Lollyphile is NOT Dead After All

Last year, I gave out Maple Bacon and Coffee Lollyphile Lollipops as party favors at my 50th Birthday Bash, and brought some to the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, too. I loved those gourmet lollipops. They were great for sticking in gifts baskets, too. They were a little pricey, but I always used a coupon code or Groupon. 

A few months ago a sad email arrived in my inbox from Jason Darling, the owner of the company. He was closing the business, due to logistical reasons, mostly. I bought some lollies from his dwindling inventory and thought that was that.

Today I got another email from Jason. WOW! this guy's passion for what he does is amazing. His lollipop business is forged with love, blood, sweat, tears and, no doubt, tons of stress. let's help this guy get rebooted! At the end of his charming email there is a discount code. 

Here's the email:

OMG Everyone!

 

Remember when I sent out a maudlin email saying we were basically going out of business and everyone was super sad about it? Guess what? We're still here! And better than ever! Stop crying!

 

(This is a medium-long email, and you can skip most of it and just go to the 20% sale down below, but I'll try to be interesting in the interim.)

 

Here's the deal- we were contacted by a painfully high-quality small-shop lollipop manufacturer a few months ago who heard about our predicament. And after a lot of work, tons of samples (to make sure everything tasted just so), and stress like you wouldn't believe, we are up and running again. And there's so many details that I'm going to shift to bullet points!

• No more high-fructose corn syrup: it's true! the lollies are tapioca based now, which beyond being GMO free (eat it, Monsanto!) lends itself to a really silky texture. 
• Better packaging: remember how the wrappers were all printed weird and hard to open? That's not the case anymore! The wrappers are totes easy to tear into and while the paper labels we're currently using aren't amazing, they're a huge step up (we're talking to a designer in the next week to fancify them, tho).
• Made in the USA: Everything. From the sticks to the ingredients to the lollipops themselves, there's nary a step in the process that involves scary-to-think-about labor laws. So good!
• Better shipping rates: We have a new shipping company, and our rates have dropped so much from what they used to be that it will blow your mind (especially if you order a lot). Everything will be sent out USPS Priority Mail with three day guaranteed delivery from the time it gets picked up. 
• Fresher candy: rather than buying a bunch of inventory and letting it sit, your candy doesn't exist until you order it. Lollipops are made in batches of 54 at a time, meaning that the candy you get in the mail was made, literally, for you. So luxe, right?

All that said, the new lollipops are costing us a lot more to make, but no worries, we didn't up any prices. What would be exciting about that?

 

Oh and did I mention new flavors? I THINK I DID. Along with old-school favorites like Absinthe, Maple Bacon, Amaretto, Chai (check the website for the rest), we're also offering the following 10 new flavors (more bulletpoints!):

• Sriracha
• Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
• Cactus Fruit
• Horchata
• Passion Fruit
• Bellini
• Green Tea
• PARTY G1RL
• Habanero Tequila
• Dreamsicle

Be still your heart, I know, I know.

 

Two things to note: we don't offer international shipping at the moment, but we hope to be able to within the next month. And normal wait time for your order to be made once you order it is between 24-72 hours, and this initial burst of "oh, hey, Lollyphile is back up" might slow it down a a day or two past that. But the sooner you order, the sooner you get your candy. Again, small shop, quality product. Full disclosure, caveat emptor, l'chaim.

 

So. You ready? 

 

Get some lollipops.

 

Oh & wait- if you use discount code bestcandyintheworld you get 20% off your order. That's important to mention.

 

That's enough for now. I'm breathless from all the prose. :)

 

xo.

//jason darling

www.lollyphile.com

 

PS: I'm in the process of having models shot (with a camera, natch) with Lollyphile lollipops. I'm 100% aware that my website looks like a GeoCities page, and there are drastic steps being taken to improve the situation. Check out our facebook page for teaser pics! And join it, maybe? Why not, right? Right.

A Whale of a Tale

It's difficult to take pictures, take videos, take notes, and keep your breakfast down, but I did it!

Yesterday, I went on the Stephen Birch Aquarium Whale Watching Cruise with my friend Kristie and our daughters, who happen to be best friends. Despite six- to eight-foot swells, no one lost their breakfast, and everyone on board had lots to see.



We checked in at Flagship Cruises on Harbor Drive in San Diego at 9:15 a.m. Our tickets were exchanged for boarding passes, our picture was taken, and we boarded the Marietta where we were greeted by Amanda, the Birch Aquarium Naturalist, and a Birch Volunteer named Don.

As Captain Wil was preparing to set out, he warned us that the calm, flat waters of the bay were NOT the same as those of the Pacific Ocean. We were to expect sic-to eight-foot swells at 12 second intervals, and if we had seasick medicine, now was the time to take it. We were instructed on the location of life vests and seasick bags. I was already wearing a scopolomine patch (I can't go NEAR a boat without one), but Kristie thought a trip to the snack bar to purchase some Dramamine seemed like a good idea. She took her dose, and gave each girl a dose and we were on our way.

It took about 45 minutes to exit San Diego Bay, so Amanda spent that time giving us a tour of the surroundings. We learned of the tool-shaped buildings in the San Diego skyline (Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, Allen wrenches, and such), the local Naval buildings and a bit of history. Before we were completely out of the bay we saw a small pod of Bottlenose Dolphins and a couple of California Sea Lions. The bay was home to scores of birds, too: Surf Scoters, Black Scoters, Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants, Western and Heerman's Gulls, CA Brown Pelicans and an Eared Grebe.

Once we cleared the tip of Point Loma, the face of the sea changed dramatically, and the temperature dropped, too. At first, the girls thought the rocking and dipping was as fun as a ride on a roller coaster, but after a while, that darn Dramamine had them both in a stupor. That is precisely why I don't take it.

Soon we spotted a pair of blows in the distance and our Captain, while keeping a safe distance from the behemoths, began our pursuit. Amanda advised us to turn off our cell phones, as we were so close to Mexico that we might be hit with roaming charges if calls or texts came in. We followed the pair of bachelor Gray Whales southward for about an hour. Along the way we encountered a pod of Common Dolphins feeding together with several California Sea Lions and flocks of gulls, pelicans and shearwaters. We were treated to the two whales breaching three times. I was able to catch two of the breaches on my Flip video camera.


Amanda was very pleasant and informative. She taught us much about the natural history and migration of the Gray Whale. Females are about 45 feet long, about half the length of the Marietta. They mate in the shallow bays of Baja, Mexico, then swim about 12,000 miles to the cold, rich waters of Alaska where they feed and put on weight for their journey back to Mexico the following year to birth their calves. They fast during their migration, and eat very little while in the warm waters of Mexico, so when they reach Alaska they are very hungry.


Gray Whales are benthic feeders, meaning they scoop up mud and sediment from the sea floor and strain it through their baleen, swallowing the nutritious plankton, mollusks, crustaceans and small fish.

Gray Whale calves gulp down rich mother's milk 50 gallons at a time! The milk is 55% fat and helps the young whales gain about 50 pounds a day! Even I can't put on blubber that fast!

Traveling northward, we encountered another large pod of Common Dolphins. These playful cetaceans wowed the passengers with their bow-riding, and cameras were snapping furiously. Before long we were passing the tip of Point Loma again, and in calmer water. Sea lions lazed on directional buoys and docks, and we learned a bit more about our San Diego Naval Operations.

Dramamine got the best of her...

Submarine Servicing Center

Coronado Bridge

We saw where trained dolphins help the Navy by alerting them to anything that enters the bay that shouldn't be there. We saw the submarine servicing area, which had a sub inside. We saw the Aircraft Carrier Turnaraound area, and the Naval Oilers, which are huge refueling ships. We got great views of the Coronado Bridge and the USS Midway as we pulled into port just before 1:00.

Thank you Flagship and Birch for a great morning at sea!

Dolphin Love

Getting to Orlando from San Diego on New Years Day was a bit of a pain. Lindbergh Field was shrouded in fog, and had been all night. Nothing was flying in or out and travelers all over the country were delayed. Our 8:50 flight finally took off at noon!
My niece, Julie, and her beau, Scott, picked us up at MCO turned over the keys to my brother's car, with the GPS preprogrammed for me with directions to our resort, their house, and Discovery Cove. We were finally checked in at 10:30 pm EST, after traveling 13 hours! Treklet was exhausted, hungry, and headachy to the point of tears. I ordered pizza delivery, which she ate in her PJs, and she was snoozing by midnight.
We were up early at 7:00 ( 4 a.m. CA time!) and I called Julie after I made some coffee. Her offer to pick us up, instead of us meeting her at Discovery Cove was appreciated more than she'll ever realize!
Our tiring journey was soon to be rewarded....
We checked in, had our picture taken, got a complimentary breakfast, then we're given wetsuits and snorkel gear. We changed and headed for the Tropical River where we swam through an aviary! We got out of the water and were given cups of pellets and fruit to feed the exotic birds. Treklet and I were able to get a few of them to step up onto our arms, and I even had one stay on my shoulder for a time! A beautiful tame fruit dove tolerated me stroking its back as it ate from the cup. There were spoonbills, ibis, touracos, hornbills, doves, conures, lorikeets, hammerkops, toucans and many, many others.
Our next adventure was at Grand Reef, which features a white sand beach, and the opportunity to swim with bat rays and colorful tropical fish. Sometimes the rays would brush against us as they flew by. It was very cool.
Finally, the event we were looking forward to--our dolphin encounter! After a short orientation in a heated cabana, our group of 9 participants followed a trainer into the saltwater lagoon where we each got lots of opportunities to touch two bottlenose dolphins, Ipanema and Yoko. We were shown hand signals, which the dolphins obeyed, we each got to kiss Ipanema on the beak, get a ride from Yoko from the deep water back to the shallows, and feed her a fish. AMAZING.
After 30 minutes in the cool 72 degree water (which was warmer than the air temperature!) we were ready for a hot shower. We cleaned up, turned in our equipment, and filled up on a complimentary lunch before browsing the gift shops.
After a short visit at Julie's lovely house she took us to the grocery store then back to our resort. What a grand adventure. I must add that the day was made even more sweet by the huge discount we got on our tickets thanks to Julie's friend who works there.

Dangerous Gifts

I bought this cute set of Karate Santa ornaments on eBay to give to Treklet's Taekwondo Master.

On the back of the box there is a warning label:

What the heck??

Inside the box there is list full sheet in tiny font listing the Terms and Conditions of use:

Are you freaking kidding me???

Wow, I sure hope Master Truscott is careful using these dangerous ornaments. Maybe next year we'll get him something a little safer, like a pack of razor blades or a bottle of muriatic acid.

Stingy Jack

I usually carve an elaborate design, but this year I tried something new. It was easy and fast.
OMNOMNOM

The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin.The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.

Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel, and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack O'Lantern".
On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O'Lanterns. In the 1800's a couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack O'Lanterns.

(I did not write this) CREDIT: pumpkinnook.com

Dropbox

I use Dropbox every day. It's very useful, especially when needing to access files between multiple computers/devices. I seriously use it every day. 

Our lesson plans our there--I can access from laptop, desktop, iPad or phone.  Copies of tickets or reservations I bought online? In the Dropbox. Backups of my Quicken files? In the Dropbox. Pictures I want to move to my other computer? In the Dropbox. Pictures of my insurance cards? In the Dropbox. There are a million uses for it. You can even share files with others.

What's the best thing about Dropbox? It's FREE! If you sign up for your free Dropbox, I will get extra storage for FREE, and when your friends sign up from your referral link YOU will get extra FREE storage--up to 8 MB!

My Dropbox is FULL! Oh noes!! I only have a 3 MB dropbox, so won't you give it a try and help me get more storage in the process?

Get your free Dropbox here:

http://db.tt/0KSYMDjE

Aunt Ruth's Fruit Salad

I wasn't planning on blogging today. I haven't blogged in MONTHS and there is so much I could write about, but several tweeps asked for this recipe, so here is a quickie blog post.


I am homeschooling Treklet now, and we had very little to do this morning and finished very early. We were having a lunch guest, so I added a cooking lesson and had her cut fruit and help measure the ingredients for the sauce in the recipe below.


My Aunt Ruth was my mother's sister. She's been gone several years, after a depressing several years with Alzeimers. My mother and her were both adopted, and were not blood-related. They were opposite it many ways, and bickered  constantly when they were together. I don't mean that in a bad way, they just did, but they were very close. I miss them both!!

Me, Aunt Ruth and my eldest, Katie
12 years ago. She didn't remember the day we
spent at Navy Pier when we got back home.
Alzheimer's SUCKS

Aunt Ruth and I visited often. As a matter of fact, it was her that I stayed with the night I left my 1st husband the manic-depressive, alcoholic drug addict. :-0.  We smuggled my 80 pound German Shepherd into her 3rd floor (no pets allowed) condominium and I slept on the couch. The next day my sister-in-law drove down from Madison to get me and I lived with my brother for almost a year before moving back to CA. 

After my mom died (1991) my Aunt & I grew very close.My mom's memorial service was at her church. I talked to her at least weekly on the phone. She came to CA and visited once and I went back and stayed with her several times at her condo in suburban Chicago.

WOW!! WHAT A RABBIT TRAIL!!  All that because of fruit salad. 

Aunt Ruth gave me this recipe about 25 years ago. My family loves it. Use any fruit you like, just mix it up! It's good with or without the Cool-Whip. Use SPARINGLY over your fruit because it's very sweet, and frankly, not very healthy with all those marshmallows in it. ;-) 


I serve this over any kind of mixed fruit. Today I combined cut up banana, apple, peach, plum, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries! I did not add the Cool Whip. 

FRUIT SALAD DRESSING

from Aunt Ruth

Ingredients:

2 T. flour

3/4 C. sugar

pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 T. butter                                          

1 C. pineapple juice                

Juice of 1 lemon                                 

18 marshmallows       

Cool Whip (optional) 

           

Directions:

            Mix flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and butter. Add juice and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until it just begins to boil and thicken. Beat in marshmallows while mixture is warm.

            When cool, add Cool Whip, if desired. Keep tightly covered in refrigerator.

            Serve over fresh mixed fruit.