The Well-Traveled Tongue.

Oog, these photos are blurry. I blame Blogpress. I am in formatting hell.

One of my coworkers vacationed in London last week. Like a total doll, he brought us back a bag of Cadbury sweets from Duty Free in Heathrow Airport.

Have you had this experience? When a coworker shares assorted treats with the office, I have to reign in my gotta-catch-em-all mentality. I'm a collector of tastes, and I like to try EVERYTHING. I can't count the number of parties where that has been my goal at the buffet (forget small talk). I also like to flip through every channel on the television before choosing a show (which is why we don't have cable) and at least glance at every single shoe at DSW before I exit. But these candies were for the group, and there are a number of us, so I held back and just tried a few varieties. I didn't take a Twirl or an Eclair or a . . .


Maybe I should go back to see if there are still some that need to be eaten.


But enough about me.

 

Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel: The chocolate didn't taste like anything particularly special, and the caramel was absolutely liquid and drippy, but there was a depth of flavor to the caramel that one doesn't always find in modern, mass-marketed chocolates.

Cadbury Fudge: The fudge filling neither looked nor tasted much like fudge. The filling was light brown and almost granular. When chewed, the consistency was that of a moist candy corn. It seemed too sweet to me (not that fudge isn't sweet), too, and nowhere near rich or chocolate-y enough. I thought this was kind of a dud.

Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted: Many have said it before me, but the fact that we (in the USA) cannot get Cadbury Creme Eggs year round should embarrass every citizen of this country. Show me the government agency hiding our eggs until Easter. I'll fight 'em! That stated, this small bite didn't really work for me. It was too flimsy for the goopy filling inside, gone too quickly, and though it coated the inside of my mouth it didn't really satisfy.

Calling this a "Travel Mix" is kind of funny. I can't imagine how ill even I would feel after sitting on an airplane for several hours eating my way through the entire package. It's no trail mix, that's for sure. But these three bites were a pretty good way to start my work day.


N.B. Hey! this was my 999th blog post on Snackreligious. Stay tuned for a super-epic 1,000th post in which I do something ill-advised and possibly gross!

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This is how I like my bourbon.

I find I'm one step nearer a filled chocolate bar that tastes like it's stuffed with frosting. That's what I'm looking for, if you didn't know, and the Ritter Sport Bourbon Vanille I bought today came really close.  It's yet another new-to-me flavors of Ritter Sport. This brand just does not disappoint. One of these days I'm going to skip lunch and sit down with about 6 more flavors -- just for you, of course. It's all for the blog, not because I'm some sort of candy glutton. Geez.

See also:
Ritter Yogurt and Ritter Peppermint
Ritter Coconut (and Ritter Ratings)
Ritter White Chocolate Cornflake and Ritter Caramel Hazelnut Crisp Rice



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London Swall'wing: Part II

 

I heartily approve of the Toffee Crisp. I don't really taste toffee, but whatever. There's plenty of chocolate, caramel, and crisp rice cereal. The baby happens to be toddling over to bang on the keyboard, or I'd say more. It would all be positive, but would I compose an epic poem in its honor? Nah. It's no Jaffa Cake.

 

 Mr. Tom is peanut brittle, but easy on the glaze. The peanut flavor is allowed to come through without being drowned in sugar. Nor does it feel like it wants to break your teeth. I appreciate that in a brittle. Thank you, Germany  (Mr. Tom happened to come to London via Germany).

Hurry! Eat the candy!

(London Swall'wing: Part I)

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London Swall'wing: Part I

How bad is the title of this post? It's pretty bad. Bad enough that I think I like it after all. And I thought about it for all of 2 seconds, which is, I'm sure, clear. Sorry. You deserve more.

It's also clear that eating foreign chocolate doesn't make me better at puns. Because if it did, this entry would feature some actually clever verbiage. You see, I've dug into the bag of snacks Dan brought back from his recent trip to London. And I started with the chocolate.



So, are Cadbury Eggs not an Easter thing abroad? Because I would like to eat them all year. These Minis, too.



A Galaxy Bubbles egg is like a Cadbury egg, but filled with aerated Galaxy chocolate. Galaxy is an international name for Dove chocolates.  "Bubbles" is a funny name for a candy bar, if you ask me, but the texture was quite nice, and its rich flavor almost suggests hazelnut.

So many of their snacks are lovely. Why is "The Only Way is Essex" so boring?
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Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake Takes the Cake

My son turned one a month ago. We decided not to throw him a big "First Birthday" party because he'll never remember it and we have so many adult and baby friends we'd need to invite that we'd never find a suitable party venue we could afford.

What we did instead was show up at a local park on his birthday with a picnic blanket, cake, water, and a few snacks. We also texted and emailed a bunch of people at the last minute inviting them to stop by for a piece of cake. The impromptu get-together meant we kept our numbers and budget low.

The cake I chose was really more suitable for adults than babies, and slices were more like incredibly rich, moist brownies than cake. The key ingredient that made for this texture? Mashed banana. It was dense enough that revelers didn't need forks or plates, which was perfect for the park. Peanut butter frosting served alongside made for an optional topping.

I am looking forward to making this cake again. It was really good.  Find the recipe for the cake here (I used coconut oil instead of olive oil). I also used this frosting recipe.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Baby! I hope there are countless cakes in your future.

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A delicious knock-off could be a victimless crime...

Anybody else remember those "Designer Imposter" fragrances on sale all over the place in the 80s?

It's a tenuous connection, but I couldn't help but think of them after eating what's pictured above. This is a snack of which I'd like to create an imposter.

I also couldn't help but think of David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Don't they sort of look like severed ears?



I really do think I (or anyone) could make these at home. They're chocolate covered dried banana chips with a layer of peanut butter inside. The best ones are thick enough to be crunchy, but thin enough to sort of melt away as you chew them. I'll let you know if I try to DIY these guys.  "If you like Confectious, You'll Love Our Chocolate Severed Ears!" (slogan needs work).

Or, you know, I may just stay lazy and buy some more at Whole Foods.

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I was right!

I have mentioned several (too many?) times on this site that I suspected 3 Musketeers makers had dumbed-down the bar's chocolate somehow in order to make it lower fat.  The color has seemed off for years, and I swear the flavor hasn't been up to par either.

Now! The Universe may have heard my lament, because I discovered this beauty waiting for me at my local pharmacy a few weeks ago.  It's a 3 Musketeers Bar that proclaims, "Now Richer Chocolate Taste" on the wrapper.  And it delivers!  See above; to these eyes it even looks prettier than it used to.



Some prayers are answered in easily identified ways.  This is one of those stories.
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In case you're not a weekly visitor to chain doughnut shops...

I just wanted you to know that around Valentine's Day (and my birthday, by proxy) the Boston Creme Doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts became heart-shaped.  Now, sadly, they're back to round.  I checked Wednesday morning.

#eatingforjournalisticpurposes
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Gasp!

Can it be? Too MUCH caramel? In one candy bar? I never thought I'd see the day.



Milky Way Simply Caramel has upset the balance of my sweet and salty cravings. Quick! Bring me potato chips!

This is one candy bar that would benefit from being packaged in two smaller bites (unlike Peanut Butter Snickers, which comes in two pieces but in a way that seems chintzy and unnecessary).

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From the Vaults: New favorites

I am a creature of habit when it comes to Ritter Sport bars. I tend to stick with Marzipan, Cornflake, and Peppermint. But I am rarely disappointed when I try a new flavor.  Weiss + Crisp is white chocolate and cornflakes. Karamell Nuss is caramel and hazelnut with crispy rice pieces. Both are divine.

Go ahead! Collect them all!

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Poetry Tuesday: Talk To Me, Yan Yan by Meiji

Here's a normal golden egg,
Mostly golden, not quite gold,
Owl-faced, moony-eyed, and
Short on gumption, pride, and light.
Kokekokko no! That's me not being chicken.
Animal instinct's the tallest mammal
And I've lucky-numbered pieces here.
8 inches of snail mail makes for a slow ride.

So - love it on the pale bakery tip.
Not love, love. I'm in like. Like this. It's
OK to try to gallop, girl, astride a
Crispy kinda cracker stick. We're
Stuck and thin, a skinny swim
In -- sorta chocolate cream to dip.
Butter me up, herbivores. Meet me so
I'm sugar light. But then
Think big and bigger, more:
Sweeten me there, chocolate-like.
Meet me back in.
I'm more active at night.

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Good News!

Not only does my pediatrician give out delicious lollipops, but her office is located right around the corner from this.

My only issue with this Blue Bottle Coffee s'more was that the "fancy" graham crackers don't really make it better.  They do, however, make it more portable.  So go ahead, y'all.

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Poetry Tuesday: Barcelona, Eaten

Barcelona, eaten by the Pope
Familia spires served well to pick his teeth
Pillars there? Why, white asparagus.

No bikini* on the beach is safe, they say
Rovellons for buttons? Gobbled down
Patatas Bravas? Papa, Brava! Way to eat the streets!

Barcelona, eaten up by me
Every paving stone, a pastry
Each ounce of sea to wash a dish.

Paella, small plates, salads -- all are gone
The landscape's stripped, we ate it
The city's tapas? Tapped.

Not Gaudi! The Pope! And me!









































* bikini = Spanish grilled cheese with ham sandwich



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