I can’t get to Florida for the big game in person, but I’ve got a great solution planned. I’m going to hunker down at Marv and Wendi’s house for their annual Super Bowl Party, with a beer and one of these popcorn gift tins from The Popcorn Factory. There’s one for each of the NFL teams as well as a Commemorative Super Bowl XLIV™ Can.   I already told you about the really good caramel popcorn and flavored popcorn that we tasted from this gourmet popcorn manufacturer. These 3 gallon tins are filled with a 3-Way combo of Butter, Cheese and Caramel Popcorn. I may not be a big football fan, but I love Super Bowl Parties with our friends, hot wings, chili, popcorn and beer. Okay, maybe some chips and salsa. I’m far more interested in those things than a bunch of guys running up and down a fake grass field ramming into each other. If you’re going to a party or staying home to watch the game, grab one of these tins now. In fact, grab two – one for each team!

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I’m not a big worrier about whether the food I eat is organic or all natural.  Maybe I should be, but then I’d have to worry that this would be a limitation on one of my life’s goals:  To try as many different kinds of food as I can that don’t entirely gross me out.  I’m not paid enough to be like Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern.  In fact, you couldn’t pay me enough to eat some of that crap that Andrew Zimmern manages to get down his throat.  If I considered the origin or pesticide levels, would I have tasted that wonderful mango margarita in Ajijic, Mexico?  Hell, I don’t even know if the tequila was organic, and after I drank the margarita, I can’t say I cared.

But I know other people do care – deeply.  For some, it’s a concern about allergies to pesticides and other chemicals in their food.  Others are concerned about the effect of these chemicals on the overall health of their family, especially kids or someone with a chronic illness.  Many people go organic because they want to support agricultural practices that are less harmful to the Earth and encourage local farmers.  All are good, valid, important reasons.   So when I come across a product that’s organic, delicious, not overpriced and widely available, I want to make sure to let you guys know about it.

My brother (who gave me Carroll Shelby’s Chili Kit for my birthday last November) gave us a couple of bars of Newman’s Own Organic Dark Chocolate for Christmas this year.  He knows I like dark chocolate and he likes organic chocolate, so the Newman’s Organic Chocolate Bars were a great gourmet gift for a food blogger.  My brother is a nice guy, but he’s not a big spender.  Since most good gourmet chocolate I’ve tried is expensive, I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be all that great.

I was wrong.  There – I said it.  The 54% cocoa dark chocolate is one of the top chocolate bars I’ve tasted since I was in Europe.

As for the organic side of it, I’ll let Newman’s Own Organics website say it for themselves:

Inspired by our love of chocolate, we searched for a source of organic cocoa beans to make a rich, flavorful chocolate – and we found it! Our new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with some of the finest Certified Organic chocolate we’ve ever tasted, made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. The USDA Organic Seal assures that at least 95% of the ingredients are organically certified. The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal guarantees that the cocoa in our Signature Series was grown on farms that meet comprehensive standards for sustainable farming, protecting soil, waterways and wildlife habitat as well as the rights and welfare of workers, their families and communities.

All nice stuff, right?  Newman’s Organic Chocolate comes in six flavors:

• Dark Chocolate
• Super Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa
• Mocha Milk Chocolate
• Milk Chocolate
• Espresso Dark Chocolate
• Orange Dark Chocolate

The mocha milk and the super dark are new flavors, but since I’m not a huge fan of milk chocolate or super dark chocolate, I’m not too worried about finding them.  But the dark chocolate was lovely. The texture was smooth, rich and slightly hard – just the way dark chocolate is supposed to be. Milk chocolate should be soft and melt quickly, not dark chocolate. Newman’s Dark Chocolate is a true semi-sweet chocolate. Not too sweet or waxy like many cheap dark chocolate bars on the standard supermarket shelves, nor is it bitter or strong tasting like so many of the super dark chocolate that everyone seems to be so wild about these days. (Personally, I think that a lot of these super dark chocolates taste like the stale cooking chocolate my mother used to keep in her pantry that even my candy crazed kiddie palette disliked. I’m suspicious that the new findings on the health benefits of dark chocolate are the reason for the current popularity in super darks.)

I’ve been keeping my eyes open for the espresso dark and orange dark chocolate flavors but only found them at Amazon.  I’m going to order some of the dark chocolate and maybe some of the espresso chocolate keep for guests, gifts and myself. Chocolate needs no excuse, but isn’t Valentine’s day next month?

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Food Trends – is there anything more interesting in life than to think about what we’re going to be eating for the next year?  What spices and foods are going to be the American Idol winners of cuisine in 2010?

Well, that’s my world anyway.  And January rocks when it comes to lists of food trends.  This the official McCormick® Flavor Forecast™ 2010 Top 10 Flavor Pairings (courtesy of The Gourmet Retailer):

1. Roasted Ginger & Rhubarb — Exciting layers of spicy and sour, with warming notes and a powerful tang
2. Thai Basil & Watermelon — A colorful study in contrasts offers a sweet, refreshing balance
3. Caraway & Bitter Greens — An unmistakable spice tames the bitter bite of bold greens
4. Bay Leaves & Preserved Lemon — Slowly coaxed flavor worth the wait, an aromatic mix of bitter, salty-tart and bright
5. Almond & Ale — The bittersweet character of both ingredients makes a congenial, cozy and hearty match
6. Turmeric & Vine-Ripened Tomatoes — Earthy and naturally sweet, this colorful, healthful blend is always in season
7. Pumpkin Pie Spice & Coconut Milk — This lush, warm pairing reconnects with its tropical roots
8. Roasted Cumin & Chickpeas — This globetrotting Mediterranean duet delivers warm, earthy flavor harmonies
9. Creole Mustard & Shellfish — A vibrant pair that brings Gulf Coast gusto to any part of the country
10. Chives & Fish Sauce — Savory fusion of French and Asian cuisines

Ignoring the fact that Emeril has been doing that creole mustard and shellfish thing for years, most of these sound just a little too cutesy to me.  Or a high-end version of an old standard – isn’t chives and fish sauce pretty much the same as scallions and fish sauce served in every Vietnamese restaurant in existence.  Caraway and bitter greens?  I don’t like either of them.

Now, ginger and rhubarb I might be able to get behind (I love rhubarb pie), but do we have to roast the ginger?

Maybe I’m just showing my not-so-epicurean taste buds or my lack of culinary imagination.  What do you think?

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