Holiday Treats-a-palooza: Chocolate Covered Everything

It has been tradition in my family ever since I was little to make chocolates. And by chocolates I mean melting yummy milk/dark/white chocolate & dipping everything & anything you can get your hands on into it. It's super easy & always makes impressive (& yummy!) holiday gifts! Here's how I do it:

I like to use Wilton Candy Melts. They're available at Michael's or other craft-type stores. I have used other bulk chocolate discs before, available at candy supply stores, but D.C. seems to be seriously lacking in candy supply shops.

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

The chocolate melts looks like this when they're dumped out of the bag (no, the irony is not lost in this picture - I am making chocolates, while Brad's protein powder, banana's & water bottle hang out in the background)

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Before you get started with your chocolate-ing, prep your chocolate dipping area. This year, I covered our dining room table with waxed paper, which worked very well.

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Melt your chocolate on a double boiler or the lazy way: in the microwave on 50% power, stirring every 15-30 seconds. When your chocolate is melted, it will look like this (resist the urge to lick the spoon).

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Now you're ready to dip. Oreo's are always a hit, so I tend to make a whole bag or two of those.

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved


Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

You can keep melting chocolate & dipping Oreo's until your heart is content.

If you want to move onto something else, may I suggest nutmallow, or as Martha would call them, "rocky road bars." Melt a bag of chocolate discs, toss in a half a can of cashews, & 1/2 - 3/4 of a bag of mini-marshmallows (I went overboard this year & used almost the whole bag). Give the mixture a good stir, so it's evenly coated & dump the whole mixture into a baking dish lined with wax paper. Then stick it in the fridge!

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

White chocolate also presents lots of fun dipping opportunities. Just be careful when melting though, as it tends to burn more easily than milk or dark chocolate.

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Dunk that Oreo right in... don't be afraid to get any on your fingers!

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

White chocolate is also good for drizzling over milk or dark chocolate. Melt some white chocolate, take a small fork & dip the ends in. Then shake the fork back & forth over whatever you're drizzling. If the chocolate isn't melted enough & sticks to the fork or comes off in big blobs, stick it back in the microwave (or over the double boiler) for a few seconds.

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There's really no end to the treats you can make!

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Malley's Candies & Ice Cream Parlor

Doesn't the name just sound like an old fashioned childhood summer?

My childhood was filled with Malley's ice cream, luckily not bound by any one season, so I was ridiculously excited to go back & explore the ice cream parlors that shaped my youth in Cleveland.
True story: when we drove past the one with the merry-go-round in it (yes, it really does, more on that in a minute), on the way from the airport to meet my brother in law for dinner, my excitement nearly caused us to drive off the road. Probably should have left the driving up to Brad.

The good news? They're still there. They're still exactly the same. They're still delicious.

The bad news? My hips are much bigger & my metabolism much slower than they were when I was six years old.

First stop: the Malley's ice cream parlor in Lakewood,
a.k.a. "the one with the garden veranda."

This is the Pink Elephant Sundae. Peppermint ice cream. Homemade whipped cream (I have dreams about their whipped cream, it's so good). Hot fudge on the side (this is key, since it keeps your sundae from melting prematurely). Spanish peanuts with the skin still on (this is also key).
This sundae was SO much better than I remember it being!

To ensure that we properly gave nostalgia its due, we stopped at the Malley's in North Olmstead, a.k.a. "the one with the merry-go-round," on the way to the airport.
It too did not disappoint.

This is the Peanut Butter Cup sundae. I don't think I ever had it as a child, but I should have. Note the fudge on the side again. Also, make no mistake about it: the focus of the camera fell squarely on the fudge & left everything else a little fuzzy. My camera clearly knows excellence when it sees it.

This is the "North Olmstead pink pachyderm" which is the namesake of the awesome Pink Elephant Sundae. Divine, no?

Last, but certainly not least: the merry-go-round. In the restaurant. And yes, it goes around (albeit extremely slowly). It's fantastic.