Guest Review from Liesl von Schokolat:: Extra Dessert Delights

Today's guest review is from Liesl von Schokolat, who has found a new gum that she likes.

I was in French the other day when the class was asked "Would any one like to try a piece of Strawberry Shortcake or Mint Choclate Chip Ice Cream gum?" I was like woah, woah, woah wait, there is an ice cream flavored gum? That is so cool!! So being the chocoholic that I am, I tried the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Gum. I thought it was really good. It surprisingly tasted like ice cream. Later that weekend my mum, The Baroness, and I were walking through WalMart and I saw the gum. It is an Extra gum and get this, it is sugar free. Ironic isn't it? None the less, I bought a pack because it was so good, but now my purse smells like Mint Chocolate Chip.

I Got Presents!

If you think I'm looking a little more fashionable lately, it's not a trick of the eye. Check out this super cool backpack that Gretl von Schokolat made for me. She made this beautiful bag, complete with Chips Ahoy, Fun Dip and M&M wrappers, from her own wild imagination. Totally cute, right? She is one talented Chiclet.And then today, No-Nuts said, "I have a present for you." I had just driven to the far stretches of Connecticut, along one of the longest, most boring roads you could ever imagine, to dump off her mattress, box spring and bottles of booze she left in my freezer "Collected Works of Shakespeare." Yes, she has flown the coop and entered the real world. So she handed me this bag:Oh how sweet! A Pandora bracelet. Or necklace. Or ring. Or ... a bag of Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits and two very sketchy pieces of candy she got from the international crowd she works with.I've pondered trying the Skittles for a while now, but was never motivated enough to actually seek them out. The flavors are Berry Punch, Melon Berry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Wild Cherry. They look like regular Skittles, except they're covered in a powdery substance that actually does fizzle on your tongue, similar to the center of a Zotz. I thought the Berry Punch was pretty gross, but the other flavors were good. I wouldn't choose these over Sour Patch Kids, but I wouldn't turn them away if someone gave me a package for, say, lugging their crap halfway across the state.
The other two candies have nary a trace of English on them, nor do they have a recognizable fruit. Given my recent experience with international candy, I'm hesitant to try them. I think I'll save them for another night when I'm feeling a bit braver, or after I've had a few shots of Shakespeare.

Guest Review: Vomit, Chalk and Chewy String

I sent the Wee von Schokolats a package of various candies from the assortment that I received from the NCA Sweets & Snacks Expo. This is stuff that I normally wouldn't eat, so I thought I'd let the experts do the talking on this one. Without further ado, a very honest review from Liesl von Schokolat:

The candy that we got was very interesting to say the least. The X-treme Sour candy tasted like vomit if you ignored the taste and chewed a bit longer it then tastes like cherry. The inside of the X-treme Sour is jelly and it is SOUR!!!
The Chocolate Necco Wafers were terrible-- they tasted like chalk. The only people who would like them is the people who are addicted to chalk. There is a very slight aftertaste of chocolate, but only I, Liesl, the chocohalic tasted it. LOL.
The Rips Whips were really good and fun to play with. Gretl made a bracelet with the candy and then ate it. She said that the candies did not taste good all together. The Baroness tried it and decided that they weren't worth the calories and spit it out. She said it tasted like chewy string with a cherry flavor. The Sour spray was very, very, very sour!!! It tasted like green apple and it made the Baron's tongue really dry. Warning: DO NOT SPRAY IN EYES.The Fini tennis balls were gums that were very sour at first, but didn't have a taste. It had a really stale texture with a weak sweet lemon flavor. It was like chewing on a slightly softer Gobstopper and it hurt our jaws to chew. The gum was very cute though.
Last but not least, the candy that I have recently eaten was a Triple Chocolate Twix bar. It was so good. It was like fudge on top of a yummy cookie. I loved it. The other Von Schoklats did not like it though, "too chocolatey" they said. Oh well they don't know what they are missing. :)

Brazilian Candy: It's Like John Mayer--Not Very Attractive, But Really Good

After two months of sampling the best food that America has to offer (Oreos and giant jawbreakers), the Von Schokolats' exchange student "Manfred" shared a Brazilian candy recipe with them. "We all really enjoyed it," said the Baroness. "Great flavor and crunch. Not very attractive, but really good."

Here's the recipe, in an unedited, translated from Portuguese kind of way.

Negrinho

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp butter

2 generous spoons of cocoa

Put above in a pan and cook until thick

Pull off heat and put in half a can (from condensed milk) of honey.

Break biscotti into thirds (see picture below). Put them in the mixture and stir well. Place on a plate and put in refrigerator until cool. Take out and eat.

Guest Review: Snickers Fudge and Milky Way Simply Caramel

The Von Schokolats have taken time out of their busy schedules to do a taste test of the latest offerings from Mars. (The candy manufacturer, that is; not the planet.)
(If you've been paying attention, you'll notice another name amongst the crowd. Let me introduce Manfred, the Von Schokolats' exchange student from Brazil.)

Milky Way Simply Caramel

Liesl: very thick, stuck to my braces

Manfred: spit it out after about 2 seconds of chewing (ew!)

The Baron : Nothing special, I wouldn't buy it

Gretl : Tastes like caramels. Don't like it; it's too sticky.

The Baroness : Tastes like a Caramello. No big deal, very disappointing.

Snickers Fudge

The Baron : Don't like the texture at the beginning. Slight peanut butter taste. No fudge texture or flavor.

Liesl : Chocolatety deliciousness, crunchy, I think I ate my elastic, very thick

Manfred : Good, but you wouldn't want to eat too much of it.

Gretl : Tastes like ... nothing. It's a rip off on a Snickers.

The Baroness : I was very excited to try this as Snickers are my favorite candy bar. However, this one left a gritty feeling in my mouth. There wasn't enough caramel and I was very disappointed. I would prefer a regular Snickers!

Wacky Candies! Chocolate-Covered Pomegranate Seeds and Blueberry Yogurt Discs

One of the good things about Christmas is that I'm more apt to "splurge" on little things that I wouldn't necessarily buy on a normal day. Little Gretl von Schokolat loves pomegranates, so naturally when I saw these chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds at Trader Joe's, I had to get them. She doesn't like dark chocolate, but she said they were really good. "First it tastes like dark chocolate," she said, "but then you get this pomegranate burst."
I asked The Baron what he thought about them and he said he didn't like them, but then admitted that he was just shoving fistfuls of them in his mouth and not really enjoying the pomegranate experience. I still have no sense of taste, so I can't give my two cents. I have a feeling that, as a novelty for a pom lover, these are fun, but if you're looking for some serious chocolate, these wouldn't satisfy the need.The other thing of interest was this tin of Blueberry Blast yogurt candies. I bought these for the Sugar Baby because a) He's into planets (especially Saturn, but who isn't, really?); b) he loves blueberries; and c) I thought the tin was cute.
I actually thought these were going to be little dried blueberries with a yogurt couverture, but nope, they were so not that. I really think the front of the tin should give some indication that you're getting actual candy, not something yogurt-covered. They were little compressed sugar disks, like miniature Sweettarts. If you like blueberry, you'll love these. The berry taste was right on and the yogurt gave it a nice tang. I don't have the package here next to me, and to be quite honest, I'm just too lazy to go upstairs and get it, but if you're looking for a compressed candy that has no artificial flavors or colors, this is for you. I'd love to see these in other flavors, like orange or lime. In any case, the Sugar Baby chowed them all down in one sitting. Portion control is not his strong suit.

Now I Can Say I've Been Covered in Chocolate

Every family has their post-Thanksgiving tradition. Some people go shopping on Black Friday; others go get their Christmas tree. In the Haus von Schokolat, our annual ritual is to go to the Apollo Day Spa.
This year, while everyone else was getting massages, I was the guinea pig for the chocolate body polish. Yes indeedy, you heard me right. Chocolate.
When we first walked into the spa, No-Nuts was very skeptical. "What's that smell?" she asked. "I hope that's not your chocolate thing, because it smells like burnt pretzel." I thought it was more like burnt popcorn, but apparently it was a cranberry candle. In any case, it wasn't my chocolate scrub, thankfully.
Everyone was wondering what this was going to be like. They had visions of me sitting in a bathtub full of melted chocolate or slathered with it and wrapped up in a warm cocoon. Nope. Here's the deal: I laid down on my stomach and got all relaxed and then the woman doing my treatment (the owner) spread some exfoliating stuff on my back. I instantly smelled like brownie mix. It was wonderful. She said they use a neutral exfoliant base and then add cocoa powder and cocoa butter. She rubbed it into my skin, then put me into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes wiped it off with hot towels. Then I got to go soak in an old-fashioned tub filled with bubbles and rose petals. After that, I got all moisturized and had a bonus pomegranate face peel (my skin still feels incredible). (Add some green M&M's and champagne, and they could sell this package as an aphrodisiac special in February.)
They say cocoa is good for the skin, and I have to say, it made me feel like a new person. If you feel like trying it at home, here were some suggestions from my chocolate spa goddess: make a paste of FINE sea salt (that's key, to use fine versus coarse sea salt), cocoa, cocoa butter and some oil. If you want, (and you're not allergic!) you can use a fancy nut oil. I'm thinking some coconut and almond oil would be really cool: an Almond Joy exfoliant. She also said you can make it edible by using sugar instead of salt. Oooh la la. Does it get any more decadent than that?

Revisiting M&M's Premiums

I try not to use the self-checkout at the grocery store because 1) I want to create jobs for people, not reduce them and 2) Something always goes wrong and I have to wait for the wasteoid stoned teenager with the scraggly goatee to come help. I didn't have much choice the other day though when I was buying the incredibly stereotypical milk, eggs and bread. It was either wait in a ridiculously long line for a human check-out person, or do the self-serve. As I was trying to scan my card, I noticed a box top popping out from the other side of the impulse purchase rack. It was a small box of M&M's Premiums in Triple Chocolate.
I've written about the Premiums before. Here I was shocked at the price. In this post, the Baroness bought some mint ones and I decided they tasted like a peppermint patty. Then the Baron shocked us all with his review, and then Liesl set the record straight and said she really liked them.
Frankly, I couldn't remember what I thought of them, so I grabbed a box. (Very impulsive of me.)
Here it is, my final decision: these are wrong.
To be labeled an M&M, in my book anyway, you must have a hard candy shell. I was taken aback by the waxy soft coating on these. It was shocking, kind of like if you guzzle a glass of water only to find out that it was pure vodka, as a certain guitar store owner's three-year-old daughter did recently.
These are fine as stand-alone candies, but as "M&M's," they just don't work. You need that combination of crunchy slick shell with creamy milk chocolate.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Trident Layers: One Hit, One Miss

Trident has a new gum line, Trident Layers, that come in two flavors: WildStrawberry&TangyCitrus and Greenapple&Goldenpineapple. I mailed some samples to the gum-tasting sector of Candy Yum Yum and here's their report:

The gum-tasting von Schokolats have tasted again. The gum sent to us this time by Madame Yum Yum was Trident Layers Greenapple + Goldenpineapple. I thought this gum wasn't that bad. The gum wasn't really sour but kind of had a boring taste. It had a really strong pineapple taste that overpowered the apple taste. Gretl thought that the gum tasted like a body mist that she uses. The Baron said that he liked this gum and the Baroness said that the gum was sour and yucky but it got better as you chewed it. She also thought that the pineapple taste overpowered the apple. This gum looked very pretty. It was a yellow piece of gum that had a green stripe in between the yellow.
The second gum we tried was Trident Layers Wildstrawberry + Tangycitrus. I thought that this gum was very sour and tough. The taste reminded me of medicine and the second layer tasted gross. Gretl thought that the gum was sour and tasted good. The Baron criticized this gum as just gum and nothing special while the Baroness liked the gum and thought it tasted like strawberries after you had chewed for a while. This gum starts out hard and gets softer as you chew. The gum looks really pretty. It is pink with a red stripe in the middle.
Yours truly,
Liesl von Schokolat

So there's the official review from the gum crew. Now here's my two cents: I really liked the Greenapple&Goldenpineapple. The pineapple taste was prominent (which is why I liked it), and only got the apple taste after chewing for a while. It was fruity, juicy ... a delicious gum!
The Wildstrawberry&Tangycitrus, however, was a different story. The first taste I noticed was musky strawberry, then cool mint, then zippy citrus. I couldn't help but think of the "three-course dinner" gum from Willy Wonka. I would certainly choose this over tomato soup, roast beef and blueberry pie gum, but on its own, it just isn't for me.
So there you have it. Will you like it? You'll have to try it for yourself.

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?

Mexican Candy: A Poop Theme

As I mentioned previously, The Connection brought me a bag of crazy candy from Mexico, which was incredibly thoughtful. The only thing was, I just couldn't bring myself to try it because I was afraid of swine flu tasting them. So I did the next best thing: I passed it all onto the Baron.

Pelon Pelon Rico:
Gretl says:
"Looks like something that comes out of the Sugar Baby's diaper. It's really bad, EW!"

The Baron says: "Really hard to dispense. It may be date or fig. Doesn't have a very good texture. Salty and gritty."

Limon 7: (not pictured)
Gretl says: "Smells like tires and I'm afraid to eat it, so I'll give it to Daddy to try it."

The Baron: "It tastes like Margarita salt mix for the rim of the glass. I'm not sure it's supposed to be candy?!"

Rellerindos
The Baron: "Looks like dog poop. You put this in your mouth? I'm not sure I want to play this game anymore!" (With this review, no one else in the family would try it.)

Veto Elotes
The Baron: "Gag, cough. Very salty. Sorry, can't get past the salt." He spit it out and washed his mouth out with water. "This is the lollipop that you give your kids when they are bad!" After the gag and the cough, no one else would try it.
Duvalin:
The Baron: "It's like cake icing, but with a thicker texture." He liked this one and didn't want to share.

Mini cow tales (not pictured, because these weren't supposed to be a sample. I had included a box of Mini Cow Tales for Memaw, who likes Bullseyes, which are similar.)
The Baron: "They don't have enough white stuff in them."

There you have it. Sorry Mexico. You may have good food, but your candy is really scary and gross leaves something to be desired.

Fair Warning: This Ain't Pretty

It's been a way busy summer here at the old Yum Yum headquarters, so I've had to dole out some of my stash to the wee Von Schokolats to review. First up, Tung Toos, Candy Tongue Art. I think this might be one of those candies that, in 30 years, people will be saying, "Hey, remember those tattoos you'd put on your tongue?" And someone will respond, "Oh yeah! I remember those. What were they called?" Kinda like Garbage Pail Kids or Freshen Up gum.
In any case, these tattoos are cherry, watermelon, lemonade, raspberry, strawberry and apple-flavored and come in different designs such as sports balls, princessy things like castles and wands, and the ever-popular vehicles of war (tanks and planes and helicopters and such).
First of all, let me just say that when I read the ingredients, I wasn't thrilled. They are:
Natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, edible ink (otherwise known as artificial colors) and aspartame. Now I know, a lot of candies are made with these ingredients. It's just that, I don't know, all that artificial stuff without at least something nutritionally beneficial seems a bit wrong. But I suppose wax lips and Nik-L-Nips never did any damage to us as kids, so there you go.
On to the reviews.

Gretl: "It's sour and it tastes bad"

Liesl: "It's sour first, then sweet. Good flavor."

The Baron: "Though the picture looks like a turd, it's supposed to be a football. It is burning my tongue, YUCK!"

No-Nuts just put a blue raspberry boat on her tongue and said, "It tastes good. For a second. Now it tastes totally fake."

These would probably be a fun party favor at the kids' next sleepover or your college-student's next kegger.

Candy Milestone: Sugar Baby's First Wax Bottle and Candy Stick

The Sugar Baby and I just got back from four days at the Von Schokolat Estate. Along the way, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch, where I of course bought some candy. Whilst perusing the old-timey candy, a worker came up to us and held out a tray. "Would you like to try a wax bottle?" she asked.
What?! Who offers wax bottles as samples?!
The Sugar Baby took one (red, of course, as he's decided he will only eat red things) and looked at it. This was where my parenting skills fell apart. I probably should've just bit the top off for him told him to chug the juice, but instead I tried to explain the procedure to him. He bit the top off, then proceeded to stuff the entire bottle in his mouth. He was chewing away with a perplexed look on his face; I finally had to extract the wax out with my finger. I can only imagine what he was thinking.
We moved onto lunch, where I had a pork chop and he had one bite of a grilled cheese before he discovered the little golf tee-peg game on the table. It kept him amused enough so I could actually eat my own lunch. On our way out, the lady offered him another bottle, but I declined. I didn't need him on a wax bottle sugar high for the rest of the drive. Instead, I bought him his very first candy stick which he relished in a matter of minutes, and then he played air drums and counted cell phone towers until he finally crashed.
Next post: what I bought for myself.

Guest Review: The Wee Von Schokolats Chew the fat Gum

I've said it before: I'm not much for gum. Mostly because I tend to lose my composure when chewing it and then I suddenly realize that I'm chomping like a cow and cracking and snapping it. Very unflattering. So when I was offered the opportunity to try some of the new flavors of Orbit gum, I hesitated. But then I thought, hey, why the heck not?! (And, I'll be frank. I've been having a bit of a bad breath problem lately. Don't know why. Just am.) So a little gum couldn't hurt.

Well, a little gum turned out to be a lot of gum, so I got the idea to have some real gum experts do the reviewing. The wee von Schokolats, Liesl (13) and Gretl (11), were given the task of tasting and reviewing an array of chewy goodness. Without further ado, here are their observations, as noted by Liesl.

While we are here at the von Schokolats' Estate, abandoned by the Baron and Baroness who have gone to Florida and left us behind, we have tried the gum that was sent to us. [Editor's note to the Department of Family Services: the wee ones weren't left to their own devices. Grammy and Grampy were there, too.] We tried many gums, but when you first bit into it, it was as hard as rock.

When we tried the Orbit Peppermint Spray we both agreed that the taste is like that of the Orbit Winter Mint gum but with a little more jazz.

The Orbit Mango Spray on the other hand, we disagree on. I believe that it has a vile taste and that it is too sour, while Gretl enjoyed the taste and dubbed it very mangoey and very sour.

The Orbit Watermelon Spring was, in my opinion, too sour to even keep in my mouth for a second. Gretl thought it tasted good, but that it tasted more like kiwi.

The Orbit Pomegranate gum has a weird smell. It almost smells like a soap that the Sugar Baby and a lot of other kids would use. Gretl believes that it taste like the gum already in stores, Strawberry Kiwi gum. I believe that it smells like a lady's deodorant and tastes like Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum that gets more sour as you chew.

The Extra Berry Smoothie Gum tastes very strong and has some sort of zing; Gretl thinks that the gum tastes like blackberry.

My favorite gum was the Orbit Peppermint Spray and my least favorite was the Orbit Pomegranate.

Gretl's favorite was the Orbit Mango Spray.

***
Thank you for your reviews, girls. Now a couple more questions.

If you could invent a gum, what would it be?

If I could invent a gum it would would be called Yum-a-licious. It would taste like a dark chocolate truffle that was filled with chocolate. My gum would also be able to make huge bubbles and half of the profit would go to some sort of charity.

Gretl's gum would be called Melgo Gum. It would be minty but you would get a splash of mango every once in awhile.

Have you ever had a memorable experience involving gum?

The only experience with gum that I had is chewing it with my braces on. (For all those who don't or never had braces, this is a HUGE no no!) Gretl's experience with gum was getting in trouble after church because she swallowed her gum and Grammie got mad.

Out of the mouths of babes, dear Yumsters.

As for me ... I actually really liked the Peppermint Spray. Very minty, without stinging. It also had a nice undernote of milky vanillaness that I liked. I actually found myself craving this gum after I tried it the first time. It would most definitely be my gum of choice.

And I totally agree with Gretl that the Extra Berry Smoothie tasted like blackberry. As for the mango and watermelon, well, I can't really judge. I really don't like those flavors in much of anything. And the pomegranate? I wouldn't say ladies' deodorant. But it did have a somewhat floral nature to it.

What do you think about gum? Do you have a favorite? And how do you chew it discreetly? I'd love to hear your advice. And if any of the von Schokolats' teachers are reading, how about giving them a little extra credit this week?

Like a Blind Man Reviewing a Movie

The Baroness bought me these on her recent trip to Florida:They're Coco Rhum Bites-- "Delicious Rum Flavored Coconut Treats-- Crushed Vanilla Wafers and Cocoa Dipped in Rich Chocolate." Don't they sound yummy? (Although I think they probably meant to write "Coconut," not Cocoa on the package. I mean, that sounds kind of weird to have chocolate-covered cocoa, and then leave the main ingredient-- coconut-- off the description.)
Well, I've been told they are delicious (by Mr. Goodbar) but I can't tell you myself because ... well ... I sort of gave up chocolate for Lent. I know, I know! I've heard it already-- how am I supposed to write this blog if I can't eat chocolate for 40 days? First of all, I have a back log of posts, so this will be a good time to catch up. And second, I'm being kind of specific in my giving-upedness. I've actually given up candy BARS, not necessarily "candy." So technically I could try one of these Coco Rhum Bites, since it isn't a bar but more like a ball. But there's something to be said about cleansing one's palate (and intestines) of chocolate for a bit. Let's look upon this as an experiment. When the 40 days are up, will chocolate taste different? Will I gorge on candy bars, or will I be more selective? It will be interesting to see. But the real question of course is, can I really do it?
This weekend Mr. Goodbar and I went out to dinner after our guitar lessons (more on this later, perhaps) and the woman at the table next to us was enjoying a glass of wine. "Six days into Lent," she said, pointing to the glass. "I gave up alcohol. I couldn't do it. Now I'll just give up the hard stuff."
So I suppose when it comes to self-imposed abstinence, we all fudge it a little. (Mmmmm, fudge!)

Wild Times With French Chocolate

Part of the fun at Thanksgiving was getting to try all the fancy schmancy chocolates that Memaw brought back from Paris. Of course, it would've been a more memorable experience had I not been sauced the whole time. In any case, I do remember that these were my favorites of all the candies. Check it out: lumpy, bumpy fruits and nuts. The orange peel in these babies was soooo good. Fruity, tangy, sweet and sour. So good.

Then we tried these: the Valrhona tasting pack. Fortunately I took notes. The first one, Manjari, was tangy at the back of the tongue. Tainori, yummmm. Caraibe: the Baron said dark, earthy, like very black coffee. Leisl von Schokolat said it was like dirt or plastic. Mr. Goodbar said it was milky with an explosion of rich cocoa.

Guanaja: tannic

Alpaco: Mr. Goodbar said it was slightly metallic; No-Nuts said it was really good

Abinao: was very dry and sucked all the moisture out of my tongue.

My one complaint is that these squares were no where big enough for tasting, and as a professionally-trained taste tester, I should know.

So we ate the chocolate, then drank some more. No-Nuts taught us how to play beer soda pong, and then things got wacky. Hi-jinx ensued. And then this happened. Warning: you might want to shield your eyes. It's frightening, it's nauseating, and it might not be here for long once Mr. Goodbar gets wind of it. It's what happens when men mix beer and chocolate:

Candy Kitchen

Even though the cupboards were chock full o' Whoopie Pies (oh wait, that's not true. The Baron ate them all), the energetic Lake Glory Hi campers decided to attempt to make homemade Snickers and Peppermint Patties.

We chopped, we melted, we layered and refrigerated. We followed the dang recipes to a T and what did we get? A giant pan of break-your-teeth Snickers and lots of peppermint-flavored patties o' goop. What went wrong?? In the case of the Snickers, apparently we melted the caramel too long because when it set up, it became like shards of sticky evil glass that magnetized to any and all fillings in our teeth. Quite a disappointment, because otherwise, these would've been pretty darn good.

As for the Peppermint Patties-- who knows what went wrong. All I know is they weren't dippable (they crumbled under the weight of the chocolate, even after we added oil to thin the chocolate out), and we couldn't even just drizzle them. It was a very messy undertaking, and now the Baroness is stuck with lots of leftover weird ingredients that she'll never have another use for.

Lesson learned. Shell out the $1 and just buy a stinkin' pre-made candy bar.

Making Whoopie!

Back in June, I sent the von Schokolats on a quest to find a Whoopie Pie bakery* I'd read about. They went, and the Baron sent his whiny review. Good thing I didn't trust what he had to say, or I would've missed out on the pure chocolate ecstasy known as a "Whoop-de-Doo."


First of all, the Baron complained that it took him forever to find it in Freeport. All I have to say is, OPEN YOUR EYES! Okay, so it wasn't located right next to the Gap or the Mangey Moose. But it's not like it was shoved down some back alley with no sign. It was right on the corner next to the Town Hall.

The place only sells Whoopie Pies (well, and some muffins), but the scene stealer was the display of gigantic Whoopie Pies. Gretl had gotten one for her birthday and boy, were they huge.


On this visit, we opted to get a six-pack because, well, how could you not with flavors like mint, oatmeal, strawberry, lemon, chocolate chocolate and peanut butter?! I, however, was most interested in the Whoop-de-Doos, little chocolate-covered Whoopie Pies. The Baron and the Baroness both agreed that it was no big deal, that it tasted like a Ring Ding, but still, I had to try it. Oh how wrong they were! This was so much better. Imagine, chocolate cake with fluffy white filling covered in oozy dark chocolate. Bliss, I tell you, Bliss! Liesl agreed with me. This little piece of heaven was enough to satisfy my Whoopie Pie urges, so the only other ones I sampled were the lemon and mint, both of which were very good.

Of course, despite the Baron's negative review last time, he did manage to get in a few good chomps of each Whoopie Pie, and he determined the lemon to be the best. Whatever.


*It's called Isamax Snacks, which is a dreadful name for a bakery. Apparently it's named after the owners two children, but frankly it sounds like a corporate food service rather than a yummy-cakey-chocolatey bakery.

Sweet Dreams

Every summer the Sugar Baby and the wee von Schokolats get together to create "Camp Glory Hi at Lake I" (an anagram of the girls' names) and we do all sorts of crafty, messy stuff. This year, the girls got a head start before we arrived and with a few scraps of fabric and a wicked hot glue gun, they made these awesome candy pillows.

But apparently the spirits of A.C. Moore, Michael's and Joanne weren't with me, because the rest of camp quickly progressed downhill. (Can you sense the doom?) Stay tuned to read all about our attempts to make home made Snickers and Peppermint Patties.

Guest Review: The Baroness Speaks!

Went to the wonderful Dollar Store yesterday, upon Gretl's request (Liesel stayed in the car, in hopes that no one would see her). We came upon these tasty treats and thought we'd tell you about them. Mr. Yummy Super Duper Gummy Worm has 6 big gummy worms that are individually packaged and very reasonably priced at $1.00, almost a steal! We opened these thinking that it wouldn't be any different then your normal gummy worms. Boy, were we surprised! The outside had a delicious crunchy candy coating and sweet strawberry gummy center. It was actually quite tasty. The Baron, being the romantic that he is, decided that they would be wonderful treats to share with his loved one. (This picture is the third that Liesel took for us, so the worm is about half the size it started at.) (Editor's note: I've positioned this picture at the end so you have the option of looking or not. You might want to skip it.) What fun!

Frankford Make Your Own Gummy Pizza was fun to make, but wasn't that great. The orange shape to the left of the picture is the very tough crust. A small spoon was provided to spread the red gel packet which was a very sour sauce, the cheese packet is the consistency of Pixy Sticks and the small toppings in various shapes were a small version of tastier gummies, that were pretty good if you ate them all by themselves. All put together, it was very nasty. We all took one bite and decided that it wasn't worth the calories to eat anymore.

(Editor's note: This is your last chance to shield your eyes.)