Dipped Caramel Apple Granola Bars

This time of year, we usually spend so much time talking about the big name brands that the smaller ones tend to fall to the wayside.  Sometimes, the little engine that could turns out to be much stronger than we gave him credit for.  Other times, we realize they're small for a reason and they confirm why they're much less-known than the big dogs.  Which category will today's Halloween treat fall into?  Well, we're talking about Market Pantry, and extension of the Target brand, and they've surprised me a few times in the past.  Market Pantry certainly goes all out for the seasons and does their part in celebrating the holidays, but not everything has been solid.  Today, we're talking about a product that sounds amazing, but may be too much of a long-shot to actually be any good.

Twix Ghosts

No matter how old I get, the traditional individually wrapped Halloween candy will always enhance the season.  Just seeing them sit there in their Halloween boxes makes me happy.  They're usually the first sign of Halloween in late August and, since I was a kid, I've always gone out of my way to make sure there's plenty to go around.  As I've gotten older, I've told myself to put off indulging in massive amounts of sugar until the week of Halloween.  Let's face it, with the amount of junk I cover, I'd either be on my way to the dentist or cardiologist if I actually ate it all.  Most of what you see is a "one-bite-put-away" before making another appearance before the big day.  But, for as quick as candies like Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins and Peppermint Patty Bats make their annual debut, they're gone just as quick and I'm left wishing I had indulged just a little bit more.

One of the newest items I've seen on shelves (when they weren't sold out) are Twix Ghosts!  Following in the others' footsteps, Twix has finally changed their shape for Halloween and embraced the season.  For as many as I've seen sold out, they must be wondering why they didn't do this sooner!

Bewitching Blend Tic-Tac

A busy day means a quick post, but that doesn't make today's any less special.  Throughout the Halloween season, there are so many products released that some get lost in the shuffle or don't make my radar.  Usually, the smaller the product, the less I notice it.  I guess that makes sense, but it's important to give all Halloween products their due diligence so that we continue to receive such a vast variety from so many different companies.  Sure, they may not all lead to 1,000 words, but not everything has to.  There's only so much I can say in today's review, but Halloween Tic-Tac's deserve to be featured!

These Bewitching Blend Tic-Tac's aren't new for 2014, but I never gave them the respect they deserve in the past.  Tic-Tac's aren't something I normally by.  This is the type of product you hope somebody else has when you're in need of a mint.  But when you see that a company has changed things up in celebration of your favorite season, ya gotta reward that with a few pennies.  What's so special about this?  The way it look!  Orange and Apple flavored Tic-Tac's aren't especially intriguing, but together they make Halloween art.  Combine that with a purple sticker, a pretty witch, and her Bewitching Blend logo and we officially have Halloween in our pockets!

This Witch is impressed.  I don't know if she enjoys the flavor or is green with envy after seeing a non-green, non-scarred, Bewitching Witch on the Tic-Tac sticker.  I feel for her, as do most women who look at the People Magazine covers, but she has nothing to worry about.  Personally, I prefer my Witches green and gross.  Frankenstein would probably wife this Witch up!  But maybe I'm totally off-base.  Maybe she is impressed with the flavor!  After all, they're not bad at all!  The Green Apple Tic-Tac's are delicious, but the Orange taste like medicine.  Believe it or not, I actually like that because there's nostalgia attached to it.  I guess I'm weird like that, but I enjoy Orange Tic-Tac's and certainly don't eat them for fresh breath.  If you're looking for something minty and refreshing, you gotta go the traditional route.  These are for your fruity taste buds and they're worth the few cents.  Just think of how cool you're going to be once you whip these out from your pocket and offer them to your friends.  Oh snap, look at you!

8 / 10

Halloween Kit-Kat

I love Halloween gimmicks.  When it comes to Halloween candy, it wouldn't feel like the season without pumpkin shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or bat shaped Peppermint Patties.  Those little things, the attention to detail, and going the extra mile to celebrate the season are what makes Halloween so special.  Although I've covered most of these individually wrapped candies in the past, I continue to buy them every year for my own enjoyment.  Because they're usually the first Halloween products released, sometimes as early as August, they've become tradition.  They're a sign that Halloween is soon to make it's arrival and a reminder to make a dentist appointment sometime in November.

Cotton Candy Balls

Whenever I make a trip to Target, I usually take the time to search the aisles for products that may be new, limited, or special edition.  I usually look for items that can be purchased for fun and review on The Holidaze.  However, yesterday was not one of those days.  I had just gotten out of work, was tired, and had to run in for just a few essentials.  I didn't plan on buying any junk food, but my something caught my girlfriend's eye... blue cheese balls!  At first, I was intrigued.  No matter how tired I may have been, things like that will wake me right up.  How could you go wrong with blue cheese balls?  They're tiny cheese puffs, put into a ball, and dyed blue!  Um.. yes, please!

But when we picked up the giant tub of blue cheese balls, things changed..

Okay.. Cotton Candy Balls?  Have the good people at Herr's gone nuts?  This was far from what I expected and the first thing I said was "ew, these are going to be gross."  In turn, that scared away a couple who were obviously interested in making the purchase.  They stopped, looked at the tub, then at each other, before leaving after I let my opinion drop.  I'm sorry if that killed their vibe, or the sale for Target, but who in their right mind would buy these?  Of all the flavors Herr's could have released, why an overly sugary circus treat?  Don't get me wrong, Cotton Candy is great, but I just didn't see how it could successfully translate over to corn puffs.

Regardless of my preconceived notions, my girlfriend convinced me that this would be a good pick-up.  We'd get to try such an odd snack and, for The Holidaze, it would make for an interesting review.  For the $6 they cost, it was well worth the risk.  After all, I seem to be in the minority when it comes to liking limited edition Oreos, so why would this be any different?  Similarly, how could I knock Herr's and praise Nabisco for going the extra mile?  No matter what I think, before or after the taste test, I am happy to see such a unique product on the market.

As Leonardo gazed and salivated in hunger, I took a good whiff of these blue balls (pause for immature laughter) and.. wow, they really do smell like Cotton Candy.  I didn't expect them to be so potent, but this was the real deal.  Even more intrigued than before, we chomped down on one of the Cotton Candy Balls.

The flavor?  Bland.. It's an almost flavorless corn puff, but that's only at first.  After a second or two, there's an after taste that actually does remind me of Cotton Candy.  It's not very strong, and tastes much more like Cap'n Crunch Berries than anything else, but even that is a bit weak.  They taste as if they took all the sugar out of our favorite cereals and left us with nothing more than a scent and puffs.

With that said, I'm actually not knocking these Cotton Candy Balls.  I think the fact that they're more bland than expected is actually a good thing.  Had they been overwhelmingly sweet or tastes too much like Cotton Candy, I don't think these would have worked out at all.  Fan of Cotton Candy or not, I just don't think that's a flavor that does very well outside of it's incarnation.  Bubblicious Bubble Gum does a decent job of relaying the flavor, but even that gets old after a while.  So, this way, the way Herr's did it, works well.  I'm not going to buy them again, nor will I be finishing off the tub, but I'm happy we bought them.  They're something worth trying and, as a fan of weird products like this, I had to lend my financial support to the companies that go the extra mile.  Because I do so, I wouldn't be surprised if Nabisco released a Cotton Candy Oreo next.  I'd probably be writing the same review, but at least the packing would be cool.

Since it's Ninja Turtles month around here, I decided to let Leo eat as much as he wants.  Nobody notice that he's missing an arm, okay?

Red Velvet Valentine's Day M&M's

I had no problem finding Cherry M&M's, but the Red Velvet M&M's were a different story.  Whenever I can't find a product, I need to drive out to a Wal-Mart much further away because, for some reason, they always seem to carry more than my local retailers.  Over the years, they're to thank for Halloween and Christmas Crunch cereals, Oreo Cookies, and a few cakes and candies that have been unattainable elsewhere.  In this case, they're to thank again because they're the only location to offer me these highly sought after Red Velvet M&M's.

Red Velvet cake and cupcakes have been all the rage for quite some time.  I think the Food Network deserves the credit, especially Duff from Ace of Cakes and his TLC rival, Buddy the Cake Boss, for creating masterpieces with Red Velvet ingredients.  To be honest, I can't remember anybody mentioning or wanting the flavor before it hit the TV screen.  When I was a kid, I didn't even know what Red Velvet was.  Outside of some type of sensual cloth, I had no idea that it was something you can taste.  Now, and especially over the last few years, everything is being flavored in Red Velvet!  Candy, ice cream, cake - you name it.  But hey, I can't blame them.  When something is that popular, you have to cash in before it crashes down. M&M's are no exception and leave it to Ms. Green to lure us in with her freshly baked cupcakes topped with, what I can only assume are, crushed Red Velvet M&M's.  Some imagination, eh?

The M&M colors are nearly identical to that of the Cherry bag.  If not for the white M&M's thrown into the mix, I don't think you would be able to tell the difference.  The white makes sense, though, because it represents the icing on Ms. Green's cupcakes.  The only color I would have liked to see more of is a deep purple.  Why?  Just because I like the color and think it would work.  Does it matter?  Absolutely not, I'm just being picky at this point.

Just like the Cherry M&M, the Red Velvet version is chocolate on the inside with less of an impact when it comes to flavor.  This one reminds me more of the Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread M&M's because there isn't much taste to it.  To me, it was still basically a chocolate M&M with very little Red Velvet in the mix.  To a degree, that's not a bad thing because, unlike the Cherry, it's far from overwhelming.  But, at the same time, a little bit more punch would have been appreciated and might have worked better.  Either way, It's a good pick-up and a welcome addition to the line of Valentine's Day M&M flavors.  Believe it or not, there are more than just these two bags that I've reviewed today, but these are the hot shots that deserve all the glory and acclamation.

It's the day before Valentine's Day, so if you're still behind and need to get something quick for that special someone in your life, then these are worth the money.  If you can find them, I'd recommend purchasing both.  I know they'll receive mixed reviews, as they have on The Holidaze, but they represent the season so well that they deserve a shot.  Throw them in with a bag of 3 Musketeers Strawberry Dark Chocolate and you're well on your way to sealing the deal.  Or a stomach ache, whatever comes first :)

Cherry Valentines Day M&M's

If there's one brand of candy that you can count on during the holiday seasons, it's M&M's.  The funny part is I'm not even a big fan of M&M's candy, but can't resist the various flavors that hit the shelves every few months.  Even if it's a taste that I'm not necessarily fond of, I pick up a bag and waste my money anyway, just to say I tried them.  Seriously, 95% of the bag sits there in my kitchen or in a bowl and never gets touched.  Once they're photographed and tasted for The Holidaze, they've served their purpose and can rest in peace.

Unlike many of the limited-editions I buy, Cherry M&M's was one that actually interested me.  It's rare that cherry and chocolate don't work out well together, so I assumed this would be a hit.  The package design, like all varieties of M&M's, is superb.  There's are friend Red again, sporting a bow tie and jacket, bringing you a big box of chocolates and two giant cherries.  Not sure what they represent, but my dirty mind thinks something other than these M&M's.  I mean, just look at the grin on his face - he's got something up his sleeve as he prepares for the big night.

To nobody's surprise, the Cherry M&M's are red and dark red.  We'll call it maroon to avoid any confusion, but the two colors are more than appropriate for the season and flavor.  I would have accepted green to represent the cherry stem, but then you're entering Christmas territory and this separates itself from the rest and symbolizes Valentine's Day as it should.  Besides the color, the smell is overwhelming.  I've review a few of these holiday bags over the years and, without a doubt, this was the strongest scent to fly out from the bag since I started.  It's sweet, strong and seductive.  Okay, maybe not seductive, but I needed a third "S" word to make that sound better.  Smelly would have been a turn off.

The inside is traditionally chocolate with a hint of cherry.  Actually, scratch that, a hint is undermining the amount of impact that this cherry flavor brings.  It's a smack in the face and that will lead to differing opinions.  I've had a few people give this bag a taste test and, so far, the reviews are mixed.  Even my own opinion isn't official yet.  I've had at least 6 since I opened the bag and I can't figure out if I like them or not.  One second I love them, but the next I can't stand them.  If that doesn't sum up Valentine's Day, then what else does?  But seriously, when it's good, I get a taste of Cherry Tootsie Pops which is awesome.  But, when it's bad, it's more like Cherry Nyquil and that isn't so great.  So this one is a bit up in the air and I think the only way to get a true review is for you to make the decision yourself.  I do recommend the Cherry M&M's, at least to try during this season, but I can't promise that you'll like them.

Here's another heart made from Cherry M&M's.  Because I go from having no time to having too much time on my hands.

Check back later today for another batch of M&M's - Red Velvet!

Junior Mints - Heart Shaped

I was walking through the aisles of Target a few weeks ago and something stood out at me - Junior Mints.  Now, that's not something I usually pay attention to, but after eating countless Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints during the Christmas season, the candy has now been on my radar.  Thanks to the success of Peppermint Crunch, I had my eyes peeled and picked up a Valentine's Day edition of Junior Mints that I was very excited to see and try.

Had these been your regular, old, boring, everyday Junior Mints, I would have walked on by and waited until December before giving them any more of my money.  But two things stood out and attracted me - heart shaped candies and red filling.  Like I said in my last post, it doesn't take much to lure me in and if you've been reading The Holidaze for a while, you should know that by now.  Red filling?  That's an instant sale.  In fact, if it weren't for the change in color, I don't think I would have even bothered with the heart shaped Junior Mints.  That's cute, but not enough for this manly man to waste a dollar.

After opening the box and looking at the size and shape of these Junior Mints, I realized I would have made a mistake had I walked on by and ignored the heart shape alone.  They're much bigger than I expected and look very cool.  They're perfect for Valentine's Day, but it was still all about the red filling.  If I didn't have that to entice me, this post would have ended here and I'd have nothing else to talk about.  The fact that we still have red mint filling to review is what's keeping this post alive.  Right?  Hmm..

My plan was to bite two, get a picture of the white and red next to one another, and upload them to my laptop.  I didn't intend on eating an entire box, but I had to find that damn red Junior Mint and, believe me when I tell ya, I was getting pissed off.  Bite after bite and all I kept seeing was your traditional white filling.  I thought there was supposed to be a variety here?  I thought I was going to see some red in this box, but I kept striking out on every attempt.  The only reason I bought this candy at all was to see the red filling and pretend I was a vampire or zombie eating a red heart on Valentine's Day, but things weren't looking good.  I bit at least 13 Junior Mint hearts, had only 4 left, before.. finally.. one damn heart.

Just as I was starting to lose hope, there is is!  It's too bad that there weren't any more than one because it truly looks awesome!  Of course I acted as if I was a walker feasting on the flesh of mere mortals.  That's to be expected, right?  Whether it's a celebration of love or not, you don't eat a red filled heart without throwing in a little horror.  Maybe it's a guy thing, but that was pretty much the only reason I bought this box at all.  Fortunately, I was able to experience the thrill of finding a red filled Junior Mint because I honestly thought it was turning into a case of false advertisement.  I have no idea if "one-to-a-box" is what they're going for or if I just caught some bad luck while walking down the aisle, but this was aggravating.  I felt like a kid looking for the Great White Shark in a box of "Shark Bites" fruit snacks.  After a while, you start to whine and throw in the towel.  Luckily I found this one and was able to share it with you.  Otherwise, a boring post would have been even more boring.  The red heart saved us all.

Because I literally bit into every Junior Mint in the box before throwing the wasted half-hearts out, I had to do something special with them.  So I designed a heart using all of my broken ones to give all of my Holidaze readers.  But the kid in me is coming out again and all I see now is a gang of white-filled walkers surrounding the lonesome red-filled heart as they attempt to attack and make him a walker as well.  Yeah, as you can tell, The Walking Dead is back and I'm a little bit more into that than I am Valentine's Day.

Normally I recommend most products I review, but I'd advise you to stay away from this one because you may be disappointed.  I don't know if you'll find more than one or not, but unless you like eating Junior Mints on a regular basis, this one isn't worth the money.

Three Musketeers - Strawberry Dark Chocolate

It's been exactly one month since my last Holidaze post and, as is common with this time of year, I saw it coming.  I told myself I wouldn't let the off-season affect the way I treated the site, but between work and the lack of topics, it's just natural.  But, to some degree, I wanted to stay true to my word and keep up with the site as much as possible.  Although I haven't had a lot of down time to dedicate to The Holidaze, I couldn't let Valentine's Day, which is now only 2-days away, come and go without paying it due diligence.  I've never covered it before, but this year had to be different, so we're kicking off the 2-day V-Day marathon with the hottest of cupid's products.

3 Musketeers Strawberry Dark Chocolate Minis!!

I first saw this on Instagram and knew it would be February's biggest hit.  Look, you can take any old Snickers or Reese's and shape it into a heart, but that just isn't going to cut it anymore.  You need to go the extra mile because that's what's going to attract me and make me spend my money, especially for a less popular holiday like Valentine's Day.  Let's face it, it's a day for love, couples, and girls.  I'm not against either of those, but it's far from wrestling and basketball so it takes a lot to lure me in and get me to spend money on myself.  But this year? You win, 3 Musketeers!  You had me at Strawberry..

Now, these may or may not be new, but having never covered Valentine's Day before, they're completely new to me.  I think I remember seeing a cherry flavored edition in the past, but didn't take the time to investigate the product.  This year, I wasn't going to let this get away.  Look at the pink and silver contrast with the red and purple to create the perfect Valentine's Day rainbow.  You couldn't incorporate better colors to appeal to my eye.  For me, sometimes it's more than just whatever flavor they're offering, it's about product design and how far they'll go to make it complete.  Not every product can change their taste, and some don't have to, but that doesn't mean you can't change a few colors and logos to celebrate the season.  For me, 3 Musketeers was already a success before I even tried the minis.  Package design and art always go a long way.

I love milk chocolate, but tend to avoid dark chocolate.  I've never liked the flavor.  It's like dark beer - I'll drink it, but would rather not.  In this case, I was willing to make the exception because I figured there had to be a reason why the 3 Musketeers chose dark over milk.  It had to work better with the strawberry and I trusted my three homies.  They wouldn't steer me wrong, so it wasn't really an issue for me.  Dark or milk, I had complete faith that this would be well worth it.

Man, I couldn't get my iphone to take a picture that does the color justice, but the pink strawberry filling is beautiful.  It screams Valentine's Day and tastes great.  For as much as my iphone doesn't do the visual justice, I don't think my words can do so for the flavor, either.  This is awesome.  It's strong, it's sweet, and tag teams with the dark chocolate well enough to be champions.  Usually, whenever I buy one of those big, overpriced, heart-shaped boxes of variously assorted chocolates from Russel Stover, I tend to avoid the strawberry filled candies.  They never appeal to me so I go straight for the caramel and call it a day.  But this?  This is the best starberry/chocolate candy I've ever had.  This is what should be offered in those big boxes because it puts all others, and their price tags, to shame.

Whether you're single and want to revel in your freedom or you're with that special someone who wants to indulge in your sweetness, this is the way to go.  Either way, you can't go wrong because this takes your regular, every-year Valentine's Day to the next level.  We know V-Day is all about candy, teddy bears, and flowers, so you're 1/3 of the way there and it's a lot cheaper than ordering that big box on February 13th.  I'm looking at you, guys, I'm right there with ya.  But don't pay an arm and a leg to get whatever body part it is you're trying to get on Valentine's Day.  Let the 3 Musketeers be your wingmen (or wingwomen) and you're good to go ;)

10 Years

First of all, let me welcome you to 2014! It's a new year filled with promise and possibilities and, as I said in my last post, I hope greatness finds you all in every aspect of your life.  For me, I knew 2014 was going to start off with a celebration.  January 5th marked my 10 Year Anniversary with my girlfriend, Eileen and, to celebrate, we spent a relaxing weekend at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.  Now, I could go on and on about how I met her in high school, how I was only 16-years-old, how we were Prom King and Queen, are best friends, blah blah blah.. But after 10 years, most of that goes without saying and, be honest, you're not all that interested in all that.  But since The Holidaze is entering it's boring phase of the year, I had to find something to talk about so, here it is..

Whenever we make the 2-hour venture down to Atlantic City, we always stay at the Tropicana. One, because it's usually the cheapest hotel on the boardwalk and, two, it's beautiful.  I love the way it's designed.  Even with it being 5 degrees outside, they manage to make it look and feel like you're in a tropical environment.  The atmosphere and ambiance throughout the entire hotel is, in my opinion, better than most in Atlantic City.  Sure, you can stay at Harrah's and Revel for a more unique, modern, and younger experience, but they're so far away from everything and I like to be close enough to walk.  Of course, on this weekend, we did very little walking and spent all 3 days at the Trop.  It was way too cold to start wandering around outside.

Most people go to Atlantic City for the gambling, but I'm not one of them.  Don't get me wrong, I love the thrill that comes with the pull of a slot machine or spin of the roulette wheel, but I don't get too crazy.  When I first turned 21, I was in love with gambling.  I was betting more than I could afford and, surprisingly, came out on top most of the time.  By 5-years later, I've learned my lesson.  The house always wins and, if you're not careful, you'll end up losing money you could have spent on a good time.  That's what this trip was all about!  We wanted to relax, enjoy our time off from work, and indulge in nice restaurants, bars, and stores.  The first, for a late dinner, was Broadway Burger Bar.

I really liked the decor, especially the booths where we could sit next to one another.  It always adds to the date, even after 10 years.  To start off, we ordered a spiked milk shake because that's what we had in a similar restaurant in Las Vegas.  There, we had amazing milk shakes and one that had Pop Rocks thrown into the mix.  That was special, but this one?  Ah, I ordered a Root Beer Float spiked with Root Beer Vodka and it was just okay.  I drank it and it served it's purpose, but it didn't taste all that great.  After a while, I just started to drink the Stewart's Root Beer and ignore the float.  Ya can never go wrong with Stewart's!

Now, I'm a picky eater, but this just sounded too good to pass up.  Macaroni and Cheese on an Applewood smoked Bacon Cheeseburger?  Yes! Yes! Yes!  There was nothing I didn't like and everything I loved, so I knew it was a must for me.  Eileen got the same thing because, c'mon, who could pass up a burger like that?  Now just imagine how much better it would be with additional toppings that you like.  Lettuce? Tomatoes? Pickles?  That's all you, friend!  But I stick with the cheesy carbs that almost guarantee an early death.  Oh well, It was worth it!

I'm not sure if Broadway Burger Bar is a chain or exclusive to Tropicana, but I bet a quick Google search would give me the answer.  Okay, so I'm too lazy to do it, but you should because in all sincerity, this might have been the greatest cheeseburger I've ever had.  It wasn't the mac & cheese or the bacon.  It wasn't even the cheese, it was the burger itself.  I don't know what they did to season the meat, but it's heaven.  Seriously, it's amazing.  Even the fries deserve a prize because they were the perfect compliment to the main event.  The only thing I should have done differently?  Shoulda picked beer over that shake.  Luckily I'm a smart one and did just that when we went back for round two on Sunday.  Yeah, it's that good.

You can't go to Atlantic City without getting a little tipsy.  Whether it's Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, you have to throw back a few drinks.  I don't care if it's beer, vodka, Jameson, Straw-ber-ritas, or Cosmopolitan's, you just have to enjoy yourself.  Now, for us, we wanted to check out Wet Willie's.  It's been a while since we've been to AC and this was new to us.  We saw tons of these daiquiri dispensers in Las Vegas, but this was the first time we'd ever seen one in Atlantic City.  Despite the rule that said "no hats," we walked in there with my Nets cap and defied authority.  Who gon' stop me, huh?

The bartender was a very good salesman and did a great job convincing me to not only buy alcohol, but buy two of the largest cups of alcohol they had.  First, he gave us a few samples which were all great.  Then he told us how strong they were - 190 Proof Grain Alcohol.  Finally, he made one and called it "The Superman."  Well Superman, meet Clifftonite because I'm about to destroy you!!

Correction - you don't destroy Superman, he destroys you and that's exactly what this drink does!  It's insanely strong.  I couldn't believe how buzzed I felt after only 3 sips.  I've never had Everclear, but that had to be what this was mixed with.  Believe me, there was no way I was going to finish the entire drink.  I barely made it halfway through and that's a good thing because, had I killed it, I can't guarantee it wouldn't have killed me right back.  This is Mark Henry strong, guys!

The next morning was beautifully cold.  Thanks to Winter Storm Hercules, there was snow everywhere, but still much less than what we had back at home in Jersey City.  It's always weird seeing snow on the beach, but I still find it very serene.  It's nature at it's finest and, at the same time, it's most brutal.  The ocean had to be ridiculously cold and just the thought of it all made me so happy to be in a warm hotel room with the heat blasting.

After sleeping in and making up for the work week, we finally did head out and I found this.  I mean, this IS The Holidaze so I had to mention the fact that Valentine's Day candy is out in full force.  Plus, Valentine's Day has a special connection to our 10-Year Anniversary - it was on that day that I first told Eileen I loved her.  

*Girls says "awww"* *Guys say "grow a pair, bro."

Yep, we were in high school and had only been going out for 1 month.  I have no idea if I really knew what love was at the time, but here we are 10-years later so you'll never hear this guy judge any 16-year-old kids when they say they're in love.  Ya never know, maybe they are!  But anyway, we'll get to Valentines Day candy down the road.  That's one holiday that isn't worth rushing - at all.

After getting all dressed up, we went to Carmine's for dinner.  If you've never been there, you're really missing out.  I love Italian food and this is one of the better restaurants I've been to.  Whenever we go to The Tropicana, it's always on our list of things to do.  I didn't take any pictures, because it's a little bit more ritzy than the Broadway Burger Bar, but we went with the family style Chicken Francese and Penne Vodka.  Of course, a beer for me and Sangria for the lady were a must before ending with cheesecake.  I'm now making myself hungry.

We did play a little blackjack, roulette, slots, and the big six, but we lost after going up and knew it would happen.  Still, like I said, it's always a thrill and leads to a few laughs.  But the coolest part about walking around the casino is seeing how many awesome slot machines they now have.  For some reason, security doesn't like you taking pictures, but I snatched that one of a giant Ghostbusters display that preyed on my sense of nostalgia to steal my money.  No, Slimer didn't win, but I was mesmerized by the man playing.  He managed to make Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow man flash and fly on his screen every few minutes.  I have no idea if he won any money, but I still think I had more fun than he did.  Thanks, stranger!

Because I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the casino, I used Google to my advantage to show you one of the cooler slot displays at the Tropicana - Monster Jackpots!  I watched this one for a while just because it featured Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, and the Bride of Frankenstein.  The Universal Monsters were out in full force and it was just enough of a Halloween fix for me to remember how awesome of a season just ended and is only 299 days away.  Start prepping your costume, now!

On our last day, we went to an overpriced candy store called "Lick."  It's an incredible store with a vast variety of items to choose from, but way too expensive for my liking.  For those prices, I could have gone out and at least had the opportunity of doubling my money.  The same box of Peppermint Junior Mints I bought for a dollar was 5 bucks at Lick.  Really?  Still, they had more than enough for me to photograph and share with you.  Above are Jelly Belly Jelly Beans.  I love soda flavored anything and still hope to find the Dr. Pepper Ice Pops in the freezer section but, alas, we're stuck with these beans.  On the bright side, I've had them before and they're delicious!

You'd need a sugar daddy to buy you that Sugar Daddy because it's gigantic!  You'd also need an amazing dentist because, after eating one pound of sticky caramel, I don't know if you'd actually have any teeth left!  The Hershey's and Reese's are nothing new to me, but always fun to see.  I love the big candy even if I know I'd never buy them.

I couldn't bring myself to by these Gravy flavored Candy Canes.  It wasn't the price, because I would have paid anything for a Holidaze post that revolved around Gravy Candy Canes, but I wasn't in the Christmas spirit.  I don't know about you, but Candy Canes represent Christmas and I am already past the season.  Dipping into these now would be extending the season beyond its limits and I can't do that.  I like to start early, but rarely celebrate much after one holiday is over.  It's on to the next phase and that's why these Gravy Canes stayed on their shelf.  I'm sure they're disgusting, but I would have tried them had it been December 24th.  Maybe next year - remind me!

There was one section dedicated to Halloween candy and another dedicated to Christmas.  This is, of course, perfect for The Holidaze and I just loved seeing them last longer than their shelf life.  Most of the items have been reviewed or seen before, but I was disappointed to realize that I'd never heard of those Holiday Sugar Babies.  I should have picked them up or at least taken a better picture.  They were red, green, and white candy coated Sugar Babies decked out for Christmas!  How did I miss those?  They're either old, rare, or I underestimated baby caramels.  I know that Snowman would have caught my eye, but now he'll have to wait until next Christmas.  Again, remind me!

These were the coolest items in the store and it's for obvious reasons.  I'm a sucker for retro packaging and these two wrappers are absolutely classic!  I don't know, for a fact, that these are reproductions of original designs, but I'd bet they are and, even if they're not, they're still awesome and evoke enough nostalgia for me to snatch them up.  Remember when Pepsi released the throwback cans?  I LOVED that!  Same goes for Mountain Dew!  I want every major brand to release retro art, much like General Mills did with their cereals, so geeks like me can save them and enjoy what was, again.  Good times, good times!

Before we checked out of our hotel, we threw up the double 5's to celebrate our 10 years in what is a grainy, pixelated, orange filtered selfie.  It's not my favorite picture in the world, but I blame Steve Jobs and Apple for not putting a flash on the front side of my Iphone.  Regardless of what I think about this photo, it's symbolic and represents a major accomplishment that I couldn't be more proud of.  There are marriages that don't last 10 years and I couldn't be happier with the fact that we made it that far.  The best part is what the future holds.  The first 10 years were great, but the next 10 will be even better.  Of course, most of the texts I received said "Hey, when ya gonna put a ring on that?"  I get it, I get it.. But all I can say, for now, is stay tuned.

To end our trip, we drove home in this.  Oh yeah, this is fog and we couldn't see further than 3 dash marks ahead of us.  A 2-hour drive home turned into 3 because we couldn't see a damn thing.  We should have gone even slower and made it 10 hours.  That would have been fitting, no?

Hey, if you read this post that has nothing to do with any of the holidays, I appreciate it.  Like I said over the Summer, I want The Holidaze to be more about my life and what I do to celebrate the major moments in life rather than just the holidays.  I even want to change the name of the blog, but still haven't come up with anything creative and really like the Ghoul-Aid inspired logo so, for now, it is what it is.  In the end, there will be posts you like and posts you don't.  My goal is to throw it out there and hope you join me on a journey through life, filled with as much as we can possibly get out of it :)