Worshipping at the Altar of Nutella

First order of business: check out today's Feature Friday post on Mommy Only Has Two Hands -- it's me!!! Definitely gettin' my 15 minutes of fame this week! Many thanks for the love, Heather!

Now on to the chocolate ... :)



Tomorrow is World Nutella Day, an event for which -- its organizers declare -- "Nutella Lovers Unite for One Day!"

It all began, according to the official website, "in 2007 when Sara Rosso, an American blogger living in Italy, thought that there were many days in the year but no day set aside to appreciate Nutella. Why not?"

Indeed!!!

And so, World Nutella Day was born ....



Nutella, of course, is one of the true glories of the food world -- a smooth, luscious chocolate spread infused with the gift of hazelnuts. It is deserving of all praise ... there is no way to wax too poetic, to over-enthuse, or to engage in hyperbole. Nutella is a gift from the heavens!

There are many ways that you could join in tomorrow's festivities: you could bake brownies with Nutella stirred into the batter ... swirl some into your coffee or cocoa ... slather it onto a cake, as the frosting ... create a chocolatey Fluffernutter using Nutella instead of peanut butter ... mix a little into a pot of chili, as chocolate enhances that savory dish. I'm sure you can think of 23 more ideas.

To my mind, all of these suggestions are wonderful -- it's pretty hard to go wrong with Nutella in any form! But really, there's only one proper way to eat it: with a spoon. No other flavors or textures intruding upon the purity of the taste and the silkiness of this delicacy. Just the Nutella -- the fragrance, the smooth richness, the perfect blending of cocoa and hazelnut with neither overpowering the other, the sweetness ... the utter sensual experience.

So, there are no recipes today. Just intructions: go eat some Nutella. Start your celebrations early, like folks who agree to open just one present on Christmas Eve. Indulge yourself, and then fully immerse yourself in the party tomorrow.

Trust me: you -- and the Nutella -- are both worth it ... :)