THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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CANDY & CHOCOLATE: See’s Candies Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Love candy? Here’s your chance to make candy history—at least, See’s Candies history.

See’s Candies is officially 100-years-old!

The iconic American manufacturer of chocolates and other candies was founded by Charles See, his wife Florence, and his mother Mary in Los Angeles in 1921.

Mary See had developed the recipes that became the foundation of the See’s candy business, while helping run her late husband’s hotel on Tremont Island in Ontario.

Want to know why See’s chocolates taste so good?

The couverture chocolate used by to make the candies is from the Guittard Chocolate Company, America’s finest producer of couverture chocolate.
 
 
SEE’S IS NOW 100 YEARS OLD!

Kicking off its Centennial Anniversary See’s is asking its fans to create the next piece of candy to be produced.

The campaign is called “What’s Your Sweet Idea?”

  • You don’t have to make it—just come up with the idea.
  • Head to Sees.com and see what’s missing from the line.
  • All ideas are welcome, no matter how simple or complex.
  • Then, enter your idea at Sees.com/Sweet Idea.
  •  
    > Submit your idea today through January 20th.

  • See’s will then pick the finalists and hold a final voting by fans, from February 15th through March 1st.
  • Since See’s opened for business in November 1921, the new piece will be launched in November 2021.
  •  
    We can’t wait to see the finalists!

    So have fun with it: Your fantaSEE piece of candy may be the Centennial Anniversary choice!
     
     
    SEE’S FAVORITES

    See’s top sellers are:

  • Lollypops (Butterscotch, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Mint Cream, Vanilla)
  • Peanut Brittle (there’s also a sugar-free version)
  • Bordeaux (creamy brown sugar soft center covered in rich dark chocolate and decorated with chocolate rice)
  • Scotchmallow (a layer of caramel topped with a layer of honey marshmallow, covered in dark chocolate)
  • Butterscotch Square (a soft center of brown sugar and cream with a touch of vanilla, covered in dark or milk chocolate)
  • Caramel Pattie (a pattie-shaped caramel covered dark or milk chocolate)
  • Chocolate Butter Caramel (buttery chocolate caramel coated in milk chocolate)
  •  
    Hungry yet?
     
     
    SEE’S CANDY TRIVIA

  • Lucy: In 1952, Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance spent a half day at the See’s Candies store on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, learning to dip chocolates and work the production line in preparation for the iconic “Job Switching” episode of “I Love Lucy.”
  • The episode, which featured Lucy and Ethel getting jobs on the dipping line in a chocolate factory, became one of the most popular in the show’s history. You can see the full episode on CBS All Access.
  • Cher: Singer Cher was working at See’s in 1962, when she met Sonny Bono; she quit her job to become his housekeeper.
  •  
     
     
     
    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOCOLATE
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF CANDY
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF LOLLIPOPS

     


    [1] Will the new See’s Centennial chocolate be your creation (all photos © See’s Candies)?


    [2] Toast to See’s Centennial Anniversary. Here’s how to pair chocolates with wine.

    See's Peanut Brittle
    [3] See’s peanut brittle, a fan favorite.


    [4] See’s Lollypops. The company uses the old-fashioned spelling.


    [5] Ready for dessert?

     

      

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    PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Kickin’ Kream Mustard


    [1] Our new favorite mustard to slather on almost everything (photos #1 and #2 © Milo’s Whole World Gourmet).


    [2] Sweet, hot, creamy and delicious!

    Chicken Nuggets With Mustard
    [3] You can also use it as a dip (photo © Betty Crocker—here’s the recipe for the Honey Mustard Chicken).

     

    Our new favorite mustard condiment is Kickin’ Kream Mustard from Brownwood Farms.

    Kickin’? Yes!

    Creamy? Very!

    Special? Yes!

    Sweet, hot, creamy and delicious, it combines honey* mustard-type flavor with a little extra zing from jalapeño chile peppers and a dash of cayenne pepper.

    All for just 15 calories per teaspoon!

    If you shy away from hot and spicy foods, let us assure you that Kickin’ Kream is not all that hot. We personally use mild salsa (never the medium-hot version); but we love the sizzle we get from this condiment.

    There’s a kick of spice—a delightful one.

    After we opened our first jar, we found ways to use it every day.
     
     
    WAYS WE’VE USED KICKIN’ KREAM MUSTARD

    We like it so much, we’ve been eating it from the jar…as well as:

  • With meats (see Seemore sausages) and poultry
  • As a glaze on roasted chicken and grilled salmon
  • As a dip with pretzels (see Eastern Standard pretzels), crudités, chicken fingers, etc.
  • On sandwiches
  • On burgers and hot dogs
  •  
     
    GET YOUR KICKIN’ KREAM

    Kick your taste buds into high gear and spread this creamy deliciousness on anything you choose.

    It’s sold at specialty food stores, but easiest to find on Amazon.
     
     
    Check out BACON MAPLE ONION JAM, a recent Tip Of The Day from the same producer.
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF MUSTARD
     
    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSTARD

     
    ABOUT BROWNWOOD FARMS

    Brownwood Farms is a brand of Milo’s Whole World Gourmet, a creator and producer of specialty foods based in Athens, Ohio.

    Milo’s seeks to procure ingredients from the finest sources in the U.S., especially the Great Lakes region

    All of Milo’s gourmet are products in small batches, with clean and minimal ingredients; and with the quality and care one would find in a homemade product.

    The Brownwood Farms line of farm-fresh quality sauces and condiments includes mustards, BBQ sauces, fruit salsas, pie fillings and spreads.

    Says Milo: “By starting with a foundation of clean and natural ingredients to craft our homestyle recipes, we are able to cultivate an array of savory and bountiful flavors you’ll be amazed we fit into a jar!”

    ________________

    *In this recipe, tapioca syrup is used instead of honey. Tapioca syrup is made from the starch of cassava/manioc root. The different types of sugar and syrup.

     
      

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    TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Seemore Gourmet Sausage

    EDITOR’S NOTE JUNE 2026: Sadly, this wonderful producer has shut its doors.

    It’s a new year, and a new look at sausage.

    Seemore Meats & Veggies is a Brooklyn-based enterprise founded by a fourth-generation butcher and named for her grandfather, Seymour, who taught her how to make sausages.

    It has an original point-of-view, with a creative lineup of flavorful vegetable-infused sausages.

    Yes, there are other companies that sell humanely raised, pastured, grass-fed, meat.

    Yes, there are vegetarian sausages.

    But Seemore’s Cara Nicoletti decided to make a sustainable sausage with grass-fed meat while enabling meat lovers to consume less meat—another goal of conscientious consumers.

    Cara’s solution: veggie-forward sausages.
     
     
    SEEMORE’S APPROACH TO SAUSAGES

    Seemore’s sausage links are packed with pork or chicken but also with fresh vegetables. The result:

  • Each link has 10g of protein from the meat.
  • Veggies contribute additional nutrition, such as fiber, calcium and vitamin C.
  • It’s a more sustainable way to eat meat, with up to 60% less meat than a conventional sausage.
  • Most carnivores won’t notice that there is less meat—although the beet version, a dazzling magenta color (photos #1 and #4), may raise questions.
  • The sausages are made with premium ingredients and sustainable practices: GAP Certified meat, no artificial ingredients, no nitrates or phosphates.
  • The line is gluten-free.
  •  
    We can attest that the sausages are very meaty. They are texturally and taste-wise like an all-meat sausage, but maybe even better: rich and savory, but also bright with that certain something extra.

    Yes, the vegetables are a bonus, adding nuance and color along with subtle flavor. The Bubbe’s Chicken Soup variety really does taste like chicken soup!

    You don’t have to be a gourmet to love them; but if you are a gourmet, consider the Seemore line as “gourmet” sausage.

    The flavor names are fun, too:

  • Broccoli Melt: pork, broccolini, Monterey Jack, and pepperoncini
  • Bubbe’s Chicken Soup: chicken, herbs, carrots and celery
  • La Dolce Beet-A: pork, beets, garlic and fennel
  • Loaded Baked Potato: pork, potatoes, Cheddar, uncured bacon bits and chives
  •  
     
    WAYS TO ENJOY SEEMORE SAUSAGES

    Beyond breakfast and sausage pizza, you won’t run out of ways to use Seemore sausages. Consider:

  • Bangers & Mash*
  • Brat-style on a roll with slaw (photo #6)
  • Charcuterie plates
  • Fondue dippers or queso fundido
  • Frittata, along with broccoli
  • Grain bowls
  • Green salad, with watercress or arugula and apples
  • Grilled with veggies (sautéed cabbage, greens (collards, kale, spinach)
  • Loaded baked potato
  • Mixed grill† with roast chicken or chops
  • On a stick (check out this recipe)
  • Pasta, pasta bake, mac and cheese with sliced sausage
  • Pasta en brodo, e.g. broth with orecchiette or tortellini, kale or spinach, cherry tomatoes and white beans (recipe)
  • Pot pies, hand pies
  • Quiche
  • Risotto (recipe for Pumpkin, Sage & Sausage Risotto)
  • Sandwiches: grilled cheese, sausage and meatball, sliced sausage “cheeseburger”
  • Sausage, Peppers & Onions (sandwich, or over pasta or rice)
  • Savory oatmeal or other porridge, sliced, with herbs)
  • Scrambled egg hash: with caramelized onions, feta or other cheese, diced or baby potatoes, sausage, spinach, tomatoes
  • Sheet pan sausage supper with veggies
  • Skewers with bell peppers, cheese chunks, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, pineapple chunks
  • Strata (try this Cheese Strata With Sausage & Kale)
  • Stir-Frys
  • Stuffing/dressing
  • Tapas: grilled, sliced and served with toasted baguette slices and a condiment
  •  
    COOKING TIP: Note that for more casual cooking, the sausages cook up best when heated either in a pan or on a grill. The cooking time for either method should be between 3-6 minutes.

    Don’t microwave the sausages: It hardens the sausage casing.
     
     
    GET YOUR SAUSAGES

  • Seemore Website
  • Murray’s Cheese
  • Store locator
  •  
     
    MORE WAYS TO ENJOY SAUSAGES

  • ‘Nduja, Spicy Pork Spread
  • Beer & Sausage Pairings
  • 21 Ways To Use Leftover Sausage
  •  


    [1] A spread of Seemore sausages (photos #1 to #5 © Murray’s Cheese).


    [2] Seemore’s Broccoli Melt sausages.


    [3] Seemore’s Bubbe’s Chicken Soup sausages.


    [4] Seemore’s La Dolce Beet-A sausages.


    [5] Seemore’s Loaded Baked Potato sausages.


    [6] Serve Seemore sausages brat-style on a bun; here, with dill mayo and crunchy slaw (photo © Seemore Meats & Veggies).

     

    ________________

    *Bangers and mash, a favorite U.K. comfort food, consists of mashed potatoes (mash) with grilled sausages (bangers) and gravy.

    †A mixed grill is a plate traditionally consisting of grilled sausage, a grilled chop, a piece of grilled steak, grilled mushrooms and grilled tomatoes. There are many variations. An Italian mixed grill, for example, also features chicken marinated in olive oil, garlic, lemon and rosemary), plus beef and pork.

      

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