Sugar Buzz: Win Chocolate

Sugar Buzz Red Alert: The sweet toothed Brits over at Chocablog are giving away Cadbury Dairy Milk bars. Fill out an online form to get Chocablog delivered to your inbox (sounds dirty, doesn't it) and tell them why you and you alone must have the ambrosial chocolate. They also say something about 1Kg equalling four 250g bars, but "it's all pounds, shillings, and pence to me."
I do know that although the picture below is not a Dairy Milk bar, they are quite yummy, and the kind they're giving away probably don't grow on convenience store trees.


In other Sugar Buzz news, Cybele's flickr photos are not only a great example of what food photos should look like, but damn y'all, she brought out the Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints. I haven't seen them in the stores yet, have you? She's also got a unique and informative candyblog entry on licorice―think I'll have a piece of Kookaburra in a mo'―and be still my beating heart (no, not really, waiting for that next lipid panel), she's introduced us to Sour Jujyfruits.
Now when I can't decide whether to sneak Sour Patch Kids, Dots, or Jujyfruits into the movie and the usher (no, not the Usher) looks like one of the children from Village of the Damned as did that creepy little bastard at American Gangster, I can condense my boxed contraband to Sour Jujyfruits.

Gingerbread House Revisited

This priced to move gingerbread house seems to be the most popular photo in my new flickr candy set (photos added daily), so thought I'd put it up as an inspiration to all those holiday baking over achievers out there. I took the photo at of one of my favorite shops called the Candy Corner in Wisconsin Dells last year. I've yet to see their new Carnival Cravings room or check out the popcorn they started making after Kernel Popcorn's folded. Things aren't the same on Broadway since those water park mega hotels started springing up. May they spring a leak.
The Candy Corner is at the end of all the shops on the main Dells drag under the Glockenspiel in the Bavarian Village. So have a boot and drop by if you're in the neighborhood.
This gingey house may have won some kind of award. Or maybe it was the one next to it. Or maybe I dreamt it. I don't know, it's late.

Flickr Sweet Tooth

Yes, I finally decided to start putting candy photos up on flickr. It will be a slow, but steady process. Don't blame me if you find yourself dealing with a licorice Jones in the middle of the night. It's a great test of will power (of which I obviously have none).
Mmmmm, sugar.

Sugar Coated Teeth

There's a sticky assault on the world of confection in the form of pump spray candy. Even those deserters (no, not desserters) at the Onion noticed the influx of candy sprays at the 2007 All Candy Expo. I don't agree with them that kids are too lazy to chew their own candy. Yet. But it's a new toy, you know, like a cell phone. And because it's a toy whose plastic parts are made in China, there are caveats such as even if you manage to open one: DON'T DRINK IT. Chris.It's one of those Urban Legends that turn out to be true. Some kid cracked open a Big Mouth Sour Spray and ended up in the ER, and not the Mekhi Phifer ER where you can watch Abby fall off the wagon and find out what's up with Stanley Tucci's whacked out son.
Interestingly enough, the "avoid spraying in eyes" warning turned out to be less asinine than I thought. Kids―you have to wonder how they make it through the day. (I went home with a fine layer of candy flavors on my face and arms.)
TESTED: Mike & Ikes's Cherry, Green Apple, Wild Berry, and the spaz-inducing Grape Warhead Super Sour candy sprays.
MISSING: Hot Tamale which I just found out exists.
SIDE BETS: Could Bug and Bobby D. "withstand the grape?" (Yes, yes they could.) Would Roscoe develop another phobia while learning the concept of tag team wrestling? You be the judge.
TIP: (From Bobby) "You've got to spray it on your tongue, you can't just spray it down your throat."

THE RESULTS: Bobby took 23 direct hits from the Grape Warheads Super Sour Spray and Chris withstood 20. Bobby favored the Wild Berry, and Bug, ever the voice of dissent, claimed to like the evil grape. No sour sprays for me, ever again.
Phil, who initially liked the Wild Berry even though they made his eyes water, switched his vote to Cherry, and prefers the traditional Mike & Ike solid candy. Old dogs and such.The boys liked the sprays and I've grown fond of them since last week. They easily fit in your pocket or purse and smell less suspicious than breath spray. Not sure about the idea of a spray for your water as a Half Baked blogger suggests. Maybe.
There's no nutrition information on that label, Phil, for that you have to write the distributor, Impact Confections.

In Honor of Cookie Week

In honor of National Cookie Week (beginning in two days), here's a photo I wish Carol from Perth (that's Australia you cheds) could Willy Wonka me from her kitchen down under. This scrumptious specimen was made and photographed by Carol on her blog Oh For The Love Of Food!
I ran across the baker as I was doing what I do best, kvetching, in this case about a blog spammer to a few foodies. Is there a name for that? Spogger? Blammer?
But I mean look at this cookie! Yousa. I love macaroons, reminds me of the old man and a crunchy childhood.
Carol made them from a Veronica's Test Kitchen recipe―there are a LOT of talented bakers online. Their stuff is more like art than the dog food I burn in a cheap oven. Which reminds me, did anyone see Glen Close eating dog biscuits on a rerun of Conan? Hilarious. From personal experience I say avoid the doggie breath mints.

In The Dish: Sour Grapes

Okay, so Nitronea Nanci has been telling me about sugar and acids you can spray directly on your teeth.
Candy sprays, according to someone at Walgreens (says Nanci) "take up less shelf space," so they like them. The 4 inch pump sprays don't exactly jump out at you, but apparently the kids like them as much as Walgreens.
Easy to hide during class and assemblies (take note kids) and can be sprayed on your hand for a lick later. Your dog will like that, well, maybe not judging from Roscoe's reaction (he smacked his lips like he was eating peanut butter and finally licked it off on the other dog).Stay tuned for an upcoming Dish Panel Review to see what delicious flavor (if you can't tell by the color and title) these lads are testing to elicit such sour expressions. Can you guess who said it was their "favorite" flavor?

National Cookie Week

This is from last Thanksgiving's "vegetable" table. A chocolate cornucopia filled with more homemade chocolate from James J., decorated cookies from Scotts, and the mandatory vegie platter barely visable in the background.
I pulled out this photo because The Candy Dish got mail claiming that National Cookie Week is November 18-24. Another way for the company to hawk their wares, or seven more reasons to eat cookies?
I couldn't find anything backing up that claim, but here are a few other days, weeks, and months of interest:
National Candy Month (June), Bubble Gum Day, National Licorice Day, National Waffle Week, National Bundt Day, National Frozen Food Month (really?), National Fig Week, National Soul Food Month, National Fresh Breath Day, Solo Diners Eat Out Week, National Flossing Day, and why not, Diet Resolution Week.
They're all from the same calendar and sound more like one of those creative writing projects we got in high school: Write a short story in the first person using all of the above events. Actually, the person who writes the winning short story (or run on sentence) with all of the events from above will win a wonderful sugar item from an area shop.
Back to National Cookie Week...Here's a site that says October is National Cookie Month. The Topeka Capital-Journal agrees. So does the Food History Calendar. What do you think?
Note: That orange, yellow, and green frosting on top of the chocolate frosted turkeys are its feathers. The photo doesn't do them justice.

Ear, Ear, What's All This Then?

This Gummy Body Parts Comment just arrived in the dish:
"My daugther got the teeth and the ear for halloween, But the ear, when turned upside down, looks like female parts. I don't thing these things should be sold to give out to kids at all."
--Conserned Parent
I don't remember the bag of body parts I found at Walgreens being nearly that interesting if you know what I mean wink wink nudge nudge. Damn, not an ear kooch in sight. Plenty of severed feet though. Maybe the kids around here are already familiar with that body part. Life on the farm and all.
What do you think? Halloween fun or time for "The Talk?"
Thanks to Josh McCormick for use of his flickr photo!