Monthly Archives: November 2010

Black Candy is Healthy and Fun

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Black Candy Licorice

Black candy has long been a favorite especially at Halloween but what many people don’t know is that most black candies contain either anise or licorice. Both of these have healing properties, vitamins and minerals but don’t tell the kids this sweet treat is good for them. This Halloween give black candy with a clear conscience.

Black candy containing anise

Anise, also known as anis or aniseed grows as a flowering plant in areas of the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. It is the fruit of the flower that is known as aniseed and which contains the ingredient anethole. Anethole is a proven anti bacterial and anti fungal which is used in many ways other than creating delicious black candy. Anise is chewed to freshen breath and it is also worn to ward of mosquitoes. In some countries anise has been used by women for centuries to enhance fertility and limit the discomfort of other feminine conditions.

Most commonly though anise is used as a flavoring in food, candy and some of the most delectable liqueurs in the world like ouzo and sambuca. In AcandyStore.com anise is a key ingredient in a number of favorite confectionary products including anise squares, bears and black taffy candy.

Black candy containing licorice

Most people would be surprised to hear that licorice is in fact a legume, like a bean or a pea. It is perfect for making sweet treats of course because of its wonderful flavor and aroma but also because in its natural state, it is actually considerably sweeter than sugar. Besides being a wonderful black candy base and flavoring for less palpable necessities like medicines, licorice candy contains healing properties within its elemental ingredients. The healing properties of licorice are mainly attributed to the compound glycyrrhizic acid.

Licorice is commonly used in Japan for the control and treatment of viral hepatitis. Outside of Japan the strong anti viral component of licorice has been tested in the treatment of sarcoma and herpes and is used as an aid for healing stomach and duodenal ulcers and to soothe stomach aches. For more severe stomach ailments licorice can be used to treat ileitis, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Although not a cure for these ailments, licorice has been shown to alleviate the symptoms and discomfort associated with them.

Some studies have shown initial results which suggest that licorice may inhibit brain enzymes involved with producing stress related hormones which have been connected to mental decline in the elderly. In other countries, like China, licorice is used to harmonize the body and relieve spasmodic coughs. Herbalists use licorice in anti cancer formulas and believe it is effective in auto immune conditions like lupus, some allergies, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis. Naturopaths utilize licorice benefits to relieve mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers, as a mild laxative and a topical antiviral for other ulcerations and sores.

The uses and healing properties of licorice are such that you may want to save it for after all the other Halloween candy is eaten and the children are in need of a soothing stomach and calming remedy, then bring out the black candy.

Eye Candy: Candy by Color Ideal for Weddings and Events

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Wedding Candy by Color

Whatever your passion, black, red, yellow, brown…. sweet, sour or just a tad spicy; colored candy is eye candy that will make your mouth water. The idea of colored candy is so simple and yet so sexy and why didn’t someone think of it sooner? White wedding candy, red valentine’s candy, black and white formal or yellow friendship candy are all the trendy rage of any shindig or sentiment worth its salt, or should I say sugar!

We took a look around the world to see what other people think of colored candy and we found some really great stuff! In New Zealand a lolly scramble is a tradition at any event with kids. This is an event where thousands of lollies (colored candy) are thrown from a moving vehicle where masses of children are waiting to scramble for as many as they can carry in their hands and pockets. Believe it or not, large bags of colored candy are sometimes actually thrown out of an airplane onto fields of rampaging children. What would be more amazing than a lolly scramble in a child’s party theme colors?

Of course the piñata is an old Mexican tradition in which children hit at a hanging paper-maché object until it breaks and candy falls. A great colored candy spin on this tradition is where colored candy is used that coincides with the colors of the donkey, or whatever other creature the kids have just bashed to bits – talk about a surprise!

Over on the other side of the world (an English political function) one grown-up event that was absolutely unforgettable was a high profile fundraiser. It had seat covers which became loot bags for raiding the spectacular colored candy tables at the end of the night. The entire candy buffet was laid out in the colors of the organization holding the event and the cloth bags matched to create a keepsake, parting gift and thank you – all in a single colorful gesture. The opportunities for colored candy themes are limited only by the imagination.

The colored candy theme idea has become so popular around the world that there are now color schemers who can, and will, put together a custom theme. Some examples of custom themes are emotive, like a love candy color scheme, or celebratory as with a christening candy color scheme. Some of the hottest schemes today are apparently; 20s, 70s, Brown, Vibrant and Zot. If you can’t afford your own personal colored candy schemer you may be relieved to know that you can buy color scheme software instead. While this might be a little over the top for some, the idea of color coordinating everybody’s favorite food with an event or feeling is popular.

On a more intimate note the colored candy theme is being used in more personal ways; to cheer up someone with a get well bouquet of rainbow colors or to say I am thinking of you in the recipient’s favorite hue. If the eye candy you have in mind isn’t edible, what will win her (his) heart more sweetly than bouquet of red colored candy? Multi colored candy really is the new black!

All Candy is Not Created Equal 

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Green Candy

Fair trade practices, eco friendly systems and sustainable resources are issues that affect every business today and should be an important part of company policy. In that respect not all candy created is created equal. That is not to say all candy must be organic and from sugar crops in first world countries and so forth, but it is to say that every company should be aware, as part of it’s civic responsibility, of where their products come from and how they are made. Wholesalers for several companies also should be aware of the practices and policies of each company with whom they do business.

A great example of a responsible company is Nestlé, a company that ACandyStore.com is particularly proud to be in partnership with because of their example of sustainable corporate citizenship in terms of staff and product. Just last month the company were ranked in the top 50 of desirable companies to work for, and also received commendable rankings in terms of carbon disclosure leadership. The latter has placed the company in what is called a Band A. This is a prestigious ranking which indicates excellence for overall performance in the areas of understanding the issues related to climate change, their initiatives in the area and the company’s achievement of climate change objectives.

As part of their corporate strategy for sustainability Nestlé go way above and beyond the legal requirements of any of the countries they work with to source ingredients, or where they employ staff. In the words of Nestlé (Creating Shared Value Report 2009), “This involves compliance with national laws and relevant conventions, as well as our own regulations, which often go beyond our legal obligations.  Beyond that, how we do business is based on sustainability – ensuring that our activities preserve the environment for future generations…sustainable development to Nestlé means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Another great company ACandyStore.com is proud to be affiliated with is Mars. This is more popularly known as the company that makes M&M’s, Mars and Snickers bars. This company has five basic principles for how they do business in a civically minded way; these are quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency and freedom. Aspects of these principles include sustainable cocoa farms because the company belief is that profitability cannot come at the expense of people or the planet.  In the words of this excellent corporate citizen (Mars.com), “We depend completely on the strength of our relationships, and we believe we will only achieve the best results as a company if we are unselfish in these relationships and give a fair return. On this basis, we try to act as a good corporate citizen in the communities in which we live and work at all times.”

All candy is not created equal. These companies, and other partner companies of ACandyStore.com, are proactive in their approach to corporate citizenry. Although their products are created with generally farmed cocoa and sugar crops, their practices in terms of human and environmental resources extend well beyond legal requirements. For those who are looking for an entirely organic candy experience Finnska organic soft licorice is an unbeatable taste sensation that meets all of the requirements of pure organic.

Candy and Chocolate Sweeteners

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Although everyone knows that candy and chocolate are made with sugar most people don’t realize there is a distinction between types of sugars, quality of sugars and definite pros and cons between using natural and artificial sweeteners. Americans are especially conscious about packing on the pounds and will often turn to artificial sweeteners in an attempt to cut calories. What many people don’t know is that natural sugars are a necessary part of a healthy diet, they are absorbed better and they do not carry with them some of the health concerns of artificial sweeteners which have been implicated in several kinds of cancer.

It is good and commendable to read the ingredients list on everything you buy and this is what every responsible and health conscious consumer should know about candy and chocolate sweeteners. Artificial products used as candy and chocolate sweeteners in several studies have shown weight increases. Whether this is due to increased consumption because people think they can is a possibility, but one of the tests conducted used mice so it may be that these sugars simply don’t burn off as well as natural sugars. Natural sugar is sucrose derived from either sugar cane or from sugar beet and they burn more energy than artificial sweeteners, but they also burn more easily in the human body. Other natural sweeteners like licorice or honey are ingredients often used in candy and chocolate. These products are particularly good for you as both honey and licorice are excellent in terms of health, and both reduce the amount of sugar needed to make the product sweet. Natural sugars used in the production of candy and chocolate are also excellent natural preservatives, often requiring fewer artificial additives to retain quality, texture and shelf life.

Candy Scents Popular with Fashion Celebrities

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Mariah Carey Candy Bling

Candy is hot and candy scents are even hotter. It seems that as long as it’s candy colored or candy scented it’s been on the top of the must have list this year. DKNY is just one of the fashion heavyweights who have jumped on board the candy express with Delicious Candy Apple fragrances. Like Mariah Carey’s candy fragrance line, DKNY has created a threesome of candy scents. The DKNY scents have been made and promoted with a candy apple theme. Donna Karan’s scented threesome is deliciously named Ripe Raspberry, Sweet Caramel and Juicy Berry.

The eau de parfum is gorgeously presented in apple shaped bottles of candy purple, candy red and candy green. Colors any self respecting sports car would be proud of – in other words racy. Racy is the perfect word for these candy scents that definitely target a young, sexy crowd. The purple pottle contains the magic Juicy Berry perfume that will appeal to those who enjoy a nice musky wood essence with fresh, fruity overtones.  Sweet Caramel Candy Apple is the green bottled scent and definitely the sweetest of the three options with hints of vanilla and marshmallow – yummy! Ripe Raspberry Candy Apple is of course the red bottle containing a fresh spring flavor, or rather smell, making it the brightest and bubbliest of the candy apple bunch.

DKNY fashion says class and sophistication. Coupling a candy scented threesome of perfumes with the DKNY branding creates a scent that gives the impression of fresh sophistication. Young people looking for a classy fresh scent won’t have to worry about any flowery old undertones with these perfumes – they are all youth and sunshine and candy!

The Story of the Candy Bomber

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Candy Bomber Plane

I can’t help but think about the candy bomber story of WWII when I think about bulk candy. I can only imagine the volume of bulk candy that pilot must have had on board his plane to get the response he did from the German children who lived through that war.

Gail Halvorson, a WWII pilot was the candy bomber. He was charged with flying food packages and supplies into Berlin at the end of the war. The soviets were trying to get the Americans back out of Berlin with road blocks so the Americans did what they had to do by air. Delivering tons of food and supplies by plane to circumvent the soviet roadblocks and keep West Berlin free.

Gail was deeply moved by the state of the buildings and landscape he could see from the air and found it difficult to comprehend how the Germans were living amongst that rubble, but over 2 million Germans were. There was also such a lot of sadness and mistrust between the Germans and the Americans from years of fighting. The wounds of war ran deep.

It was this emotion and passion that prompted Gail’s idea for a bulk candy drop over Berlin. This was the most amazing and memorable bulk candy drop in all of history, without a doubt. This unique war hero dropped tiny parachutes filled with bulk candy to German children watching the planes land at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport. The response was instant and deeply moving. Hundreds of German children and their parents wrote to Gail offering their thanks and appreciation.

Gail Halvorson eased the tension between the Germans and Americans, and he made children happy who had survived and lived with such horrors in their young lives, with a candy drop.

Candy Cars

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If only they were smaller, the candy car trend makes cars look so sugary delicious you want to lick them like rainbow whirly pops! Candy apple red used to be ‘the’  hot race car color but the latest mouth watering options offer every color in the rainbow. Do-it-yourself candy paint kits make the transition from bland to candy as smooth as gumballs.

To sweeten the deal further those wanting to convert to candy colors can opt for a metallic or a clear candy look. Some great candy colors in the do-it-yourself range have some delicious sounding names as well. Some of these are fuchsia, lime green, mandarin orange and lemon yellow.

If you’re really keen and want to mix your own candy car color these are the basic steps, only recommended for those that know what they are doing though! Prime and block down as many times as necessary. Apply base coat and then candy color. For an added unique candy effect apply a coat of clear paint mixed with flake followed by another coat of straight clear.

For those that aren’t sure of exactly the candy look they are after, a number of websites offer palettes you can place on top of base coat colors to see what the effect will be. Alternatively candy color car bodies are available which you can purchase and actually place over your car (base colored applied already) as an overlay. In this way the car can be viewed in different light and the candy color finish seen clearly and accurately.

Candy color cars are fun and for the car hobby enthusiast, a neat addition to car color options. Other fun ideas for the enthusiast are stickers, motifs, creative hubcaps and knobs and of course all the great neon you can get for in and around the car.