Name-that-Sibling Update

I've been getting lots of great suggestions for my Nestle "Name-that-Sibling" coupon giveaway. I think I'm going to wait until August 7 and then have a poll on which name you all like best. Keep 'em coming.

Random Candy Memory: Charleston Chews by the pool

Here's a lovely, summery candy memory from my friend Neil, who will probably be mortified that I'm writing this. But it's so cute, I had to do it.

We were talking about candy and the subject of Charleston Chews came up. "They remind me of being a kid," said Neil. He said he would go to the town pool and work up the courage to buy a frozen Charleston Chew from the hottie teenage girl in the bikini who worked at the snack shack. I can just picture him all moony-eyed with a cracking, pre-pubescent voice saying, "One Charleston Chew, please."

And then, like millions of other teenage boys, he'd take the frozen candy bar and thwack! it on the ground so that it broke up into a million pieces.

Good times. Good times.

This then got me thinking about the gender of candy. There are some candy bars that are just boy-oriented; fewer that are girly. Charleston Chews are definitely a boy candy, as are fireballs, jawbreakers and most other round candies. Twix are definitely boy-oriented, although probably just as many girls like them. 3 Musketeers are boy candy, as are Milky Ways. What do girls get? Stupid candy like Mary Janes, Bit o' Honeys and Necco wafers. I'll have to ponder this some more. What do you think?

The No-Chocolate candy bar

The Baron called me the other night and asked if I wanted to take part in a Biggest Loser weight loss contest again. The last time we did it, he won. Surprise, surprise. All he had to do was cut down to two hash browns at McDonald's rather than 14. Anyhow, yes, I said. I'm in.

So I woke up Monday and was raring to go. I had a healthy breakfast, then I loaded the little man in the stroller and did a nice power walk even though it was so humid it was like walking through water. I was ready to conquer the world! Bring on the salads! Let's do Pilates! Let's drink gallons and gallons of water. And then the doorbell rang.

And there sat a lovely box from Hershey's filled with Fresh From the Factory PayDays. Yes, you know, peanuts, caramel, nougat. Fresh. As in, just made. The gods must have quite a sense of humor.

The first thing I noticed was a sticker on the box that said "Saturday Delivery." Hmmm. It was delivered on Monday. When I opened the jar, I noticed the bars seemed a little flat and squishy, like they'd been sitting in someone's pocket all day. No matter, though. When I peeled off the wrapper, the aroma of fresh roasted peanuts wafted up. MMmm, mmm. I really think that PayDays are an underappreciated candy bar because they don't contain chocolate. But the combination of the salted nuts with the sweet caramel and nougat is really fabulous.

I'm not sure how I'm going to participate in this weight-loss contest, but I've got to give it a try. There's got to be some way to successfully incorporate candy into your daily diet without porking out. When I find the answer, I'll let you know.

Free Candy! Free Candy!

People always ask me if Henri is named after anyone. (It's their polite way of saying, "Where the heck did you get that name from?") My standard answer is that he's named after Henry Miller-- my uncle and the writer. I mean, no, my uncle wasn't the writer, but his name was Henry Miller. Well now I have a more exciting answer, thanks to a press kit that just came in from Nestle. Among the little bits of trivia printed on the press kit folder was this gem:

"It was the neighbor of Nestle founder, Henri Nestle, who first combined Nestle Canned Milk with cocoa powder to create the world's first milk chocolate in 1875."

Is that cool or what? Now I'm going to tell everyone that he's named after the founder of Nestles and is heir to the candy fortune.

To celebrate this momentous discovery-- well, all right-- because Nestle is launching a new campaign, I'll be giving out two, yes count 'em, TWO coupons for a free Nestle Crunch Crisp. (See my previous review; I loved this candy bar; thought it tasted like a Bar None.) So let's have a little fun with this, shall we? Let's pretend that Henri was going to have a sibling (which he totally is not, so don't even get any ideas) and I want another candy-inspired name. What would it be? The two I like best will get a shiny, gleaming coupon good for One (1) Free Nestle Crunch Crisp Single Bar.

Candy Blues

Prepare yourself, Dear Reader, for I'm about to tell you a heartbreakingly sad story about candy. Get the tissues ready.
I was talking to my friend June yesterday and, as is the norm with me, our conversation turned to candy and nostalgia, but I was completely unprepared for her tale of woe. Here's the beast she unleashed:

She was little, maybe 10 years old, and she got her first "job" to shovel the walk. The house was on a corner, so there was a lot of sidewalk to shovel. When she finally finished, she was given $10.
"I went right to the store and bought $10 worth of candy," she said.
"What kind of candy?" I asked, licking my chops.
"All kinds of candy. Everything. Pixy Stix. Dubble Bubble. Lots of chocolate." She said she was so happy, so excited to have so much candy. And then ... and then ...
Word of her purchase got to her mother. "She made me return all of it," said June. "Not only was I sad that I didn't have any candy, but I was mortified that she made me go back to the store and return it all."
June didn't have the chance to even sneak one Bit o' Honey or caramel bullseye. Clearly the incident has scarred her forever. And who could blame her? I'm devastated and it didn't even happen to me. What a sad day, indeed.

But so I don't completely depress you, here's another tale of snow shoveling and candy. We had had a big storm and my brother and his friends went out, shovels in hand, with the hopes of making a few bucks. He came back a few hours later with a huge box in his hands. "Look what Mrs. Kissel gave me," he said. It was a giant-- I mean GIANT, probably about five pounds--Oh Henry! Oh, how I coveted that candy bar and I couldn't wait until I was old enough to shovel so that I could get one of those babies for myself. Alas, it wasn't to be and I've never seen one of those mega bars ever again.

What's new in candyland

I had planned on going to the Fancy Food Show in New York a couple of weeks ago. It's a humungo trade show where food companies display their latest creations to potential retailers. The weekend, however, was hot and muggy and I just couldn't muster the energy to get dressed in adult clothes and take the train into the city. Basically, I was just feeling lazy. But there are some new things coming out that I thought I'd share.

New from Chuao Chocolatier (based in San Diego) are their ChocoPods. These are decent-sized "pods" of chocolate that have less than 60 calories per serving. If you're one of those people who can have a small bite of chocolate and be satisfied, these are the ticket. The chocolate is rich and dense and the ooey-gooey fillings come in these flavors: Candela (spicy macadamia praline), Modena (strawberry and balsamic caramel), Picante (spicy cabernet caramel), Passion (passion fruit caramel), Banana (banana brown sugar caramel) and Dulce le Leche (milk caramel). I wasn't too keen on the banana; it was more brown sugar than banana, I thought, but I really liked the Modena and the Candela. YUM!

Other new products (that I haven't tried) include:

Koeze's Cream-Nut Peanut Butter Clusters: they look like a cross between a turtle and a peanut butter cup

Sweet's "Malt Shop" Gourmet Taffy: I'm not a huge fan of taffy, but these look good. The flavors are cherry cola, banana split, chocolate shake and rootbeer float.

ChocolateByNumbers: these are six different percentages of chocolates, from 31% up to 72%. They look ideal for a chocolate tasting party.

So there you have it, some new goodies to keep an eye out for. Now the question is: Will I attend the All-Candy Expo in Chicago? I'd LOVE to, especially since it's been quite a few years since I've gone, but the H-man presents some logistical (and financial) problems. Should I go? Talk me into it!

Do you have anything to declare?

I got word this morning that the von Schokolats arrived safely back in the U.S. with their major stash of candy. Sadly, I will have to wait until August 16 to partake in the booty, and I'm fearful that the Baron and Liesel will ransack the goodies before then. But I've been told the following items are on tap: Stroopwaffels, 20 Euros' worth of delights from the Haribo factory, Mozart balls, the salt-encrusted licorice sardines or whatever they are, and some sort of stick that supposedly tastes like licorice. The excitement is palpable!

Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Red Raspberry Dollars

After an exhausting day of chasing the H-man around the house (note to self: no more sugar cereal for the boy!) I was able to extricate myself and spend a blissful three hours at the movies. Sue, my kick-ass firefighter, garden guru friend picked me up and we went to see Harry Potter. I, of course, had the diaper bag stocked with Dark Raisinettes, Sno-Caps, Red Raspberry Dollars and a seltzer bottle filled with Tom Collinses. Like most people, I don't usually pay too much attention to what I'm eating during the movies, instead preferring to just shove goodies into my gaping maw. But when I took the first bite of a Raspberry Dollar, I thought, "Whoa, now. What's going on here?" The chew was softer than I remembered and the flavor was not as berry. I tried another one. Yep, there's definitely something different about these. I can only assume that the recipe has changed to make way for cheaper ingredients. Very sad.

In other news, I finally got to the Newtown Chocolatier this weekend. I took a photo of my selections, but I can't seem to access it. The store is a cute little jewelbox in a strip mall. The windows are covered with black curtains to protect the chocolate, but frankly, it feels like you're walking into a less-than-reputable house of business. The selection is small-- just one case of chocolates-- but they're all handmade and delicious looking. I got a dark chocolate covered orange peel cluster that was lovely: fresh and fruity; a dark vanilla cream: again, very fresh and a very distinct vanilla taste; an espresso truffle-- strong and dark; a champagne truffle-- yum!; and an almond caramel cluster which was divine. So good in fact, that I'm about to make a Candy Yum Yum! pronouncement:

Almonds are the ultimate candy nut

Everything about them is perfect for combining with chocolate. They're smoky and flavorful. They have great texture and crunch. They go well with milk or dark. I heart almonds.

Booze for the kids

Will you getta look at these beauties! The photograph was taken by Sue, my kick-ass, firefighter, garden-guru friend. She wrote to me last week and said, "Have you ever heard of Wine Gums?" In fact I had. I've seen them at the candy table at the British Invasion car show I used to go to every year and I always *almost* bought them. I didn't quite know what to make of them, though, so I never ended up buying them. But when Sue mentioned them, I figured it was high time. I assumed I'd have to go to the British import store, so imagine my surprise when I found them in Stop & Shop!
I was pretty psyched because the box has drawings of the candies labeled with (what I thought were) the flavors: Chablis, Port, Claret, Hock. (Wait ... what the heck is Hock?) I was surprised when we opened the package and there were even more flavors represented: Gin, Rioja, and a few others. But here's the thing: there was an orange gin and a red gin. A purple port and a yellow port. Huh?
I took one of the purple ones with a gin and gave it a chew. Definitely not gin. More like black currant (which I have to say is quickly becoming one of my favorite candy flavors). I've been trying to figure out what to compare them to. Here's Sue's take on the whole thing:

I couldn't help thinking they were like Swedish fish. The flavors were bright and pleasing but the food snob in me wanted them to really be wine flavored or cocktail flavored, or perhaps at least gooseberry, or kiwi. The texture is really the best part. I love chewy candy, even better if they don't stick to your teeth. Also, "Hock" is short for Hocheimer which is a German varietal wine. This makes me think that I would rather be in Germany, on the Rhine at a small restaurant drinking hock and eating schnitzel. MMMMMMMMM....

She's right about the chew. It's unusual. Not too chewy and I think a little stiffer than a Swedish fish. Not as greasy, either. More of a waxy taste. These remind me of some type of gummy candy, but I just can't place it. Kind of a like a gumdrop without the sugar? Hmm. I'll have to ponder this some more. And I have no idea what the whole booze theme is about, since they don't taste anything like wine or spirits and don't list anything remotely close in the ingredients. Any Brits out there care to shed some light on these things?

STOP THE PRESS! It just came to me: Dots! They're the same texture as Dots. Phew. Now I can get on with my day.

Notes from the Field: Liesel von Schokolat discovers the Kinder Egg

Just got this dispatch from one of the little von Schokolats:

Aunt Patti,

I love it here. Not only is Germany beautiful but thechocolate is great. Yesterday I had a Kinder Egg and it was great. It had milk choclate on the outside and white chocolate on the inside. It was the perfect match. Then when you got to the center there was a toy. I loved it.

I asked her what the toy was and she said it was a Sponge Bob eraser. WHAT?? Since when did Kinder Eggs go all commercial. I remember the toys being really cool, like a little gnome or a funky truck. So sad.

The next Caldecott winner

The first official Candy Yum Yum! poll has closed and the results are in. Your favorite childhood summer candy is: PIXY STIX! Yay! They beat out wax bottles by one vote. So I declare today the official Candy Yum Yum Pixy Stix Day.
On the other end of the spectrum, no one voted for the lowly Circus Peanut. I feel like I need to give comfort to this misunderstood candy. I thought about writing a poem, but my creativity has been inhibited by too much wine last night and not enough sleep. Since I'm pretty up on my children's literature, though, I've decided to write a story. Envision this as a board book, with bright pictures.

Who Will Share My Circus Peanuts?

Lucky Henri! He has a bag of Circus Peanuts.

Henri is a good boy, so he wants to share his candy with someone.

"Daddy, do you want a Circus Peanut?"

"No way!" says Daddy. "I hate those things!"

"Mommy, do you want a Circus Peanut?"

"No thank you, Henri. I'm busy eating this Goldenberg's Peanut Chew."

"Who will share my Circus Peanuts?"

"Well," thought Henri. "It is shaped like a peanut. Maybe Mr. Elephant would like one."

"Mr. Elephant, would you like a Circus Peanut?"

"Why sure, little Henri, I'll try one. Yuck! These taste like banana. I don't like banana. Why don't you give one to Mr. Monkey."

"Mr. Monkey, would you like a Circus Peanut?"

"I'll try one, Little Henri. Yuck! These are chewy! I don't like chewy!"

"Who will share my Circus Peanuts?" cried Henri. And then he had an idea.

"Grandma, will you share my Circus Peanuts?"

"Of course, Little Henri. They're my favorite!"

And so Grandma and Henri sat on the porch and shared a bag of Circus Peanuts.

THE END

Why I'm not a Buddhist

Brian's reading some crazy-ass Buddhism book called "Sit Down and Shut Up" by Brad Warner. He pointed out this gem to me.
An early writing by Dogen (from like 1100 A.D. or some such time) lists proscriptions for students studying Buddhism. Here they are, with my comments:

Don't read or chant too much. Reading, I don't do too much. Chanting, not a problem.
Don't overwork. Okay, if you insist.
Don't eat onions. Seriously, I eat onions practically every day. But I suppose I could give them up.
Don't eat meat. I do eat meat, but I've been a vegetarian before and could do it again.
Don't drink too much milk. I never drink milk.
Don't drink alcohol. Oh boy. This is dangerous territory. I could probably do it, but it would suck.
Don't eat too many olives. No prob. I hate olives.
Don't eat fungi. Eh, it won't kill me to give up the occasionally stuffed mushroom.
Don't watch dancing women. My eyes! My eyes!
Don't pay attention to matters of fortune and fame. Probably good advice.
Don't be associated with eunuchs or hermaphrodites. As far as I know, I'm not. But really, we shouldn't discriminate.
Don't have too much candy. WHAT???? WHAT???? Sorry dude, I'm out. Buddhism ain't the way for me.

And so, the path has been chosen for me. Call me a heretic, but candy comes first over the seven-fold path.
(Just so you don't think I'm a complete heathen, I am easily able to follow one of the next rules: Don't stare at the ocean, bad pictures, hunchbacks or puppets.)

Notes From the Field: The Baron's gentle New World taste

After a few days of silence, the Baron has checked in with his latest findings:

We will pick up some of the licorice over here. It is like Swedish fish. But rather than just being black licorice it is coated in salt. Really like it but only 3 to 5 fish at a time. Too much salt for my gentle New World taste. As for some chocolate, Michelle picked up some Mozart balls in Austria for you. They were amazing!! Melt in your mouth. We bought one for us to try.

Ah, fantastic! I actually had the pleasure of Mozart chocolates when I was in Austria. The maid put one on my pillow every night. What a glorious trip that was ... my first press trip, a two-level room in a five-star hotel, dinner at the Sacher Hotel, a mind-numbing trip to the silver museum, gastrointestinal distress from the coffee .... hmm, maybe it wasn't so fantastic after all. But the chocolate was fabulous. Can't wait to try the Mozarts again! MMMM!

I've been ripped off!

Last night I scarfed the bag of Dark Chocolate Peanut m&ms I scored at the grocery store the other day. My initial thought was that they weren't as "sexy" as I hoped. They were more like less-sweet m&ms than dark-n-delicious m&ms. But they were still good. So good, in fact, that I found myself wanting more after the bag was done. It seemed to disappear awfully fast. That's when I looked at the serving size. The bag was 1.50 oz as compared to a bag of regular peanut m&ms, which are 1.74. I want my extra .24 ounce, thank you!
I've been having major chocolate cravings lately, but I've tried to keep in control. I really need to find something that's rich and super-chocolatey that will satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm open to suggestions.

No, they're not real!

Check these out-- they're beads! This photo almost looks like a Wayne Theibaud painting. Very cool. I'd buy some if I could think of what to do with them, but I'm afraid they'd just make me want to eat more chocolate!