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Archive for National/Chains

Favorite Ice Creams I’ll Never Eat Again & Why: Baskin-Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Breyers and Dreyers with rBGH

By Dessert Darling · Comments (2)
Thursday, May 10th, 2012

There are many articles, like this fabulous one in the Huffington Post, about Bovine Growth Hormones, or rBGH. But I’ll break it down into simple language for you here this Thinny Thursday.

Monsanto, the chemical company that’s determined to run the world’s food supply (and thus, the world), created genetically engineered growth hormones to make cows produce more milk. The cows utters get extremely large, tender, and soar.

This swelling and pain makes the cows get infections, which makes them need antibiotics. Furthermore, the infections lead to blood and puss being released into the milk.

So now, dairy from cows injected with rBGH have:

  • Genetically Engineered Hormones
  • Antibiotics
  • Puss and Blood

“Food is information,” per this article by Dr. Franklipman. What we eat directly interacts with our genes and can make us healthy and happy, or diseased and sick. Wonder why some kids are hitting puberty as early as six years old?! Consuming milk from affected cows with artificial hormones and antibiotics directly and adversely affects our own bodies.

Sadly, my ALL TIME FAVORITE ice cream brands: Baskin-Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Breyers, and Dreyers, all use dairy from cows injected with rBGH. :( Seriously guys, this is like the Day the Music Died for me. People often ask what my favorite dessert is, and it’s ice cream. I’m so bummed that my childhood staples are so careless with the quality of their ingredients. Furthermore, some have the audacity to outright lie with labels like “All Natural”- UGH!!! Good news though..

Ben and Jerry’s has always taken a firm stance against using rBGH dairy, long before I even knew what the labels meant. All Organic ice creams are safe as well, like Stonyfield, Alden’s, Julie’s, and pretty much any brand that you’d find in a health food store.

Hopefully, if enough of us demand quality ingredients with our shopping dollars, Baskin-Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Bryers, and Dryers will catch on and make the shift to natural milk products. Hey, it worked for Starbucks! Who, I’m happy to share, also refuses to use dairy with rBGH.

 

Comments (2)

Trader Joe’s Almondictive Bits- Caramelized Almond Morsles covered in Dark Chocolate

By Dessert Darling · Comments (0)
Friday, May 4th, 2012

At one of the birthdays I attended this weekend I encountered Trader Joe’s Almondictive Bits, a TJ’s treat that I had strategically been avoiding. I mean, come on! They tell you right there on the tub that you are going to eat the whole thing at once and wallow in misery over your lack of self control and growing love handles! Or something like that. So alas, there they were, right in front of me.. and since they’re Almonds (healthy) and Dark Chocolate (healthy too!), I dove right into these tempting treats. One thing I applaud TJ’s for- they don’t have false advertising. These delicious, caramelized almond morsels covered in chocolate were indeed, addicting.

However, these Cookies & Cream Almonds that were also at the party were sweet, chalky rubbish.. even if they were made in California.

For more info on Trader Joe’s, click here.

Comments (0)

Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano’s Little Italy

By Dessert Darling · Comments (4)
Sunday, April 29th, 2012

This weekend I ate enough desserts to sustain me for two weeks worth of posts! Yowza- it was a Serious sugar-showdown. Let’s start with this Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano’s. If you’re wondering what the heck a Zuccotto is, it’s basically a chilled cake with alcohol (traditionally brandy), mousse or ice cream layers, and is made into the shape of Florence’s famous dome, the “duomo”.

I couldn’t wait to slice into this impressive mound of a dessert!

Just look at those heavenly layers- so much cake to consume!

This Zuccotto had a rich chocolate flavor deepened by the distinctly licorice liquor, Sambuca. I enjoyed the fun and playful consistencies of the cake and mousse, but the thick and slightly rubbery chocolate encapsulating the cake didn’t harmonize with the soft and bouncy layers inside. If you’re a chocolate fanatic though, you’ll surely love this dessert.

For more info on Maggiano’s Little Italy, click here.

Comments (4)

Easter Desserts!!! Nom Nom Nom

By Dessert Darling · Comments (1)
Thursday, April 5th, 2012

Y’all, there are so many scrumdidillyumptious desserts on my Easter Pinterest Board that I can hardly stand it. I struggled to find the one dessert that I would feature in this post and eventually landed on these Rice Krispie Peep Pops by Love From the Oven. For one thing, I Love everything by Love From the Oven: it is such a creative and darling site! Furthermore, these Rice Krispie Peep Pops look festive, Eastery, and the thought of sinking my teeth into them kinda makes me die a little. Surely they taste like Heaven. Really sweet, and sugary Heaven. Ha! I bet they’d also be great with dark chocolate (though not as pretty).

To see 82 (and counting) other awesome Easter dessert ideas, click here! Let me know if you decide to make any of these treats for your Easter festivities this weekend! :-)

Comments (1)

Mini Chocolate Creme Eggs by Lindt and “Cadbury” (er, Kraft)

By Dessert Darling · Comments (5)
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

First off, I must give a very enthusiastic 5-cherries to Lindt Lindor Truffles’ White Chocolate Eggs. They could not be more creamy, dreamy, melty delicious.  White chocolate can be incredibly difficult to pull off, but Lindt does a supreme job here.  Like the larger Lindt truffle balls, these little eggs have liquid goodness inside, but their smaller, egg shaped proportions make for a more delicious experience.

But Boo- the Mini Creme Eggs were complete rubbish.  When I was a kid, having a Creme Egg in your lunch-box was the equivalent to being King of the World! I loved them more than life itself. Alas, the shells on these minis don’t even taste like real chocolate and the inside is just thick, pasty, sweet blah-ness. Boo. I can blame old age or Kraft, now that they took over dear old British Cadbury.

I blame Kraft.

How many Yummies can you spot above!?

Answer: 12- remember, the Creme Eggs were total rubbish.

What’s your favorite Easter treat?!?

XOOX

Comments (5)

THE BEST CHOCOLATE EVER EVER EVER!

By Dessert Darling · Comments (1)
Friday, March 30th, 2012

Let’s jump back aboard the TOURific Escapes “Chocolate Indulgence Tour” for our next stop to John Kelly Chocolates near Runyon Canyon. Woohooo! John Kelly Chocolates was in fact, the first dessert to Ever win a Golden Cherry at Dessert Darling. Returning to the little shop & factory reminded me why. HOT DAMN this chocolate is good- more like, AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!  No one doesn’t like John Kelly Chocolates (even you crazy non-chocolate people swoon).

These mini chocolate bars just melt in your mouth with their rich, fudgey centers wrapped in a layer of the galaxy’s best chocolate. The Vanilla Walnut was my favorite since the filling reminded me of freshly made cookie dough. However, their most popular flavor, the Chocolate French Sea Salt, also got me hot and bothered. Woowee! THE BEST You guys!!!!!!!!

Check out the chocolate conveyor belt in the video above- YES! We got to experience this on the Chocolate Indulgence Tour- SO. FREAKING. FUN! Look at me, I’m a spaz all over again just writing about it.

I’m just happy I’ll die knowing I have had the best chocolate on Earth. If you live in LA, you must frequent the shop itself for the freshest samples. Otherwise, you can buy them online at their store here.

For more info on John Kelly Chocolates, click here.

For more info on TOURific Escapes, click here (DO it- click click click!).

Comments (1)

Thinny Thursday: Eat Chocolate- Stay Thin with Hail Merry Macaroons

By Dessert Darling · Comments (3)
Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Well Glory Hallelujah! Yet another scientific study that touts the merits of Chocolate! This study essentially states that those who eat chocolate on a regular basis are thinner than those who don’t, even though they do not eat fewer calories or exercise more. WOW! So THAT’s how I do it! Seriously, I eat chocolate every morning after breakfast since I’m not a coffee drinker. :)

In honor of this outstanding Thinny Thursday news, I’m sharing with you these raw, vegan, gluten-free Hail Merry Chocolate Macaroons to feed your fix in an even healthier way. Made without refined sugar, these delicious treats still boast dark cocoa for all your chocolate needs. They’re Sooooo delicious I ate the whole bag in one sitting. Oops.

 

For more information on Hail Merry, click here! (I found my bag in Whole Foods).

Comments (3)

Organic Rice Divine Carrot Cake Frozen Dessert- YUM

By Dessert Darling · Comments (1)
Monday, March 19th, 2012

Love Ice Cream but avoiding dairy? Love Carrot Cake? Are you Vegan or Gluten Free? Well this glorious pint of Organic Rice Divine, Carrot Cake is just the treat for you then. I discovered this Good Karma treat in the frozen aisle of Whole Foods and it sat in my freezer for days before I finally caved in and tried it. The extremely flavorful and sweet dessert totally surprised and delighted me. Not only did the “ice cream” part sing of carrot cake, but also it contained actual chunks of carrot cake bites in there for fun texture. YUM. While dairy substitutes are never quite as creamy as the real deal, Rice Divine is still fantastic, thus earning itself a solid 4 cherries!

ps: I bet their Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge is amazing too!

For more info on Good Karma Foods, click here.

Comments (1)

Keylime Pie from Houston’s Restaurant

By Dessert Darling · Comments (4)
Monday, March 5th, 2012

The other  night I had dinner at Houston’s with friends and asked the waitress to bring her favorite dessert. She returned with this impressive wedge of Keylime Pie (sorry that my photo is not impressive). Alas, the heaping scoop of whipped cream was utterly unsweetened and the pie itself tasted very mild. While the pie wasn’t “limey” enough for my friends, I could appreciate a more mellow interpretation of a traditionally zesty desert. Overall, it was an average but pleasant slice of pie.

For more information on Houston’s restaurants, click here.

Comments (4)

Carrot Cake at the Daily Grill

By Dessert Darling · Comments (1)
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012


Mmmm! This Carrot Cake from the Daily Grill was surprisingly delicious. I was super skeptical since I’m not a fan of chain restaurants. Furthermore, I noticed an alarming lack of frosting on the side. In fact, the back edge of the layers was downright naked.

Normally, cream cheese frosting is the highlight of Carrot Cake! I love the icing lathered inside the layers, on the side, and with a decorative dollop on top! So even though the presentation with lightly whipped cream, sweet glazed pecans, and cinnamon dust looked lovely, the dearth of side icing had my eyebrows raised.

Then with a bite- WOW. This phenomenal Carrot Cake shocked me. The layers were moist and delicious with a perfect balance of spices and flavor. The abundant shavings of carrots and zuchinis, along with chopped walnuts and raisins, gave the dessert delightful texture without being too chunky. Since there were six layers of cake, each sandwiched by a layer of frosting, I did not miss the extra serving of it on the side. Additionally, the whipped vanilla cream that laid on top did a wonderful job of adding a cool, sweet, creaminess to the mix. Mmmmm. Finally, I loved the sweet pecans and enjoyed them with every other bite! This Carrot Cake was a unanimous home-run at our table. Kudos to the Daily Grill on their 5-Cherry rating!

 

DG Carrot Cake

For more info on the Daily Grill, click here.

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