A love that was meant to be

I live with a decidedly non-candy addict. Oh sure, he likes really good dark chocolate, but when it comes to good old check-out counter candy, he's clueless, with the exception of Mounds and Mike & Ike's, which he'll occasionally indulge in. (How's that for candy choices? But I digress.) He's constantly saying to me, "I don't get it. Why the obsession with candy bars when you can have real chocolate?" And my answer is, if you don't get it, I can't explain it. It's about nostalgia and comfort food and fun. So when the bucket of PayDays arrived a couple of weeks ago, his response was, "Yuck. I hate those." Good, I thought, all the more for me, but then I asked him, "Have you ever tried one?"

A ha. He hadn't. Not that he could remember anyway. So after work one day, he acquiesced and decided to try one.

Fast forward to last night. He came home from work and immediately went for the bucket. "PayDays are my new favorite candy bar," he declared. "I like them even more than Mounds." Holy cow! Call the mayor! Ring the church bells! He likes them, he really likes them! And then there was this in my in-box this morning; the subject was simply "PayDays":



I brought one in to eat after lunch, but it keeps calling to me from it's spot beside my monitor. Oh, sweet siren call! I am powerless to resist…
…mmm, peanuts and caramel….



And so there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. I truly believe there is a candy for everyone. Sometimes it just takes some searching.

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.

Yumtastic news!

I seriously have about ten thousand things I should be doing right now, but I had to stop and let you know about this new thing that Hershey's is doing because it sounds so yummy fantastic. You can order Reese's, Twizzlers, Good & Plenty and Pay Days hot off the factory conveyor belt. (Well, not hot because then you'd have melted candy, but you know what I mean.) They'll ship you a box of these goodies within 96 hours of them being made. This just gives the taste-tester in me goose bumps. How would super-fresh Reese's compare with a pack you buy at the grocery store? I'll let you know as soon as I find out. In the meantime, you can get more info at their website, www.hersheygifts.com.