Chocolate

The indoor Boyle County Farmers Market will continue to operate until the outdoor market opens in the Spring. We are located in the Professional Building on Main Street, Danville (next to Hilliard and Lyons). Hours are: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Stop in for fresh vegetables, baked goods, jams, jellies, sorghum, honey, frozen meats and more. French Boulet (round, crusty rolls) will be available from Briar Knob Farm each Saturday. Pick up some of these delicious treats and other goodies.

The Danville-Boyle County Healthy Communities Coalition has published a book of holiday recipes. Donna Clore, Boyle County extension office agent for family and consumer sciences, Julie Steber, a dietitian with the Boyle County Health Department and Nancy Ricker, a dietitian with McDowell Wellness Center, put the book together. Here are some of the appetizer recipes. The booklet is available at the extension office. Call (859) 236-4484. Festive Corn Casserole 1 cup frozen corn 2 cups grated zucchini 1 cup diced red bell pepper 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk 2 cups egg substitute 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 2 teaspoon sugar substitute Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

20 years ago... McKinney teachers sweetened learning with chocolate on Valentine's Day. On Feb. 14, "Surprise Day," teachers were given chocolate during the morning and told to teach using chocolate. Mary Jo Smith and Bruce Smith had students in their classes do research on chocolate. Many teachers had students look up calorie content, find where chocolate originated from and what ingredients were in chocolate. Some teachers used creative writing with chocolate as the subject and others read stories about chocolate in their classes.

It occurred to me after my Oscar predictions were published it might have sounded like I was saying Julie Christie ("Away From Her") had Alzheimer's. Not so. The media-shy Christie's role in "Away From Her," Fiona, has Alzheimer's. It'll be interesting to see who walks away with Oscars tonight. Almost nothing is a gimme, although the chances of Daniel Day-Lewis losing are virtually nil. But there's always that element of surprise. Dancing kings and queens So, Team Bruno won the Dance War against Team Carrie Ann. Somehow, I didn't see that coming.

For a carefree, happy holiday, we need to be aware of special hazards that our festivities can create for our pets. Knowing them, we can avoid them. First, there are four major holiday plants that are commonly used this time of year. The poinsettias have always been on this list, even though the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has recently stated that the toxic potential of this plant is overstated. Still, the white sap from this plant can cause gastrointestinal irritations; some symptoms may be increased salivation, vomiting and diarrhea.

"Desserts Around the World" was the topic of the October program of the First Settlers Homemakers Club at the Community House on the Old Booneboro Road.Ada Sewell described desserts from Mexico, Thailand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Australia and Kenya. In keeping with the theme, Seawall made and served Australia ambrosia using 1 cup low fat strawberry flavored yogurt, 1 cup fresh raspberries or frozen mixed berries, 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows and 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Mother's Day is almost here, and it is time for all you husbands and fathers to start thinking about gifts for those special women in your lives - the moms. For some of you, it is a stretch to start planning this early. I know many of you hit Wal-Mart at midnight the night before, but I can assure you this advice will save you a lot of stress in the end. First of all, please keep in mind that most of us do not want a box of chocolates. A lot of women have chocolate on a daily basis, so there is nothing new and exciting about receiving this as a gift on Mother's Day. For those women who do not have chocolate on a daily basis, it can only mean one of two things - they don't like chocolate or they are on a diet.

The unseasonably warm weather last week was a welcome reprieve from our usual cold, snowy days. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day that I enjoyed to the fullest. Saturday morning, I was invited to the Nature’s Thyme Herb Group Annual Herbal Tea in Garrard County. These ladies went all out to make this event an outstanding success. Each table was decorated by theme. The table where I was seated was decorated with chocolate as the theme. There were chocolate-scented geraniums and chocolate-mint tea. Chocolate candies were scattered among fresh plants and flowers as the centerpiece.

Funnel cake is to the carnival what tattoos are to a carnie - can't have one without the other. There are no fewer than three funnel cake stands at the Mercer County fair, and it appears the confections are going like hotcakes. Marsha Talip has had two funnel cakes this week. She is visiting her grandson, Caden Talip, 2, who lives in Salvisa. They went to the Boyle County Fair last week where her husband introduced her to the funnel cake for the first time. On Wednesday she bought Caden his first funnel cake.

JUNCTION CITY - Diamond King has not surpassed the 31-flavor mark, but she has stirred up quite a few batches since her family bought an ice cream maker in June. "My dad, he loves ice cream. My mom got an ice cream maker just to try it out," says Diamond, a 14-year-old freshman at Boyle County High School. "We've made blueberry waffle cone, peach, banana and chocolate. " Mostly Diamond and her parents, Ricky and Sonya King, sample scoops of the latest flavor, but Diamond is going to up the ante and make several gallons for a mini-festival her church is having to offset the town's loss of Railroad Days.

This time of year, especially last week, chocolate is a popular gift. While over-indulging on candy isn't good for you, did you know that some studies show that chocolate is actually good for you? But, before you start satisfying that chocolate craving and throwing caution to the wind, it does matter what type of chocolate you choose and how much of it you eat. The cocoa in chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is actually the seed from the fruit of the cacao tree. Cocoa, like many other foods that come from plants, contains disease-fighting chemicals call antioxidants.

The indoor Boyle County Farmers Market will continue to operate until the outdoor market opens in the Spring. We are located in the Professional Building on Main Street, Danville (next to Hilliard and Lyons). Hours are: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Stop in for fresh vegetables, baked goods, jams, jellies, sorghum, honey, frozen meats and more. French Boulet (round, crusty rolls) will be available from Briar Knob Farm each Saturday. Pick up some of these delicious treats and other goodies.

Our love affair with chocolate began more than 3,000 years ago, when it was first served as a frothy, spicy, cocoa-like drink in Central America. Cocoa is one of the richest food sources we have that comes from the family of healthful antioxidants. New products are coming out every day designed to promote the health benefits of chocolate, yet they have a reduced amount of sugar. Eating a small amount of rich, dark chocolate provides not only instant enjoyment but when you select one that has a higher cocoa content you get even more antioxidants.

The unseasonably warm weather last week was a welcome reprieve from our usual cold, snowy days. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day that I enjoyed to the fullest. Saturday morning, I was invited to the Nature’s Thyme Herb Group Annual Herbal Tea in Garrard County. These ladies went all out to make this event an outstanding success. Each table was decorated by theme. The table where I was seated was decorated with chocolate as the theme. There were chocolate-scented geraniums and chocolate-mint tea. Chocolate candies were scattered among fresh plants and flowers as the centerpiece.

Last week, I had the misfortune of experiencing a really, really bad day. When a bad day hits, it can usually be made better with that universal healer of all wounds: chocolate. I prefer mine in the form of a king-sized Butterfinger. If it's a really bad day, a new pair of high heels may be required, followed by a couple hours wearing them while dancing around the house. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I discovered, though, that a really, really bad day requires reinforcements.

HARRODSBURG - Brittany Hall has taken over as the artistic director at Ragged Edge Community Theatre. She hit the ground running by taking the reins of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the next show to take the stage. Hall says she is a new face in the community but isn't far from her home in Lawrenceburg. She is a graduate of Campbellsville University with specialization in worship arts and a minor in music. She is getting married to Dustin Duvall of Owenton, who she calls "a most wonderful man," in July.

20 years ago... McKinney teachers sweetened learning with chocolate on Valentine's Day. On Feb. 14, "Surprise Day," teachers were given chocolate during the morning and told to teach using chocolate. Mary Jo Smith and Bruce Smith had students in their classes do research on chocolate. Many teachers had students look up calorie content, find where chocolate originated from and what ingredients were in chocolate. Some teachers used creative writing with chocolate as the subject and others read stories about chocolate in their classes.

This time of year, chocolate is a popular gift. While over-indulging on candy isn't good for you, did you know that some studies show that chocolate is actually good for you? Before you start satisfying that chocolate craving and throwing caution to the wind, it does matter what type of chocolate you choose and how much of it you eat. The cocoa in chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is actually the seed from the fruit of the cacao tree. Cocoa, like many other foods that come from plants, contains disease-fighting chemicals called antioxidants.

Mother's Day is almost here, and it is time for all you husbands and fathers to start thinking about gifts for those special women in your lives - the moms. For some of you, it is a stretch to start planning this early. I know many of you hit Wal-Mart at midnight the night before, but I can assure you this advice will save you a lot of stress in the end. First of all, please keep in mind that most of us do not want a box of chocolates. A lot of women have chocolate on a daily basis, so there is nothing new and exciting about receiving this as a gift on Mother's Day. For those women who do not have chocolate on a daily basis, it can only mean one of two things - they don't like chocolate or they are on a diet.

It occurred to me after my Oscar predictions were published it might have sounded like I was saying Julie Christie ("Away From Her") had Alzheimer's. Not so. The media-shy Christie's role in "Away From Her," Fiona, has Alzheimer's. It'll be interesting to see who walks away with Oscars tonight. Almost nothing is a gimme, although the chances of Daniel Day-Lewis losing are virtually nil. But there's always that element of surprise. Dancing kings and queens So, Team Bruno won the Dance War against Team Carrie Ann. Somehow, I didn't see that coming.