Friday, May 30, 2008


i really like dollar stores. there, i said it. now i won't exactly admit to spending a lot of money in these places; mostly it's just a kitschy way to spend a few minutes. but sometimes you run across interesting products you don't see anywhere else: test-market stuff, close-outs, foreign crap that doesn't meet FDA standards, etc.

there's a 99¢ Store just down the street from my condo, and i try to visit at least a couple times a month to see what's new. of course, i'm mainly concerned with their candy aisle (which sadly seems to have shrunk in recent weeks...)

one of my best 99¢ Store purchases ever: Pink Grapefruit Mentos. i'm pretty sure these were never widely available in the US, but they are totally awesome: zesty with bright, authentic citrus notes. there's even a hint of grapefruit peel bitterness lingering in the background! alas, these disappeared quickly and have not been seen since.

last week, i picked up a box of individually wrapped peppermint puffs from King Leo. i seem to find these mostly around christmas, often in stick form. but here they were, a 7oz box for just 99¢. there may have been something slightly lacking in the texture-- inconsistent and perhaps not as soft as i like-- but still pretty good for a buck (and of course i finished the box.)

at the moment, i'm in the mood for something a little more upscale, but i'll save that post for another time...

Tuesday, May 20, 2008


ok, i lied, this post is not about candy per se; let's talk about gum.

i go through quite a bit of gum. like violet beauregard (left, in her original and much preferred incarnation), i want to be chewing gum at all times. keeps the saliva flowing and is moderately successful at preventing me from stuffing my face with actual food. whereas i used to be all about the endless exotic flavors of Bubblicious or Hubba Bubba, nowadays i don't necessarily want that brief-but-intense blast of sugar so tend to stick to the sugarless stuff.

for whatever reason, sugarless gum only seems to work in minty varieties. my favorite used to be Extra Polar Ice, which has little blobby mint 'crystals' that may or may not actually extend its flavor half-life. i've since moved on to Stride Sweet Peppermint, which true to its advertising campaign does seem to last (slightly) longer than many competitors.

but i'm still a sucker for new products, so i jumped on the chance to try Stride Tangerine yesterday. apparently it's so new, it's not even on their website as of this posting.

all i can say is, i'll stick to mint. upon popping a piece of Stride Tangerine, the first thing that comes to mind is: Flintstones Chewable Vitamin (in case it ever comes up in conversation, orange Flintstones Vitamins take the shape of Fred, Wilma or The Great Gazoo...) then there's that brief period of gum nirvana, when the flavor really blossoms and you're like "OMG THIS IS DELICIOUS" and the bright tangy citrus notes really get the juices flowing, but you know in the back of your mind, just like every other gum that's disappointed you in the past, the flavor is destined to fade quickly. and you're right-- 2 seconds later, the gum reverts to tasting like a nutritional supplement. and if i am gonna chew on something that tastes like a nutritional supplement, dammit, i demand 100% USRDA of something!

Monday, May 19, 2008


ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on this beauty! well, ignore the fact that the photo quality is subpar; i swear i take THE WORST pictures of all time. at any rate, this sassy little number is a lemon ginger cheesecake, and i made it!

normally i don't make a big deal out of my baked goods, which tend to taste a lot better than they look, but i was super happy with the way this turned out. taste-wise, here are the highlights and lowlights:
- the crust was really delicious. it's just a standard graham cracker crust recipe, but made with gingersnaps and candied ginger. next time i would add less butter, because i found the crust to be a little oozy right out of the oven.
- i tried to transform a lemon curd recipe into ginger lemon curd, but the ginger flavor was way too subtle. next time, more ginger?
- i might add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream to the cheesecake batter, because it seemed a little stiff. but at room temp, the finished cheesecake really was perfect.

ok, i'm done tootin' my own horn. next post will be back to our regularly-scheduled candy rants.

Monday, May 12, 2008


this weekend i had the opportunity to attend the 5th Annual Quail Gardens Chocolate Festival. basically, a bunch of local chocolatiers (both independent and corporate!) set up tables and offer tastings of their wares in exchange for $.50 tickets.

a few of the participants:

Jer's is a perennial san diego favorite, specializing in peanut butter truffles. normally i'm somewhat ambivalent towards peanut butter, but much like a gourmet version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Jer's has perfected that deeply satisfying, crumbly, slightly grainy peanut butter filling that feels cool on the tongue and is not cloyingly sweet. i always enjoy these, particularly the one with tiny bits of toffee.

guanni uses top-notch ingredients and exotic flavor combos to great effect. i tried the new cusco, a combination of hot yellow peppers and candied citrus peel in dark chocolate ganache. not only is it a very attractive piece of chocolate, it's also quite delicious. the yellow pepper has a pleasant slow burn, but i couldn't really detect much citrus.

i think helen grace is a frequent sponsor of school fundraisers, so their chocolate is... shall we say, slightly more crowd-pleasing? but that's not at all bad. one of their pieces on display was a thick square of pleasantly buttery caramel sitting atop a square of smooth semi-sweet chocolate, then drenched in white coating (i don't think this was actual white chocolate, it was kinda too sweet and BRILLIANTLY white) but it was a nice chunk of candy for a reasonable price.

i didn't see chuao this year, which is too bad cuz i'm jonesin for some of their passion fruit chocopods.

all in all, a good time. i only spent $10 on tastings (that's like 7-8 pieces of chocolate) and i surely could've kept going, but hey, it's summer and i'm trying to keep an eye on my expanding gut.

Friday, May 2, 2008


one of my favorite, old skool/semi-obscure candies is Choward's Violet Mints. i know what you're thinking: violet and mint, two great tastes that go great together? well, to be fair, i think the "Mint" part refers only to the vaguely breath-freshening aspect and not to any actual mint flavor.

for me, the fascination with these starts with the fact that they smell INCREDIBLE. i'm not sure if they smell like actual violets so much as a tray of fancy guest soaps, or maybe the inside of an old lady's purse, but i simply (100% unironically) adore it. i would gladly use these as an air freshener if they weren't made of candy and might eventually attract a horde of insects.

but they really do taste good, too-- mostly just sweet, with a light floral essence and a pleasantly chalky texture. i would caution you against eating more than one or two at a time, though, as the flavor kind of builds into something overwhelmingly perfumey that might leave you with a bit of a tummy ache.

i see from the website that they also offer mints in a few other flavors, but i've yet to see these on store shelves so i've never tried 'em. anyone have any comments?