The Candy Cane Cartel

/ still a dreamer

One of the items on my Christmas shopping list was something my girlfriend’s son can enjoy – traditional peppermint candy canes. He has many allergies, but this is one treat that is worry free. Even so, I wanted to check the package label to hopefully find that they were not made in a facility that also processes dairy and tree nuts, (two of his allergies.)


I was at Target and picked up a nice jumbo-size box of candy canes and looked at the label. Product of Mexico. What? I picked up a different kind, to find that they were by the same manufacturer. And … Product of Mexico. I was floored. Really? Then I looked at an obviously different brand that had a real old-fashioned look and feel to the packaging. On the label … Product of Mexico. WHAT? (If I were the kind of person who said OMG, you could now imagine some strange woman maniacally grabbing every kind of candy cane in the aisles — regardless of ridiculous flavor — and yelling OMG, OMG, OMG.)

But I didn’t. And I didn’t buy any candy canes. I went to my local Shop-Rite. And there, the same old-fashioned packaging again and … Product of Mexico. Since when did the quintessentially traditional Christmas candy start getting made in another country? In truth, I’d rather they be made in Mexico than China, but still … does no one make candy canes in America? I bought a small package of these – the brand is Bobs – in the event I never found anything else.

Then I went to a local shop, (This `N That on the Corner), and checked out some larger individual candy canes. Yes! Made in Ohio! And the manufacturer, Spangler, (see candy cane below right,) had right there on the display box, the simple ingredients and that the candy canes are made on a dedicated machine, (which means no cross-contaminants of potential allergens.) So I grabbed a big handful and was happy to pay a wee bit more, knowing that I’d gotten a safe gift and helped support an American worker and company.

Now here’s the kind of sad thing. I read online the long and detailed history of Bobs Candies. They were established in 1919 in Georgia. They survived the Great Depression, a devastating tornado in 1940 that destroyed their factory, and World War II shortages. Bobs actually introduced the crook in the candy cane. And at the end of this proud history is one line: In 2005, Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. acquired Bobs Candies and nothing more. I’m guessing after that is when they started outsourcing the manufacture of their candy canes. Sad, eh?

But there still is Spangler’s, and I suspect there are more American companies making traditional Christmas candy canes. It only seems right.

Update: Christmas 2012 had me looking for Spangler’s again because they’d been made in the USA. On their label this year was “Made in Mexico.” In looking at their web site, I see they “operate a co-manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico for the production of commodity candy canes.”  Other items are still made in Ohio such as Jelly Belly jelly beans, Skittles and more. The American made candy cane search is on again.

Jane’s Carousel – Magic in Brooklyn

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

If you think carousels are one of the most magical creations of man, raise your hand. Really. Put it up. I thought so. You and me both.

So I expect you will be as excited as I was to learn that Jane’s Carousel gave its first ride on September 16, 2011. The carousel was manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (P.T.C.) in 1922, and was designated as  P.T.C. 61. It was originally installed in Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio, once a prosperous steel manufacturing city. The carousel fell on hard times, and in 1984, Jane and David Walentas purchased the carousel, in poor condition, to prevent it from being sold off piecemeal.

Jane has been lovingly restoring the carousel ever since.  Located in Brooklyn Bridge Park on the East River, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, P.T.C. 61 couldn’t look more magnificent. It is housed in a square, acrylic pavilion designed by Pulitzer prize winning French architect Jean Nouvel. Jane’s years of work and the creation of its location and housing were all undertaken at the personal expense of Jane and her husband. Jane’s Carousel is their gift to the people of the city of New York. And what a gift it is.

However there’s one more truly magical element to this carousel. It’s what happens at night. Once every hour, the carousel starts on its own. Backlit from the center of the carousel, the horses’ shadows are thrown on the walls of the acrylic pavilion. Take a look.

To see the beautiful carvings and detail of the horses themselves, watch this YouTube video. The opening section gives you views from a distance and the dedication by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others. The film of the horses themselves begins at about 7:45, set to music a real joy to watch.

Jane and David Walentas, thank you for this extraordinary and magical gift. The history of the carousel and all the work that went into its restoration as well as details on visiting and taking a ride can be found at the Jane’s Carousel web site.

 

No Coincidences – the Komodo Dragon Comes Home

/ still a dreamer

Here you see something I’ve wanted for quite some time … a handsomely carved Komodo dragon. I spotted him probably two years ago in one of my favorite stores, Two Buttons in Frenchtown. At the time, they had one that was probably 5′ long. I really wanted that one, but didn’t dare look at the price tag. Each time I’ve been in the store, I’ve been powerfully drawn to one of these Komodo dragons.  They are hand-carved by an artist in Bali, (I believe), and each is unique. I would hold one, or several in turn, in my hands, feeling a connection I cannot explain.

On the occasion of my birthday this past summer, I was given a check. I was asked to please spend it on something that I really wanted, something special. My immediate thought was of the dragon. And yet I have dallied, contemplating all the things I really need and should do with that money. Do you ever find yourself doing this? You are invited to do something or buy something that is unequivocally a treat for yourself, but instead you spend it on something practical, or wrangle endlessly with yourself over it? Like I have. You know, we really need to be good to ourselves, kind to ourselves, to believe that we are deserving of all that is good.

So about a week ago, doing some Christmas shopping in Two Buttons with a friend, I picked up a Komodo dragon, as I had so many times before. He had a different attitude in his posture than I had previously seen. He seemed reflective. And as I held him, once again considering my still unspent birthday money, one of my very favorite Christmas songs played through the store, John Lennon’s So This Is Christmas. And I knew that that Komodo dragon was meant to be mine.

There are no coincidences.

And then this Saturday I met a longtime friend for breakfast. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and she returned a book to me that I honestly had forgotten I’d lent her — Gratitude, A Way of Life by Louise Hay and other luminaries. It’s easy to forget sometimes how much we truly have to be grateful for, and I felt that this book returning to me after such a long time was also no coincidence. Perhaps I really needed to re-examine how much I have to be thankful for in my life. So I’ve decided to read one of the author’s essays on gratitude each day. We can never go wrong being thankful and making it a daily practice.

Most likely you have your own Komodo dragons appearing in your life. They are opportunities to be kind to yourself, to be thankful, to even find moments of peace. Take them.

Let there be peace on earth. And let it begin with me.       – Jill Jackson Miller

Fear Not the Cheesecake

/ still a dreamer

Have you ever noticed how many perfectly competent, as well as excellent, cooks shake in their boots at the thought of making a cheesecake? (Also homemade pie crusts, but that’s a different post!) This always surprises me, because cheesecake is actually one of the easiest desserts you can make. It’s not that you can’t find very complicated cheesecakes – they’re out there, and I’ve made them, too – but most of your cheesecakes are fairly simple and almost foolproof.

Take this pumpkin cheesecake, for instance.We decided that this year for Thanksgiving I would forego the more traditional pumpkin or apple pie, and make a pumpkin cheesecake instead. I have a couple good recipes for pumpkin cheesecake that I know to come out well. In deference to my host who cannot eat nuts, I eliminated the pecan or walnut praline topping, and made a substitution in the crust ingredients. Instead of the called-for graham crackers, I used gingersnaps. Note – the crust has only 2 ingredients – ginger snaps and butter. Easy, right?

More simplicity – the filling is all made in one bowl, – cream cheese, sugars, eggs, pumpkin, cream and spices. It doesn’t really get much easier than that! It came out creamy and delicious, and although it called for 1-1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, you couldn’t go wrong by making that 2 teaspoons.

Feeling more confident yet? Cheesecake is really an easy dessert – easy on the cook, easy on your busy schedule, and easy on your hungry guests eyes!

p.s. If anyone would like to try my recipe, just leave a comment, and I will scan it or type it up.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

/ still a dreamer

Thanksgiving, to me, is always the epitome of fall … glorious foods in colors and flavors of autumn grace the table, there still may be some tawny leaves on the trees, and just the right chill in the air. It’s the last major holiday before our thoughts turn to snow and Christmas, trees and gift-giving. Thanksgiving seems the culmination of fall, and then a whirlwind of different flavors and colors surrounds us.

We sometimes have to be careful that in our anticipation of great dinners and watching football and Thanksgiving Day parades that we don’t lose why the holiday was so named, a day to give thanks. I thought a few words from those who’ve pondered this holiday might be in order …

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.  It’s a way to live.  ~Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.  ~Robert Quillen

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~G.K. Chesterton

Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness.  ~Author Unknown

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!