You can do that!( Chocolate Apples)

So I ventured into the grocery store yesterday and spied with my eyes these larger than life chocolate decorated apples. They were chopped full of nuts, little pretty , yummie candles , caramel and the list of garnishes went on. They were also REASONABLY( in sarcastic voice) priced at only $20 bucks a pop. Please allow me to explain a bit further , that $20.00 per apple. That's the same amount as a dozen roses in most cases. So I cleared out the wad up wet pieces of cotton in my head, i put in place of my brain on the weekends, to help relax, relate and release and decided there had to be a better less expensive way. Because I wanted nothing more than to have one of those delicious apples in my mouth ... I mean to give as Valentine gifts to our friends and family.

Now mind you , we at The Black Black Butterfly, do our best to advocate a healthy life style and as a result we believe that being healthy, comes in all forms, including, mixing something healthy like a Apple with chocolate to equal happiness, which is in and of it's self, HEALTHY LIVING!.Soooooo with that said, we don't except to see the emails coming in with that complaint. Instead see the high point in this article and say... HEEEEEEEEEY... I can do that!

 Now although these take patience and time, and may not be ideal for beginners, it still won't hurt you to try, I did and well. it went pretty well.

What you will need:

                                     4 crisp apples, firm, unbruised and WITH STEMS,
     each weighing 6-1/2 to 7 ounces
12 ozs. soft and fresh wrapped caramels
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. hot water
12 ozs. good-quality chocolate (milk, semisweet, or a combination), chopped
About 1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans, chopped
     medium-fine) OR toffee chunks basically, anything your heart desires.





Wash the apples and insert sticks. Place the apples in the refrigerator while melting chocolate. The chocolate, if using without the caramel will stick better if the apples are cold. If you are using the caramel, make sure the apples sit at room temperature for about 45 mind before starting.

Bring water to boil in a double boiler or chocolate melting pot. Melt the semi-sweet or milk chocolate slowly in a bowl over double boiler for about 2 minutes, you'll want to stir it after a minute. Remove from heat and stir till melted and warm not hot. Do the same with the white chocolate. With caramel, Use same double broiler method, except add the hot water in slowly, until you get a thick gooey consistency.

Remove the apples from the refrigerator and dip in the semi-sweet or milk chocolate. Lift and swirl the apple to coat evenly. Hold the apple up over the bowl and let the extra drip off. Take the apple and move to the bowl of white chocolate. Hold the apple over the white chocolate and with a spoon drizzle.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set the  dipped apples on it. Refrigerate the apples until the chocolate is set. Wrap and decorate as desired.


YEAH your done. Enjoy!

When I grow Up!!!( A LOL moment)

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)

Dear Mrs. Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in. Sincerely, Mrs. Smith


As a parent... some of us have been here and done that, which is why this is our LOL moment choice.

Tea Recipe for Head Colds

COLDS and FLU Tea Recipe
 

1 oz. Blackberry Leaves
1 oz Elder flowers
1 oz Linden flower/leaf/stem
1 oz Peppermint leaves


Store in air tight container, preferably in a dark area.

To brew...

Pour 1 cup boiling water over 2 tbs mixture. Do not steep your tea while water is boiling. Cover and steep 3 minutes; strain. 

Other Ingredient to help you fight a the cold or flu:

Peppermint, elder flower, rosehips, ginger, anise seed, thyme, yarrow, and calendula(marigold)

 

Price list of ingredients in Bulk

 

contact us Herbs 1 pound 1/4 pound   2 oz 1 oz custom amount Blackberry Leaves $10 $4 $2.36 $1.18 contact us Elder Flower $17 $8 $4 $2 contact us Linden Leaves $15 $6 $3.25 $1.6 contact us Peppermint Leaves $6 $3 $1.68 $0.84 contact us Rose hips(whole) $7 $3 $1.8 $0.9 contact us Ginger(c/s) $5 $2.25 $1.28 $0.64 contact us Anise Seed(whole) $8.9 $5 $2.2 $1.1 contact us Thyme(c/s) $4.95 $3.8 $1.52 $0.76 contact us Yarrow(c/s) $8 $5.7 $2.28 $1.14 contact us Calendula(whole) $10 $7 $2.8 $1.4

For us to blend this tea for you 2oz. @ 4.82 plus shipping and handling contact us for  details. 2oz of tea will yield approx. 25 cups of tea.

Natural cold and flu remedies

The time to treat a cold is when you don't have it.! Prevention is always better than cure. However the same herbs that keep colds and flu at bay, will also help you get rid of it faster.

The common cold is caused by any one of 200 different viruses. When infection occurs , the walls of the respiratory tract swell and produce excess mucus, giving rise to the typical cold symptoms. Symptoms range from sore throat, running nose, nasal congestion, watery eyes to hacking cough, headache, and fever. Most colds run their course in 7-10 days. Recurrent colds (almost constantly suffering) may indicate a lowered immune capacity and too much stress and often not enough sleep.

Colds spread from person to person and are highly contagious. Coughing, sneezing or hand to hand contact will easily pass the virus on. The virus can also live for several hours on everyday surfaces.So make certain you keep your hands washed and away from your face during the cold and flu season, this will help some as well.