Hell Has Frozen Over

Those of you who have followed my dating travails (endless match.com dates, speed dating, horrifying singles events, etc.) are going to be shocked. After 13 years of seeking, I have finally found the ever-elusive good guy who is not a geek, boring or gay. This guy (Tim) rides a Harley, has a good job, is great with his kids (and sweet to his mom), is tall, handsome, smart, loves candy, and most importantly, likes me! We have a blast together and that is why I have been completely off the grid since my last post.

This is us at the Renaissance Faire (with his cute son Brett - good looks run in the family, he has a lovely daughter too):

But I have not been off the sugar train.  Tim was with me when I saw an add for Krispy Kreme's snowman donuts and I said how much I wanted to try them.  I think I licked the picture.  I knew he was the man for me when several days later, out of the blue, he suggested we go by Krispy Kreme and get the snowman donuts.  Clearly he is my soul mate.

And these donuts are amazing - no filling, but sooooo good with the frosting.  Can anything really be better than a warm, frosted, glazed donut on a cold morning?  And how cute are they?

These didn't last long.  But any man who shares my love of lard and sugar is a keeper!

Remember the Grove Park Inn's national gingerbread competition from last year?  Well this year I took Tim (another bonus, a man who will go to a gingerbread house competition).  He is the best!

Here's the first prize ribbon:

And here's the first prize gingerbread creation:

Gorgeous Christmas nesting dolls made out of gingerbread.  So perfect!  There were plenty more fantastic creations - a rocking horse that looked as if it were made out of wood, not gingerbread; several amazingly detailed houses - so much fun!  And we got to drink hot chocolate, eat gingerbread and watch it snow.  Finally a romantic Christmas!!  Usually I'm off on a solo trip somewhere - it's so much better to have someone to celebrate the season with.

I don't want to be one of those sappy people who go on and on about their good fortune, but I do want to share some tips for those of you who may not yet have the relationship you dream of:

1.) Don't give up.  I've been single since my divorce 13 years ago.  I've been on more bad dates than anyone should have to endure.  But every single one of them was worth it - they make me really appreciate the man I've finally found.  And all that BS about stop looking and then it will happen?  Well, if I had taken my match.com profile down, we would have never found each other.  Keep doing something!  The UPS person is not your only option!

2.) Don't settle.  You'll meet plenty of people who just don't want to be alone.  They just want to be with someone, anyone.  You don't want that - you want to hold out for the one who wants to be with you.  Someone who loves you with all your crazy quirks - hell, someone who loves you because of all your crazy quirks.

3.) When it's right, you'll know it.  There's no drama.  There's trust and openness, and in this case, a whole lot of laughter.  Angst, worry, doubt - those are all signals that it's not right.  It was weird, but the feeling I had on our first date was that I had come home.

4.) Being alone is better than being with the wrong person.  I've been with the wrong person, with several wrong people and it's awful.  Broken promises, lack of trust, no real talk of the future, secrets, lies - all of it makes you feel bad, makes you doubt yourself.  A good relationship makes you feel better about yourself.  You feel like you're part of a team.  It's full of openness and light. You can be lonelier with the wrong person than you will ever be by yourself.  If you can learn to walk alone, you can hold out for all the love you deserve.

5.) The Universe doesn't work on our time table.  Thirteen years was a long, long time to me.  I went through my mother's death alone, I went through hip surgery with no one to hold my hand.  There were so many times when I would be the only one at a function without a date.  Just because you want something doesn't mean you'll get it when you want it.  Try hard, treat others as you would like to be treated, and keep holding your hand out.  Someday the right person will take it.

6.) Choose your associates wisely.  The people you let share your life will have a huge impact on it, for better or worse.  Don't be afraid to walk away from those who cause you pain.  You'll free up time and space for those who can bring you joy.

Random Acts of Kindness and PEEPS!

I have not died!  The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy and blogging had to wait.  I had a speaking engagement in La Jolla - so cool - you will hear about that soon - I even visited a nut farm while I was there.  I know - who the hell goes to San Diego and visits a nut farm?  I say - who doesn't?

I also am trying to recover from my arch enemy, the Naked Cowboy, announcing that he plans to run for President.  First he sues Mars, now this?  What an idiot.  Call me crazy, but I want my President to wear pants.  (or a skirt - but clothing, dammit!)

Back to business.

Even though I'm a motivational speaker and typically happy person, I get the blues sometimes.  I don't trust people who say they never do.  Just like I don't trust people who don't like to eat.  Suspicious, very suspicious.

Anyway, fall is the time of year that I always think it would be so cool to have a sweetheart.  You know - someone to go to the fair with, someone to watch football with, someone to snuggle up with.  And don't even get me started on the holidays!  So this weekend, as the first crisp fall weather rolled in, I was feeling a little blue.

I stumbled downstairs to get the paper - and what did I see on my porch?  A box from Just Born!  How do my candy buddies know?  I was so excited!!  There was a sweet (no pun intended) note from Cindy Glick - my fabulous factory tour guide.  Look at the note card:

Bwah, ha, ha!!  In the note she said "You may remember the tour you took of the Just Born candy factory."  Remember?  That was one of the highlights of my life!  Yeah, I've seen the Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock, the Grand Canyon, a nut farm - whatever.  Seeing those Peeps made was the coolest - hands down.  And when Cindy let me have one hot off the line?  Woohoo!  Remember?  I'll never forget!

Anyway, she sent me some of their new and amazing chocolate Peeps!  Look what she sent me:

There are 24 Peeps in each of those boxes.  I'm not alone anymore!!!  Woohoo!!  I can't tell you how nice it was to know Cindy was thinking about me.

She sent a box of dark chocolate covered marshmallow pumpkins:

Okay, he looks a little like a pig, but he's still better than a blob!

The dark chocolate ones are my favs - the darker chocolate seems to offset the sweetness of the marshmallow better.  Even if you don't like Peeps, I think you should try these.  The chocolate takes it to a whole new level.  And if you like Peeps, you'll REALLY like these!

I picked up a couple of milk chocolate covered pumpkins to show you:

This one looks mysterious. 

Love the bright orange color - and look at all that marshmallow!  When it comes to marshmallow, Just Born doesn't mess around.  I've seen these at most drugstores and some convenience stores if you're trying to find them.  The Easter chocolate covered chicks sold out fast, so you might want to get one of these babies now!

And look at these - dark chocolate covered MINT flavored marshmallow Christmas trees:

And milk chocolate:

Here they are side by side - and they will stand up on their own.  In case you want to build a holiday forest to surround your holiday gingerbread houses. 

Dark chocolate autopsy (whoa - that is some serious green, right?):

Milk chocolate autopsy:

These are different in that they have a mint flavor.  I wasn't as crazy about the mint - I like the non-mint flavor better.  This tasted a little toothpasty to me.  But when these come out, I'd love to hear what you all think.  I'm not a huge mint lover, so I might be wrong here.  Let me know.

Simple things can make a big difference to other people.  After a REALLY bad date the other night, I went by Walmart to get chocolate for an upcoming seminar (and to feel better by looking at Halloween candy).  I was walking in and a young man passed me and said "Super fine" and he was talking to me!  He made my night.  (I also had a flashback to the 70's, but what the hell.)

Recently I had lunch with my good friend Don Johnson and he brought me a Time magazine printed right around my birthday (not to give away how old it is but the original price was 35 cents).  He didn't have to do that - but it was really sweet.  I forget that other people are thinking of me and that I'm not alone.

It's so easy to do something random and kind - here are some ideas I'm going to try over the next few months (chances are other people might be feeling kind of blue too this time of year):

Post something nice on someone's wall on Facebook.

Pay a stranger a sincere compliment.

Give someone an unexpected gift - it doesn't have to be expensive - it could a a wildflower you picked for them.

Leave a nice tip for a service person - better yet, tip someone who never expects it.

Be open - talk to a stranger rather than listening to your iPod or talking on your phone. 

Give someone candy!

You'd be surprised how much a simple act of kindness could mean to someone.

More Halloween to come!!!!!!!!!!!!

Candy on Sale!!!

There is nothing better than candy on sale! Especially expensive candy like that in Williams-Sonoma. These S'Mores were $24.95 originally, now they are marked down to $9.99:

These are as close to the real thing as I've seen. I ate one out of the box and it was pretty good. I bet if you zapped it in the microwave, it would rock! (Kris, I'm with you - never as good as the real thing.) But if you like s'mores - these are the best packaged ones I've found.

These were originally a whopping $16.50! $16.50 for a box of marshmallows! But I got them for $4.99.

They look pretty good and they ARE chocolate! But they aren't even worth $4.99. Just too bland. Boo!!!

These are another matter entirely. I saw them originally at $26.00 and refused to pay that for "a crunchy, buttery confection showcasing crisped rice and Guittard milk chocolate." I mean $26.00 crisped rice??? Please. But at $9.99 I thought I'd check them out:

And let me tell you what - they are awesome!!! The crisped rice (toasted organic brown rice) is mixed with a "homemade buttery caramel base." OMG!!! It's the caramel base that rocks these babies. Get thee to Williams-Sonoma and score some - they are fantastic!!!!

At first I thought the dancing figures on the box and liner were idiotic. After I tasted the candy, I want this as a bumper sticker. Or a tattoo.

Trust me. You too will be doing the happy dance.

A Poxie on Choxie

Hang in there, gang! We are almost done with all the holiday chocolate!

I've got some more Choxie we need to review. The first is a three pack of holiday bars:

This one is a milk chocolate creme brulee truffle bar:

Wow - this is a pretty good, albeit RICH bar. It is "caramel and vanilla infused white chocolate truffle with a touch of toffee, blanketed with milk chocolate." It's the toffee that makes it so good - I wasn't expecting it. It mimics the carmelization on the top of a real creme brulee. I am shocked and astonished and thrilled. VERY sweet and rich, but a good bar.

Of all the Choxie gingerbread offerings, this one is the best. It's a milk chocolate gingerbread truffle bar. It has some gingerbread cookie pieces in in, but they are relatively small (unlike those horrible bits). But this is nothing to run out and buy. Nothing great.

The hazelnut bar had a lot of bloom on it, looking pretty crappy I must say:

This is the milk chocolate hazelnut biscotti truffle bar. The description reads: "satiny milk chocolate yields to reveal a duet of tastes and textures, with pieces of crisp almond biscotti and hazelnuts throughout." Oh la, la! After seeing that bloom, I was skeptical. But damn, this was the best one! I love nuts, so the hazelnut flavor was a big hit with me. I thought the biscotti might make it too dry, but no - delish! I am shocked!!

But I will not remain so for long:

These are dessert truffle meltaways and the assortment is pretty even:

You know how I hate it when you get ten of one flavor and three of another.

The first one is apple pie:

I think apple pie is one of those flavors that doesn't need to be a chocolate. This did taste like apple pie, but was such a poor rendition of apple pie that it's not worth it. Maybe if the center was creamier? I don't know - let's just say one of these was enough to last me the rest of my life. And I like apple pie. But not these.

Pumpkin Pie:

Yucko - all I can taste is a weird spice - no pumpkin. Gross. And I love pumpkin. Evil.

Dark chocolate mousse:

This wasn't too bad - had a good rich dark chocolate taste. But it isn't the best dark chocolate in the Universe. And everything else in the assortment is horrifying.

Gingerbread:

What happened? The bar was good! This is horrible! It doesn't taste like gingerbread and has a weird aftertaste.

All I can say about this box is YUCK.

So far, all I can endorse are the bars. The rest of this stuff is pretty terrible. This is the last of the Choxie holiday stuff - the "Slice of the Holidays" truffle collection:

More pie. I'm scared. First up is milk chocolate pumpkin pie:

Huh? I can't taste any pumpkin. The outer truffle shell is pretty thick and these also have more chocolate in the center of the truffle. Unusual - something about their production. Boo!!


This is dark chocolate cherry pie:

Tastes a little like cherry, but nothing great. Again, maybe too much chocolate? See the lines of chocolate through the filling?


Key lime pie:

This was very not good. I'm not sure I'm the best one to judge because I don't really like key lime, but it tasted kind of fake - kind of chemically. Ew.

White chocolate banana creme pie:

Ugh - same for banana. These are really just not good. The chocolate isn't very smooth and the flavors seem off - not authentic.


Apple pie:

Again, awful. Chemical? Weird spice? Makes me want to taste an apple. Creepy.


Pecan pie:

Glaaack. These are all bad, bad, bad.

Here's what I think about Choxie to date:

Very cool boxes and the chocolate is great to look at. They have some awesome designs.

The bars are good - we'll try some more.

The other stuff - truffles, etc. - is really bad. And this stuff isn't really cheap (a la Palmer), so it should taste a little better.

Thoughts:

Just because it can be chocolate, doesn't mean it should be chocolate. Apple pie ROCKS. Apple pie chocolates are the spawn of Satan.

Another example - Quaker just made a creme brulee rice cake. Would you like to ponder that for a moment? I'd go so far as to say the exact culinary opposite of creme brulee is the rice cake. No good can come of this.

Fancy packages do not mean good content. Over and over we learn this. I'm going to start wearing burlap.

Two rights can make a wrong. Apple pie = right. Chocolate = right. Apple pie + chocolate = wrong. Very wrong.

Two rights can make an even better right. Chocolate = right. Peanut butter = right. Chocolate + Peanut butter = yahoo!!!!

Food math is confusing. I need a Reese's.

A Chocolate Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

You all know I appreciate it when companies make new, special products for the holidays. Not just different wrappers, but actual different chocolates - either their shape or color or flavor - it's festive and I like it!

But sometimes, there is just a truly pathetic rip-off.

I saw these and thought they were something special for the holidays:

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and saw that all Mars did was slide a festive box over the same old product:

Oh - so Mars killed all those extra trees for THAT? Just to fool suckers like me? (Some body call the Naked cowboy! Maybe we can get in on his lawsuit!)

They even changed the plate the Twixels sit on to a fancy Christmas plate But it's just the same ol' Twixels. Cheaters. Here's what they look like inside:

Each one is only 35 calories, but trust me, if you open this package, you ain't eating just one.

I like Twix okay - I like the cookie, chocolate, caramel thing. In comparing these three flavors, however, Triple Chocolate is too chocolately for me.

French Vanilla is pretty good, especially if you're a big vanilla fan. It would be my second choice.

Caramel is my favorite. Now I wouldn't send you out in a rush to get these, unless you're having a party. If you're like me, once I start eating these little sticks, I find it hard to stop. Better to just get a bar - there's more caramel and the portion is controlled way better. And this holiday scam just pisses me off.

Speaking of pissing me off, look at this packaging fiasco:

Now this little box looked kind of cute, cost about $6 and seemed to have 4 cute chocolates in it. Well, when you pull the ribbon on the bottom and open it, it unfolds into this:

The first flap has a gift tag you can complete. The second part reads, "You must have been very good this year." And the third panel holds the chocolate - I've removed the cover here:

THIS is what you get for being good? Look at how freakin' tiny these things are:

Yes, that is a Q-Tip. Yes, these are about the size of a dime. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? All that for this? That's just wrong.

Let's see how the damn things taste. The one with the green Christmas trees is milk chocolate pecan pie flavored. The taste? Nothing like pecan pie (they were too tiny to autopsy, by the way). Tastes kind of chocolately, but that's it. What the hell?

Okay - let's try the gingerbread man (I do think these are cute, but I'm finding it hard to get past the microscopic size.) These are supposed to be milk chocolate gingerbread flavored. Okay, maybe a hint of gingerbread, maybe. But nothing to write home about. We've had much better gingerbread options.

The red and purple circles decorate dark chocolate brandied cherry flavored. Slight cherry taste - Hershey's cherry cordial creme Kisses are WAY, WAY better than this. There are many better cherry options.

And the final polka dotted one is dark chocolate spiced orange flavored. This one wasn't too bad - had the most flavor. of all the chocolates.

Summary - Twix bars are better and I hate being tricked. That choxie box is a complete rip-off.

Once again, we learn we can't judge a book by it's cover. You can wear a Santa suit and still be a Grinch. You can dress like a success and still be a complete failure. You can even tattoo a gingerbread man on your chocolate self and not even taste like gingerbread!

Why are we so susceptible to this? We don't want to spend the time. We don't want to really get to know the average looking guy at the bar when the really hot guy is flirting with us. We don;'t want to have to really look at the book, we'd rather just pick up the one with the most interesting looking cover.

So what do we do?

Learn from your mistakes. Where do you tend to make mistakes based on appearance? I know mine - all these hot guys I date who eventually treat me poorly. If I slowed down and got to know them better, I would have seen that they were not attractive at all on the inside where it really counts.

Slow down! I need to pay more attention to the weight of the chocolate, maybe then I would realize how much cardboard I was buying and how little chocolate.

Make it work for you! Realize that you will be judged by your cover. Make it the best you can - you want to make sure people get to know how awesome you are - don't let them pass you by because of your wrapper.

Just ask the Naked Cowboy.