This is a blog for poor students (and other frugal people) in the Boston area (and other areas). Being thrifty doesn't mean that you can't eat well. Every week, I'll show you a new way to eat well without spending a fortune. Like the Poor Student on Facebook to see the latest posts first!
If you're a poor student who wants a little gourmet but can't afford it, Trader Joe's is the answer. Originally a convenience store chain from California, it has expanded to many states in the U.S. I'm grateful that there are a few stores in the Boston area because they have some really cool products that won't break the bank. This post is about a few of my favorite recent products from there. Their product lines turnover quite often so it's possible that these are not available in your area any more by the time you read this. I happened to find these in January 2012.
The first one is the Mosaic of chocolates. It's only $1.99 for 8 pieces of chocolate (2 pieces * 4 flavors). It's probably biggest bang for the buck and the value is actually in the simplicity of just 8 squares of good chocolate. The white and milk chocolate pieces have cranberry and pistachio pieces mixed in. The dark pieces have almond pieces and are topped with sea salt. Those are probably my favorite. The salt also goes well with the other pieces, so if you can knock a bit of salt off the dark pieces, try putting it on the other squares. The most boring piece in the bunch is the milk chocolate with white chocolate drizzle. It's still good though.
Mosaic of Chocolates - only $1.99
The next product is the Eggnog flavored almonds. They're on sale after Christmas for $1.99 a box. My room mate described the flavor as being "very nutmeg -y," which is not a bad thing, just an observation. The almonds are covered in white chocolate with eggnog spices. It's a simple product and definitely worth the $1.99 for an 11 oz box.
Eggnog flavored almonds - on sale for $1.99
Finally, the Gummy Tummies were just something I decided to try because the thing I enjoy most about going to Trader Joe's is trying something new and thinking, "wow, that was kinda cool!" and this seemed to be something that might fit the bill. As you can see in the picture below, the penguins look more like Barba Papas (some of you might be too young to know what those are) with liquid filled bellies. The liquid is actually quite viscous so it's not like they squirt water when you bite into them. Unfortunately, they are not suitable for vegetarians (in case you are one) because they contain animal gelatin (one of the top ingredients). However, for everyone else, these are really cool.
When I was growing up in Canada, one of my favourite chocolate bars was the Cadbury Crunchie bar, which is not readily available in Boston. I found some a couple of weeks ago at a candy store in Back Bay but they were $3 each! [Update: you can get a case of 24 Crunchie bars on Amazon.com for less than $30 (and free shipping) now.] As a poor student, it is not possible to enjoy Crunchie on a regular basis. So, I decided to look online to see how easy it was to make sponge toffee at home. It's actually quite easy.
The first time I tried making sponge toffee, it didn't turn out right because I didn't use a candy thermometer and didn't heat the sugar up to the appropriate temperature (300F). So, if you want to try this, go to a kitchen supply store and spend the $11 or $12 for a candy thermometer! Kitchenwitch, in Jamaica Plain, carries them and BMS Paper Company usually has them too. Kitchenwitch also has a $4 thermometer but it's just a glass thermometer and I'm a bit of a klutz. That's why I went with the $11 model, which encases the thermometer in a stainless steel frame. It would take some effort to break that. Macy's and other stores with kitchen sections have candy thermometers too. If you don't want to leave your house, Amazon has a great selection. (Click on the pictures on this page to go directly to the product on Amazon.com)
There are several recipes online, in video form (e.g. on Youtube) and print form (e.g. Cooking Channel website). The basic recipe is 1 cup sugar (brown or white), 1 cup corn syrup (or other form of liquified sugar, such as molasses, Lyle's golden syrup or honey), and 1 Tbsp baking soda. However, it can easily be altered to make different flavors, such as ginger molasses, maple, or vanilla.
In addition to the ingredients, you will need a saucepan, a candy thermometer, and a parchment paper-lined or greased pan to put the toffee. Some recipes call for vinegar but it's not necessary. The baking soda will bubble up without it. Make sure your saucepan is large enough to accommodate the extra volume when the toffee bubbles up. Also, use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture. A whisk doesn't work well because the toffee gets stuck in between the wires. I also noticed that some recipes tell you to grease the parchment paper. This is not necessary because the whole point of using parchment paper is that it is naturally non-stick!
Cheap but uber-awesome candy!
Even if you use honey and turbinado sugar, it should cost you less than $5 to make a pan of sponge toffee, which you can then dip into chocolate to make a bunch of homemade misshapen Crunchie bars (see pictures below). If you're really on a budget, use corn syrup (around $3-4 a bottle with enough for more than 2 batches) with some water and white sugar. For the price of a Crunchie bar, you can make a whole pan of sponge toffee. For chocolate dipping, get a bag of chocolate chips from Trader Joe's (around $3) and you're all set. A bag of chocolate chips should be enough to make at least 8 or 9 bars, making the cost of each bar about $1. The other advantage of making your own chocolate bars is that you can dip the sponge toffee in dark chocolate, which counter-balances the sweetness of the sponge toffee better than the milk chocolate in the store-bought bars. If you're too lazy to dip each piece in chocolate, pour the melted chocolate over the toffee before breaking it into pieces. This is probably one of the least expensive candies to make and it's a great gift to give at Christmas or any time.
Here is a video of me making this recipe:
In this video, I might have stirred the toffee a little too much. Stir until the baking soda is mixed in but not much more than that.
Sponge toffee from another batch - with honey and less stirring after the baking soda was added.
Sponge toffee pieces - ready to be dipped in chocolate (or stored in an airtight container)
Sponge toffee, freshly dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate-dipped sponge toffee ready to store (or devour)!
For more variations on this recipe, please see my other posts on sponge toffee:
The next product is the Eggnog flavored almonds. They're on sale after Christmas for $1.99 a box. My room mate described the flavor as being "very nutmeg -y," which is not a bad thing, just an observation. The almonds are covered in white chocolate with eggnog spices. It's a simple product and definitely worth the $1.99 for an 11 oz box.
The first time I tried making sponge toffee, it didn't turn out right because I didn't use a candy thermometer and didn't heat the sugar up to the appropriate temperature (300F). So, if you want to try this, go to a kitchen supply store and spend the $11 or $12 for a candy thermometer! 
(Click on the pictures on this page to go directly to the product on Amazon.com)
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