Valentine’s Day is inching closer and closer. And people always say the best gifts are ones given from the heart, but nothing says “I love you†better than something from the heart for the stomach.
So in honor of all those lovey-dovey cherubs hovering by, here is my February candy recipe of the month. I call it my Lots-a-Luv Cookies. These babies are sure to wow anyone you present them to because they aren’t the sort of things you would just hand over to anybody.
Oh, Valentine’s Day. The one day a year when, for some reason, it becomes socially acceptable for respectable adults to stand on the subway carrying giant teddy bears and “I Wuv U” balloons. The world becomes a mass of pink and red, with flowers and hearts and, happily for us, tons of candy boxes lining store shelves. For some people, Valentine’s Day is a big old mushfest, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. For the rest of us, Valentine’s Day is simply the day before February 15, the real holiday, when all of those delicious heart-shaped candy boxes get marked 75% off.
However, there are some options for the anti-pink and red brigade this Valentine’s season, as the folks at M&M’s/Mars are once again promoting their all-green M&M’s packages, an homage to the urban legend that celebrates the, uh, romance-enhancing properties of the green candy shells. On each package of Green M&M’s is Ms. Green herself, sassy as ever, reminding us that green is, in fact, the “New Color of Love.”
Certain candies catch my eye during the holidays that I normally avoid consuming throughout the regular year. Why? Well, by the time you gulp down whatever candy you just bought, chances are it has been sitting on a shelf for quite some time. I mean, I always see gas stations stocking limited edition bars made years ago.
However, since holiday candy is seasonal, you’re more likely to purchase a product that is fresher. And with the rare exception, candy tastes better the less it ages.
So while perusing the Valentine’s Day candy aisle at Walgreens, I spotted Wonka’s SweeTARTS Hearts. Actually, it was pretty hard to miss them with the festive packaging of blue and pink swirled in a very Wonka style. If I can find fresh SweeTARTS, I usually enjoy them, so I figured there could be great potential in these. Plus, they only cost 50 cents.
Candy holidays are glorious! Yes, they probably have some significant meaning to them, but it’s entirely lost to me amongst seasonal candy craze. And my favorite of them all is Valentine’s Day. Why? Because it is the über secular holiday of them all, where you are advised to give candy and kiss the people you love.
Sure, you can show your love on any other holiday, but you can’t really get away with walking in your underwear in public with a set of plastic wings and a bow and arrow while pretending to be cupid without drawing attention/having the police called on you? Not that I have ever done that before….
Meandering to a point, I am a sucker for candy that doubles as romantic gestures. Does the human heart look like those paper cutouts that first graders exchange with one another? Nope, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing them in the store and going, “Aww… man I’d love to give those to someone special.†What can I say? I’m a romantic!
So when I spotted Brach’s Jube Jel Cherry Hearts for a dollar at Walgreens, I felt compelled to purchase them for my special valentine. But once the candy/love spell wore off back at home, I realized I haven’t had a date on Valentine’s Day since I was 19. Oh well… guess that means I’ll just have to eat them all myself.
Those lovely folks over at M&M’s have generously offered to provide two Candy Addict readers with a nice little Valentine care package containing four packages of those seasonal favorites, All-Green M&M’s. How can you get in on the goodness? Simple! Just leave a comment that creatively uses the word “green” in some way. Two entries will be chosen at random (but only if your comment is creative – just leaving the word “green” won’t cut it!).
You have until midnight on Friday, February 6 to get those entries in, so get cracking!
Also, be sure to check out M&M’s The Color of Love Valentine’s Day contest. You could win a trip to Paris!
Update:
Our winners were Lauracat and Bob. Congratulations!