Have you ever really experience chocolate?  Do you know anyone who has?  That is why chocolate makes such a great gift come holidays, birthdays, etc.  Experience: Chocolate has come up with some great ways for you to give chocolate as a gift to other or even to yourself (I have to admit I like that last one).  They have something called Tasting Experiences.  What they do is you get a variety of gourmet chocolate tasting squares.  The collections consider the origin of the cocoa beans, cocoa content and manufacturing process and are designed to satisfy the desire of an experienced gourmet or pique the interest of a casual taster.  Here are a few you can try out:

Chocolate for the Vine™ – Our tasters’ pairing guide will help you marry these fine chocolates with your favorite wine.

Sweet Serenity™ – Milk chocolate from around the world with a focus on taste and smoothness.

Pure Rapture™ – Varietal, single-origin or estate-grown chocolate from the world’s foremost growing regions.

Euphoric Indulgence™ – Featuring some of the world’s best semi-sweet and bittersweet dark chocolate bars.

Now, if you live in the Boston MA area, you can even have your own Chocolate Tasting!  At these shows, you will learn how to taste the difference between three varieties of cocoa beans.

They even have gift baskets!  This is one gift basket any chocolate lover would like. These baskets include your choice of our Sweet Serenity™ milk chocolate Tasting Experience™ box, Euphoric Indulgence™ dark chocolate Tasting Experience™ box, or Chocolate for the Vine™ Tasting Experience™ box, plus chocolate covered cocoa nibs, Mexican drinking chocolate, and other goodies.

The prices for the chocolate collections start at $24.99 and vary according to the collection. The gift basket is on sale for $49.95.  I have been lucky enough to try out four of the flavors of chocolate that they have:  neuhaus, Valrhona Jivara, Michel Cluizel Chocolatier Paris, and Amedei Tuscany Toscano Brown.  This is some of the best chocolate you will have.  However, my favorite has to be the neuhaus.  It is milk chocolate that just melts in your mouth.  It has a smooth taste with my aftertaste.  Milk chocolate has and always will be my first love.

If you are needed a Christmas gift for a chocolate lover, definitely check out Experience: Chocolate.  Its is your one stop shop for some the of the chocolate in the world!

Need a great way to keep your breath fresh? If so, Hint Mint is something you should definitely try. These are 100% vegan and there is no gelatin, no aspartame, and no animal fat. They have several different flavors: Citrus, Black Currant, Green Tea and Peppermint just to name a few.  Besides the flavor, I love the size of these containers.  They are small enough to slide into your pocket without anyone noticing.  Also, even though they are itty bitty they do pack a punch and do take care of your breath.  They make excellent stocking stuffers for your kids too! The best part is that these Hint Mint Petit are under $1 for a tin!  You won’t find another great deal like this anywhere else.  My husband and I both like these and give them two thumbs up!

Take a look at the juice you have in your house. What is the first ingredient on most of it? Most of the time, even if your juice is 100% natural without fillers, the first ingredients include corn syrup, propylene glycol, and artificial sweeteners. If that sounds like something you don’t want to be drinking, you should check out Boost Juice.

Boost Juice is made with Superfruits. Superfruits are called that because they have higher amounts of nutrients per serving than other fruits and vegetables. They contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, Polysaccharides as well as other trace minerals. There also is scientific evidence to indicate that Superfruit Juices can offer benefits thought to be associated with health supplements.
Boost Juice is 100% natural, contains no artificial flavor, sweeteners, stimulants, or preservatives. They are the only superfruit juice that have 100% of the daily of Vitamin C, 72 plant based trace minerals, up to 4 grams of protein, and the highest ORAC rating! The Boost Juice is available in 12 ounce recyclable glass bottles and is found in the refrigerated juice section in the produce section in your local grocery store.

There are four different flavors of Boost Juice, and they all taste great (I had a couple of taste testers help me with this review, and they loved it too! I did have one taste tester tell me that the Beauty Boost did taste more like tea than juice, and the Inner Boost was more fruity but still had a small tea flavor.). The first flavor is the Beauty Boost. It contains 10,000 mcg of Acai per bottle. This juice supports healthy skin, hair, nails, anti-aging, cardiovascular health, and digestive health. It also provides 100% of the daily allowance you need of Vitamin C, 600 mg of plant based trace minerals, plus 21 essential and non-essential amino acids. This helps our bodies to repair, rejuvenate, rebuild, and stay strong. Next, there is Happy Boost. This supports positive moods, healthy aging, eye health, healthy energy levels, and liver and kidney heath. It provides vitamins A, B, E, plus 100% of your daily allowance of Vitamin C. It also has 2 grams of protein, 600 mg of plant based trace minerals plus Solavetivone, Betaine, and Lycium Barbarum Ploysaccharides (LBPs 1 – 5). Next, there is Inner Boost. The juice supports natural cleaning, healthy digestion, healthy immune function, and healthy energy levels. It also provides Acubin, Alazarain, Asperuloside, Anthraquinone and Scopoletin which is suppose to help support circulatory health. You also get 100% of your daily allowance of vitamin C, 600 mg of plant based trace minerals, and 4 grams of protein. Lastly, there is Youth Boost. This supports healthy aging, joint health, healthy immune function, and cardiovascular health. It also provides 100% of your daily allowance of vitamin C, 600 mg of plant based trace minerals, 2 grams of protein, plus Xanthones.

If you are looking for a refreshment without the artificial ingredients found in other drinks, Boost Juice is what you want. It tastes great and is good for you.

I have been debating on which blog I should give a copy of this book away on.  However, since this blog mainly focuses on food, I decided this one. 

Food Fights is a great book that talks about the food issues most of use have at our dinner tables each and every day.  It is about which battles are worth fighting over and which are not.  It also has some great advice on what to do with certain behaviors like thowing food.  There is even a section about the 5 second rule!  As a parent, this is must read.

Sounds like something you’d be interested in?  Well, I have a copy that I will be giving away to one of my lucky readers!  What do you have to do?

1. Leave a comment on this post. I want to know why you would want this book.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc.

For 5 additional entries,

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

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Good luck! This contest will end November 16, 2008 at 11:59 PM CST and is for US residents only.

I love popcorn.  It actually ranks up there for one of my favorite snacks of all time.  I would have to say that my favorite kind of popcorn has to be caramel corn.  Now, I don’t think I’ve ever given popcorn as a gift, but I have gotten it as a gift.  As long as there is caramel corn in the tin, I am a happy camper.

If you are looking for a great holiday gift for the person who has everything, I recommend checking out The Popcorn Factory.  They have gifts for every occasion — new baby, Sweetest Day, your favorite football team, your favorite baseball team, and snack for students — just to name a few.  The designed tins they have are awesome.  Since Halloween is just a couple weeks away, I thought I’d include a picture of a Halloween tin.  They only use the highest quality ingredients — 100% corn oil, real butter, and genuine cheddar cheese. They have 18 different flavors, so there is definitely something for everyone. If you are not sure what flavor you would like, you can even order a sampler pack!  Also, if you find a flavor you absolutely love, you can order refills too!  If you are feeling especially adventurous, you can even get their flavor of the month.

If you are a popcorn fan or know someone who it is, go check out The Popcorn Family.  I am getting hungry just looking at all this yummy popcorn.