Fa La Stinkin' La

Years ago we invested in an artificial Christmas tree. Yes, we’re those people. We did it as a matter of principle. One year Christmas trees cost an average of $16, and the following year they were $40. Maybe it didn’t happen that quickly, but that’s what it felt like.

Last year we were digging out the Christmas decorations and could not find the base for our tree. How does something like that go missing? It’s not like we said, hey, we don’t really need this anymore, or, gee, this is taking up too much space. But, poof, it’s gone.

Ironically, we still had a stand for live trees - $16 ones – so my husband rigged up a solution that involved wooden blocks, several people, and a lot of patience.

This year I decided that I’d surprise the family by getting the tree up, lit, and ready for decorating. I had forgotten about needing several people and patience, and so the unspeakable happened – I swore at our Christmas tree.

I didn’t just swear near the Christmas tree. I swore right at it.

This clearly had to be bad ju ju. So I took a moment and grabbed a Van Otis Gingerbread truffle. This was exactly the burst of holiday that I needed. I love the spiced crunchy coating on the outside of its dark chocolate shell. The center is so creamy and tastes just like a gingersnap cookie. Yum, yum, yum.

I quickly got back into the holiday spirit, apologized to my plastic tree, and successfully finished the task at hand. No one is allowed to walk too closely or briskly by the tree – just in case.

Find other holiday-ins truffles and candies such as Gingerbread, Eggnog, Dulce de Leche, Hazelnut Praline, Candy Cane, Champagne, and my kids’ favorite, Pomegranate truffles, at Van Otis’ Manchester retail store on Elm Street in Manchester or online at www.vanotis.com.

Dress for Dinner

Unfortunately, mealtime etiquette is a fairly low priority for our family. With our hectic schedules we take pride in actually having eaten rather than accomplishing that task with polish and grace. Seriously, it’s not easy enforcing manners while eating a nugget on the car ride from practice to rehearsal.

Holidays are our opportunity for a slowdown. I look forward to a festive table and even make an effort to put the utensils in their proper order and position. I’m drawn to centerpieces, but my very practical side knows that they typically make a short-lived appearance before swiftly being replaced by the meal. So I’m constantly on the hunt for smaller, more permanent solutions to dress up the holiday table.

This year I’ve decided to add a surprise and no, I don’t mean a salad fork. Sidling the dinner plate will be a piece of chocolate in the small, covered dishes that I recently purchased at an unnamed, local retailer. (Don’t You Just Love a Bargain?) These dishes were intended for individual butter servings, but I think they’ll be perfect sweet treat holders. When dinner guests find a Van Otis decorative truffle or foiled chocolate next to their plate, the burning question won’t be which fork to use but whether or not to eat dessert first. No need to consult Emily Post for that answer.

Mumma, Mumma, Mumma!

A head’s up to all my faithful blog readers, which had better include my children; Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9. I want three things this year: an outdoor lounge chair, Bailey’s Irish Cream Truffles from Van Otis Chocolates, and an uninterrupted hour to enjoy hereto mentioned chair and truffles.

The last wish will likely go unnoticed. There are just too many stories that my 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter need to share. Thankfully, many of them feed my needy sense of humor. In the spirit of story telling and laughter, here are some of my many memorable mommy moments.

My five-year-old daughter and I planted cherry tomato plants that had sprouted but weren’t turning red. I moved the pots and explained that I thought they needed more sunlight. She asked, “Can we eat them once they get sunburned?”

At age 7, my son was showering and exclaimed, “I’m getting hair, Mumma.” I slowly and hesitantly opened the shower curtain to find my son pulling on his arm hair.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms; may your day include a treat from Van Otis and a smile.

Free [free]

Webster’s Dictionary has 35 entries for the adjective “free”. All of the definitions have positive connotations, and three of those definitions directly reference enjoyment. Personal liberation, inhibition, and lack of self-restraint are all associated terms. To feel this way when making a sugar-free purchase, I turn to Van Otis Chocolates.

With many products, sugar-free equates lack of choice. I try to be a conscientious consumer for the health of my family, but often this means a limited variety in satiating our love of sweets.
Fortunately, Van Otis offers many of their hand-made confections in sugar-free form including their award-winning Swiss Fudge, Cashew Clusters, Coconut Clusters, Almond Butter Crunch, Macadamia Caramel Patties, Cashew Caramel Patties, Almond Bark, Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Butter Toffee, Milk Chocolate Raisin Clusters, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties, Orange Sherbet Creams, Vanilla Butter Creams, Black Raspberry Sherbet Creams, Maple Walnut Creams, Raspberry Jellies, Orange Jellies, Milk Espresso Truffles, Mint Truffles, Meltaways, Peanut Butter Truffles, and many more!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Most New Englanders choose to endure tough winters because they love the very in-your-face change of seasons. Fall is truly my favorite. I love the vibrant colors, a slight evening chill, football games, and pumpkin-infused everything.

I can’t get enough of the flavors and aromas created by the combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. It’s in my coffee, candles, ice cream, and body lotion. My husband and I literally had a high-five moment when we discovered our favorite pumpkin-flavored beer on the grocery store shelves.


I seek it out knowing that candy cane and gingerbread flavors will soon oust my beloved pumpkin. Like a squirrel preparing for a long winter, I hoard pumpkin-flavored items that won’t be seen again until next fall.


I recently added two items to my seasonal stockpile: Van Otis’s White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Spice Creams and Pumpkin Fudge. Encased in a white chocolate shell and sprinkled with sugar crystals and pie spices, the creamy pumpkin center of the pumpkin pie creams is melt-in-your-mouth good. The fudge is a more subtle blend of pumpkin flavoring and spices. The creamy, buttery fudge doesn’t leave a greasy coating in your mouth like most fudge does, and it’s complemented by a light cinnamon and sugar topping.

Sugar, spice, and everything pumpkin. That’s what this little girl is made of.

Bar Wars

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

The rebel army ate foods cultivated from their back fields and raised in their barns...I mean…spaceships. These foods provided vitamin and nutrient weaponry essential to good health and the war against disease. Mechanical production lines began to generate vacuum-packed, on-the-go options allowing the invasion of free radicals.

Clearly, I am no George Lucas; however, as we are bombarded with health information, it does read a bit like a science-fiction plot. “Anti-oxidants combating free radicals” generate imagery of flashing lights and computer-generated audios. Few people would envision broccoli digestion.

Thankfully there’s one option in the artillery that I can embrace – dark chocolate. Studies have shown that dark chocolate, eaten in reasonable quantities, increases anti-oxidants and lowers blood pressure. Cocoa phenols are the secret agent in the truffle treatment.

The next time you’re feeling like a rebel, wave your dark chocolate bar around like a lightsaber while making the associated sound effects. Use the force.

A Truffle a Day Keeps the Voices at Bay

My dear friend Jane is very health conscious. She probably hovers around 105 pounds after a Pina Colada and getting caught in the rain. I won’t debate the “nature vs. nurture” causal factors of her peak condition, but I will share that she considers broccoli a main course and running, an adrenaline cocktail.

Jane’s one daily indulgence is a piece of chocolate. I’m not talking just any chocolate. I’m talking good chocolate. She looks forward to this savory moment to get her through the rest of the working day.

Few of us self-permit such a public indulgence. We’re closet candy eaters. We apply face paint, dress in camo, and swoop into a co-workers cubicle for a handful of candy jar offerings before anyone is witness. Who doesn’t buy into the philosophical riddle “If I eat a piece of candy in a forest and no one is around to see me, do I gain a calorie?”

Jane’s approach is refreshing and effective. Coworkers enable her habit, she doesn’t binge, and she’s afforded herself a guilt-free pleasure.

Wouldn’t it be nice to indulge in some good chocolate and hear only “Mmmmm” in your head?