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Easy Chocolate Fondue at Home with Velata #Giveaway

July 30, 2012 By 20 Comments

I absolutely love fondue.  My ladies group and I meet almost monthly to crowd around a little fondue pot with all kinds of dippers.  My daughters share in my love for fondue so when the Tween was officially becoming a TEEN I knew a Fondue Night was in order for her and her friends.   I wanted something simple but delicious, and something quick as keeping the attention of a bunch of teens and tweens is like trying to herd cats.   Velata was perfect.

Velata is a new home party plan company started by some of the Scentsy masterminds who wanted to create an easy, fun way to have fondue at home.  They began with finding the best chocolate in the world – from Belgium of course – and then custom created the perfect warmer – heated to perfection with a simple light bulb.

Jessica Thompson, Independent Consultant for Velata sent me a Rouge warmer – a beautiful, sleek red warmer that is as classy and chic as it is easy to use.  My favorite part is the silicone warming dish which has a perfect fit lid so you can save leftover chocolate (I have no idea what this “leftover” is… we practically licked the thing clean) but can also be tossed into the dishwasher to be cleaned.   The warmer also has holes to let the light shine through, which my gaggle of Teens thought was just “the coolest thing ever.”  I had to say, I kinda agreed.

We enjoyed two of the four different chocolate varieties that Velata offers – white chocolate and milk chocolate.   I saved the dark chocolate and chocolate caramel for the adults… just sayin.   The little pouches that the chocolate comes in are so easy – you simply pop them into the microwave and squeeze the chocolate into the dish where the warmer will keep it the perfect temperature for dipping.

Now, I will say this – the pouch says to warm for 1 minute – but that was WAY too long in my microwave, and I actually burned the first batch of white chocolate a bit.  (we ate it anyway – it was still amazing)   With the milk chocolate we only nuked it for 30 seconds and it was perfect.

With both flavors we dipped marshmallows, rice krispie treats, bananas, strawberries, and green apples.  We honestly could not pick a favorite – though we did go through two complete baskets of strawberries trying to decide.

The Velata Fondue Party was the highlight of the night with the Tweens and Teens and was so easy for me I know I will be using this instead of my old fashioned fondue pot where it took 20 minutes of adding ingredients – stir – stir – stir – taste – add more ingredients – stir – stir – stir – taste…. not to mention the flavor was a lot better than anything I have concocted before.  Plus this was so easy, I plan to keep it on hand for any party or for a quick snack for guests.

You can check out everything Velata has to offer – including a killer opportunity to be your own boss – on Jessica’s website – www.RockinChocolateShop.com.

GIVEAWAY

I am excited to be able to offer one of my readers their very own Velata warmer with one chocolate pouch in your choice of flavors – white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate caramel – from Jessica Thompson, Independent Velata Consultant.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Hot Summer Movies for Kids 2012

May 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

As the final days of school tick by I am already getting super excited about the Summertime with the girls.

Yep, I am that crazy Mom that looks as forward to Summer as the kids do.

Since I work from home I have the ability to HAVE a Summer – and I plan on packing this year full of Beach Days, River Days, and for the days that are just TOO hot to be outside – Movie Marathon Days!

Here are some of our top pics for Movies this Summer:

BRAVE

In theaters June 22nd

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

In theaters June 8th

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

In theaters July 13th

Finding Nemo 3D

In theaters this Fall

Mike and I have a list of movies we want to see as well…. and yes, there is a Fondue Night on June 29th – Centered around Magic Mike.
Yep, we are totally that shallow.

What movies are you looking forward to this Summer?


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Wine & Fondue with Jacob’s Creek

February 29, 2012 By 13 Comments

Friday night I had the pleasure of having seven of my girlfriends over for a Wine & Fondue night and to review a still and sparkling Moscato from Jacob’s Creek Vineyard.    We made cheddar cheese and milk chocolate fondue and the wines went perfectly with the meal.

Jacob’s Creek Vineyard began in 1847 when a young Bavarian immigrant decided to try his hand at making his own wine like the kind he was used to back home.  Little did he know that when he planted the Barossa Valley’s first commercial vineyard along the Jacob’s Creek, that it would later turn into one of the most popular wine brands in the world.   Today, Jacob’s Creek Wine remains one of the most well know Australian Wines around the world, and is known for its fresh, elegant taste and character.

The philosophy of Jacob’s Creek is to offer a range of wines that suit all occasions.   As a company, we concentrate on two key things: The first is continuous improvement. Every vintage we strive to improve the quality of our wines by refining our winemaking practices and continually gaining a greater understanding of our vineyards.

We started with the Sparking Rose (we called it “Pink”)  Moscato while our cheese fondue was heating up.  The Sparkling Rose Moscato “is a deliciously refreshing wine with hints of luscious berry fruit flavours and a light, fresh taste. Simply chill and enjoy it with friends.”  And we did!  With a “champagne” like cork top we kicked the night off with a BANG – literally.  It felt like a celebration to “pop the cork” and so we turned it into one – with a cheers to good friends and good fun!

From left: Tonya, Jana, Christina, Amy, Christy, Bridgette, Mary, and Me!

 

When we started the chocolate fondue we switched to the Classic “still” Moscato.   This Moscato “displays attractive tropical and subtle pear fruit flavours and aromas, with a great balance” and though the Jacob’s Creek Website recommends it with spicy seafood or Asian cuisine, I am here to tell you the eight of us say it goes great with milk chocolate fondue.

The Jacob’s Creek Moscato was not quite as sweet as several of the others I have tried, which was actually a very good thing especially when we got to the chocolate fondue.  It still had a light, fresh sweetness to it – not dry like a Chardonnay – but not overpowering to make it too sweet with dessert.

It was a perfect night in with friend made even more perfect with two great Moscato wines.

Thanks to my amazing friends for helping me review this wine!  We must do it again very soon!

Disclaimer: I was provided with two bottles of Jacob’s Creek Wine for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was exchanged.  All opinions are 100% mine… well… and my friends.