Kids Cuisine

It’s two weeks after Valentine’s Day, do you know what that means? That’s right, apparently Easter is right around the corner. I popped into my local RiteAid this weekend and was amazed at the transformation that had taken place. All the hearts and red things were off to one side with a big “75% OFF” sign. But right in the middle of the store, impossible to avoid, was the crinkly green plastic grass and pastel colors that sing out “In Your Easter Bonnet” to me.

As a kid, I always had to wait until Easter to enjoy all the seasonal candies in my basket. I would see the chocolate eggs, cream eggs, and jelly beans on the store shelves, but I’d know I had to wait until the holiday weekend to enjoy them.

Not so now. See, as a grown-up, I have the ability to buy my own candy and consume it whenever I want. And as it happens, I want it now! The weather may still be cold and unfriendly, but there is nothing like a bowl of jelly beans to remind you that spring is on its way.

I am a bit of a jelly bean connoisseur. Highlights this year are the new SweetTart jelly beans, which pack a nice, sour punch, and my favorite for the last several years, Starburst jelly beans. Both of these are very similar to their regular candy cousins and mercifully lack the dreaded black jelly bean. Though if black is really your thing (is that POSSIBLE?), I also saw whole 1-pound bags of just the black ones. Shudder.

As a teenager, I got way into Jelly Belly beans. I loved the Champagne Punch flavor and thought I was so grown up for enjoying such a sophisticated bean. (Imagine my surprise when I tried real champagne later and found it nothing like the candy version!) I also loved combining the different flavors to create new recipes. If you are up for that challenge, Jelly Belly is currently hosting a recipe contest with a possible prize of $10,000!

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Jelly Belly factory in California. This is definitely worth the trip for kids and candy-lovers of all ages. On the tour, you will walk through the huge factory on an enclosed catwalk to witness the entire bean-making process from chewy center to flavoring to packaging.

The complex also has Jelly Belly themed art, a station where you can sample new flavors, and my favorite, the store, where you can buy huge quantities of beans that are ugly but tasty because of manufacturing errors. They are just as good, and much cheaper too!

Jelly beans are not exactly health food, but they are usually fat free. For me at least, the sugar buzz is worth it to put a little spring(time) back into my step.