For the Love of Caramel

I have a passionate love affair with caramel. Delicious, sweet caramel with it's rich, sticky goody-goodness.

Honestly, I was unaware of  this  love for awhile. (Blasphemy!) I enjoyed caramel, but rarely ate it. Chocolate always seemed to be my one-and-only. (Hot fudge sauce and I were are  BFFs, as tight as epoxy) Then I created a character whose weakness is caramel; it is the only food she passionately loves and craves. Her coffee, her doughnuts, and her go-to candies are all caramel. Writing as her multiple times a day made me start to crave caramel!

Give me a spoon. Let me dunk it into a bowl of freshly made, warmed caramel and spread it concave-down on my tongue, reveling in taste-filled bliss.

*Ahem*

I digress.

Here are some of my favorite caramel delights:

I. Caramel Lindt Truffles

Lindt truffles are the epitome of what chocolate should be.
Delicious, savory and melt-in-your mouth delicious - this truffle had
me at first bite.

You know the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Perhaps love and fond memory made this truffle taste sweeter. A dear friend had been away on a trip. On her way home she and her family stopped at a Lindt store. Aside from being totally shocked there was such a thing (and appalled that I'd never taken it upon myself to go investigate the scrumptious wonders not far from my home state), I was elated that my friend had thought of me. Truffles, she knew, were among my favorite of chocolates. Lindt truffles are especially my favorite, their creamy center melts perfectly in one's mouth so that each bit is a little bit of heaven.

And, well...you can never go wrong with caramel.

Caramel is like pie - neither are ever wrong.

II. Caramel hot cocoa.

This winter Trader Joe's Organic Hot Cocoa Mix was my favorite cocoa. The cocoa I had originally been buying - also organic - was okay, but it was more sugary than chocolatey. When I want a cup of cocoa, I want a cup of cocoa. Mixing Trader Joe's packets with almond milk gave a thick, chocolate-rich decadent hot chocolate experience. It tasted as if it came from an expensive coffee shop. Nothing could make it better!

Nothing. Except for caramel.

This little treat is my dad's creation. During one busy study night he decided to combine my two loves - cocoa and caramel - for the optimal study elixir. He stirred in Whole Foods in-store made caramel (which we keep stocked in the fridge) and drizzled more across the whipped cream top. Ah, heaven.


III. Vanilla Caramel Whoopie Pie by Cape Whoopies: Maine's Gourmet Whoopie Pies.

Another delicious Whole Foods find! While not gluten free, this little whoopie pie is among my favorites I have ever tasted. Potential new favorite whoopie pie? I think so! For a vanilla and caramel whoopie pie, I was impressed that it was not sickly sweet. It was just sweet enough! What you tasted was the flavor of the whoopie pie, rather than the sweetness of it. The flavors melded together perfectly. (I'd originally planned to eat only half and leave the other for later, but, uh, about that....Party in my tummy?)


IV. Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Delight.

Fittingly, this delicious dessert is sitting atop a favorite book of mine: a children's book adaptation of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening."

Rich, nut-filled, gluten-free, homemade chocolate brownies drizzled covered in Whole Foods' caramel.

V. Caramel Cup (no picture)
Peanut butter cups sans the peanut butter, add in the caramel. I make these once a year with the caramel from Whole Foods and a blend of various dark chocolates.

VI. Caramel butter



My new favorite butter! Hands down, no competition!

Say, what? Gourmet butter is a foodie's delight. Prior to my induction into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society this week, two alumni of my alma mater, who were also initiated into the society that evening, gave a talk on their life post-college. Seeing their success, hearing how they used the skills and ingenuity they acquired through their time at this university, both in the classroom and extracurricular, was inspiring.  You can find Casco Bay Butter's story (and their diverse selection of flavors) on their website. Two non-culinary majors transitioned from their careers into a gourmet butter business, focusing on local, organic produce. It was a slow, hard process requiring a lot of work. Both admitted it was incredibly rewarding. Eat local, eat well, support sustainable agriculture and support mom & pop agriculture -mottos that I find myself aiming to live by were the building blocks of their small company.

Samples were given out at the event. We took home this delicious salted caramel butter. The cream is from local organic farmers and the caramel is homemade. It is heaven in your mouth! The butter is the creamiest, most flavorful butter I have ever tasted. The caramel is not strong or overpowering. It is only a small hint of caramel, enough to let you know 'this is something special.' They've got several other flavors they make; I now look forward to trying them all! We tried another one, an garlic and herb blend - oh my potato fries! So tasty! (This salted caramel will always hold a special place in my heart, though.)

I never imagined that butter would be a dessert. But here I sit... salted caramel butter on a piece of toast in hand, savoring every bite. No regrets. Screw calories - eat the butter!

(...Hm. Looking back through this list, I realize that chocolate-caramel combination is a theme. Apparently the flavors were meant to be wedded on top of my tongue.)


So...(future) doctor's orders: drop what you're doing, go to the store...Get yourself some caramel. Eat all the caramel. Put caramel on everything that is chocolate. Buy it in butter! It's not exactly healthy, but it is fantastic. And you are so worth fantastic.

Stay tuned: coming up soon - Liebster Award nominations!

Three Blessings

Note: this post was supposed to happen on Monday, but I have since come down with a bought of Feeling Like Death virus. After a series of delays, Monday's post is now Friday's.

It's a Monday. The week just begun and already I'm dragging my feet. From the moment I woke up I knew I needed a morale boost. On the way home today I bought myself a treat,a Newman's Own Organics peppermint chocolate cups set. Dark chocolate is my favorite, silky, rich chocolate. Mint is soothing. As an anxiety-ridden student this week, I could do with a little soothing richness!

Bless local health food stores.

At home, settled into my recliner and fresh pair of pajamas, I tore open the package. Surrounded by homework, highlighters, dozens of pens and textbook stacks I already felt anxiety crashing waves against my internal peace; I needed a chill-pill.

When I went to remove a chocolate cup from the tray, I paused. I stared. Something about the choice of three cups struck me. It also struck me that I had never truly stopped to pay attention to how many chocolate cups were in the package. How strange. Years I have eaten this chocolate; years  I have overlooked the depth in a very simple fact. It sounds crazy, I know! It's just chocolate. But three has always been a very special number for my family, very powerful. Finding these three chocolate cups, as silly as it sounds, helped me to re-center. It reminded me of blessings.

Three delicious gems.

I closed my eyes, savored the taste of mint-chocolatey goodness and began to ruminate. In my head I began to list off my blessings, everything I was grateful for, and all that had gone well and right. Instantly my anxiety alleviated. It isn't eliminated, but no longer is it crushing me. Because of this new-found peace, I wanted to share three of my blessings with you:

• Love and good company of family and friends. A friend who texts me just to say she loves me, another to make sure I'm having a good day. One friend who drops by on her way to work to see how a hard exam went and another who picks up a piece of chocolate, because she knows it is my favorite. Those friends who no matter how long between talking, you start where you ended, with whom it feels you've been friends forever, even if you haven't. The friend  you've never met in person but knows you like a sister. A sister-in-law who has become a sister, not because she has married your brother, but because of a foundation of friendship. Family who loves you unconditionally, with whom you cry, scream and love. Those who always understand your quirkiness.  I am blessed to have many of these people in my life. It has taken me awhile to realize this and appreciate how rare and precious it is. Nothing's perfect - not all of my family and I are close and friends and I have drifted apart over the years - but I am grateful for everyone who is or has been in my life.
  
  
• Peaches, my soul buddy, being "alright." Her Royal Queen of Fluffdom is getting up there in age; failing health is inevitable. While I'd love to keep her a pup forever, I know that's impossible.  I'm just grateful she is not suffering. Every additional day we have together is a blessing.
  
  
• Support and guidance of my parents. On occasion anxiety kicks in. I panic that I might not get where I want to be in life. I question my talents. Sometimes, I worry I may not be following my own dreams. Whenever that happens, my parents remind me of one thing: they love me. Whatever I do, wherever my life goes, they will love and support me as much as they can. Reassured of that, everything is less oppressive.

What are three of your blessings today?