State of candy emergency

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Hooray! For those of you who don't have kids, let me explain what this means. On Sunday night all across the nation, weary parents finally get around to reading their e-mails from the weekend. On this particular Sunday, the e-mail reveals that each day during the upcoming week, little Mary Jane and Baby Ruth have a special assignment to make their teacher feel appreciated. For example, on Monday, each child should bring in a cardboard flower decorated with paint, glue, glitter and so-forth and write why they love their teacher on it. On Tuesday, they should write a poem extolling the virtues of their classroom, and so on and so forth. Tomorrow, the Sugar Baby is supposed to bring in a sweet treat for his teacher. No problem for me, right?
Um. We have a problem. My first idea was to bake cookies, but I realized too late that I didn't have any butter. (I'm already in my pajamas so I'm not going out.) My second thought was the frozen cookie dough I'd made a few weeks ago. Oh, but I gave that to my sister. So it was time to raid the candy stash. Surely the writer of a candy blog, a self-admitted sugar addict, would have something special on hand to pass off, right? This is all I could find:

A package of leftover Peeps and a single Dum Dum.What am I going to do? In times of personal emergency, I know I can always resort to a bag of chocolate chips, but somehow I don't think she'd get the wry wit behind that. I think I might just have to write her an I.O.U. 

You win some, you lose some

Yes, Easter came and went without a peep (no pun intended!) from Candy Yum Yum! I took lots of pictures of some of the new candy that I saw on the shelves, but I just wasn't motivated this season. Even the Easter Bunny didn't really pull through for the Sugar Baby. He brought some jelly beans, some gummies and a chocolate rabbit, but overall it wasn't a big sugar rush here. I guess I've just been in a candy funk lately. That doesn't mean I haven't been eating candy, of course. It's just that there's not much to say about eating half a bag of Hershey Kisses, especially when you only meant to eat four.

In any case, here's something new that I tried recently: a Trader Joe's PB&J Milk Chocolate Bar. My first thought was, why ruin a peanut butter cup with jelly? But then I tried it. It's a different taste experience than a peanut butter cup. Obviously, first of all it's a bar. The peanut butter is very smooth and creamy and the jelly is more like the liquid filling you find in "fancy" candy bars, like the Godiva raspberry bar. It wasn't overly sweet, which I liked. I would definitely do this one again.
However, the same can't be said about the Snickers 3X Chocolate. Snickers with three times the chocolate? What's not to love, right? Well, let me just say that this bar was a dud. It was actually 2 mini bars inside one package. I like that concept, because sometimes you just don't want a whole candy bar. The description says "milk chocolate, chocolate flavored nougat, chocolate caramel and peanuts." All of that adds up to, well, practically no taste difference between the ingredients. I missed the lip-puckering maltiness of the regular Snickers nougat and the chocolate caramel just seemed blah. I really uphold Snickers as probably the most iconic candy bar, so this was a huge disappointment.

Merci winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Merci Chocolates Giveaway. I loved reading all your answers. The winner, chosen from Random.org is: jwfong! Congrats. A box of Merci chocolates, champagne glasses, popcorn holders and some helpful toasting hints are on their way.

Breaking News: Carrot Cake M&Ms!

I just got a text from the Baroness. She found white chocolate carrot cake m&ms at her local WalMart. She is a carrot cake expert and said the m&ms taste just like the real thing. You can try to find them by typing in your zip code at this page: http://see.walmart.com/mms-easter. Sadly, it appears they're no where near me.

Giveaway Time! Merci chocolates

It's that time of year again ... time to put on a Snuggie, pour the champagne and watch the glitterati make their way down the red carpet.  (I don't know why they bother commenting on the men's tuxedos; they all look the same to me.)

To celebrate, Merci chocolates is offering one lucky Yumster a chance to win a "Joy of Thank You Red Carpet Kit," which includes

• A box of Merci chocolates to share
• Four elegant Champagne flutes
• A festive popcorn container 
• A list of tips to help you share meaningful thank yous and toasts

I love these fancy little chocolates. Each box has an assortment of flavors (milk chocolate, coffee and cream, hazelnut-almond, hazelnut-creme, dark cream, dark mousse and praline-creme). The chocolate batons are the perfect size for an after-dinner treat; just big enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

So what do you have to do to be nominated for this great prize? Leave me a message here telling me who you'd thank if you won a big award. 

(If I won an award, say for being the World's Greatest Candy Fan, I'd start by thanking my mom, who taught me to always have candy stashed in your nightstand.)

Here's the fine print: open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends on midnight on Feb. 28, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random.

Happy Hallo--- oh wait, I mean, Valentine's Day!

As I've written in the past, Valentine's Day is the new Halloween. The Sugar Baby came home from school loaded down with with all sorts of sweets from his friends. Note the tube of Skittles arranged like a rainbow. I wouldn't have the patience to make one of those, let alone 20. 

Random sweet thoughts

'Tis a snowy day here in New England. The snow is so deep my mailbox is completely covered. I'm just thankful that I don't have a dog that's whimpering to go out. It's going to take a while to shovel out of this mess. The good thing is, I finally have time to catch up on all the miscellaneous candy posts I've been wanting to share.

I finally tried an Unreal candy bar. You may have seen these around at CVS or Target or other places. The packaging is attractive and funky, and their tagline is "Candy Unjunked." Basically what they've done is recreated candy favorites, like Snickers, Milky Way, M&Ms and Reese's without artificial ingredients, corn syrup or GMOs. Sounds great, right? I tried the Unreal 8, which is the Snicker's doppelganger. I really, really wanted to love it, but I thought it was just okay. Admittedly, I expected it to taste just like a Snickers when I bit into it, but it lacked that sort of zesty tang in the nougat. (Yes, probably from all the artificial crap, I know.) I just found the bar to be bland. If I was super vigilant about eating healthy, I'd definitely be excited about these, but when it comes to candy, all my ethics go out the window. Just keeping it real.

It's been a while since I posted about the Sugar Baby, who alas, is no longer a baby. Here's a picture of him at the library with his Piggy cupcake that he made. 

And speaking of libraries, here's a shot of a-- get this-- bacon, marshmallow, caramel bar that our librarian Kara made for the Super Bowl. How decadent is that?!

Tasty truffles and a discount!

Let's start 2013 off right, Yumsters! On New Year's Eve, we went to a friend's house where much food and champagne was enjoyed, but the standout of the evening was a box of Truffles by Coquette that I brought along. The Classic box contained three types of beautiful truffles: Colette (French caramel with a touch of Fleur de Sel and enrobed in 55% dark chocolate), Annie (a gooey marshmallow filling dipped in milk chocolate and topped with a mini marshmallow), and Katherine (dark chocolate ganache dipped in dark couveture).
One friend said, "I don't even like marshmallow but I love these! You have to write that!" And so, here it is. The truffles were all very smooth, very rich and the perfect way to cap off 2012. And here's some good news: Jennifer, who owns Truffles by Coquette is offering Candy Yum Yum readers a 20% discount. Check out her website at www.trufflesbycoquette.com and enter CANDYYUMYUM in the discount code field.

From Connecticut, with love

Happy Holidays, Yumsters!
If you've been following this blog for a while, you may recall that the Candy Yum Yum headquarters are located in Connecticut. It's been a tough week here  for reasons the whole world knows. I live 15 minutes from Newtown, and suffice it to say that things are different here now. There's a stillness in air wherever you go. People don't even have to talk about the situation; you just look at each other and know they're thinking the same thing you are. It's impossible to make sense of it all. I have a few friends who write Mommy Blogs, and I've been reading as they try to sort out their feelings through their writing. I've asked myself how I can possibly write about candy (such a silly, frivolous topic) when there is so much sadness and shock and grief. It just didn't seem right.
But the thing is, the link between candy and childhood is immense. I started this blog because of all the happy memories I have of my childhood that are intertwined with sweets. Candy and childhood and happiness all go hand in hand.
As we've all been scrambling to try and do something, anything for the people of Newtown, some residents sent out a message saying that they need this time to heal. They said the best thing people in the neighboring towns could do is spend time with their children. Hug them and love them and enjoy every moment.
And so that's what's been happening in the House of Yum.

The other night, the Sugar Baby and I got down to work on a gingerbread house. I'm pretty sure he ate more candy than he used, but I thought the final product was pretty sweet.  (And so does he!)
Here's wishing you all a very happy Christmas. 

(Note: There are numerous ways to give monetarily to the families of the Newtown tragedy. If you're looking for a reputable fund, I suggest the My Sandy Hook Family Fund. It is run by the parents of the children who survived. The website is: www.mysandyhookfamilyfund.com.)

What we're eating

I'm happy to say that we've finally found some new candy to try here at Candy Yum Yum. It seems like the candy world has been so slow lately. Limited Editions have come and gone and now it's just the occasional random new thing that makes its way onto the shelves. What's going on, candy makers? I'm bored! I want more!
I took the Sugar Baby to a cabaret-style play yesterday and we loaded up on the snacks. One of the fun things I brought was a bag of Snyder's of Hanover York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich. These are round pretzels filled with peppermint filling and dipped in dark chocolate. I wasn't sure about them at first, but then I discovered that if you pry the top pretzel off with your teeth and eat that first, then you have a layer of bumpy peppermint fondant filling that you can eat next. It tasted much better to me that way. Needless to say, the Sugar Baby loved these. I wasn't paying attention to how much he was eating until I looked over at him halfway through the play and saw that he was holding his stomach. Oops.

As for Mr. Goodbar and I, we've been fighting over a bar of Lindt Limited-Edition Mocha Coconut. This new flavor was the winner of the Lindt Excellence Recipe Challenge, a scholarship contest for students at the Culinary Institute of America. According to the press release, Meredith Walker developed the concept for the bar after pairing mocha and coconut to create a birthday cake for her mother and uncle. Holy cannoli, this bar is good. Get one while you can. Check it out at www.lindtusa.com.
 

Oh fudge!

Okay people, ready or not the holidays are on their way. What are you giving this year? You don't know, do you? Well, I'm here to help. I'll be posting some ideas over the next few weeks to get you in the giving spirit. Let's start with a simple but decadent present: fudge.

Who doesn't like fudge? It's fantastic because you can just slice a little off at a time and it's enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. I recently tried a sample of SendFudge in cookie dough flavor. This is the real deal... sweet, sugary, buttery and dense. I love this as a gift idea because it's easy, it's fun and they offer over 40 flavors (like caramel vanilla, dark chocolate chili mango and pumpkin pie). Prices start at $14.99, so it's an affordable gift. Check it out at www.sendfudge.com.
Oh fudge!

Desperately seeking Elvis Reese's

Hey friends, can you help a fellow Yumster out? I received an e-mail yesterday from a reader who has started a Reese's collection. He eats the candy and then saves the wrappers. Here's his dilemma: back when the Elvis Reese's with banana was out, he tried one, but didn't keep the wrapper as he hadn't started his collection yet. Now he's kicking himself. Does anyone have a spare wrapper around? If so, contact me and we'll work out the logistics. I'm sure he'll be forever grateful!

Halloween 2012: Trick.

Here's the deal. I've tried to write a post about Halloween about three times now and I just couldn't do it. In the past, Halloween has been fodder for dozens of posts. This blog practically lives on the big three candy holidays: Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter. But things are kooky here in the Northeast. Last year, we had a hurricane and then a snow storm. This year ... same thing. Apparently Mother Nature loves repetition. Last year trick-or-treating was postponed, but we ignored the First Selectman's mandate and went out anyway. This year, that was impossible, as most of the town was without power and trees and power lines made it too dangerous. In fact, on Halloween, I found myself going to visit my parents to see how they were doing without power. On the way there, I passed their church, which, as you may remember, is our traditional Stop #1 on the great trick-or-treat circuit. (You can get the whole background here.)
As I drove past, I noticed that there were candles lit in the windows of the rectory. I knew I had to stop. I pulled over, jumped over some fallen branches and knocked on the door. I could see Father John's big basket o' candy all set up for any potential ghosts and goblins that might come knocking.
"I'm so glad to see you!" he said. Even though I didn't have the Sugar Baby in tow, I HAD to fulfill the annual ritual. Fr. John didn't seem too hopeful about getting any trick-or-treaters that night, but I was happy to see that he had enough hope to have the candy basket stocked.

As it turned out, he had some special candy for the Sugar Baby. He'd been to Salem recently, and got these awesome chocolate rats and witches. I love the label: "Bag o' Salem Witches."

 

Trick-or-Treating in his town should be happening right now as I type, a week and a half after actual Halloween. As much as I love the holiday, it's just way too weird to celebrate it this late in the game. I hope Fr. John meets his goal of over 200 visitors, but I'm not too optimistic.

More tricks

Here's the Halloween update. Not only is the hurricane hitting as I type, but I also have the flu. Things are not looking good for Wednesday. School has already been cancelled for tomorrow and, if last year is any indication, it will be closed all week. "Well," you say, "at least you're holed up in the house with lots of Halloween candy!"
Wrong.
In an act of sheer stupidity, this was the year I decided to buy candy I don't like, so I wouldn't eat it all. (Not that there's really any candy I wouldn't eat, but a bag of Reese's would disappear a lot faster than a bag of those peanut butter molasses chews.)
So now I'm stuck with a bag of Starburst and these (which I thought were very cool, for the record.) Necco Candy Buttons in orange and grape flavors.

Why is this posting upside down? I don't have the energy to fix it.

I've never seen individual packages of candy dots and I thought they'd be fun to dole out to trick or treaters. Hopefully we'll be having a make-up day because I'm not eating a whole bag of these things.

Ominous signs

Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of cruel joke? Once again, New England is the target for some heinous weather. Due to power outages and downed trees, Halloween was officially cancelled in my town. It was truly the scariest Halloween ever.
But now the weatherman is saying that Hurricane Sandy will be arriving here on Monday. The First Selectman of my town has ALREADY declared a state of emergency. I should've known something like this was going to happen as soon as I took my Halloween cookies out of the oven:

Scary, right? I followed the directions and put the candy corns on before they went in the oven. Unfortunately, they melted into a molten mess. (I will say, however, that the texture was pretty cool. I might want to experiment with putting candy corns into other baked goods.) For the second batch, I put the candy corns on AFTER, and they came out better, although Mr. Goodbar said they were the creepiest cookies he'd ever seen.