The Best Part Of Valentine's Day Is The Day After
OPEN: JANUS FILE #0133
I think I've mentioned several times that Valentine's Day is probably one of my least favorite days of the year. (Hell, I look forward to April 15 more than I do February 14.) Instead, I tend to look forward to the day after Valentine's Day. As I usually remind people, that when the stores mark down all of the remaining valentine candy to 50% off -- or less. (I can't blame the stores. They want to get rid of all the Valentine's Day stuff so they can have the space to start pushing the Easter stuff.)
Well, a few days ago, the inimitable CandyDishDoom called me on this one. She asked me, "What is your favorite Valentine candy? I imagine something chocolatey, but I'm seeking specifics."
Oh, dear. I suppose the quick answer to "What is your favorite Valentine candy?" would be, "Yes." To borrow a line from Will Rogers, I never met a chocolate I didn't like. And yes, I do have something of a sweet tooth. Give me a big heart-shaped box of candy, and it is quite likely that I will thoroughly enjoy each and every piece. Of course, I will probably take my time to enjoy and savor each piece. Depending on the size of the box, I could easily make it last through Independence Day. (A smaller box might only last through St. Patrick's Day or Easter.)
Ah, but CandyDishDoom asked for specifics. One that definitely tops the list is Hershey's Rich Dark Kisses. For one thing, they're dark chocolate. (The darker the chocolate, the better.) For another, they're wrapped in purple foil -- my favorite color, as you might have guessed from my layout. And for Valentine's Day, Hershey adds a little something. The little flags contain valentine messages, such as "Happy Valentine's Day," "I Love You," or "Kiss Me." (There are eight different messages; those are the ones that immediately come to mind.)
A new valentine candy I found this year came from Nestle. They marketed a Crunch Heart, in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate. The easiest way to describe them -- think of a heart-shaped Crunch Bar. Yummy in both varieties.
I've tried some of the various chocolate covered marshmallow hearts, but they can be a little disappointing. Invariably, the marshmallow is too light, too spongy. I have found that what I like in a chocolate covered marshmallow is one that has a denser texture to it. Think of what s'mores taste like, and how the melted marshmallow feels in your mouth (assuming that you've waited for it to cool briefly before biting into it). That's the density that I'm hoping to find. Maybe in 2007.
I think my favorite chocolate covered heart candy this year came from Russell Stover. It was a coconut cream heart. For starters, it was covered in dark chocolate. The center had a wonderful coconut flavor. No coconut, though -- it had the flavor of a Mounds bar, but not the texture.
I also found a few interesting candies of the non-chocolate variety that I really liked this year. All marshmallow, and much more satisfying than the chocolate covered marshmallow candies. For one thing, they didn't have the overly spongy feel in the mouth.
First on the list, Marshmallow Hearts from Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company. These were about the size of normal marshmallows, and were the ones that most resembled regular marshmallows. They were heart-shaped, and white with a pink outer edge. I found these to be the most visually appealing of the group. I could easily see myself putting these in a mug of hot chocolate.
Then we have Valentine Treats from Spangler Candy Company. These had a chewier, denser texture than your average marshmallow. It also looked and felt as though they had an outer shell. They reminded somewhat of marshmallow circus peanuts -- perhaps not too surprising, since Spangler also makes those. They came in pink and white, and in cherry and vanilla flavors.
Finally, there were marshmallow hearts from Just Born, the people who gave us Marshmallow Peeps. I couldn't put these in a mug of hot chocolate -- they're too big to comfortably fit in the mug. And if you like Peeps, you know just what you're getting.
I know that CandyDishDoom will be reading this (if nothing else, I'll be telling her about this entry). So, was this specific enough?
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0133
I think I've mentioned several times that Valentine's Day is probably one of my least favorite days of the year. (Hell, I look forward to April 15 more than I do February 14.) Instead, I tend to look forward to the day after Valentine's Day. As I usually remind people, that when the stores mark down all of the remaining valentine candy to 50% off -- or less. (I can't blame the stores. They want to get rid of all the Valentine's Day stuff so they can have the space to start pushing the Easter stuff.)
Well, a few days ago, the inimitable CandyDishDoom called me on this one. She asked me, "What is your favorite Valentine candy? I imagine something chocolatey, but I'm seeking specifics."
Oh, dear. I suppose the quick answer to "What is your favorite Valentine candy?" would be, "Yes." To borrow a line from Will Rogers, I never met a chocolate I didn't like. And yes, I do have something of a sweet tooth. Give me a big heart-shaped box of candy, and it is quite likely that I will thoroughly enjoy each and every piece. Of course, I will probably take my time to enjoy and savor each piece. Depending on the size of the box, I could easily make it last through Independence Day. (A smaller box might only last through St. Patrick's Day or Easter.)
Ah, but CandyDishDoom asked for specifics. One that definitely tops the list is Hershey's Rich Dark Kisses. For one thing, they're dark chocolate. (The darker the chocolate, the better.) For another, they're wrapped in purple foil -- my favorite color, as you might have guessed from my layout. And for Valentine's Day, Hershey adds a little something. The little flags contain valentine messages, such as "Happy Valentine's Day," "I Love You," or "Kiss Me." (There are eight different messages; those are the ones that immediately come to mind.)
A new valentine candy I found this year came from Nestle. They marketed a Crunch Heart, in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate. The easiest way to describe them -- think of a heart-shaped Crunch Bar. Yummy in both varieties.
I've tried some of the various chocolate covered marshmallow hearts, but they can be a little disappointing. Invariably, the marshmallow is too light, too spongy. I have found that what I like in a chocolate covered marshmallow is one that has a denser texture to it. Think of what s'mores taste like, and how the melted marshmallow feels in your mouth (assuming that you've waited for it to cool briefly before biting into it). That's the density that I'm hoping to find. Maybe in 2007.
I think my favorite chocolate covered heart candy this year came from Russell Stover. It was a coconut cream heart. For starters, it was covered in dark chocolate. The center had a wonderful coconut flavor. No coconut, though -- it had the flavor of a Mounds bar, but not the texture.
I also found a few interesting candies of the non-chocolate variety that I really liked this year. All marshmallow, and much more satisfying than the chocolate covered marshmallow candies. For one thing, they didn't have the overly spongy feel in the mouth.
First on the list, Marshmallow Hearts from Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company. These were about the size of normal marshmallows, and were the ones that most resembled regular marshmallows. They were heart-shaped, and white with a pink outer edge. I found these to be the most visually appealing of the group. I could easily see myself putting these in a mug of hot chocolate.
Then we have Valentine Treats from Spangler Candy Company. These had a chewier, denser texture than your average marshmallow. It also looked and felt as though they had an outer shell. They reminded somewhat of marshmallow circus peanuts -- perhaps not too surprising, since Spangler also makes those. They came in pink and white, and in cherry and vanilla flavors.
Finally, there were marshmallow hearts from Just Born, the people who gave us Marshmallow Peeps. I couldn't put these in a mug of hot chocolate -- they're too big to comfortably fit in the mug. And if you like Peeps, you know just what you're getting.
I know that CandyDishDoom will be reading this (if nothing else, I'll be telling her about this entry). So, was this specific enough?
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0133