My New Obsession: Dark Chocolate Stars

My P.I.C. and I decided that, this year, instead of getting gifts for each others' kids, we'd splurge and give presents to each other. Nothing big, just something fun. Well, howdy doo, guess what I got? A veritable candy feast of Trader Joe's goodies. There's Fleur de Sel caramels, chocolate-covered edamame, chocolate-covered peppermint Joe Joe's and-- hold onto your hats-- dark chocolate-covered shortbread stars.
Back in November, there was a woman behind me in line at TJ's who was buying a whole bunch of boxes of the stars. She said she learned her lesson last year when they sold out. I didn't think much of it, because I'm not a huge shortbread fan. But these are beyond compare. They really don't taste like shortbread. They don't have that huge butter taste and are more thin and crunchy than thick and crumbly. The chocolate is delicious. If these were a candy, they just might be voted the best of 2010. Now I know. Next year I will hoard them.
What about you? What treats did you get for Christmas?

You're Never Too Old for Cupcakes!

A very belated birthday present for my Partner-in-Crime. Yes, her birthday was in August. Yes, I started this painting in July. Yes, she will get it for Christmas.

It's the Time of Year for TPing

My PIC was TP'ed-- that is, Tootsie Popped. Check it out in my article here.

Chocolate Fail.

(From left, Basil-Smoked Sea Salt Olive Oil; Ginger Baby; missing from photo: tequila and wine chocolates.)

My P.I.C. came over last week with a surprise for me: a box of truffles from Christopher Norman Chocolates. Her hubby works near there and gets his coffee there everyday, so when she recently when into the city for a visit, she brought me back some goodies. Yay!
There were four chocolates in the box: some sort of red wine/dark chocolate; ginger; tequila; and Basil-Smoked Sea Salt-Olive Oil. Ready? Okay, here we go. First off, she bought the tequila just to torment me. It's the one alcohol I cannot have. I can't smell it, definitely can't drink it, all due to one bad night in college. She insisted, however, that I would be able to handle this. Sadly, I must report that I couldn't. I had Mr. Goodbar take a nibble and then I smelled it. I couldn't do it. He said it was very good, so if you're a tequila aficionado, go for it! If, however, tequila causes you to hallucinate and give you the shakes, I'd say you might want to try something else. Like the wine chocolate. Now that was tasty. Very smooth dark ganache with a nice red wine kick. That was definitely more my speed.
The ginger was very tasty and very pretty.
And now, the last piece. Visually, it was lovely. And I dig basil and olive oil. But with chocolate? I had my doubts, but also tried to keep an open mind.
I bit off half and gave the other half to Mr. Goodbar. Usually I will love something and he'll hate it, and vice versa. This was one of the very few times we actually agreed on something. It was a serious fail.
I hate to say bad stuff about any chocolate, and especially artisan chocolate, because it's the result of someone's passion. But holy cannoli-- basil, olive oil and chocolate do not marry well. To be completely honest, I actually spit it out. Yes, I spit out a piece of chocolate. Why, why, why do confectioners feel the need to push the envelope all the time? This is a serious question. Bacon, chili powder, lavender ... do we really need to add these things to chocolate? Do they really enhance the already perfect taste of chocolate? Why must everything be over the top? I'm ready for the backlash against all this fancy-pants alchemy. Bring back the simple stuff. Pure chocolate. Basic flavorings like vanilla and caramel. Plain nuts, not curry-dusted or Dead Sea-salted. Am I being too naive? Am I showing myself to be a chocolate hillbilly? Perhaps, but I don't care. Save the basil for pesto with pasta. I want my chocolate straight up.

The Great New York Candy Extravaganza, Part I

It's been almost four years since I've been into the city. The last time I went was before I was pregnant with the Sugar Baby. This is sad, considering I only live 1 1/2 hours away. So when my Partner-in-Crime asked me, "Hey, do you want to go to New York for your birthday?" I jumped all over it. YES! YES! YES! I've been dying to go to Economy Candy on the Lower East Side for such a long time now. And so, I present to you: Taa-daa! Economy Candy. (Note the 24 Hour ATM right next door, just in case you start jonesing for some Mallo Cups or Bit O' Honeys.)Here I am. Look at my face. Do you know what I'm thinking? I'll tell you. 1) I'm in New York City with my P.I.C. on a beautiful fall day! 2) I'm standing in front of a candy store that's packed floor to ceiling with all sorts of goodies; 3) I don't have the Sugar Baby clinging to me saying, "Mommymommymommymommymommy." That glow you see is the pure bliss oozing from my pores.
Where do you even begin? It was pretty crowded so there was no way to map out a plan of attack. We had to just go with the flow. (What's up with the tricycle hanging from the ceiling?)
The iconic giant lollipop. Is there anyone out there who's ever actually eaten one of these things? Let me know! I bought the Sugar Baby a miniature version.
After fully perusing the store and making our selections (I maintained some self-control and only spent $30), we headed out in search of lunch. But not before we saw this:
Yeah, thanks for that, New York. We were unfamiliar with this part of town, so we just started wandering, looking for a place to eat. We wandered, and we wandered ... Oh, there were plenty of cute cafes, but for some reason they were all serving brunch. On a Saturday. At 2 p.m. That is just wrong. Eggs are for Sunday. We walked and walked. Seriously, every restaurant, whether it was Mexican, Turkish or American, was serving omelets and pancakes. It's just not what we were in the mood for. After walking for another HOUR, we finally found sustenance at Rolf's, a German restaurant. Below, the first piece of real food we'd had all day.
Stay tuned for Part II, when we get down to business and I reveal my purchases.