Good morning, welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: July 8th, 2021. Take a look at the Holiday being celebrated today and let me know if you would like to celebrate it or not.
I would like to celebrate National Almond Day because this is one of my most favorite candy except now it hurts my teeth and there not on my diet so I can’t have any.
Not even if I went to the Movie and David was kind enough to purchase Move Candy for me which he has always done. Do you like Chocolate Covered Almonds and can you have some?
National Chocolate with Almonds Day
Truer words were never spoken and Chocolate is a delicious substance that has been loved and lauded by every tier of Society from the poorest to the richest.
Kings have traded for Chcolate, and men have killed for Chocolate, and even Gods have bowed for Chocolate. The Almond is equally revered, referred to in the Bible as being “among the best of fruits.” Chocolate with Almonds Day celebrates the coming together of these two substances.
History of Chocolate With Almonds Day
Let us begin exploring its History in alphabetical order, shall we? The Almond was spoken highly of in the Bible, and finds its origins in the Middle East.
There Almonds has been used as a source of food, medicine, and decoration for time out of mind. They are easily harvested from within the Almond fruit, and are now grown extensively in California, and is the subject of the largest managed cultivation in the entire world of Agriculture. That’s how important this humble Tree Nut is.
Chocolate is easily one of the most popular substances to ever enter the world. Chocolate has been seen as a solution for sorrow and a great compliment for joy, and literally contains the stuff of love, at least chemically.
Chocolate is used as a way to demonstrate your love for another and has been used in just about every culinary combination you could imagine. Its diversity is well loved, as well as its adaptability.
Chocolate With Almonds Day celebrates what happens when these two fantastic ingredients come together into one mind-bendingly delicious whole.
How to celebrate Chocolate With Almonds Day
Find your favorite source of Chocolate drenched Almonds and indulge your tastes appropriately! Snickers now makes a bar with Almonds, as does Hershey’s with their Almond variation on their traditional Chocolate bar. But it can go so much further than this. Try your own hand at making a special Chocolate With Almonds Day treat.
Five Food Finds about Almonds:
- The protein in Almonds is more like the proteins in human Breast Milk of all the Seeds and Nuts, which is why it is the choice of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine as the base for its baby formula.
- Almonds are the most Nutrient-dense Tree nut. One ounce of Almonds (20-25 almonds) contains 160 calories and only 1 gram of Saturated Fat and no Cholesterol. Almonds are also an excellent source of Vitamin E and Magnesium, and a good source of Protein and Potassium.
- The Jordan Almond is a large plump variety of Almond from Malaga, Spain, considered to be the finest cultivated Almond. These are frequently sold with a hard colored Sugar coating, or Salted.
- It takes 1000 pounds of Almonds to make 1 pint of Almond Oil.
- The world’s largest Almond factory is in Sacramento, California. It processes 2 million pounds of Almonds a day.
Recipe for Chocolate Covered Almonds
- 2 1/2 cups (13 ounces) Unblanched Whole Almonds
- 1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 pound Semisweet Chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup Dutch Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Confectioners’ Sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees and toast Almonds for 15 minutes on a baking sheet. Line two baking pans with parchment paper; set aside.
- Step 2 In a medium saucepan, combine Granulated Sugar, 1/4 cup Water, toasted Almonds, and Cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, until Sugar becomes golden and granular and Almonds are completely coated and separated. Pour Nuts onto prepared pans. Chill in freezer, about 15 minutes.
- Step 3 Meanwhile, place Chocolate in a medium bowl; place bowl over simmering Water until melted. Transfer half the chilled Almonds to a large bowl, and pour half the melted Chocolate over Nuts. Stir until the Nuts are thoroughly coated. Transfer Nuts onto prepared baking pan. Using two forks, separate Nuts so none stick together. Return Almonds to refrigerator until Chocolate has set, about 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining Almonds.
- Step 4 Place Cocoa Powder and Confectioners’ Sugar into two separate bowls. Toss half the Nuts in Cocoa and half in Sugar, and gently tap off any excess powder. Store separately in airtight containers for up to 1 month.
Chocolate Almonds covered in a Sugary Coating.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
