Salad Wha?

Sometimes I eat salads! It's true. I actually love spinach, I like it in my salads and I use it in my sandwiches as a substitute for lettuce. My favorite salad dressing right now compliments spinach beautifully- it's Red Wine Pomegranate Vinaigrette with Dark Chocolate.

Chocolate on a salad? What?

It's actually delicious. The pomegranate and the vinegar cut the sweetness, and you're left with a rich cocoa flavor. This particular salad dressing comes from Ravenous Chocolate, a Colorado company that specializes in unusual chocolate products. I picked this up at the Boulder farmer's market last fall and I've been carefully rationing it ever since. Ravenous Chocolate also features flavors like Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette and Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette with Dark Chocolate. I highly recommend!

http://www.ravenouschocolate.com/

Schimpff's

I've been eating candy from Schimpff's Confectionary for as long as I remember. It's located in downtown Jeffersonville, Indiana, minutes away from my grandma's house. It's not only a candy shop, there's a soda fountain and ice cream shop as well. Schimpff's also converted their back room into a mini-museum, featuring old fashioned candy and candy-making techniques.

Schimpff's opened up in 1858 and has been family owned and operated ever since. The current location has been making candy since 1891 and has survived three major floods. Schimpff''s is located near the banks of the Ohio River, and the flood lines are marked by the red bricks outside the storefront.

One of Schimpff's signature candies are their Cinnamon Red Hots. The recipe has remained practically unchanged since Schimpff's opened its doors. These hard candies have a distinct homemade flavor, some pieces are spicier than others. We were lucky enough to arrive in time for a candy making demonstration led by no other than Mr. & Mrs. Schimpff. We watched as Mr. Schimpff poured red hot liquid onto the cooling table and worked in the cinnamon syrup.

The scent of cinnamon was almost overwhelming as Mr. Schimpff worked with the candy. There were air ducts above him that pumped some of the air outside- very clever advertising!

Once the material had cooled a little, it was inserted into a press that would give the candies their shape.

It didn't take very long for the candies to harden. Mrs. Schimpff collected them in a bucket and gave free samples to all of us. The Red Hots were still warm and melted quickly onto my tongue. Soooooo delicious!

Some of my other favorite Schimpff's candy include: Modjeskas (caramel covered

marshmallows), Bourbon creams (we are on the border of Kentucky Bourbon country after all), and Chocolate Turtles (a sentimental favorite, my grandma would get them for me for

Christmas.) I usually get the Licorice Scotties too. I'm not really a licorice fan but they're so fun I like to give them as gifts.

I also can't forget Derby Mints or the Spotted Brown Cows. The cows are delicious chocolates with creamy peanut butter in the center.

www.schimpffs.com

Nice try

My friend Kevin called me down to his office today, saying he had chocolate for me. This is what I found. An amputee. Another friend later offered me an ENTIRE taquito. Much more satisfying.