Happy Holidays!

Wishing all our fans a happy holiday, and thank you for your support!

Laura and Diane

New England Bites

Bite of the Week - Ben & Jerry's Mission to Marzipan

I think I've eaten just about every flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream available, but I was scared to death of their new "Mission to Marzipan" for two reasons. The first was that I had no idea what marzipan tasted like, and the second was that I heard marzipan is extraordinarily sweet, and I don't really care for that. After talking with Mom, who told me that marzipan tasted like an extra sweet almond paste, I felt a little more confident about trying it. Almonds are good, right? I reassured myself of this as I lowered the pint of ice cream into our shopping cart ($3.99). I couldn't believe that after weeks of seeing this flavor and talking about how I would never try it, it was finally on its way to my home ... and my stomach. To be sure that I was not the only one who would be going into diabetic shock as I tried it, I gave Mom and Dad each a spoon so they could have a taste.

THE VERDICT: According to the label, Mission to Marzipan consists of a sweet cream ice cream mixed with almond cookies and finished with a marzipan swirl. When I first opened the pint, I thought that it had a bit of freezer burn. What looked like a thick layer of ice crystals had formed around the top of the ice cream. I quickly rechecked the bottom of the container for the expiration date - October 23, 2010. Mom explained that the crunchy "ice crystals" I was seeing - and hearing as I dipped my spoon into the ice cream - was actually the marzipan swirl (a.k.a., sugar). WOW!!! How much sugar was in this thing? A hundred grams? Yep. We soldiered on. As I took my first taste, I was surprised at how much almond flavor was actually in the ice cream. Believe it or not, it was good! The crunchy marzipan swirl was mixed throughout, but fortunately Ben & Jerry didn't play up that angle too much. Their focus was more on the almond cookies and the sweet cream ice cream, which went very well together. I ate it quickly and decided to take my blood sugar right afterwards just to see if I was going to make it through the night. Thankfully, I wasn't on the verge of a coma, and neither were Mom and Dad. Like me, Mom was very leery of tasting the ice cream, but was pleasantly surprised when she found that the predominant taste was almond. Dad felt the same way, and agreed with us that the ice cream was sweet, but not sickening. All in all, this was definitely a Bite that I thought was going to be a bomb, but instead, it reminded us all never to judge a book by its sugar-coated cover.

Dorothy Cox's Chocolates

115 Huttleston Ave.

Fairhaven, MA 02719

(508) 996-2465

www.dorothycox.com

When I was a kid, Mom and I used to go into the old South Main Place in Fall River to visit our favorite candy shop - Dorothy Cox's Chocolates. A friendly woman behind the counter used to give me a sample of whatever candy she had out because I was so charming and adorable (nothing has changed, of course). Unfortunately, that location closed years ago, and now the entire South Main Place has turned into the site of the new courthouse. However, the candies that Mom and I loved are still alive and well in Fairhaven, and have been there since 1928. After winning two $10 gift certificates from MenuJoy.com, Mom and I decided that now was the perfect time to stock up on some Christmas candies. We pulled into the parking area at around 5:15 p.m. I apologize if the outside pictures are a little blurry; I was probably shaking from the cold ... and the excitement of getting candy.



We had been to this location several times before, and just knew that the staff would have the place decked out for the holidays. We were right! It was gorgeous inside, and the delicious candies were the main attraction.


The staff at Dorothy Cox is always very pleasant and helpful. There were a few staff members helping one customer track down some peanut brittle, and a few others behind the counter handing out samples to some children that had come in.

After seeing all the delicious-looking candy, it was decided that Mom and I would not be saving these treats for Christmas. We would be putting them out for us (and mainly Dad) to enjoy now. We also figured that since we had $20 worth of freebies, we would be able to get several bags of different things and perhaps even a bag of cashews.

Famous for their buttercrunch, Dorothy Cox has everything you can think of, and it's all covered in chocolate. One of my favorite things (that we didn't get this time) is the chocolate covered potato chips. It is the perfect blend of sweet and salty flavor that you just can't get enough of. When I told the gentleman at MenuJoy.com about our visit to Dorothy Cox, he informed me that he had just eaten some chocolate covered jellies and chips after lunch. I'm jealous!

I was on a search for some chocolate covered blueberries, but alas, there was none to be found. I guess they're just not in season anymore, but I was not too broken up about it because there were so many other things that I wanted. We finally settled on getting a bag of salted cashews ($4.98), milk chocolate macadamia nuts ($4.25), milk chocolate cherries ($4.25), peanut butter malted milk balls ($4.25), and milk chocolate non pareils ($5.50) that were decorated in Christmas colors.

One of the things at Dorothy Cox that I would like to try is their chocolate pizza. It always looks so good. I guess it's just a big ol' slab of chocolate topped with various nuts and candies and drizzled with white chocolate. You really can't go wrong with any of that, can you?

Dorothy Cox has a popular line of sugar-free candies and chocolates. They even have some gourmet dog bones so that your beloved pet can have something in his or her sock for Christmas! This family-owned candy shop really does cater to everyone.

One of my favorite parts of the store is the fudge counter. I adore fudge, and like everything else from Dorothy Cox, it is homemade. There are several flavors to choose from and they are always stocked with plenty for everyone.

When Mom and I took our purchases to the counter, we weren't sure that we would be able to use two $10 coupons at the same time, so we split up the order. I bought:

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Salted cashews - $4.98

Non pareils - 5.50

TOTAL = $10.48

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I only paid $.48, which I didn't even pay because I made Mom look for some change in her purse. I didn't want to break my $20! Mom was up next with her items. She bought:

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Macadamia nuts - $4.25

Cherries - 4.25

Malted milk balls - 4.25

TOTAL = $12.75

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If you're keeping track, that's $2.75 from one order, and $.48 from the next - a grand total of $3.23 for over $20 worth of candy and nuts! We just love MenuJoy.com, and were very lucky to have won these certificates. If you haven't joined yet, please do! Visit www.menujoy.com for more information. We said goodbye to the gentleman behind the counter and headed off into the night for some dinner and Christmas shopping.

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When we got home, we laid out all the bags of candy for Dad to look at. He was in heaven! Although he hasn't had any yet, he's definitely looking forward to digging in after a long day's work. Mom and I busted open the bags right away to get a single sample out of each so that we could have a taste test. They were all as delicious as we had hoped they would be. The peanut butter malted milk balls are huge, while the red-colored chocolate cherries are sweet and tart. The salted cashews, as well as the milk chocolate macadamia nuts, were fresh and large, and the non pareils were sweet and crunchy. Each treat was better than the next, and Mom and I can't wait to go back. If you haven't gone already, please stop in ASAP to get your Christmas goodies. You'll be the hit of your office party and the star of your family gathering!

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The holiday hours for Dorothy Cox's Chocolates are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Bite of the Week - Homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

This week's Bite is homemade! Mom found a recipe online a while ago for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from KirbieCravings.com, who stole the recipe from AllRecipes.com. I decided to put my own spin on it and add walnuts. As I purchased the necessary ingredients, I thought that this might actually be a hard recipe to follow. I was dead wrong. It was so easy, and if I can do it, you can, too!
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You will need:

• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts

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STEP ONE: Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. Looks like baby food, doesn't it? It smelled fantastic.
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STEP TWO: In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk, and stir in. Add the flour mixture (which went all over the place because dry ingredients apparently like to jump out of the bowl) to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
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STEP THREE: Add vanilla, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Mix well.
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STEP FOUR: Shape and flatten dough on cookie sheet (which I covered with parchment paper) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Because my cookies were extra large, I had to leave them in for 12 minutes, and my second batch for 13 minutes. It was worth it; big cookies are always better than smaller ones.
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NOTE: The cookie dough should almost be the same size and shape as the finished cookie because the batter does not spread much. Also, it was much easier using a teaspoon to plop the dough onto the sheet than it would have been using my hands.
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According to the Kirbie Cravings site, these cookies taste even better the second day because the pumpkin has more time to set into the dough. That is a fact! The flavor was a little stronger on the second day, but as a whole, these cookies were fantastic.
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THE VERDICT: Mom and Dad said that the cookies tasted like little individual pumpkin breads because of the moist, cake-like texture they had. It really didn't have any crisp at all, and it kind of reminded me of something you would eat for breakfast. They were absolutely delicious, and adding the nuts was a very good idea (please, no applause) because it gave the cookie a slight crunch. The chocolate chips were melty and gooey - just as they should be. Mom said she hopes that I make more, and I probably will as I still have a cup of pumpkin left in the fridge. This time I'll hold the walnuts (since I don't have any) and just throw in some extra chocolate chips. Hmm ... maybe I should make them now? I'm getting hungry!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Hoo Mee? Yes You!

The Oriental Chow Mein Company is back! Get your noodle on!

Click here for the original story posted on The Herald News Web site.
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UPDATE: On Saturday, December 5, in the middle of a heavy downpour, Mom and I headed out for a big bag of noodles and some gravy mix. Now, having never purchased the noodles and mix directly from the Oriental Chow Mein Company before, we weren't sure what it looked like inside or what size the noodle bags came in. After some drama with trying to find a parking space in the extraordinarily tiny lot, Mom and I stepped inside. Basically, the set up is pretty much just a production room with several boxes of noodles scattered around, and a cash register sitting on a small counter. After the customers in front of us headed out the door with their purchases, we stepped up to the counter to place our order. Mom told the male employee that she wanted to get a one pound bag of noodles. He retrieved them from a nearby box, but as he walked over to us Mom realized that she wanted more noodles. "Make that a two pound bag," she said. He reluctantly walked back over to the box to change the bag's size. "Now, does the gravy packet come inside the bag, or is that a separate purchase," asked Mom. Remember, we have never ordered the noodles this way before. We either get them at a restaurant, or buy the little yellow boxes in the supermarket. To our horror, the irate man shouted, "EVERYTHING IS SEPARATE!" What the Hell was he yelling for? Mom wasn't being annoying; she was simply asking a question. "Um ... OK," said Mom. "Would one packet of gravy be enough for this two pound bag?" "NO!!!!!!" He shouted, angrily. "You're gonna need about four or five packets for that bag!" I was boiling at this point. He was beyond rude. Mom, still keeping her cool, then asked for enough gravy packets to satisfy her two pound bag of noodles. The man reached into a nearby box and pulled out a one pound packet of gravy. Mom asked, "Will this be enough?" "NO, this is enough for TWO two pound bags," he screamed. Mom gave up and purchased the one pound gravy packet and the two pound bag of noodles. Just when I thought he had finally finished yelling, Mom asked him how much her total was. "NINE DOLLARS!!!!" I cannot believe he yelled the price at her. What a jerk. We will never go back there to get noodles. Thankfully Lees Market in Westport carries the bags of noodles, because we do need to get another to go with our extra gravy. That man was one of the rudest people we've ever encountered, and when we left the store, Mom said that she should have thrown everything back on the table and told him off. However, we really missed the chow mein and wanted some for Sunday's dinner. Either way, the noodles were fabulous and we can't wait to have them again. We'll just have to find other ways to get them because we will NEVER go back to the Oriental Chow Mein Company.