I Was Charmed By A Chocolate Frog

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

Ever have one of those days where you just want to flee to somewhere calm, warm, and without any woes paired with a two-legger or two four-leggers that can make you feel good? Well, today I didn't get that fantasy until late in the afternoon. Yes, there are highlights in every day life if you look for them. Today, I found two gems of happiness. Walking the Brittany duo (that was fun) on fresh white powder (not too deep, the snow weather dudes were off the mark) made me and them smile. John Steinbeck said dogs smile. I believe him. Then, I did it. I turned to a new chocolate Valentine's gift from Lake Champlain Chocolates...

I received a Kiss Me Chocolate Frog. These novelty items are almost too cute to eat. The chocolate frog stood (past tense) 3-1/2 inches tall. My milk chocolate frog sat on a white chocolate lily pad. It was hand decorated with dark chocolate accents. It came to me in a clear gift bag tied with a colorful ribbon at the top. The chocolate? It was hollow. It was all-natural and gluten free (may have contained trace amounts).

Now after doing lots of research for The Healing Powers of Chocolate, I will tell you that many novelty items look handsome but the taste often isn't as great as the look. Not so this time. First, I savored the lily pad. And yes, white chocolate and milk chocolate do contain some nutritional benefits. And while dark chocolate is my thing, on occasion I will indulge in the other sweet stuff. I wasn't going to eat the frog--he was just too darling (look at his E.T.-like eyes above in the photo)--but I'm glad I did just that. The texture of the gourmet chocolate was creamy, not too rich or sweet and worked for me.

So, Lake Champlain Chocolates in Vermont comes through again (for me) with flying chocolate colors (of all kinds, forms, shapes, and sizes). In my chocolate book, I ranked this company as one of the 9 top notch chocolate companies in the nation. And they're still on top...

Meanwhile, as I'm sitting here solo before the most romantic day of the year, I'm thinking. There's a saying that goes "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince." In this case, I can do that. After all, Valentine's Day is on its way and this frog made me happy. Uh oh. Guilt is starting to set in. That Kiss Me Chocolate Frog is lingering in my mind and taste buds. Yes, today, I was swept off my feet in a sweet whirlwind chocolate romance. No, I didn't come near snagging that sweet animal-loving, vegan prince but tomorrow is another day.