web analytics

How to make a chocolate shampoo

20 Feb By 4 Comments

How to make a chocolate shampoo

Chocolate has now moved from the category of goodies into the ranks of popular cosmetic ingredients. Chocolate body wraps, masks, lip balms added with grated cocoa conquer the cosmetics industry with its first use. Chocolate cosmetics can transform not only the skin but also the hair. We will show you how to make chocolate shampoo that gives hair shine and softness, as well as significantly increasing the amount of hair.

 chocolate-shampoo (1)

We will need:

  • - 55 grams of chamomile hydrosol
  • - The basis for shampoo Organic 30g
  • - Cocoa beans 5 g
  • - Soluble castor oil 3 g
  • - Peptides cottonseed protein 3 g
  • - 2 g of cetyl alcohol
  • - Lactic acid, 1 g
  • - Phenoxyethanol 0.8 g
  • - Chocolate mousse flavor 0.2 g

Weigh hydrosol and put it in a heated water bath.
Cocoa mass, cetyl alcohol, and water-soluble castor oil should also be weighed and put in a water bath until they are completely melted.
Pour the hot chocolate mass into a hot hydrosol.

chocolate-shampoo (2)

[Read more...]

Filed Under: All About Trisha Tagged With: , , , ,

Small Talk Six: Gimme Some Sugar!

16 Oct By 15 Comments

smalltalksix3001

Want to join in?  Go here to learn how and  to view the weekly list Small Talk Six topics for 2009.

Today’s topic is “6 of your favorite sweet treats in the whole world.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

Ummm . . . I just went for my first root canal this Friday.  Does anyone else see the irony? 

Here are my six:

1)  skor_bar

2)  cherry-garcia

3)  hotchocolate_325

4)  carvel-cake-l

5)   BreyersChocCrackle

6)  chocolate-frosted_jpg

 Now go post your own list on your blog (don’t forget to grab a button) and then leave the direct link to your post on Mr. Linky.  Then go check out everyone else’s Small Talk Six lists and leave them a comment so they know you stopped by.  If for some reason Mr. Linky isn’t there, just leave your links within a comment.

~Karen

Filed Under: Memes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Small Talk Six: How Sweet It Would Be

11 Sep By 14 Comments

smalltalksix3001

Want to join in?  Go here to learn how and  to view the weekly list Small Talk Six topics for 2009.

Today’s topic is “6 things you think would be yummy if they were covered in chocolate.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

 This week was a tough one because I didn’t want to just name the millions of things that are commonly good drenched in chocolate.   I do have a soft spot for the combination of the salty and the sweet as you will see.

Here are my six:

1)  Roasted Chestnuts

2)  Candy Canes

3)  Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips

4)   Shrimp Chips

5)  Tortilla Chips

6)  Ritz Crackers

Now go post your own list on your blog (don’t forget to grab a button) and then leave the direct link to your post on Mr. Linky.  Then go check out everyone else’s Small Talk Six lists and leave them a comment so they know you stopped by.  If for some reason Mr. Linky isn’t there, just leave your links within a comment.

~Karen

Filed Under: Memes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tasty Thursdays-Sweets For Your Sweetie(s)

12 Feb By 16 Comments

This week, you get to share in some of the sweet treats we enjoy each Valentine’s Day in the SuzanneSez household.  To me, it’s important to spend the holiday showing those around me that they are loved. My boys get small gifts, Ed enjoys a favorite meal, but honestly? They all look forward to dessert.

Our tradition for going on five years now, is to enjoy a Chocolate fondue each February 14th. Among the treats we dip are made from scratch brownies.   I’m sharing both recipes with you today.

A few years ago, I found a good recipe for brownies online. As is typical, I fiddled and tweaked that recipe to make it the way my family enjoys best.   Sure, boxed brownies are a quick way to have that chocolate fix, but making them from scratch is best for getting the exact chocolate flavor you desire

It is said that the first brownies were served in box lunches in Chicago back in 1893, so that ladies could enjoy a cake like treat during the 1893 Columbia Exposition. The brownie’s denser consistency does make it much easier to eat without a fork, and perfect for dipping in fondue for the ultimate in chocolate decadence.

Suzanne's Favorite Brownies

Suzanne’s Favorite Brownies

  • 2 sticks of butter, melted
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla (you can not have too much vanilla, trust me!)
  • 3 eggs for chewy brownies, 4 for cake like brownies
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup powdered cocoa (quality counts here-my preferred is Ghiradelli, Hershey’s Special Dark but my absolute favorite is Scharffen Berger)
  • 1/2 tsp baking POWDER
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • optional items: 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, 1/2 cup peanut butter chips or 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (only choose ONE)

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease the bottom of a 13×9 baking pan.

In a 3 quart or larger bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and the cocoa powder (this removes any cocoa lumps). Next, crack 3 or 4 eggs into the bowl and continue to stir. Finally, add your flour, salt and baking POWDER and blend until moist.

Now, using a spatula, spread the batter out into the greased 13×9 pan. Don’t worry, it won’t reach all the way to the edges now, but it will during cooking. If you’d like to use nuts, chips or marshmallows. sprinkle them on top and gently push into the batter. I find that when I mix them in, they sink to the bottom and some of the flavor is lost. However, if you’re a brownie purist and don’t want anything extra in your brownies, you’ll find that these taste like some vanilla ice cream was mixed into the batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (30 if there are add ins) until the center is slightly firm.

(To see step by step brownie preparation pictures, visit SuzanneSez)

If you asked my boys what they enjoy most about Valentine’s Day, they’ll quickly answer that they love the fondue. We eat all sorts of fondue  year round, as evidenced by the fact that we own five fondue pots!   The usual closeness that having a meal around of fondue pot fosters is just that much better when we’re sharing yummy, yummy chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

As I mentioned, we’ve got a few fondue pots.   The one that I used tonight to refresh my memory of the ratios I hadn’t used before.  I like this pot, a Chantal ceramic bowl that sits over a tea light candle.   It showed me that you can make chocolate fondues without purpose built hardware, as long as you’ve got a microwave safe bowl.  If you’ve got a way to keep it warm, that’s a plus, but not a must.  Another option is if you’ve got one of those 1 quart crock pots (typically used to keep cheese dips warm), this recipe  will fit in it nicely.

Assemble your tray of dipables before starting your fondue, as the chocolate melts quickly.  What you dip is completely up to you, but if you’re at a loss, here are some suggestions:The dippables we enjoyed tonight

  • Strawberries
  • Bananas
  • Marshmallows
  • Pretzels
  • Rice Crispy Treats
  • Cookies
  • Brownies
  • Pound cake or Cheesecake

Fresh Local Strawberrry meets its chocolate bath

Chocolate Fondue

  • 4 oz heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp almond extract (optional) If you go for a liqueur, leave this out
  • 8 oz chocolate chips or shaved chocolate

OPTIONAL: 1 shot of liqueur.  good options are: Baileys, Chambord (raspberry), Amaretto (almond), Frangelico (hazelnut), Grand Marnier(orange), or Kahlua (coffee)

In a 2 quart microwave safe bowl, mix heavy cream, vanilla and liqueur together, then add chocolate.

(A side note here-this is meant to be a decadent treat.  You are worth the GOOD chocolate, ladies!  Ghiradelli, Scharffen Berger,  Hershey’s Special Dark or whatever your favorite chocolate is.  If it comes in bar form, chop it up and put it in the bowl.  I sometimes will use the Ghiradelli, then add about an ounce or two of my favorite Scharffenberger 70% bittersweet and it really punches up the flavor.  Go on, get the good stuff!)

Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, to blend (this will take a minute), then microwave for 30 seconds more.  Stir once again and then you’re ready to serve.  Fondue for Two (we put the kids to bed)The nice thing about chocolate fondues is that they don’t solidify as quickly as their cheese cousin.  If you don’t have a way of keeping heat under the chocolate, the chocolate will still work well for dipping for a while.  Just make sure to put the bowl on a trivet or potholder before placing it on the table.

For younger kids, you can set them up with their own plates and put a little of the chocolate in the center so they can have dipping fun without worrying about the chocolate or pot burning them.

Leftover chocolate (ha! ) can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to a week.   Thanks to the heavy cream, it will have a thick, fudge sauce consistency instead of becoming solid.

Here’s to a Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all.  Until next week, I hope all your meals are Tasty!

Suzanne

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Feature Boutique: Red Thread Confections (CLOSED)

3 Oct By 72 Comments

Just in time for Halloween, our next Feature Boutique is a real “treat!”  Please welcome Annika from Red Thread Confections!

1.  Congratulations on being a MomDot Feature Boutique!  Please introduce yourself to the MomDot readers!

Hi there, my name is Annika Pfluger, I’m a professional chocolatier and owner of Red Thread Confections. Red Thread Confections is a unique artisan handcrafted chocolate business. I hand paint each chocolate with organic all naturally colored cocoa butter. I trained at Ecole Chocolat based in Vancouver, Canada and studied artisan chocolates and confections at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. I’m also a single adoptive mom to a beautiful little boy who was born in Guatemala.

2.  What is the inspiration behind your product?


I got the inspiration for my company from the ancient Chinese Legend of the Red Thread: “At birth, an invisible red thread connects us to everyone in our life who will become important to us. That thread may stretch and shrink over time, but it will never break.” As an adoptive parent, the red thread legend is very close to my heart. I believe that my son was connected to me by the invisible red thread at birth and that he will also be forever connected to his birth family and birth country by that same red thread.  Red Thread Confections honors the red thread legend by donating a portion of the proceeds from each sale to orphanages and organizations which help children both here and abroad. Another part of our mission is to create red thread connections with each of our customers – once you try our chocolates, you’ll be forever connected as well!

3.  How did you take your product from concept to reality?

After I traveled to Guatemala, I was struck by the great needs of the children who were left behind with no families. As a former professional classically trained cellist, I really wanted to embark on a profession where I could have more time with my son, have the opportunity to be as creative as possible and also to have the option to give back to his orphanage (and to others). Thus the seed for Red Thread Confections was sewn. I began learning as much as possible about chocolates and confections. I enrolled in the programs listed above and I researched business plan information on the web. I also began renovating the production space for my business location and tracking down all the legal requirements for doing business. But the biggest thing that I did was to practice practice practice working with chocolate and developing my recipes. Luckily there was never any shortage of taste testers available!

4. What sets your company apart from your competitors?  What is special about your ingredients?


All of my chocolates are lovingly made by hand using no automated equipment. I use fair trade organic chocolate and as many organic and other fair trade ingredients as possible. I use premium fresh ingredients and don’t use any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives in any of my confections. Each piece is hand painted with organically colored all natural cocoa butter.

5.  I see that you donate a portion of your proceeds to charity.  Can you tell us a little about the ones you have chosen?

Red Thread Confections is currently donating to three organizations – Maine Adoption Placement Service (http://www.mapsadopt.org), Orphan Resources International (http://www.orphanresources.org) and to Half The Sky Foundation (http://halfthesky.org). Maine Adoption Placement Service is the wonderful adoption agency which found my son his forever family. Humanitarian aid has always been a part of their mission and they dedicate a substantial portion of program fees to aid in their efforts in the U.S. and overseas. Orphan Resources International is an organization working directly with orphanages in Guatemala. They supply the physical necessities and volunteers, to help with the care of the orphans, involving work teams to improve the facilities so that the lives of the children can be improved for as long as they stay. The final organization is Half The Sky Foundation, which works with orphanages in China. They provide individual nurture and stimulation for babies, innovative preschools that encourage an early love of learning, personalized learning opportunities for older children, and loving — and most important, permanent — foster homes for children whose special needs will keep them from being adopted.

6.  Your chocolates are like little works of art!  I am drooling over the Creamy Caramel Turtle!  What is the process behind making these little chocolate creatures?


The process for making each of my creations is a multi-step process because of the layering. I work in reverse 1.) polish molds with a cotton cloth to make sure there are no water spots, 2.) make the filling and allow to cool 3.) paint chocolate molds with colors, 4.) fill molds with chocolate and drain to the create outer chocolate shell, 5.) fill shell with filling, 6.) spread on the bottom layer of chocolate to seal the filling inside the shell. In between each step, the chocolate or filling layer needs to crystallize to set up.

7.  What is your most popular product?

My best sellers are my Sweet Raspberry Hearts (who doesn’t love dark chocolate with fresh raspberries!) and my Mayan Fire. The Mayan Fire is a confection which is based on the original Mayan chocolate recipe, but with a modern twist. It combines a dulce de leche caramel with dark chocolate and ancho chilis. It’s not too spicy, but just enough to give it a little after kick. Some people are a little hesitant, but once they try it, it’s always their favorite. Also very popular are the animals (Apple Cobbler Owl, Creamy Caramel Turtle and PB Hedgie) because of their unique look and flavor.

CONTEST

Thanks, Annika!  I know you are all drooling over the chocolates now, right?  Where are the choco-holics on MomDot?  LOL! Talk about a totally awesome Christmas present…for yourself.  Here’s your chance to sample the creations of Red Thread Confections! Annika has generously donated a gift certificate for one small box of chocolates to one MomDot reader!

Annika would LOVE to hear your feeback on her site and tell her what your favorite chocolates are there (and all of them are not the answer, LOL). Once you do that, you gain an entry~ And momdot will give you a 2nd entry for carrying our banner/link on your homepage.

Now go!

interviewed by Feature Writer Bridgette

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , ,