Category Archives: United States
North Dakota chocolatier salutes the seasons
Our last post was a salute to a Winnipeg chocolatier who really knows how to celebrate the season. Those chocolate turkeys are amazing!
Our post this week profiles the Widman Candy Company who has been making great chocolate in North Dakota and Minnesota in the northern United States since 1911 with the opening of a tiny shop in Crookston, Minnesota. A detailed story about Widman’s Candy Company can be found on my website in the story archives at this link.
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exploring chocolate in Missouri
I was really pleased with the chocolate findings in Missouri. Considering Branson is a small community of less than 10,000 permanent residents, they are very lucky to have an innovative chocolatier offering a very creative range of chocolate treats. Chocolat Hand Crafted Artisan Chocolates is owned and operated by April and Shane Heaton, who in themselves, have a fascinating background. Shane is originally from British Columbia, Canada, and chief chocolatier, April, was born in Korea. April’s Asian heritage can be felt throughout the shop, which is stylish and somewhat Zen. Her chocolates offer a wide range, from the playful (inspired by the fact that the Heaton’s have a young daughter who can often be found playing in the shop) to the serene. I would have liked to have seen more dark chocolate offerings, but April confessed that it’s been a hard sell converting the sweet tooth of Branson residents and visitors from milk to a darker chocolate. Even the dark chocolate at Chocolat at 60% cocoa is not quite dark enough for me. But that’s not to say I didn’t like it most of it. I was inspired by April’s playful approach to chocolate and you can’t help but feel good when you’re admiring the playfulness of her creations. There are gourmet Smores, a variety of chocolate covered pretzels, and about 20 varieties of Bella rounds that sell for just $1. So a trip to Chocolat won’t break the bank! A word of caution: I find the Mayan variety of Bella Bar to be much too peppery for my taste. The packaging says “an infusion of spicy chile and cinnamon in dark chocolate.” I could hardly taste the cinnamon and the chile pepper was far too hot for my taste, but for the most part, I’m not someone who likes …
Branson offers much for the outdoor enthusiast
I had planned to share my chocolate findings with you this week. Really I had. But going through my notes, I realized there is much more about Branson and area that I at least wanted to touch on. So bear with me. The chocolate will come as my New Year’s gift to you in the next post. So what else did I like about Branson? Last post we touched on the endless entertainment opportunities to enjoy. But there’s also a myriad of outdoor activities ranging from zip-lining, boating, fishing, the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, hiking and more. A good place to explore the complete range of options is at explorebranson.com. We hit the end of the season, so most of the leaves were off the trees, but I still got a great sense of how lovely the hiking trails along Table Rock Lake must be in the peak of summer. This is a beautifully peaceful place, and the Visitor Center is well worth a visit. There’s an interesting video you can watch about the Table Rock Dam and local landscape in addition to some great exhibits. If you happen to visit during spring, summer or fall, pack yourself a nice lunch to enjoy along the trails, or enjoy a refreshment on the outdoor patio overlooking the lake. Keep an eye out for the nostalgic Branson Belle Showboat that cruises the lake as if from a dream. Overlooking the lake is the gorgeous Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa. As someone who really enjoys pampering and a touch of luxury, I made sure to pick up a brochure, have a room tour and make a mental note to return as a guest some day soon. And as someone who loves shopping and hanging out at waterfront bistros, I’m glad …
why Branson?
Filed under:Branson, entertainment, Missouri, North America, timeshares, travel,United States Leave a comment December 6, 2011 It’s funny how Branson reminded me of two of North America’s raciest cities – Las Vegas and New Orleans – because Branson is far from racy. It’s rather the opposite and unquestionably driven by pure-hearted religious forces. You’d be pretty hard pressed to find the seedy side of life in this small, wholesome Missouri city. There are massive churches everywhere – primarily Baptist and Methodist. No casinos. No chicken ranches (brothels.) Yet, Branson is filled with neon lights and endless stage show entertainment reminding the visitor of nights on the strip in Las Vegas. (Perhaps it was more so because we visited during the holidays and Branson is very big on Christmas and Christmas lights.) A salute from the Santa at Branson Landing But the fact that you can find performances going at any hour of the day, and free spontaneous entertainment at any eating venue in the city really reminded me of New Orleans and made me pinch myself several times throughout our week-long visit. Just where were we, and how did we find ourselves in Branson? It was my husband’s choice. We take turns choosing vacation destinations and Branson was his choice. He’d heard there was good live entertainment at reasonable prices. And he was right! I’m told there are 100 choices for live entertainment daily in this tiny city of just 10,000 permanent residents. It’s no surprise that Branson hosts approximately 8 million toe-tapping visitors each year. There is lots to do, and much of it won’t cost you a bundle. Country music is prevalent, with a heavy dose of gospel thrown in. With music greats like Elvis Presley and Ray Charles having gotten their start in gospel, it’s no surprise that Elvis and Ray Charles impersonators are big draws …
I’m in love with Norman Love – Chocolates
This … my chocolate loving friends is the post you’ve been waiting for. As today, I will introduce you to one of the finest masters of chocolate in North America! Our recent trip to Florida had one major goal. To meet Norman Love. I’d heard of Norman when I was at the World Chocolate Masters Championships and Salon du Chocolat in Paris in 2009. He is revered by many experts and chocolate lovers as being the finest chocolate maker in the USA. So we made our way down to Fort Myers Beach with the kind assistance from the folks at the Lee County Convention & Visitors Bureau. I will be forever grateful to them for introducing me to Mr. Norman Love. Love is one of those passionate individuals who lives and breathes chocolate. His shop is a mecca for chocolate lovers. I pulled up to the Norman Love Confections shop in Fort Myers, only to find another woman taking a picture of it! I could see myself doing that, for the purposes of Chocolatour, but she was simply a chocolate lover who was documenting her journey to this place of sensual wonders. You walk in the door to the small shop and you are blown away by colour. The packaging is so beautiful it’s mouth watering! And the display of chocolates and fresh pastries is so enticing, you’ll probably gain a pound or two before you even walk out the door. But it wasn’t the fanciful packaging or luscious pastries that won my heart. It was Love’s BLACK Collection. A simple black box containing the most elegant and sensuous chocolate I have ever tasted. Love is a purist in that he tries to keep flavours recognizable. In the BLACK Collection, you will indulge yourself in single-origin chocolate from five of the finest …
Fort Myers Beach won my heart
I’m an island girl. A beach baby. All my favourite places on this planet are surrounded by beach, beautiful vistas and water, so it’s no wonder I love Fort Myers Beach. The white sand beach seems to be never-ending, the ambiance of Fort Myers Beach as a destination or community is unpretentious, and it’s quite accessible to other parts of Florida, being just three hours (less than 200 miles) southwest of central Florida and our previous destination of Orlando. We were fabulously fortunate to be hosted by the GullWing Beach Resort, located on a wide stretch of Fort Myers Beach. The GullWing is part of the Sunstream family of properties and top-notch in every way. Our expansive suite was so large, we occasionally got lost in it! The spacious screened-in lanai overlooked the beach, and it was just a short walk before we were immersed in the welcoming waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We also enjoyed the pool and the poolside hot tub. There are no restaurants on-site as the GullWing is a condominium property. Each suite is owned by individual owners, so decor varies from unit to unit. I can tell you that Suite 306, decorated throughout in shades of green and blue, was most pleasing to this nature-loving water baby. Most of the “action” happens at the north end of Fort Myers Beach, just as you come off the  Matanzas Pass Bridge (also known as the “Sky Bridge” because it seems to touch the sky) onto Estero Blvd, the road running from the north end of Fort Myers Beach to the less populated southern end. The GullWing is located more towards the southern end of the strip, but just a short drive to the rest of the action. And we liked it that way. Less traffic, fewer …
Florida: the sharks aren’t just in the water
Sorry for the delay in posting. We’ve been having a tremendous discussion about inspiration over on my writer’s blog and I’ve been somewhat distracted. For this post, I’m bringing you back across the pond and to Florida. love Florida! The sun, the surf, the birds. Have been there many times over the years and have always enjoyed making new discoveries. This trip was no different. We spent a week in Orlando (hadn’t been there in a number of years) and then went on to enjoy 3 days on Fort Meyers Beach. I’ll take you there in the next post. But for now … we’ll focus on Orlando and the highs and lows of our visit. The lows? The weather was one. Located in Central Florida, Orlando is about 3 hours north of Fort Meyers Beach. So the weather there can be considerably cooler than you’ll encounter in South Florida. And we happened to visit in January, during a cooler and wetter-than-normal week. So as much as it was nice to be away from the cold and snow of Manitoba, the Orlando weather didn’t do it for me. The other low? The sharks! No, these ones weren’t in the water. They can be found circling unsuspecting visitors at the timeshare property where we were staying. We loved the Wyndham Cypress Palms. It’s a fantastic resort. But it’s part of the Wyndham Vacation Resorts family of properties. We were there on a “free” certificate we received when buying into the Wyndham Grand Desert in Las Vegas in December, 2009. The Cypress Palms is newly reburbished. Our king suite was gorgeous, with granite countertops, a jacuzzi tub, screened-in lanai overlooking the man-made lake, and a convenient location in Kissimmee on Highway 192. We had plenty of space and were thrilled to be spending …
