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Joanna Miller - Bio


Joanna Miller lives in Portland, Oregon, where she produces commercial photo shoots and engages in the majority of her sugar forays. The first (self-appointed) matter of business upon assignment of out-of-town shoots, however, is to research that city’s line-up of bakeries and chocolatiers.
As much as she LOVES sugar (everything from S.F.’s Recchiuti […]

The Chocolate Box — See’s Piece by Piece #4


Scotchmallow Hearts
(Author’s Note: For background on this column and See’s Candy, please click here.)
Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and every thought turns to love . . . of chocolate. The folks at See’s Candy are no different. They have a profuse variety of heart-shaped boxes filled with your sweetheart’s favorite nuts, chews, […]

Candied Nuts


I am quite sure people in other parts of the U.S. are familiar with pecans, but I know for a fact that we Southerners know this particular nut well. If a recipe calls for nuts, we have taste-tested it with pecans at least a few times. Which leads me to my latest recipe, […]

Is Valentine’s Day Going to the Dogs .. and Cats?


I spotted these special Valentine’s presents for your favorite “companion animal” at Target, a chain discount store known for its creativity, strong style and good deals.
The dog version includes cookies and other treats designed to look like chocolate and candy which are bad for dogs, but are made with good-for-canine foods like soy meal. […]

Valentine’s Day Grows Up


You probably either love or hate Valentine’s Day. Whatever your feelings are, you can’t deny the sugary sensory overload that is associated with February 14. I personally got over those little candy hearts quite a few years ago- who needs chalky pieces of sugar with cheesy messages on them? Time to grow […]

The Chocolate Box — See’s Piece by Piece #3


Chocolate-Covered Cherries

(Note: For background on this series, check out the author’s note here. For more information on store locations and mail ordering, please go to the See’s website.)
Today’s Chocolate Box investigates the many mysteries of the chocolate-covered cherry, which is somewhat like the ship-in-the-bottle of candies. I’ve always wondered how they got that liquidy […]

Handmade Marshmallows - Endless Possibilities


With their sugary goodness, marshmallows appeal to our inner child. Many of us can think back on our younger years and remember late night campfires complete with ooey gooey S’mores, or snowy days spent sipping Mom’s homemade hot chocolate filled with big fluffy marshmallows.
For several years now, I have seen numerous companies […]