions within hours or consuming only one teaspoon of cocoa. Cocoa consumption improves the veins' ability in the eyes to dilate, assists in opening up coronary arteries, leads to improving peripheral artery disease, improves blood flow to the kidneys, and combats the effects of aging.  When it comes to dark chocolate, we usually can find dark chocolate that contains approximately 50% cocoa to 100%. Most brands have 90%, 85%, or 70% cocoa. 

There are also some neuroprotective benefits that come from flavanols. Thus, consumers of dark chocolate can have some protection against diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and it can provide an anti-inflammatory effect for digestive problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease. Dark chocolate is also naturally high in magnesium, iron, manganese, and copper. 

Chocolate lovers can buy chocolate online Canada to satisfy their sweet tooths or locate a thoughtful gift for a loved one. 

The Best Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Today I woke up thinking about baking something. I haven't baked any treats in almost a month and thought I would surprise my family with some cupcakes. My hubby is a big fan of yellow cake with chocolate frosting so I went with that. I usually make a chocolate buttercream frosting that we all love, but I really wanted cream cheese frosting. I make plain cream cheese frosting most of the time, but what about a chocolate cream cheese frosting? I searched recipes online and couldn't believe how many variations I found. I looked at about ten recipes and my head started spinning. I closed up my laptop and decided to try making it based off of how I make plain cream cheese frosting. The end result was a rich, creamy, slightly tart and sweet chocolately explosion!

Instead of using salted butter like I usually do, I use unsalted. I also added some pure almond extract as well as pure vanilla. I think the hint of almond flavor really makes it extra special. See the complete recipe below.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1 8 ounce pack of cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 confectioners sugar
1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp cold whole milk or cream

Directions:
Cream butter and cream cheese together in large mixer bowl. Blend in almond and vanilla extract. Slowly add confectioners sugar and cocoa. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency desired. You can spread it on cakes or cupcakes or pipe it like I did. It's so easy and is better than anything store bought.

Enjoy and please let me know if you try this recipe. Thanks for reading!

My February Influenster #JadoreVoxBox

I have been a part the Influenster community for about 2 years now and I always feel like it's Christmas each time I receive a VoxBox. I received the February Valentine's themed, J'adore VoxBox. I am so impressed with the contents.  

The first item that really jumped out at me was the KISS lashes. I am 40 years old and have never tried false lashes before. I have wanted to just for fun, so I look forward to trying these. They area called KISS Looks So Natural Lashes and retail for $3.99. They are available at Walgreens and CVS Stores Nationwide. I must say, they do look real!

Next up, Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask ($9.39). I have looked a couple reviews already and have heard good things.

I love that this box was not just for women. They included a full size bottle of Vaseline Men Spray Lotion ($7.99 for 6.5 oz can). My husband tried it already and wasn't really impressed. It did work as far as being a moisturizer, I just think the scent was too strong.

My 17 year old daughter claimed the Frizz Ease 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray ($9.99 for 3.5 fl oz) She will be testing it out this weekend since she is addicted to the flat iron. I can't wait to see how it works on her bounty of hair!

I have already enjoyed a cup of Red Rose Simply Indulgent Tea ($4.49 for carton of 20 tea bags) in the Lemon Chiffon flavor. It was light and rich at the same time. I am a little leery about trying the caramel variety. I might have the husband try that one today. He is our hot tea drinker in the house.

Last but not least, I received a family size bag of HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolate ($5.29 for 18.5 oz bag/$3.28 for 11 oz). What can I tell you about these Kisses? They are the same classic, chocolaty deliciousness they have been since I was a little kid. I have some big strawberries in the fridge that will be getting dipped in some melted Kisses this afternoon.

Overall, this is a great box and as usual, Influenster does not disappoint. Are you an Influenster? It's FREE to join and I can email you an invitation if you would like. Who doesn't love getting freebies to try out? Email me if you are interested.

My favorite tip when baking brownies

My family loves when I bake brownies and can't ever seem to wait for them to cool down before hacking into the pan! This usually leads to uneven pieces, lots of crumbs and a big mess. For many years I have baked my brownies (both homemade and from a box mix) in muffin pans. I just spray the pans lightly with non-stick spray and bake them for about 10 minutes less than I would in a traditional pan. The pop out of the pan easily and you have those perfect chewy edges all the way around!

I like to make these to stash in lunchboxes and they are great for taking to banquets, potluck gatherings or bakes sales. I have even topped them with a mini swirl of homemade cream cheese frosting and stuck a few M&M's in my daughter's school colors right in the center. They are always a big hit!