Seriously Chocolate Cake

Who can resist a seriously chocolatey, seriously delicious chocolate layer cake? No one we know. This super-rich, showstopping cake, chock full of 85% Super Dark Chocolate Mexicano, makes a killer centerpiece for any holiday dessert table.

Photo and Recipe Credit: Taza Chocolate

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all purpose flour + 2 tbsp for dusting
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3 large eggs
2 2.7 oz packages Super Dark Chocolate Mexicano discs
½ cup milk
½ cup yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To Prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottoms and sides of two 8-inch cake pans with butter. Add one tablespoon of flour to each pan and shake & shimmy the pan to ensure the greased bottom and sides have a light dusting of flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate medium microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until no solid pieces are left (about 90 seconds). Set aside to cool but not solidify.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in eggs, one at a time until well combined. When chocolate is warm but not hot to the touch, add to butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated.

Reduce the speed to medium-low and add half of the dry ingredients into the batter, followed by ¼ cup milk, then the other half of the dry ingredients, and remaining mild. Do not over mix. Batter will be thin.

Evenly divide batter between the two greased-and-dusted pans. Shake and shimmy the pans to ensure any air bubbles that may be mixed in burst. Bake in the over for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove cakes from the oven and turn the cake pans upside down on top of a cooling rack to release the cakes from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When cakes have cooled, spread your favorite frosting
on top of one of the cakes and place the other cake on top. Frost the top and the sides. From here, you can get creative with your decorations. Regardless, cake will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

Rainy Day at Terressentials

(take off of Night at the Museum)

It's a party here at Terressential today! Come join the fun!

With hurricane Joaquin bearing down on the Maryland coast today, the people of Frederick must be hunkering down at home or at the local grocers buying all the milk and bread, because no one is shopping on Patrick St today....and the unique, exotic array of interesting objects are beginning to talk to me...Yes..talk....

The intricately carved suar wood elephants from Indonesia were grumbling because someone had separated them on three different shelves in the store and....

“didn't they know they we are herd animals?!”

They were absolutely right so I moved them together and they seem much happier.

Then the felted pen toppers,artistically made in an an array of different animals from gray and white adorable penguins to orange striped tigers to the russet reindeer were wriggling and looking a bit squashed in the glass bowl at the desk.

“Hey! Hey! Can you PLEEASE do something about this? We need a bigger bowl! Or some of us need to go to the back storeroom!”

What we need today is customers to come in and give them a good home on top of a pen...for a child, grandchild, or an ageless child like me who finds felted animals just so darn adorable that they make me smile from ear to ear.

We have new music at the store. And today, I have the quiet opportunity to listen to each CD.  I find the new music to be awesome! Emeline Michel, Dobet Gnahore, Valerie June, PapaWemba, Asa, and Tangle Eye. Beautiful beautiful voices melting with the beauty of the store. Is it my imagination or are the whimsical wall clocks from Colombia ticking to the beat of the music? And the carved alstonia wood bobble head sheep from Indonesia are bobbing along to the music as well. Wait...is an earthquake imminent? The Seismic Critters born in rural southern Mexico are bobbing their heads too! The artisans who create these little creatures from gourds, believe they are endowed with the super power of telekinetic earthquake detection. Although, today, I think they are detecting good music vibrations!

It's a party here at Terressential today! Come join the fun!

And as usual, the new and colorful array of silk and wool scarves are calling out....

“Buy me Buy me!” What's a girl to do....I say BUY!

By Christy

New Special! All-Organic Anointing Oil

One Free 2 fl. oz. All-Organic Anointing Body Oil!

Available For A Limited Time

Special Starts at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. 
Special Ends at 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015.

1. Visit our website.

2. Make a purchase of $40 or more (excluding shipping costs).

3. Type the word "newsletter" and type the flavor you would like (Spice, Lavender, Lemon, Mint or Cocoa Butter Rich) in the comment box when you check out.

A Fresh, Organic, Locally-grown Way to Brighten Someone's Day

Give a friend a special gift!
Cheer up your desk area!
Brighten the dinner table with a little bouquet that won't get in the way!

Take home a beautiful cluster of fresh organic flowers in a unique Italian or recycled glass vase for just $10.

We grow our flowers here on our organic acres nestled in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains near Middletown, Maryland. If you’re in the area, we’d love to have you pay us a visit! We're open M-F from 10-5 and on Saturdays from 11-4. 

It's the same place where we hand craft our certified organic skin, hair and body care products and ship them around the world.

The Positive Living Network Visits Terressentials

Diana Kaye, Terressentials Co-founder, (center) with members of The Positive Living Network

Several members of The Positive Living Network, a group of Maryland entrepreneurs with a passionate mission to approach their personal and professional lives with honesty, integrity and holistic wellness, recently visited the Terressentials store in Downtown Frederick.  Diana Kaye, Terressentials Co-founder, and members of the group shared ideas about the crucial role that certified organic skin, body and hair care plays in health and wellness. 

Read on as Maria Petrucci shares more information about The Positive Living Network's mission and members. Connect with members' unique wellness services or perhaps join the group yourself!

The Positive Living Network
By Maria Petrucci

The Positive Living Network is a group of like-minded colleagues who meet twice a month in Mt. Airy, MD to learn about each other, learn from each other, refer clients to each other, and to raise awareness in the community about general wellness.  By "like-minded" we mean business people who take time with their clients, are honest and act with integrity, treat people individually, are open to energy work, support holistic wellness and the consumption of pure natural, whole foods, and strive to "do no harm", especially by first exploring options other than surgery and pharmaceuticals when appropriate.

New members are invited into the group by someone else who has already attended a meeting.  If you are interested in becoming part of our group, please contact Laura Craven at 443-812-2297 or Maria Petrucci at 240-394-2037. 

Here is an introduction to The Positive Living Network's members and our unique businesses:

Laura Craven: Breathing Space
Breathing Space is a unique stress relief center in Woodbine, Maryland. Since 2008, we have been using high-tech biofeedback, gentle detoxification, and healthy habits to help people reduce the negative effects of stress and reach peak performance.  Contacts: Laura Craven at 443-812-2297 and Montgomery Young at 410-218-0892.

Cortney Budney, Julia Coplan and Maria Petrucci: Awakened Entrepreneur Academy
Awakened Entrepreneur Academy. Guiding Visionary Entrepreneurs into awakening to their awakened free selves, living their purpose, and receiving the abundance and prosperity they deserve. Owner and Head Coach Cortney Budney and support coaches Maria Petrucci and Julia Coplan, support our clients in creating a prosperous business that is an extension of their purpose and passion. We at Awakened Entrepreneur Academy know that our business is an extension of our inner self. So we must first awaken ourselves in order to use our gifts to heal and awaken the world. We marry both the personal awakening and powerful effective business strategies to help our clients quickly and powerfully transform their life and business and live the free and prosperous life they desire.
Cortney Budney- Owner and Lead Awakening/Prosperity Coach
cortney@AwakenedEntrepreneurAcademy.com
301-828-5069
Julia Coplan- Foundation Coach
julia@AwakenedEntrepreneurAcademy.com
Maria Petrucci- Freedom Coach
maria@AwakenedEntrepreneurAcademy.com

Laurie Dilks: Tower Garden
My name is Laurie Dilks and I Inspire Healthy Living Around the World in two ways:  one with convenient, concentrated fruits and vegetables & two with the Tower Garden (grow your own produce with no soil, less space and less water).  My contact information is:  301-524-5781, and website is www.healthy.dilks.com.

Ellen Koronet: LNK Creative
LNK Creative creates, hosts, and provides Infographics from customized quizzes, surveys and forms. LNK Creative also teaches creative problem solving techniques and has published a unique system of photo-cards to inspire and motivate.
ellenkoronet@LNKcreative.com

Lauren Oddo: Independent Consultant
Lauren Oddo is on a mission to share information about the dangers of toxic chemicals in personal care and home products that we encounter in our daily lives.  Lauren is committed to sharing this important information with everyone in order to protect our families and our environment.  She can be reached at 240-405-6075, laurenoddo@gmail.com.

Helen Rose, owner of Superfoods on Main at 106 South Main Street, Mt. Airy, MD, 301-829-9464

Terry Hollrah, RN, Synergistic Health Coaching, tihollrah@gmail.com

Kathy Volrath, massage therapist, Therapeutic Kneads, massagetherapy@Therapeutic-Kneads.net

Susan Schluederberg, transformation specialist, Connections Group of Belair, sschlueder@aol.com

Becky Pettengill, MSPH, Integrative Health & Wellness, pettengill2post.harvard.edu

FREE Side Roads Sounds Street Party with Live Music by One Tribe

UPDATE: WE'RE SORRY. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER TO STAY IN TOUCH ABOUT SIMILAR EVENTS AT OUR STORE.

One Tribe Performs Live at Terressentials

Friday, August 28, 2015, 6pm-9pm

Terressentials, 100 East Patrick Street, Downtown Frederick, MD

Start your weekend off with a fresh "reggaedelic" experience from One Tribe. Enjoy the positive connection and uplifting, deep message this reggae dub band infuses into their lively, culturally diverse, original music.

According to the band's Facebook page, "One Tribe is the next layer in the positive dub force field. With far out psychedelia over traditional riddims, two percussionists, and two vocalists blending harmonies, we bring a lively beat and a message of conscious awakening. With a diverse group of members from all over the planet One Tribe represents the worldwide unity that comes alive when listening to the powerful message of their songs. With influences from Marley to Frusciante, from King Tubby to Mars Volta, One Tribe has a wide range of influences, but a focused and passionate vision. With an effort towards making the best reggaedelic music and infusing world music influences in our sound we are looking to push the limits of dub and bridge the gap between reggae music and other cultural sounds; most importantly, we live to play and play to move the crowd with positive energy."

Sound like fun? Check out One Tribe on SoundCloud and ReverbNation. See you on the 29th!

The Side Roads Sounds Project is a Terressentials initiative created by our small organic team with the hope of contributing in a meaningful way to the evolving artistic culture of Frederick County, Maryland and one day, hopefully, the world! The aim of our Side Roads Sounds Project is to support local, creative vocalists, musicians and entertainers by hosting musical Street Parties throughout the year as a free and fun venue for the community to enjoy!

FREE Side Roads Sounds Street Party with Live Music From Past Deux

Past Deux featuring Mike (left) and Norm (right). Soft Touch Photography by Cynthia, Inc.

This event has been cancelled. Please sign up for our email newsletter (see form at top right) for updates about similar events.

Past Deux Performs Live at Terressentials

Friday, September 11, 2015, 6pm-9pm

Terressentials, 100 E. Patrick Street, Downtown Frederick, MD

Join us as the charming duo Past Deux performs classic rock and popular standards from every decade from the 1930's to the present day!  Kick back and start your weekend with Past Deux's tight, full sound, harmonizing vocals, archtop guitar and electric bass guitar.

Past Deux is a musical partnership which has existed for over 27 years.  These two multi-talented performers love to play and that is very evident in their perfomances.

Check out Past Deux on ReverbNation and Facebook.  See you on the 11th!

The Side Roads Sounds Project is a Terressentials initiative created by our small organic team with the hope of contributing in a meaningful way to the evolving artistic culture of Frederick County, Maryland and one day, hopefully, the world! The aim of our Side Roads Sounds Project is to support local, creative vocalists and musicians and entertainers by hosting musical Street Parties throughout the year as a free and fun venue for the community to enjoy!