My Eclectic Kitchen Vinegar & Oils Collection

Days are getting shorter and cooler, children have started back to school and football will once again reign supreme in houses all across the country. With this, I begin on this long journey of the Eclectic Kitchen™ and wonder where it will take us. Fall, winter and tailgate party fun are ahead, so we’ll be sure to get ready for them as well as plan ahead for all of your holiday celebrations. Coming in the near future, I’ll be reviewing the Starbucks Chocolate line but this week I’ll begin reviewing Vosges Haute Chocolat Exotic Candy Bars. For all you wine lovers, connoisseurs and officianados you won’t want to miss my weekly wine tasting review on Fridays. I attend a weekly wine tasting at a chic little wine boutique, aptly named Dolce Vita in the college town I currently reside in, Greenville, NC home of the East Carolina Pirates. My Eclectic Kitchen™ promises to have something for everyone, a varitable potpourri of food fun for all you foodies. Make sure you come by daily for recipes, tips, the coolest new gadgets and delectable tidbits galore.  

Vosges Haute Chocolat – Exotic Chocolat Bar Review 

Vosges Haute Chocolat Exotic Bar

Today, I’m reviewing the Vosges Haute Chocolat Exotic Candy Bar – Goji Bar. The bar is a Deep Milk Chocolate Bar 41% Cacao.  The aroma is a rich cocoa with a faint scent of raspberry.  It’s a crisp and well tempered bar – that’s good, for those of you that are just learning, you’ll want to hear a nice pop when you break the bar and if you don’t it’s old or it’s not good quality chocolate.  When you first take a bite of the bar, immediately the cocoa comes forth, the bitter and then sweet, it’s smooth, milky and beautiful. Allow the piece to lay back on your tongue so you can savor it, then press it up on the roof of your mouth for a few seconds then release it and let it melt. Once I let the chocolate settle on my tongue,  I began to taste the Pink Himalayan Salt, itis divine, the play of the salt in contrast with the sweetness is one of the characteristics I look for and love most in chocolate. It balances the flavors out in such a lovely way. The bar’s packaging promises flavors of goji berry’s raspberry, plum and currant undertones and with the aroma, I would’ve believed this to be so however, I never got any of those flavors although there were tiny, chewy pieces of goji berries in the bar.  If you allowed all the chocolate to melt away, you would be left with these tiny pieces but still no flavor. All in all, it is a luxurious, silky and decadent chocolate bar but if you’re one of those who savors the flavor of berries with your chocolate, I would suggest looking elsewhere. For me, the Pink Himalayan Salt was worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed the indulgence.  You should indulge yourself.

 This is so simple and easy, you won’t believe it. It will become one of your go to meals, I promise. Chop up cooked or grilled chicken or if you really want to be a time saver, you can even buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for this recipe. Place your chopped chicken in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise & mild curry powder to the chopped chicken, to your taste and preference. My family prefers a heavy curry flavor and lighter on the mayo. So the chicken is just coated with mayo but the salad isn’t dripping with it. In one cup increments chop up celery, apples, walnuts, green onions, and halve 2 cups of red grapes. (Make sure you vary these amounts if you have a lot of chicken. – this recipe is based on the amount of chopped chicken you’d get from one small roaster chicken.)  After you have incorporated the mayo and curry powder then throw in all the remaining ingredients and toss to combine well. Add mayo and curry powder, if needed. I usually serve this with sliced avocados and tomatoes and a nice fresh fruit assortment of melon, peaches and berries. It’s a great low-fat, healthy meal that even your kids will love. Enjoy!