Amazing Halloween Candy/Junk Food Costumes That You Should Buy - Nerds For Two

I love the idea of seeing two people wearing this Nerds two person costume. I hate the idea of wearing it myself.

CC

It's Time For Another Chris (and Linda), Why Would You Eat That?!! - Deep Fried Spiders

This episode has been a long time in the making. I've been waiting to eat spiders for a while, and it's been waiting for two things to come together. The first was to find a place that sold deep fried spiders that wasn't too sketchy. I've seen spiders and other bugs for sale on the streets of many Asian countries, but I wanted to make sure that this exspirience was had in a place that was safe, and that would offer this delight in the best way possible. I discovered a restaurant called Romdeng in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and I knew it was perfect.

The second thing I wanted was someone to enjoy these spiders with, a partner in crime. This seemed like the perfect meal to enjoy with a friend, and I found the perfect person with my friend Linda. She had been traveling through South East Asia for about a month, and she was not only willing, but excited at the idea of tasting a spider.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see what we have in store next for Chris, Why Would  You Eat That?!!

Also be sure to check out our YouTube channel for old episodes and to be notified when we post new ones.

CC

Valentines Chocolates For Singles

With all of the love, hugs, and warm pink fuzzy things for sale at this time of year, many people often forget about their single friends.  Single people this time of year seem to be put into one of two categories, either they're staunch singles that are militantly happy about being single, or they're depressed about the whole stupid holiday.  I don't think that this is an accurate representation of the single people on Valentine's Day.  I think there are some people out there who are happy to be single, but not violent about it.  I think these people's only complaint is that they can't get a reservation at their favorite restaurant on Valentine's Day.

Instead of casting single people out for this holiday, I think it would be better to invite single people to enjoy this day.  The only way I know how to do this is with candy, since that's my area of expertise.  So, with the help of Allison, we've designed some Valentine's Day chocolates that you can give to your single friends without having to worry about offending them, or giving them the wrong idea.

As with all of my candy ideas, I'm giving them away.  If any candy maker out there wants to make chocolates for singles, and use my designs, it's free.  All I ask is that you send me some to eat, and share with my loving wife.

The first chocolate in this selection is the handshake chocolate.  A box of handshakes is perfect for the person you like, but don't want to cross any kind of line with.  It says that we're friends, and maybe even business associates, but that's all.  A chocolate kiss is way too far, and even a hug might send off the wrong signals, but a handshake is certainly nothing more than a handshake.

For some reason Valentine's Day, and love in general, has some kind of connection with a vital organ in the human body, the heart.  Instead of giving someone a heart shaped chocolate this year, why not go for a kidney instead.  After all, you have two of them, and you can even afford to give it away and you'll still survive.  This tells the receiver of this chocolate that they're close, but not so close that you'd die without them.  It's all of the nice things about the heart without any commitment.

Finally the chocolate cat.  The best thing about the chocolate cat  is you can give them as many chocolate cats as they have real cats in their home.  I'm not saying that all single lonely people have to own cats, I'm just saying that some do.  If your single friend happens to own several cats, why not give them a box of cute cat shaped chocolates, one for each of their own furry little friends.

I think that there is a large demographic of single people on Valentine's Day, and it would be silly for candy companies to miss out on these people.  With these three chocolates alone you could increase your sales by at least a third (I imagine that at least a third of people are single, it's not researched at all).  Most importantly it's a good idea not to alienate, or judge your single friends over this holiday.  Maybe they want chocolate, without a relationship.

CC

This Week In Candy

One of the greatest friends anyone can have is a foodie friend. I consider myself extremely lucky, because I have many of them.  Some like to talk food, others like to act on it.  My friend Chris is one of those people who really likes to act on his food interests, and his foodie interests are really fascinating.  Chris likes to cook foods the old fashioned way. To be more precise, he likes to cook food the ancient way.  The other day I was over at his house for dinner and he made me an awesome dessert called Libum.  It's a very simple, yet very tasty ancient Roman cheese cake.  The flavour was really clean, and it warmed me up inside on the cool night that it was outside.  Chris apparently has more ancient cooking tricks up his sleeve, and I'm looking forward to trying them all out.

Over the last few weeks I've reported about a big shipment of lollipops from our good friends at Original Gourmet Lollipops.  The shipment was so big that I ended giving many away throughout the last few weeks. Then I had to try and figure out which of the many flavours I should review.  It was too big a feat for me to figure out, so I decided to ask around both in person and online.  So many people voiced their opinions that even after collecting all the data, I still couldn't decide on just one flavour to review.  I have managed to take this list down to just 5 flavours, so that means that every day this week I'm posting a new Original Gourmet Lollipop review.  So stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Google+ to keep up with this week's Lollipop Review-A-Thon.

This week on Snack Facts (our Instagram feed), we're looking at Rockets... Or Smarties... Well that all depends on where you live really.  We're looking at those little powdery pill like candies that come in a cellophane tube.  Every day will post a new fun fact about this unique candy on our Instagram feed.  If you don't use Instagram, you can also follow Snack Facts on our Facebook page and our Twitter feed as well.

Part 1 of our Lollipop Review-A-Thon this week is a look at a classic malt shop drink, turned into lollipop form.  I love a good root beer float, and why can't I have one any time of the day, no matter how far I am from a malt shop.  So check out Original Gourmet Lollipops answer to my problem, and check back every day for another lollipop review in our Lollipop Review-A-Thon.

CC

Another Update Of My Canadian Adventures

Well it's been a while since I've been able to sit at my laptop and collect my Canadian candy/junk food/treat thoughts, so this post is going to be a long one.  Some of these experiences have been mentioned on our Twitter feed, Facebook page, and Tumblr page already, but I'll get into a little more detail.  A few of these fun adventures are new as well. This first photo is of a peanut plant, and I can't say that I've ever seen one before.  It's on my friend's organic farm, and hopefully he'll send me a photo of the crop once it's ready.

For the next few photos I'm going to talk a little bit about the fast food that I've sampled on this journey.  This first photos is of the new Wendy's pretzel burger.  I'm not really sure why they call it a pretzel burger because the bun isn't really pretzel like at all.  I guess it kind of looks like a pretzel, but that doesn't cut it for me.  I think the dough should have been much more dense, and maybe a sprinkling of salt on the top would have worked.

This next treat is what I consider to be the best and worst idea of the trip so far.  Some might argue, but I'm pretty sure that Toronto has the best quality street hot dogs in the world.  Those that argue that New York has better street hot dogs are delusional.  The meat and topping selection in Toronto street meat is second to none.  While I do believe that Toronto hot dogs are the best, they will still often lead to indigestion.

Another important stop for us whenever we're in Toronto is Burrito Boyz.  Toronto has had a big influx of burrito places over the last few years, and I'm sure some might say that there's better burritos out there. The thing is Burrito Boyz is pretty tasty, and it's been our favorite burrito place since we first started going out.

This pizza is the thing of legend. No we didn't take a side trip to Chicago, this is all Hamilton Ontario.  There's a little place hidden in the backstreets of this steel town called "Chicago Style Pizza" that offers what I can only describe as the best pizza in the world.  It's full of cheese and ingredients, and will make you regret eating it the minute you stand up.  The meat lovers version of this pizza is called "No Self Respect", and it's true.

You can't visit Canada and not eat copious amounts of meat, it's un-patriotic.  I'd just like to ad that only 4 people pretty much polished this platter of dead animals off in one sitting.  We weren't proud, but we were full.

This place has the best sign ever, and being a photographer I love the name too.  Unfortunately it's out of business.  I've noticed a few grilled cheese places out of business on this trip.  It appears that I've completely missed the grill cheese craze.  Was it good, was it something worth doing, or was it just a silly fad?

The person that thought of mixing Jamaican and Italian cuisine together is either a genius or a monster.  The place was closed when I walked by it the other day, but I sense I might have to check it out later.

We decided that a road trip to Niagara was in the cards this past week, and no trip to Niagara is complete without visiting Maple Leaf Fudge.  This is probably my favorite fudge shop in the world. They had a few new interesting flavours on hand to sample including peach, butter tart, and maple bacon.  I decided that I would just go for a simple slice of chocolate nut, but I'll be back.

Allison told me that I couldn't have a full bowl of Froot Loops. She did agree that I could throw a few on top of my Cherios though.  As it turns out a few Froot Loops sprinkled in a bowl of Cherios is pretty good.  The sweet fake fruit flavour is well balanced with the nutritious grain flavour. If you're the type of person that normally sweetens their cereal with a little sugar, you may want to consider sweetening your healthy cereal with sugary cereal instead.

I'm not sure what I think of this "World's Largest  Hershey's Kiss".  It's not really a giant Kiss, and more of a thin shell of chocolate, holding a bunch of regular Kiss's.  I was thinking of picking it up, but in the end I decided that it just seemed like a rip off.  If you're going to sell me a giant Kiss, it better be solid and covered in foil.

On our trip to Hamilton Allison informed me that there was a Tim Horton's that sold a particular style of Timbit.  This style of Timbit is only available in 6 Tim Hortons around the world. The question is, was it worth searching it out...

The answer is yes.  In fact I encourage ever  Tim Hortons to carry this awesome Timbit, that way I don't have to travel so far to get it.  What you have here is a vanilla sour cream Timbit, covered in  chocolate glaze.  Here's a tip from Allison, while this Timbit is tasty fresh, as a day old it's even better.  The glaze gets a little crunchy a day later, and the sour cream dough is still soft.  It adds an interesting texture to this already tasty donut.

Speaking of Tim Hortons, did you know  that they have rules as to how many donuts they can fit in each bag.  Personally I don't think you should ever put any donut in this bag if it has icing.  I'm tempted to order 10 Timbits one day, and see if they'll put it in a bag anyways.  Then I'll complain to the management.

One night Allison and I visited Allison's family at their country home.  Every few years this farm produces some maple syrup from the local trees.  I was asked if I wanted to make some maple candy with their home made syrup, and being who I am, I couldn't refuse.  I learned a few interesting facts about maple syrup that night.

First of all I learned that you can freeze maple syrup.  Now any syrup experts out there correct me if I'm wrong, but all you have to do is put your syrup in the freezer, then when you're ready to us it, just let it thaw.  The crystals will simply break apart and in no time you have perfectly tasty syrup ready to go.  The second thing I learned is that I'm not really great at making candy, but I'm still good at eating it.

A couple of days ago we spent some time with our friends Adriana and Alessandra. Adriana is a former pastry chef (and often advisor for this blog), and her daughter Alessandra has tasted Nutella on more things than anyone I know (I'm told that it's surprisingly tasty on flank steak).  We spent a few days hanging out with them, playing board games, and most importantly talking food.  Alessandra introduced me to microwave cookies, made in a mug or ramekin.

It's a similar idea to cooking cake in  mug (which I highly recommend  you try), so you have to be sure not to over cook it.  If you're siting at home right now, and you want a cookie, than all it takes is a few basic ingredients, a microwave, and a mug.  It's really tasty, and with a scoop of ice cream, it will satisfy all of your sweet cravings.

Finally Adriana gave me a pie.  When a pastry chef gives you a pie that they made at home you might as well kill yourself when you finish eating it, because it's all down hill from there.  This pie made from fresh berries was amazing.  Best of all she let me help her make it.  Adriana is so good at making pies that she will often substitute money for her desserts, and it works.  Imagine paying for your gym membership with pie, that's how good her desserts are.

Well that's it for  now from my adventure in Canada.  I'll try to post another entry later in my journeys.

CC

Candy Kick Starter

My friend Sarah Chickee has decided to live her candy dreams and make chocolates for a living. She's trying to get her start on Kick Starter, and the only thing better than helping someone start their dream company, is to help someone and get some chocolate in the mail as well.  There are never enough independent candy makers in the world since they ad some of the best diversity into the industry.  So check out her Kick Starter account, and if her brand of chocolate appeals to you, give her a hand at making the candy world a better place.

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Art Show From Our Friends at Beware The Cheese

Here's a quick message from our friends, and the people who photograph all of our candy, bewarethecheese.com:

Come see our final art show in Athens entitled "Αντίο κι ευχαριστώ για τα ψάρια" opening on June 4th from 7:30 to 9:30.  On display will be several fine art mixed media pieces, as well as beautiful photographic prints.  The show continues till Wednesday June 11th.  You can learn more about the show here: http://www.bewarethecheese.com/solong/

Come one down and meet the Candy Critic!  You'll know it's me because I'm both the artist, and I'll have treats.

CC

This Week In Candy

My friend Leba got this strange looking rock in a bag of M&M's the other day.  Now some people might be disappointed to get something strange in their candy bag, but not Leba.  She bit right into it, and it turns out, it was a tasty bonus.  Do you ever get strange things in your candy?  Would you eat them?

I was looking up candy related board games last night and I was horribly disappointed.  I've discovered that there really aren't any great candy themed games, particularly for adults.  The only game that came up again and again was Candy Land.  While I love the aesthetics of the artwork and design of Candy Land, frankly it's a pretty dull game.  I've decided that I may have to design my own candy themed game, for big kids and adults.

As for what I'm doing this week, lots of writing on my super secret big project.  A few fun blogs about candy things I've discovered, and I may be recording a new episode of the "Junk Fud" Podcast this week.  This week on our "Snack Facts" feed, we'll be featuring Japanese treats and snacks.  If you want to connect with our Snack Facts feeds you can follow it on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Friday Candy Video

I'm not sure I completely understand the latest trend of breaking apart  candies ideologically.  Mike and Ike's did it a while back, and Twix has also joined in the fun.  This Twix campaign is all about how silly it is to think that there's a difference between the left and right Twix bar, but they still want to create a tension.  I'm going to blame this new "tension" trend on the internet.  People like to read about problems between friends and family, so making up a fake split up fits this interest.  Fortunately it doesn't appear that Twix is going to actually do anything to their bars in relation to this campaign.  Nothing ticks me off more than a brand worrying more about the campaign than the candy.

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A Cool Candy Thing

I love the idea of these Ice Sabers, I mean who doesn't like Star Wars, and who doesn't like cold treats.  I do however see one flaw in these treats.  If I made a batch of these, and had some friends over, the minute we pulled the Ice Sabers out of the molds, it would turn into an instant sword fight.  Then, inevitably, someones ice treat would break leaving someone unable to enjoy their ice treat.  This would then ruin the day with my friends, a great deal of Facebook un-friending would take place, and I would be left alone with tears in my eyes.  Now I know this is only hypothetical, but I think I may pass on getting a set of these.

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This Week In Candy

I'm having an interesting dilemma right now.  It's about a review that I'm thinking of writing for Sour Patch Kids.  Sour Patch Kids is a classic candy that just hasn't made it onto my radar yet for review.  That was until my friend Catherine handed me a bag of them and told me that these Sour Patch Kids were something special.  As it turns out she handed me a bag of Sour Patch Kids from Ireland, and these Sour Patch Kids have 5 different flavours instead of just 4.  So, do you think I should review these Irish Sour Patch Kids?  What do I do when I go back home to the regular Sour Patch Kids, do I review them again?  Just so you know, the extra purple ones are really tasty.

You may have noticed the lack of "Old Candy Critic Articles" being posted on Wednesdays.  Well I've decided to stop posting these old articles because I've pretty much run out.  There are a few that I didn't re-post, but I don't think they're really relevant to the candy world anymore.  I may change my mind, but for now they'll stay in my archives.  I'm looking to fill this gap with something new, I'm just not sure what that new thing will be yet.  I'd like to continue to collect photos of people with candy, or maybe turn the Junk Fud podcast into a weekly thing.

Speaking of the Junk Fud podcast, this week you should keep your ears open this week for a new episode featuring our good friend Mark.  We talk about classic American candy and junk food, as well as look at what international candies Americans are eating.  I've also created a web page where you can find links to all of our past episodes, so if you've missed one you can always find it here.

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People With Candy

Everybody likes to show off their awesome candy and sweet treats, right?  Well I'm asking anybody that has a great picture of themselves, or a loved one, eating a tasty treat to send it to us.  Once in a while I may have prizes, but for the most part you just get to share these photos and spread some sweet candy love around.

 Here's Gino (a regular on the Junk Fud podcast) enjoying a treat that I don't think is appropriate to show on this site.  Send Gino a message and I'm sure he'll get you a copy of this photo without the black bar.

 What's so awesome about these cookies sent in by Michelle?  Well the fact that they where made with an Easy Bake oven is pretty cool.  I've never actually used an Easy Bake oven in my life, but if they can put out results like these, that's pretty awesome.

Lia sent in this photo of her very tasty dessert from TGI Friday's, I could really go for a cool treat right now myself. To TGI Friday's!!!!

If you'd like to share a photo of your favorite treat, while you're eating it, making it, or about to eat it, send it to chris(at)candycritic.org.  Make sure that all of the photos are your own, and make sure to let us know how you came about this treat (if you bought it or made it) and how tasty it may have been.

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Our Last Entry In The Gummy Review-A-Thon, Thanks Sugarfina!

I'm really lucky to have such great supporters for this blog.  First of all, those who read this blog and the reviews on candycritic.org, you guys are the best.  Secondly I'm so thankful to the companies all over the world that support me, and in particular send me their offerings.  This whole week sugarfina.com has provided me with a bunch of really unique gummy treats to review, and it's been so much fun.  The greatest thing about the selection they sent me is the wide variety of different flavours.  I've always thought of gummies as being a little boring on the flavour side, but after this week I've had to change my tune.

Thanks again to sugarfina.com, this week wouldn't have been the adventure that it was.

Click here to read the last gummy review in our gummy review-a-thon.

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Mark Gets Some Treats

Our friend, and regular follower Mark, mentioned to me that he'd never tried Turkis (or Greek) delight before.  I couldn't let this stand, and promptly sent him a package in the mail.  Mark offered a great insight into his candy experience, and agreed to let us share his tale:

I knew the mail lady was here by the exclamation, "Oh yuck! you got a bird".
Instantly the thought crossed my mind," the cats are at it again, fearless hunters of birds, snakes, squirrels, groundhogs, and the like!

I spoke with our mail carrier and we discussed the cats and their inclination to hunt and drag their catch to our doorstep.

Turning around I spied our mailbox, typical mail? Nope, not today!

I saw a package that was very neutral to natural in color.

"What is this?" I think.

I read the senders name and see a familiar C. Stewart.

Now I am excited! What could it be? I think.

Very intrigued with the surprise that is hidden between the layers of envelope. I remember a conversation about candy and junk food, and I realize; this could be the famed and hard to find Turkish delight we spoke about!

After trying to open the bulky envelope with my bare hands, I come to the realization that I require the help of my trusty scissors!

I cut through one layer of envelope to be greeted with a second durable delivery device!

y anticipation is growing as I snip, snip, snip to find concealed a bar of one of my favorite treats, sesame seed candy! Oh wow! My grin proceeds to travel laterally yet slightly longitudinally at the ends. I pull out a second container the reads" Greek Traditional Delight; Lokoum with Rose" Now I am feeling like, well, a kid in a candy store.

I am perplexed, which should I open first, the old favorite or the never before experienced Lokoum?

Decisions, decisions!

I break down and realize, I can only open one at a time, which should it be?

I decide based on kid logic that I shall open the old favorite first and while enjoying it, I will open the second.

I delicately tear open the sesame candy bar and pause, what would a Candy Critic likely do at this point. I look over the slightly thin bar noticing what looks to be a purposeful mixing of light beige, oak, flesh colored sesame seeds.

I take a deep inhalation of the candy and savor the slightly smokey, slightly vanilla, toasted oat like smell.

It is a very pleasant fragrance. I can wait no longer and I take a bite.

The flavor is a wonderful mix of toasted sesame, toasted oats (even though I know there are none in the candy) and a very mild and not over sweet glucose product and the tell tale slight bitterness of sesame in it's varied stages of toasting.

Ah yes, a wonderful and honestly, not so typically sweet, treat from a world away.

Now that being said, I want to find out what this Turkish/Greek delight thing is all about. I stop and look over the package and ingredients. Not only is this Turkish/Greek delight, it is rose flavored!

My family and friends know that I have a unique palate. I enjoy treats that are not your everyday run of the mill snack/junk food. I enjoy a floral breath mint (that contains no mint or minty flavor at all) called C. Howard's Violet mints.

I open the package and am greeted by the sight of a clear tray the size of a compact disc case, with four chambers that are about an inch in depth.

I remove the plastic wrap and cautiously smell the treat, caution solely based on the fact that whatever lies in the recesses of this package is covered with a fine heaping of powdered sugar and should my wife see me with white powder on my nasal area, I believe she would suspect me of shady behavior!

Picking up one of the powder white treats the size of a half melted ice cube, I slightly squeeze to check firmness. This treat is pretty durable even for it's small size.

With anticipation I take a bite of the treat and instantly, as if someone painted my palette with flowers, the taste of rose fills my olfactory senses. There is no mistaking the rose, it is vibrant yet soft in aroma, a delightful edible incense that is very reminiscent of the many roses that I experienced as a child at my grandmother's, where roses seemed to be a frequent sight and smell.

I wonder a question in my mind as I enjoy a second rose delight, "I wonder if the people who eat this on a regular basis use a tapping method to remove the powdered sugar", which is in no short supply.

The very fact that this package arrived with a bit of disgust from the mail lady is an ironic thing.

"Oh yuck a bird" turned into "Awesome Friday Afternoon"

Mark

This Week In Candy

Well I'm back, I had a few days between my Berlin adventure and Cretan fun times, but now I'm back for a while.  While both of these places are very different, from a food standpoint, they both had some of the greatest food I've ever eaten.  Most importantly both of them had some really good sweet treats that you must try.  This week I'll be posting all about the Berlin portion of my trip, including a special piece about my visit to the Ritter Sport museum.  Next week I'll post about some of the great treats I found on Crete, I can tell you now that it will include a lot of dairy products.

Also, all this week we're celebrating with a Gummy Review-A-Thon, brought to us by our lovely friends at sugarfina.com.  They sent us a great collection of high class gummies to sample, and every day this week we'll be posting a new review to celebrate.  This morning we posted our first of many chewy fun reviews.

Last week a package I sent to our good friend Mark finally made it to him.  It was full of Greek delights, and Mark wrote a brilliant piece about getting these treats, he even included his own reviews.  See, if you befriend a Candy Critic, free candy might come in the mail.  I don't have that many contest (but I do have a few) instead I'd rather deal on a customer appreciation angle.

So now I'm back to full strength, and working on a whole bunch of new ideas.

CC

Merry Christmas

I'll be unwrapping some gifts for the next little while...  Have a great holiday with your friends and family.

CC

Rachel's Cake

 This past weekend I attended a BBQ at my friend Jonathan's place.  It was a great time and the food was spectacular.  For dessert we had the privilege of selecting from 3 awesome desserts.  The top one is a tasty ice cream cake, the brown one is a smooth and very rich chocolate cake, and those little squares?..

They may not be the most attractive little squares in the whole world, but what they lack in beauty they more than make up for in taste.  In fact, I can honestly tell you that they're one of the best home baked desserts I've had in a long time, and they were made by a girl who's family claims that "she can't bake".  Rachel first made these squares at a get together at my house, I had one bite and I was hooked.  I've had hundreds of sweet desserts in my life from all over the world, but I can tell you that these squares are one of my favourite ever.

The reason why Rachel's family believes that she can't bake apparently came from the first time she tried to make something from scratch.  I believe she tried making cookies, and just thought she could "wing it".  The cookies were a disaster and her family believed from that moment on that she couldn't bake.  Well I've decided that I'm going to try and change her families opinion.  I'm going to write a letter, on official Candy Critic letterhead, explaining to her family that she made one of the best desserts I've ever eaten.  Rachel, you deserve this, and there is no need to thank me, however if you feel you really have to, you know exactly how.

The letter:

"Dear Rachel's family,

I recently discovered that you may be under the impression that your daughter/sister/cousin/etc... Rachel cannot bake.  During her stay here in Athens she has attended several potluck style functions, and at two of them so far, she has presented the group with a dessert that is fantastic.  I am a food writer with more than 10 years experience, specializing in sweet foods, I have been on national television shows in both the US and Canada (including shows on the Food Network and the CBC), and I've written for or been featured in many national and local publications all over the world.  I can tell you right now that her apple caramel blondies are one of the best desserts I've ever eaten in my entire life.

During your next holiday function I highly recommend that you ask her to make these for you as well.  I'm sure she will make you proud.

Chris Stewart
www.candycritic.org"

CC

Art Show Tomorrow!!!

Just a reminder that our sister site bewarethecheese.com, is having a big art show at the Finnish Institute at Athens.  The whole Candy Critic gang is going to be there to support the show, and we hope you can make it too.

CC

Old Candy Critic Articles - Candy Critic for a day Part 2

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week and next, I'm posting an old article I wrote where I invited a few friends of mine to participate in some of the trials and tribulations I go through when I'm doing a review.

Let me guess, you want to write me an e-mail and tell me how much you would love to do what I do, how cool it would be to eat all this candy and try treats only some people could imagine. Well for the most part your right, this is not a bad racket, but with the good comes the bad. The bad in this case is the awesome risk you take biting into something that you can't even read the package, or eating something with a character on it that would be better off dead than the state he's in. You're not the only people who want to be Candy Critics, my "real friends" tell me this all the time. They tell me how much they would love to do a review, and how great it must be. Sometimes I let my friends review treats with me and they always want to review their already favourite treats, they never go out on a limb.

Revenge is a dish better served cold, man that's a dumb expression, but it works. So today I'm calling some of my buddies out and the challenge will begin. This is how it works. Each contestant/reviewer picks the name of a candy out of a hat. Then they must eat the treat and write a single sentence about what's going through their minds. If a contestant refuses a candy or spits it out before their next turn, they are out and will forever be branded a 'wuss'. So let the game begin...

Contestants:

Morgan

What can I say about Morgan... He keeps telling me that he doesn't eat that many sweets, but he's the first to grab any new treats I might offer. Why do I think he's great for this contest. Well he's got an opinion, and for the love of god he'll let everybody know it. Morgan's opinion is not always mine, but I'm guaranteed that it's logical, because he's a very thorough thinker.

Sam

Sam is a contestant because he fits the bill of the classic Candy Critic wannabe. He tells me how much he would love to eat candy like I do, and he even asked to do a review. Just like the many other people that ask to do reviews he asked to do a review of his favourite treat (the Mr.Big). So here you go Sam now your doing what I do, see how you like it.

Frank

Frank was a late entry into this contest but he is a sure fire candy fanatic. Why did I ask him to participate? Well, Frank's a good guy and to be honest he was around, so I thought he would make a perfect contestant.

Chris (That's me by the way)

At first I thought I would not participate in this game, only because I have nothing to prove. I know I can taste odd candies, and I've proven it over and over again. What changed my mind? Well these guys accused me of wimping out and I am no wimp.

Round 6:

Morgan - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Wants to be fruity (orange) but is bland."

Sam - Asian Grape Gummy

"Good thing I got it again... cuz I forgot to write about it last round... It's good! (Frank got another Torture Scorcher)."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"(tangerine) Scorch varies from piece to piece."

Chris - Asian Grape Gummy

"Still Grapey."

Round 7:

Morgan - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Lemony

- Ends blandly"

Sam - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"First it's like a tiny tangerine in my mouth... Then it's like, really sour for a couple of seconds... Then it returns to a tangerine flavour."

Frank - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"A nice little jujube, grapefruit rocks! Flavourful."

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"My breath is already to dam fresh."

Round 8:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Raspberry

- This Time

- Very spicy right away stays spicy."


Sam - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Still rockin' and poppin'... Could do without the popping part."

Frank - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Didn't fizz much."

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Why god why?"

Round 9:

Morgan - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"Lightly sour with orange hint."

Sam -  Cadbury Choc Shocks

"I swallowed it fast... and now my throat is tingly."

Frank - Asian Grape Gummy

"Been there done that, but nice grape flavour."

Chris - Thrills Gum

"Of all the candies this was one I normally don't like and guess what? I still don't like them now."

Round 10:

Morgan - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Fruit Chew again

- doesn't know what favor it wants to be."

Sam - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"It hits me like an elementary school memory... Something really synthetic about it besides being really sour... no real taste."

Frank - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"A good but typical mint, cool."

Chris - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Too much mint and spray is making my eyes water, so cold."

Well I guess I have to admit my buddies are not wussy at all, and I guess they can take some of the heat. You think you can take it, well maybe next year I'll try it again, you could even be a contestant, but you never know what I might pull out of my hat.

CC

Old Candy Critic Articles - Candy Critic for a day Part 1

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week and next, I'm posting an old article I wrote where I invited a few friends of mine to participate in some of the trials and tribulations I go through when I'm doing a review.

Let me guess, you want to write me an e-mail and tell me how much you would love to do what I do, how cool it would be to eat all this candy and try treats only some people could imagine. Well for the most part your right, this is not a bad racket, but with the good comes the bad. The bad in this case is the awesome risk you take biting into something that you can't even read the package, or eating something with a character on it that would be better off dead than the state he's in. You're not the only people who want to be Candy Critics, my "real friends" tell me this all the time. They tell me how much they would love to do a review, and how great it must be. Sometimes I let my friends review treats with me and they always want to review their already favourite treats, they never go out on a limb.

Revenge is a dish better served cold, man that's a dumb expression, but it works. So today I'm calling some of my buddies out and the challenge will begin. This is how it works. Each contestant/reviewer picks the name of a candy out of a hat. Then they must eat the treat and write a single sentence about what's going through their minds. If a contestant refuses a candy or spits it out before their next turn, they are out and will forever be branded a 'wuss'. So let the game begin...

Contestants:

Morgan

What can I say about Morgan... He keeps telling me that he doesn't eat that many sweets, but he's the first to grab any new treats I might offer. Why do I think he's great for this contest. Well he's got an opinion, and for the love of god he'll let everybody know it. Morgan's opinion is not always mine, but I'm guaranteed that it's logical, because he's a very thorough thinker.

Sam

Sam is a contestant because he fits the bill of the classic Candy Critic wannabe. He tells me how much he would love to eat candy like I do, and he even asked to do a review. Just like the many other people that ask to do reviews he asked to do a review of his favourite treat (the Mr.Big). So here you go Sam now your doing what I do, see how you like it.

Frank

Frank was a late entry into this contest but he is a sure fire candy fanatic. Why did I ask him to participate? Well, Frank's a good guy and to be honest he was around, so I thought he would make a perfect contestant.

Chris (That's me by the way)

At first I thought I would not participate in this game, only because I have nothing to prove. I know I can taste odd candies, and I've proven it over and over again. What changed my mind? Well these guys accused me of wimping out and I am no wimp.

Round 1:

Morgan - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Hint of sweet but mostly sour juice."

Sam - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Me like. Mouth tingling! Like macaroon... on acid"

Frank - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Where's the sour? Sour drool.!!"

Chris - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Nice and fruity with a sour taste."

Round 2:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Initially Spicy

- takes a second to kick in, then gets sweeter, raspberry."

Sam - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Gotta love Japanese candy... like a rainbow in my mouth!... But a Japanese rainbow... Made out of yogurt."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Instant heartburn. Quickly loses its zing and becomes typical candy (lemon)"

Chris - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"Sour at first, but mmm mmm fruit later."

Round 3:

Morgan - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Fruit Chew

- like Starburst"

Sam - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Yumsters in my tumster."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Strong but brief initial kick. (Raspberry)"

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Although minty it has some kind of crazy chalky taste too."

Round 4:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Very Spicy

- Cherry does not get sweet, stays spicy"

Sam -  Japanese Yogurt Chew

"(oh yeah... you can eat it!) Still a rainbow!"

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Hot Orange sucker (tangerine)"

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Still minty"

Round 5:

Morgan - Asian Grape Gummy

"Very soft gummy with good grape flavour."

Sam - Asian Grape Gummy

"OK... I've had 5 really good candies in a row and now I'm really getting worried something is going to go wrong. (Frankie is beside me and he got like, 4 Torture Scorchers... I'm scared)."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"(Cherry) Little scorch by the 4th time around."

Chris - Asian Grape Gummy

"It seems to have more of a grape juice taste than any real grape."

To Be Continued Next Week...

CC