Gotta Velata Holidays, because it's not just Fondue: Zucchini Bread

It's National Zucchini Bread Day!!

Last summer, my parents' garden yielded a TON of zucchini. No really, if we had weighed it, I'm sure it was ton. They grew SO huge and I hated picking them because they were all prickly and as big as my arms.

We actually learned later from my cousin, who was working at a farm (or something like that), not to let them get so big. Yea, you'll have a lot more flesh to use in your recipes, but the flavor gets diluted the larger they get. I guess they only have so much flavor? So if you pick them when they are smaller the flavor is more concentrated.

Interesting thought.

Whether you like your zucchini flavor more concentrated or a little diluted, my mom has the MOST delicious zucchini bread recipe. If you don't believe me, I dare you to make it... trust me, you'll wish you had some of their bumper crop! She has graciously allowed me to share her recipe with you.

And this coming summer, you better believe I am buying my own gardening gloves and heading over to reap what they sow. =)

My Mom's Zucchini Bread

What you need:

3 eggs

½ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients together and mix well.

Pat into 2 loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to complete the cooling process.

I think this would be so yummy with a drizzle of our Velata White Chocolate! Or you could chop up some of the Velata Milk Chocolate wafers and bake them right in the bread. YUM!


Order your Velata products here: http://chocelata.velata.us
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For more Gotta Velata Holiday posts, please click here.

Gotta Velata Holidays, because it's not just Fondue: Cherry Cheesecake

It's National Cherry Cheesecake Day!

 

Celebrate by making this tasty treat...

Velata Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Serves: 8
Cooking Time: 35 min

Chilling Time: 1 hr

 

What You'll Need:

 

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, well drained, divided

1/2 bag Velata chocolate (your choice, but I prefer dark for this recipe)

1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust

1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa

 

What To Do:

Preheat your oven to 375.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar until it's nice and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating until they are thoroughly combined.

Cut open the Velata chocolate bag and remove half of the wafers. Coarsely chop. Set aside 8 cherries to garnish each finished pie slice, then coarsely chop the rest. Add chopped cherries and Velata wafers to cream cheese mixture; mix well, then pour into pie crust.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is firm. Chill 1 hour, then spread on whipped topping and sprinkle with cocoa. Garnish with the remaining cherries. Cover loosely and chill until you are ready to serve.

**Feel free to substitute 2 cups fresh whipped cream in place of the whipped topping. I really hope you enjoy!

Order your Velata chocolate here: http://chocelata.velata.us
For a complete list of Gotta Velata Holiday posts please click here.
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Inspirational recipe here.

Chocolate Wasted - Five Pounds of Premium Belgian Chocolate!

Well, it has definitely been too long since I last posted on here! :(

A lot has happened. If you were reading the blog when I started it, you'll know that my last post happened in the middle of our move halfway across the country, and I was about 8 months pregnant.

Fun, fun, fun.

We have successfully moved (twice actually!) and our little boy was born happy and healthy. Since then, we have been busy adjusting to new places, new jobs, and our new little face.

BUT it's about time I start this blog up again. SO, who is ready for more chocolate?? ME!! But that should have been obvious... :)

Velata just launched a new catalog with a BUNCH of awesome new products, so I'll be featuring them over the next several posts (stay tuned!!).

We will start things off with a FIVE POUND BUCKET!!!

 

That's right FIVE WHOLE POUNDS! More than 13 bags worth of chocolate!! And it comes in all four flavors of Velata's premium Belgian chocolate.

 

If you're thinking that sounds too good to be true, you're wrong AND right. Lol.

 

This is definitely real, BUT you can only get it as a Velata Host/Hostess... SO let's get your party booked before it's too late! It is time to get chocolate wasted... :)

 

 

http://chocelata.velata.us



No-Fuss Chocolate Fondue is Finally Here!!!

Just FYI, I'm posting from my phone while staying in a hotel with really crappy wifi, so hopefully this works out... IT'S LAUNCH TIME!!! Velata Chocolate Fondue is finally available for purchase! :) I'm throwing my first party tonight and taking orders from any and all chocolate lovers. As soon as I have my official site up and running, you will be the first to know! In the mean time, you can all head over to my Facebook, like it and check out the link for the PDF of the catalog. Then message me your order or wait on pins and needles for he site to come up and place it there. Let's cover the world on chocolate, one Velata warmer at a time!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alright, I've decided to share with all of you some of my favorite chocolate infused recipes.  I have a lot of favorites, but I have to start with my mom's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are seriously SO good!  It is impossible to eat just one, and they never last very long in our house.  All growing up my mom only made them around the holidays, so now when I make them (all year long!) I am reminded of family gatherings and wonderful childhood memories.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 C shortening
1 1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1 C pumpkin
1/4 C milk
3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.  Combine the flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.  Cream the shortening, sugar, egg and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the milk.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  This is a very thick cookie dough, so if you are using a little hand mixer like me, you will need to give your mixer a break every so often to prevent overheating.  If you're lucky enough to own a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer, I envy you...  :)  When the dough is all combined, mix in the chocolate chips (again, hand mixer people please use a rubber spatula and save that little motor).  Drop cookies onto foil-lined cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until done.  Let them cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet before moving them to wire racks (or your mouth!).  Mm-mm, I really do love these cookies!

Stay tuned for more recipes... if you have a chocolate recipe that you think I should add to my favorites, send me an email at Chocelata@gmail.com!

A Chocolate by Any Other Name Won't Taste as Sweet!!

Velata is Italian for veiled or covered, and when you get your hands on some of our Velata chocolate, trust me, you are gonna want to cover just about anything edible with it!  Do you want to know why?

Simple, it's the best chocolate in the WORLD!  =)

Crafted from premium cocoa beans by one of the most prestigious Belgian chocolate companies in the world, Velata Premium Chocolate is designed to melt beautifully in our exclusive warmers and stay at the perfect temperature for dipping with no need to stir and no chance of scorching.  It's no-fuss fondue that is so quick and easy you could have it everyday.

And honestly, I just might!!

Here are a couple of other fun facts about our amazing chocolate:

• All Velata chocolate is gluten-free.  Friends with celiac, have no fear!!
• Our dark chocolate is dairy-free, but processed on the same line as products that contain dairy, so all you lactose intolerant chocoholics, eat the dark at your own risk...
• Velata does not contain any peanuts or tree nuts and is not produced in a facility that processes products that contain peanuts or tree nuts.  Nut allergy?  No problem!
• Velata chocolate will come in convenient 6-ounce pouches with pour spouts. Simply microwave, pour into the Velata dish, dip your favorite foods, and enjoy.

Have you circled May 1st on your calendar yet?

Which of our chocolates are you looking forward to the most?  Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or caramel milk chocolate??