Thank you Easter Bunny!

In honor of the yummy candy from Easter, here are 10 of the most delicious Easter candies this year

1. Peeps
2. Cadbury Eggs
3. Jelly Beans
4. Robin's Eggs
5. Reese's peanut butter egg
6. Solid Chocolate Bunny
7. Chocolate Marshmallow Egg
8. Cadbury Mini Eggs
9. Solid Chocolate Eggs
10. Easter Candy Corn

Let us know what your favorite candy is; comment below! Don't forget to subscribe!

Get Your Waffle on!

Guess what today is! It's National Waffle Day! In honor of the delicious holiday, try out this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Dear Coffee

Dear Coffee,

I would like to take the time to thank you for being there for me when I was down. You always know the right way to pick me right up. Whether it’d be with a shot of hazelnut or just black with a little bit of sugar, your presence makes everything better. If it wasn't for you, I would not be a functional person in the morning. For that, not only am I grateful, but those around me are as well. You are just amazing! You get along with everyone! When you are not around, things just don’t seem to be the same. I can’t thank you enough! You know what happens when you are not part of my morning? I get a headache; isn't that crazy?! Coffee, I can’t live without you.

                                                                       

                                                                     Warm Regards,

                                                                                  Your constant drinker.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It is COLD outside; so what better to do than sit by the fireplace with a delicious cup of hot cocoa after facing the painful weather outside? 

The creamy and chocolaty drink is sure to thaw you out and is the go to drink for Santa Claus.  Many people drink hot cocoa almost every day, but do you know the history of the drink? 

So here are a few, but cool, facts about the rich hot chocolate drink.

•        First chocolate beverage was thought to be created by the Mayans 2000 years ago.
•        Hot Cocoa was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D.
•        Until the 19^th century, hot chocolate was used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

Have any awesome facts to share? Leave us a comment and we will be sure to  use them!

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!!!!

Thanksgiving is a week away! Bring on the food coma!

My question is, do you know how you’re cooking the turkey this year? If you don’t, no worries! Simply take a look at this AMAZING recipe by Alton Brown from the Food Network.

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Now, all you have to do is prepare the recipe and save me a piece of delicious turkey. 

Let us know how it goes!

Candy Across the Country

How far would you travel to eat the best candy? 

I don’t know about you, but I’d go pretty far.  But where in the world would I start? 

Well Parade Magazine has made the journey a bit easier by mapping out the top ten candy factories and their delicious creations. Unfortunately, we don’t have a real Wonka factory, but no worries; these factories are sure to blow your mind. 

Real-Life Willy Wonkas: 10 Candy Meccas That Are Worth a Road Trip  

Let the sugar rush begin!

1. Jelly Belly Factory
Fairfield, Calif.
Lemon and mango and buttered popcorn? Oh my! Take a 40-minute guided tour to see the many molds and machines that make jelly beans, then test your bravery at the sample bar, with flavors like Pencil Shavings and Barf. In the gift shop, bags of irregular jelly beans (Belly Flops) go for half-price. (jellybelly.com)

2. Z. Cioccolato
San Francisco
You may not make it past the candy-filled rain barrels that fill this colorful shop. But if you find your way to the back counter, you’re in for a real treat: some of the tastiest fudge to be found, with flavors like peanut butter pie, cabernet, and raspberry cheesecake. (zcioccolato.com)

3. Sweet Candy Company
Salt Lake City
This factory produces nearly 25,000 pounds of saltwater taffy a day. Sample 40 flavors—from cherry cola to cookie dough to coconut key lime—while learning about the 121-year-old company, which also manufactures 200 types of chocolate and gummy treats. (sweetcandy.com)

4. Big Top Candy Shop

Austin
Owner Brandon Hodge’s biggest fascinations—sugar and sideshows—collide in this shop bedecked with vintage circus posters. Feast on childhood favorites or try the house-made Double Bacon Chocolate Bar. (facebook.com/bigtopcandyshop)

5. Rebecca Ruth
Frankfort, Ky.
Known as the originator of bourbon candy, Rebecca Ruth was established in 1919 by two plucky schoolteachers, Rebecca Gooch and Ruth Hanly Booe. Today, the company produces over 120 confections, many of them laced with Kentucky liquors. (rebeccaruth.com)

6. Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour
Hershey, Pa.
On an automated ride, chocoholics follow cacao beans from the rainforest to the factory floor where the creamy final product is poured. Or play candy maker at the Create Your Own Candy Bar. (hersheys.com)

7. Economy Candy
New York City
Rare European chocolates, jawbreakers, Pixy Stix—if the candy you’re craving isn’t among the 5,000 types sold at this filled-to-the-rafters shop, it may not exist. A Lower East Side landmark since 1937, the store also has a robust mail-order business. (economycandy.com)

8. Cero’s Candies
Wichita, Kan.
Pete Cero first arrived in Wichita in 1883 as a worker on the transcontinental railroad. But when an illness forced him to stay behind while his crew moved on, the Greek immigrant opened Cero’s. That was sweet news for local residents, who loved his cream-filled confections. Today, the mother-daughter owners lead a guided tour, which includes lessons on the history of chocolate and the making of truffles. (ceroscandy.com)

9. Taza Chocolate Factory
Somerville, Mass.
During a visit to Taza, one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate factories in the U.S., you can watch traditional stone-ground Mexican chocolate made from scratch, allwhile snacking on generous samples in flavors like salt-and-pepper, cinnamon, and Guajillo chili.  (tazochocolate.com)

10. Candyality 
Chicago
This Windy City store mixes modern décor with wall-to-wall retro sweets, like Bit O Honey, candy cigarettes, and ring pops. The owner, Terese “Candy Maniac” McDonald, offers hundreds of bulk candies, along with a sit-and-feast licorice bar featuring selections from around the world. (candyality.com)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Every Where!

During this time of year, pumpkin foods go on overload. It’s almost as if pumpkin wasn’t around for the entire year and it’s a limited edition fruit. 

Yes, fruit; a pumpkin is actually a fruit, not a vegetable.

Around this time of year, coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts pull out their pumpkin best and we, consumers, go crazy. They have managed to put pumpkins into EVERYTHING, including muffins, bread, cookies and coffee. Don’t forget the donuts!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Anyone??

Not only do baked goods suddenly have pumpkin in them, beer does too. Pumpkin beer is the main ingredient in some great recipes. Click here to check out ten AMAZING recipes from last week's Parade Magazine.

Apart from food, we can find the pumpkin scent as well. For example, Bath and Body Works carries a pumpkin hand soap, hand sanitizer and candle, which smells INCREDIBLE.

So what is it about the pumpkin flavor or scent that we have correlated it to fall? Could it be its affiliation with Halloween? 

If you have any theories, we would LOVE to know. Leave a comment below and we will get back to you.