Peppermint!!!

I’m sitting here trying to think of a creative opening to talk about peppermint candy, but I can’t because I simply and honestly love anything minty.  It is a fact of life. With a mint in your mouth anything is possible. I love how refreshing mint feels when you pop a piece of anything minty in your mouth, close your eyes I know you know the sensation!

I first knew I was seriously hooked when one summer we were on one of the famous Kennedy summer vacations – driving somewhere packed in the car.  My Dad and my Mom in the front seat with one kid between them, then the rest of us piled in the back. Think of it – 4 stinky boys all next to one another. Suddenly I remember smelling something minty – the car came alive with the smell.  I was clamoring to find out what it was.  It turns out my Dad had popped a Rolaid in his mouth (who wouldn’t driving that clan of crazy kids).  Oh, how I wanted whatever it was he had. I totally didn’t realize that what he was eating was really a chalky gross mess!  How could something smell so wonderful and taste so poorly (yes, I did sneak one later when no one was looking). 

From there my minty love affair has continued for decades. I always have something minty with me, gum, Mentos, those soft peppermint balls (Have you had those? They are the best, they simply melt in your mouth! Try Bob’s Sweet Stripe Soft Mint Candy), and with the holidays approaching Brach’s Peppermint Christmas Nougats.  My love for mint also extends beyond candy – chocolate mint ice cream, mint cookies, mint brownies, even mint jelly!

With the holidays approaching peppermint is at the forefront – don’t you just love seeing the first batch of candy canes appear in the stores? It gets the senses reeling, something magical is coming. It is the time of year when I don’t try to resist temptation – these special sweets are with us for such a short time!

Quite simply, as long as there is a Coke in the fridge, something minty nearby, I am complete, there is nothing more I need!

My True Obession Revealed.....

Have you noticed I have been skirting around the most obvious thing in my life that I love the most (outside my family, friends of course, blah, blah, blah).   I don’t know why I have been waiting, maybe because the candy du jour takes precedence, or once I reveal my true obsession you will all quit reading, or maybe I was simply holding on to it just to whet your appetite, I don’t know. 

But ask anyone who knows me what I love most in this world – the one thing I truly can’t live without – they will say without hesitation:

COKE and CHOCOLATE

It is true, I love Coke. This is difficult because people may think I am talking about the drug, not the soda, but trust me, it is the soda I love!  There is nothing quite so satisfying as opening a bottle of Coke (true connoisseurs know Coke is best in a bottle – my pick – the 12 ounce plastic bottle) taking that first sip and feeling the burn as the carbonated bubbles explode in your mouth. I’m telling you, nothing and I mean nothing gives me greater pleasure! Given the choice between a glass of fine wine and an iced cold Coke – I would choose the Coke! I tend to guzzle it, I know I should savor every sip, but I can’t, I simply can’t!  Despite this addiction, and I admit, it is an addiction (just ask anyone), I do limit myself to one Coke a day (two, only on very desperately bad days). I used to ration myself to one a week, but decided the hell with it, I’m getting old, I deserve to indulge myself.  Oh, and never, ever Pepsi, it is a simply a sin if you do.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, Coke has medicinal properties. One of my truisms that I use with my children is that Coke Cures Everything – it does, this is the truth. Feeling sad, open a Coke, feeling nauseous – well that is a no brainer, hung over – same thing. Coke Cures Everything. It does, simple as that.

But Coke is best when enjoyed with a lovely piece of Chocolate – my other true obsession.  Over the years the type of Chocolate I reach for first has changed, in fact, changed multiple times. Back on Grotto Street I used to walk up to the candy store (called the Popcorn Place). They had this mint fudge that was to die for! Then for a while my chocolate obsession was in the form of a chocolate iced cookie at S.A. I know, right? I had the timing of when the truck would deliver a fresh batch down to the minute. For many years it was Butterfingers, then Baby Ruth’s, M&Ms and lately it is English Toffee.  Today Steph and I went to a candy store called Sugar Sugar in Minneapolis – we were like kids in a candy store (well, duh, we were!) I came away with a lot of fun treats, but my favorite – sea salt caramels in milk chocolate and dark chocolate!

Well, there you have it. There is nothing left to say, well until the next time.

How to Properly Eat Candy Corn

Fall is in the air, Halloween is around the corner and the stores are filled with bags of candy! It is a great time of year, isn’t it? There is always that sweet feeling of anticipation when I see the first bags of candy corn hit the stores!  As I am walking through the aisles buying my normal groceries I can’t help notice the candy corn display. I walk by looking straight ahead, but I know they are there.  Unlike jelly beans, which I will stalk the stores looking for the first bags to appear, with candy corn the weather has to be just right – it must be sweater weather, a chill in the air and the trees must be changing colors. It must be at least mid-September at the earliest. 

Yes, these are the rules and they must be followed!  I have slowed down in front of the Halloween displays, I have even reached out to grab the bag, but not yet, I must wait just a bit longer.

When the time is just right I will buy my first bag of the season.  Once home I empty the colorful nougats in a bowl, because candy corn is for sharing (another rule of mine, and see, I do share my treats).  The temptation is to pop a handful in your mouth all at once, but avoid that temptation. There is a proper way to eat candy corn. I won’t go as far as calling it an art form, but nevertheless there are rules for this (just ask my sister Kathy, she will confirm this fact). Here is how you do it:

One at a time take a single piece of candy corn, then with the candy between your thumb and forefinger gently press until the bottom yellow section gets smooshed. Then starting with the top eat in order – white, orange and yellow. While some may disagree, please don’t reverse the order, it just isn’t right. You must do this slowly because you need to savor each piece and analyze whether the colors taste the same or different. I swear the white piece tastes differently than the others, but even in my advance age I am not positive. What do you think?

Oh, and I should mention – don’t eat candy corn outside of Fall. Christmas or Valentine’s Day candy corn is near sacrilegious. And even though they sell “Indian Candy Corn” with the chocolate bottoms, it simply just isn’t right, trust me on this. 

Necco's!!!!!

Some things in life you relish every moment and hold on to each memory and then there are other things in life you simply try to survive through.  Law School was that for me – just a means to an end – something I had to just power through.  Of course, whenever I am in survival mode I tend to indulge my sweet tooth a bit and my good habits fall to the wayside. 

One thing I remember that during finals, writing my law review paper or generally just trying to keep up there was one candy that I would turn to in order to keep myself fueled, sane and going strong.  Necco’s!  Weird choice, isn’t it?  I imagine throughout law school chocolate was a big part of that along with the requisite drinking of Coke with the chocolate, but Necco’s stand out in my mind as being fundamental to my survival.

I remember sitting in the library one day quietly, or as quietly as you can crunching on a Necco, eating one wafer after another, always delighted when my particularly favorite color would appear – pink, yellow, and yes even the brown, chocolate ones!  While quietly enjoying my reverie I looked up and saw a fellow student staring rudely at me. I thought what the heck, but quickly realized my Necco habit was probably driving him nuts. Thankfully he got up and moved so I could go back to my studying – read a page, eat a wafer, read another page, have another, and so on.

As summer quietly turns to fall I find myself searching for a roll of Neccos. Now, for those of you who are just armchair candy lovers you won’t understand this next piece, but indulge me a bit… Neccos are the best when they are slightly soft. Several years ago Neccos came out as Halloween candy. These are smaller rolls individually wrapped inside a bigger bag.  That extra layer of protection kept the candies incredibly soft and absolutely perfect!  The first year I discovered the Halloween candy I bought several bags and enjoyed everyone last one (I doubt I shared these with anyone too). The next year I couldn’t find them anywhere. Someone said Walmart had them. I never shop at Walmart, but for Neccos I would and did!  But last year I couldn’t find them anywhere. Like an addict searching for its next fix, I actually went to several different Walmart’s because someone said they aren’t all alike – nothing!  I was devastated (I know that sounds severe, but trust me, it really bummed me out for several days).

Now that Halloween candy is already appearing in the stores, the search is on again for this year. Please drop me a line if you find them anywhere!  Meanwhile, my sweet baby girl Colleen bought me a roll and as I sat in the sun reading my book (a novel, mind you, no more law books for me) and enjoying the sweet wafers I noticed that the wafers were getting softer the longer I sat in the sun, which got me thinking…..

Violet Pastilles

Fast forward a few years, I discover scarves and long flowing dresses, I become more a child of air than of earth. I spend more days skipping school than attending school, I am a free spirit, a dancer that looks for reasons to pirouette through the woods, imagining the likes of Robin Hood or Puck from Midsummer’s Night Dreams. I lived this sort of enchanted, dreamlike life. I imagine every teenager feels that way – discovering new things every day and feeling like no one else knows what you know. It is a powerful, wonderful existence.

My group of friends would ditch out of school and drive to the Arboretum.  This is way before the Arboretum was a popular and structured place to visit. We were free to roam the woods to our heart’s content. We would grab beer and wind our way into the woods laughing and carrying on. As an introvert I would usually slip away from my group of friends and find a quiet spot to sit. My favorite resting was a fallen tree over a stream.  Picture Robin Hood jumping on a log to instruct his merry men – that is how I felt every time we would visit this spot – a spot I was certain no one else knew about! Those were happy days for sure.

At this same time, I was enchanted with everything Art Nouveau. I loved the intricate drawings, the long flowing hair and beautiful dresses. It was inspiring to me, I think that is why I gave up the grunge hippie apparel and started wearing dresses and scarves (I still love scarves today by the way!).  My boyfriend Jim, indulged my love of this period, by buying me countless Dover Fairy Tale books (Red Fairy Book, Blue Fairy Book, all different books with fairy tales in them! BTW, I still own these beautiful books so let me know if you would like to borrow them sometime!).

Because Jim of course knew about my sweet tooth he bought me these lovely little French candies called Violet Pastilles. These little round candies came in a tin with violets on the cover. The tin itself was beautiful and inside – delightful little candies that have the most delightful per-fumy taste that ends with a sensuous anise flavor. Whenever I opened a tin of Violet Pastilles I found myself swept into the past, imagining myself with beautiful long, complex hair with a crown of flowers around my head and wearing a lovely long flowing dress with huge bell sleeves. It is funny where a little piece of candy can take you!

Mallo Cups - Need I say anything? Simply perfection!!

Good & Plenty

I know I have already written about licorice, but Good & Plenty are a bit different than licorice, don’t you think? They have that soft, yet crunchy out layer of pink or white before you get to the licorice part – a bigger bang for your buck, if you will!  I recently picked up a box of Good & Plenty at the store (they were having a 10 for $10 special, and no, I didn’t buy 10 boxes of candy, I only bought two!  I do have some self-control after all).  As I poured out a handful of candy I thought of when I was younger and how I would spend a whole box full trying to determine if the pink ones tasted different than the white ones!  My childhood self swears they taste different, but the grownup me knows they don’t (they don’t, right?). As I was making my way through the box of candy I started thinking about parenting and how when it comes to raising our children we always want to be different than how our parents raised us but yet we are kind of the same too.

Being raised a Kennedy in a family of 9 plus a dog, a parakeet, multiple hamsters, and a handful of motorcycles, things were pretty relaxed. The house wasn’t spotless (just ask my mom about how after cleaning the bird cage one day the bird seed sprouted in the bathroom and grass started growing in the carpet). No one seemed to care we were too busy with life! There is another side of being a Kennedy though, and that is the “stiff upper lip” side. We weren’t an overly demonstrative family, yes we loved each other (most of the time) we didn’t always show it. I may love my siblings, but I don’t think I ever told them that (at least not when I was younger). And there were certain things you just didn’t talk about  - for example, illnesses, feminine hygiene, sadness, etc. I’ll never forget that when it came time to go buy my first bra my dad asked my mom where we were off too – the response – to go buy an “unmentionable.” Say what??

Fast forward to being a parent myself. Yes, admittedly, I have kept much of that relaxed nature of housekeeping (maybe not to the extent of growing bird seed in the bathroom), but I have worked hard to shed that layer of stand-off-ness. I hug my kids and tell them I love them as much as possible. It is natural and not forced. I think I have done a good job being a more open and honest parent than my parents, But when I see Steve, my sweet husband, with our kids I know I have miles to go. There is no conversation that he won’t have with our girls, no matter the topic. He loves our kids openly and honestly without reservation. There was a reason he was the stay-at-home parent more than just income potential, he is a natural. And while there at times when Stephanie is more like a Kennedy than a Budge, Steve is in her face saying give me a hug, and she does!

So there you go – when you open a box of candy, you never know where it will take you! Today it was about being a better parent and about love and openness with your children. What will you think of when you open a box of candy? Go find out, they are on sale – 10 for $10!