Strollerderby : chocolate

Kitchenista: Candy is Dandy (But Cheating is Quicker)

KeriF — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:06:00 GMT

I've always openly admired (but secretly hated) those moms who make handmade candies for their children's parties, artfully decorated homemade marshmallows or intricately crafted chocolate pops. Don't get me wrong, I love making homemade treats, and will shamefully use them to bribe the preschool director, but my treats always look homemade.

So when it comes to candy, I skip the tempering of the chocolate and the boiling of the sugar and the fancy molds and such, and I do what every smart mom does: I cheat.

Lately, I'm big on chocolate. Especially this coating chocolate made by Ghirardelli, which my brother-in-law picked up in a 5-pound block at Costco. Coating chocolate has other ingredients in it that make it shiny and allow it to dry super-duper fast. Here's what I've made with it in the last few weeks:

Fancy pretzels: Dip braided pretzel in melted coating chocolate so that about 3/4 of the pretzel is covered (enough room for your fingers to hold the pretzel while you dip it in the chocolate). Sprinkle pretzel with sprinkles (multi-colored non-pareils are good). Place on lined sheet tray to air dry. If you're feeling really fancy, stick a mini marshmallow on the chocolate tip of the pretzel before you sprinkle the sprinkles.

S'mores: Combine mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces. Add melted coating chocolate and stir to, well, coat. You want enough chocolate to just coat the ingredients. Scoop into little mounds on a lined baking sheet or fill mini- or regular-cupcake liners. Set aside to set at room temperature.

Chocolate-covered nuts and dried fruit: You need patience for this: dip individual salted nuts and pieces of dried fruit (the sweet/salty combo is divine) into the chocolate so that each nut is covered halfway. Set on a lined baking sheet to set. Some good combos: salted almonds and dried apricots; salted cashews and dried cherries; salted pistachios and "dried plums."

Mores S'mores: I made these with my niece for pajama day at her school and they were a big hit: dip large marshmallows in melted chocolate so that the chocolate covers them about halfway. Top chocolate end with a small piece of graham cracker, or dip in graham cracker crumbs. Leave at room temperature to set.

Of course, all of these will work just as well with melted chocolate (semi-sweet or milk) or chocolate chips; they will just take longer to set. If using real chocolate (rather than coating chocolate) I like to put it in the refrigerator for half and hour or so to set, then remove and keep at room temperature. (Real chocolate will set, eventually, at room temperature, but it will take over an hour.)

What are your favorite uses for melted chocolate? (Keep it clean, folks!)

What's In Your Easter Basket?

editors — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

If you will be playing the role of Easter bunny this year, you have no doubt already scored the requisite jellybeans and chocolate eggs. However, if you’re interested in filling up those baskets without putting your children into a sugar-induced mania, check out these ideas for cute, creative (and just plain weird) basket-stuffers. — Lindsay Armstrong

Most Cuddly
Oh my goodness! This is one cute, snuggly little bunny. He reminds me a bit of the Velveteen Rabbit. If bunnies aren’t your thing, don’t worry. They also have a lamb, a duck, a frog, and a pig, all perfect for spring.

Best for Babies
This sweet burp cloth is great for even the littlest Easter baskets! Again, available in a wide range of cute baby animal designs.

Most Useful
After getting kids all wired up on sugar, it’s good to give them a fun, outdoor activity to do. That’s where these come in handy. Cute Easter themed bubble bottles and egg-shaped sidewalk chalk are not too small for little hands.

Most Disturbing
Remember Make-a-Scene stickers? All of the stickers share a common theme and you can build a little picture with them. They’re so fun and cute and not emotionally scarring…except when the sticker theme is “crucifixion and entombment.”

Best Non-Egg Treasure Hunt
Get all of the fun of searching for treasures without the pain of hiding them with this adorable, duck-shaped, I-Spy bag. There is also an easier version for younger children.

Most Blatant Attempt at Making a Non-Easter Item Holiday Friendly
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the words “bunny” and “missile” don’t belong together in a single product description. Besides, plastering a smiley face on a Nerf-like football does not a bunny make.

Grossest/Coolest
Ok, ok, so maybe exploding frogs have nothing to do with Easter, but these soaps are just plain fun and guaranteed to get you candy-sticky kid into the tub.

Best Bang for Your Buck
These beautiful, egg-shaped crayons are made from recycled materials, easy for small hands to grasp, and are really works of art in and of themselves. This is one egg that will last you long past Easter.

Best Eggs for Huntin'
These adorable, nature inspired eggs are perfect for an outdoor hunt.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Peanut-Free Candy Sources for Safe Easter Baskets (or anytime!)

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

While the jury may be out on whether or not peanut allergies are over-diagnosed, there are those among us who know the hard way, beyond a shadow of a doubt that their kids can't have peanuts. We've got not such allergies in our family, but decided to go peanut-free "lite" last year to be more hospitable to a good friend (and frequent visitor) who does have a serious peanut allergy. We replaced peanut butter with cashew butter and peanut oil with sunflower oil and choose non-peanut alternatives when buying a rare bag of candy or trail mix and the like. What we don't do is scour every label for that ominous "manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts" and toss the offenders out.

But some folks have to go that extra step and for them, Easter can be as scary as Halloween. In fact, it was just last Easter when our peanut-allergic pal found herself at the business end of an epi-pen and on a frightening trip to the ER, after tasting a playmate's Easter basket booty.

In response to the need of some folks to have peanut-free Easters (and the desire of others to be sensitive to those with whom they are egg-hunting), we've found a few good sources of safe candy for the allergic set.

Vermont Nut-Free candy offers a wide variety of chocolate candy, including some cute ideas for a non-traditional Easter basket. Tired of bunnies? How about workbench tools or "creepy-crawlies?"

Peanut-Free Planet offers a pretty violet Easter basket safe and filled with chocolate. They also offer a lot of other allergy-sensitive products for those with dairy, wheat, or other sensitivities.

For those of you north of the 49th parallel, or wistfully longing to be, Canadian Sweets will ship your favorite Canuck delights anywhere and offer a large allergy-sensitive selection including several Aero bars and Dare candies.

I know not everyone celebrates Easter, but everyone loves candy--well everyone I want to be friends with, anyway. So even if Easter is not your basket, may you find something delicious (and safe) to indulge in this week.

Kitchenista: No Bake Cake

KeriF — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:30:00 GMT

My great-grandmother used to "bake" this Icebox Cake all the time, I'm told, and now my Aunt Rita has taken ownership of it. Her version features chocolate Jell-O pudding, Cool Whip, and graham crackers layered together and topped with maraschino "cherries." The layers all meld together and get soft and yummy and yes, cake-like. No oven required!

Of course it's delicious, as anything with pudding is, but I'm not big into Jell-O pudding or Cool Whip (or "cherries"), so I developed my own version using homemade chocolate pudding and whipped cream.

This has become my go-to dessert when I'm entertaining, going to someone's house, or in the mood to scarf down an entire cake. I love it because I always have the ingredients on hand so can make it at a moment's notice. I realize not everyone lives in a communal household of 12 like I do and therefore does not buy graham crackers by the case, so even if you don't have all the ingredients at the ready, they're easy enough to pick up at the grocer. Heck, you could probably find everything you need at 7-11.

Icebox Cake

Serves 12

For the chocolate pudding:

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch salt

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 14-ounce box graham crackers

For the whipped cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and a pinch of salt in a heavy medium saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange one single layer of graham crackers in a 9-by-11 baking dish. Top with 1/3 of the chocolate pudding. Repeat with remaining graham crackers and pudding, ending with a layer of pudding. Refrigerate while you prepare the whipped cream.

Combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip to soft peaks. Spread whipped cream in an even layer on top of pudding. Garnish with grated chocolate (or maraschino cherries, if you insist).

Photo: The Wandering Eater

Kitchenista: Chocolate Sweets for Your Sweetie

KeriF — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:31:00 GMT

Truffles sound like they'd be really complicated to make, but the truth is, they couldn't be simpler. In fact, there are only three ingredients: chocolate, heavy cream, and butter. Melt them together, roll them into balls, dip them in more melted chocolate and toss in some cocoa powder (okay, four ingredients), and you're good to go.

These truffles are perfect for Valentine's Day because, well, they're truffles. But more importantly, they're homemade. It won't cost you much more than $5 to make several dozen, which would run you $100 or more at a fancy chocolate store.

Last year, my friend Greg Case, a pastry chef, and I wrote an article about ganache (which is the base of a truffle) for Fine Cooking; you can get the recipe with step-by-step instructions so you too can impress your honey here. Be sure to check out the tasty variations, like Toffe and Fleur de Sel. They need more than three ingredients. But they're worth it.

Photo: Fine Cooking

Trick or Treating for Fair Trade

Amy Kuras — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:02:00 GMT

While kids in America will be happily running the streets Friday night, hitting up neighbors for candy, a few will be instead handing their neighbors a piece of fair trade chocolate and a card detailing some of the abusive practices of the chocolate industry. It's a "reverse trick or treating" program through Global Exhange.

According to this post on Chow, the card reads, in part, “Like Halloween, chocolate should be a source of joy for all children, including those in countries where cocoa is grown. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. Despite six years of promises from major chocolate manufacturers little has been done to tackle the documented problem of forced child labor on many farms that supply their cocoa. Moreover, low cocoa prices have left cocoa farmers in poverty year after year.”

I’ll admit this right now –I haven’t gone all fair trade with my chocolate purchases, and we’ll probably be handing out regular old chocolate this year. But I like this idea – it’s a way to educate kids a little bit about global trade and where their treats come from. More importantly, it’s a way to bring attention to the issue of fair trade without being Debbie Downer and offers some real, clear ways to make a difference. Too often we’re told of these horrible injustices in the world but not told any way that we can possibly help. And for me, that just makes me want to hide under the bed. But “here’s some chocolate and here’s a simple way to make life better for the kids that harvested it?” That’s pretty cool.

Addicted to Food Because of Genes?

Kelly Mills — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:31:00 GMT

I've read about a quadrillion studies on obesity research, and it's rare that one actually makes me reconsider my behavior. This latest one, on a gene variant and the pleasure derived from food, actually did give me pause though. It also might make you think twice about how to feed your kids. Here's what I mean.

It might seem logical that people who are overweight or obese get more pleasure from food than skinny folks, and that's why they overeat. But the study says the opposite might be true. Researchers gave chocolate milkshakes (mmm) to 77 young women. Some were lean, some were obese, and some had a gene variant that makes them respond less to dopamine (a chemical important to the pleasure response.) Here's what they found: Obese women had less of a pleasure response to the milkshakes; this was even more so for women with the gene variant; and women with the gene variant had gained more weight a year later. In the words of one resarcher: "'If you look at the brain response when people are about to get the milkshake, obese individuals show greater activation of the reward circuitry, not less. So, ironically, they expect more reward but seem to experience less.'" Which kinda makes sense---if anticipate something will be better than it is, you might keep eating it in an effort to get satisfaction.

The researcher suggests that eating a small amount regularly of something high in fat and sugar might not be the way to go, because it could make it hard to stop eating. Perhaps cutting the food out entirely would actually do more for reducing cravings and overeating. And this applies to kids because, well, it may be easiest to build in good habits when you are young. Sigh. I'm a cupcake addict, and my kid likes her daily dessert, but this study might make me re-evaluate the frequency of our treats. Um, maybe. No promises.

Does anyone let their kids eat candy on halloween anymore?

Keep kids from getting fat - get a dog.

It's hard out there for a mom who says 'no'

Breaking News: Cadbury chocolate made in China recalled

Brett Singer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:15:00 GMT

The AP is reporting that Cadbury is "recalling 11 types of Chinese-made chocolates after tests found they contained the industrial chemical melamine." This follows the recall of tainted milk powder in China.

AND, according to Newsinferno.com, a specific candy made by Cadbury called "White Rabbit" has been found to contain Melamine, the substance that cause more than 50,000 children to fall ill in China. The candy has been "distributed to California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state through wholesale distributors to retail stores."

Before you say what I said ("Newsinferno? What's that?"), here's a link to the FDA's press release about the recall.

Newsinferno also reports that, "Pizza Hut suspended supplying cheese powder found to be contaminated by melamine in Pizza Hut’s Taiwan branch." Unless you happen to be in Taiwan, this one is pretty easy to avoid, but the White Rabbit stuff sounds like it could be in your local candy shoppe. Plus there are 11 other varieties, such as Eclairs (sold in Australia). So be careful.

But wait! There's more! According to Wikipedia, this White Rabbit stuff was recalled last year in the Philippines because it contained formaldehyde. Yum!

Anyone else in the mood for some good news? Like, "Field of unicorns found frolicking in Central Park, film at 11"? Sorry, I made that one up. Sounds good though, right?

Sources: CBS News/AP, Newsinferno.com, Sydney Morning Herald, Wikipedia (also image)

Arkansas Evangelist's compound raided, six children removed

They say: Chinese baby formula is dangerous

Mom finds hairy Goldilocks in 2 year old's bed

Dad buys beer for his toddlers

Now Chinese Coffee May Also Be Contaminated

Chinese Milk Scandal Heads to Europe. Is the U.S. Next? Yes!

YOU say: I got fooled (update to "They USED to say: give babies cola")

Kitchenista: Chocolate Balls! (sans salt)

Adrienne Martini — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Sing along with me, kids:

Say, has everybody seen my balls, they're big and salty and brown.
If you ever need a pick, pick me up, just put my balls in your mouth...

In honor of the late, great Isaac Hayes, a recipe for the world's easiest chocolate balls. You may add salt if you so desire.

If you want to make your balls without nuts, use this recipe.

You can make your own call on sucking them. Just be warned that they melt pretty quickly.

Photo credit: Kraft Foods

Kitchenista: A Searchable Feast

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:30:00 GMT

If you are at all hungry, do not read further. Also, if you do not want drool on your computer's screen, do not read further. For the rest of you, click on.

Foodgawker is a searchable database of web recipes with gorgeous pictures. You've seen food before, you say. How is this different?

To you, I say:

Chocolate, ice cream and vegetables. If the recipes are half as good as the pictures, we will all be eating well.

Now if they can figure out a way to make these foods magically appear on my desk in edible form, my life will be complete.

Photo credit: eatingoutloud

Pregcellent: Weird Cravings Are Up

Kelly Mills — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:02:00 GMT

You know that yen for a deli roast beef sandwich, extra mayo, with cheddar cheese potato chips inserted inside the sandwich that struck you suddenly while pregnant? Just me? Apparently not, because the BBC reports that pregnancy cravings are up. Three-fourths of women today experience some kind of craving while knocked up, compared with 30 percent just fifty years ago. Oh, and chocolate topped the list, because pregnant women are not stupid.

However, the cravings were not just for weird food stuff. In fact, a third were for odd things like coal, soap, toothpaste, ice, and sponges. These non-food items are probably cravings for smells and textures. I've never said to myself, "I could really go for some coal right now" but I'm not knocking it either. One theory on the craving increase is that we have a real variety of foods available to us now, so we can act on our desires. But nobody knows for sure, and some pregnancy researchers say it's unlikely the cravings are due to any actual deficiency.

So, what interesting things did you crave?

Eat Chocolate, Protect Your Baby

Amy Kuras — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:33:00 GMT

Finally, some good news about pregnancy and what we might choose to eat or drink during those nine loooonnnngggg months.

Researchers at Yale University studied more than 2200 pregnant women between January 1996 and September 2000, and found those who reported eating at least five servings of chocolate a week were 40 percent less likely to develop pre-eclampsia than those who consumed less than one serving a week.

Preeclampsia is rare but serious, sending the mother's blood pressure soaring and often leading to premature deliveries and babies at serious risk of dying. It's scary stuff and the cause is unclear.

Researchers believe the chemical theobromine , which occurs naturally in chocolate, could be responsible for the protective effect. They tested the levels of theobromine in the umbilical-cord blood of babies born to mothers in the study. It found a correlation between women who consumed the most chocolate, therefore those whose babies had the highest concentration of theobromine, and a significantly reduced incidence of preeclampsia.

And this is my favorite pregnancy-eating quote ever from any expert, ever: Lead researcher Dr Elizabeth W. Triche said, "Because of the importance of preeclampsia as a major complication of pregnancy, a detailed assessment of chocolate consumption is warranted."

I'm anecdotal proof: Two pregnancies, a preexisting love for chocolate and carte blanche to indulge (what? It made the baby move), and no preeclampsia either time – low-ish blood pressure and overdue babies, actually. Almost makes me want to get pregnant again so I can justify my sweet tooth.

Kitchenista: New Spin On Hot Cocoa

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Chocolate is one of nature's perfect foods. And if you heat up a perfect food with a little milk, then you move from perfection into a state of bliss usually acheived with illegal narcotics.

Still, even bliss can get a little routine. Which is why Chow's list of ten variations on the hot chocolate theme is perfect for the post-Valentine's-Day-crap-it's-still-not-spring malaise.

Some are beyond my comfort zone -- like Five-Spice Hot Chocolate -- but the rest are the beverages of my dreams. In fact, I might have some Amaretto in the cupboard right now. There goes the rest of my afternoon.

Illo credit: Chow.com

No More Sugar Mama

Amy Kuras — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:03:00 GMT

When I was a kid, Valentine's Day was a great excuse to overdose on sugar, chocolate, and red dye #40. School parties featured cupcakes and punch and candy hearts while my parents usually had some kind of treat for us at home. It was second only to Halloween in terms of the deliciousness level, not to mention the sugar high.

How times have changed. Last night, for my daughter's preschool party, I made not cookies, not cupcakes, but plain, lightly salted popcorn. Other choices on the sign up sheet included red apples, snap peas, strawberries, and bagels.

All perfectly wonderful and tasty food, but party food? Come on now.

My daughter's school has a "healthy lunch policy" that carries over into celebrations. Anything sent to school has to be free of added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and food dyes. And it seems more schools are going this way. One, in Georgia, calls itself the first sugar-free public elementary school in the country.

I know, and fully support, all the good reasons to do this – not least of which is not creating the association between "celebration" and "junk food." And heaven knows I would not want to be the teacher that has to handle 25 energetic preschoolers after they've been all amped up on sugar. Dealing with the one I have when she gets to have, say, a brownie can make me wish for a child-safe tranquilizer dart. We try to stay away from processed and junky food at home.

And soon enough, she'll know the small thrill of a pink-frosted heart-shaped cookie.

Photo: NoSugarAddedShop.com

Kitchenista: Because It's About the Chocolate

Karen Murphy — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Go ahead, you know you want brownies today. Not just any brownies. No, these have to be really rich, almost like fudge (none of this "cake-like" stuff, what is that anyway?). Made with real butter, of course. Made by you. Not from a box (trust me, it's TOTALLY worth it). And really, really chocolatey. Because today is all about the chocolate.

I've been making these for years and have never heard one complaint. Yay, Joy of Cooking!

1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
4 oz chocolate, unsweetened*
4 eggs at room temperature
1/4 teasp salt
2 cups sugar
1 teasp vanilla**
1 cup flour

Melt butter and chocolate and allow to cool somewhat (Joy of Cooking advises that if you fail in this part, your brownies will be "heavy and dry" and woe to you!).

Beat eggs, a LOT. Gradually add in sugar and vanilla, and salt, unless you forget the salt. Then remove the beaters and get out a nice wooden spoon. After applying a few whacks to the backside of thr shorter people hanging about the kitchen (or threatening to), use the spoon to quickly mix in the chocolate/butter. Before everything is a uniform chocolatey color, begin folding in your flour. Don't overmix; a few strokes will do it. (If you MUST add nuts to this confection, do it here—1 cup—but I loathe nuts so I skip this step).

Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

I used to add insult to injury and ice these with chocolate buttercream when they cooled, but now I am thinking that a sprinkle of dark-chocolate mini chips on hot brownies, spread when melty, would be lovely.

*The quality of the brownies is seriously dependent upon the quality of the chocolate. Lately I like Sharffen Berger.

** Real vanilla, please. That Bourbon Madagascar stuffis totally worth it. I usually add a glug more than called for, too. Mmm.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Photo: blog.news-record.com

Crafty: Say "I Love You" With Chocolate

Adrienne Martini — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:00:00 GMT

In our house, we don't go nuts with the Valentine's Day swag. A card is enough, frankly. It's even better if the card is homemade -- but there's no pressure. Hugs are also accepted in lieu of a card.

Still, there's just something irresistibly sweet about these handwrapped candy bars. The mind behind Creature Comforts has come up with a .pdf that you can print out and cut out. All you need to add is a little glue and, of course, a candy bar. Love just oozes out of these babies.

Again, there are many mods that could be made. For those with lots of free time, you could make your own sweets. For the more health conscious among you, a granola/fruit/carob bar could be substituted. Which doesn't ooze as much love, frankly, but we all make choices.

Photo Credit: Creature Comforts

Strollerderby Playdate: Doggie Style

Adrienne Martini — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:29:00 GMT

Show of hands - how many moms looked at their post-baby belly and immediately started to sob? How many were doing the same thing a year later? How many are making peace with how things in the boob-and-belly region are now? How many of you find keeping your hand in the air is aerobic exercise enough?

You are not alone. You know this, of course, but sometimes it's nice to read about someone going through the exact same issue who is able to eloquently express the struggle. Which is why we're playdating with Hillari Dowdle, a former Managing Editor of Cooking Light and Yoga Journal, who now blogs for Fit Pregnancy.

You know when she gets here we're all going to sit down and chat about House reruns, Hershey's Kisses, when baby weight just becomes weight, regression and downward dogs. I'll bring a yoga mat, my wobbly glutes and mojitos.

Take 3 Ounces And Call Me In The Morning

Amy S.F. Lutz — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:27:00 GMT

I don't cook at all, so you can imagine how bored I must have been to be flipping through an issue of Gourmet magazine while snacking one afternoon. And there it was, a throwaway line on a page of random interesting facts about food: chocolate is a better cough suppressant than codeine.

Wow! I immediately sprang to my computer to Google the study that had made this discovery that would obviously change my life. And what I found was a study dating back to 2004, stating that the amount of theobromine in three ounces of dark chocolate suppresses coughing for four hours, by inhibiting the nerve that causes the urge to cough.

2004? Why aren't Hershey's and Nestle's all over this? Aren't I the paradigmatic person who should be informed of this discovery - a woman with enough disposable income to buy as much chocolate as her conscience will allow? A woman with five kids who cough from November to May, who has been freaking out over the recent articles about kids dying from cold medicine?

By the way, this benefit is in addition to those chocolate consumers get from flavonols, which reduce heart attacks and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. And dark chocolate has twice as many antioxidants as red wine. In fact, I'm expecting any day the finding that not eating chocolate is really what's bad for you.

Conflicting and Confusing: Today's Nutritional Advice for Pregnant Women

Karen Murphy — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:55:00 GMT

Fish? Or no fish? Wild-caught or farmed? Is tuna okay? Doesn't it contain mercury though? What about deli meat? Oh, and cheese? Does it have to be pasteurized? Is blue cheese okay? How about caffeine? A little is okay, right? No? None at all? How much caffeine is in chocolate, anyway? Does it depend on the chocolate? What about alcohol? That's a no-no, right? No? A glass of wine is okay? No?? But I heard yes! And I had one last week; is that bad?

I'M PREGNANT AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EAT!!!!!*

That surely has to be the cry of pregnant women these days as they attempt to weed through often conflicting advice about what is safe and not safe to consume during pregnancy.

I remember standing in line at the supermarket deli counter when I was last pregnant and having people approach me to tell me I shouldn't be eating anything there. I'm sure many of you have similar stories of dirty looks from total strangers when you have a glass of wine or a coffee in front of you. It's bad enough that you and your pregnant belly become public property as soon as you're showing, but now the Food Police are after you too.

So what do you do? How do you make sense of this and figure out what's safe and what's not?

Here's some advice on fish, and here's some general food safety tips for pregnant women.

Good luck.

*Not me. Nope. Really.

Group Play Produces Fatties

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:17:00 GMT

In what scientists might come to call the "prison effect" or "growing up with two older brothers syndrome," a new study shows that kids who eat in large groups tend to consume more than kids who eat in small groups. Well, duh? If they don't wolf down the meal, someone's going to take it!

In essence, the study showed that kids ate more when they were in a group of nine than when they were in a group of three, leading researchers to believe that social arousal, such as noise or activity, led to consuming more food -- although I like to think that feeding one group kale cakes and the other chocolate-dipped heroin pizza had something to do with it.

OK, OK, so they ate the same drug-free food -- but I'm still filing this one under "No S--- Sherlock." Haven't any of these researchers been to a casino buffet, a ballgame or a family reunion? People eat more in large settings. I do, at least. I suppose now I've got science to back me up, but I'm still not sure what to do about it. Restrict diet and table mates?

Valentine for the Mother-With-Everything: The Nursing Mother in Chocolate

Karen Murphy — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:19:00 GMT

Okay, so call me a bit of a militant nursing mother. After all, I nursed all four of my children with varying degrees of success. And I'm all for nursing mother's rights, and I totally honor the beauty that is contained within this simple yet basic action. But. A nursing mother rendered in chocolate? Okayyy....

Question: where do you start eating it? The head? Because a headless nursing mother is, like, so wrong. The leg? Nah. The, uh, "milk pillows"? Uh, no. And what about the baby??! I cannot eat a chocolate baby. No. Way.

However, this would make a lovely shower gift, as well as a highly unusual but welcome Valentine. After all, it IS chocolate.

Because You Want To: Cool Stuff for Valentine's Day

Karen Murphy — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:51:00 GMT

Before you know it, the most pressure-filled of all holidays will be upon you (thank you, Hallmark). Will you be ready?

Sending flowers again this year? (yawn. Or as I like to say: it's a start.) At least make them organically-grown, like these from Organic Bouquet.

Feel compelled to send a card? Support social justice with these uber-cool hemp cards from the Organic Consumer's Association.

What about the kids? The Groovy Mind has this set of Five Finger Puppets made from wool spun on bicycle wheels! How can you not buy this, when you can give a toy and inspire guilt at the same time? My kids are each getting a weird-what-is-it rechargeable Candeloo light from Progressive Kid, combining form and function with whimsy. Can't find the perfect gift? Have a look at the large Valentine's collection from Magic Cabin, with vintage Valentines, magic fairy hearts, and bubble wands.

They say the way to a lover's heart is through the stomach, and few things say romance better than food. If you're into cooking, why not try this Vegetarian Valentine's Menu For Two from Wild Oats?

Had enough hearts? I couldn't resist this simple, recycled glass heart from Greenfeet.com

The second-to-last item of the night must involve chocolate. I think it's actually a law. While I look that up, have a look at these organic chocolate truffles from Sweet Earth Chocolates, or perhaps a selection from the Sweetheart Assortment from Lake Champlain Chocolates.