Random Candy Tidbits

There's been a lot going on around here this summer. Or rather, not around here, but everywhere else. We've been on the road a lot and I have all sorts of random candy tidbits to share.
First of all, we spent a week with the von Schokolats and extended family, at which time we divided into two teams and had a huge scavenger hunt. One of the items on the list was a package of Coconut M&Ms. The Baroness was the only one who found them. First she went to Rite Aid, but no luck. Then she went to the dollar store, where she found a display for them, but it was empty. She somehow managed to find the last package in the store. So it was 2 points for the Evil Knievel team. Woo hoo!* Overall, they were a hit. I thought they had that fake suntan lotion kind of coconut taste, so I was a bit disappointed. I don't have a picture, because somewhere along the way, the package got used as a coaster.
During that same trip, "Uncle Subtle" found a candy store and bought me a present: a licorice pipe and Mary Janes. Um, trying to tell me something in code? Nice. (In fact, he had never had Mary Janes before which led to a discussion about them. As they're made by Necco, I suppose they might be a New England thing. I thought everyone knew what Mary Janes were.)

[*Unfortunately, our 2 points for the Coconut M&Ms were negated by the 10 points the Baron won in the drinking contest and the eating contest--Five lobsters in one sitting-- and the 2.5 points won by Uncle Subtle in the marshmallow-and-toothpick construction contest.]Not really candy, but sweet nonetheless: Bazooka Betsy gave No-Nuts a giant box of fortune cookies that she's been saving from all her Chinese take out. Unfortunately, due to the extreme humidity, the cookies became so soft we were able to unfold them into perfect circles. So No-Nuts decided to do a craft project with the fortunes. Strangely enough, there were no duplicates. Perhaps they really are one-of-a-kind fortunes! (Art project is not shown. Actually, art project was never really made.)

And lastly, my partner-in-crime put together a goodie bag for me to get me through the many long drives I've made this summer. Check out these British beauties: Smart Alecs, Aero, Bounty, Milky Bar, Lion, Lee's Chocolate Mint and Galaxy Caramel. I had the Aero on a night I was particularly craving chocolate and it was blissful. I don't understand why Aero bars don't have less calories than other candy bars, though. It seems like they should, considering they're filled with tiny air bubbles. The Galaxy Caramel was particularly exciting, because I've never had one and a friend recently recommended it. She said she had them all the time while she was serving overseas and hasn't had them since then. All I can say is: YUM. This was like the Caramello of yore, when they were actually good and not grainy. The chocolate was smooth and the caramel was all flowy. So good. So there you have it, a few sweet tidbits to start off your week. What about you? Do you have any candy news to share?

For Me? You Shouldn't Have! (But I'm So Glad You Did!!)

Candy is the universal currency of friendship. Why do I say this? Because my friends are always on the lookout for new candy for me to try.

Like my friend Kris. We've known each other pretty much forever. When we were teenagers (before we drove our bitchin' cars-- a Chevette and a Skylark), we'd ride our bikes to McDonald's and I'd get a hamburger which, being all OCD, I'd eat into the shape of a crescent moon. Then we'd hang out at each other's houses and read Sweet Valley High books. Oh, those were the days. Now she lives in Florida and leads an exciting "Sex in the City" kind of life. (Without the city or the $700 shoes.) On one of her most recent jaunts, she went to New Orleans and, despite having many Hurricanes and etouffe, she thought of me and sent me some Blue Frog Chocolates. Yum! This was a nice assortment: raspberry, white chocolate coconut, peanut butter, orange, cappuccino and mint. My favorites were the orange (very citrusy and not too sweet) and the mint, which was so good I wished I had more of, but I'm glad I don't because I'd just eat them all.

And speaking of mint (ah, a nice segue!), I got a surprise from the Sugar Baby's girlfriend's dad. (Yes, he's two and has a girlfriend--Lilly. They were smooching in the sand box the other day. ) I've never met Lilly's dad, but apparently he's a fellow candy aficionado and look what he bought for me: mint Aero balls! WOOHOO! I was so excited. I've been wanting these forever. I'm not a huge fan of Aero bars, but my friend Melissa told me that the balls are totally addicting and yummy ... and she was right. These not only taste good, but they're fun, too. Put one in your mouth and suck on it, and all the air escapes leaving you with a flattened piece of chocolate, like a deflated playground kickball. Hmmm. That's not a very appealing description, is it? But trust me, they were YUM. As evidenced by the fact that they're all gone.

Making lemonade out of lemons (or what to do with the melted package of chocolate)

My friend Melissa has quite possibly one of the best senses of humor around. She'll laugh at anything, from Little Britain to the death scene in that new movie "Evening." We first met in grammar school when she used to draw me pictures and attach little presents to them, like a ring from the gumball machine. She sat next to me in second grade when we had the very evil Ms. Hertel as our teacher (note the Ms., NOT Miss; this was the 70s after all), a statuesque woman who was bitter that she was a teacher and not a model. Anyhow, Melissa was telling me how her kids received a package from her friend in England. As it is summer in Raileigh, North Carolina, the temperature was a balmy 200 degrees, so she was a little dismayed to open it and find packages of molten Aero Bubbles. Not one to be daunted, she and the kids got out some plastic Christmas candy molds and poured the now-liquid chocolate in, making a batch of Aero reindeer heads. Hooray! She said they tasted just like an Aero bar with the added benefit of keeping her kids occupied for five minutes.