My friend Paul recently packed up his family and left for Alaska and as I was helping him load his stuff in the moving truck, he asked that I send him a supply of Goetze’s Caramel Creams at some point. It got me thinking about what candy they might have up in Alaska. I am sure they have supermarkets and likely even his favorite caramel candy, but what else is there, I wondered.
I thought that perhaps Alaska might have its own unique type of candy, like chocolate-covered caribou or maybe gummi yetis or something. Unfortunately, all I found was the same sort of stuff that we have down here, but in different packaging. It’s packaged for tourists but looks to be no different than what you can get here. The only thing that somewhat unique to Alaska is the birch syrup candy, which is likely nowhere near as good as maple syrup candy.
Paul, my friend, I will gladly send you something but you have to let me know how the wilderness treats you when trying to find your favorite sweets. Incidentally, Paul is probably still wearing a parka and getting ready for the onslaught of black flies. He can keep the beautiful vistas and scenic mountains. I will stay here in flat, temperate Washington, DC, where the flies don’t bite and candy is as easily had as anything else. Paul, we miss you and wish you the best. Let us know if whatever the Army issued you to repel flies doesn’t do the job. And, as promised, I will come through on my vow to supply you with candy from time to time, although I am sure you can buy it all up there too.
I have had a heck of a time trying to find candy that was kosher for Passover to bring when I visit my inlaws in a couple weeks. Kosher, sure. That’s easy. In fact, you can find many regular candies that are kosher, certified by one organization or another, at your supermarket you go to every week. Kosher for Passover is another story. You can read a bit about what kosher for Passover means just for our homes. Can you imagine what it would mean for a factory that makes food products?
I Twittered my friend Sara from PopJudaica.com about where to turn for some good treats and she suggested Oh Nuts, which has kosher for Passover candy and chocolate. It’s like a struck a goldmine of great products in one place. Of course, Oh Nuts doesn’t have the matzah tie I have been hoping some loyal reader might buy for me (email me for the shipping address), but it is a great store nonetheless.
What is your source for all things kosher for Passover?
Here’s where things get weird. I asked my fellow blog authors what part of the chocolate bunny they eat first and why. I wanted to get a sense of the philosophy behind the decision. Here is what we all said:
Susan – Ears first because they are sticking out there and begging to be eaten!
Susan S. – Depends on my mood. Not how cruel I am but how much chocolate I want. The feet are wider so one bite of feet satisfies a gluttonous mood. If I am less needy, I nibble at the ears.
Tori – Definitely ears. Because bunny ears and bunnies are what Easter is all about! Really, I think I’ve only had a chocolate bunny once in my life. Don’t tell the Easter Bunny.
Carl – Feet first. I don’t want him to be able to hop away before I am done.
Wait. What? Tori has only had one chocolate bunny in her life? Tori is not old like I am (or so Susan leads on that I am) but she is not a kid either. How can you have a whole childhood without multiple chocolate bunny encounters? She is from Richmond, so perhaps some sort of environmental conditions prevent the chocolate bunnies from spawning upstream or whatever they do to reproduce.
According to a survey conducted by NCA a few years ago:
Of 1,000 adults surveyed, 76 percent said they start with the ears when they munch a chocolate bunny. Eating bunnies’ feet first (five percent) and tail first (four percent) were not popular choices.
How do you take the first bite of a chocolate bunny? Do you have a rationale behind your method?
It’s time for a candy giveaway! Each year, NCA sends packages of new Easter candy to reporters across the country to give them some ideas of what’s happening in the world of confectionery.
These packages are fabulous – there are candies you know and love in pastel Easter packaging and tons of brand new items, as well. Highlights for me include:
And those are just a few examples. I know Tori was crazy about the Chocolate Covered Oyster Crackers from Wolfgang and Carl was excited about the Hot Tamales Licorice Jelly Beans. In all, there are about 50 items included in the package – and you have a chance to win one of three complete packages.
In the comments field, please tell us your favorite Easter candy memories. Was it waking up to find a trail of jelly beans left by the Easter Bunny like my childhood friend Jenn and her sister? Did your parents create elaborate egg hunts in the backyard (including the plastic kind filled with candies)? Or maybe you were lucky enough to get tickets to one of the famed Easter Egg Rolls at the White House. Whatever it is, let us know and use details.
Three Five winners be selected on April 7 so please have all entries in no later than midnight (EST) on April 6. We have a few “celebrity” judges in mind for the contest and we’ll introduce you at a later date (and, no, one of them is NOT the Easter Bunny so please don’t ask me for his autograph!).
When I was a kid, I could not stand anything licorice flavored except the occasional Good and Plenty (and frankly, I attribute that to the fact that they are pink more than anything else). My dislike of the licorice was especially powerful when it came to jelly beans, which I otherwise adored. I could not understand why someone would ruin a perfectly good bag of jelly beans with licorice. No black jelly beans in my Easter basket please!
To say my taste for licorice has evolved over the years would be a complete understatement. I love licorice. When there is some in the office, people bring it into me right away. They hide packages to give me on the sly.
And yet, I haven’t made the transition to black / licorice jelly beans yet. There’s a package sitting on my desk – a whole package with nothing but black beans (Cybele at the CandyBlog reviewed them last week) I have every intention of eating them, but I haven’t worked the package open just yet. We’re still a few weeks from Easter and I don’t want them to be gone too quickly.
Much like candy corn, black jelly beans seem to be one of those love ‘em or hate ‘em kinds of foods.
An interesting side note here is the fact that most people refer to jelly beans flavors by their colors. A few years ago, NCA conducted a poll to find out what the most popular flavors of jelly beans are and the number one answer was red.
Uh, red? That’s not a flavor.
Not surprisingly, black was the least popular. Poor licorice. At least you have me to love you.
So, what’s your take on the black jelly bean? Do you love them like me? If not, what is your favorite flavor (or color)?
My good friend Hilary (you remember her from her earlier video about the green M&Ms) made this little video about the beginning of Spring and featured marshmallow Peeps, which are definitely a springtime candy. I guess they have stopped flocking and are now roosting. My, how time flies!
Stop by and tell Hilary what you thought of her video.
Smarties on the lens. It seems like it would lead to leaving fingerprints on the glass. All the same, this looks good enoug to reach out and eat. Great job!
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
My friend Paul recently packed up his family and left for Alaska and as I was helping him load his stuff in the moving truck, he asked that I send him a supply of Goetze’s Caramel Creams at some point. It got me thinking about what candy they might have up in Alaska. I am sure they have supermarkets and likely even his favorite caramel candy, but what else is there, I wondered.
And those are just a few examples. I know Tori was crazy about the Chocolate Covered Oyster Crackers from Wolfgang and Carl was excited about the Hot Tamales Licorice Jelly Beans. In all, there are about 50 items included in the package – and you have a chance to win one of three complete packages.
Much like candy corn, black jelly beans seem to be one of those love ‘em or hate ‘em kinds of foods. 
