Halloween Heroics

Thanks to everyone who's sent me their favorite Halloween memories. It's been so much fun reading about all your experiences. I'm going to start posting some of the responses I've gotten. Here's a great story from Diana in Massachusetts:

When I was maybe 10 or 11 and nearing the end of my trick-or-treating lifespan, I decided to upgrade my candy-holding vessel. Screw the plastic pumpkin -- my 8-year-old brother and I got pillowcases. We'd seen other (bigger, brawnier) kids use pillowcases, and we figured we'd get more candy this way. We mapped out our strategy, started knocking early, and by 7:30 or so, we both had pillowcases heavy with Reeses, snack bags of candy corn, Baby Ruths, mini Marathon bars (remember those?) and lollypops that would last us till December. Then, the unthinkable happened. My brother got candyjacked. Yep, some little turkeys came blowing by on his bike and ripped my brother's pillowcase out of his hand. We both stood there, our mouths gaping, the sound of the kids' gleeful laughter bouncing off parked cars as he careened down the street. Then God interceded. The kid lost his balance and fell off the bike. Now, I was a total candy addict, as well as a quick thinker. As my brother stood next to me, starting to whimper, I realized that a. I'd have to share my haul with him now and b. I was pissed. The anger and indignation rose in my chest as I thought about how much hard work had gone into collecting all that candy. And now some little punk would be snacking on my brother's blood, sweat, and sucrose at my expense? I don't think so. I was something of a little track star as a kid, all legs and energy. Before the punk could get off the ground, I was on him, alternately scratching his face up and pulling his hair (such a girl fighter!) and grabbing the pillowcase away from him. I was also screaming every horrible obscenity my 10-year-old self could muster, stuff like, "You wimp! You're so GAY for stealing candy from a little kid, you RETARD!" The fear coming off the downed candysnatcher was nearly palpable. He released his claim on my brother's candy, pushed me off him, and jumped on his bike. My brother ran over, crying and screaming, "You got it? You got my candy?" That night was a shining moment in sister/brother relations. My brother wrapped the top of his bag around one wrist, held onto my arm with his other hand, and every few minutes or so would say, "I think he was crying," or "I bet he never had a girl beat him up." We got home and my brother, admiringly, relayed the story to my parents. Best of all, he gave me all his Reeses that year.

Corntastic!

Okay, so I tried the Hershey's with Corn Bits and believe it or not, it's really yummy! It's similar to crisped rice, like a Nestle's Crunch, only the bits are smaller and crunchier. But I have to say, I don't think it's going to do very well with that name. It makes me think of corn niblets covered in chocolate. Yuck. If I named it, I'd call it something like Hershey's with Krispee Krunchees.

Fruit Fiesta

I had two fruity finds this weekend, one good, one bad. First the good.
We went out for sushi and when the waitress gave us our check, she also gave us two little boxes of Marukawa Orange Bubble Gum. Now, I'm not a gum person, but I have to say, this stuff was really good. The orange flavor was bright, juicy and tangy and lasted a long time. The gum itself was soft and good for blowing bubbles. I wonder where I can get some more? It was definitely worth trying, even for a non-gum-chewer.
Now the bad. Tic Tac Limited Edition Big Box Fruit Festival. Ick. This was a big box of Tic Tacs that look so fruitylicious-- red, orange, green and yellow. But the problem is, they're fruit AND mint combined. So gross. I was expecting them to taste like the Tic Tacs of my youth-- the orange ones that had the really fake, but palatable, orange flavor. And does anyone remember the Tic Tac competitor in the horizontal box? I think they were called Dynamints. Am I right?

More than just kielbasa!

Two friends recently returned back to the U.S. from their trip to Poland this summer. They brought me back a box of candy which says "marshmallow with strawberry jam" in English. Here we go again with the marshmallow. In these little rectangles, the marshmallow is more of a custardy-type of substance, more moist than fluffy. The strawberry jam part is nice-- it gives them a little zip. There are about 8,000 pieces of candy in the box. I think I'll be eating these forever.

Treasure Hunt!

The good folks over at Nestle want to spread the word about a new promotion they're doing. It's actually pretty groovy. It's a treasure hunt and there's lots of prizes, including free candy bars. Check it out at: www.nestletreasurequest.com.
To celebrate, I'm having the first-ever Candy Yum Yum giveaway. All you have to do is send me an e-mail about Halloween: your favorite candy, your best costume, great memories, whatever. I'll randomly pick three people to receive an assortment of Nestle Crunch, Baby Ruth and Butterfingers. (U.S. residents only please. I'm not made of money.)
And speaking of Nestle, let's talk about Baby Ruths for a moment. I've decided that they're totally undervalued. I usually gravitate toward Snickers when I want a peanut/caramel/chocolate bar, and I often forget about Baby Ruth. That's sad, because Baby Ruths are really good. The peanuts are big and the nougat is a little sweeter. Very yum.

Well that was easy

I went to the pharmacy the other day to buy an accordion folder in a lame attempt to organize my life. They were all out of them. Apparently other people have the same clutter issues that I do. Anyhow, as I was perusing the Halloween candy aisle, I turned to my left and there, like manna from heaven, was a box of Coffee Crisps! Hallelujah! I enjoyed this one with a glass of wine the other night. I think the beauty of the Coffee Crisp is that it's very subtle. It doesn't scream "JAVA!" Instead, it's like a crispety chocolate bar with a scent, a whiff, an angel's kiss of coffee. Delish.
In the same shopping spree, I also bought a few other bars. Now I know, I know, I recently ranted about how I hate the Special Edition candy bars. But I did give in and buy a Hershey's Special Dark Espresso and a Kit Kat Chocolate Mocha. Also, I bought a big Hershey's Milk Chocolate that contains "Crisp Corn Bits." Huh?? I have no idea what that is. Crumbled up Fritos or Bugles? Chopped up popcorn? I have no idea. I can't wait to report on that one. And last but not least, a Russell Stover Coconut Cream Pumpkin. I've never been a huge fan of coconut, but when I was pregnant I got addicted to the Coconut Cream eggs at Easter. We'll see if it still offers the same appeal.

Boston Brouhaha

The National Confectioner's Association named Boston as the Trick or Treat City of the Year. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/01/invented_here_boston_leads_us_in_halloween_observance/
Yay! Go New England! My big fear is that trick-or-treating is dying out. Where I live in Connecticut we get about 30 kids every year, but I'd say about half of them don't show up in costume, which is why every year I have a special "treat" just for them. Last year it was rancid granola bars, the year before it was tea bags. This year it'll probably be the box of Weight Watchers chocolate cakes that I just bought. Foolish me-- I thought they might actually be edible instead of tasting like powdered aluminum.

Best of the Best

I try to go to the Fancy Food Show every year in New York. It's a humungo trade show where specialty food companies show off their latest and greatest products. This year, since I was about to give birth, I didn't make it, but I do get the trade association's magazine. Here are some of this year's winners, although I haven't tried any of them.
Finalist in the Outstanding New Product category: Chocolove Chocolatour Tanzania Vintage 2005 chocolate bar.
Finalists in Outstanding Best Seller 2005: Chocolove Toffee and Almonds in Milk Chocolate; Vosges Haut-Chocolat Barcelona Candy Bar.
Outstanding Confection: Miguel & Valentino Rabitos Royale Bombon de Higo (Fig Bonbons)
Finalists in Outstanding Confection: Bequet Gourmet Celtic Sea Salt Caramels; Dufflet Small Indulgences Crunchy Caramel Coated Pistachios Enrobed in Pure Milk Chocolate; Fusion Gourmet, Inc. Bail's Best Coffee Candies- coffee flavor.

Those pistachios sound really good. I've tried a few different sea salt caramels, but I haven't really been wowed by them. Surprising, since I usually enjoy the salty/sweet combination.

Fudgetastic!

Let me say from the start that I don't normally dig fudge. Usually it's too sweet or too grainy for my tastes, although I did go through a period where I ate a lot of penuche (brown sugar fudge) during my stint at Munson's Chocolates. Anyhow, I was contacted by Tim at Flippin' Fudge and he asked if I'd like to try some of his products. Well, hell, who am I to say no to candy? I will admit that I was a bit leery, given the typical fudge experience, but I can happily report that Flippin' Fudge is flippin' fantastic!
First off, the goodies come packaged in a fun box filled with multicolored confetti-type paper. Each square of fudge is wrapped in purple foil. Very cute. The fudge itself is super-smooth and sweet without being overwhelming. It occurred to me that they would be great for dessert paired with wines. Here's my impressions of the different flavors along with some wine suggestions.
Dark Secret: basic, yummy dark chocolate fudge. Would be great with a spicy red like Zinfandel or Syrah.
Citrus Shot: this was dark chocolate fudge with a hint of orange-- one of my very favorite flavor combinations. Would be fantastic with a glass of Essencia orange muscat.
Island Retreat: Chocolate and coconut. Very tropical. Maybe a nice glass of dark rum?
Berry Nuts: Essence of raspberry. Nice with Port or maybe champagne.
Toffee Crunch: Perhaps the sweetest of all the flavors. It was good, but not my favorite. (We'll get to that one later.)
Wake-up Call: Lovely espresso-flavored fudge. A nice mid-morning sweet!
Fuzzy Bubble: This was peach-champagne fudge. I'm not a lover of peach anything, except actual peaches, although I will say that this wasn't as cloying as peach "flavored" things usually are. If you like peaches, you'll like this fudge.
And my ultimate favorite--
Skippy's Surprise: peanut butter and chocolate. Oh praise Gannesh! This was the ultimate in PB & chocolate deliciousness. Smooth, creamy peanut butter mixed with heavenly dark chocolate fudge. It really doesn't get any better than this.

In the press release that came with the package, I learned that Flippin' Fudge is made by the husband and wife team of Tim and Liz Young who decided to turn their passion for chocolate into a business. (www.flippinfudge.com) You've gotta love that. And they came up with the name of their company after watching Napoleon Dynamite. (Will they create a Delicious Bass flavor?) I totally recommend their fudge to anyone who's looking for a fun gift. Their prices are very reasonable and the product is excellent. In fact, why not send a box of fudge to someone you love just for the heck of it?! What a wonderful surprise that would be. Okay, I'm off now to hide the last piece of Skippy's Surprise.

The Land of the Free, Home of the Coffee Crisp

Oh happy day! I just found out that Coffee Crisp, that wonderful Canadian candy bar, is available in the U.S. Apparently there was a petition going around to bring the crispety creation to America and the kind folks at Nestle responded. It's not available in Connecticut, but I vow to secure one in the next month or so. Here's the link: www.coffeecrisp.org.

How do you eat a Kit Kat?

Here's one of my earliest candy memories. I was at the grocery store with my mother and there was a little girl in front of me at the checkout. Her mother had given her a Kit Kat, so she unwrapped it and proceeded to chomp right into it. I remember being horrified. You don't bite into the whole candy bar! You break off each finger one at a time! Is there anyone out there who doesn't break off each piece before eating it?
I have a very specific ritual for Kit Kats. Break off a finger and, using my bottom teeth, I take all the chocolate off the sides. Then I separate the top layer from the rest and eat it, then shove the rest of the piece in my mouth. Continue this way with the other three fingers. My favorite part is the sugary stuff in the middle.

Circus Peanuts

Who here likes Circus Peanuts? Anyone? You've just gotta love a candy that's shaped like a peanut but tastes like a banana. I think the only person in the world who eats these things is my mother.
But I guess someone must buy them, because they keep making them!

Here's another fun taste-testing trick to try with your friends. Put a drop or two of amaretto or almond flavoring in a glass. Have your friends give it a whiff and ask them what the scent is. Some people will say almond, but others will say cherry. It's an olfactory illusion! I think of this because we just got back from New Hampshire and one of my favorite things to do on vacation is to search out fun and interesting candy. Unfortunately, this trip was a bust. We stopped at the Bavarian Chocolate Haus (yes, that's really the name) and I bought their specialty-- a lump of nuts, coconut and other stuff drenched in dark chocolate. Unfortunately it had an overwhelming amaretto/cherry taste that completely ruined it for me. So I didn't find any great chocolate treasures in the White Mountains, but I tried.

Cranky McCandy

Being a Libra, it's not often that I form a strong opinion. But here's one: enough already with the limited edition candy bars. At first I found them exciting. Orange Kit Kat, Reese's Pieces with peanuts, Toasted Coconut Mounds-- what's not to love? Well, everything really. Because what's happened is that the manufacturers have taken a yummy, tried-and-true candy bar and tried to jazz it up with a new ingredient that just doesn't work. I suppose the thinking is that it's an established brand and a new flavor will get people to try them, but the fact is that in most cases, it just doesn't work. We love Reese's because the peanut butter is so dry and crumbly, just like we love Reese's Pieces because the peanut butter is so smooth and creamy. Kit Kats are great because they have the perfect balance of chocolate and crispy wafer. We don't need new variations. Instead, I'd love to see more new original candy bars. Okay, enough grumping. Back to loving chocolate.

Would it be totally wrong to say that a teeny tiny part of the reason why I had a baby is so I could go trick-or-treating? Well, there, I said it. Henri's costume is ordered and I'm ready for my favorite holiday.
The stores are starting to put out the Halloween stuff, although I have to say, it's been disappointing the past few years. As a kid, part of the excitement of Halloween was getting home and dumping out your pillowcase full of goodies and going through it all to see what you scored. Back then, the variety was immense. There were all the different types of bars: Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Pay Day, Reese's, Charleston Chews. There were little rolls of Life Savers, tiny boxes of Chicklets, waxy rolls of Necco Wafers. And then the true gems: the full-size candy bars, the little paper bags with pumpkins on them stuffed with assorted candies, popcorn balls, McDonald's gift certificates for a small fry, and--from my grandma-- one of those giant Hershey bars. Now it seems the selection is so limited. Reese's or Snickers. Every year I try to find something at least slightly unusual to give out. What will it be this year? Oh wait... I almost forgot. I won't be home. I'll be out trick or treating!