Sugarfina: My Color and Sugar Spirit Animal

Did I stand a chance against this wall of candy? Nope.

In a city where no one really knows me, I often give in and summarize my life as being driven by "color and sugar." Knowing that, you would expect that I would stop and marvel at this boutique candy wall inside the flagship Nordstrom in Seattle, WA.

The company is called Sugarfina and they sell clear plastic boxes of color and sugar known as candy. The idea is that you build your own bento box with the colors and flavors you love. This is the kind of gift I would have given my bridesmaids. Fun, memorable and delicious.

I chose a box of Sassy Strawberries, which are flat strawberry replicas dusted in sugar. I told myself that they would be beautiful as a garnish on a strawberry cheesecake (you know, topping each puff of whipped cream) but I had eaten the entire box of 10 (?) by morning. You'll notice that I can't provide a picture of them. My tastebuds were too demanding. The candies were very chewy (like) and extremely cute (love) and came in a reusable plastic box for $7.50.

I also bought a try-me pack of gummy Apricot Hearts for $2.50. Why is nothing ever flavored apricot? I thought these were delicious and enjoyed chain-chewing these bubble-bath lookalikes until they were gone.

I was offered a sample of their "Martini Olive Almonds" and if I had a party planned, they would be my first unnecessary purchase. Roasted California almonds are dipped in white chocolate and then painted to look like olives. Someone hand me a crystal dish - these are fantastic. 

I am all for this new way of mixing and matching beautiful candy. Keep your eye out for Sugarfina and tell them Anne sent you.

Sprinkle and Sugar Management

My blog is about finding delight in everyday life.  Celebrating the beauty of everyday moments. Embracing what you love, collecting what you want.  

I love a lot of things, but I tend to tell people that my life is driven by color and sugar.  No image will make that clearer than the one above.  My new genius invention...what I call "Sugar Management."

Do you love it!?!  It is every sprinkle I own, contained in individual clear boxes with lids.  I know, it makes my heart pound too.

You see, I have a lot of decorations and I use them liberally on cupcakes, cookies and the like.  I go on "field trips" with my friend Alison and we buy what we need for the upcoming holiday.  It is so fun, so reasonable and is the best collection ever.

Collection?  Yep, this counts.  Something that I have this much of and something that brings me this much delight surely counts as a collection. To me, this is art.

The road block for me was that the containers that they came in were of varying sizes and not at all appealing.  When I pull out my cookie decorations it should be as pretty as the sugar itself. Do you know what I mean?  The marginal packaging was standing in the way between me and the cute.  So I found a way to fix it.

Want to have your own system of sugar management?  I bought a collection of clear Amac boxes (this variety with a deep lid) and (this variety with a narrow lid) at the Container Store and I feel like a Sweet Genius.  

Golden Fig's Enhanced Sugar

Every time I reach into my cupboard and pull out one of my beloved Golden Fig enhanced sugars, I ask myself the same two questions:  

• Why don't more companies make sugar blends like these? 
• Why haven't more stores/people discovered Golden Fig, the maker of said sugars?

I initially found Golden Fig when I bought their "Cranberry Spices" mix in a cooking store while on vacation in Minnesota.  I can't find this heavenly blend on their website, but when I call, they usually have it and can mail me a few jars.  The "Cranberry Spices" is a blend of maple powder (see it sounds good already, right?), ground ginger, orange peel powder, thyme (totally the secret ingredient - it adds incredible depth), ground nutmeg, anise and cloves.  The company intends for you to use this spice blend to make a cranberry sauce, which is delicious to be sure.  I want you to sprinkle this heavenly mixture over roasted acorn squash, roasted butternut squash, pureed squash - you get the idea.  It makes all of the harvest vegetables sing.  I joke that I'd sprinkle it in the bathtub if I could - it smells that wonderful.

Anyhoo, because I was such a fan of the "Cranberry Spices," I decided to try some of their enhanced sugars.  I love them all.  They are a culinary indulgence; certainly not necessary for day-to-day living, but very fun to sprinkle with abandon when the mood strikes.

• Making buttered toast? Shake on some "Cinnamon Orange" sugar.
• Shortbread hot out of the oven? Sprinkle it with "Lemon Rosebud" and listen to the girls ooh and ahh
• Non-fat Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast? Douse it with pink "Hibiscus" sugar 
• Baking Christmas rolls?  They will be even better made with "Cardamom Sugar"
• Fruit Salad need a little something? Sprinkle it with "Lavender Ginger" sugar

Honestly, you can't go wrong.  I love my collection of special sugars from the Golden Fig. I reach for them all the time and feel like I am a sweet genius.

Fruit Slices - I Love Lemon

The forward of my book, Finding Delight, includes the statement: "I believe that the best life is a varied life.  When hobbies and travel collide with friendship and collecting.  Where sugar rules and stories matter."

Where sugar rules, Anne?  Really?  Yes.

I love sweets.  And I like sharing them with my friends and family.  I want to go out for cupcakes.  I want to make cookies when a friend is coming over for tea.  I have wonderful memories associated with candy and I want to be reminded of them as often as possible.  

My maternal grandmother, Anne, loved fruit slices.  I spent most of my time with her during summer days at her cottage up north. On the glorious days that it was just the two of us, we always ate candy.  Her two favorites were Sanders Dark Honeycomb Chips and Fruit Slices.  

If you clicked on the fruit slices link, you'll see them as I remember them. A white tray with 16 slices on it - four each of cherry, lemon, orange and lime.  There weren't very many slices and I remember that when the occasion called for candy, we only ate one.  It was special and we savored every chewy bite.  

I am nothing if not sentimental, so it shouldn't surprise you that two of my favorite candies are dark chocolate honeycomb chips and lemon fruit slices.  But times have changed, things are more plentiful now and I can actually buy fruit slices (just my favorite, lemon!) in a bulk box at my local grocery store.  I know Nama wouldn't believe it if she saw what I had access to.  

I try and show restraint; I don't always have them on hand.  But on Sunday afternoon as I passed by the candy aisle, this box of sugar made its way into my cart.  I eat them with abandon while they last and think of my grandmother every time.  Yes, my friends, sugar is a powerful memory maker and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Sugar Santa

I love these super cute Santas!  I was at Heinrich's cake and candy supply store last week (of course I was!) and I took this photo in their Sugar Room.  They have small individual bins with fresh sugar (or frosting) decorations to enhance your holiday sweets. 

I like to dress up my sugar cubes with these sweet frosting faces.  Remember these from Thanksgiving a few years ago?  You just "glue" the faces to the sugar cubes with a dab of frosting. Super easy and super cute.  Try this at your next holiday gathering and notice how many people suddenly take sugar in their coffee!  

Sugar Shaker

Powdered Sugar is your friend.  A sprinkling of it can elevate the look of a dish or hide a few mistakes, depending on how your day is going.

I wanted to show you the dreamy side of powdered sugar on a Scandinavian lunch (above) that I had one Summer.  The cold fruit soup had an edible fairy rose floating on a mint leaf - all kissed with a bit of powdered sugar.  Gorgeous!

Then there are the bad days, when your Mother's Day cake sticks to the "needs no spray or grease" French Sunflower cake mold that you bought at the rummage sale for twenty-five cents.  I was not happy.  Then I realized that a dusting of powdered sugar would visually "even out" the variations in color and "stuck to the pan" gaps in my simple cake.  It worked like a charm!  I put the cake on a pink cake stand and it looked like I had always planned to finish it with powdered sugar.  Whoosh - what a relief.

From now on, I'll use a non-stick spray in my new pan (I still love it) and I'll keep my sugar shaker full!

12 Days of Valentine's Day: Sprinkles

Is your cupboard full of pink sprinkles?  You can easily find pink sugar, white jimmies and red hot hearts at the grocery store right now.  I love to enhance just about everything (pancakes, yogurt, scones) with a tough of pink or red.   

In a pinch?  You can buy heart-shaped cookies at the grocery store, then frost and add sprinkles yourself.  I buy most of my decorations at a cake & candy supply store - a great value and so fun to visit in person! 

I took this photograph (a jar of hearts!) at a cupcake shop in England called Lola.  Not only was the display brilliant, but I could see one red heart in a sea of pink.  Happy Day 11!

Day 11:  Add whimsy to life with a little pink sugar.  Come on, you know you want to.

Baby Chicks

What could be cuter than this? I was roaming my local cake & cookie supply store (find your own by Googling "cake supply store, (your hometown)"), when I found these baby chicks made of frosting!

They are sold sets of 12 for about $2 and can be used on cupcakes, candies or anywhere you want an Easter touch. I am using them on sugar cubes and they will elevate my after-dinner coffee to super cute!

I simply "glued" the chicks to sugar cubes with a bottle of Wilton cookie icing - I found my bottle of icing on the shelf at Michaels. Voila!

Do you take one lump or two?

Sugar Cubes

Aren't these sweet? I found little royal icing sugar decorations at our local cake supply store (featured last year as Sugar Secrets) and "glued" them to sugar cubes with Wilton white cookie icing. I am bringing them to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. Who wouldn't love to drop one of these in their coffee?

Would you like to make your own set for Christmas? You can buy similar royal icing decorations here. You may want to use sugar tablets, which are bigger and offer a little more real estate for your decorations.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!