Gelatin, The Hidden Meat

If you're a vegetarian and you enjoy the following foods: Gummies of any kind, (some) soft serve ice creams, or marshmallows, I have bad news for you.  Most of those products contain gelatin, and gelatin is most often derived from animals.  There is a glimmer of hope however, more and more companies are starting to use gelatin alternatives such as seaweed.  I've tried seaweed treats and I have to say I'm really impressed.  I'm not sure if it has the same wide range of use as gelatin yet, but for really soft treats it works very well.

Click here to read more about gelatin and gelatin alternatives.

CC

The Story Of Dippin' Dots

I'm sure you're kind of hot right now, or at the very least I'm sure it's kind of hot outside.  How about a big bowl of tiny little spheres frozen solid in a variety of flavours.  It's funny, I tried to make that sound technical and not tasty at all, but it didn't work.  You can pretty much say that no matter how you describe Dippin' Dots, it's a good idea.

Click here to read the story of Dippin' Dots.

CC

Learning With Candy

This video combines my worst problem in life, my allergies, with one of my favorite things, candy.  However it does educate me as well, so I guess it's OK.

CC

The Best Way to Eat Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Part 5 With Hazelnuts

All this week we will be presenting you 5 great ways to enjoy your chocolate hazelnut spread fix.  Sure I could have simply said "5 great ways to enjoy your Nutella fix", but there are so many more brands of this stuff and I figured this would be a little more fair.  For the most part people only really think about eating this stuff spread on bread, or sometimes in a crepe, but I've discovered some other great places to smear this stuff.

So here's a silly idea I came up with just to cap off my week of highlighting great alternative ways to enjoy chocolate hazelnut spread.  This idea came to me because I'm a huge fan of the obvious and simplicity.

Why not simply get a spoonful of chocolate hazelnut spread and stick a few extra hazelnuts in it.  I figure it's pretty much a lock that the flavour will work out and the nuts can only add a little texture to the mix.  My only concern was that the hazelnut flavour may be too over powerful.  Fortunately that never happened, and I ended up with what I like to think as one of the most decadent yet simple ways to enjoy the tasty spread.

CC

New From Kraft/Cadbury For Christmas

I know it's a little early to think about Christmas, considering how many people are suffering through heatwaves right now.  However I read this short piece about what's coming down the pipeline from Kraft/Cadbury and I have to say I'm a little excited about one particular treat.  They're apparently making a Terry's Chocolate Orange with honeycomb in it.  It sounds like it might be really tasty, if only I didn't have to wait till Christmas to try one.

Click here to read more.

CC

Got Some More Natural Vines

Some nice folks, from a nice company, decided to send me a couple of bags of Natural Vines licorice.  Now some of you (very few of you probably) might remember that this isn't the first time I've received these treats.  However last time I only reviewed the red Natural Vines.  Since they where nice enough to send me some more, I think I'll review the black ones.

CC

Food Is A Big Industry In Canada

According to this article, the food industry in Canada is actually one of the biggest industries in Canada.  More people are making food in Canada than other things, like Blackberries (although the name sounds like a food) and auto parts.  Best of all one of the top food makers in Canada is Honibe, a company that makes some of the best honey candies I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

Click here to read more about the food industry in Canada.

CC

Ice Cream Bar

I love the idea that at one point in time certain ice cream companies thought they where too good to make ice cream bars.  This appears to be the moment Häagen - Dazs decided that they had to start.

Ad from Vintage Ad Browser.

CC

The Best Way to Eat Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Part 4 With Butter

All this week we will be presenting you 5 great ways to enjoy your chocolate hazelnut spread fix.  Sure I could have simply said "5 great ways to enjoy your Nutella fix", but there are so many more brands of this stuff and I figured this would be a little more fair.  For the most part people only really think about eating this stuff spread on bread, or sometimes in a crepe, but I've discovered some other great places to smear this stuff.

This idea isn't as much a "new way" to eat chocolate hazelnut spread, but instead an addition to the classic way.  It's a simple addition, and maybe most of you already do this.  Allison is fanatical about making sure that every piece of bread she eats has a layer of butter on it.  She even goes so far as to butter her chocolate hazelnut spread toast with butter.

The thing is, it's actually really tasty.  For those of you out there that really like sweet mixed with salty, this is something you really should try.  It's simple enough to make, and it changes the flavour of this classic combination so much.

CC

It's National Milk Chocolate Day

So go out and eat some milk chocolate!

CC

Chocolate VS The Sun

According to a new study some of the chemicals found in chocolate might actually help prevent a sunburn.  Apparently the chemicals might actually increase the bodies production of SPFs.  Now I'm actually planning on a beach trip this weekend and I was going to slather on the sunscreen.  Now I'm thinking a box of chocolate bars would be more appropriate.

Click here to read more.

CC

Reverse Product Placement

How many times have you been watching a movie when one of the characters pulls out a bottle of Coke, or a bag of Doritos.  Product placement doesn't really bother me that much, but fake product placement can sometimes get on my nerves.  Fake product placement is when a movie pulls out a product that doesn't exist, but I truly wish it did.  Mental Floss has a list of fake product placement products that eventually came to life and are now available.

Click here to check out the list and go eat some Cheesy Poofs.

CC

Candied Almonds

I don't want to say that these candied almonds are the best in the world.  The only reason I don't want to say that is because I have not tasted every single candied almond in the world.  I also don't want to say that these candied almonds are the best nuts in the whole world.  Again, I don't want to say it because I have not tried every single nut in the world either.  I can safely say that these are the best candied nuts (almond or otherwise) that I have ever tried in my life and maybe even the best nuts.  It may not sound like much, but I have tried hundereds of candied nuts and even more candied other things in my life as the Candy Critic.

I'd love to tell you where you too can get your hands on these nuts, but that's where this gets complicated.  I buy mine from a small bakery around the corner from my house.  The people at this bakery do not speak a word of English, and my Greek isn't good enough yet to get an explination.  They come only in these clear containers with no labels at all.  So I imagine they're hand made somewhere by some kind of candied nut saint.

CC

The Best Way to Eat Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Part 3 In Yogurt

All this week we will be presenting you 5 great ways to enjoy your chocolate hazelnut spread fix.  Sure I could have simply said "5 great ways to enjoy your Nutella fix", but there are so many more brands of this stuff and I figured this would be a little more fair.  For the most part people only really think about eating this stuff spread on bread, or sometimes in a crepe, but I've discovered some other great places to smear this stuff.

This tip on enjoying your chocolate hazelnut spread is a creation based on our adventures here in Greece.  Although there is some controversy in this house about who came up with it, there is no controversy about how good it is.  Best of all it makes for a great desert as well as a snack.

In this case I'm talking about adding a little chocolate hazelnut spread to your yogurt.  Although I'm sure that it will work fine with just about any type of plain yogurt, Greek high fat strained yogurt is truly fantastic.  The very creamy texture and taste mix so well with the thick spread, and the bitter flavour of the yogurt balances well with the sweet from the spread.  One tip I would say if you make this at home is don't stir it too much.  Just fold the chocolate hazelnut spread into the yogurt so your left with beautiful swirls.

CC

Close Up Food

Caren Alpert is an artist that photographs food, close up.  When I say close up, I mean really, really close up.  She's got some cool looking shots, including this photo of a life saver.

Click here to check out her gallery.

CC

Quick Flavour Tip

If you want to improve the flavour of your hot dog, try sprinkling on a little oregano.  I had this at a train station and it was remarkably improved.

CC

The Best Way to Eat Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Part 2 On a Banana

All this week we will be presenting you 5 great ways to enjoy your chocolate hazelnut spread fix.  Sure I could have simply said "5 great ways to enjoy your Nutella fix", but there are so many more brands of this stuff and I figured this would be a little more fair.  For the most part people only really think about eating this stuff spread on bread, or sometimes in a crepe, but I've discovered some other great places to smear this stuff.

A great way to enjoy some chocolate hazelnut spread is on some fruit.  Although picking which fruit to enjoy is very important for maximum taste and texture benefit.  Watermelon could be considered the worst fruit idea in my opinion.  Not that I've ever tried it, I'm just thinking it probably won't taste good and the texture seems like a bad combination.

As far as the best combination, I'm going to rely on the advice from my Swedish friend Alex.  His favorite way to enjoy chocolate hazelnut spread is on a banana with a glass of milk on the side.  I have to agree with him on this, the combination of the nuts, chocolate and banana is a true winner.  After all a banana split with chocolate sauce and nuts is great.  So why not mix these flavours up a little?  I would also highly recommend the glass of milk on the side as your mouth needs a little refreshment between each bite.

CC

Chupa Chups Logo

I just read an article about a new campaign that the lollipop company Chupa Chups is putting on.  What I learned from this article is the fact that Salvador Dali apparently designed the logo For Chupa Chups.  I'm not sure to what capacity, is it based off something he did before or did he design it for the company directly, but that's pretty cool.

Click here to read the article.

CC

Flavour Pairings

The Wall Street Journal has posted a really great article all about flavour pairings in the junk food world.  It not only talks about what works, but it also mentions how some of the more popular pairings (such as sweet and salty) have come to be.

Click here to read more.

CC

Make Harry Potter Treats At Home

There's a book out that apparently gives you the recipes to make many of the treats from the Harry Potter Books.  It's called The Unofficial Harry Potter Sweet Shoppe Kit, and it sounds like a lot of fun.

Click here to read a review of the book (be warned the reviewer hasn't read all of the books).

CC

The Best Way to Eat Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Part 1 On a Pita

All this week we will be presenting you 5 great ways to enjoy your chocolate hazelnut spread fix.  Sure I could have simply said "5 great ways to enjoy your Nutella fix", but there are so many more brands of this stuff and I figured this would be a little more fair.  For the most part people only really think about eating this stuff spread on bread, or sometimes in a crepe, but I've discovered some other great places to smear this stuff.

For the first example, I thought I would suggest something that would compensate for those of us that aren't skilled making crepes.  If you're at home and you don't feel like heating up the crepe maker, why not try something else similar but a lot easier to come across.  I suggest either a tortilla or a round of pita bread.

Although the tortilla and pita are a little different I find that the differences might actually be to some peoples taste.  For example, both of these flat breads tend to have a lot less sugar than crepes.  Because of this I find that the contrast between the sweet and savory really makes for a nice combination.  I also find that the pita and tortilla are slightly stronger.  I like this because there's less chance of a tear as well as a nice satisfying bite sensation.

CC

My New Obsession With Halvah

I used to only think of Halvah as this gritty chocolate or almond dessert that was often found in Jewish bakeries.  Over the last few months in Greece I've learned that Halvah is really so much more than that.  It's not just a dry cake like substance.  Sometimes it's gelatinous with a citrus flavour, sometimes it's almost like a jelly cake.  The flavour range and texture range is spectacular.  All over the place I'm discovering new recipes and new flavours.  It's not a very pretty looking dessert most of the time, but it's always tasty.  It's also always surprising, particularly in the texture department.  I think I have a new obsession.

CC

It's National Chocolate Sundae Day!

Strange that it's not Sunday, don't you think?

CC

Just Ad Nuts

Is just adding nuts really a solution to creating new candy treats?  I think at times it works, but I'm not sure if it's really that creative.  I've said this before, and I'll say it again, with the millions of dollars that the candy industry makes every years, why can't they invest in creating more treats, instead of just making small variations to pre-existing treats?

Click here to read a new review about a treat with nuts added.

CC

The Last Of The Ice Cream Review-A-Thon

While working on the review-a-thon this week I started to realize why I don't review more ice cream treats.  Photographing ice cream is very challenging, and I'm not really talking about taking the photograph itself.  The challenge comes in getting the treat from the store, where I bought it, home to the nice surroundings to shoot it.  This is particularly difficult in the summer when ice cream is most available.  Let me just say that I can honestly say that global warming has caused me a great inconvenience.

Click here to read the last of the Ice Cream Review-A-Thon.

CC

What To Drink With S'Mores

Wondering what the perfect alcoholic beverage would be on that night out camping?  In particular are you looking for something that goes with the campfire desert course.  You know, after wieners on a stick but before you run into the tent being eaten alive by mosquitoes?  Well do I have a link for you.

Click here to learn what to drink with your S'mores.

CC

Travel Tips For Chocolate Lovers

Peter Greenberg gives some great tips for the chocolate lover that wants to travel.  I personally can't travel anywhere without some kind of candy interaction.  I'm sure it drives Allison nuts, but we've had some pretty cool experiences because of it.

Click here to read a few chocolate travel tips.

CC

Fluffernutter ™

According to Mental Floss in their post about strange words you may not know are trademarked.  The word "Fluffernutter™" is one of them.

Click here to check out the list.

CC

Popsicle VS Lollipop

Is a Popsicle just a frozen lollipop?  I'm not really sure what defines a lollipop other than a candy on a stick.  So if that's the case any frozen treat on a stick would be a lollipop.  Now that I think about it, maybe the "pop" from the word "Popsicle" represents the same "pop" as the word "lollipop".

Click here to read today's ice cream review-a-thon entry.

CC

Monty Python's Fancy Chocolates

Back when this was made, the idea of silly flavoured chocolates was considered so strange that it could be comedy.  I personally think that we're heading in a direction that might one day see these flavours of chocolates becoming a reality.  I'm both excited and terrified all at the same time.

CC

Information Changes Our Taste Buds

According to a recent study, the more information you have on your candy, the more you will either like or dislike it.  The survey gave people the same piece of chocolate but half of them where told where the chocolate was from (Switzerland) and the other half they didn't.  Apparently the people that didn't know where it was from suspected that it was from China, thus assuming that it was an inferior chocolate. I have often mentioned on this site that I try not to read packages, and this is precisely why.  This survey is also kind of sad because it assumes that most Americans think that all chocolate in China is crappy.

Click here to read more about this survey.

CC

It's National Junk Food Day!

I'm going to start with some ice cream, then it's a big fat greasy hamburger, followed by a nap, and a bag of chips to cap it all off.

CC

Jello Upgrade

This isn't the first time I've mentioned this, but I really think Jello is starting a new comeback.  Not that it went anywhere, but I'm starting to read more and more about artists and fine chefs using Jello to create some pretty fantastic things.  I think it makes for a great medium to create so many shapes, and if you don't mind the slightly slimy texture, it's a fun food to eat.

Click here to read what the Wall Street Journal had to say on the subject of Jello.

CC

What The Heck In "Pepsin"?

Back in the 1920s Pepsin was considered worth advertising on the package of Wrigley's gum.  I'm not sure if it still contains pepsin today, however I can wager a guess as to why it doesn't advertise it anymore.  According to my internet research it is a chemical that aids with digestion.  Today people prefer to think about their gum freshening their breath instead of helping them poop.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

CC

I Still Hate "Food Trends"

I may still hate food trends, particularly in the candy industry, but I will still pass them along to you.  Recently the "Food Show Panel" at the 57th annual Summer Fancy Food Show listed some of their suggested trends coming down the line.  I'm most stupefied by the idea that "Japanese-inspired foods were among the top trends", like this trend is something new.  I will continue to be enraged at the the idea that other people are going to tell me what foods are "popular".

Click here to read the list.

CC

My Kind Of Ice Cream Town

Did you know that some consider Chicago to be the candy capital of the United States?  From the history I've read on the subject, it apparently happened because of the geographical location of the city.  Chicago has been one of the biggest entry ports into the central US for a long time, and it also has great access to imported goods, such as sugar, because it's connected via the Great Lakes/St Laurence Seaway.  It's pretty impressive to think that I found yet another reason that this city might be the true sweet capital of the US and maybe even the world.

Click here to read the review and learn a little history.

CC

Bubble Gum Cards

Back in the old days (1980s), I remember going to the store and picking up packages of trading cards.  I did collect some sports cards, but I was really into movie and television cards.  I was also one of the only people on the face of the earth that enjoyed the hard stick of gum that used to come with these cards.  This was truly in my favour, because all of my friends would give me their gum too.

Dangerous Minds has a great collection of these old cards, including the one above with an ape man from planet of the apes eating a stick of gum.

CC

Non-Melting Chocolate

A UK company has apparently invented a chocolate that doesn't melt.  It's also pliable and can be sculpted into all kinds of shapes.  Apparently the company that created it has developed a new way to set chocolate that allows for this new texture.  Strangely, the only thing really not mentioned in this article is how it tastes.

Click here to read more about this new chocolate.

CC

Like A Boss

I love the name "Boss" for an ice cream treat.  I don't know why, but it seems to have an heir of power, and that's not an easy thing for an ice cream bar to have.  The Boss ice cream collection are one in many new ice cream treats that really seem to sell to those who have high standards in ice cream treats.  I'm not sure I'm totally on board with having an ice cream hierarchy, but I am happy to eat yummy ice cream treats, even fancy ones.

Click here to read the Boss review.

CC

Rev 7 Gum

A few months ago I posted a few links about a new kind of gum that apparently bio-degrades quickly to help eliminate those unsightly black spots all over the sidewalk.  Apparently this gum is also easy to pick up off the street, since it doesn't stick, as well.  Even more importantly this gum is finally hitting the market, and it's called Rev7.

Click here to read more about Rev7 gum.

CC

Waffles Are Good Everywhere

I have yet to really eat a waffle that I did not like.  I eat them from frozen, I eat them made fresh.  I eat them with fruit, with cheese, and especially with chocolate.  I eat them for breakfast, as a snack, and even for lunch.  I've eaten them in Europe, Asia, and North America, and I'm sure they're good in other places too.  I think that the waffle might be one of the best foods ever.

CC

It's National Lollipop Day!

I know I posted about lollipop day yesterday, but an anonymous candy fanatic posted a great video about how one man changed another persons life with a lollipop, and I thought I would share with you guys.

CC

Playing With Your Food

I'm a firm advocate on the benefits of playing with your food.  What better way to improve your physical and mental well being?  Boing Boing posted some fun games you can play with coffee beans, anyone else know good games to play with your food?

Click here to read about coffee bean games.

CC

Making Your Own Root Beer

According to Mental Floss, all you need to make your own root beer is water, root beer extract, and dry ice.  Now I know where I can get water but...

Click here to read Mental Floss' recipe.

CC

The White Tower of Thessaloniki

Right in the heart of Thessaloniki near the water you'll find the White Tower.  I'm not really sure what it was used for throughout history, but presently it houses the Thessaloniki museum.

On the top floor of the museum they have a re-creation of a Thessaloniki taverna with tables set up all around.  On each of these tables is a video of someone making a classic Thessaloniki food, including this dessert table.  I sat here watching someone make desserts for the longest time.  Then I went down from the tower, walked into a bakery and ate some of those Thessaloniki desserts.

CC

Tomorrow Is National Lollipop Day!

I normally don't announce these holidays until the day of the event, but with this National Lollipop Day I've decided to make an exception.  The reason I'm making this exception is because See's Candies is giving away free lollipops for this occasion, and I wanted to be sure you could plan your day accordingly.

Click here to read more details about the free lollipops.

CC

Ice Cream By Numbers

This is the first ever treat that I've reviewed that starts with the number 4.  I'm wondering if 4 is an unlucky or unworthy number in the candy world.  They say in entertainment, 3 is the best number, and there are lots of treats that feature the number 3.  5 is also a fairly popular number to feature on candy, but 4 really seems to be a rare find.

Click here to read today's addition to the ice cream review-a-thon.

CC

The Headline of This Article Scared The Heck Out Of Me

I was going through my candy news when this headline came up "Jelly Belly Debuts Fish, Snapple Beans".  Now the Snapple Beans sound like a great idea, Snapple is yummy, and would make great Jelly Belly flavours.  I was afraid of the word "fish" being used.  I was afraid because I know that the folks at Jelly Belly have no fear when it comes to flavours, and a line of fish flavoured beans is not totally rediculous.  As it turns out it's just a series of beans in the shape of fish, with fruity flavours.  I'm both happy and disappointed at the same time.

Click here to read the article.

CC

Sweets From Thessaloniki

I recently had the joy of taking a long weekend trip to the city of Thessaloniki.  It's a great place to visit and I would recommend it to anybody.  I would also recommend checking out some of the local bakeries and restaurants.  In particular I recommend checking out the Terkenlis bakery.

And if you happen to go there, I strongly urge that you try out the "trigona".  These are triangular filo pastries filled with flavoured creams.  The three I sampled where caramel, chocolate and cream.  The chocolate and the cream pretty much tied for first, but the caramel was pretty good too.

CC

M&M's In Space

Did you know that M&Ms are space food?  According to this article they've been a part of the US space program since 1981.  They've also made a series of special M&Ms for the last shuttle mission.  Both the ground crew and the crew in space get some special edition M&Ms for the mission.

Click here to read more about M&Ms in space.

CC

Ice Cream Tex-Mex

Food that looks like other food.  It's a pretty cool thing, particularly in the candy world.  Today's ice cream review in our National Ice Cream Month ice cream review-a-thon, we're examining just such a treat.  Is it tex-mex, or is it a cool treat?  Speaking of great tex-mex cool treats, if you ever happen to have the opportunity to try some Mexican fried ice cream I highly recommend it.

Click here to read the latest ice cream review.

CC

New Wonka Website

I just finished checking out a new Youtube Channel from Wonka and I have to say that I'm a little confused by it.  I'm not sure if it's the fact that it's first thing in the morning and I had a late night, or if the navigation is confusing and the games don't make any sense at all.  Sure it's state of the art, but I didn't really have that much fun clicking around.  I guess I'll just stick to Wonka candy for now.

Click here to check it out for yourself, and let me know what you thought... Should I try it again?

CC

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Ice Cream

You might be asking why I called this post "Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Ice Cream" and it's really simple.  Today is a really big day for the stuff.  First of all, this whole month is National Ice Cream Month, I imagine because it's really a great month to eat the stuff.  Having National Ice Cream Month in February might not work for most people.  Today is also National Ice Cream Day, I'm not sure how that works with National Ice Cream Month, but I'm sure it's related.  Finally, today is the day that I'm starting another review-a-thon, and as you guessed it, it's all about ice cream.  Now I'd like to say I carefully planned this but as you may know I'm not really good at planning anything, so we'll just say it was the greatest coincidence ever.

Click here to read my first ice cream review for this weeks Ice Cream Review-A-Thon.

CC

No Matter Who You Are... Don't Steal Candy

A doctor in Stamford was caught stealing a box of pretzel M&Ms recently just going to prove two points.  First of all no one should steal no matter how important you think you are.  Secondly pretzel M&Ms are so good, even a doctors steal them.

Click here to read more.

CC

Mental Floss asks for "Your Favorite Childhood Ice Cream Treats"

What they mean by "Your Favorite Childhood Ice Cream Treats" is those popcycle treats in the shape of characters that sometimes have a gumball placed in a particular spot to give it dimension.  I have to be honest, I was never really into these treats as a kid.  For the most part (in Toronto, Canada) these treats always seemed to come with better options.  In other words, if an ice cream truck came up through my neighborhood, I could get a banana flavoured monkey on a stick, or I could get a banana split.  So the choice was obvious.  Even when I saw these treats in corner stores, the option would be purple witch, or Drumstick... again the answer is obvious.  The only one I ever really remember buying, and only once or twice, was a Pac-man ice cream, but I'm not sure why I bought it.

Click here to see the post on Mental Floss.

CC

A Little Science Can Save Your Candy

I just finished reading this really interesting article on the science of moisture and candy.  Now it might seem pretty thick and dull, but if you're a candy hoarder (you like to keep a stash regularly) then you really should get through this article.  It has great insight into ways you might be able to keep your stash a little longer, as well as key signs to look out for telling you your candy has gone bad.

Click here to read the science.

CC

It Happened Again?!!

Yesterday I posted about an incident where a man got his hand stuck in the gas tank of his car trying to fish out a candy bar that someone apparently put in there.  Then today twitter follower thecandyfan pointed out another incident where someone has jammed a candy bar in another gas tank.  This is turning into one of the strangest epidemics I'm ever seen.

Click here to read about the second case.

CC

Animated Candy

Alimation - Annecy Festival 2011 from Alexandre DUBOSC on Vimeo.
This is so cool, although I wonder how much of this is made from real candy.

CC

Ever Get In An Argument About The Health Benefits Of Chocolate?

If you've ever been in that argument where someone tries to tell you that chocolate is bad for you, it's a good idea to have some facts on your side.  Click the link below for some quick facts that will help you out a lot.

Click here for some quick notes on the benefits of chocolate.

CC

It's National Gummy Worm Day!

Time to pull out a wriggly little fruity worm and freak out your friends and neighbors.

CC

A Couple Of Chocolate Makers Worth Checking Out

I just read about two chocolatiers in the US that appear to have some pretty good treats.

One is "Meeteetse's cowboy chocolatier" and it sounds like it's as much fun to buy the chocolate as it is to eat it.

Click here to read about Meeteetse's.

Then there's a great chocolatier in Baltimore that really cares about the small details when it comes to chocolate making.

Click here to read about Pete Truby.

CC

The Old Snickers In The Gas Tank Joke

Don't you hate it when someone slips a Snickers bar into the gas tank of your car and you get your hand stuck trying to get it out?  Never happened to you?  Well I'm sure it hasn't happened to many of us, but I can name at least one person who's dealt with this problem.

Click here to read about this man.

CC

Star Wars Cupcake Stencils

Are you a Star Wars Fan?  Are you a cupcake Fan?  Are you really bad at decorating cupcakes?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, the solution to your problems is here.

Click here to read more about this great invention.

CC

Candy Packages and Stuff

Last week I posted about Jason Liebig's collection of really cool retro stickers (some of which are candy themed).  Well Jason also has a great collection of candy packaging as well.

Click here to check out the package.

CC

A Little Information About Portion

Many times on this site I have said that I feel the key to keeping healthy while enjoying sweet treats is portion control.  Let me make one thing clear, portion control not only deals with the size of the treats you eat, but also how many and when you eat them.  If you eat an entire bag of mini Nestle Crunch bars between breakfast and lunch, that's still really unhealthy.  However if you eat one mini Nestle Crunch bar after right after lunch as a little treat, that's OK.

Click here to read an article about the problems with snacking.

CC

Sweet Travel In The USA

If you're planning a vacation in the USA here are two places you might want to consider:

If you're checking out Mt Rushmore, you most certainly want to make a stop in Keystone.  In particular you might want to check out what the locals call "Sweet Street".

Click here to read about Sweet Street.

Also, if you happen to be in Las Vegas, you most certainly want to include the Sugar Factory, with their huge collection of high end sweets, into your agenda.

Click here to read more about the Sugar Factory.

CC

M&M's Store In London

The folks at M&M's have released a few snapshots of their new store in London.  It looks great and I can't wait to check it out.

Click here to see more photos of the new store. (it's on Facebook)

CC

3D Food Printers Just Got Cooler

Apparently scientific and engineering minds have developed a 3D printer that can print things in chocolate.  That pretty much ranks up with the greatest inventions ever made in my books.  My goal in life is to get a full body scan, then make a life sized perfect replica of myself in chocolate.

Click here to read more about it.

CC

Fair Foods

Friends Eat has a collection of fun fair foods (or as I call them Carney Foods).  There are several sweet treats that will please any candy fan, and needless to say each and every one of these foods is deep fried.

Click here to check out the list.

As an added bonus, Rue the Day, has a great article about their own finds at the fair.

Click here to read about some more deep fried goodness.

CC

Crazy Ice Cream Flavours

This article is a little old (4th of July), but it still has a great list of some of the wackiest ice cream flavours from all over the world.  No surprise that two of the flavours are from Tokyo.

Click here to read the list.

CC

Train Snacks

When I was a little kid my dad used to take us to Thorold Ontario regularly to visit my grandfather.  Often we would take the train.  Whenever we would go to the train station my dad would pick us up some snacks for the ride over (it was about 1.5 hours).  We were allowed a drink, and two snacks.  Whenever two snacks where allowed inevitably one of the snacks would be something salty, often potato chips.

Today whenever I take a train ride I crave potato chips.  The smell of the diesel reminds me of those great days on the train and instantly my mouth starts to crave salty chips.  I think one of the reasons I love train travel is because of this craving.

CC

Spray Soda

Apparently, from the department of inventions that will hurt people, someone decided that soda pop should be delivered via a spray can.  The can is described as being similar to that of spray cheese.  This would be useful if one was in a soda pop fight (like a water fight) but I'm thinking for drinking purposes this has the potential to be very dangerous.

Click here to read more.

CC

Dune Gummies

I'm not a big fan of the movie Dune.  I always thought it ran way too long and frankly all of that sand made me feel uncomfortable (probably memories of sand getting everywhere at the beach).  However, if Dune was made with all gummies, like in this photo gallery, I think I would have enjoyed it a little more.

Click here to check out the whole gallery.

CC

Italy Is Starting To Think About Healthy Chocolate

According to statistics, Italy has started to show a bigger interest in dark chocolate.  These same statistics say that Italy is becoming more interested in dark chocolate because of the health benefits that come with it.

Click here to read more about Italy's love of dark chocolate.

CC

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory Quiz

Mental Floss posted a new quiz all about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the movie).  I got 6 out of 12 of the answers right.  Now you may think that I'm a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory expert given my love of candy, but really that's not true.  I've only seen the movie a few times, and that was a long time ago.

Click here to take the quiz yourself.

CC

I Slept On a Coconut

Or at least I think I did.  On a recent trip I was inundated with information about the matress that I was sleeping on.  It was called a "Coco-Mat" and it was made from Coconuts.  It also contained sea weed and horse hair, but I think the coconut was the main selling point.

The pamphlet on the nightstand said it contained "elasticated coco-fiber".  I'm not sure how one "elasticates" coco fibers but I can say it was pretty comfortable.

I can also say that these guys really go all out when it comes to advertising.  The artwork above the bed was also an advertisement for the mattresses.  P.S. if the folks at Coco-Mat want to send me a bed to preview for a long term test please e-mail me.

Click here to check out their website.

CC