Chocolate Ramblings

Today I stopped at See's Candy to take care of some cravings I have and I'm sure will have in the near future. I learned long ago that I can't stock up too much, or I'm in big trouble. But I can get a few pieces and   have some peace of mind that when I need that chocolate, it will be there. 

I decided to try a couple of new things. First, A milk chocolate candy bar. Just one, not a big pack like this:

Then I bought a Bordeaux Bar. My sister loves bordeaux. I just got a bar, not a big box like this:

Finally, my favorite. Dark chocolate, vanilla buttercream. (These are milk chocolate, but I couldn't find a picture of the dark chocolates). I only bought 4 pieces, not an entire box like this:

I figured if I had pictures of so much chocolate, it might seem as if I exercised great control only buying the few that I did.

My grandma Helen used to buy the family a box of See's Candy for Valentine's day. We were each allowed one piece for dessert each night until the candy was gone. That was before I could recognize many pieces by their signature twirl on top of the candy. Each bite was an adventure, never knowing what flavor we would get.

I distinctly remember when I discovered that I could have a custom box of candy - choosing only the flavors I wanted. Oh happy day! Also that I could buy just a piece or two if that's all I wanted.

I come by my love of chocolate honestly. My mother loves chocolate. She always had a hidden stash. When she was a girl her father would come to her and say, " Margaret Ann, I know you've got some chocolate. I want some." She was a dependable source. As I was growing up she always had a stash in our house too. I did not know that until I was in college. My sisters on the other hand, were well aware of it at a young age. This just shows my survival instinct is not as strong as theirs - also that they did not share this valuable knowledge. My mom would occasionally change the location of the stash because my sisters would get into it. Or so everyone tells me. I wouldn't know.

Even once I knew about my mom's stash, I still never knew where it was. I had to ask (still that sharing problem). In recent years my mom  kept the chocolate on the top shelf of one of her kitchen cupboards, and would even stock up on ones she knew I liked before I came to visit. The location didn't change, so I could go straight there if I needed a chocolate pick-me-up.

Sunday evening I was over at my mom's. I told her I had a craving for chocolate, and did she have any on hand? Of course she did. She has a little cupboard over a sink in their apartment, and on the top shelf were four or five different chocolates for me to choose from. It's nice to see some things haven't changed.