It can't all be sweet...

Mom was right! You have to eat your veggies too. And so, I've decided that this page will also feature the occasional healthy item. Although, not as indulgent, fruits and veggies certainly must also have their place on our pallet too. So, tonight we enjoyed a lovely and refreshing spring salad that included mixed baby greens, chicken, apple, peach, almonds, dried raisins and cherries, Gorgonzola cheese and purple onion. What an explosion of flavor it turned out to be. I already feel ten pounds lighter. Now where's the chocolate?!

You've got to try Joe Mama's Grill

Joe Mama's Grill has become our favorite place to eat! Their food is phenomenal with huge portions and many items are made with free-range and organic meat and eggs. Also, the restaurant tries to use local farms for their produce when available. I highly suggest the Killer Mama burger with Parmesan herb french fries or the Geisha salad...yummo! Make sure you save room for our Nana Ruby's Fudge for dessert which is now featured in their bakery case. Enjoy and tell them Kelli sent you.

http://joemamasgrill.com/joemamas/?form=ordering

You can also order on-line and pick-up at the restaurant located at 4230 N. Oracle Rd.
Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85705
(520) 887-6262

Chocolate Workshops are coming soon!!!

Suggest our blog page http://allthingschocolate-kelli.blogspot.com/ to your friends, colleagues, family and anyone who you think would like to be a fan. On August 18th by 12:00 midnight, send kellimarinoni@yahoo.com a list of people who became a fan because of you and the person who is responsible for the most new fans, wins a workshop for you and a friend of your choice. Stay tuned for further updates and workshop sign-up info.

(To BECOME A FAN of our blog simply click on the follow tab in the upper left hand corner of this page.)

Caramel Pecan Turtles

Recently, my Husband and I created these luscious little goodies. Most turtles actually look like a turtle with four legs, a head and a tail. But I'd imagine that the average person would agree that the traditional design can be modified for the benefit of the addition of more pecans. Things don't always have to be perfect to taste good.

Fun with fruit.

A friend of mine recently asked me to create a fruit platter for her offices' monthly birthday party. I had done smaller versions of something similar, but nothing close to this scale. My daughter Becca helped to create this piece that began to have a life of its' own. I had seen various companies versions of the fruit platter and decided that it couldn't be that difficult to recreate. Turns out, it wasn't. It just took a lot longer than anticipated and was a beast to transport. To duplicate this design, simply create fruit kabobs of your choice on long pre-soaked, wooden skewers and secure them between the pineapple leaves. The fruit on the platter were created on either toothpicks for a smaller sampler or on 6" wooden skewers. Lemons, limes and oranges were sliced and stacked then mounted on the side of the pineapple to create a fruit garnish. Total time to create:2 hrs.

Chocolate Dessert cups.

These adorable chocolate cups are a breeze to make. They require little skill and a whole lot of fun. Simply melt your chocolate in a bowl. Blow up 6 mini balloons and tie off. Be sure to wash and dry thoroughly. Dip balloon slowly and evenly into chocolate 3/4 of the way up. Pull out and allow the excess chocolate to drain back into the bowl. Gently glide the bottom of the balloon on the edge of the bowl and then place on a parchment or wax paper baking sheet. Hold the balloon in place until it stands up on its own. ( a few seconds ) Continue with the remainder of the balloons and then place pan in the freezer for 4-5 minutes. Remove and allow to sit for 1 minute. With scissors, cut a tiny slit near the knot of the balloon allow the balloon to shrink from the cup. You may need to gently help pull the remainder of the balloon from the chocolate cup. Fill cups with anything from ice cream, chocolate mouse or fresh fruit and custard. Refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!

Oh Fudge!!!

The latest creation for our budding business.