A Little Jar of Heaven

My brother and sister-in-law have a huge plot of land out in the country.  They grow all kinds of things in their garden, and also have fruit trees and bushes.  Needless to say, they get to do a lot of canning every year.  I was visiting them recently and was able to snag a few jars of their homemade jelly.  I got Wild Cherry and Elderberry Apple.  So far I've only tasted the Wild Cherry, but it is so incredibly yummy.  I've eaten half a jar in less than a week.  !!  I can't help it, it's just so tasty!

When I was a kid, there used to be a lot of wild elderberry bushes growing on the side of the road in the neighborhood where I lived.  I remember picking large sacks of those dark purple berries to my grandma and my parents could make elderberry jelly.  We rarely had store bought jelly when I was little.  We always had so much of the homemade stuff we never needed to pay for any. 

I can't wait to dig into that Elderberry Apple jelly my brother and sister-in-law made.  I know it's going to be good.  I'm only sorry I didn't smuggle out a jar of the Raspberry Dark Chocolate jelly they had!  We had some with breakfast before I left and it was amazing.  Looks like I might have to find a reason to be in the neighborhood again real soon so I can get my hands on some.

A Chocolate Named Eternity

I got sucked into an impulse buy while standing in line at Walmart this week after doing my grocery shopping.  There was a pretty little display of gourmet-style chocolate bars.  They caught my eye with their simple but elegant packaging, and the words "dark chocolate" and "cherry".  The chocolate lover in me squealed in delight. 

73% cocoa and cherry flavoring?  Sounded like a winning combination to me!  The little squares of chocolate were vaguely leaf-shaped, and even had veining just like real leaves do.  Such attention to detail was a good sign that this would be some darn good chocolate.  Did I mention this was Belgian chocolate?  It even had a name.  This flavor was called "Eternity".  Sounds promising, doesn't it?

Search Amazon.com for NewTree Chocolate

So today I finally get around to trying this chocolate bar.  I settle down in my chair and I'm so prepared to be an adult and savor my fancy new chocolate.  The wrapper is made from premium paper - not even a hint of a tear as I unfold it.  I break off a row of chocolate and then one single square. 

I bite into my fancy new chocolate and prepare to swoon over the yumminess that is cherry-flavored Belgian chocolate. 

My first response is confusion.  Is that a taste of anise seed??  Surely some vengeful chocolate maker hasn't ruined my chocolate bar with something that tastes like licorice.  I take another bite and realize that no, there isn't really any anise flavoring.  Whew!  But as I continue to taste the chocolate, paying close attention to every nuance of flavor and any aftertastes, I realize something strange.  I don't like this fancy, gourmet, cherry-flavored dark chocolate.  It doesn't taste like cherry.  It doesn't even taste like chocolate!  What is going on?  Did someone secretly swap my NewTree chocolate for a piece of an actual tree?  Like bark maybe? 

Maybe it's just because it's new.  Perhaps I need to just take a few more small bites to get used to the flavor in order to truly appreciate it.  I bravely attempt another nibble and let the chocolate melt on my tongue.  Nope.  Still gross. 

I'm awash in chocolate despair.  I can forgive a let-down driven by the absense of cherry essence.  But a chocolate bar should taste like chocolate!  I love dark chocolate.  I love cherries.  This chocolate bar should have been a slam dunk.  Is it the extra 3% of cocoa that ruins it for me?  I've never had any chocolate over 70% cocoa before.  I'm heartbroken to think that maybe it IS possible for something to be "too chocolatey".  I guess I'll just have to stick to my Super Chocolate Hot Cocoa and dark chocolate bars with 70% or less cocoa content. 

Have you ever tried any of the NewTree chocolate bars?  Did you like it?  Have you ever been supremely disappointed with a candy purchase you thought you were going to love?

Image found here.

Cereals I Miss

Don't you hate it when a product you love is discontinued?  And you wish you'd known it was going to happen so you could prepare for the product apocalypse by visiting every store you can think of and buying them out of every last one of those items?  It is always my fervent wish that these items would make a comeback and suddenly reappear on store shelves. 

The two cereals I remember and miss the most were Smurfberry Crunch and Dunkin' Donuts cereal.  The Dunkin' Donuts cereal box was divided in half with chocolate on one side and glazed on the other.  They were shaped like mini donuts (or Cheerios, whatever). 

                

But even more than Dunkin' Donuts Cereal, I loved the Smurfberry Crunch cereal.  They were dark blue and red roundish star-shaped pieces (supposed to look like Smurf Berries of course!) that tasted a lot like the berries in Cap'N Crunch.  But way better!  I was devastated when they stopped making this cereal.  I would buy the Crunch Berries cereal (the one with nothing but berries) hoping it would fill the void, but alas, I was destined to bear the sorrow of breakfast cereal despair. 





Maybe since they are making a new Smurfs movie they'll get around to bringing back the cereal! 


Dunkin' Donuts Cereal images found here.
Smurfberry Crunch image found here.

I'm Going Into Withdrawal

Okay, it is officially summer here in my world (whether-wise at least) and I have already had two scrumptious watermelons this year.  This means I should be able to find a nice watermelon every single time I go shopping.  It has been like a week since I've had any.  I went grocery shopping yesterday with my heart set on watermelon.  They didn't have any!  How is that possible?  You can't tease me with two perfect watermelons and then stop selling them.  It's cruel!  I thought for sure I had just missed them, so I did a slow, thorough search through the produce section a second and third time.  As if they could have hidden those humongous suckers somewhere. I started off feeling disappointed and then as the dire consequences of being melon-less sunk in I started getting angry.  Where are the watermelons?!  Is some produce worker with an entreprenurial spirit hording them to sell out of the back of a pickup behind the store?  I got home from a hot sweaty walk and my body was screaming "Feed me watermelon!"  But did I have any to give it?  Noooo!  It's all very, very sad.

Hooray for Watermelon

I am so happy to have finally gotten my first watermelon of the season!  And much to my surprise, it was yummy and sweet and full of flavor.  I eat sooo many watermelons during the summer, and I'm always so incredibly sad when the season ends and I have to wait till the following year for more.  Usually at the beginning of the season the first few watermelons I can get my hands on aren't very good.  They don't have much flavor.  Thankfully this one was nearly perfect!  (It was a little on the small side, and still expensive, unfortuantely.) 

I used to buy a big ole watermelon and after wrestling it into the fridge, I would never get around to eating it.  Or I'd cut off a few slices and try unsuccessfully to cover the open end with plastic wrap.  This is of course impossible.  We all know plastic wrap won't actually stick to anything other than more plastic wrap.  But that didn't stop me from trying.  And of course I'd end up throwing most of it out after it went bad.  It was always such a hassle to wrangle with that massive melon every time I wanted to cut off a slice, then fight with the plastic wrap and try to fit it back into the fridge.  I've since learned my lesson.  I now cut up the entire watermelon immediately and store it in my largest bowl.  This works infinitely better, as it takes up less space and it's now ready to eat!  No more laziness causing me to waste perfectly good summery fruit goodness.  (Not to mention I'm super fond of Glad's new Press N' Seal wrap.  FINALLY, they create a wrap that actually works!) 

I love the seedless variety best.  Fresh out of the fridge on a hot summer day, with all that cool, sweet juice and that nice crispness.  It's so refreshing!  The best ones will be so juicy that you feel like you are practically drinking them.  Mmmm... I know some people who ruin a good watermelon by showering it with salt.  Blech!  They claim it brings out the flavor or sweetness of the watermelon, but I beg to differ.  Personally, I think they just want to keep me away from their watermelon! 

So what' your favorite summer fruit (or vegetable)? 





Image found here.

The Dynamic Duo Has Done it Again!

On a shopping trip this morning, I wandered into the freezer section to snag a carton of orange sherbet. As I made my way down the aisle I made the dreaded mistake of looking into the other freezer windows.  Uh oh.  Now, I should know by now to keep my eyes straight ahead until I am at my destination.  Just making eye contact with some foods allows them to magically launch themselves into your cart, even without your consent.  Don't lie, I'm sure it's happened to you.  Sure, when your husband or kids are shopping with you, you can blame them for putting things in the cart when you aren't looking.  But my husband rarely grocery shops with me.  And we don't have any kids.  So what other explanation can there be?  Magic, I tell you.  Dark magic!  The kind that lumps all that fluffy stuff on your hips, thighs, and waistlines.  (I'm going to jump on the "nothing is my fault, blame somebody else" bandwagon for this one, folks.)

The duo I am referring to is of course Ben & Jerry's. (Were you expecting someone else?) They have created a Boston Cream Pie ice cream flavor!  "Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream with Yellow Cake Pieces, Fudge Flakes & Swirls of Pastry Cream"  It was impossible to resist, though I did try.  No, really!  I looked away several times before I even opened the freezer door.  I even tried to push my cart down the aisle to escape the clutches of the nefarious Emperors of Ice Cream.  But alas, 'twas not to be.  I was rooted to the spot, though I'm sure my cart at least jiggled some when I tried to run away.  Not since the awesomeness of Pumpkin Cheesecake have I been so drawn to a new ice cream flavor.  I was trapped in the Ben & Jerry's tractor beam with no hope for escape. 

I tried to talk myself out of it.  "$2.98 for a tiny pint of ice cream?", I asked myself.  "You are unemployed you know."  "Do you really need that and orange sherbet?"  But it was too late.  My tastebuds were already jumping for joy in anticipation of trying this yummy new treat.  I'm just surprised that I didn't fall on the carton in a feeding frenzy before making it out of the parking lot. (I didn't have a spoon.) Not only did I make it all the way home, but it was several hours later before I even tasted it.  That's right.  You may now pat me on the back to congratulate me on my willpower.   

You can see all the bits of delicious-osity in this picture, although it still doesn't do it justice. The ice cream may look vanilla, but it is definitely not!  The ice cream tastes just like Boston cream pie!  And then you get to enjoy the bits of yellow cake, the small chunks of chocolate, and the smooth pastry cream swirl.  YUM!  To be honest, there is a distinct possibility that this ice cream tastes even better than real Boston cream pie.  Although it might benefit from just a tiny bit more chocolate.  Because - hello, chocolate!  But I'll have to reserve judgment on that until I get farther into the carton.  It may have a lot more chocolate near the middle and bottom of the container than was on top. 

Oh yeah.  My carton of Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream has a message to send out.  "Suck it, Yoplait Boston Cream Pie flavor!" 

And did you know that these guys have a Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book?  Oh man, if I only had one of those! 

I Tasted the UNfried Side of KFC

I ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken a couple weeks ago and finally got a chance to try their new grilled chicken.  They leave the skin on, so even though it's grilled, it's not quite as healthy as most grilled chicken you'll find at restaurants, which is skinless (and often flavorless too).  This is a good compromise for people who want something healthier than fried chicken but don't care for boring grilled chicken.  It was a little on the salty side for my tastes, but I would definitely eat it again. I can't remember the last time I had eaten there - it's been years - so it was a nice treat.  I looooove KFC biscuits.  

I wish I had some of their biscuits right now... 

Super-Chocolate Hot Cocoa

I adore chocolate - the darker the better.  I am giddy with excitement over all the new dark chocolate products that have been hitting the shelves over the past few years.  Have you tried the new Reese's Dark Peanut Butter Cups?  My, oh my.  These little darlings are heavenly.  It will be a sad, sad day if they ever stop making these beauties.  Anyway!  Speaking of chocolate, I have been inspired by fellow blogger Spleeness to make a post about my favorite way to make hot cocoa.

Now I'm sure there are some cocoa purists who prefer to make their hot chocolate from scratch. I am much less patient and always start with prepackaged cocoa.  (Is hot cocoa the same thing as hot chocolate? I tend to use the terms interchangably.  Forgive me if this is some sort of cocoa faux-pas.)  I used to buy Nestle's Rich Chocolate hot cocoa until Swiss Miss came out with their Dark Chocolate Sensation.  Woohoo! After my first sip of this stuff I was totally ruined for any other hot cocoa mix. But dark chocolate is like a drug.  After a while I just need more, MORE, MORE!  And that, my friends, is how I came to develop my Super-Chocolate Hot Cocoa. 

I've tried adding extra cocoa mix to the mug to make it more chocolatey, but you can really only get it so chocolatey without making mud. Then one day while grocery shopping, I strolled down the baking aisle and my eyes landed upon the little plastic boxes of baking cocoa powder.  Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder?  Brilliant! 

This is now an essential ingredient in any mug of hot cocoa. 

A Heaping Teaspoon of Special Dark Cocoa Powder

Make sure you mix the cocoa powder in with the cocoa mix really well before you add the hot water.  Again there are probably some cocoa purists out there shrieking about making cocoa with water.  You will RUIN this cocoa if you use milk!  The milk will only dilute the dark chocolatey goodness of this cocoa.  You've been warned. 

                                                                                                                                                                                  Before and after mixing the cocoas together. See how much darker it is now? Mmm... This cocoa is going over to the dark side!      

Now add about half of the hot water and stir well so you get the powder mixed well and won't have any dry puffs of cocoa floating on top of your hot chocolate.  Then add the rest of your hot water, stir again and enjoy!  This Super-Chocolate Hot Cocoa is excellent for dipping Chips Ahoy! Chunky Chocolate Chip cookies into.  Great noms for chocolate lovers! 

I'd have taken pictures of how yummy the cookies look after being dipped into this super-rich dark chocolate cocoa, but they mysteriously disappeared before I could get the pictures taken. I don't know how that happened...

Shouldn't Peanut Brittle Contain Peanuts?

I was craving peanut brittle for a while and finally decided to find some.  It was not as easy to find as I'd thought it would be.  I remember when I was a younger you used to be able to get it all the time.  I don't actually remember WHERE we bought it, but it wasn't hard to find.  And yet here I am in full craving mode, and I can't find any!  I eventually discovered some in the bakery section at Walmart.  It didn't look very impressive at all, but it was the only peanut brittle I could find.  What is it about cravings getting more adamant when you can't find the thing you are craving?!  So I bought this small package (11 ounces for $3), despite the fact that it has no peanuts!  I think the whole package has a whopping dozen peanuts in it.  You may think I'm exaggerating.  But I'm not!  Behold the proof:

This is what peanut brittle should look like:

And this is what my Walmart peanut brittle looks like:

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Can you see the sad, sad, difference?  My poor, pitiful peanut brittle.  :(

 

First photo found here.

Brussels Sprouts - Friend or Foe?

When I was a kid I hated Brussels sprouts.  With a passion.  I couldn't get myself to eat them without gagging.  I tried everything to mask the flavor, including taking a mouthful of tea or juice (or whatever I was drinking) before putting one in my mouth in the hopes that I wouldn't be able to taste it.  No luck.  I also used to sneak them into my napkin and throw them away.  I think the trick I used most often to get out of having to eat them is to leave the table to "use the restroom" with a mouthful of Brussels sprouts and spit them out into the toilet and flush them.  That way my mom thought I ate them, and I only had to endure the horrific flavor for the length of time it took me to get to the bathroom.  Luckily we had a small house, and I was quite motivated to move swiftly.  It was a great mystery to me how my older brother could actually like them.  He actually loved them - they were his favorite vegetable!  Freak.  I know my mom thought I was being melodramatic when I exclaimed my disfavor with this foul Brassicaceae. But I swear I died a little inside every time I was faced with a plate of those things.

Yet for some inconceivable reason, this year I kept seeing pictures of them and thinking they looked tasty.  I remembered how gross they were when I was a kid, so I don't know what made me think I could stomach them now.  Then again, I hated spinach when I was a little too, and I like it now.  So I convinced myself to try them - to give them one last shot.  I bought the Green Giant package with the butter sauce.  Butter makes everything better, right?  I figured since they were baby Brussels sprouts they might be less bitter.  I was really hesitant to actually consume one of these things once they were cooked, but I was brave.  And I liked it!  I didn't just think it was okay, I actually LIKED it.  I wanted MORE.  It was a vegetable miracle!  And now I have bought them (and EATEN them!) two more times.  Even my DH likes them.  Hooray for maturing taste buds!  I wonder what else I hated as a kid that I might actually like now?  Liver, maybe?  ...Nah!

First photo found here.

Second photo found here.

Pumpkin Shortage? Noooooo!

Say it ain't so!  According to this article Nestle won't be packing any more pumpkins this year.  As a major fan of pumpkin pie - pumpkin anything for that matter - I'm pretty bummed.  I guess I need to go raid the grocery stores and stock up while I can.  I don't even know if I've ever seen any other brand of packed pumpkin in the stores.  Libby's is all I've ever used, and we don't have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's in my area. 
One of my favorite uses for pumpkin is for Yum Yum Brownie Muffins.  I got the recipe from Hungry Girl.  Super easy, and super tasty.  They are really moist and so good!  They taste like a cross between brownies and cake.  I'm going to try this with a different cake type one day.  I think a spice cake would be good.

Why is it that knowing there might not be any pumpkin when I need it makes me want to get up and make a whole lot of yummy pumpkin goodies?

My brother has this ginormous pumpkin in his garden right now. I might have to hit him up for some canned pumpkin once he gets it processed!  He estimates it weighs about 75 pounds.  Woohoo!