A Chocolate What?

Conveniently located across the street from Memory Lane (our scrapbooking hangout) is The Sweet Boutique a.k.a. Chocolate Lounge. Being rather impulsive when it comes to sweets, Cathy, Marilyn, and I meandered over to the boutique to satisfy our cravings. We each made our selections of two items, a before- and after-dinner dessert. I chose an Aztec Sun Turtle and a lemon cheesecake something or other. Both were exquisite, but I have to explain the Aztec Sun Turtle. It was made with a dab of caramel surrounded by dark chocolate (the best), roasted almonds extending in a dial shape around the circumference, and an Aztec-looking design painted on the top. But the interesting part was that the dark chocolate had cinnamon and chili pepper seasoning! (This is where Ashlea shouts "I told you!") You see, last Saturday, Ashlea made a pumpkin pie for her church pot luck, and she added chili seasoning along with the cinnamon and other seasonings. I told her she was crazy, but she swore the chili seasoning enhances the flavor of the pie. (Who taught her to cook anyway? Not I.) So tonight I learned that chili pepper is also used to enhance the flavor of chocolate. Ashlea, I am now ready and willing to taste your pumpkin pie, or any pie for that matter.