Cordially Yours

 NaBloPo Day Fourteen

My Mom's favorite "store-bought" candy when I was a child was Cordial Cherries, or "chocolate-covered cherries" as we called them, and Daddy would surprise her with a box now and then, especially around this time of year. The first time she offered me one, I was looking forward to it. But, oh my, it was SO sweet! The chocolate was sweet, the maraschino cherry was sweet, but that sweet filling would set my teeth on edge. Hmm, I wonder if any of the other girls liked them. Maybe Mom was the only one who liked them, and that is why they were her "favorite" because she wouldn't have to share! I'll have to ask her lol.

A few days ago I was out and about and remembered something I needed. Decided to run into the local Dollar General for it, so I called Thomas to see if he wanted anything while I was there. "I need some chocolate," I said. "Do you want anything?" He asked me to get him some Cordial Cherries if they had any. Well, this is the time of year that everyone has Cordial Cherries. I got him a box of the milk chocolate ones, and, after trying to decide just which of my usual go-to chocolate candies I had a taste for, I got myself a box of the dark chocolate Cordial Cherries as well. 

This would have amazed the young me. When I was a kid and well into my teens, I did not have a taste for excessively sweet things. I liked the occasional candy bar or homemade candy, or my Mom's cookies, cakes, and pies, yes, as dessert usually -- we ALWAYS had a homemade dessert when I was a child -- but not anything excessively sweet or rich. I just couldn't handle it. I even preferred my sweet tea very strong and with very little sugar.

If someone was cutting me a slice of cake or pie, I'd say, "just a sliver," and they'd still cut a piece that was too much for me. It became a joke in the family that when Lori said "just a sliver" the piece should be thin enough to see through. Oh, for those long-ago days when I was happy with "just a sliver!"

Mom made a wonderfully rich and delicious pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing. I loved it and it galled me that I could only ever eat a small piece in a sitting, but the cream cheese was just too sweet. 

Anyway, at 56 and with more body fat than I care to talk about, I definitely can't say I stay away from things that are too sweet. The Cordial Cherries are still so sweet and rich that I can only eat a couple at a sitting. But I DO like them now. The Queen Anne brand may not be the best -- I honestly don't know -- but it is the brand Dollar General carries, and they taste good enough to me. I'll probably keep a box on hand this winter, and I must be sure to buy some for Mom the next time I go to see her. 

Ta for now, and "hey" to you and yours,

Lori