candy

Lately, I've been thinking about candy. Maybe it's because of all the sweets that come with the holidays, or maybe its because Joseph keeps buying me them even though I tell him not to, but I think I need to do a post about it.
In college, I was somewhat addicted to candy. Probably because we didn't buy it that often when I was growing up (not that we weren't allowed to have candy by any means, but because it was a waste of money). At school, I suddenly had my own money, and lo and behold the school store was very close to the art studios, where I spent much of my time. Bonus: they sold some of my favorite treats as penny candies: Frooties!

By my senior year, I had developed the habit of purchasing 100 of these candies almost every day, sometimes more if I had an extra dollar on hand. I would snack on these (along with granola bars or pop tarts) while I worked on my masterpieces throughout the day. As might be expected, my body wasn't too thrilled with this arrangement, and over time I became slightly hypoglycemic.
In the end, it wasn't too hard for me to pare down my sweet habit after I graduated school, (because in the back of my head it was still a waste of money) and I quickly got out of the habit of buying candy at all, unless it was a special occasion.
Then I got married.
For those of you who know my husband, he is definitely a foodie. He loves to cook and create culinary masterpieces, but he also uses food to reward himself and others, which I've always disagreed with. As time has worn on, our attitudes have affected each others habits so that we meet somewhere in the middle. He doesn't buy treats and snacks as often as he used to (It helps that we dont' live anywhere near a convenience store) and I eat them more often than I would if I lived on my own, because he always tries to show love by, well, buying me treats. I always am annoyed at this, but he knows I will eat it if he buys it.
There are a lot of other things I'd prefer to candy if I were picking my own appetizing reward (when I get Blizzards I always pick a fruit flavor, same with icecream toppings or pie varieties) but candy has it's own little place too I suppose.
And now, presenting my list of my favorite candies, somewhat catagorized, but not really.

Everyday candies

Bulk: Frooties, Sourpatch kids, Starbursts: these are all awesome. They're something I wouldn't buy at the checkout line, but we sometimes buy in bulk to have on hand. Frooties are sold at the local store in August for their stockshow parade, and we've bought a few bags  around that time the last few years. I would normally only buy one bag, but they only have one flavor in each bag! I like sour apple and strawberry lemonade flavor. And yes, they're five pound bags that last for a very long time.
As for the other two candies, Jonah usually needs some incentive to take a nap, so might as well buy a candy type that I like too. (It's also what the summer Frooties are used for.) Right now we have Starbursts in the cupboard because our last bag of Sourpatches did this weird sweating thing when it got too hot, so they were all sticky and ruined . Pink and Lemon are the best Starburst flavors, though the others are delicious.

Checkout purchase: Milky Way, Snickers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Twix: I used to never get candy at the grocery store, but Joseph always does, and since its a long drive home we often get the kids a little treat too. I have a tendancy to want something if everyone else is getting it too, even if I don't really want it.

These are my most common candy bar favorites. Especially the Reeses...I love to get the smaller versions for Halloween or Christmas. Yum!

Movie candies

Red Vines, Raisinets, Junior Mints: This is another thing that's changed since I started dating Joseph. Previously, I would never ever buy candy at the movie theater. As a kid we sometimes snuck in our own treats, but as I got older I didn't really find that necessary either. Enter Joseph. He insists that you can't watch a movie without getting treats. Annoying, yet loveable, right? These are treats I have definitely had in other settings besides the movies (I love the giant bag of Raisinets you can purchase at Walmart, though I've avoided it for many moons).

Redvines are best when  they're a little old and chewy. Oh,Joseph likes Dots too.

Special Occasion candies

There are some occasions where it is natural to buy or make special candies: Christmas, Valentines, maybe anniversaries. These candies are generally more fancy or expensive than your garden variety treats.
My favorite "box o' chocolates" is definitely See's Candy. We first tried this dilectable treat when we got a gift card for the store in Washington where we used to live. Since then, we often buy them online for special days, even though they can be a bit pricey when you add in the shipping. But I love how you can design your own box with all of your favorite flavors. I highly recommend the fruit varieties, though they have other fine choices as well. In a cheap box of chocolates, the soft center flavors are usually not very good. In this brand, they are highly flavorful and surprisingly gormet. The Apple Pie flavor actually tastes like apple pie! The Raspberry flavor tastes like rich raspberry sorbet. Lemon and Key Lime Pie are also fine delicacies. And if you like that sort of thing, the nuts and chews are also very nomable.
Slightly less pricey are holiday favorites like Almond Roca, Raspberry Sticks, Peppermint Bark, and Chocolate Oranges. Once I got a box of Almond Roca as a gift for Christmas, and it disappeared way too fast.

A few weeks ago Joseph bought us some Raspberry sticks when he gave someone a ride into town. A few days later I had to give him the sad news that half the box had disappeared while he was at school. Sadly, this year we were unable to procure the prized chocolate oranges for our stockings..maybe next year.:( The original flavor is the best.

We don't make a ton of our own candies, though I always appreciated it when we lived other places and sometime people from church would bring us treats. (Okay, Joseph has made up some homemade candies before, but I didn't especially like his inventions.) Shh.
I do love my mom's homemade caramels. This year, Joseph has discovered (through my food board on Pinterest) the wonderful recipe for apple cider caramels, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites!

Nom nom nom.

And, not to end this post on a sour note, but I just read an article this week that suggested that problems with  insulin levels (as with diabetes) might be a cause of alzheimers. Something to think about, and make us all feel guilty about eating poisonous sugar. The end.