shape shifting

While I was at the Decorette shop a few weeks back I thought, while I'm here, I might as well get some chocolate molds. These were the closest ones to my hands while I was watching the girls. I thought they were cute.

I melted some milk chocolate chips, filled these up, scraped the top (after I took this photo) and then put the tray in the fridge. How easy is that? I am so pleased. Now instead of buying some junky god-knows-what chocolates for Valentine's Day/Easter, I can just make some with these molds—melting the chocolate I want, like organic milk chocolate, or whatever. It's so easy to find high quality non-creepy chocolate now, but not in fun shapes, just in bars. I get most chocolate at new seasons but online, chocosphere is my absolute favorite place to order from. Now I have a reason to get even more molds.

So, I didn't temper these. Or if I did, it was by accident. But, since I used chocolate chips, I don't think I could have tempered these even if I wanted to. I have never tempered chocolate. It hasn't really come up before. Usually when I dip something in chocolate, it goes right in my mouth, so no tempering is needed, just digestion. But all this candy making has gotten me interested. Well, not really interested, but mildly curious. And then, as fate would have it, this week in FOODday in the Oregonian, there was an article on tempering chocolate and how easy it is. . .you can even do it in the microwave. So, I may try it after all. Or not.

I was just looking for old Valentine's day stuff in my archives to link to and then found a post last year where I was looking for old Valentine's day stuff in my archives to link to. I'm not sure if this means I am incredibly predictable, a complete freak, or living some sort of Groundhog Day style spiral. And I fell off the sugar wagon with a biscotti, but come on! I am back on now, though. For reals.