Zelda Benjamin's Blog, page 6

Let's Talk Shopping- Black Friday Blog Hop

THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. You can enter over 200 times!<script src="http://lovebychocolate.blogspot.com/2...http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=160551" type="text/javascript"></script>

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!


We all know shopping is therapeutic. For me it has a calming effect on mind and body. Sure it's nice to shop for myself but shopping for a gift is even better. We all know it's better to give than receive. The thrill of hunting for and finding just the right item for a friend or relative adds to the excitement. My favorite go to gift is very often a book. Food is a close second. I don't have to worry about size or style when I gift these.What's your favorite gift to give?
Are you shopping today - online or out there with the crowds?


Need a gift suggestion? How about a book for your favorite chocolate lover (no calories). You can even gift it to someone with a kindle. 
 Hard cover on sale today at Amazon    CHOCOLATE MUSE (click to read inside)
Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to leave a comment with your email. My gift to one lucky commenter is a Starbucks gift card to help you enjoy your holiday shopping.

Autumn Harvest Blog Hop

AUTUMN FAVORITES


1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains 10+ paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more.
The colors, the holidays, and street fairs are some of my favorite things about the fall. However, living in South Florida has left me with a craving for scarfs, boots, and winter jackets. I love  changing from the bright colors we wear in the summer to the muted oranges, browns and grays of fall.In Chocolate Secrets Alex and Mike first meet at a NY street fair. She's selling gourmet chocolate and he's peddling  decadent chocolate cakes and sexy NYC firefighter calendars.Another fall favorite is all the beautiful calendars for the coming year. Here's one of my favorites.
Check out the worthy cause these guys are posing for. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/fdny-calendar-2013-sexy-firefighters-charity-photos_n_1471184.html#slide=929787
What's your favorite thing about Autumn?Leave a comment with your email to be entered for the grand prize. You can visit over 200 blogs to enter.<script src="http://lovebychocolate.blogspot.com/2...http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=157106" type="text/javascript"></script>

Alpha Male Blog Hop

Forget the abs and other ripped body parts. 
A recent article in the WSJ talked about a study where men with shaved heads are believed to have the traits that are characteristic of Alpha Males. Guys with shaved heads come across more masculine, powerful and even show more leadership skills than men with a full head of hair.
id=152582"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443862604578032541863652264.html

I can see how those guys with shave heads can elude to the traits I like to see in my Alpha Men -  strength, success, and intelligence.

In my first book in my Chocolate Romance series, Chocolate Secrets, My hero is a NYC firefighter. Any man who runs into a burning building when everyone is running the other way is definitely an Alpha Male.
He also has an endearing side to him. He bakes chocolate cakes.

In Chocolate Magic my hero is an aggressive businessman. I like to think of David Beckham in a designer suit when I picture him. And like Beckham his soft side is for his family; his parents, his  brothers, and his precocious nieces.

In Chocolate Muse the hero is a smart, confident single dad trying to balance his job as a food writer with the responsibility of raising his twin daughters. This smart sexy man is always brought back to earth when his twins are around.

Do you live with an Alpha Man? What endearing trait does he possess?

I'm giving away a Starbuck's gift card.Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win some great grand prizes as well.



1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize:  Swag Pack!

Visit as many blogs as you'd like in the link below.


<script src="http://lovebychocolate.blogspot.com/2...http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=152582" type="text/javascript"></script>

Fall in South Florida

My Halloween decorations are finally done. Living in S. Fl. it's difficult to feel the change in seasons, especially Fall. The leaves don't really change color so I have to improvise and scatter those fake leaves around the house. 

Imitating the smells of Fall is easier than trying to change the weather outside. The other night I filled the air in my house with the scent of a ricotta pumpkin cheese cake. For those of you who know me, you know baking from scratch is not my thing. I prefer semi-homemade. 
I adapted the directions on the back of the box of Krusteaz's Pumpkin Square mix and used ricotta instead of cream cheese. The ingredients listed are not the best for you so I left off the sour cream topping. Like that's going to make a difference... The cheesecake came out delicious and the house smelled like Fall.

Fall is bringing more good vibes my way. With the recent sale of Avalon Books to Montlake Publishing, the 1st book in my Love by Chocolate series, CHOCOLATE SECRETS is going to be 
reissued this month in both paperback and e-format.
CHOCOLATE SECRETS
The book takes place in the fall. 
Excerpt-
"Who's minding the chocolate shop?"
"Don't worry your grandfather, Max is there."
Alex knew it would be impossible to keep her grandfather away on Halloween. He loved the idea that everyone dressed in ridiculous costumes just to get their hands on some chocolate.

Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy the season with a good book and your favorite dessert.
Visit my website.
www.zeldabenjamin.com

Keeping Romance Alive - Romancing the Hop Blog Hop

I'm excited to be participating in the Romancing the Hop Blog Hop with 100 authors who will be sharing their thoughts on romance. 
I just celebrated my anniversary. What better way is there to celebrate romance.

Happy anniversary to the man who keeps me believing in romance.
Being creative and finding new and exciting ways to celebrate anniversaries can be difficult. This week we celebrated our 42nd anniversary by recreating our 1st date.
It wasn't exactly the way it happened. Family commitments and work schedules limited our traveling plans, but we were able to recreate the date close enough. We went to a movie and an all night diner just like we did way back when we had no one to worry about but ourselves.
The movie we saw back then was Interlude with Oskar Werner.  Our after the movie snack was at the Foursome Diner in Brooklyn (it closed several years ago).


He had a toasted English muffin and a coke
(this time it was a diet coke).                          
I had a cup of tea.









How do you keep romance alive? How did you celebrate your last anniversary? 
Leave a comment with your email for a chance to win a natural fabric Peace, Love, and Chocolate bag and a copy of Chocolate Secrets. 






Each time you comment on a blog you're entered in the grand prize drawing. Meaning you can comment on ALL blogs in the link below. 
<script src="http://lovebychocolate.blogspot.com/2...http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=150398" type="text/javascript"></script> 
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize: A Large Swag Pack

Giveaways

Don't forget to stop by on Fri Aug 31. Along with over 100 romance authors, I'll be commenting on romance. 

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. You can enter over 100 times!

Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize:  Swag Pack!

Cocoa Ripple Ring - Hurricane Food

The outer bands of Isaac are blowing outside- mostly wind and lots of rain. Not a very good time to be outdoors. Since I'm stuck inside, I've already cooked up the chicken, ravoili, and crabmeat in my freeze.  The worst part any storm is the possibility of a blackout which can last for days. Better safe than sorry.  If everything is fine, I've got delicious food for the week. What kind of food do you eat when you're stuck inside waiting for a snowstorm or hurricane to pass?




After cleaning out the frig I moved on to the kitchen closets where I found an abundance of hot cocoa packets. I remembered an old Better Homes and Gardens bundt cake recipe that used powdered cocoa. I don't bake from scratch, it's too precise. I prefer to bake semi-homemade and used a box of yellow cake mix.Here's the recipe.  Cocoa Ripple Ring

1 1/2 cups sugar1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)4 eggs3 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp salt4 tsp baking powder1 1/3 cups milk1/3 cup cocoa, or more, (mix with a tbs of sugar if you like)Cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture and milk,mixing alternately, until smooth. Layer batterin thirds, alternating with cocoa mixture, into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan. Bake at 350 35-45 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan then turn out onto a plate,Enjoy

ROMANCING THE HOP

COMING SOON
 ALONG WITH 200 AUTHORS I WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN A BLOG HOP.
EACH AUTHOR WILL BE DOING A GIVEAWAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE 3 GRAND PRIZES. ALL YOU'LL HAVE TO DO TO ENTER IS LEAVE A COMMENT ON ONE OR ALL 2OO BLOGS. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED SO YOU WON'T FORGET THE DATE.

Chocolate and Publishing

Chocolate and publishing a book are similar processes. Both take time if you want a positive outcome. Just like a chocolatier must be patient and achieve the right consistency when blending ingredients, an  author can not rush the publishing process.
I've recently received emails from fans asking when the next book in my Love by Chocolate series will be available.
http://www.amazon.com/Zelda-Benjamin/e/B001JS8IPG/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1343085464&sr=1-2 
Book 4,  Chocolate Couture was submitted many months ago. Unknown to the Avalon authors the company was in the process of being sold to Amazon. http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/04/technology/amazon-avalon-books/index.htm
I was told the submission is being sent to Montlake Romance, Amazon's romance imprint. Like a chocolate chef waiting for the perfect chocolate, I'm in waiting mode. However, I have not been idle. I redesigned my website, continue to write, and decided to keep up with my long neglected blog.
Even though my writing is taking a new direction, I will still keep this blog because chocolate is one of my passions.

Share the passion for each story I tell...
http://www.zeldabenjamin.com/

Presidential Hot Cocoa

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011

PRESIDENTIAL HOT CHOCOLATE
Do you make your hot chocolate from cocoa powder or melted from bars?
The original hot cocoa recipe was a created by the Mayans. It was a mixture of ground cocoa beans, water, wine, and peppers. The Spaniards began heating the mixture and sweetening it with sugar. After being introduced in England, milk was added.

Presidential Hot Chocolate (Former first lady Laura Bush ‘s Hot Chocolate Recipe.)

Ingredients
6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
6 Tbsp. sugar
pinch salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups light cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch cinnamon powder (optional)
whipped cream
orange zest
Cooking Directions
Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt.
Add milk. Heat to dissolve.
Add light cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Heat to just under boiling.
Mix very well and pour into warm mugs.
Top with whipped cream, cocoa powder, and fine orange zest.
I don’t have a preference for cocoa powder over melted chocolate. Chloe, the chocolatier in my Love by Chocolate series is known for her secret hot cocoa blend. Readers meet her in Chocolate Secrets. Chocolate Magic is her story.
For me the secret is in the foam. I like my hot chocolate or hot cocoa made with milk and topped with either marshmallows or whipped cream. How do you drink your hot chocolate?