So, this year, I have seen recipes for Neapolitan Hamantashen, savory Hamentashen, salted caramel Hamentashen, not MY hamentaschen : Butter cookie dough and chocolate  striped, irresistible, hamentaschen.…

My Dad is nearly 88 years old and has been ill for some time.

Dear She Writers,

I’m excited to be writing a series of posts for She Writes, detailing the countdown to publication for my new novel, Oleander Girl.  One reason I’m pleased is because I’ve been reading (and learning from) other people’s countdowns, and I hope some of the things I share here will be helpful to you. But mostly it’s because sharing my hopes and anxieties for the novel, at which I’ve worked so long, makes this waiting period a little less scary and a little less…

She was right about the cake . . .

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My Baby Sister, aged two, had crawled up on my Mom’s lap.

It was cuddling time.

I should probably mention that this didn’t happen often.

Cuddling, I mean.

Oh, not because Mom didn’t wish…

(This appears as part of a guest blog on Morgen Bailey's Writer's Blog. This was written with a writer/book in mind, but the same suggestions apply to chocolatiers, movie producers and organic gardeners.)

Creating a successful Kickstarter project!

I first heard about crowd-funding sites, such as …

Look at what researchers at UCSD discovered!

“Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight,” said Golomb. “In the case of chocolate, this is good news –both for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who may wish to start…

In the run up to V-Day (and not everybody likes that day because they don't qualify for special treatments) some hotel in Monterrey, CA outdid itself with luxurious pampering for those who are romantically lucky and have a person to partake in some extraordinary (wo)manhandling: Romance with…

Single? This might just fight the winter blues: www.Nexttimelucky.blogspot.com:" Excerpt from my novel: Next Time Lucky

"It was the last week in January.  Back in my own home, tuned in to my favorite Irish radio station and presenter, I was listening to him talk about the Winter Blues.  January 27th had been proclaimed the worst day of the year.  A Welsh academic had worked out a formula based on bad weather, being broke, fading…

I gave my husband three cacao trees five years ago for our anniversary. Now, after a visit to the …

What if you were a time traveler and went back a thousand years into the past? How much of a concern would food be for you? What present-day foods would you miss the most? In my novel, Caught In Time, my main character, Rowyna, travels back into Alysia's Medieval past, and…

New issue of Kings River Life is chocked full of mystery fun & giveaways!

This week we focus on chocolate & coffee with a review of Cleo Coyle's latest coffeehouse mystery "Murder By Mocha" http://kingsriverlife.com/11/19/murder-by-mocha/

& of JoAnna Carl's latest chocoholic mystery "The Chocolate Castle Clue"…

A cup of coffee and some Christmas cookies whit Emily and her Big Big World  as a background is a perfect end of a day. Day that started with mumbling over my alarm, a headache and no understanding of why on earth I am so tired if went to bed at ten turned out to be a very good one. I did so much and things just went… It was a pleasant change after my two bad day session from which Friday was a definite ‘left leg out of bed’ day.

                I had to turn my works around…

Which is bad for your health: chocolate truffles or romance novels?

No, it’s not a trick question, but a recent article in the UK and also in the LA Times discusses the perils of reading romance novels and how it might affect your health.

You can read the article here, but basically it…

Good Things to Come and Cadbury

New blog entry on shopping and the art of seduction....

You can read the whole thing at: www.isabellegregson.blogspot.com

There's a special punishment reserved for companies that mark chocolate down after the holidays. Any holidays. Individuals like myself who shouldn't have liberally imbibed in the first place, definately don't need Lindt or Ferrero Rocher calling our names with a bright red 50% off sticker added. If it was just Christmas it wouldn't be so bad, but turn around and the Cadbury's cream eggs will be egging you to purchase (no pun intended.) You might think it's a stretch of the imagination to say…