CPAs and Chocolate

Now you probably don't immediately think of chocolate when you think of CPAs. But you might want to change that.

Remember I told you I was thrilled to be the NC CPA Association's Speaker of the Year? Well, look at what they served at the awards banquet:

This Chocolate Pyramid is filled with an awesome creamy chocolate mousse:

My pictures don't do it justice, but it was AWESOME!! I really wanted to lick the plate, but I was a guest of honor, after all. I think licking the plate would really be a compliment to the chef and should be more socially acceptable. This was the best chocolate dessert I have ever had - no kidding! Lots of chocolate desserts are too rich, but this was perfect! I wish I had one right now.

And remember last week after Chicago, I went to Birmingham to speak at a women's conference for the Alabama CPA Association?

Well - look at what they gave me after I spoke:

Taking the chocolate top off, you get this:

And look at how cool these are:

Even the "paper" cups are chocolate!

I ate one of the turtles tonight and it was delicious. Turtles are really growing on me. (Although I'm still partial to Mama Laura's, these were damn good. They were covered in dark chocolate (rather than milk) with white drizzle. YUM!!!

Do I have the greatest job EVER or what?

And are CPAs WAY cooler than you thought?

Things are still good on the dating front - but it is hurting my blogging! Sorry readers! There are only so many hours in the day! This week he and I went to one of those Get Motivated seminars where the big names speak. (His idea - pretty impressive, huh?) I was thrilled to see Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, and Zig Ziglar.

Rudy and Colin were masters - not taking themselves too seriously and making excellent points on leadership (and who better?). But I was sad to see Zig Ziglar. He suffered a fall not too long ago and now his daughter takes the stage and interviews him. Having seen him speak about 10 years ago, this was heart breaking.

It was great to see some of the world's best speakers - who better to learn from?

I learned from Zig yet again - this time it was that no one is at their best forever. There really is a time to walk away. I was reminded by Rudy of what 9/11 was like although I thought I would never forget. And Colin Powell reminds me of our best military leaders - those who put their lives on the line for us and expect nothing in return. Colin has given his life in service of the American people - how lucky are we?

So - CPAs have cool taste in chocolate and I've managed to keep dating the same guy for two months. The world is a wonderful and mysterious place.

Candy Expo and Snickers

I love Snickers - it really is one of my favorite candy bars. And at Candy Expo the newest Snickers was unveiled - Snickers Fudge. But while I'm going there, I also thought I'd throw in some other Snickers variations: almond, Transformers Snickers with yellow nougat, and Snickers Dark.













And of course, the autopsy:

Okay - the random weird yellow nougat one is new also. It tastes like a regular Snickers but the nougat is yellow as you can see. I guess if kids are really into Transformers this may seem cool and sell Snickers. I was intrigued but am unimpressed. Snickers Almond is good, can't complain here, but I like the regular Snickers better. Dark was my least favorite. I know dark chocolate is hot right now, but I prefer the milk chocolate on the Snickers Bar. After all, back in the day a special blend of flavors was created for the Snickers chocolate coating. I like it. I think it works best. Now, I realize I may be biased because I grew up with that flavor and am used to it BUT, here's the big news......

Snickers Fudge is fabulous!!!

(Isn't that beautiful?) Now this is a lot different than the regular Snickers. No caramel - instead fudge. And the nougat is peanut butter flavored. You've got to try this - it's really different and really good. It's also a limited edition so I don't know how long it will be around.

So what can we learn from Snickers?

Just because something is new or different doesn't mean it's better. But sometimes new and different IS better! So you have to keep an open mind and try new things AND AT THE SAME TIME, don't throw out something that has worked in the past just because it's been around for a while.

I think most of us tend to one of the two extremes. We think the newest is always the best or we only hang on to the tried and true. The challenge is to recognize your tendency and adjust for it. Again we're reminded how important it is to keep an open mind (and how hard it is to do!).

Did you ever think you'd learn a life lesson from Snickers?

Embrace change - try the Snickers Fudge!

Candy Expo Continued (Pieces v M & Ms)

Hi Gang! Sorry for the delay - when I left Chicago I had to head to Birmingham to give my Leadership Lessons from the Kings of Chocolate seminar and then get back to Raleigh and deal with the pile up. I'm still digging out. No rest for the gluttonous.

This is SOME of the candy I came home with covering my dining room table. Amazing, huh? When will I have time to review all this? How much weight can I avoid gaining? But...how lucky am I????

You should have seen me lugging all this through the airport - I already had one bag checked (at $15 each way that was a cool $45 for nothing). This bag of candy had to weigh over 50 lbs - it's a damn good thing I work out! As it was I lost the feeling in my fingers three times. Oh - I also had a bag with my laptop. I am clearly demented. (And stubborn as hell).

Okay - I just randomly took pictures on Wednesday - I figured they could come and get me if they wanted to, so here are some to give you a tiny idea of how cool these booths were:

How cool is all that???? I wish I had that Lindt bunny for my front yard. And not just for Easter.

The booths were all gorgeous, colorful and huge - with samples! Candy Expo is as close to Willie Wonka and the Oompa Loompas you can get.

Let's do some quick reviews:

I'd never tried these before, but now I have. And these are my thoughts - did Nestle Crunch really need to be any crispier? I don't think this adds anything to the original. (The original isn't one of my favs to start with, but this makes it less flavorful.) Same goes for Butterfinger - I mean it's already great and crispy as hell - it doesn't need any wafers. I prefer the originals of both of these bars.

But THIS is another matter entirely:

I like the Baby Ruth, but I LOVE the Baby Ruth Crisp. I think the Baby Ruth needed a little lighter touch. These are well worth trying. I actually went back to the booth to get more samples. WAY good.

Look at this great idea:

They already had Reese's Pieces, now Hershey's has added York Peppermint Patty Pieces, Almond Joy Pieces, and Special Dark Pieces. The York Pieces are fabulous (and I'm not even a huge mint fan), the Almond Joy Pieces are way better than the Coconut M & M's below, but I would rather just have an Almond Joy. And the Hershey's Special Dark Pieces are good. I don't have any Dark M & M's to compare them with, but they are a solid entry. Great ideas from Hershey.

Grab the York Pieces when they come out - I think you'll like them.

Mars isn't taking this innovation lying down! (Well, maybe lounging on a beach...)

Okay - these don't taste much like coconut at all. The Almond Joy Pieces were much better - they had some coconut texture - although they were too small to autopsy. And they tasted kind of like coconut. These taste like M & Ms. Maybe someone walked through the factory wearing a Hawaiian shirt. No coconut is listed in the ingredient list - the Almond Joy Pieces list both coconut and almonds.
Hmmmmm..........

Maybe Mars thinks if they SAY the M & M's taste like coconut, we'll BELIEVE they taste like coconut.....

I was so excited about these - strawberry and peanut butter M & Ms - YAY!!! What a great idea! How exciting! But they disappointed me. I found the strawberry gave them a weird aftertaste. Peanut Butter M & Ms are better (and I think Reese's Pieces are better than those!).

Candy Expo really was a blast!! As I review more of the candy I'll tell you more about some of the people. The candy was cool, but it was the people that really made it a great experience.

I'd also like to express my admiration and appreciation to anyone who has served in the military. My friends Katie and Wally come to mind - I am so proud of them and don't tell them nearly enough. Memorial Day is a great day to think of all those who serve, who have served, and who gave their lives for our country. Thank you!!!

Live from Chicago - It's Candy Expo!!

Oh my God.

I am overwhelmed. I have never seen so much candy in one place in my life. My head is spinning and I have ingested enough chocolate for 10 people.

To give you an idea of how big Candy Expo is, the NCA (National Confectioners Association) press release says the Expo "encompasses nearly 10 football fields." Ten. Think how big ONE football field is. This is ten. Holy God.

Believe me, that is a lot of booths. I realized early on I was going to have to focus only on chocolate to have any chance of making it through. (Jonny and Matty I have failed you - but I do have all the scoop for next year. And Haribo had a tasting bar - like a Haribo buffet. I wept that you weren't there. We'll have to talk.)



I don't have pictures for you - they are weird about that, but I might try to take some tomorrow. Some of the booths are pretty amazing. All are colorful and gorgeous. And look how much candy I have:

Do you see that? It's amazing and disturbing all at the same time. How will I ever blog about it all? How will I make good on all the promises I made to get the samples? What if some of the nicest people have the worst candy? I do think I might have sold my soul to get candy today. Well at least part of my soul. Or maybe I just prostituted myself.

It's not that there weren't plenty of samples everywhere. It was that sometimes I really wanted the good stuff. And it's not like I'm a buyer. These people are there to make money, not deal with random motivational speakers who blog. What the hell is that about anyway? So sometimes I had to make promises. Basically I was charming people into giving me the good stuff. (Yep - I'm a chocolate 'ho.)

But let me tell you - overall - this was one great group. Master Chef Michael Antonorsi fixed me a cup of fabulous hot cocoa and sat down and talked with me about his philosophy of chocolate making! He was gracious and wonderful and brilliant and kind. The Mars representative for Seeds of Change - I will have to get her name tomorrow - gave me one of all of their full sized bars! That would be seven different flavors! We discussed distribution and positioning - it was cool! Erik Hemp and Kathleen Wells of Nestle hooked me up with their new product - Baby Ruth Crisp - which totally rocks!! You'll have to get your hands on one of these when they come out. I might have to go by and get more tomorrow. I am a sick, sick woman.

I also attended a blogger luncheon (thanks Carl and Susan) and an official Mars press conference. YAHOO!! At the press conference, they talked about their new chocolate relief act - where they are giving away free chocolate and are making all their products with real chocolate (not fake chocolate which is what's in so many candy bars today). Check out http://www.realchocolate.com/ to read more and find out about your free chocolate. It's really sad that we THINK we're getting chocolate, but some candy makers are substituting cheaper ingredients for the cocoa butter. Bastards!

All the M & M's were at the press conference (no Naked Cowboy in sight) and we all got cool give away bags with more candy. And get this!! M & M's are coming out with two new flavors - coconut and strawberry & peanut butter. They are in the bag and I'll be reviewing soon!

Snickers has a fudge bar - I also have and will be reviewing soon.

Nestle has cranberry Raisinets (although can they be Raisinets if they are cranberry?) Who cares - I'll be reviewing them also.

Dove Promises are now available in peanut butter! YUM!

Reese's Dark is coming out. Also York Peppermint Patty Pieces and Almond Joy Pieces and Hershey Special Dark Pieces. Also Hershey's Bliss will be out in white chocolate.

Tootsie Pops are out in banana - limited edition.

How cool is all of this? I also came across many companies I had never heard of. And I skipped over all the gum and snack and sour and all the other crazy candies. I snubbed Russell Stover and Palmer because you know how I feel about them. But I may go by tomorrow for the hell of it. If it wasn't chocolate, I didn't bother. It's just all too big!

I need to go through all the literature and business cards I picked up and try and put everything in some kind of order. I'll be at the Expo all day tomorrow, then I have to fly out to Alabama for a speech on Thursday. Thursday night I'll be flying back to Raleigh. So it may be a few days before I post again, but trust me, it will be worth the wait!

YAHOO!!!!

Chicago Architecture and Chocolate

Wow - today started off gorgeous weather wise - clear skies, warm - it was awesome! But by the time I got off the architectural cruise I was freezing my butt off! BRRR! I was thinking about doing an art deco architectural tour tonight, but I don't have the clothes for it. And, no I am not buying a winter coat. I already bought a Hershey sweatshirt I don't need - that's as far as I'm going.



Let me show you some of the shots from the cruise:

















I took about a million more, but this is On Motivation and Chocolate not On Motivation and Architecture.


The cruise really was terrific and seeing the city from the river was very cool. If you come to Chicago - do one of these tours.


Also, I think it's a shame how much we miss of life. We really are blinded by ignorance. I had looked at many of these buildings while walking through the city, but I didn't SEE them. When our tour guide pointed out details or things that made the buildings special, I realized how vast my ignorance and how little I really saw. Knowledge really does give you an appreciation - of art, architecture, writing, people.

Let me give you an example. See these buildings?


Yeah, yeah more skyscrapers, whatever, right?

Well look closer:


This one is called Aqua - it's under construction. Look at the amazing balconies that undulate like water. A tribute to the river. It's also one of the tallest buildings in the world designed by a female architect. I would have never seen it. Now, it's all I see when I look at those buildings.

Keep learning - life is way more fascinating that way.


I did manage to visit another chocolate shop on my own (imagine that!). I don't think a chocolate lover can come to Chicago and not stop by:





And check this out from their website:

More than 85 years of Fannie May – The first Fannie May retail store was opened by H. Teller Archibald in 1920 at 11 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago. By 1935, there were nearly four dozen retail stores in Illinois and several neighboring states. During World War II, while other companies chose to change their recipes when ingredients were scarce, Fannie May stuck with its exact recipes, making only what it could which often meant closing shops early because no more candy was available - never was the taste of the candy compromised.

Well - we'll just see about that.

If I spent at least $40 I got a free 1 pound assortment, so of course I spend the $40. Did I mention earlier than I'm kind of cheap? And you already know I have a thing for chocolate.


I also have a thing for almonds:

Okay, I'm not going to lie. I was pretty skeptical about these. They were $16.99 for the one pound bag pictured here. Regular Jordan almonds are nowhere near that much. But these blow regular Jordan almonds out of the water (or maybe I should say out of the river as a tribute). The last bag of Jordan almonds I had were hard as rocks - these were perfect, you could tell the almonds were very fresh. Delicious. Well worth the extra cost. A++

I also bought a few loose pieces:

Two peanut butter buckeyes (one with white chocolate), a butter caramel, a butterscotch caramel, a milk praline, and a milk caramel present. All of these were really, really good. Now these are not crazy gourmet candies. There ain't no salt on these caramels, no weird spices, no talk of saving the Earth or organic sun drenched fields. These are good, solid all-American chocolates. I have to say I think they are better than See's, but not as good as Sarah's. After all - they are mass produced.



But I was very surprised at their quality. I'll report more when I break into the boxes, but right now, I have to say that Fannie May makes a damn fine chocolate and I hope they are around for a long, long time.



They also have a location right by where you board the cruise boats at the corner of Michigan and Wacker. So you can do two great things at once. (You are planning to do SOMETHING new and different after reading this, right?)



Tomorrow - CANDY EXPO!! I feel like a kid on the night before Christmas. WHEEE!!!

Chicago Chocolate Tour continued

Whew! I got up this am and went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House - more on that later. It's another gorgeous day in Chicago - albeit a little chillier than yesterday. But the sun is shining and it is spectacular.

I do have to share with you the key they gave me at check-in:

And this was left in my room today:

Ha, ha, ha! I love Candy Expo already!!

Okay - back to the Chocolate Tour! After More Cupcakes, we went to my favorite place on the tour - Sarah's Pastries and Candies (http://www.sarahscandies.com/):

Sarah Levy is the second Saint in the Church of Chocolate (that would be my C of C - I can't speak for those other C of Cer's - they'll have to find their own Saints). Sarah is in her 20's and is selling her candies and pastries to Macy's! She has it together - and her stuff ROCKS!!! She also is incredibly nice and amazingly humble. She has great energy and enthusiasm and I know if any of you met her you would like her. I wish I lived in ChiTown so I could eat her chocolate all the time and hang out with her!

I love the quote she has on the back of her business card:

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate." Katherine Hepburn

See how cool Sarah is?

She gave us samples of her chocolate delight: A delicious blend of milk chocolate, caramelized almonds, roasted pistachios and crispy rice. Can I just say "YUM!?" And her to die for brownies. The samples were so great, I had to buy a t-shirt, a box of chocolates, two cookies, and several more goodies. I say if you're going to go, go big!

Today I had her peanut butter square:

My only regret is that I didn't buy 4 or 5 hundred. These things are amazing. I don't know what the heck is in them, but there is something light and crunchy. Maybe some of that crispy rice? But they are also very peanut buttery. It's the perfect balance, because they are awesome, but not too heavy like most slabs of peanut butter would be. Ah.....

Then I tried her chocolate-almond toffee:

Also delicious. Sarah told me what she does differently is mix almonds in with the toffee as well as rolling the chocolate coated toffee in almonds. It really is fantastic. See why she is a C of C Saint? Sarah's confections are fantastic!!!!

As I try the rest of her stuff, I'll post more reviews.

From there we went to Lindt:

I love Lindt. I think their chocolate is smooth and creamy and fabulous. I love the way their stores are decorated (no fake flowers, lots of dark wood and shiny wrappers - love it!). Their sales people are nice and helpful. They have a frequent buyers program. I bought several things here which I will review in upcoming blogs. They gave us samples of their awesome white chocolate truffle with dark bits and a dark salted bar. Both delicious. Yay Lindt. (Boo teuscher again. Maybe I can start a Swiss war! Although that's not very C of C of me. But then again, there were all those Holy Wars.....hmmm....)

Crusades, anyone?

From there we went to Frango:

Now Frango used to be Marshall Field's signature candy, but Marshall Field's has been bought by Macy's. Frango is blobbed in with a lot of other chocolate brands here in Macy's candy department. And the Frango employees were completely lame. They gave us samples but acted like it was killing them. Actually one of the girls was okay but the other one was awful. I overheard her ask if she could go on break now. (Hello - how often does a chocolate tour come through, slack girl? Will working 15 more minutes kill you? I guess rolling your eyes and sighing IS pretty tiring.)

They gave us a sample of their famous mint and a new sea salt caramel:

Note the sea side box? Cute. I did buy a box of these because I am a sucker for the salt/caramel combo and these were pretty good. Not Chocolate Fetish good, but better than average. Frango also had some new flavors I would have liked to try - cherry almond, pomegranate pistachio - but I didn't want to buy a whole box. And it wasn't like Break Girl was helping me. Not many options, horrible customer service - look for Frango to disappear into candy history.

Our final stop was Argo Tea. Now, as usual, I was being judgemental and thinking this was a gyp. I didn't want tea, I wanted chocolate. And when we walked past Hershey and Ghirardelli stores to get there, I was even less happy. But, as usual, I was wrong. When will I learn to keep an open mind?

Here we sampled a double chocolate muffin (okay) and chocolate chai tea (fabulous). And doesn't this guy look like someone who should serve you chocolate chai tea?:

Ooops - there goes that judgemental thing!

The tour ended here and I, of course, headed straight to Hershey. The adventure picks up there tomorrow!! Big thanks to Valerie Beck and Heidi Holladay of Chicago Chocolate Tours for a great adventure!

Chicago Chocolate Tour

Hey Gang!! I'm in Chicago - the weather is to die for, the architecture is fantastic, and the chocolate is plentiful. I think I want to move here. Or at least spend the next four days here.



The flights were easy, but the traffic from the airport was a bitch. However, our van driver was festive and some businessman gave me his card and told me to call him if I wanted to have drinks. (Um - no. But flattering nonetheless.)



I dumped my bags and hit the streets - I decided to walk the 17 blocks to make plenty of room for all the chocolate I was about to eat (a decision that seemed brilliant at the time.) My hotel is across from Millennium Park, which is gorgeous. Here are a couple of pics from my walk:






Can you tell how gorgeous the day is? And do you like the way I have juxtaposed the natural beauty of the tulips with the man made beauty of the sculpture? Hey - I didn't get that undergraduate degree in art history for nuthin'!


Well, you just gotta shoot the lions in front of the Art Institute:





And check these out! Notice the human at the base - they are gigantic!! American Gothic in front of the Chicago Tribune building. How cool is Chi Town?

As I was walking toward Bloomingdale's (which was the meeting place for the tour) - http://www.chicagochocolatetours.com/ I saw a woman in a lively yellow jacket with a purple purse. I think - "Look at her - she is so petite and looks so great in those bright colors." Then I notice she is carrying a chocolate tours sign! I kid you not - I say' "Valerie?" And she turns around - it's Valerie Beck from the website! She is very nice and gracious, loves both Chicago and chocolate. And she walked with me about 9 more blocks to the tour site.

My tour guide was actually Heidi Holladay (Valerie was leading another tour at the same time), a pastry chef and tour guide extraordinaire. She did a great job - taking us to six different sites and giving us loads of information about chocolate and Chicago along the way. The tour was supposed to last two hours, but ours lasted about three. No one complained - it was a fantastic time. But if any of you decide to go, budget extra time. You'll want it anyway - you might want to go back to some of the sites or stay longer at the last one.

Because I was carrying large bags of chocolate and a twelve pack of Diet Sierra Mist for my 17 block return trip, I am tired, so I'm only going to review the first two stops tonight. Now you might be thinking - why did Denise carry so much soda? I am addicted to diet soda and would rather get a lot at a drug store than try to find some at outrageous hotel rates. You might also be thinking - why did she not call a cab if she was carrying all this? IBecause I am stubborn (I really felt I should do some exercise after all this decadent eating) and I am essentially cheap. Why pay cab fare if you can manage to hobble 17 blocks with your arthritic hips carrying 20 pounds of chocolate and soda?



Remember, I have never claimed to be either sane or issue free.



I did have several interesting conversations with the homeless as I struggled along.



But I digress.



The first stop was teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland. I have written of teuscher before.

My friend Katie and I stopped in a teuscher store in New York when I was there for the Chocolate Show. I wasn't impressed then and I'm not impressed now. The prices are insanely high in my book and the decor says funeral parlor more than chocolate shop. I can't help it - it just creeps me out. They gave us a sample which was fine, but nothing that made me go crazy and buy a bunch of stuff. In both locations I found the staff snooty. Please - it's chocolate. Get over it. And you're in a mall. If you work in a mall, you really need to get over it.

Next stop was More Cupcakes (http://www.morecupcakes.com/). Now this was something - look at how this place is designed:

It's like a cupcake gallery or museum - gorgeous! And they have some amazing and creative flavors. They have more flavors in the shop than are listed on the website. We got to taste two mini cupcakes - the first was chocolate with chocolate icing; the second was chocolate with a vanilla icing. After the first sample (I didn't know there was going to be a second sample), I was so smitten I bought a full size cupcake - salted caramel. A yellow cake with caramel in the center and a light caramel frosting. And they pack it up in a great, sturdy box with a cool More Cupcakes sticker- very nice packaging. Woowee!

The small cupcakes were the perfect size - you could pop one in your mouth. They were fresh and delicious and the frosting was amazingly light.

But when I got back to my room and devoured - I mean daintily ate - the larger cupcake, I was disappointed. To be honest, it tasted a little stale. : (

I still think these were awesome cupcakes and this was most people's favorite stop on the tour. I would definitely give them another chance.

Okay - I'm smoked!! I'll give you more of my chocolate adventure tomorrow. Until then, sweet dreams!!!

Off to ChiTown

You know you are a slackard when your friends are writing to see if you are still alive. My sincere apologies. It is due to a way packed schedule, technical difficulties which have me contemplating killing something, and a love interest. What can I say?

Yes - things are still good on the dating front. I was taken out for a REALLY nice b-day dinner (yay!). This time last year I got nothing - oh, wait - I did get a call from Afghanistan. I should have known when he didn't even bother to send me an e-card. But things are looking up!! At some point I'll post a pic for you guys, but I'm just not ready to bring that up yet. I don't want him to think I'm insane. I try to hide that for as long as possible.

I'm leaving in the am for Chicago where I plan to take a chocolate tour on Saturday. I just got in (someone canceled - I was on a waiting list) to a special breakfast at Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House - how cool is that? I love FLW and this should be really amazing. More FLW on Monday and at some point I want to do an architectural riverboat tour. Then Tuesday and Wednesday - CANDY EXPO!!! I cannot wait!

In the meantime (I still have to pack, so forgive me!!), I have to show you the bag of candy I won from the National Confectioner's Association. This was a damn fine prize, let me just tell you!

I mean - look at all that candy! It's truly beautiful, isn't it? The bag was PACKED and it was a great assortment - LOTS of chocolate - Green and Black's, Reese's, Ghirardelli, Lindor Truffles - this was fantastic!! The National Confectioner's Association ROCKS!!!

Closing thoughts:

Try for the prize - you can't win if you don't enter.

Work hard, but plan a random silly adventure for yourself. It keeps you interesting.

I do have to say I think anyone who reads this crazy blog must be interesting. I wish I could take all of you to ChiTown with me!!

Thanks for your patience and support and I will do my best to post from Chicago. In the meantime, seize the chocolate!

Exciting Stuff!

There are big things going on here in North Carolina!! Tonight I'm getting the NC CPA Association's Speaker of the Year award. I'm really excited because I've never gotten anything like this before. You know, you just don't have that many chances to get awards as an adult. When you're a kid there's perfect attendance and sports and good grades, etc. etc. But who cheers you on as an adult? Especially when you work for yourself? And the man I'm dating is going with me! He actually wanted to come! How cool is that?

Okay - that may seem like no big deal to you, but I've attended functions solo for 12 years and it gets really old. You gotta love a guy who will sit through something like this voluntarily. He gets BIG bonus points in my book.

So - YAY!!

Also exciting is the fact that the Field Museum's amazing Chocolate Exhibition http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/ is coming to Raleigh!!! The website is really cool - I can't wait to see what the exhibition looks like!!! Wheee!! It opens this weekend, but I'm not sure when I'll get there. You can bet it will be soon!! You will see pictures and hear tales.

Also HUGE is my trip to Chicago next week for candy expo!! OMG - I am sooo excited about this!
I mean - look how amazing this is: www.allcandyexpo.com

Over 450 confectionery and snack companies from around the world
12,000 qualified industry professionals in attendance
Visitors from 69 countries attend and exhibit
More than 2,000 NEW snack and confectionery items on display

I think my head might explode when I walk in - the map of the exhibit hall looks like a small city. A city of candy! I don't think they'll let me take pictures, but I'll do my best to describe everything!! I'm also doing a chocolate tour of Chicago while I'm there, so I'll have lots to report.

What fun things are you planning? If any of you want to plan a road trip to Raleigh to see the Chocolate Exhibition - you just let me know and I'll go with you! Remember - you only get to live this life once - make it count!!

And I Thought I Was Sooo Original!

There really is nothing new under the sun.

You all have to check this out:

http://site.churchofchocolate.org/

And I thought I was inventing a religion.

Do you think I can still wear the hat?

Keep Walking, No Matter What, Keep Walking

Things still going good on the dating front - I hate to say too much - I'm so afraid I'll jinx it!! Just know that so far, so good.


I did get a drunk dial from Afghanistan Man Saturday night. You gotta love that - he asked me for the second time if I had one of his motorcycle helmets. I told him again - no. I reminded him that I had no reason to keep it - I don't have a motorcycle. He said I might have kept it out of spite! Ha, ha, ha! Can you imagine? I said "Let me get this straight - I send you nine months of care packages while you're overseas, but I kidnap your motorcycle helmet? Surely you know me better than that."


What could he say other than that he was sorry?


I think that alcohol and loneliness must have combined to make calling me yet again seem like a good idea.


I have to say that, in retrospect, finding his online profile was a great thing. If I hadn't, I would probably be embroiled in a horrible relationship right now wondering why things didn't seem quite right. Instead, while it hurt like hell at the time, it freed me to meet a much, much, MUCH better man.


Just goes to show you that sometimes things really do work out for the best. We can't see it at the time, but they often do. They make you stronger, they open you up to new opportunities, and maybe when one door closes another door really does open. We just have to keep walking.


And speaking of keeping walking - I have NEVER, EVER won one of those contests where you have to guess how many things are in the container. In fact, I seldom even try because it just seems impossible. BUT when the National Confectioners Association and my good friend Carl Weaver (check out their great blog at http://candydishblog.com/) had such a contest for free candy, I gave it a shot. And I won! Well, I came in second, but I still got the prize!

Don't we all have an increasingly long list of "I never win at those" or "I can't sing, wear that, dance, etc. etc." or "I could never....." The older we get, the more we take things off the table. The more we limit our own possibilities. Here's another challenge for you - the next time you catch yourself taking something off the table - force yourself to put it back on. Sing the song, wear the outfit, play the game, enter the contest - you might be surprised at what happens.

Just give it a shot, just keep going, just stay in the game. And if you get discouraged, you let me know. I'll be glad to pull you up and/or push you forward. And as long as I have candy, I will share it with you.

Blob, Cluster, Turtle - Chocolate Evolution

I have a confession to make. I didn't really know there was a difference between a "cluster" and a "turtle." I thought they were all blobs of goo (marshmallow, caramel, peanut butter, whatever) and nuts covered with chocolate.



So little I know, so much I have to learn.

According to About.com in their candy section - "Turtle Candies get their name from their whimsical turtle shape. The combination of toasted pecans, soft caramel and smooth chocolate is impossible to resist. Some people make their turtles with 3 pecans: 1 for the head, and 2 for the front legs. I prefer to use 4 (for all 4 legs-I guess my turtles don't have heads) but you can modify to suit your tastes."

Hmmmm........I really didn't know. Heads, legs, - complicated. I've had turtles before. They're good. But then I had Mama Laura's turtles:

Mama Laura's turtles are so good, there is no reason to ever eat any other turtles ever again. Her turtles made me want to know just what turtles were. Her turtles are indeed Saint worthy. Her place in chocolate heaven is completely locked in now!

These are make your eyes roll back in your head good. The turtle shell is a mountain of delicious, gooey caramel that blows all that other lame turtle caramel away. The chocolate is fabulous, the pecans fresh. These turtles are life changing. Mama Laura is amazing!! Thus, our first Church of Chocolate Saint. I have to say that eating these are definitely a religious experience.

Now these are clusters, which apparently are blobs of goo (caramel, marshmallow, peanut butter, etc.) and nuts covered with chocolate. I have three GooGoo Clusters and one (yes, I keep giving them a chance) Russell Stover Almond Delight (cluster).

GooGoo Clusters (http://www.googoo.com/) come in three flavors. We'll cover each one. First let's look at all of these naked:

We don't have anything against nudity in the Church of Chocolate, by the way.

We'll start with the upper left - the GooGoo Supreme. This one has milk chocolate, pecans, caramel and marshmallow. Next to it on the right is the GooGoo Cluster. It's the same but with peanuts instead of pecans. Bottom left is Almond Delight with milk chocolate, caramel and almonds. And finally, GooGoo Peanut Butter, with milk chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter.

Let's just say that Russell Stover continues to be lame. As you can see from the nude shots, there is way more chocolate than nuts. It's applied in a too thick layer and overpowers the caramel and the nuts. You can barely even taste the almonds. The caramel and the chocolate are sub par. This should be called Almond Plight - I feel sorry that almonds gave their lives for this.

I also am proud to announce that GooGoo Clusters ROCK! Made since 1912 in Nashville, TN by the Standard Candy Company. You know how I love these independent candy companies!!! If you haven't tried a GooGoo Cluster - you should! They have them in those nostalgia candy places (Cracker Barrel) and I see them in convenience stores from time to time. The next time you see one - try it!

Back to the clusters - Supreme has the pecans, but I prefer the peanuts in the standard cluster. The pecans seem a little too sweet, I prefer the saltier peanut. But I was impressed by how many nuts were packed in these - the way it should be if you ask me!! And the marshmallow is balanced perfectly with the caramel and the chocolate - you will love these. I kid you not.

But my favorite, a true work of candy art - was the GooGoo Peanut Butter. No caramel and marshmallow here - just packed with peanut butter and peanuts and coated with chocolate - fantastic!!

I even liked the GooGoo Peanut Butter better than Koeze's Cream Nut Peanut Butter Clusters. Remember them? (I reviewed them and Reese's Clusters around Christmas). GooGoo is the best.

And you know what? When GooGoo Clusters first came out - all candy bars were rectangular. No one knew what to call these weird globs. They were hard to wrap. They didn't fit in. I like that - GooGoo Cluster have been rebels since 1912. They were making candy bars that weren't bars. At the Church of Chocolate, we let everybody in - especially nuts and rebels. Actually, we might not have any members if it weren't for nuts and rebels.

Have a nutty and rebellious week!

Get Thee a Life

Woohoo - it's Friday!! And I have a Seventh Suggestion Challenge for you. Suggestion Seven is Thou Shall Laugh. It can also be interpreted as Thou Shall Have Fun. In the Church of Chocolate, it's all about getting everything you can out of THIS life. We'll leave the afterlife to other religions to deal with.

I am doing something today that is out of character for me. I am going to the movies in the middle of a weekday. (You have no idea how wild an idea this is for me - I mean, clearly I should be working. Or networking or something!) There is nothing even remotely productive about going to see X Men Origins: Wolverine at 2:45 pm on a Friday afternoon.

But I'm going to do it.

And I think you should do something fun today too. Something you can't even rationalize as being productive in any way. (If not today, by midnight on Sunday.)

I seem to think that the harder I am on myself the greater the payoff will be down the road. And while I believe firmly that hard work and discipline is rewarded and is the way to go 99.999% of the time, I know that the real juice of life is in the fun.

While I adore my work and find it infinitely rewarding, my best memories are of trips to new places, conversations with friends, and random acts of silliness. And these are all the things I tend to shut out of my life in favor of productivity. I had a great first quarter - so far 2009 is ahead of 2008. (Will it continue? Who the hell knows?) I know it won't if I don't radiate health and joy. And who radiates joy? People who are having fun!

Here's my challenge to you:

I want you to do something between now and midnight on Sunday that makes you feel a little guilty. (Oh yes, you know how Churches like to make you feel guilty!) But this is different - I want you to be a little bad. I want you to commit a little sin in your own eyes. Let me give you some examples (you'll need to pick the one that resonates with you):

Skip the household chore(s) you were going to do.

Don't do any work related stuff one afternoon or for the whole weekend!

Don't attend that function you've been dreading all week - call in sick, send a gift. If you hate baby showers/weddings/bridal showers - don't go!

Just do nothing for an hour (or whatever block of time really makes you feel guilty).

Eat something from your list of forbidden foods - but really do it up - eat ice cream on the beach or eat chocolate cake by candlelight. Eat chips and queso while wearing a sombrero. Make it count!

Skip your workout. Just skip it. You won't get fat if you skip one workout.

Watch a cheesy movie or TV show (something you wouldn't normally watch) and do nothing else.

Or rent that great foreign film no one else wants to see - revel in how damn intellectual you are.

Make a huge batch of popcorn and watch movies all day!

Add one of your best friends to any of these activities.

Take a nap.

Go shopping - you don't even have to buy anything.

Have an appetizer at one restaurant, an entree at another and dessert at a third.

Eat a chocolate bar you loved as a kid but haven't had in years.

Get a kid you like and go feed some ducks or hit the zoo and laugh at the crazy monkeys. Or leave the kid and do it by yourself!

Make that decadent delicious dessert you always wanted to try. And eat it.

Take a hot bubble bath.

Lay out in the sun with a book you feel guilty about reading.

You know this list could go on forever - and it will be different for everyone. I guess the bottom line is that we just don't allow ourselves to live enough. Emerson said "We're always getting ready to live and never living." We want to wait until we have more time or more money or lose 15 pounds. Stop waiting! I want you to live a little this weekend. The world won't end, you won't go broke or get fat or lose control. You deserve some joy and fun - but you have to give yourself permission first.

If you let this weekend go by and don't push your own guilt/fun envelope, you'll have to do 10 Hail Hershey's as penance.