Peanut brittle and I haven’t been on speaking terms since, oh, junior high when, with a full set of adult chompers, I realized that one of two things will happen when I bite into the hardened treat: I’ll either crack a bicuspid (or feel like I did) or spend the rest of the afternoon prying the sticky matter from the divots in my teeth.

No thank you. The joys of brittle, I determined long ago, simply weren’t worth the dental troubles.

Earlier this week, however, a friend and colleague gave me a 12-ounce bag of Betty Jane’s “gourmet” peanut brittle, which was made by one of her Vienna neighbors. My friend even gave me a sample from her own stock, which was down to small broken pieces, crumbs, and brown dust. She was practically embarrassed by her rate of peanut brittle consumption.

Less than two days later, I understand. My 12 ounces are gone (although I had some help from Loose Lips, who obviously made unauthorized raids on my stash while I was away), and now I’m looking for my next fix. Fast!

Read More “Betty Jane’s Peanut Brittle Has Made a Believer Out of Me” »

According to the New York Times, Americans seem to be coping with the economic downturn by gobbling down obscene amounts of Necco Wafers and other sugary treats. I read this piece with great interest, since my own candy intake appears to be rising. ‘Course, I blamed it on blogging, which is probably worse on your health (and the environment) than red meat.

Reports the Times:

Read More “NYT: Candy Has Become Our Recessionary Pacifier” »

You may not know it—and there’s no reason you would, unless you’re a chemist—but some of your food and cosmetics include dyes derived from the ground-up bugs. For centuries, Mayans and Aztecs crushed the dried-out bodies of female cochineal insects to produce a red dye used for fabrics, but more recently, the stuff has been used to color candies, yogurts, juices, and ice creams. Consumers, for the most part, have been completely ignorant that they were sucking down bug junk.

But now the Food and Drug Administration is changing that. Earlier this week, the FDA issued a rule requiring manufacturers to list cochineal dye among the ingredients (rather than concealing it as “artificial colors” or “color added”). As this ABC News story reports, the new requirement has nothing to do with alerting consumers to a potential a gross-out factor:

Read More “FDA to Require Producers to List Bugs on Food and Cosmetic Labels” »