Monday, September 10, 2012

What's Your Chocolate??


Hey, it's a ChocFest amongst friends... so let's talk Chocolate!




Momma and Hershey Kisses.

That's the first thing that comes up as I think about "chocolate memories."

I don't eat sugar any longer, but I do love me some chocolate! I've discovered many excellent tasting chocolatey recipes that don't use white sugar.

 (my apron!)


But as far as memories go...well, it's Momma and Hershey Kisses.

See, back on 2004 we lost Momma to breast cancer. After we lost my Dad in 2002, Momma moved next door to me and my husband here in Southern Oregon, so we could be close as she needed help. 

As Momma got sicker, her appetite dimmed. But Momma never lost her Chocolate Tooth! One day my older brother arrived from Southern Cal bearing gifts... a HUMONGOUS tin full of what else?? Hershey Kisses. :-D



So yes... I will forever smile fondly when I see a Hershey Kiss. Not because *I* used to eat them by the barrel full (um, yes I did). But because they remind me of Momma. And that makes me smile.





Please to enjoy your chocolate as you visit others on the Bloghop list below!

Retta

40 comments:

  1. Being from Australia, I have never tasted a Hershey, they certainly have a big reputation!

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    1. Maybe some day the Hershey company will bring their Kisses to Australia!
      Growing up, it was a favorite joke to go up to someone and ask: do you want a kiss?? Then offer them a Hershey's Kiss. :-)

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  2. Nice post ;-)

    This is another chocolate I like to bake into cookies - the peanut butter blossoms, that you stick a Hershey Kiss on top when they're still hot from the oven, so the chocolate melts right onto the cookie to stick... yummm...

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    1. Oh, I've made those too. Love em! They are so cute, especially when the Kiss tip is still sticking up a little bit.

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  3. Was it all the kisses? or just the milk she liked?

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    1. She was an "original" Kiss girl. She enjoyed the milk chocolate ones best. :-)

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  4. What a wonderful dedication to a loved one and a nice way to remember her. Thank you for sharing that.
    I love Hershey's Kisses, too.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Jackie.
      I have to laugh... would Hershey's Kisses be so popular if they had named them something else... like Hershey's Handshakes? ;-)

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  5. Replies
    1. Yes, one of so many. Thanks for visiting, Tim.

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  6. What a wonderful story to go with your chocolate. Next time I see a kiss, I'll think of your Momma.

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    1. Thanks for helping organize this Blog Hop around chocolate. It has been fun to realize all the great memories I have around, of all things, chocolate! My sister, Karen, even reminded me of the cut glass candy dish my Momma used just for candy, and often, well probably MOST of the time, it was some kind of chocolate. Oh, I just remembered! At Christmas there were always those hard striped brightly colored ribbon candies, in the shape of stacked S's.

      You know, Mary, I realized it's not really even the chocolate, or candies... it's the memories. :-)
      This has been a totally fun blog hop, thanks!

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  7. I think everyone must have at least one good memory centered around Hershey Kisses. To have connected to Momma is even better.

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    1. Yes, here in the states they are so much a part of the culture!
      I visited your website, Isis, and just have to say: it is visually stunning!! Kudos to the artist!

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  8. My mother-in-law at 96, still likes Hershey's Kisses. The smooth ones, no nuts. My preference is for dark chocolate, plain or nutty.

    My mom had a sweet tooth as well, and always smelled like the ice cream at the DQ. (she worked there when I was under school age and took me once to the shop.) That memory is vivid.

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    1. Aww, bless her heart! 96 and still going strong.

      I love your memory, D.G, of your Mom smelling like the DQ ice cream. That just struck me as such a wonderful "sense" memory. :-)

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  9. What a wonderful way in which to remember a loved one...

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Michelle. I really enjoyed this Blog Hop, with the good memories it stirred up. :-)

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  10. Replies
    1. Even though she's been gone 8 years, she is such a part of me that it's like she is not really "gone", ya know?. She is forever woven into my life, like a golden thread woven into a tapestry.
      :-)
      Thanks for visiting, Catherine.

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  11. Anonymous1:27 PM

    Such an endearing memory! Loved the pictures you posted of Momma, she looks like she was a bomb shell when she was younger. :d

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    1. Aww, how sweet of you to say, Capillary! The photo of her at age 22 is one of my favorites.

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  12. That is such a wonderful memory. It's like my grandpa and Werthers Originals. I not only love them for the taste, but as a memory of the last kind of candy we ever shared before he passed in 1994.

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    1. Yes, that's it exactly, Crystal. The memories. How sweet that you have that memory of you and your grandpa.

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  13. Great memories. Loved the pictures, too!! :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Lynn.
      I love the school pic when she was 10; it was rural Oklahoma. Did you notice the little bare feet of some of the children, and the little boys in their farmer overalls? :-D

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  14. We have Hershey's Kisses here in New Zealand. They are good. But you won't find me doing chocolate for a while and certainly not the Bloghop. I've just looked at how much I've eaten this week. Ouch. I think I've found an excuse to eat ad lib on 70% especially if it's flavoured with chilli.

    Memories are treasures.

    Blessings

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    1. You've been doing so well, MargieAnne, I could see why you wouldn't want to mess up your streak by diving into chocolate. :-D

      Chili flavored chocolate... gasp!
      Reminds me of the old Texan who, when he tasted some chile that had beans in it, was outraged and asked: what are these darned foreign objects in my chili??!! :-D)))

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  15. What a tribute to your mother. I'm glad Hershey brought some comfort to someone.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Susan. I still have that big tin my brother brought the Kisses in. It always reminds me of Momma and her Kisses. :-D

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  16. What a great memory to associate with a Hershey's kiss!!

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    1. And the fun part is, I don't even have to eat them to enjoy the memory. :-D
      Thanks for stopping by, Brinda.

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  17. Your mother was a total spunk as a 22 year old! wow!

    Thanks for sharing this story :) Whenever I'm in LA I try to get some kisses. as in, Hershey's ;)

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    1. Thanks, Trisha. That's one of my favorite photos of her. :-)

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  18. I've never heard a better reason to love a Hersey's Kiss.

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    1. Me neither, LOL!
      Thanks for stopping by, Ciara.

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  19. Wow! I remember the peanut clusters and you remember Hershey kisses. It's all chocolate!

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    1. Do you remember the name of her favorite ice cream that she had Jim go buy all the time?? Death By Chocolate, LOL! Kinda gallows humor, but she laughed at that a lot. :-)

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  20. That is a beautifully sweet memory. Thanks for joining the blogfest!

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    1. Thank YOU, Laura, for hosting such a fun blog hop!

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