Why I Have Four Bars of Artisan Chocolate in My Glove Compartment.

Reid always says he doesn't like sweets.  He is mostly telling the truth.  Of the breakfast goodies I bake for the market he always eats a blue cheese green onion and grit scone (which I put off to the side for him) but turns his nose up at a cinnamon roll.  He doesn't really eat ice cream (much to my dismay) and, sin of all sins here in Georgia, he prefers unsweetened tea. 

So I was really surprised when, after several months of dating, Reid got back into the car from the gas station with a Hershey's chocolate almond bar.  I'm not even sure if I knew then that he even liked chocolate so was of course really excited to find out Reid had a little bit of a fat kid inside of him too. 

Last Wednesday before Thanksgiving I had to drive to Athens to find a few organic ingredients I couldn't get in Washington.  I needed to get in and out of Earthfare quickly (dodging the other customers carrying their free range turkeys) but I also felt I needed to make the trip "worth it" for more than my few items.  Since we would be driving a little over five hours I thought I'd surprise Reid with a little chocolate sampler for the trip. 

Neither one of us eat a ton of fast food so we usually pack up little gourmet picnics for the trip.  This trip we just started out with coffee, some yogurt/granola for breakfast and of course, my secret chocolate stash.  A few hours in we did a preliminary sampling: a Black&Green organic hazelnut/currant/72% cacoa; an Escazu pumpkin seed and guajillo chile/74% cacoa;  an XOXO dark chocolate & crystallized ginger and lastly a dark chocolate coconut truffle bar whose brand I can't remember. 

We agreed the coconut truffle bar was the best on the first tasting.  On our way back we had a little bag of brown butter pecan shortbread from the treats I brought to Thanksgiving and then tried all the chocolates again along with fresh coffee at the first Starbucks we found across the Georgia line (which happened to be in a Target on Black Friday...).  From that I leaned a little toward the pumpkin/chile.  I like ginger/chocolate combo in cookies or scones but not so much straight up like the bar. 

Today I drove up to the Happy Cow Creamery for butter (delicious, big rolls of grass fed butter), milk and cream cheese.  On the way home I started to look around for a little something to eat in my car thinking I may have a Larabar left.  (We were introduced to these in Boulder and love them!).  Then I remembered the chocolate bars we had left.  (The benefit to buying weird flavors of chocolate is that a little bit really does satisfy you so they last a long time).  I gave the hazelnut/currant another try and it was perfect this go round.  

Anyway, I think when it stops raining I'm going to bring the rest of the chocolate inside.  Luckily it's nearly December and not August or we would have an odd hazelnut/guajillo/pumpkin/currant/coconut/ginger melting pot on top of the car instruction manual, insurance info, nail polish remover and the extra napkins. 

I think the next time the two of us are on the road will be during Christmas...so if anyone has some great chocolate suggestions to add to my fancy chocolate compartment collection let us know!