Candy Dish Blog

I was just sent some Trident Layers gum from my pal Tim, who works with Trident. Well, he’s my pal now. I don’t really know him, but anybody who sends me candy or gum is my pal. Trident Layers is a new gum that comes in two flavor fusions: green apple and golden pineapple, and wild strawberry and tangy citrus. The gum is a tri-level construction: the apple and strawberry being the bisected by pineapple and citrus, respectively. It is a very solid looking gum, evidenced by the multiple layers.

So what are we going to do with this free gum that came in the mail so mysteriously? We are giving it to you. You have to do something to win it, though. Write a haiku about gum in the comments to enter. Make it funny, serious, happy, wistful, serene, thought-provoking, happy or anything else, as long as it is gum-positive. Here is how you can get extra entries:

• Write another haiku and post it as a separate comment.
• Tweet each of your gum haiku to us at @CandyUSA.

That’s right, you have multiple opportunities to win. As Susan wrote when I told her about this, “unlimited chances to win!” Well, we have to review our definition of unlimited, as we did with Tori recently, but let’s just say there are many, many opportunities to win. Winners will be chosen on Friday, Oct. 2nd.

On Haiku
If you need a reminder about what haiku is, it is a short three-lined poem whose lengths are 5, 7 and 5 syllables, respectively. The true master of haiku is Matsuo Bashō, who lived from 1644-1694, during Japan’s Edo period. We are going to do one better than he ever did, though, because I am pretty sure he never wrote about gum. See some examples from our staff:

Susan:
It stuck in my hair
Now I have to cut it out
Always wanted bangs

Tori:
Put the quarter in
Watch it spiral down the shoot
Blow a big bubble

Carl:
Sweet, chewy pink gum
Its scent unmistakable
Starts my day off right

Laura:
What is there to do
When you don’t have time to brush?
Chew a piece of gum.

Now it’s your turn. Don’t forget to get extra chances to win!

Our latest candy giveaway was a huge success. Five giant bags of candy will be shipped out to our lucky winners. We even recorded it so you could watch the selection process.

Our winning comments, drawn randomly, are:
82. Kathy
75. Ann
62. Michael C.
52. Joan
19. Laura (finally!)

I will be contacting all of you to get your addresses so we can send out your prize packs. Thanks for entering!

This month Pearson’s Candy celebrates its 100th anniversary. In 1909 the Pearson brothers started the candy as a distributor and in 1912 began producing their own candies, starting with the Nut Goodie, which originally cost only five cents. Can you imagine anything costing five cents nowadays? Why, not even pennies are that cheap now!The Salted Nut Roll debuted in 1933 but changed names briefly to the Choo Choo Bar to distinguish itself from other nut roll products of the time. Since then, Pearson’s has produced other confections and has changed a bit over the years but still has its two timeless classics available, along with a few others.

See below the lovely gift pack we have for you. Six candies – a great sampling from Pearson’s offering. Here is what you have to do to win. Think about the legacy left by the Pearson brothers and all the fine products they have today as a result of the hard work they did 100 years ago. Tell us what you want your legacy to be when people look back at you 100 years from now. What should they say about you and your accomplishments?

All entries should be received by May 14th at 9 a.m. or whenever I get my morning coffee ready and sit down to determine a winner. Use the comments section of this post to indicate your answer. Good luck!

Candy by Carl Weaver.

We have great news about the Easter basket giveaway contest. Candy Dish Blog has partnered with a few other blogs to get celebrity guest judges. The lineup includes Brian Pipa of Candy Addict, Cybele May of Candy Blog and Kristen Andrews, who is a Featured Style Contributor for TwitterMoms.com. We are very excited to have these great colleagues help us choose our lucky winners.

Many thanks to Brian, Cybele and Kristen for their help with the contest!

Remember – it’s not too late to enter the contest. Read more about the giveaway and enter today!

I just got a mess of green M&Ms to help promote an even bigger giveaway from M&Ms. Yes, they are all green. When I was a kid the green ones were reputed to possess special powers of extra energy, intelligence and even sexiness. Eating green M&Ms were even said to have the same effect as studying when I was a kid. The way I studied, this was possibly true. I never understood all the magical powers these little candies possessed until now. My new pal Kevin, who sent me the candy, writes this explanation:

Legend has it all-green M&M’S are an aphrodisiac; rumors of their special powers have been circulating since the ‘70s. For this reason, M&M’S Brand has made green the true color of love for Valentine’s Day. The sassy and alluring female spokescandy Ms. Green is inviting people to tell her why they need her help adding spark to their romance this Valentine’s Day. The winning couple will receive a romantic weekend getaway to Paris. The contest ends Feb. 12 and entries can be submitted at www.mms.com/green.

Okay, this does not really explain it but apparently this is something hard-wired into our collective unconscious, since kids in my school and across the country believe the same thing, as do the marketing people employed to promote M&Ms. I think we are all onto something with this wisdom.

To win a bag of green M&Ms printed with special love messages, comment on this post, saying who your special someone is that you will share the bag of candy with. Whether boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, neighbor, boss, yardcare professional, BFF, minister or all of the above, we want to know who that lucky person is. Your All comments should be received by 9 a.m. on Friday, February 6th.

And don’t forget to enter the contest on the M&Ms site and possibly win a trip to Paris. Unfortunately, I am not eligible to win this contest, but if you win and my wife might get upset if I went with you, so please just point us to photos of your great vacation. Alas, all this talk of Paris and me having no way to get there fills me with a healthy dose of ennui.

Sigh…

Who’s on the guest list to my party? I have been asked who I would invite to my party if I were eligible to win the candy cane giveaway we are sponsoring. Well, my wife would be a hostess, so she does not count as a guest, but I think I would invite these four people:

• Kurt Vonnegut. He was like a grandfather or dear friend to me during my youth and although I never met him, I miss him dearly. (Thanks for the idea, Carrie!)
• Audrey Hepburn. I think I fell in love with her when I saw her as Eliza Doolittle or perhaps Mary Poppins. She had an interesting life and at one point adopted a fawn she acted with in a movie. That’s about as cool as it gets. Incredible actor and philanthropist.
• Peter O’Toole. I once heard an interview with O’Toole on NPR, in which he said that Shakespeare’s plays were mixed – some great, some horrible and a lot in between. Shakespeare’s sonnets, however, he said, were universally beautiful. He said that he had memorized all of them and even recited a couple when tested by the interviewer. He said the sonnets were the greatest friends he could hope to have – imbued with beauty and ever present. The only downside to O’Toole is that he has a reputation of drinking like a fish, so I might have to buy extra party supplies.
• Thor Heyerdahl. Kon Tiki was one of the most exciting, informational and fun-to-read books I have ever had the pleasure to devour. Like any adventure book, it reflects more than just the external journey but also the internal quest for knowledge. It is beautifully written and would be an inspiration to anyone who is passionate about the human spirit. And I bet Thor likes chocolate. I think Norwegians like their chocolate, as do anthropologists, so Thor would be a double winner.

Who didn’t make the cut?

• Randy Travis. My old friend Jamey said that country music star Randy Travis would probably be a fun guy to go fishing with. Maybe so, and I considered him, but I think this isn’t quite the right venue. Maybe when I get the boat gassed up after the weather warms up. And after I buy a boat. So never, probably.
• Thich Nhat Hanh. A man of peace and love. The serenity he embodies is obvious when you see him or hear him speak. He has a lot of wisdom to share with the world. The downside is that he does not drink and would not feel comfortable with all of us. The extra bonus is that he does not drink, so more martinis for us!
• Andy Griffith. Cool when he was younger but not nearly as cool since he started playing Ben Matlock. Although I do like Matlock’s suits. I am a sucker for seersucker.
• Dick Van Dyke. See Andy Griffith for explanation, except make that Dr, Mark Sloan in “Diagnosis Murder.” That’s like Matlock as a doctor. It’s just not cool and he doesn’t even have nice suits or southern sensibilities and homespun wisdom.

Who would you want at your party? Go to our contest page and let us know. Heck – you might even win some candy!

Chocolate Martini by Unhindered by Talent.

This Valentine’s Day, use up those leftover Christmas candy canes by hosting a peppermint and chocolate martini party using this recipe from the Candy Dish blog. Did you eat or distribute all your candy canes? Don’t worry – you can win some more. Candy Dish Blog and CandyBlog have teamed up to create the Candy Cane Contest. Sure it’s January, but we told you how you can use them up.

Here’s how you win: Tell us which four people you’d invite to your peppermint and chocolate martini party. Your guests could be present day friends, historic figures, celebrities – basically anyone you want. Just tell us who you’d pick and why and you might get your hands on some very tasty candy canes.

To enter: Leave your answers in the comments section of this entry. We will have four winners, who will be chosen shortly before Valentine’s Day and will receive a whole bunch of Pure Fun Organic Candy Canes. Update: Deadline to enter is 9 a.m. on Feb. 6th.

Chocolate Peppermint Martini

Ingredients

• 2 oz. vokda
• 1 oz. crème de cacao (light)
• 1 oz. peppermint schnapps
• Candy canes

Directions

• Combine vodka, crème de cacao and schnapps over ice in shaker
• Shake

Presentation

• Dip rim of martini glass in crème de cacao and touch several times to plate of crushed candy canes
• Pour cocktail into a martini glass
• Break the rounded end off one candy cane and insert the straight stick into the glass as a cocktail stirrer

Martini Glass by Carodean Road Designs.