NEAROF

These three chocolate bars were all gifted to NEAROF! by my dad, who bought them during a trip to Seattle. All look to be delicious, flavourful treats, yet all are hard to find in this corner of Canada. Trying exotic foodstuffs with limited availability can be fraught with mental anguish. If you don’t like the [...]

Near as our calendar app can tell us, it’s Christmas Eve. That means it’s time to hunker down in front of the fireplace, snuggle up with your special someone, and enjoy a warm mug of spiced apple cider. This recipe, from the lovely Aline, is easy to make, and the aroma fills a house with [...]

How’s this for an interesting chocolate bar flavour: blood orange and mango filling. In recent years, mango has become a trendy taste to add to all sorts of things, and the fruit itself is getting easier and easier to find in North American grocery stores of even moderate size. Blood orange, however, is still a [...]

Orange and chocolate, we get along juuuusst fine. From the old Mocha Valencia days at Starbucks to the current seasonal deliciousness of Terry’s Chocolate Orange, I can’t get enough of the pairing. While I’ve tried Dairy Milk in the past, I’ve never sampled their orange-flavoured bar. A crazy sale price at Safeway convinced me to [...]

I first found these last year on a trip to Seattle, and I’ve been patiently waiting for them to show up in Canada. And, well, what do you know? Here they are! The pharmacy gum-rack shelf-talker showed three flavours available in Canada: Strawberry Shortcake, Apple Pie and Orange Crème. While I don’t miss the mint [...]

Another trip to Ikea means another trip to the Ikea food store. Hurrah! This time, I spotted some super-cheap Anna’s orange flavoured thins in a box. It’s like I can never leave Ikea without buying something. The Pitch: “Swedish recipe.” Also, “By appointment to H.M. the King of Sweden.” An interesting blurb on the back [...]

Vitamin fortification has long been the domain of things like flour, breakfast cereal, milk, soy milk and various energy bars. But chewing gum? I’ve seen strange gum gimmicks, but seriously, what the hell? The Pitch: “An excellent source of vitamin B6 and B12. Vitamins B6 and B12 help release energy in the body.” Also: “Adults [...]

Chocolate makes me happy, as does organic stuff, so this one-two punch of organic chocolate has plenty of awesome going for it. Here’s my take on three different flavours of Theobroma Chocolat bars. The Look: Very distinctive, with beautiful packaging and a long, slender shape that’s memorable and enticing. Downside? They easily break into pieces. [...]