Giveaway! Scharffen Berger Prize Pack With The Essence of Chocolate Cook Book
February 11, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 330 Comments
What better a topic for Tuesday’s #gno Twitter party than chocolate, especially since it falls two days after Valentine’s Day. Mmmmm!
And, to help you get in the mood to talk about cooking with chocolate, Scharffen Berger is offering this delicious giveaway.
Prizes
Three winners will receive a Scarffen Berger prize pack, including one of each of the following:
- Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
- Sweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
- 6oz 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar
- 6oz 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
- 6oz 99% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar
- 6oz Roasted Cacao Nibs
- The Essence of Chocolate Cook Book
Entry Requirements
Please do the following three things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:
- Visit Scharffen Berger’s website, check out the various chocolate products and recipes, and leave a comment here, sharing what you’d most like to use/make.
XXXX - Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win Scharffen Berger prize pack incl cook book http://bit.ly/cwLuJ0 #sbchocolate #gno PLS RT
XXXX
Extra Entries
The following three entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
Terms and Conditions
No purchase necessary to enter. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.
Get Tips for Cooking With Chocolate at Tuesday’s #gno Twitter Party
February 10, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 7 Comments
Chocolate. One word that elicits so many emotions. It’s soothing. It’s addictive. Above all, it’s yummilicious! Now couple cooking with chocolate and tell me if you don’t start feeling immediate mouth-watering anticipation and excitement. You could have been full one second ago, but now you’re starving for that sweet treat.
Can you relate? If so, you’re in good company. Or, you will be when you join the #gno gang and Scharffen Berger, maker of America’s finest dark chocolate, this Tuesday, February 16 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT) as we share our passion and tips for cooking with chocolate! Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid.
- What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, February 16, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #sbchocolate.)
- Topic: Cooking with chocolate with Scharffen Berger
- Who: @ahhnalin @bakingaddiction @bkajino @carrotsncake @cupcakeproject @janemaynard @katefarber @sav0rthethyme @sweettoothfairy
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 2/17
- RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.
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Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.
RSVP to Chat About Your Favorite Indulgences Tonight at #gno! Chocolate Anyone?
October 22, 2009 by Anna Gonzales · 63 Comments
Halloween is right around the corner! What treat are looking forward to? What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
Come join us as we pamper ourselves through a chat about chocolate and indulgence at tonight’s girls’ night out (#gno) party on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting with terrific folks from the Zone Perfect team about their new product—Indulgence.
Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins:
200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT
- What: Zone Perfect is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Thursday, October 22, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #zoneperfect.)
- Topic: Your Personal Indulgence!
- Who: @craftymamaof4 @juliefisk @mommybrain @organizersandy @plussizemommy @savingmycents @stonerjj @zoneperfect
- Party Favors: Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins: 200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
How Do You Incorporate Chocolate With Your Family?
February 7, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 1 Comment
Vanessa , today’s guest post author, is a mother of two girls and the founder of I Never Grew Up, a website to help parents educate, care for and entertain their children. She is a contributor at Blissful Kids at Blissfully Domestic, Little Window Shoppe and Today’s Mama.
As a family, we love to cook together, it is a wonderful time to have fun and bond as a family. Our family’s favorite ingredient to cook with, hands down, is chocolate. When we 
plan our celebration for Valentine’s Day we think of chocolate first! Our favorite chocolate desserts to cook as a family are: Flour-less Chocolate Cake, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Truffles. Cooking with your children has numerous benefits: It teaches your children mathematics, gives your child a sense of pride and accomplishment, will help your children try new things and they are also more likely to eat what they help make. (Not that it is to hard to talk your children into eating chocolate. 
)
In our home we have a silly tradition of “dolling” ourselves up for cooking special treats. We wear fun bright aprons, put on our favorite lip gloss and dance around to our favorite music. Our last chocolate recipe that we made with love was Chocolate Oreo Truffles.
Tips for Cooking with Your Children
1. Prepare by reading the recipe together and gathering the ingredients and tools before beginning to cook.
2. Allow your child to choose a recipe, to give them a sense of control and self worth.
3. Laugh and Have Fun! Try to be patient, have a sense of humor and enjoy yourself!
Check out these fun Valentine’s Day ideas from Vanessa at INeverGrewUp.net to help you have a wonderful holiday with your children:
* Heart Photo Arrangement
* I Love You So Much Game
* Family Heart Game
* Chocolate Oreo Truffles
How Does Chocolate Affect Your Emotions?
February 6, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 3 Comments
Introducing Guest Author: Erin Chase! She blogs about healthy eating and frugal meal planning at 5DollarDinners.com. Besides saving money and cooking, she enjoys running, scrapbooking and yes, the occasional truffle!
I Love me some chocolate. I do.
- I love the dark stuff (healthy, right?).
- I love the milky stuff.
- I love truffles.
- I love it in coffee.
In fact, it’s the only way I drink coffee; heavily “choco-lated!” I love watching it bubble and cascade in a chocolate fountain. I enjoy dessert fondue with angel food cake and strawberries dipped into perfectly rich chocolate dipping sauce. If it’s got chocolate on the label, chances are I will not be able to say no!
Here is a little glimpse into my love affair with chocolate:
- Chocolate makes me HAPPY. Biting into a raspberry filled truffle fills my mind and body with thoughts and feelings of jubilation. Just thinking about my favorite truffle makes me salivate. The flavor, the texture, the whole experience of eating my favorite piece of chocolate makes me Happy. In moderation, chocolate makes me Happy.
- Chocolate makes me MAD. Occasionally the “need” for a peanut butter cup or a chocolate kiss turns into a bag full binge-fest. I will be the first to admit it. I have eaten an entire bag of chocolate chips. In one sitting. With no raging hormones involved! Not eating chocolate in moderation makes me Mad.
- Chocolate REWARDS me. It really is a beautiful thing to treat oneself to something enjoyable. Chocolate can be very rewarding. A way to congratulate yourself for a job well done. I am thankful that I can be Rewarded by chocolate.
- Chocolate CONFUSES me. I am befuddled by my “need” for chocolate. When both mind and body are taken over in a powerful hormonal wave, leading you WAY out of your way to get your hands on some. Even just one little piece. Or better yet, an entire bag. Your body screaming at you for more. Then the craving is satisfied. The guilt sets in. Why? Why did I just eat that entire bag? Shame. My body craved just one piece, but would not be satisfied with nothing short of an entire bag. I’m left Confused.
Why is it that chocolate can affect us in so many different ways? With yet another “chocolate” holiday just around the corner, I hope to eat just 2 or 3 truffles and feel HAPPY. And I hope you can too!
Photo Credit: FoNgEtZ
Do You Have a Love Affair With Chocolate?
February 5, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 6 Comments
Emily Hill guest posts today for Mom it Forward. By day she is the mother of four children; by night (okay, and day too) she is the co-owner of georgie tees and a contributing writer for Boutique Cafe, Polliwogged and her company’s blog, freshly baked. She also does freelance communications work for a variety of clients including Rain.
In my opinion, if you have to ask yourself this question then the answer is “no.” Those of us who have a true
addiction to love affair with chocolate don’t stop thinking about it or indulging in it long enough to question our relationship with it. I have no idea when the affair first started but I’m sure I was underage when it happened. When other kids were sucking on their Now and Laters and chomping on that disgusting individually wrapped bubblegum, I was hitting the chocolate Charleston Chew pretty hard. I then moved on to 3 Musketeers, Twix , Almond Joy (I switched to Mounds later in life when I grew to appreciate dark chocolate) and those tasty Junior Mints. And that’s just candy.
I’ve managed to keep this love affair going for over 30 years now. My secret? The same secrets to keeping any relationship strong:
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trying something new (still not a fan of white chocolate);
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mixing it up (from scratch or the box, either will do when a brownie craving hits);
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even experimenting a little here and there (braving chocolate-covered potato chips was SO worth it!).
Oh, and I almost forgot about the all-important date night.
Chocolate and I try to have at least two—okay, who am I kidding—seven date nights a week. The one-on-one time is a great way to reconnect with each other and for me to wind down after what is usually a very long day with the kids.
Chocolate is there for me even when my tastes start to change. I used to be big into milk chocolate but as I matured so did my palette. Somewhere in my 20’s I started making my way over to the dark side, and that was before all the health benefits about dark chocolate came to light. (Antioxidants are one of my favorite ways of justifying the affair.) Treats like Dove Dark Chocolate squares and Costco’s Truffettes de France (French truffles) have only strengthened my desire for all things dark…chocolate. But before you think I am just a candy kind of girl I want you to know I’m very open minded when it comes to my love affair with chocolate. I’m happy to indulge in decadent fudge-filled layer cakes, triple chocolate brownies, Breyer’s Brownie Mud Pie ice cream (I could eat the entire carton), chocolate mousse pie and even the occasional chocolate cheesecake. Did I mention low-fat Oreos (low fat means you can eat more, right?),Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and s’mores?
I could go on and on but I like to keep some parts of my love affair private; it really is better for everyone involved. One thing I am sure about, my
addiction tolove of chocolate didn’t skip a generation. Just look at how excited my youngest daughter was on her first birthday just before she covered herself in her chocolate-drizzled birthday treat. Yep, she gets that from me.
Photo Credit Coolmitch
How Does Chocolate Compare to Social Media?
February 4, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 1 Comment
Jessica Smith guest posts today for Mom it Forward! She is Chief Mom Advisor and the woman behind the idea for MomForce.com, Chief Mom Officer for Wishpot.com, and works with big brands including Walmart and Ford. Jessica offers a personal glimpse into her life as a mom and virtual executive at JessicaKnows.com. Jessica enjoys the best of both worlds, motherhood and career, at home in the DC Metro area with her husband and young son.
With Valentine’s Day just over a week away, many are thinking of gifts and many of those are going for the class stand-bys: flowers, jewelry, and chocolate.
While I love receiving any of the three, it’s the latter that I get excited about the most. Chocolate has been one of my best friends for quite some time now and I’ll take it any way I can get it: milk, dark, swirled with caramel, in my coffee, chipped, truffled, and mint. (My favorite? Dark, the darker the chocolate the better.)
So it’s no wonder that social media does the same for me that chocolate does.
You know those boxes of chocolates with all different shapes and sizes? It’s the type of box with a “map” of the contents, a guide to the delectable fillings and nuts inside? Sometimes I study the different flavors and deliberately choose which confections I’ll try that day. However, other days I’m feeling adventurous and I pay no attention to the inside top of the box. Sometimes diving in, eyes practically closed, and risking a flavor you’re unfamiliar with is the way to go. In fact, you might discover that if you had looked at the box and saw “Cayenne Pepper Jelly” you would have thrown that chocolate out with disdain. But because you took the risk, took a blind bite, it’s now the one chocolate that you seek out.
The same idea applies to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Sure, if you’re a cake baker you’ll naturally seek out other cake bakers and people that like to eat cake. However, you might find that the snake charmer that just started following you on Twitter the day before is the one that makes you laugh more. This could result in you stressing less, sleeping more, and ultimately being able to make more cakes!
Like chocolate, social media can brighten your day, give you a boost, comfort, and inspire. The jury is still out though if too much can give you heartburn.
photo credit wikipedia
What’s Better, Love or Chocolate?
February 3, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 7 Comments
You had to think about it didn’t you?
Chris Perrin Guest Posts Today for Mom it Forward. He is a professional food writer who lives and writes in Overland Park, KS (a suburb of Kansas City.) His passion for food began when he cooked in the kitchen with his father who still is a wonderful cook. He uses the kitchen as classroom, therapy, science lab, and a way to connect with his wife and son. (He’s also our first Male Guest Post!) You can check out his writing at Blog Well Done.
The answer to this question is more important than you might think. I knew I was going to marry my wife shortly after she told me that loving me was slightly better than eating Oreos. I had recently come to the decision that I would rather be with her than watch Star Wars, so, too, had come to realize what we had was Real. Still, the fact that we could watch Star Wars together and eat Oreos made us both feel a lot better about the journey ahead of us.
But I digress.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, millions of people in the Western World (not just Americans like me, but French, Dutch, Swiss, English, and so on) will be hitting the stores looking for the perfect chocolate gift for their significant others. This search will be undertaken by guys because showing up without chocolate is grounds for sleeping on the couch and by the gals so they can eat what they got their guys.
It’s also important because chocolate and love just seem inextricably linked. It’s partially a cultural thing. It’s just tradition for Westerners to give chocolate to the ones they love. It’s also a culinary thing. Think of the most decadent, rich, creamy dessert you’ve ever had and nine-times-out-of-ten, it’s made with chocolate.
You may have already heard, but it’s a biological thing, too. You ever eat chocolate and feel better? That’s because chocolate releases endorphins in the brain, chemicals responsible for your sense of well-being and happiness. They’re the same chemicals released during sex (and also when you do heroin and eat dill pickles, too.)
Most importantly, though, chocolate is a girl and a guy thing. It something that couples can enjoy together as a fondue, something to dip strawberries in, a must-have for cookies, or an ice cream. Since, I’ve always believed that couples (and families) who cook together stay together, a rich chocolaty cake or even a basic chocolate chip cookie is great relationship glue: something that can be made, and then devoured, together.
So now that you’ve had time to think about it. Which is better love or chocolate? Maybe it’s love, maybe it’s chocolate, and maybe it depends on the day. Chocolate can’t break your heart, but it has had difficulty saying “I love you” since the 60s. Love is a blessing, but it’s difficult, too.
You know, either way you answered, this Valentine’s Day and for every day the rest of the year, I hope you have lots and lots of both.
Photo Credits
Jovike, MichealAllroy, pussnboots, islandjoe
We’re Talking Love & Chocolate at #GNO!
February 1, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · Leave a Comment
RSVP for the Sweetest #GNO of the Year!
#GNO promises to be a sweet treat this week. Join us for your favorite girl’s night out fix!
- What: GNO (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
- Where: Tweet Grid (#gno)
- When: Between 6 & 10 p.m. PST (9 p.m. to 1 a.m. EST)
- Who: Welcome our first guy guest tweet Chris Perrin from @blogwelldone
- Why: To chat about love and chocolate (Mmmmmmmm!)
- Important: Want to win big? Enter to win one of our three giveaways.
- RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF).
Note: This does not enter you for the giveaways.
Topic Talk—Destination Chocolate!
October 26, 2008 by jyl johnson pattee · 2 Comments
Get ready to lick your lips. This—our last Topic Talk post of the week—is going to make you sweet on traveling the globe just to get these rich and tasty treats!
Thanks to cajunmama at Traveling Mamas for submitting such a delectable travel-related post, recommending places from Florida to France to find the best chocolate desserts (and for letting us borrow pics from her blog to share with you… yummy!).
For other terrific travel posts, please refer to these GNO gal’s blogs:DeliciousBaby for giving us a wonderful potential itinerary for a family trip to Spain. This is a great post even if you are just dreaming of visiting Spain.
Jamie at The Heiner Clan for her fun description of the newfound love of her life, her navigation system—or “Navi” as she calls it!
Jen at Dahara Dreaming. Words don’t describe the creativity and know how that went into refurbishing just a regular chair into a Map Chair. This post is an absolute must see.
Thanks to everyone who included their blog URLs in Mr. Linky for Topic Talk. This Tuesday’s Topic will be Twilight. Submit past or current Twilight-related posts to mommygossipgno AT gmail DOT com for your chance to be featured here next week.
And, remember to stop back by on Monday or Tuesday, October 27 & 28 to RSVP and “follow” GNO participants.
