These big chocolate bars are becoming famous on TikTok. Company stores sell them for a high price, between $19 and $30. While some make these chocolate bars for themselves. These chocolates are expensive because they are high-end chocolate with a luxurious presentation. The ingredients used in the chocolate are also expensive to collect.

These big chocolates are hard to find in some stores. People can see this chocolate in places that sell rare high-end candies. They are online on Amazon and small businesses that sell expensive treats. Dubai chocolate does have many ingredients, which is why it is so big. These chocolates are popular because they contain pistachio cream, milk chocolate, and kataifi. Dubai Chocolate has at least ten small bars. Some bars have milk chocolate and pistachio cream on top. When doing reviews, people cut a big piece and see the pistachio cream and kataifi inside. This chocolate has a lot of sugar and gives so much energy.

The chocolates’ total fat is 210. It is not good at all because people gain more weight from these chocolates. People who sell this chocolate have been making a lot of money thanks to the viewers of TikTok buying them.

People continue to buy and make Dubai chocolate adding more to this sweet trend. These unique chocolates look delicious, and come with some interesting combinations of flavors for everyone to try.

1. Classic Beef Stew
   A healthy stew filled with tender beef, potatoes, and carrots.
   
   Ingredients:
   
   2 lbs beef, cut into small pieces
   
   2 tbsp olive oil
   
   1 onion, chopped
   
   3 cloves garlic, minced
   
   4 cups beef broth
   
   3 carrots, sliced
   
   2 potatoes, diced
   
   2 tbsp tomato paste
   
   1 tsp thyme
   
   1 bay leaf
   
   Salt and pepper to taste
   
   Instructions:
   
   Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the beef pieces, then remove and set aside.
   
   In the same pot, sauté onions and garlic until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir.
   
   Pour in beef broth and then add the beef back in.
   
   Add carrots, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
   
   Simmer for 2-3 hours until the beef is tender. Serve hot!
   
   2. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
   A sweet, and savory soup to keep you warm.
   
   Ingredients:
   
   1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
   
   1 onion, chopped
   
   3 cloves garlic, minced
   
   4 cups vegetable broth
   
   1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
   
   1 tsp cinnamon
   
   Salt and pepper to taste
   
   2 tbsp butter or olive oil
   
   Instructions:
   
   Heat butter in a pot and sauté onion and garlic until they are soft.
   
   Add butternut squash and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
   
   Blend until smooth, then stir in heavy cream, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
   
   Serve hot with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!
   
   3. Homemade Hot Chocolate
   Rich, creamy, and homemade
   
   Ingredients:
   
   2 cups milk
   
   ½ cup heavy cream
   
   ½ cup chocolate chips (dark or milk)
   
   2 tbsp cocoa powder
   
   2 tbsp sugar
   
   ½ tsp vanilla extract
   
   Pinch of salt
   
   Whipped cream & marshmallows (optional)
   
   Instructions:
   
   In a saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and heavy cream.
   
   Stir in chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.
   
   Whisk continuously until smooth and creamy.
   
   Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Enjoy with whipped cream and marshmallows!
   
   4. Spiced Apple Cider
   A classic drink that you can enjoy all winter.
   
   Ingredients:
   
   4 cups apple cider
   
   1 cinnamon stick
   
   3 cloves
   
   1-star anise
   
   1 orange, sliced
   
   1 tbsp. honey or brown sugar
   
   Instructions:
   
   Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
   
   Let it cook for 15-20 minutes to infuse the flavors.
   
   Strain out the spices and serve warm!
   
   5. Warm Apple Crisp
   A warm and comforting, apple dessert with a crunchy oat topping.
   
   Ingredients:
   For the apple filling:
   
   4 large apples (preferably Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and sliced
   
   ¼ cup brown sugar
   
   1 tsp cinnamon
   
   ½ tsp nutmeg
   
   1 tbsp lemon juice
   
   1 tsp vanilla extract
   
   For the crisp topping:
   
   ½ cup all-purpose flour
   
   ½ cup rolled oats
   
   ⅓ cup brown sugar
   
   ½ tsp cinnamon
   
   ¼ tsp salt
   
   ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
   
   Instructions:
   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a baking dish.
   
   In a bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla. Spread evenly in the dish.
   
   In another bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in melted butter and mix until it feels crumbly.
   
   Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.
   
   Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
   
   Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
   
   
   Winter is the perfect time to slow down and enjoy the warmth of delicious homemade meals. So gather your loved ones, and let the winter season be filled with good food, health, warmth, and joy. Stay warm and happy cooking.

Red Velvet with White chocolate
According to Nadia, known as a travel and munchie on TikTok, this cookie recipe is simple.
Their taste is chocolate and tart turning the color red when baked. She added red drops to the tart.
She also put small pieces of white chocolate. Nadia scoops the trait of red velvet with white chocolate. She put on a cookie pad. These cookies look nice and good. They make the person’s mouth watery.

Festive Chex Mix
Put melted chocolate and mix peanut butter with it.
That is pour Cheerios and Chex mix on a blow.
Next, pour stick pretzels.
Then, pour green and red M&Ms.
After, pour the chocolate chips that look like small Reese’s cups.
Pour powdered white sugar into the shape of pretzels.
This looks sweet and good.

Grinch Cocoa Bombs
Put four and water. Wait for it creamery.
After, putting the green color, mix it with a spoon.
Then, put yellow icing on the Grinch’s face and pour a spoonful of green icing into the dish.
Pour sugar on the top green icing.
Pour small marshmallows on top of the sugar, green icing, and a heart marshmallow.
Pour green icing and wait to cool down.
Then serve the cupcake paper to people.
This looks like a great Grinch party idea.

Gingerbread Tres Leches
Pour box cake on a dish, pour milk, and mix two eggs with cake powder, and milk.
Put the cake for eight in the oven and after cool down the milk on top.
Put chocolate snickers into a dish, pour flour and sugar, and mix it.
Wait to cool down and put it on top of the cake.
This idea looks like a delicious Christmas idea.
The cake gives a sweet taste.

A Christmas Tree as Salad Appetite
For the guests who have eaten anything and good food. This holiday creation brings a Christmas treat and a delightful look that makes the mouth water.
First, grab some lettuce and cut it. Make like green branches and separate the lettuce pieces.
To make it look like a green Christmas tree.
Second, put small slides of tomatoes that look like ornaments for the tree creating a healthy festive snack.

Grinch Big Toothpicks With Fruits and Sweet Look
Put small marshmallows last, a whole strawberry, half a Banana, and a green grape on a toothpick stick and repeat the process until you get your desired amount.

Christmas Trees a Sandwiches
Lay down the pizza crust.
Then lay down the small pieces of cheese and put ham on top.
On top of the ham put pizza crust.
Then cut the whole and make rectangle shapes
After it squiggly looks and put tooth stick.
Set oven for 14 minutes.
Cook the butter, add a small amount of salt and Garlic, and mix it all.
Use a brush to put the spread of salt and garlic that is mixed.
Wait for the bread to be done and then add all the ingredients you want for a prefect sandwich.

A Christmas Wreath Rice Krispies
A cute treat that sounds delicious.
Make it for three minutes.
Cook for five minutes.
What you need:
One stick of butter.
16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
8 cups Rice Crispy Cereal
3 Twizzlers Cherry Pull-N-Peel Candy
¼ cup White Frosting (or red and/or green)
6 oz. Red and Green M&Ms that are different colors.
How to make it:
In a large pot melt butter.
Add the entire bag of mini marshmallows to the melted butter. Stir constantly so that it does not burn.
Remove from the heat and add cereal. Stir until cereal and marshmallows are mixed thoroughly.
Flatten the rice crispy treats into a 13″x9″ pan and let them set up.
Cut with an oval cookie cutter.
Unwrap Twizzler ropes into single ropes. Those will be what will allow the ornaments to hang.
Push a dowel through the top portion of the rice-crispy ornament to form a hole. Push a piece of the rope candy through the hole. Tie it off with a knot.
Using some white (or red and/or green) frosting, dot the rice crispy ornament in the pattern you would like to attach the M&Ms. Press the M&Ms onto the frosting. Allow to set for 1 hour
Wait until finished and enjoy a festive sweet treat.

Butter cookie with Horchata
A butter taste and a crunchy taste. Ice Above put a floating on top of the drink.
Put a cup of horchata.
Whipped cream and Biscoff cookies cut the cookies.
Put the Biscoff on top of the whipped cream.
The drink has a yummy taste and is sweet. It tastes like butter cookies. The cookie gives a crunchy taste.

Grinch Hot Chocolate
A drink that green color. This hot chocolate has a minty flavor. This drink is famous for Ice Above. The drink has Christmas sprinkles on the cup and icing too. The hot chocolate sprinkles on top of the whipped cream and has a Grinch cup that says “ Drink with the Grinch.”
Most people order the drink for Christmas when they go to Ice Above.
Put a cup of 2% milk.
Use a blend to blend the milk and chocolate.
Put syrup mint on whipped cream and small marshmallows.
After that a small Grinch on top and a small candy cane on the side of the cup. This a good drink for a cold day. The drink feels warm and nice. A lot of people love this drink.

These treats feel like the Holidays and are guaranteed to be a hit at any party bringing the taste of the holidays with each bite.

Spring: Berry Festivals, Tulips, Daffodils, Foraging

In April, May, and early June, strawberry fields and early-blooming flowers like tulips and daffodils come to life! Small farms often hold festivals to kickoff the harvest or growing season, which can include fun extras like live music, food vendors, and beer gardens. Some farms even sell live plants, so you can take a piece of the farm home with you! Depending on your location, spring is the start of the foraging season as well. Get the whole family together for gorgeous photo ops in fields of flowers at locations like Holland Ridge Farms in Cream Ridge, NJ.

Have a look on Facebook and your community board to check out Morel-hunting events (Morels are an easily identifiable mushroom, a great way for beginners to get into identifying and harvesting wild mushrooms), as well as collecting Ramps (a delicious cousin of garlic) and fiddle-head ferns (these fronds are harvested just before they stretch out of their tight spiral, and taste like asparagus). Be sure to ask what supplies you should bring, such as your own shears to cut flowers, or your own containers for picked produce.

Summer: Berries, Veggies, Stone Fruit, and Dahlias

Early summer is when blueberry season kicks off in the mid-Atlantic, and events such as Hammonton, NJ’s Blueberry Festival are a great way to get up close and personal with the way the food we eat is produced. Take a tour of a blueberry farm, head into the fields to pick your own, or enjoy the festival and buy cheap berries by the crate or flat! Deeper into July and August, you’ll find farms offering pick-your-own zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other high-summer veggies. Stone fruit, such as peaches, apricots, and nectarines are also in season at this time. Small farms often offer heirloom varietals that are packed with flavor, but often don’t travel well and so are not found in chain groceries.

PYO flowers popular in August are dahlias, lilies, and in some locations early sunflowers. If you are lucky enough to know someone with a PawPaw tree, ask if you can indulge in this delicious, tropical-flavored fruit native to North America. This fruit doesn’t travel well, and is not sold in stores anywhere. It can be found in USDA plant zones 5 through 8.

Autumn: Apples, Pumpkins, Sunflowers

Apple picking is a classic, family-friendly Fall activity. Farms like Fishkill Farms in Fishkill, NY offer rare varietals of organic apples that you won’t find in any grocery store! Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, and round off the afternoon with a flight of hard cider for the grownups and a half-dozen apple cider doughnuts fresh from the fryer.

Pick-Your-Own events and farm festivals are wonderful ways to spend time outdoors, teach kids about where their food comes from, and have some good, old-fashioned fun.

While some of the restaurants mentioned are not entirely vegan, they do offer a wide variety of options for those who prefer a plant-based meal.

Best Casual/Fast Food → Herbivores  

Who said fast food has to be unhealthy and full of meat and cheese? This laid-back eatery has an awesome menu offering a unique selection of plant-based versions of your favorite comfort foods. The chickpea ‘tuna’ salad served with a side of Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes is a refreshing meal that is packed with protein so you will feel satiated and energized to go on a hike or ride ATVs around the island. If you want something a bit heartier, the BBQ Jackfruit sandwich is the way to go. This pulled pork inspired sandwich will satisfy even the most staunch meat eater.

Best Acai → Basik Acai 

When in Hawaii, you MUST eat some açaí. Whether it’s a post beach-day snack or breakfast before a busy day of adventuring, açaí is super refreshing and full of nutrients to fuel your body. Plus, it is super tasty and very customizable to your taste preferences. I recommend getting the Puna bowl. Spirulina and hemp seeds add a protein boost and the tart açaí is complimented perfectly with the sweet banana, berries, and honey. I also recommend adding passion fruit on top when they have it available for a tangy kick!

Best Fancy/Upscale Dining → Huggo’s 

If you want to get dressed up and watch the sunset as you dine, look no further than Huggo’s. Although their specialty is fresh-caught seafood, they offer tofu as a substitute for many of their fish entrees, making for a delectable and satisfying vegan dinner. If tofu isn’t your fancy, they also offer a yummy pasta dish loaded with veggies in an olive oil sauce.

Best Drinks → Lava Lava Beach Club  

While Hawaii is known for its Mai Tais, if you want to try some other cocktails, I highly recommend checking out Lava Lava Beach Club in Waikoloa. Not only is this restaurant situated right on the beach making for the perfect backdrop as you sip and savor, they also have an extensive cocktail menu and a few vegan food options. If you want the full experience, order any cocktail in a souvenir bamboo or coconut cup.

Best Dessert → Sweet Journey Soft Serve 

Of course, I can’t forget about dessert. If you want something sweet after dinner or just an afternoon treat, you must go to Sweet Journey Soft Serve located in downtown Kona. Whether you eat dairy or not, Sweet Journey’s macadamia-nut based ice cream will satisfy your sweet tooth. Order one of their creations or customize your own unique sundae using any combo of their four core flavors and an abundance of delicious toppings, vegan treats, and drizzles.

A good wine and food pairing will enhance our dining experience as well as our palates. Finding the right wine to accompany your dinner, taste buds, and price range can be a fun and rewarding hobby. There are so many to choose from and discovering a new favorite that you will savor for years to come is worth the effort!

Tuna and Salmon, for instance, typically work well with a Pino Noir, Merlot, or Zinfandel. The fruity and fresh taste of these wines tend to tone down the fishy taste of these types of fish.

Shellfish, such as crab and lobster, pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc, or a Pinot Gris. These wines bring out the distinct nuttiness of the fish and will elevate the taste of your dish.

Many of us think of champagne as a drink to celebrate an occasion, but surprisingly, it pairs well with Fried Chicken, Scrambled Eggs, Nuts, and snacks such as Popcorn and Potato chips. Mushroom dishes, Risotto, Pasta, and Cheeseboards all work beautifully with a glass of bubbly.

Chicken and pork, “The other White Meat,” share many of the same wines that will enhance the poultry and pork flavors. Some you might like to try are; Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Merlot. Lighter red wines with good acidity can also make a delicious alternative for chicken dishes as well as for pork. The basic principle is you don’t want to overpower the meat.

Beef can be paired with a more robust wine such as Malbec, Shiraz, Merlot, Burgundy, and you can never go wrong with a Cabernet Sauvignon. A nice sweet Zinfandel also works well with many of the lighter beef dishes.

Pizza generally goes well with most reds. Some that come to mind are; Grenache, Chianti, Lambrusco, and of course, the always popular Pino Noir, which pairs well with most foods. A Dry Rose can also be an excellent choice for pizza that has a lighter crust and is topped with Seafood, Salad, or Vegetables. Chardonnay works well here too as it plays into the creaminess of your Pizza and enhances the flavor.

Pasta has a wide range of wines that pair well with it because of its versatility. Pasta dishes can be topped with just about anything. Some good wines to try with Pasta are; Riesling, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, which again plays into the creaminess of your Pasta dish, and Sangiovese, which is highly tannic and very fruity, especially going well with a tomato-based pasta as well as a Pesto-based dish.

These are just a few of the many choices of wine out there for you to sample and savor. The most important rule of thumb in finding the right wine to pair with your meal is there are no rules at all! If you want to have a light and fruity Pino Grigio with your beef stew, well go right ahead and enjoy it! There are so many different types of wine out there to choose from that will fit every budget. Some of the best tasting wines I’ve discovered were well under twenty dollars.

Experiment and create your own flavor story. I must confess; I like Pino Noir and Champagne with just about everything! Until we meet again for my next Food and Wine Column and the story behind it, right here in the City Insight Magazine! Please visit me at Foodytv; for my new cooking show; Food for Thought; Cook for Home Cooks. Happy New Year!

Nancy DeRosa’s women’s fiction; “Food for Thought; First Course, Second Course, and Just Desserts, by Black Opal books are available wherever books are sold. Her cooking show, Food for Thought; “Home Cook for Home Cooks,” is premiering soon on Starbaby TV, and will be available on any Screen. You can check out a few of Nancy Dee’s cooking segments “Food for Thought”, on Foodytv, and Footprinttv. www.derosabooks.com

We are sitting increasingly every day and slowly we are gaining weight, that makes us susceptible to hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and a wide range of cancers. As a fitness professional I know the standard conversation and the weight loss equation very well, eat more + more than you move = weight gain, and eat less + exercise = weight loss. It is amazingly simple, right? Wrong!!!

Many of us think that willpower is the answer and we write off ever trying to lose weight, because we do not have that part to add to the equation. It is true that willpower, being a part of human behavior is so complex, like so much of the makeup of humans. There are many factors that drive weight gain and loss, from the brain, hormones, sleep, genes, environment, and stress to name a few. Our willpower alone, for most cannot withstand all those major players.

A large amount of weight loss focuses on behaviors and strategies to lose weight. What if we build knowledge of the things that are predictors of weight gain to get an understanding to prevent weight gain and learn to manage it? I conducted a little experiment on myself. I am a Generation X woman that normally works out for at least 30min, 6 days a week doing strength training and HIIT for cardio for over 5 years.

I wanted to see what would happen if I made one lifestyle change in my day, so I chose to eat a Bojangles biscuit every day for a month. I kept all my other eating habits in place, except for taking out the additional calories of the biscuit, exercise, and all. At the end of the month, I had put 3 inches on my waist.

I was shocked!!! WOW!! Just one biscuit. I could not wait to start eating like I usually did, because I did have a lot of heaviness after eating that biscuit in the morning. I had to switch my workout time around. I could not do cardio first thing in the morning on a biscuit stomach, so I would do my lifting and do HIIT in the afternoon. I got it done with protein shakes and meals in!! I was so excited to get the midsection down, so I could fit in my pants. The end of the month came, and it was time to measure!! I could not believe my eyes!!! The 3 inches had not budged.

So next month I added more water…no change!!! The following month I increased my cardio….no change!!!! Added more cardio…no change!!!! Added a reduction in calories…no change!!!! Added more fiber…no change!!!! I added more good fats…no change!!! So here we are at 7 months out with the same 3 inches that only took a month to put on, with only one added thing to my diet, with every other good habit unchanged!!! This is crazy, but it was my reality check and confirmation. Just imagine if I had added two or three.

That one insignificant change in my eating causes a change in the structure of my workout, the way my clothes fit, which caused a change in how I felt about myself and the stress of trying to figure out how to get it off.

I started something new to my lifestyle, intermittent fasting and it finally came off. I have been training my body for a while and have learned to pay close attention to how I feel and my health, especially being over 50. I realized sooner than later, but much later in life that what I put in my mouth casually makes a difference. Making ourselves aware of how our bodies respond to our internal and external world, limiting the foods that we know will cause our body to react in a way that does not benefit us in life, is an advantage we have.

In conclusion there are so many predictors and factors of weight gain and loss, so we want to do what we can to prevent it and be proactive. Recognizing that the smallest things can impact our bodies to snowball into undesirable health and our change is not as easy as just saying I will use willpower but being flexible may have some benefits. Sharing this part of my many journeys is just a small part of a series that we are doing to kick off our New Year’s Resolution information articles.

You can always join me on FB @stephaniewhittenfitness. Embrace, Excel, Defy and Give Life Your ALL! Appreciate, Love and Live life!!!

None of us really know what even next week will bring. And although we may feel more isolated than ever, we are in this together. We will get through these difficult times and find ways to alleviate our anxiety and fear.. 

I alleviate stress by cooking. There’s something about following a recipe, slicing, and dicing, that gives my mind a brief respite from the uncertainty that’s in our world today. There’s also something comforting about delicious aromas wafting throughout your kitchen that soothes the soul and lifts your spirits.

“Chicken Annabella”,  is just the dish to fill you up in these anxious times. A great combination of flavors that’s both sweet and savory and is delicious served hot, or a room temperature. This recipe can be doubled and tripled to drop off to a neighbor that is ill or has difficulty getting to a food store.

Food is the common bond that binds us all, we all come to the table to share a meal and in these trying times of social isolation, a comforting meal eaten at home with your family along with an extra tray of “Chicken Annabella”, dropped off to someone who is alone, will feed more than their tummies, we are spreading the love. A meal dropped off to someone who is housebound is serving up more than a hot meal, it is conveying; we may be apart for now, but we are still sharing the same delicious meal together, you are not alone.

Chicken Annabella

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 to 10 servings

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place flour in plastic bag. Add chicken in 2 to 3 batches to coat pieces.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet and saute half of chicken until nicely browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Brown remaining chicken in additional 2 tablespoons of oil. 
4. Place browned chicken in oven proof pot of casserole. Mix in garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, Spanish olives, capers, bay leaves, brown sugar and white wine.
5. Bake covered for 1 hour and 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce will thicken. Add more wine, water or chicken broth, if necessary.