Mystery Solved

You know that popular saying, “Which came first, the chocolate coating or creamy center?” Well, maybe it’s not as popular as, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” But it’s a mystery that YOU can solve!

Go beyond Van Otis’ enticing display cases and step into a world where handmade confections are made. You can watch chocolates leave the enrobing line, as they’re coated with chocolate and individually marked by hand.

Learn about stringing, a method of marking the chocolates to indicate what’s inside, and drizzling, a method of decorating the chocolates with opposite chocolate types(white on dark, dark on milk, etc.).

Drizzling is done by dipping a dowel in melted chocolate and, well, drizzling it over another confection. Drizzling techniques are used to decorate chocolate dipped pretzels, Temptation Twinkies, Temptation Oreos,etc.

At other companies, where the chocolates are mass produced, equipment is used to drag a chain across the chocolates to create a particular design. At Van Otis, this process is still done by hand.

Join a VanOtis tour by calling 1.800.826.6847. Reservations are required, and groups ranging from 12-25 people can be accommodated.

Tours are appropriate for ages 8 and over, and the cost is just $5 per person. Enjoy an environment free of Oompa Loompas, a fun candy making activity, and of course, delicious samples!

Less Than Three

I’ve embraced texting as a mode of communication. I appreciate that it’s a really quick way to convey information without a lengthy conversation. But what I struggle with is text language – abbreviations, codes, and total disregard for grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. I’m a product of my English teachers. I fear the red pen.

Maybe I’d be more apt to embrace text abbreviations if I’d learn them. I’m certainly capable of learning. After all, I used to communicate across the classroom with my calculator turned upside down and a friendly 07734.

I do understand when I’ve made people laugh out loud or when their butts fell off while they were laughing. But for the longest time, I was concerned with all the people who thought they were less than three. I mean, I’m no ten, but I have enough self-confidence to put myself at a six on a good day.

Once I became aware that <3 is actually a disconnected heart turned sideways – of course it is - I was able to appreciate the love from these former low self-esteemed folk.

The month of February is a great time to less than three those you love with specialty items from Van Otis Chocolates. Chocolate-covered strawberries, heart-shaped boxes full of assorted chocolates, and heart truffle boxes are the perfect expression of love. Post-holiday sales offer an extended opportunity to make up for stinky carnations and cards written by someone else that didn’t truly reflect what’s in your <3.

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.