Category Archives: chocolate

Jul7

‘what you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate. ‘-Katharine Hepburn

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Vik Muniz. Action Photo, after Hans Namuth from Pictures of Chocolate. 1997. Chromogenic color print. The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros in honor of Adriana Cisneros de Griffin through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund. © The Estate of Hans Namuth and Vik Muniz/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

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‘As part of the Artist’s Choice exhibition series at the Museum of Modern Art, Muniz curated a show drawn from the Museum’s collection, and MoMA has recently added to the collection a key picture by Muniz, Action Photo, after Hans Namuth from Pictures of Chocolate, and we hope to continue our exploration and appreciation of this leading artist’s work.’ -MoMa

To make his work, Muniz renders familiar images drawn from pop culture and art history in a variety of materials, and then photographs them. He has fashioned the Mona Lisa from peanut butter and jelly, Elizabeth Taylor from diamonds, Caravaggio’s Narcissus from junk, iconic news images from wet ink, and his self-portrait from dice. Muniz has referred to himself as an “illusionist,” and, with characteristic humor and ingenuity, explores the nature of representation in an image-saturated world.

One of Muniz’s most well-known bodies of work is a series of pictures rendered in chocolate sauce. Action Photo, after Hans Namuth (1997) is made after a 1950 photograph taken by Hans Namuth of Jackson Pollock frozen in mid-dance as he was making one of his paintings, Autumn Rhythm.  Muniz’s subsequent appropriation and translation of this image into chocolate is a perfect marriage of subject and material. The viscous chocolate syrup (incidentally, he used the brand Bosco) is a perfect stand-in for Pollock’s wet, shiny paint drips. This new acquisition not only strengthens the Museum’s Muniz holdings, but is a welcome complement to MoMA’s rich Pollock collection .

Vik Muniz is a Brazilian artist and photographer. His work has been met with both commercial success and critical acclaim, and has been exhibited worldwide. In 1998, he participated in the 24th International Biennale in São Paulo, and in 2001, he represented Brazil at the 49th Biennale in Venice, Italy. He currently works in New York City and Rio de Janerio.

 while this is not me,

this is my exact style of painting with chocolate

while not quite as celebrated as vic’s

they are not as in demand 

and have not yet been exhibited in public.

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on world chocolate day

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‘i’las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso.’

(ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.)

-spanish proverb

 

 

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source credits:MoMa, Inside/Out

Nov6

your brain on chocolate.

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made a quick stop into a local shop

to grab a couple of bottles of wine for gifts

on my way to the checkout line

there was a food sample display

with small broken pieces of ghiradelli chocolate for tasting

i popped one into my mouth

 started chewing

but quickly stopped

when i remembered

i had invisalign on my teeth

so i swallowed what was left of it

assuming it would melt

but instead

it got somewhat stuck in my throat

 i started coughing while in line

still not melting

still coughing

somehow i said ‘water’

the checkout person

pointed and said , “run to the drinking fountain!”

so i took off

got a drink

some of the water went down

but still not melting or moving

thought i was going to have to be heimlich-ed

yet again no melting or moving

then somehow it finally made it’s way down

walked back to the counter

cashier told me that some people have that reaction to chocolate

but my issue was that i had popped it into my mouth without a thought

and it quickly went downhill (for a bit, but not downhill enough) from there

finally i emerged from the store with the wine and no chocolate

decided that i should probably think about my chocolate

and not automatically start eating it anytime it is offered

but chocolate does that to a person

it just draws you in.

 

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“your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that,

as far as chocolate is concerned,

there is no need to involve your brain.’

-dave barry

Aug6

soul food.

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it’s happened, my favorite is back!

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Sanders resumes production

of its beloved  toppings

after nearly year-long pause

Sanders will once again produce its famous dessert toppings after taking a pause last year because of manufacturing challenges and extremely high demand.  They will start manufacturing with its famous milk chocolate and caramel fudge – the two best-selling flavors.

“We truly appreciate the love that customers in Michigan and beyond have for our products that spans the generations and has been a part of family traditions for nearly 150 years,” said Jennifer Bauer, Chief Marketing Officer for Second Nature Brands. “That is why we committed to resuming manufacturing of our toppings as soon as we could. It is because of the support born in our hometown that Sanders is the fastest-growing chocolate brand in the country.”

Sanders expects to begin re-selling the toppings at stores in mid-August and by the end of August, they will be available on the Sanders website.

Life is good, and even better very soon.

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“chocolate is health food for the soul.”
-miranda gray
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credits: scripps media, sanders bakery, a special thanks for letting me know, leah
Jul22

like white water for chocolate.

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white water rafting on the sarapaqui river

sometimes a puma will check out the action on the river

local cacao farm (costa rica chocolate – sarapaqui)

to learn about the process

the history of the family’s story and growing cacao here

 so much amazing tasting

sometimes these little poison frogs will help the farm by eating the mosquitos.

“life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.”   – —-emma smith

“when it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.”

-regina brett

Jun25

what the fudge?!

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since i was an itty bitty girl

 my very favorite desserts in the whole wide world

always included

my hometown bakery’s (sanders) milk chocolate hot fudge topping

(on anything, or sometimes just a spoonful or bowl (small) of it, yes)

in my later years

i have it on special occasions

or on a random tuesday

 imagine my reaction

when i read a local article

 how it was now very hard to get

so of course

i then decided i had to have it

checked the usual places

without any luck

went to amazon

 found an offer

for $288

for 6 jars

of what is normally under $10

now i want it more

haven’t yet found a way to rationalize the cost

even though it may very well be worth it

perhaps an emergency go fund me is on the horizon.

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amazon ad:

Sanders Chocolate Hot Fudge Dessert Topping, 10 oz, (Pack of 6)

$288

100+ viewed in past month

FREE delivery Jun 29 – Jul 7

Or fastest delivery Wed, Jun 28

Only 1 left in stock – order soon.

Per the Detroit Free Press: ‘Due to supply chain and production issues, the chocolatier decided to pause production on its dessert toppings until it is able to find a new manufacturing facility.’

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“price is what you pay. value is what you get.’

-warren buffett

Apr8

he bring of the chocolate.

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“the rabbit of easter.  he bring of the chocolate.”

-david sedaris

photo credit: from my favorite chocolatier with a cause, peace by chocolate

https://peacebychocolate.ca/

link to my earlier post about their story:

https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/?s=peace+by+chocolate

Feb18

cracking the case.

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A man has been convicted of stealing nearly 200,000 chocolate eggs, worth around £40,000 ($48,000), in what British police have dubbed an “eggs-travagent theft.” Joby Pool, 32, pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday to criminal damage and theft, West Mercia Police said in a statement.The chocolate was recovered when Pool was stopped by highway police on Saturday, the force said.

According to PA Media, prosecutor Owen Beale said: “This clearly wasn’t spur-of-the-moment offending, if I can put it like that, because he had taken with him a tractor unit and he had to know that the load was there in the first place. It’s clearly a leading role and it’s clearly significant planning.”

Pool’s solicitor John McMillan told the court: “He stopped the vehicle when he realized he was being followed. He realized that the game was up – he realized the police were behind him and pulled in when it was safe to do so. He wasn’t offering any resistance and he was then arrested. Shortly after the theft a vehicle, presumably purporting to be the Easter bunny, was stopped northbound on the M42 and a 32 year old man was arrested on suspicion of theft.”

my deep thoughts on this case:

i do love these, but one or five are generally enough to make me happy for a year.

i also love true crime and find this fascinating

i wonder why he chose cadbury chocolate eggs as his loot

(though i do admire his choice)

i wonder what would the easter bunny have done without these

i wonder if there is a thriving black market for this merch

it seems an odd crime, but then, most crime is odd by the very nature of it.  

—

“he who steals a little steals with the same wish as he who steals much, but with less power.”

-plato

 

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source credits: ianne kolorin, london cnn, pa media

Jan31

cocoa.

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happy international hot chocolate day!

time to cozy up with your favorite mug for a day that’s devoted to the delicious chocolate beverage

 ancient Mayans drank chocolate made from crushed cocoa seeds mixed in water in 500 BC

they knew a good thing.

 

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“watch the sunrise at least once a year, put a lot of marshmallows in your hot chocolate,

lie on your back and look at the stars, never buy a coffee table you can’t put your feet on,

never pass up a chance to jump on a trampoline,

don’t overlook life’s small joys while searching for the big ones.”

-h.jackson brown, jr.

 

 

 

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image credit: bon appetit magazine

Dec1

to raisin, or not to raisin? that is the question.

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on the very first day

of my new and improved

healthy eating and exercise initiative

a rogue chocolate-covered raisin

emerged from hiding

 under a blanket on my sofa

where it had quietly sat

lying in wait

for me to discover it

i stopped

breathless

 knowing this tiny temptation

was a test

 oh, what a test

who would know

just one

 practically a fruit and coffee/cacao product

dark chocolate and fruit are both good for my heart

who cares if there’s a bit of blanket fuzz on it

that’s just added fiber

could this be the gateway

to a slice of triple-layer chocolate cake or velveta-laden nachos?

not today, fuzzy amazing hidden chocolate-covered raisin, not today.

the struggle is real.

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i looked to the writers to seek their wisdom

they have a difference of opinion on this.

are you on team wilde or team emerson when it comes to temptation?

“i can resist everything except temptation.”

-oscar wilde

“we gain the strength of the temptation we resist.”

-ralph waldo emerson

Mar3

sweet spots.

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have you ever asked yourself,

“will today be the day I combine my love of baking with my love of arts and crafts?”

if this is the day, here’s what can help

the brand new disco, glitter, chocolate chips

this hit all the sweet spots for me

a holy trinity of sins.

 

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“you know, your clothes may say disco, but your eyes say rock and roll.”

-giuseppe andrews

 

 

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image credit: nestle’s