Christmas Gift Idea #2: Made in the U.S.A. candy canes!

You've heard me complain about candy made in China before and at this time of year I always seem to get a few e-mails from people asking about candy canes. I was so excited when I received a press release yesterday about a new candy cane on the market. Check this out: True Blue Candy Canes are red, white and blue candy canes for a cause. Twenty-five percent of profits from the candy canes benefit the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which assists children who have lost a parent in the Marine Corps by allowing them to pursue higher education.

In 2009, Alexander Lynn—just 18 at the time—vowed to help families of U.S. service members after his cousin returned home from a nine-year assignment in the Marine Corps. It was just two weeks before Christmas, and Alexander glanced at his Christmas tree laden with candy canes, and the idea of True Blue Candy Canes dawned on him.

Each True Blue Candy Cane is handcrafted by Hammond’s Candies of Denver. True Blue Candy Canes can be purchased online at truebluecandycanes.com. 

 

Now, as is usually the case, these are more expensive than made-in-China candy canes. They're $9.99 for a box of three (don't choke!), but it should be noted that these are big and substantial. (I haven't tried them, so I can't comment on the taste.) And, of course, $2.50 goes directly to the charity. So it all comes down to how strong your political leanings are.

American Candy Canes

There's always lots of candy news coming my way, but I thought this particular tidbit would be of interest. Spangler has announced it's boosting its candy cane facility in Ohio. This is good news for folks who have to go on a wild goose chase at Christmastime looking for an American-made candy cane. Hooray! And now back to preparations for the upcoming Halloween 2011 season.

Candy Canes & Mistletoe

Christmas Idea #2: Dove Peppermint Bark

This review comes to you courtesy of the Sugar Baby. The folks at Dove send me a little red bag filled with their holiday Peppermint Bark and Caramel Promises.
"You know what we have?" The Sugar Baby keeps saying. "Peppermint Chocolates!"
Yep, these are the Special Treats of the Week in the Candy Yum Yum house. They're a layer of dark chocolate and a layer of white chocolate with crushed candy canes. What's not to love? So I suggest you fill a giant candy dish with them for your co-workers.
I do have one bone to pick, however. Inside each wrapper is a holiday hint from none other than Martha Stewart herself. The very first one I opened said, "Parsnips and Brussels sprouts make a hearty side dish."
Okay, I do not need to have my chocolate experience interrupted with visions of parsnips and-- perhaps the world's worst vegetable-- Brussels sprouts. Talk about being a wet blanket. Fortunately, some of the other tips were more palatable, like "A simmering pot of stew will warm up any occasion." Hahaha, that Martha. She's brilliant.

Christmas Wrap-Up

Check out these cute candy canes my mom found. They have little gummy Christmas characters attached to them. Adorable!
She also found some chocolate-covered mint reception sticks that are-- gasp!-- actually made in the U.S.
I gave one to the Sugar Baby tonight as a special treat and he held it in his hand until it melted into every crevice.

And how on earth could I forget this: guess what the Baroness gave me for Christmas? My very own chocolate fountain! Woohoo! I haven't used it yet and I feel kind of guilty, like I should have it running at all times, just in case someone drops by.

Peppermint Power!

I just saw this: an article on why candy canes are good for you. Hooray! Actually, the study was about the benefits of peppermint oil and I'd be curious to find out how many candy canes contain actual real oil. But hey, maybe ignorance is bliss. So go grab a candy cane off the tree and enjoy!

Pondering the Candy Cane

Isn't this the cutest? The very fabulous June made it; that's her dog Kelly up there. So let's talk candy canes. It's been brought to my attention by the Ice Cube Queen that my other sister Bazooka Betsy is the candy cane aficianado amongst us. When I think back to Christmasses past, I envision Betsy sitting on the couch in her p.j.'s, reading the TV Guide and sucking on a candy cane until it formed a weapons-grade pointy spike.
It seems that No-Nuts has followed in her steps and claims peppermint bark to be her favorite holiday treat. And she made me steal a candy cane off the Christmas tree at the spa so she could enjoy some peppermint refreshment before her massage.
Yesterday I took the Sugar Baby to see Santa Claus. Most parents hesitate at this first meeting. Will their child cry? Scream in terror? Pull Santa's beard? I knew better than to worry. When we got there, Santa was busy talking to some other kids. The Sugar Baby ran right up and started waving at Santa, then leapt onto his lap. Santa gave him a really cute stuffed kangaroo and Mrs. Claus handed him--gasp!-- his very own candy cane.
Forget the chocolate cupcakes, oatmeal cookies, cider and hot chocolate. He wanted his candy cane right there and then! He held it for a while and turned it upside-down and said "Jumping J!" because, you know, he's my little brilliant prodigy. Then he sucked on it for a while and proclaimed, "This is really good!"
When Mr. Goodbar came home from work on Friday, he handed me a candy cane that apparently is filled with chocolate. I haven't eaten it yet; I'll let you know how it goes.
So, dear Yumster, what are your thoughts on candy canes? Do you like the big ones or the little ones? Do you crunch them or suck on them to make them all pointy? Do you like traditional red and white or the fancy new-fangled all different colored and flavored ones?

I cleaned out my candy cupboard!

Well there, I did it. I cleaned out my cupboard. I ditched the candy canes, the half-eaten candy bars and the empty wrappers, although I'm holding onto the candy corn for future still lifes. So let me take this moment to tie up some loose ends.

First, the Seattle Chocolate Extreme Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar with Chocolate Nibs that sat on my desk for a few weeks was really, really good. The nibs were crunchy without being too dry like espresso beans. The chocolate was smooth and yummy. Definitely a winner.

I tried the Big Green Triangle from the UK Gourmet and it was pretty disappointing. I only had a bite. It tasted kind of stale and crumbly, and the hazelnut taste was a little too pronounced. But I'd still eat it over the horrid Seeds of Change Bayano bar (see previous post.) Brian has been slowly eating that foul thing. I was changing Henri's diaper the other day when Brian came up behind me eating a piece of it and I caught a whiff of it. Believe it or not, the chocolate overpowered the diaper. I can smell it a room away and it still makes me gag.

I had a Reese's Fast Break a few weeks ago and it was strangely addicting. I didn't think I liked it at first. The combination of the peanut butter and chewy nougat was weird, but I got used to it. I don't think I'd choose one over a regular Reese's, but it was worth a try.

So now my candy cupboard is bare. What should I fill it with?

Update on all-natural candy canes!

I just got a note from Luna at Pure Fun, the all-natural candy company. They've got a bunch of new products like Jaw Boulders and Barrels of Fun. They also have all-natural candy canes, which I know some readers were looking for this holiday season. The ingredients are natural unrefined sugar, glucose syrup, natural peppermint oil, water and citric acid. The cool thing is, there's no titanium dioxide, which main-stream candy canes use to get their whiteness.