Chocolate Paradise, Snow,

Chocolate Lovers Paradise, a friend sent a link to the BBC in England where there is a video of a chocolate exhibition in China. Apparently China are taking to chocolate like a duck to water and the exhibition features all kinds of things made of Belgian chocolate, including The Great Wall of China, clothing, cars, everything, all edible. I particularly liked the chocolate dragon one model was wearing. I am not sure I could ever get to wear anything like that, I would be too busy sampling it. If you want to see this fascinating exhibition, the link is here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8486259.stm - watch and drool. The girl in this picture is dressed in chocolate.

We had yet more snow last night, yesterday, it snowed on and off all day. In fact at one point we couldn't see the trees outside our window. We didn't go bowling in the end, partly because of the weather and partly because I had a stomach upset and just didn't feel like it. I spoke to one friend who went and she told me she had missed the turn off into New Hamburg because she couldn't see. She also saw a speeding truck almost jack knife as he slid for quite a distance sideways. She hoped he was carrying spare underwear! The problem with weather like that, it isn't just driving, its what other drivers do and there are some real idiots out there who don't consider what a difference the conditions make. There were lots of accidents all over the place yesterday, as reported by the news broadcasts. Safer to stay home.

Having talked about chocolate I had to give you a chocolate recipe. This one is from Hershey's kitchens and really appealed to me. I even included the high altitude directions, just in case! Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup boiling water ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING(recipe follows) Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. 2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (Cake may be left in rectangular pan, if desired.) Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. 8 to 10 servings. ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 2-2/3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa 1/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting. HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS (Cake): -- Decrease sugar to 1-3/4 cups -- Increase flour to 1-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons -- Decrease baking powder to 1-1/4 teaspoons -- Decrease baking soda to 1-1/4 teaspoons -- Increase milk to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons -- Bake at 375°F, 30 to 35 minutes for both pan sizes

Have a great day