Archive for September, 2009

7 Candy Favor Ideas For Your Next Party

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Do you have a really big party coming up in a few weeks or days?  Consider having candy favors at your party.  Candy favors make an excellent gift to give to your party guests.  These days you will see many types of favors and party bags, but candy favors are always a big hit with guest.  You may be asking yourself where can you find ideas for candy favors?  Ideas are every where and I’ll identify 5 ideas you can use for your next party.

Candy Favors At Your Local Stores

The very first place to go is to your neighborhood grocery store.  Your local grocery store carries a wide variety of candies that can be used for just about any occasion.  Another place you might want to check is the local specialty candy shops in your neighborhood.  Specialty candy shops have unusual candies and tasty treats that can be great for parties.

There are many ways that you can use the candies found at your local grocery store.  You could use valentines candy for wedding favors or bridal shower favors.  If you are having a baby shower take individually wrapped candy that has pastel wrapping paper and use it for your party.

Online Retailers

Today we also have access to hundreds of online stores on the internet.  Online shops have a variety of candies and shipping methods to meet your needs.  So even if you need something delivered the next business day you can get it delivered to your doorstep.

Personalized Candy

Getting things personalized has always been big so why not get personalized candy too.  You can find specialty stores in your neighborhood and on the internet that provide this service.  One of the most popular is the m&ms candies site run by the M&M/Mars corporation.  They have it set up so that you can place personal messages on the candies themselves and they provide special packaging for you.  This can be done completely online.  You can also find brick and mortar m&m stores that will provide this service for you as well.

Candy Bars

More and more people are using candy bars as chocolate candy favors at weddings and parties.  Several sites on the internet specialize in creating special personalized wrapping for candy bars.  Chocolate covered almonds are a favorite treat.  The best part about chocolate covered almonds is that you can get them in a wide variety of colors, and they can be used for just about any occasion.

Hard Candy

Your event may be outdoors and if so you might be worried about chocolate melting.  If this is the case then consider hard candy.  Peppermints are always appreciated, and can be used as after dinner mints at your party.  Another great choice is the use of lollipops.

Candy From Your Childhood

Think about bringing a little nostalgia to your party by using candies from your childhood as candy favors.  You can use Now-Laters (comes in many flavors and colors), candy corn, jawlipops (giant jawbreaker pops), maple nut goodies, peanut butter pillows, Tootsie Rolls, Lemon Drops, Charms Blow Pops, licorice, and jelly beans.

Make Your Own Candy

Many brides also create their own candies.  You can make your candy in any shape that you want and use the ingredients that you like and enjoy.  Use shapes that represent the seasons or the place where the wedding or party is taking place.

There are a lot of great things that you can do with candy favors ideas to make your next event the talk of the town.

For more ideas on candy favors go to http://bestcakedecoratingideas.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/7-candy-favor-ideas-for-your-next-party-1238275.html

Four Candy Myths

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

We are a candy-loving world and there’s no doubt about that.  The only problem is when people who aren’t exactly one of us tend to make things ugly, especially for the retro sweets varieties which we grew up with will probably grow old still yearning for.  The good news is, no matter how they vilify those tongue treats, they just can’t do much anymore because now we know the truth. Now we know many truths about things they once said were bad about candies.  Now, we don’t have to feel guilty about those jelly beans and sherbets and toffees and every little nostalgic sweet satisfaction we may ever so often help ourselves to because now the line is clearer between fact and myth.

First, no candy doesn’t makes children go crazy.  People used to believe that if a kid had a mere bagful of sweets, he’d be all around the place horsing around and playing like it would be the last day of his kid-hood.  In truth, there’s not much, if any, truth to that.  Researchers.  have countered claims that candy causes hyperactivity in children and this is now scientifically accepted.  

Second,  candy causes children to lose their teeth to cavities because of their sugar content. Actually, these same sugars are found in many other foods  such as bread and even rice.  In other words, all carbohydrate-rich foods are potential causes of tooth decay.   Candies,  whether modern or traditional sweets,  need not be singled out just because kids tend to be crazy about them.  As long as adults are responsible enough to teach their kids about oral health, everyone will be free from cavities and happily so.  

There’s also this thing about chocolates being believed to raise blood cholesterol levels because of their saturated fat content.  This makes for the third myth that deserves a total junking.  Yes, chocolates have saturated fat,  but no, it’s not the type that raises cholesterol levels because the fat is sourced from cocoa, a plant.

Lastly,  any lover of  old-fashioned sweets would be quick to refute the claim that is also the biggest joke of all -  no candy is healthy.  To somebody who grew up with such fond memories of those fat-free but equally luscious retro candies, this is simply unacceptable. And talk about licorice which, needless to say, has been scientifically recognized as a cure for many medical conditions.  Obviously, these varieties do not contain fat or cholesterol or any other substance that may prove to be a health hazard. This definitely makes them count as snacks that are so much healthier than what they’re given credit for.

Today, it’s simply surprising that even with the century’s technological conquests, some people are still misled about some of the simplest things in life.  Like retro sweets and candies.

Shen Smith is a blogger and a sweets enthusiast particularly retro sweets

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/four-candy-myths-1234013.html