Happy birthday to me....
happy birthday to me,
happy birthday to meee-eeeee
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Yay! It's my birthday! I LOVE my birthday!!
You know what else I love? CHOCOLATE.
Chocolate and my birthday go together like...well ya know...like stuff that goes together.
For my 21st birthday, I even gorged myself on chocolate as opposed to the general tradition of getting sick on alcohol instead. Best. birthday. EVER! So, imagine my excitement when the amazing people at Divine Chocolate agreed to send me some of their amazing chocolate to celebrate my special day (and oh yeah, on top of that, they're giving 3 of you wonderful readers a gift set too! So it's like everyone's birthday!! Continue reading past the recipe for the giveaway info.)
Up until now I hadn't had the opportunity to try Divine chocolate, although I have seen it in multiple stores in the city, (such as the one on 1066 Third Avenue, near my favorite Bed Bath and Beyond location--check out their store locator to find where YOU can get some Divine chocolate.), so I was STOKED to be sent such an amazing array of chocolatey goodness! Divine provided me with their baking line as well as their super festive holiday goodies! So far, everything has been just luscious-I cannot wait to try out everything!
AND, on top of delicious chocolate products, Divine also has an incredible story. Grown in Ghana, the cocoa beans used by Divine Chocolate are hand-harvested, slow-fermented and carefully dried by the family farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Cooperative, who co-own the company. While Fair Trade makes sure farmers get a better deal for their cocoa and some extra income to invest in their community, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. HOW COOL is that??!
For more info. about Divine Chocolate, visit www.divinechocolate.com/us. For news about competitions, deals, and more, sign up for the Divine Newsletter: http://www.divinechocolate.com/us/subscribe-our-newsletter.
Now, on to what I DID with my chocolate.
One of mine and Michael's fave spots to get some food in this city is Heartland Brewery and, at their Union Sq. location, they have a dessert they call "Ole Time S'mores" and I was SUPER into it. But, I don't get down there very often these days, and other locations don't seem to have that dessert. So, I thought to myself...why not just recreate it? And I did!
This deep dish s'more is, sort of, single serving. The perfect birthday dish means you don't have to share. First I made a nice thick, buttery, graham cracker crust. Then, the main component, a smooth, rich, thick chocolate ganache I made using half milk and half dark Divine chocolate (giving the perfect balance, methinks), and then a beautiful top of toasted marshmallows. Ahhh...definitely my kind of birthday dessert.
And it's pretty darned easy. Because nobody wants to spend all day slaving away on their birthday...
...then again...most people don't make their own birthday treat do they? I'm weird.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME AND MY WEIRDNESS! HOORAY FOR S'MORES AND CHOCOLATE AND KAYLE!!!
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