Super Bowl

I am one of those crazy New England Patriots fans. During football season, my husband and I spend all week planning our Sunday menu. It’s the most important family meal of the week, served on paper plates and TV trays, without any eye contact whatsoever.

Sometimes we invite friends over to justify the quantity of food. These friends have gone through a secretive, but highly scrutinized, screening process. They must meet criteria such as both spouses watch AND understand football, and their kids intuitively army crawl when passing in front of the TV.

As you can imagine, when the Ravens put the Patriots into the Super Bowl - you heard me - I was ecstatic. I feel like a wedding planner this week, focused on seating arrangements, jersey and hat ensembles, and of course, the food.

Football food is complicated. You want to serve hot items but don’t want to be the rock, paper, scissors loser who has to tend a stove or grill. That’s why I am so reliant on good food that can be accessed from a seated position without much effort.

Van Otis chocolate-covered popcorns are a great game snack. Although white chocolate is usually my third choice to dark and milk, Van Otis white chocolate popcorn is by far my favorite. The combination of sweet, salt, and popped corn is the perfect flavor balance.

Grab some Van Otis popcorn for the big game this weekend, pour it into a bowl, and there you have it – a Super Bowl.

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.

Snowball Fights

I’m sitting here enjoying a little treat of Van Otis Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds. These crunchy almonds are coated with a sugar-glazed crunch and surrounded by handmade milk chocolate. Each chocolate-covered almond is hidden by a layer of powdered sugar, making them look like tiny snowballs in a bag.

This reminded me of the snowball fights that we’d have in my childhood neighborhood. Everyone would run home from the bus stop after school, put on oversized parkas and moon boots, and meet outside.

There was always that one kid who delayed battle by spending all afternoon on a snow fort. It was proportional, fortified, the envy of the snow kingdom. The fort came complete with a stockpile of symmetrical snowballs, which were finished just about the time our moms called us in for dinner.

Then there was the kid who was ready for war. He’d burst out of the house and immediately grab anything resembling a snowball - snow-covered rocks, ice, a shovel left out from the day before - and immediately start throwing. This kid didn’t need no stinkin’ fort.

I was the kid with good intentions. Once my mittens got wet, I traded in my war paint for a warm house and cup of hot chocolate. To my defense, corduroys and wet snow pants are a cruel test of endurance.

Inspire a memory with one of Van Otis’ holiday treats found at their Elm Street, Manchester retail store or online at www.vanotis.com.

Bloggin' About the Log

Our family loves the holiday season. We’re rooted in our traditions but also seem to be competitively searching for the next sure thing. For example, Aunt Stacey’s sweet potato casserole is now a Thanksgiving staple, replacing traditional squash and sweet potatoes. Conversely, Papa’s stuffing with bacon bits made only one unpopular appearance.

In my search for a namesake tradition, I look to Van Otis Chocolates. Pecan Rolls are the perfect delicious and affordable holiday treat. Offered in chocolate, vanilla, and pumpkin, these thick logs of creamy fudge are covered in a layer of crunchy pecans. The vanilla and chocolate live up to Van Otis’ standards of making the best quality fudge. The pumpkin is my personal favorite. The creamy pumpkin fudge has the perfect amount of pumpkin spice, which compliments well with the nutty exterior.

I highly suspect Thanksgiving guests may be asking for another slice of log rather than another slice of pie.