Last year, due to Gracie’s illness and having to either board her or pay someone to come by twice a day to give her her pills, I stayed in Richmond for Thanksgiving instead of spending it in NJ with my family. As soon as I said I was staying, Sarah invited me to the G. house’s Thanksgiving dinner. I asked what I could contribute to the dinner. She wouldn’t let me contribute a thing. She’s a great cook, so I wasn’t about to argue. Especially when the word “tzimmes” was mentioned, a dish I’d always wanted to try to make myself. Instead, I went to a chocolatier in Richmond called For the Love of Chocolate. They have an astonishing selection of chocolate and candy from all over the world. I picked up some candy for the kids, plain chocolates for those of us who like plain chocolates (present!), various percentages of cacao to see just how dark we could go (much past the low 70s and it’s too bitter for Sarah and me, but not Larry), and a little of the sugary stuff for me (I have a major sweet tooth that is my caloric downfall). And that was when I wasn’t nearly as flush financially as I am today.
The result of all those chocolates became what we started calling “the chocolate course.” It came after the main course and the dessert course.
You should see the bag o’ chocolates in my pantry this year. That isn’t even including the Mallomars I picked up at Costco last week.
I bought enough for a gathering about two or three times our size, I think.
The chocolate course is going to take several meals to consume. Oh, well. The truffles will stay at the G. house. But the sponge comes home with me.
We call ‘sponge’ Honeycomb in the UK. You can buy it in any corner shop or supermarket under the name ‘Crunchie’, for those doing Weight Watchers, it is relatively low point :-). It is also sold on market stalls, without the chocolate. This, in my opinion, is particularly delicious.
I’ve have had chcolates from that store shipped to me by my sibs. Enjoy your chocoholism! And have a happy Thanksgiving.
chsw