Chocolate Monday: Vosges Haut Chocolat

Last summer, my husband and I decided we needed a little break from the real world. As much as we love our son, we needed a bit of a vacation and decided to spend it in the ultimate adult playground: Vegas!

Now, neither of us are gamblers, so it seems a bit of an odd choice, but my husband had never been and I remembered having a blast when I went right after college graduation with some of my friends. We figured the money we saved not gambling could be spent on Cirque du Soleil tickets, fancy dinners and shopping…lots of shopping.

We stayed at Bally’s, right next door to Paris and across the street from Ceasar’s Palace. We spent our mornings sleeping in, eating leisurly late brunches and walking along the strip. Since it was June and hot as hell, we found ourselves ducking in to every casino along the way in order to cool down, see the sights and get a drink or two.

One day we ducked into Ceasar’s. We almost didn’t go in since we’d gone over there the first night and thought we’d seen it all. But we found another “mall” section and thought some window shopping might be fun (as most of the shops were just a tad out of our price range). Once inside, I honed in on a little chocolate shop all decked out in purple and white: Vosges Haut Chocolat.

Eager to try anything new and chocolatey, I headed in. I’d already made my husband stop in Ethel M’s and M&M World, so he was not quite as thrilled with me wanting to stop in and sample more sugary treats. I was a woman on a mission though.

The shop was sparse. The simple white cases were not brimming with their wares, which was odd to me. I’m used to Godiva, where the cases are packed full of several dozen of each type of chocolate bauble. Instead, these cases held a single sample of each of their truffles. Posed two to four truffles to lucite pedestal, the store definitely fit the Roman theme; it was quite spartan. I didn’t quite know what to think of odd names like “wink of the rabbit,” “naga” and “wollomooloo,” I felt out of my element. I don’t exactly remember what I tried. I do remember I bought two of the spicy Aztec collection for one of my friends.

I didn’t think much else about Vosges until I was in Chicago on a shopping trip with my best friend. As we were walking down Armitage, I passed a door that looked just a bit familiar. When I walked back toward my car, I realized it was another Vosges store. Since I was on a shopping trip, I figured I might as well stop in and try something new.

Now, this is a rather long build up to my current review. One of their products I tried early on was their Exotic Caramel collection. There are actually 8 exotic caramels, but since 5 of them are dark chocolate and I’m usually only a fan of the dark stuff if it contains something really sweet, I went for collection flight B, which is mostly a milk collection.

There are four rectangular caramels in each little purple box. My first caramel was the Sunshine which is described as “tupelo honey + milk chocolate + bee pollen.” There are little clumps of bee pollen on top of a milk chocolate shell. The pollen is a bit grainy, but it’s a neat taste. The caramel has a hint of honey, which I really like. It’s not so overwhelming that it loses the caramel taste. It’s a chewy caramel, but not the tooth breaking kind. I am usually a fan of the liquidy caramels, but sometimes those can be too sweet. This one is a nice blend. It’s not overly sweet, but tempered perfectly.

The second one was the Maple, which Vosges describes as “Canadian maple sugar + maple syrup + walnuts + dark chocolate.” Since this one is a dark chocolate piece, it does have a little bit of a bitter after taste. This one has a bit more texture since the caramel has walnuts inside of it. Personally, I don’t walnuts have that much flavor, so the inclusion of them inside and the dusting on the top seem more for texture than anything else. Much like the honey piece, this one has subtle hints of maple to it. It’s fairly tasty, but like just about all non-tart pieces, I think it would be better in milk chocolate.

The third piece was Crema, which is “Argentinean dulce de leche + Costa Rican cashews + milk chocolate.” This piece actually has a cashew on the inside, which give it a slightly salty tasty. But since it is a cashew, it is also a bit sweet. At room temperature, the caramel is the perfect consistancy. Since it’s a soft caramel, there’s not risk of breaking your teeth like with the cheap Brach’s version. It also doesn’t have that overly sugary sweet taste many caramels ahve. The sweetness doesn’t come from an abundance of sugar, but rather from the flavors paired with the caramel.

The final piece, and my favorite, is Tarte, which is “blood orange + Campari® + dark chocolate + hibiscus powder.” The dusting of blood orange is, in fact, tart and oh so tasty. I first discovered blood oranges about three years ago and have been obsessed ever since. I would drench everything in this sweet powder if I could. Since this is a dark chocolate, the blood orange powder fits it perfectly. It takes any hint of bitter out of the caramel and replaces it with just a hint of sweet. I want to be clear, there is not enough of the powder to overpower the actual caramel taste. It is creamy and leaves a wonderfully sweet taste in my mouth. I would love to get an entire box of these to snack on, because three bites just isn’t enough.

Vosges packages these as bit-sized soft caramels, but I’m not sure I could pop them in my mouth in one bite, even if I didn’t want to savour the flavors, they might be a bit more than I can chew. They are caramels after all. And pricey ones at that. A box of 4 runs $9.50, which is about $2.35 each. When I get them at the store I never feel quite as bad since I don’t have to pay shipping. But since Vosges ships next day to ensure freshness, it makes them even pricier. Luckily I bought them during  a promotion and got 15% off which made them a bit easier to swallow.

Still, overall for taste, I’d say a 9/10

Appearance: 8/10

Value: 5/10

Chocolate Monday: Cupcake Camper

The other day I had a diner date with two of my good friends. We decided on a chain restaurant in a fairly new outdoor shopping mall because we also had theater tickets that night and it was sort of a middle meeting ground for all of us. As usual, I wasn’t really expecting anything interesting or remarkable about dinner. And, as usual, I was right. However, before we even got inside the joint to order, our eyes were assualted  by a vintage airstream camper with a giant cupcake sitting on top. To say it was out of place is the understatement of the decade. For a moment, I thought someone from a carnival had parked it there while running into one of the upscale shops it was blocking. I realized that this was ridiculous as the rather large, plastic cupcake, which had a huge dollup of pink frosting and a ton of sprinkles on top, was obviously a business of sorts.  Being a lover of just about everything sweet, I knew I had to learn more.

I was good, I made it through dinner with only a few casual mentions about the potential of cupcakes for dessert. When the waitress asked if we wanted cheesecake or ice cream to finish off our meal, I smiled and  politely declined. Afterall, I had my sights on something chocolatier.

Instead we braved the cold drizzle to peruse the hand-written menu on the white board posted in front of a little glass window with a small counter. It was set up like a food booth at a local carnival, but it had a certain charm that let me know it was a bit classier than the fried cheese on a stick vendor I drool over each summer. Maybe it was the bright pink Cupcake Camper logo on the front, or the small decorative curtains inside that gave it a little more kitch and charm and a little less backwoods fun fair flair.

There were five cupcakes to choose from and the menu promised that flavors changed daily. There was the jumbo cupcake (a 6 oz. treat that did seem to live up to its name), three classic cupcakes and a special for the day: The Rogue Cupcake, named in honor of Sarah Palin who was stopping at a local bookstore on her book tour.

Now, I’m not a supporter of Palin, but seeing as she got none of the profits from the cupcake and TACA, an autism charity did, I said what the heck and went rogue. It might have been a mistake!

First, it was a HUGE cupcake. Obviously it qualified as a jumbo selection. Since it was accompanied by a charitable donation, it was $4 instead of the usual $3.75 for the jumbo. It was also more cupcake than I should have eaten in one sitting. Not that I let that stop me.

I feel I need to start with the frosting which might have actually been bigger than the cake itself. It was a mountain of pink buttercream icing swirled to a peak and dusted with tiny chocolate shavings. The picture at the top of the page does not do the frosting height justice as I’d already eaten quite a bit of it before I remembered to take the picture. In fact, I had to start just eating the frosting because there was so much of it. I took my fork to it and dug in.

The frosting was very sugary, which came through in the texture. It had a slight crunch to it as many heavily sugared frostings do. I don’t think it was a true buttercream (ie one that used butter in the recipe), but more of a decorator’s buttercream (which usually relies on shortening). The difference in sugar consistancy between the two types of buttercream usually isn’t that significant, but the film the frosting left on the roof of my mouth screamed shortening and not butter. Now, that doesn’t mean it didn’t taste good. In fact, most professional cake makers do use a decorator’s buttercream since it is a stiffer frosting which is easier to design with and holds its form well. The frosting on these cakes held its shape, even after falling over in the box.

I actually thought the frosting was decent. The slight sugar crisp didn’t bother me. The chocolate flecks on the top didn’t really contribute anything to the taste as the sugar from the frosting overpowered them. I do, wish there had been less frosting on the cake. I thought it looked good, but the taste got old. My two friends agreed. One, who generally doesn’t eat frosting at all, pulled all but a bite or two off of hers. The other really didn’t care for the frosting. She was hoping for the taste and texture of a canned frosting, which is usually the butter based buttercream. She was non-plussed by the taste.

I’ve taken several cake decorating classes and am used to this type of buttercream. I find it very edible and even tasty, however, I would have enjoyed a slightly creamier frosting, and less of it.

As for the cake itself, it was a chocolate cake. The cake was moist and a little creamy, but not overly chocolatey. I’m a little spoiled. When I cook any sort of chocolate cake from scratch, I use a Dutch process cocoa which gives my cakes a rich, velvety chocolate taste. This cake tasted like it was made with regular cocoa, which didn’t add as much of a chocolate taste as I like. It did taste like a homemade cake. It had none of that artificial chocolate taste that many boxed cake mixes have. The cake was also very well cooked as it practically melted in my mouth. The last two bites I had of the cake, after I got most of the frosting off, were actually the best. They were top bites and they were very flavorful. I not only got more of a chocolate kick, but I also got a creamy, buttery texture I appreciate in a cake.

I did have to eat the cupcake with a fork because it was so large. And if I had not been worried about it going bad, I probably would have prefered to eat it in more than one sitting. I felt a little sick after I finished it. It was too much of a sugar rush for me. My two friends, who were smart and split the other cake were mixed. One loved it (sans the frosting). The other was rather  indifferent about it. Her exact words were, “Muh, it tastes like a cupcake I could have made.”

Overall, I think the Cupcake Camper went in a bit more for presentation than for tate. They were very pretty to look at, but could have been tastier.

For appearance, I’d give them a 9.5/10

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10

Chocolate Monday: Godiva G Collection

A few years ago while I was living in Florida, Godiva launched their G collection. I saw the picture in the catalog and was entranced. I knew I had to have the beautiful looking chocolates. It didn’t matter that the closest Godiva retailer was 45 minutes away or that 15 chocolates cost a whopping $48, I was on a mission. The only problem was that the nearest Godiva was actually a kiosk that had a limited selection of  their regular line of chocolate. Turns out the closest Godiva store actually selling the special chocolates was at the Mall at Millenia, over 90 minutes away.

But, like I said, I was on a mission, so my husband (then my fiancee) and I set off. Since we were already going so far out of our way, we decided to swing by Universal Studios for a few hours, catch a movie and then walk around the giant mall. Minutes after entering the door, we realized Godiva was probably the only shop we’d be able to afford anything in. We were right, but that was fine with me. While I had fun walking around, my only goal was to get a G collection, and I did.

I don’t remember much about the specific flavors. I mean it was 5 years ago. I remember that I liked most of them though. About three years ago, I once again saw an ad for the G collection. This time it promised two new flavors, so I once again had to try. I had moved and was only 5 minutes from a boutique, but yet again, it was not one of the stores scheduled to get the collection. This time I resorted to mail order. I waited with great anticipation for my delicious treats. The second time around, I was a bit disappointed. I think I had built it up a bit too much in my head.

Now, just a little while ago, I saw the ad again. This time though, it was on sale for almost half price and since I’m a member of the Godiva frequent buyer club, shipping was free. I couldn’t resist.

The collection hadn’t changed since the last time I’d bought one. And like anything, there were hits and misses for me. I guess I’ll break it up into my bottom 5, the middle 5 and top 5. Let’s start at the bottom.

My least favorites in this collection are the wild Bolivian dark chocolate, rootbeer, Vermont maple walnut, Bananas Foster and Mexican hot chocolate. This is in part because I’m not a huge fan of some of the flavors. The dark Bolivian piece is basically a dark chocolate ganache, and I just don’t care much for dark chocolate unless it is paired with a really tart filling. This one was creamy and not as bitter or harsh as most dark chocolate pieces, but still a bit too bitter for me. The Mexican piece was very festive to look at and not as spicy as I feared. It left just a little burn after I finished it, but it was a bit too bitter for me. In all fairness to the rootbeer piece, I don’t like rootbeer. The vanilla and white chocolate do help to mellow the rootbeer flavor, but just not enough for me. The same is true for the banana piece. I love bananas, but do not like anything with artificial banana flavor, so this one just isn’t for me. Finally, the maple piece was just too overwhelming to me. The maple was drippy, hard to eat in bites and just too overpowering.

My middle tier includes the caramel macchiato, praline crunch, pb & j, Tasmanian honey and Tahiatian vanilla. I didn’t expect to like the macchiato piece. I am not a fan of coffee at all. I don’t like the smell and abhor the taste. However, this piece, which had a really neat copper, metalic sparkly airbrush look, it tasted far more of caramel than of coffee, which made it tolerable to me. The praline crunch tasted like the majority of Godiva’s regular pieces. It was definitely crunchy, but not exactly in a good way. It tasted a little wierd in my mouth. The pb & jwas surprisingly good. I’m not a fan of the actual sandwich, so I didn’t expec to like this one. However, the peanut butter is quite creamy. It mixed well with the strawberry jam inside. I may hate the real thing, but with a fine chocolate shell, I find it tasty. As with most honey pieces, this one just wasn’t tangy or sweet enough for me. I really like the honeycomb pattern on top, but honey is just not sweet enough to be paired with dark chocolate. I think in milk chocolate, I would have enjoyed this one much more. Finally, the vanilla piece was ok. It had a distinctive taste that reminded me a bit more of coconut than of vanilla. It was creamy, but not overly vanilla flavored, which threw me a little.

My favorites from this collection include the passion orange, tart raspberry, salted caramel, apple pie and lemon drop pieces. The passion piece is probably the pretties (and the biggest) piece. It is shaped like a large heart with lovely shades of orange all over it. It has a very vanilla taste. I love the little flecks of vanilla bean inside it and the white chocolate is a great pairing. There is only a hint of orange, but it has a nice custardy texture. Raspberry is always one of my favorite flavors. I admit I felt a bit cheated with this piece because Godiva’s raspberry cordial is one of the most amazing candies I’ve ever put in my mind. I think I expected a bit much. But, to do justice to this piece, it is quite good. It’s nice and tart. This is the flavor I don’t mind being paired with dark chocolate. It makes it even better. The caramel wasn’t really anything fancy, but that’s ok, I like caramel. It was a bit of a runny caramel with a slightly smokey flavor, but I enjoyed it. The apple pie does taste like apple pie filling. The white chocolate shell is a bit overpowering, but I think it’s the best choice for the apple filling.

My favorite piece, hands down though, is the lemon drop. It also has a white chocolate shell, but it is so thin, it’s hardly important. What is, is the taste. It reminds me a bit of the key lime truffle Godiva makes, except it isn’t tempered with dark chocolate. It is tart like an actual lemon drop. While still a truffle-like consistancy is fairly solid, so it tastes like a giant tart ball of creamy lemon happiness. Discounted, the collection is worth it just for these last five pieces.

Honestly, if the collection wasn’t on sale, I wouldn’t have bought it again. Many of the pieces are quite tasty, but similar tastes can be found in several of their regular truffles at a fraction of the cost. For those who like fancy chocolates and haven’t tried it yet, I do suggest it, but like I said, only if you get it on sale.

Appearance: 10/10

Taste: 6/10 (the top 5 are 9/10)

Value: 5/10 (very pricey, but if on sale, I’d say a 6/10)

Chocolate Monday: With a twist

Ok, so I’m taking a little break from chocolate. Not that I don’t still love it, but in the spirit of fall and Halloween, I want to mention a seasonal favorite of mine: caramel apples.

Now I have been a fan of this delicious mixing of fruit and candy since the first time one was put into my hand in early childhood. I have fond memories of my mom buying caramel apple kids, which were basically large circles of pressed caramel and sticks. She would also buy several apples and we’d come home, lay out the caramel disks, wrap our apples up, stab ‘em with sticks and indulge.

I didn’t have to have my caramel apples on sticks either. Once, after going to a church alternaween celebration (basically kids games in our churh parking lot where we still got to dress up in non-scary costumes and win our candy along with religious tracks about the evils of Halloween) and winning a ton of caramels, I got my mom to cut apple slices for me and alternated between taking a bite of caramel and a bite of apple. Not quite as joyous as the one on a stick, but it worked in a pinch.

In my teen years I sort of  forgot about my childhood treat. They weren’t around anywhere and I never went out of my way to combine them. I’m actually not sure I had one between the ages of 14-22. It wasn’t until an ex took me to a pumpking patch (something I’d never actually seen during my childhood in Southern California). It was there I rediscovered caramel apples.

My yearly trip to the patch meant not only a great pumpkin to carve and a slider slushy (bees optional), but also at least one piece of caramel heaven.

This year I not only got my regular apple at my usual patch, but had one brought to me by a student from another local patch. Then, since I got so many apples to make cobblers and cakes with, I also grabbed a tub of caramel dip made by Concord Foods.

One thing I’ve never understood about people who make caramel apples is why they would use red delicious or other mealy apples underneath the actual caramel. It ruins the whole taste. All good caramel apples should be made from tart apples. And yet, it always amazes me when I bite into an apple and it’s, well, not even a bit sweet.

So this time, my first apple was pretty good. I was a bit worried when I looked at the bottom of the apple and saw it was red. Red apples often spell trouble in the taste world. However, it did have a hint of sweetness to it that saved it. While not the best apple I’ve ever had, it was pretty tasty. I was, a little disappointed with the amount of caramel that stuck on the plastic wrap, but I fixed that by basically eating the caramel off of it.

The second apple was definitely a tarter apple. The problem with this one is that almost half the caramel came off in the wrapper, which was basically like a cupcake wrapper. Who wraps caramel in paper? That just isn’t going to work. Once again, I found myself gnawing through paper to try to get all of the caramel off. It didn’t work.

The biggest disappointment to me though, was the cut up apple and dip. The dip was great. Good caramel flavor. Nice and creamy. The problem was the apple. Despite being labelled a golden delicious, it had no hint of tartness to it. It didn’t ruin it exactly, but it definitely put a damper on my caramel apple experience. I’m hoping that at least a few of the other apples I have in my bags will be a bit sweeter. If not, I might have to make a trip to the store.

The best part about the dip is that my caramel apple experience gets to continue for at least another week or so. Plus, there’s always next year.

Toddling on my last nerve

I’ve never been a fan of corporal punishment, but my two year old is making me rethink my entire belief system. Now I’m not trying to start some sort of debate about the pros and cons of spanking. I am not writing to praise or villify any parent. I’m only speaking from my perspective, and all I can say is that my patience is wearing thin.

I don’t really remember being physically punished as a child. I can count the number of times either of my parents raised a hand to me on one hand, with fingers to spare. If I got spanked more than the once I remember, well, I don’t remember it. My parents were always bigger on punishments like standing in the corner, grounding and the dreaded “talking to”–which, with my dad could last an hour or more. Granted, most of these punishments were when I got a bit older, but they are the ones I remember.

My husband, on the other hand, got spanked. And often from what I can tell. I think there may have even been a belt involved. I haven’t asked many questions. He knows I’m a pretty strong believer in not hitting kids, and he hasn’t really pushed the issue. He remembers his spankings, very well.

To spank or not to spank, isn’t really the issue here. My issue is with an amazingly willful two and a half year old. He can be the sweetest child on the planet. He loves cuddling up with me under a blanket and reading or watching Sesame Street. He wraps his arms around me for big hugs and tells me he loves me. He has no problems giving me (or most people he knows well) kisses. He laughs, he jokes, he’s great…like 80% of the time.

Then, there’s the other 20%, like tonight. We had a great day. I picked him up from the sitter and he was so excited to see me he wrapped those tiny arms around me and just hugged. We talked and sang all the way home. At the grocery store he helped me carry the basket and stayed right with me, no problems. We snuggled and watched Thomas the Train. We ate a great dinner. We even made it to Lowe’s to get paint for his new room.

All was well until it was time for bed. Usually he puts up no fight. When his timer goes off he heads back and we get teeth brushed, jammies on and stories read. Sure, he may lay in his bed and talk to himself for an hour, but he’s fine with it. Tonight he ran from us. We had to pry his Play-Doh out of his hand and I had to pick him up and carry him literally kicking and screaming to his room.

When I tried to change his diaper on his bed (I’m four months pregnant and getting up while I’m not really showing, I’m starting to feel pregnant and getting up and down off the floor is not so fun), he threw a real whopper of a temper tantrum. I tried explaining that I was hurting and couldn’t change him on the floor. It only seemed to raise his ire. He screamed and yelled. He told me, “you will not change me here.” My husband had to hold him down and even then I barely managed to get another diaper on him. It was awful.

My husband finally squirted a little water on him in an attempt to break the tantrum, which kind of worked. He forgot about his diaper issues and was, instead, balling because he got wet. Then he clung to me and sobbed for a few minutes. We spoke soothingly to him, rubbed his back and he calmed down. He even let me put him right back on the dreaded bed to get his jammies on. He brushed his teeth with no fuss. He was even excited about stories with my husband.

I have no idea what happened, but for about five minutes, a demon inhabited my home.

This is true at least once a day. Usually I’m lucky and my husband is home to help with it. Sometimes he throws a fit like that in Khol’s (after he’s been grabbed and carried because he decided it’d be fun to run away down and hide in the aisles). He’s taken to saying things like “I’m tired of this” and “You don’t talk to me like that” in very loud and harsh tones. Just like all two year olds, he’s also fond of the the word “no.”

Maybe I’m just taking this all too hard because I am pregnant and exhausted 90% of the time. I see other kids his age and their behavior seems equally attrocious at times, so I know it’s not just my kid. I just worry that this lovely phase is going to outlast my fairly cool level headedness. I’m getting a tad bit hormonal and I’m not sure how that’s going to manifest itself. Last pregnancy I just had obnoxious students to take it out on. This time around I have those and a toddler who thinks he’s a teenager.

Sigh…someone tell me this will pass.

Chocolate Monday: Godiva Berry Boats

I have a weakness for fruit. When you add chocolate to that fruit, well, I’m in heaven. One of my favorite treats from Godiva is a chocolate “boat” filled with fruit. The idea is simple. Make a little cup of chocolate–theirs comes in dark, milk or white chocolate. Then, while it’s still firming up, they stick in a variety of fruits. They have boats with just raspberries or just blueberries, but I prefer the one with the mix of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Then they drizzle chocolate all over the top of it.

My favorite way to eat the treat is raspberries last. They’ve always been one of my favorite fruits. Now, I love them when they are dried and covered in chocolate, they are even better when completely fresh and surrounded by chocolate. Even when I’m trying to be unbiased, I have to say, these little goodies are AMAZING.

The boats are a nice departure from Godiva’s truffles, caramels and filled treats. Although Godiva’s centers always taste good, there is something extraordinary about the freshness of real fruit.

Appearance: 10/10

Taste: 10/10

Value: 9/10 (a bit pricey at $4.50 each, but so tasty I can live with it)

Chocolate Monday: Rock Bottom’s hot fudge cake

I really, really should be grading right now. I don’t have time for this post at all, and yet, I’m feeling a tad bit guilty about not posting in over a week. I’m also feeling bad for not sticking to my pseudo-promise of actually doing a Chocolate Monday post once a week.

To be honest though, between work and my current pregnancy, chocolate is not high on my list. Yeah, I know, this sounds ridiculous. Afterall, my love affair with chocolate has been long standing. Right now I have half a shelf in my fridge full of chocolate from all sorts of great companies, and yet, I don’t really want to eat any of it. I’m really hoping this is just a temporary thing. I mean sure, for my waistline losing my addiction might be a good thing, but man, I don’t want this pregnancy to change my love for the creamy heavenly treat. That’s like changing me.

As usual though, I digress.

Despite letting my chocolate on my shelf gather rather than gobbling it up, last night I decided to try a little chocolate fix. Rock Bottom has a fall special of sorts. Like a lot of chain restaurants trying to stay afloat in this day an age, they are offering three course meals for lowered prices. They have a selection of about 6 appetizers, 6 entrees and 4 desserts. I decided on the spinach dip, chicken pot pie and the mini hot fudge cake.

Due to some horrible service, our meal took over 45 minutes to get to us. Thankfully it was really tasty, but after being in the place for close to an hour and a  half, my two year old was getting antsy, so I got my cake to go.

I didn’t get to eat it until an hour or so later, so my hot fudge wasn’t really hot. I thought about heating it up, but didn’t want to melt the whipped cream that came in my little container. So, I risked it and ate it cold.

Even cold, the fudge was good. The cake was moist and fudgy. It reminded me just a bit of these Little Nemo pudding cakes I used to buy when I first started teaching. The fudge was just sweet enough…not too rich. The whipped cream wasn’t quite as amazing as the stuff I get on my drinks at the Border’s cafe*, but it was the right finishing touch.

Since the meal had been so filling, I didn’t have much room left for dessert. I’m glad I did get it to go because it might have been wasted at the restaurant (or I might have had to share). However, it was so good that despite not feeling like my stomach could take anymore, I kind of wanted more. It was the perfect size for the meal though.

While I’m not a huge fan of chains, I do have to give Rock Bottom some major props. The chicken pot pie was flakey, creamy and full of veggies (including pea pods). I kept eating long after I should because it was so good and still had enough leftover for lunch. And the cake was fantastic, almost worth the rotten wait to get it. Next time I might try a different starter, but overall I call it a success.

Appearance: 7/10 (not much to look at, especially when taken home)

Taste: 9/10

Value: 10/10 (if purchased as part of the meal deal); 8/10 if purchased on its own.

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

So I realize I didn’t get an entry in for Chocolate Monday. Sorry about that, but despite having a fridge full of chocolate (it really does fill about half a shelf in my fridge), I just haven’t been in a very chocolatey mood lately. In fact, the last two weeks or so, I’ve just sort of been in a mood. And not a good one either.

I’ve had a headache on and offf again for awhile now. I’m trying not to take too many pills for them, and the only thing that really seems to work for any extended period of time is sleeping. At least when I wake up in the morning, it’s gone. Usually though, it comes back.

Today was no exception. Of course, it might have been brought on by some students who decided today was the day to cross lines.

First period started off ok. One computer program gave us a tad bit of trouble and my kids seemed to think that meant they didn’t have to do anything. I had to remind them the internet was still working, so they could do the first part of the assignment. When I began the short lecture I got the usual mix of interest and drooping eyelids. This doesn’t bother me so much. Twelve years have helped to accustom me to interest mixed with apathy.

It was when they had time to practice the lesson that I got annoyed. Most of them were done, so they started talking. I can handle a little talking if the work is done. It’s the subjects I was distrurbed by. Several of my freshmen girls decided my class was the best time to talk about their sexual prowess. The upperclassmen did not join in. In fact, a few of them made comments about how wrong they thought it was (not in an overly moral way, but in a “hey, that’s really slutty” way). I don’t know why it is, but as the years go by, it seems the kids care less and less what teachers know about their lives. They don’t seem to realize that I don’t want to know about their sex lives. Nor should I.

I tried to talk to them about the reputations they were making for themselves both with their peers and their teachers. One decided to be cute as she walked out and announce that she really doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her. Now, I know this will sound fuddy duddy of me, but I never would have wanted my teachers to think I was a slut. I talked to my friends about personal things either on the phone or when we hung out. I didn’t do it in class where anyone could hear me.

Things just got worse as the day progressed. My second period class, who are always squirrelly were in rare form today. They were loud, obnoxious and uncooperative. I realize grammar isn’t really exciting, but it was one of three activities and they couldn’t even kind of focus. They had comments for everything. They were trying to talk across the room. They were just rude and I got sick of it. So I stopped teaching. I assigned pages and told them to teach themselves the skills. The room was pretty dead silent after that, but it didn’t make me feel better. It made me more upset.

I had a confrontation with a kid who has missed 13 days of school and keeps asking to go to the nurse. I was told not to let her go unless she was puking, so I told her no when she asked. She pulled major attitude, stomped off to her desk and threw a hissy.

Then I was so stressed by the rotten behavior and parent emails I had to catch up on, that I forgot to do the one thing one of my best friends (who was out for a conference) asked me to do. I remembered after lunch, but luckily her kids figured it out. They picked up the slack for me.

I got stuck at school longer than needed trying to help another teacher with a computer issue.

By the time I was close to home, I was done. I just wanted to sink into my chair and watch hours of Veronica Mars. Since I knew that wouldn’t happen with a two year old, I did the next best thing: I decided to have a comfort dinner. I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up a bag of Lay’s salt and vinegar chips to complete the meal.

So tonight, after playing with my son in the basement for about an hour (which actually consisted of me laying on the futon while he rode his little train and watched Bee Movie), I headed to the kitchen to cook up some generic Steak ‘Ems. Now, I know the box has what looks like a Philly cheesesteak on the front, but that’s not how I roll. Long ago, in a galaxy far, far less nutritious than my current one, my mom made up a Steak ‘Ems sandwich. Well, I don’t know for sure she invented it, but I have yet to meet another living soul who eats this, so I’m giving her credit.

The sandwich is simple: one to two Steak ‘Ems (there are two layers per slice, so I separate mine), mozzarella cheese and pita bread. Cook the meat and microwave the pita for 30 seconds. Cut a small piece off the top of the pita so it can be opened up like a pocket. Stuff in first layer of Steak ‘Ems. Top with cheese. Then add second layer of meat and another of cheese. Top with ketchup (and continue to add ketchup as needed when it vanishes from the layer you are eating. Simple. Fattening. Disgusting sounding. But tasty!

Coupled with about 1/4 bag of Lays salt and vinegar chips and a side dish of spinach (with lots of butter and salt), it was the perfect terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day dinner. It was ready in under 5 minutes. It reminded me of simpler times and it tasted great. Especially when washed down with a Cherry Coke.

I have to admit, it did make my day just a hint better. It also made my headache go away. At least for a little while.

Chocolate Monday: Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bars

My son has this Little Golden book he got in a collection when he was first born. The collection, is full of “classic” stories. One of them is called The Good Humor Man. Now, I had a lot of Little Golden books as a child, but I don’t remember ever seeing this one. The copywrite date is 1964, so I guess it is classic, since it predates me.

The story itself is sort of a big ad for Good Humor ice cream. I say sort of because I find it hard to believe that even in the trippy 60’s, there was a flavor of ice cream called raspberry-strawberry-marshmallow mash. Or for that matter, I can’t believe butterscotch-apricot-coconut chip ever actually existed. The book does show how the Good Humor man and his ice cream products (no matter how gross they sound), bring everyone together. It’s cute and harmless, but I have to admit that it did make me a tad bit hungry.

Minutes after I read it to him the other day, I heard the familiar tinkle of our local ice cream man’s bell. I found myself scanning the room for my purse and  contemplating running out to the curb to buy myself a treat. But I knew there was a good chance the ice cream man wouldn’t have what I really wanted, so I let it pass right by.

Today, while doing my weekly grocery shopping though, I happened to glass across the aisle at just the right moment to see the treat I’d been craving: Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bars. Without a second of hesitation, I pulled the door open, grabbed a box and dropped it in my cart. I was on my way to chocolatey goodness.

As a kid I had two favorite ice cream truck treats, Bomb pops and Chocolate Eclairs. I know some kids really dug that freaky foot with the bubblegum toe. Others swore by the ice cream sandwich, but not me, I either wanted overally sugary sweet (my favorite part of the Bomb pop was the white lemonady center) or I wanted chocolatey goodness and unlike the rather boring sandwich, the eclair bar had a center of chocolate and tiny little chocolate cookie crunchies all over it. It was heaven.

Was is the operative word here. Today after lunch, I found myself still a might peckish, so I reached in and pulled out one of my shopping spoils. The first thing I noticed when I tore the package off is that the crispies looked a little sparser and not nearly as chocolatey as I remember. There were far more of the white crumbles than the brown ones. The ice cream itself looked a bit sickly pale, but I didn’t let that stop me.

I took a bite and was relieved to still find the chocolate center I’d loved as a kid. The only problem was that every part of it just tasted a little, well, flat. The crunchies weren’t very crunchy. The chocolate wasn’t as rich as I remembered. It was perfectly acceptable, but not the holy grail of ice cream bars I remembered from my childhood.

As I found myself biting nearer and nearer the stick, I started to wonder if my disappointment was due to a change in the recipe or from faulty memories. After all, getting something from the ice cream truck was always a treat, which was in turn, always shared with friends. It was summer and freedom. It was staying up late. It was cartwheels in the front lawn and swimming in the pool. It was also heaven.

I’m not sure the actual taste of the ice cream has lots its luster, nearly so much as the memory of it has. No doubt it was always mast produced cheap ice cream on a stick, just made better by all that came with it. It makes me a little sad. Especially since I have 5 more bars in the fridge. Now, I’m not saying I won’t eat the rest of them. It’s just that each one will taste slightly bitter in comparison with my 10 year-old tongue.

Appearance: 5/10

Taste: 5/10

Value: 6/10 (they aren’t very pricey and you do get several to a box, but the taste just makes them less worth it). Sigh…

Chocolate Monday: Fannie May

I was first introduced to Fannie May when, well, I’m pretty sure it was when I was born. My mother might have melted their Mint Meltaways and mixed them in with my bottles. For those not familiar with the company, it is based in Illinois and if you grew up in Northern Indiana, Fannie May was nearly as popular as Hershey’s. Well, at least in my house.

One year, not long after I’d broken up with somone, I stopped by their store just outside the mall and bought a two pound box of heart shaped chocolates. Since it was the day after Valentine’s Day, I got it for half price, which made it just a tad bit sweeter.

I was very sad to find out they were going out of business back in 2004. I got to the store just in time to see all the notes of regret from former customers. I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I found my favorite of their candies, Trinidads in a Walgreen’s. I bought about two dozen and froze them. I ate them slowly and methodically.

Luckily the company was back in business just a little while later. At first it seemed the recipes weren’t quite the same, so I shied away from them. Last year they opened a shop back up in my local mall, so I stopped in for a taste. The recipes seemed to be back to normal, which made me happy.

So for this post, I thought I’d grab a few and try them out again. Even though they are covered in a pastel coconuty coating, they are filled with a fudgy, chocolatey center. It’s a bit of a heavier chocolate than I usually like. It is, however, very creamy and quite tasty. The light coating helps offset the rich chocolate, which I think is what makes it so tasty to me. I’ll admit that I can only eat one or two at a times tops because they are so rich, but that’s no doubt better for my waistline.

The second candy I tried was something new for me, but probably Fannie May’s most famous candy: The Pixie. From the description, Pixies are basically Turtles. It seems most candy companies make them, even though they all call them something different. Heck, even I make them around Christmas time. Every catalog I’ve ever seen from Fannie May seems to focus on the Pixie though, so I thought I should try it out.

The pecans are small and chopped up instead of the full pecans I’m used to. It takes a little bit of the crunch away, but does seem to allow more of the chocolate taste to come through. The problem for me with the Pixie is that the caramel is not as rich and buttery as I’d like. It’s very stringy caramel, which is nice, since these types of candies are often very hard to eat due to their rock hard caramel. To be honest, I find these cornerstones of their product line to be ok. Nothing fancy or great, but tasty enough. I’ve definitely had better. Heck, I think mine are better (and cheaper for me to make).

The last treat I tried doesn’t actually contain chocolate, so I feel a bit false mentioning it, but I have a huge soft spot for toffee. Fannie May makes two kinds of hard toffee–one coated in chocolate and one coated in the coconut pastel coating the Trinidad comes in. Since I like the coating on the Trinidad so much, I opted for that coating rather than my usual chocolate finish.

Now, this toffee is full of nuts, which is not something I’m used to. Once again, I’m used to my husband’s homemade toffee which is the one dish I can always bully him in to making and I happen to think is amazing. Honestly, I think I like toffee better without the nuts inside. It allows my to get a much bigger butter taste, which I do love in toffee. This toffee is very chewy. I expect toffee to get stuck in my teeth, but this seems to get stuck in a more uncomfortable way. I can’t quite explain it, but it feels a bit like the toffee is melting into the tops of my teeth.

All in all, the toffee is decent. Not my favorite, but much like the Pixie, still tasty. And the Trinidad’s are good enough that they make the trip to Fannie May worth it. The company actually makes a Trinidad cheesecake which I was very tempted to buy. I think I may have to pick one up at a later date and write another post about it.

Overall, I’d give Fannie May a 7.5/10. Trinidads get an increased 9.5/10.