Review: Pure Madness Truffles

So, I got a box of Pure Madness chocolate truffles sent in the mail (thanks, guys!), so I decided to give them a whirl. Being generous, I thought I'd share them with my husband.

Also, since I am doing the 4-Hour Body diet, I had to eat them all in one insanely decadent day. It was a box of 9, so that's a generous 4 1/2 chocolates each to be savored and devoured without much ado.

The truffles are absolutely gorgeous in the promo photos, but the first thing I noticed was that a bunch of the fancy-schmancy and obviously very fragile toppings had fallen off in the mail! They were packed very well, so maybe they were jostled a bit too much by my doorman? I didn't take a photo since it was a little disappointing... they were still pretty, just not as photo-shoot sexy as they would have been had I bought them from a local chocolatier.

On to the taste: what can I say? The dark chocolate truffles had awesome, smooth, and intensely chocolatey flava. Most excellent truffles! Highly recommended!

Tasting Highlights

Sea Salt Caramel - the chocolate was very smooth and the saltiness was a delectable counterpoint

Espresso - great coffee taste!

Hazelnut - something about hazelnut and chocolate together takes me to a higher plane

In A Nutshell

Living in NYC, I might opt to go to a local guy rather than buy them online... but the Pure Madness chocolates were outstanding enough to send as gifts for the holidays. If I didn't live here, I'd totally indulge!

Hendricks Gin and Limeade

I originally had this at Tom & Jerry's in SoHo (AKA 288 Bar) a few years ago, and it's one of the very best summertime cocktails, ever, IMHO.

I tried to recreate it and think I did a pretty reasonable job of it. Even thought today is a blustery winter day.

1 oz Hendricks Gin
1/2 lime, juiced
1T superfine sugar
five cucumber slices
ice cubes

Squeeze lime into a cocktail glass. Add water and sugar, stir. Add gin, ice cubes, and garnish with cucumber slices.

Healthy Steps Ice Cream Scoop

OK, so I've got ice cream on the brain today because I started thinking of Ben and Jerry's. I even vowed to devour a pint of Oatmeal Cookie Chunk for lunch. It is because of these things that I want this handy gadget: the Healthy Steps Ice Cream Scoop that pulls out a perfect portion from your pint and not a smidgen more. That way I will consume only 250 calories of my treat and have more for later days. I still consume all the calories but at least I've spread it out over a week, and that helps me to be healthy, right?

I'm reading reviews of other Healthy Steps products and people seem to have mixed reviews. Any thoughts?

Lunch Will Be: Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk

I can eat an entire pint of ice cream within 20 minutes. No joke. Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is my absolute favorite. Its creamy, cinnamony awesomeness takes me to a happy place with memories of oatmeal cookies, ice cream treats, and maternal love.

If you've never had it look here for a store near you...

OMG they have it at Food Emporium, not three super walkable blocks away! Who needs lunch when they can consume 250 calories of cream and sugar instead? Today's a holiday, and I totally deserve it.