AC/KC Del Ray is going to open soon!!!!!

A few weeks ago I posted with great anticipation and joy and excitement that ACKC would be opening a Del Ray location. They finally took the paper off the windows today and it looks like they're going to open soon! Wow!!! The day they open will be the happiest day of my life (unless it is more than 80 degrees outside)!!

An article in The Examiner says that the Del Ray location will have seating for 10 people, and will also serve Dolcezza gelato and frozen drinks and sell chocolates, which sounds like the DC location (though I haven't been there since it warmed up, so I can't comment on the frozen treats). I'm not sure that the gelato could possibly compete with the The Dairy Godmother, a block or two away, but I look forward to seeing if the frozen hot chocolate is as awesome as their hot hot chocolate :)

Still not 100% but baking anyway :)

I'm feeling much better....but STILL not 100%. Ugh. Nonetheless, at least I'm living life again....and baking! I went to a picnic this weekend and made my tried and true brownie recipe: Hershey's Ballot Box Brownies. Despite the dumb name, these brownies are awesome!! I also add a little cinnamon to the batter :D

Ingredients:

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
* 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 2-1/4 cups sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
* 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
* CHOCOLATE FROSTING (optional)
* Red, white, blue decorating icing in tube or can

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan; add cocoa, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla; beat with spoon until thoroughly combined. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until top is dry and brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost, if desired. Cut into bars. Garnish with Vote theme, using red, white and blue icing. About 36 brownies.



CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in small bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla. About 1 cup frosting.

The frosting is NOT optional. :D

Turkey Hill - Special Edition!!

If you know me, you know I love Turkey Hill ice cream. It is not as expensive as the other good brands of ice cream, but its even more delicious plus it comes from Pennsylvania :D Each month they have a special, limited edition flavor. And each month I have a new favorite ice cream flavor :D

This month its "Gertrude Hawk's Box of Chocolates"! Gertrude Hawk is a chocolate maker in Pennsylvania - I eat their Smidgens and Reindeer Food regularly :D

The flavor is premium milk chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate raspberry cups, chocolate almonds, white chocolate chunks, and swirled with chocolate chips. Wow! What else could you want? This may sound overwhelming, but it's not. Turkey Hill knows how to control themselves. I highly recommend you pick some of this up before it's gone!! In DC, Turkey Hill is available at Giant and Shopper's. And, its on sale for $2.50 at Giant this week!! Hurry!

omg chocolate cake

This was my greatest cake creation of all time!

I followed this cake recipe to make 3 layers of chocolate cake goodness. In between the bottom two layers I put some chocolate ganache :D The quantities in that recipe were perfect for my cake. I also probably ate a bunch before I put it on the cake, though.







After putting the ganache on the bottom layers, I was alone in my apartment literally BURSTING with joy and anticipation! Then I need to add frosting!!! I was so happy I could barely work the mixer!!! I halved this recipe, and had a bit leftover :D

I think this was one of the happiest moments of my life :D

GREATEST NEWS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the greatest hot chocolate I have ever experienced in my entire life at AC/KC.

Last night while driving down Mount Vernon Ave in Del Ray, I saw a sign in the old Sundae Times storefront that says: THE COCOA GALLERY IS COMING SOON!!!!!!!!!!! (maybe they didn't have as many exclamation points....)

Looks like AC/KC are opening a second location next to the hardware store at 2003 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria :D This is the greatest news ever!!!!

Milky Way Bunnies!!!

I love Easter candy more than any other type of candy. My favorite of all time is: MILKY WAY BUNNIES!!!

I don't even particularly like Milky Way, but once a year, Mars really does it right with Milky Way Bunnies. Compared to the candy bar, Milky Way Bunnies have more chocolate, less nougat and more caramel combined into a winning combination that I look forward to every Easter.

Unfortunately, last year, they left out the nougat!! It was the saddest Easter ever. I called and complained and got some coupons. Today, in the mail, I got an update (and coupon!) from Mars:

At Mars Snackfood US, the consumer is our boss and we take your feedback very seriously. This Spring Holiday 2008 season, we are pleased to announce the return of the delicious nougat layer to our Milky Way Brand and Snickers Brand Seasonal Shapes.

Hooray!!!! Time to stock up :D

Saturday of eating!

After lots of hype, I finally got a chance to check out ACKC: Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections and their cocoa bar! I think the name is dumb, but the hot cocoa was so ridiculously awesome!!! I had the Judy (I think): Milk chocolate with hazelnut syrup and whipped cream....wow!! It was the best hot cocoa I ever drank.

ACKC is a combination of a chocolate shop and cafe. They have several cases of decadent truffles. They also had a ton of baked goods from Buzz in Alexandria: cookies, cupcakes, muffins, brownies, chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolate gifts, prepackaged chocolates from other places, and more!! They also had plenty of seating.

The way the hot cocoa works is: pick a chocolate (white, milk, dark....I think), pick some milk (whole, 2%, maybe even soy?), and then pick what you want mixed in: they have various syrups, and herbs like lavender, cinnamon, chilies and then they make it up good. They also have about 10 different suggested varieties. I stayed on the beaten path when order my Judy :)

You absolutely need to go here because it is so good. I had the five-dollar hot chocolate from Murky Coffee, and it was good, but it wasn't sweet enough for my taste, though it was almost as thick as a dipping chocolate. The cocoa from ACKC was thinner, but sweeter and more wonderful than anything I've had before.

Also, if you need someone to go with you, I will go :D

After my stop at ACKC,, I realized I did not eat all day. I ended up at Naan & Beyond, which I had also heard a lot about, but since I don't work downtown, I've never seen it open. Today was my day.

I got the chicken tikka wrap. To make it, the naan man threw some dough into the oven and made fresh bread just for me!! After taking it out, he threw on some mayo (really? I know), tomatoes, and shredded cabbage and chunks of hot, delicious chicken. I was expecting the chicken to be red, but it was white, but still good. It was served with mint and mango chutney. I love dipping sauces! It must have been pretty filling because I only ate half....more for tomorrow!!

It has been a great 24 hours of food :D