Chocolate ?

[Lowdown3]

LOL ((Rob's Spinach))

:) The world wouldn't end if the goblins stole some of my cans of rice, the chocolate is another story altogether! LOL

Who wants to steal Spinach? LOL

[crossbow]

Another option for rice is tumeric. It's a spice, and has been used in India for millinea for joint/inflammation problems. It makes the rice yellow, and in my opinion a little bit tougher, but it makes a nice diversion that's also good for you.

yeah but the yellow rice sure looks good as a bed under a scoop of chile.
I ate chocolate bars in the Army that were in C rations for over 10 yrs and even smoked the ciggs that were in the boxes back in the 50S

[Lowdown3]

The chocolate products in MRE's, etc. is specifically designed for high heat.

That's actually the best source of "chocolate" to store long term. Folks here that know me will tell you that when camping, out in the field, etc. I never lack for having an MRE brownie or four around ;)

[lightweight]

I know you can buy raw cacao beans. Maybe you could grind them & mix w/sugar, milk & lard or powdered butter & boil. Just a guess on the recipe, I've never looked up how to make chocolate before.

[Klayton]

Things You'll Need:
2 lbs. cocoa beans
20 oz. cocoa butter
30 oz. sugar
1 tsp. lecithin
10 oz. powdered milk
Cookie sheet
Juice mixer
Chocolate conching machine

Instructions
1) Choose and purchase the cocoa beans. There are several types of cocoa beans to choose from: criollo (best for creating fine chocolate), forasteros (slightly more bitter than the criollo), trinitario (combination of the criollo and forasteros) and nacional (used least often for making chocolate). Purchase 1/2 to 1 cup of cocoa beans from a chocolate supplier.

2) Lay the beans on a flat cookie sheet. Set the oven to 325 degrees F.

3) Roast the beans for about 10 to 35 minutes. Slowly reduce the heat to 300 degrees as the beans roast. You will know that the beans are sufficiently roasted when you start to hear a "cracking" sound. This sound occurs when water vapor is released from the beans.

4) Remove the husk from the cocoa beans by cracking the cocoa beans in half. You can use a hammer or nutcracker to crack the beans. This process is called "winnowing" and can be quite time-consuming.

5) Grind the cocoa beans. You can actually use a regular juice mixer for this step, but don't use a coffee or grain grinder because when ground, the cocoa beans actually release liqueur.

6) Grind the sugar into a fine powder to reduce the conching time by about three hours.

7) Add the powdered milk, cocoa butter, lecithin and sugar to the cocoa powder. For this step, you will need a special machine that refines the chocolate by "folding" and agitating it. This process is typically called "conching," and usually lasts at least 12 hours and at most a few days. The longer the chocolate is conched, the finer the texture will be in the end.

8) Mold or dip the chocolate. You can dip fruits like strawberries in the finished chocolate while it's still melted. You can also use plastic molds to give your chocolate a shape. For example, you can use a small mold in the shape of a heart, pour the melted chocolate inside and allow to cool.

>>>Don't use pre-powdered sugar. This will cause your chocolate to have a gummy texture. Buy regular sugar and grind it yourself instead as described in step 4.<<<

>>>Do a trial run using only a few cocoa beans before you take on this project fully. A trial run will help you determine if all the machines are working properly, or if there are any adjustments you need to make. It will also keep you from ruining your entire batch of cocoa beans if you make a mistake the first time.<<<

[Matt In Oklahoma]

OMG having to work for chocolate. Now thats just wrong man I didnt thnk things were gonna get that bad. LOL Good recipe, thanks