Bite of the Week - Hostess Fruitcake

By: DIANE
This week's BITE OF THE WEEK is Hostess Fruitcake . And maybe next week's too ........cause I'll probably still be chewing it . What the hell is this stuff made of ?
Laura had been dying to try fruitcake , since she's heard so much about it .....mostly bad ! So we picked up this heavy log of fruited cake ( crap ? ) from the market and took it home to enjoy . Except we didn't enjoy .....not at all . In fact , we ended up throwing most of it out . Even Dad didn't like it and he'll eat the tail end of anything !
How to describe it ............it was dense , heavy , more damp feeling than moist , had a funky taste ( like they tried to make it rum-flavored....but failed ) and was chewy ....very chewy . I was still chewing LONG after I had swallowed my piece . WTF ? Maybe this is why .....when people receive one ......they just wrap it up and send it on to someone else . Some of these things are YEARS old !!!
I think this will be our first & last taste of fruitcake . Until they make it taste like CHEESECAKE .....I'm all set .

Yummies Candy and Nuts

384 Us-1

Kittery, ME 03904

(207) 439-5649

www.yummies.com

By: DIANE
Date visited: 11/11/08

<

Yummies is yummy !!! How lame is that ? Actually Yummies is a fantastic candy store in Kittery , Maine .....right up the street from the outlets . It is chock full , from floor to ceiling , of every kind of candy imaginable . You want jelly beans .....they got jelly beans .....thousands . They've also got licorice , truffles , squirrel nuts , mary janes , bit-o-honey , ice cubes and anything else you can think of from your childhood . They even have my favorite .....sky bars ......4 flavors in 1 . This was nirvana for me . Me , a little fat kid , thought I was getting 4 candy bars at once . It was heaven !
Only drawback ......the candy bars are so much smaller than they used to be ( or I'm so much bigger ) . Laura got a Zero bar ( remember those ? ) and it was half the size it used to be . This is NOT Yummies fault however . Everything is shrinking ....don't get me started on half-gallons of ice cream . We're getting LESS for our money and are NOT supposed to notice . LISTEN UP COMPANIES .......YOU CAN'T FOOL A FAT CHICK ! We know when we're being cheated ........WHEW ..............
Back to YUMMIES ...........if you go to the Kittery Outlets ....be sure to go up the street .....about 2 minutes away ......and take a walk through your past and pick out a bag of nostalgia . You won't be sorry and your tastebuds will thank you .
<

Harry and David

www.harryanddavid.com

By: DIANE

Date visited: 11/11/08

<

At one of the outlets in Kittery , Maine .....we came across this Harry & David store . The stores carry a lot of what their catalogs have except for the crates of fresh fruits .They have all sorts of chocolate covered berries , pretzels , chips & cookies . They have fine chocolates and whimsical novelties . And ........they have MOOSE MUNCH ! This stuff is gooooood ! It's popcorn and sometimes nuts drizzled with different flavors ....chocolate , white chocolate , peanut butter and the ubiquitous glaze . It's crunchy and sweet and salty ....all at the same time . I bought a few bags for the Holidays and Laura and I also got some chocolate covered blueberries .....DELISH !
Everything I've ever tried here has been really fresh & tasty and the store itself is adorable . But all that country store cuteness doesn't come cheaply ......it's a little expensive . But , the items are usually unique and not something you can just find anywhere ....so I think it's not a bad deal . Come on .....it's good ......break a five !!!!!

<

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant

www.weathervaneseafoods.com

By: DIANE

Date visited: 11/11/08

Laura was SOOOOOO jealous of me !!!!! Let me explain ....................

Tired & hungry after shopping all day at the Kittery outlets , Laura and I were on the hunt for food ......not ANY food ......SEAFOOD ! After all , we WERE in Maine .

Luckily for us , Weathervane is right in the middle of outlet central . We'd been here before and the food was fantastic . So ....we hurried inside .

This place is DARK inside .....REALLY dark . Hey , what are they hiding ? It's cute ! All wood and nautical themed . Nothing to be ashamed of .

After we strained to see the menu , we placed our order .
2 - diet sodas ....$ 4.58
1 - stuffed haddock dinner ( Laura ) .....$ 14.25
1 - half&half ,,,haddock nuggets & clam strips ( me ) .....$ 13. 55
subtotal ...$ 32.38
tax................2.27
total .................$ 34.65 plus a $ 6.35 tip ........$ 41.00

Not cheap ......but it's seafood in Maine .......we expected it .

Laura's plate arrived looking a tad overdone and dried out . The topping on her fish was WAY too dry & crunchy . And they had left that strip of silver floss across the bottom of the fish ...which is nasty . Laura said the inside of the fish and stuffing was OK but there was a lot she had to just push to the side . The best thing was her cole slaw .

Now comes the jealousy part . My half & half ( fish/clam strips platter )was a thing of beauty . A mound of sweet fresh clam strips joining a pile of white flaky haddock nuggets and topped off with tasty hot crispy fries ...................SEAFOOD HEAVEN ! And it tasted as good as it looked . Everything was cooked perfectly and it was served piping hot ....a pet peeve of mine ( HATE luke-warm food ) . As good as it was , and as hungry as I was ....no way could I eat it all .....the portion was HUGE . SOOOOOOO .....being the good mother that I am ......and tired of Laura sticking her greasy little fingers into my plate ....FOR A TASTE ......I offered to share with her . She really enjoyed it ( as did I ) and said she would definitely get mine next time .

If we play our cards right ......that might be this weekend .

<

Babycakes

163 Beale Street

Quincy, MA 02269

(617) 773-4458
www.babycakesshop.net

By: DIANE
<
Laura and I took a nice drive to Quincy , Ma. yesterday ...12/9/08. I had gotten my hair done in the morning and was ready for a nice lunch . Our drive would eventually bring us to Gennaro's .....our favorite Italian restaurant . But first ......the reason I even put on my shoes that morning ...........BABYCAKES .

Babycakes is a teeny tiny bakery set on a little side street in Quincy . It's nestled in among a few other little shops and at first ....we drove right by it . We doubled back and finally saw the sign on their door .

We first heard about this place on PHANTOM GOURMET . It was HIGHLY recommended for their outstanding cupcakes ......and ONLY their cupcakes .....cause that's all they sell ..............CUPCAKES !!!!

But what fantastic cupcakes they are . Very moist and rich and extremely flavorful . PEANUT BUTTER , SNOWBALL ( COCONUT ) , OREO , PUMPKIN , CHOCOLATE CARAMEL , MOCHA and many others . We bought one of each regular variety and the day's specialties ( each day has different specials ) to make an even dozen . We even bought 1 of the only other thing they sell ......a French toast bread pudding . These little cakes don't come cheaply ......it cost $ 25.25 for my order but boy are they worth it . I've never had a more flavorful cupcake . Fresh ingredients and homemade taste ......YUM !

The very friendly woman working that day, informed us to make sure to let the cakes come up to room temperature to maximize their flavor . It was tough to wait ....but they were worth waiting for .

WE'LL BE BAAAAACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ........................................................
<

(L) peanut butter; (R) original Babycake

Babycakes is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and 9-10 a.m. on Sunday. Babycakes is closed on Monday.