An Easter Holiday

So how was everyone's Easter weekend? My weekend started early with a Friday night dinner with Rod and Mary, my in-laws, who took us to a lil' country restaurant called "Around the Bend" I believe. Always wonderful catching up with them, after dinner they stopped home and saw "the kids," our dogs Barry and Leia...who were excited to see them (to say the least) but they were good sports and welcomed our pooches' affections with open arms :0)
Brad and I left home for Algona early Saturday morning, with Chocolate Season orders in tow for my loyal friends and customers in Algona. Also along for the ride...another cake! I've really been into making cakes lately, and I only hope to explore this wonderful art form more. This cake had dual purposes, serving as an Easter cake as well as a cake celebrating my brother Mike's birthday and my dad Ed's birthday. (we have a "birthday buddy" system in effect with the Berg family!)
It was a chocolate cake with whipped chocolate ganache and fruit preserves, covered in a layer of homemade buttercream and homemade marshmallow fondant. This was my first encounter with fondant...and wow...they should call it "Fun-dant"! (ok...that was cheesy...)
At home we had a fun time playing Mike's "Scene It" game, watching a movie (Berg tradition), as well as decorating eggs and having an indoor Easter egg hunt for my niece and nephew, Hannah and Ian. And it was super awesome seeing Amanda and Brad, my sister and brother-in-law...but sadly...we were missing one important family member...Sara. (miss you!) She's still in TX finishing her last clincal.
The weekend wrapped up with Easter service at First Baptist where Pastor Kevin's message is always inspiring and down-to-earth. All in all, a very fun and relaxing weekend and a great opportunity to see family once again...(thanks for hosting us mom and dad!)
I hope your Easter was full of Easter eggs and cookies, as well as family and friends, but lets not forget the real reason for Easter, which is to give thanks and rejoice in Jesus' resurrection and marvel at the sacrifice made so that we may have eternal hope and joy in our Savior!
Have a beautiful week!

Luck O' the Irish

With St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I had just the right inspiration when playing around with cake the other day. My mother-in-law Mary is Irish, and her sister Sherrie, and husband Frank had been on my mind a lot lately, so I thought I would make them a cake! Knowing that Sherrie is very proud of her Irish heritage, a fun lil' shamrock cake would be a nice surprise for them, especially since I needed an excuse to see their smiling faces at Mulhalls...(where they are both floral geniuses!!!!!)
So this was the end product of my creative efforts...something cute and casual...nothing to serious...just fun with a couple tips and some way-sweet buttercream on a chocolate cake filled raspberry mousse! (Hope you enjoyed it Frank and Sherrie! It was wonderful seeing you!!!)
Also thoughts about St. Patty's Day brought up the idea of "lucky" and how lucky I am to have two awesome, beautiful, fabulous lil' sorority sisters. Though I'm alum now, I still continue the journey of getting to know and appreciate my Chi Omega family. The closest to me in my family is Julie, and most recently, her lil' sis Felicia.
Both girls have incredible hearts and a willingness to laugh and learn and be supportive...all of which came in handy this afternoon when I was teaching them some ins and outs of The Chocolate Season.
There were challenges (curling the gold ribbon and "sculpting" cellophane) and triumphs (learning the correct "nesting" technique and packaging those darn pretzels!) But the whole afternoon theses girls did nothing but laugh and ask questions and had such a willingness to learn about this side of my life, my passion for perfection and for really putting your heart into every little detail :)
So even though I am BEYOND "lucky" (or I prefer the word "blessed") with beautiful friends and supportive family, this afternoon with my two little sisters made me appreciate the little moments in life even more...so thank you girls for all you do and I only we hope we can hang out more! (no ribbon work or nesting required!)

New & Exciting?!

I was able to experience a couple things this last week that were "New & Exciting!" I had the honor of "escorting" my sister Sara to her very last clinical in Texas. We met up with her friend Tara (fellow PT) and we caravaned to Oklahoma City. We spent the night and then finished the looooong journey to Abiline. Sounds like a smooth ride right? Well...there was one bump in the road.
Being 3 girls stuck in cars driving, we saw on the horizon a Dairy Queen sign...and had to stop. Pulled into a small town DQ and after talking a bit, we realized Tara's car was still running...and was locked. uh-oh. So after a call to the local police, we waited in the parking lot....sang the blues, played the guitar, sara hopped on her bike...you know, all the usual stuff you do when waiting for a locksmith. After a huge locksmith fee (poor Tara...) we got back on the road, blizzards in tow. *yum*
Once we arrived, my visit consisted of grocery shopping, a pizzeria, a southern Baptist church and an airplane delay...twice.
But a big "Thanks " to my two PT girls...I had tons of fun and wish you both luck in the next 8 weeks! :0)

Now, the second "New & Exciting" event this week....Artisan Marshmallows!!! These plush puffs of fun are made from all-natural ingredients and have been pre-released just for Easter. Our classic Vanilla Bean marshmallows are half-dipped in white chocolate, tinted with bright Easter colors...fun to nibble on yourself or stick in a loved one's Easter Basket.

Read the full description and see these sweet puffs here!
Special for March, the full line of flavors won't appear till the end of May...so snatch them up and try one before they're gone :)

I hope you all find something "New & Exciting" this upcoming week to spark your imagination or make a new memory...I sure did!

One Night as a Hopeless Romantic....

I am a die-hard romantic. I was the little girl who wanted to grow up to be a princess. When reading any romantic books or watching romantic movies, I grew up thinking that every man gazed upon his lady love with a look only described best by writers like Jane Austen, and that every relationship began with letters dripping with romance, coy innuendos and formal requests to "call upon you again".
So when I received an invitation from my dear friend Amanda George, and her friend Heidi, to come to a "romantic girls' night," I jumped at the chance! My invitation was filled with rose petals and a tissue, as well as movie list including Emma, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice as well as Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. I had my top pick, and all I had to do was RSVP.
Before arriving at the movie party, all us girls (about 12 of us I think) thought we were in for a night of homemade chili, snacks and a nice romantic movie...oh, and did I mention the dress code? Pajamas!
Upon entering Heidi's home, there was a trail of rose petals leading to her door, where I noticed a shelf of letters with various knick knacks partnered with each one. After a hearty chili dinner (yummm) our hostesses told us that before revealing the movie of choice, we were to watch a movie montage of different clips from all the movies. And that each girl had to read one of the "mysterious" letters which "appeared in Heidi's mailbox" that afternoon. The letters corresponded with each movie clip, featuring love sonnets from Mr. Darcy, Gilbert, Professor Behr etc....After gushing over the romantic writings of our fictional "gentleman callers" we popped in the movie of choice....Little Women. A quarter way into the movie we heard something hitting Heidi's french balcony doors. Snowballs? Who would be throwing snowballs? All of us girls ran over to the balcony doors and flung them open to find three, attractive, singing, men below us. They were serenading us, complete with guitar and the song, My Girl!The men (who turned out to be Heidi's brother and his two roomies, Arnie and Martin) proceeded to come up to the apartment and tell us how they saw us gorgeous girls from afar, and had to meet us in person! Cue the salsa music, and each gentleman picked a gal and started dancing! After dancing with all of us, we all received a red rose.
Then, the movie started up again and all of us looked around and said "did that really happen?" hearts a flutter, and cheeks rosy with a "puppy love" flush, we all looked like little girls, who just got done dreaming about their prince charming...only we had LIVED the romance!

After the movie, we sat around chatting about the night, the movie, our favorite characters and just relaxed. It was a fantastic Saturday night, and I could never be more in debt to my "very organized and super planner" hostesses than I am now...thank you for letting me live a romantic dream, to think that there really are Mr. Darcys still in this world and that though cheesy, and overdone by today's standards, our night of rose petals, love letters and dancing was just with this gal needed...and it was so much fun I wish I could re-live it night after night!

A Look at Valentine's....

February 15th...a day of relaxation! The hustle and bustle and pick ups and deliveries during Valentine's Day are now over and it's time for a breather...
Valentine's Day was busy at The Chocolate Season, with lots of chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, gourmet apples and some special requests like peanut clusters, and uncommon Valentine goodies like cheesecake brownies, cheesecakes, cookies and other sweets for your sweetie :0)

Enjoy a couple pictures that show just a *tasting* of what we did this last week!

On the homefront, my husband was kind enough to cook a gourmet meal of feta cheese crusted top sirloins with merlot sauce, steamed asparagus and served it with my favorite wine, Vin du Bugey. He also picked up a pretty chocolate dome to share for dessert and we ended the night with a movie at home....which was perfect after a loooong day at work!
We also exchanged gifts after dessert and he picked out a top from my FAVORITE store, Francesca's Collection as well as made a homemade card, complete with pictures from the last year....*awwww*

What did everyone else do for Valentine's Day? Do you prefer to stay in or go out? Whatever you did, I hope that everyone ended the night with something delicious...because it just wouldn't be Valentine's without a little chocolate.....

Chocolate for Breakfast?

What a fun weekend Brad and I had! We started off this Friday by attending Van and Bonnie's annual Chocolate Breakfast at the Living History Farms in Des Moines. A truly family affair, my mom came to Des Moines the night before to help set up my table and then that night my sister Amanda and husband Brad helped me cut fudge for samples. They both also stayed with me all morning, 4:30 am to 10:30 am, manning the table.
It was hard to keep count, but we're pretty sure we served 1,500-2,000 people that morning, with most people saying they had an hour wait outside....in the cold weather....just to browse through the Chocolate Breakfast. (those are truly chocolate fans!)
Another highlight that morning was getting the chance to talk on the Van and Bonnie show as well as to personally meet and chat with these radio superstars....
Later that night Brad and I attended and catered a First Baptist Church marriage retreat. The menu? A fondue dessert bar with angel food, cookies, pineapple, strawberries, dark and milk fondue and the the crowning touch....homemade marshmallows! The retreat was a lot of fun and a very worthwhile experience, and the response to the marshmallows was so strong, that i might start offering them on-line as a full-time product...what do you think?

Lastly, my sister Amanda and husband Brad (yes, there are two Brads in the family) hosted us for the weekend, letting us stay in their home and took us to dinner and church. To make the weekend complete, my brother Michael, wife Crystal, and niece and nephew Hannah and Ian came out to Granite City to share dinner with us, and it was truly a treat to see them (thanks for making the trip you guys!!!)
Thanks again to my wonderful family for such a fun and busy weekend, and thanks to Van and Bonnie for hosting such a unique event and letting us be a part of it!

Also...new specials at The Chocolate Season! While supplies last, you receive a 1/2 lb of assorted specialty bark with a $25 order, and there is a 25% discount on any Rocky Road popcorn size! Just enter in the coupon code, popcorn08 during check out!

Hope you enjoy these new specials, and check out a limited edition Valentine's Day box for your special someone this holiday! http://www.thechocolateseason.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=4

(just be sure to order by Feb. 10 if you'd like it shipped for the big day!)

Hmmm...what's new?

Well, I know its been a couple weeks, but I promise I will be more faithful with blogging every week now that the holiday season is winding down!

Lots of fun stuff going on with the Jensen's...Bradley and I have recently remodeled our bedroom and I was able to be a part of Teresa's annual Bridal Show in Algona, IA. She has also done some remodeling to her bridal salon and it looks tres' chic!
Bradley and I support her business by being partnered with her on her "associated business" page. Brad took pictures of the show and I'm sure Teresa will put those up in a week or two. (check it out!) http://www.teresasbridals.com/associated_bus.htm
But the show was just tons of fun and I was so impressed by a fellow woman business owner...she is really quite savvy and has a such an evident passion and talent for what she does!

Something else fun last week was the celebration of Bradley's birthday! I made him a lemon-raspberry cake and had his family over for a chili supper. Then later that weekend we had some carrot cake with my family as we celebrated Bradley's birthday...again :0)

Next priority....Europe trip. If ANYONE has been to Switzerland, Italy or France, and has some helpful travel trips (in general) or tips for those countries...I would really appreciate it. I will be there close to 4 weeks taking notes on the culture, their views and reactions to chocolates and confections, as well as shadowing chocolatiers there. I hope to bring back the trends and time-honored practices put to use there!

Any comments or tips, please let me know!!