Summer Sweets

So lately I have been craving sweets! But not just any sweets, something out of the ordinary. So far, this summer has brought many opportunities to try different things for me. I'll share with you just some of the cool things I've discovered.

Salt Water Taffy from Monterey
I'm never really someone who craves taffy, it just isn't my candy of choice, but somehow, whenever you're on the pier, or wharf, or coast, salt water taffy just sounds amazing, right?? Anyway, I decided to pick some up because the flavors were so cool! Little did I know my candy stash (of about maybe 20 - 30 pieces) would cost $7.00! It was well worth it though and I was able to share with friends and family.

From left to right: Eggnog, Cupcake, Pumpkin Pie, and Peanut Butter and Jelly (with real peanut butter and jelly in the middle!!)

The rest of my candy stash! Other flavors included Banana Split, Neopolitain, Blueberry Lemonade, Caramel Apple, Pina Colada, Huckleberry, Apple Cinnamon, Lemon Lime, and many others.

Verdict: My favorites were the Maple and Rum flavors. They were truly delicious!

Chocolate Liqueur Bottles by Anthon Berg

I just had to try these! I found an old box of them in my aunt and uncle's cabinet from like Christmas and we all decided to sample them. They each contain a small amount of liqueur in a milk chocolate bottle casing. It was fun to snack and try each flavor, but we all ended up biting off the top of the bottle and sucking out the inside flavoring!

8 different Liqueurs and 64 per box

Jack Daniels, Cointreau, Grand Marnier

The Danzka CranberryRaz Vodka

Verdict: My favorite was the Danzka CranberryRaz Vodka. It was sweet, but not overpoweringly so. I'd say the strongest were the tequila gold and the Galliano. Not a big fan of whisky so I didn't really love those.

Chocolate Frog from Harry Potter

I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Discovery Museum in NY this past April and was fortunate enough to pick up a couple of chocolate frogs! I was all over these as an avid Harry Potter fan, and would have bought more had they not been $5 a piece. Yeah... I spent $10 on two chocolate frogs, but it was worth it right? Plus, I got the potter family on a famous witch or wizard card!

Chocolate Frog, fits about in the palm of your hand

Verdict: It was okay I guess? Just really a milk chocolate piece with crunchies in it, like a crunch bar...only in the shape of a frog. 

Manju from Shuei-Do in San Jose
Ok, so being half-Japanese I grew up with an American family who had some knowledge of Japanese customs, food, and culture, but wasn't traditional in practicing it. One of the treats we all enjoy however is Manju, a mochi-like gummy sweet blob filled with smashed or whole Azuki (red bean) or lima (white bean). Shuei-Do is really the only Manju shop that I know of around my area, located in San Jose's Japantown. There is nothing better than fresh manju in my opinion, and it brings back a bit of nostalgia whenever I get to have it :)

Outside the manju shop, some tourists are looking at the shaved ice menu

What's left of our manju selection!

The wafer cookie with red beans (Azuki). I think this one is called Monaka.

Pink manju with smashed lima bean paste, called Tsubu I think.

Verdict: I've pretty much tried all of the different kinds of manju and my favorites have to be the wafer one (Monaka) the pink smashed lima bean, and the green red bean manju.

That's it for now, but I'll have more sweet treats posts coming! And a spotlight on a bday cake I just made :)

Stephanie, WWT