Blood and Popcorn

Clary's Flavored Popcorn

True Blood Season 4 came out on DVD and Blu Ray yesterday and it seems I've waited longer than Sookie and Eric to see this season. What to snack on?
Not finding donors or blood related candy at Family Video, I picked up a few amusing sweets which I'll review in my next post. But lately, there are only two kinds of sugar I crave, everything else is like synthetic blood to me.

Hot Caramel and Cheese

One is halvah, which tastes like sugary, slightly chewy sand. It's lovely. I got hooked on it when I was catering the bar mitzvah circuit, and it's not something found easily around here.
Sure, you can get white chocolate shaped like a Badger Claw or all the chocolate cheese you could want (assuming you do), but halvah, forget about it. Well, yeah, do, because this post is about popcorn, the only other thing I want. But I will be buying all the halvah at Trader Gus.
There have been only three popcorn places I've loved and just one that haunts my dreams.
But there is a fourth on the top of State Street that's growing on me and that's the corn I crave now. Right now.

That bag of hot caramel and cheese corn pictured above, both kinds were perfectly warm. The caramel corn was gooey, I couldn't stop eating it. I was walking down State Street like a vamp sucking on a faerie and got remarks like, "You're eatin' popcorn, huh?"
I didn't say it was Shakespeare.
I might get some cherry red corn for the rest of my True Blood marathon. Unless I fall in love with a Norse god or lose my appetite. For dead food.

Note: Please excuse the poor pic quality, taken with one of the emergency car cameras.

Better Ate Than Never: Candy 1 to 20

Pick a holiday. I think Halloween, not represented, is most appropriate.

I won't bore you with why I'm posting this now. But it is Memorial Day weekend and I've just remembered this.

Of course it's going to be 95° today, not the case when I got the book or three months later when I took photos. But who's counting.        

Speaking of counting, this book, Candy 1 to 20, makes counting candy or numbers or candy numbers, a lot of fun.

Little Catholic girl hugging Mary, holy card in hand

My young cousin was the recipient of this sweet (yeah I said it) and whimsical book from Pam Abrams, Bruce Wolf, and Laurie Goldrich Wolf.
Lita is eating candy in this photo and probably counting the minutes until we find the big gumball machine. Yes, she's a Farino (wiping a proud tear).

She can spot candy like a hawk after field mice

I was too slow when she dove after this floor gum and soon to be cascading gumballs.
It all ended well, although far beyond counting to 20, Lita is not above counting candy.

Roll Me In Chocolate And Call Me In The Morning

The Burlington ChocolateFest starts this Friday, a 25-year-old event that somehow slipped my mind the last few years. But it's all coming back, the chocolate bacon, chocolate sculptures, candy wrapper costumes, everything going all melty in the heat.
There are rides and stages and townies and FIBs and a parade, but the tent is where you want to be.
Look at some of the stuff they have planned.

A flash mob will dance to Choco Choco Latte on Sunday, so, surprise. Be in the chocolate tent on Friday at 5 pm to participate (and get a free ticket). 

There are Chocolate Eating Contests and a Man Vs Chocolate event. Don't you wish it really were a sweet delicious insect attracting tent made entirely of chocolate?
I'm not encouraging this kind of gross overindulgence, but I'm not discouraging it either.
-The Carnival starts at 5 pm on Wednesday, May 23.
-ChocolateFest proper starts at 4 pm on Friday May 25 (10 am on Saturday and Sunday, 11 am on Monday). It ends on Memorial Day, May 28, at 8 pm.
Follow the links for schedules.
Burlington is over by Milwaukee down by Kenosha and Racine. The fest directions hilariously only show a map of the grounds.

Ice, Ice, Maybe

It was 86 before it dropped 25 degrees yesterday, but these didn't look all that tempting. On a more exciting note, the Walgreens on the Square got an Icee Machine. I had one during the St. Pat's Parade, which somehow seemed warmer than last Sunday.

Somethings gotta give

Fart Bombs

Farty Bombs From Syttende Mai Hey

These were inexplicably littering Main St. tonight. Glad I wasn't there when they went off.

Sassy aka "Fart Bomb"

Most likely letting one rip as I type this.