A Basket Full of Chocolate

Easter Sunday for many children will be a time of celebratory gluttony centered around candy and chocolate treats ostensibly hidden around their houses by a sentient rabbit.  And gentlemen, if you are clever, you can use this custom to offer the Important Women in your life a fun  and delicious token of your affection that won't kick the hell out of your wallet.

I'm talking about chocolate, of course.  Everyone loves chocolate. If you were to take a small Easter basket and tastefully arrange in it an assortment of delicious choccies for your sweetie, it would be an enormously appreciated gesture.

And now I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will help you get awesome European chocolates at an amazingly low price:  Go to ALDI.  I'm not kidding.  No matter what you think of the rest of their offerings, you should know that their specialty jelly beans (available right now as a seasonal Easter item) are made by Jelly Belly but will cost you half the price, and their chocolate is made in Germany, Belgium, and sometimes Italy and it is the equal of any European chocolate I've had at any price. Seriously.

There are several styles of milk chocolate bunnies to choose from, wrapped in colorfully lithoed foil, as well as foil wrapped chocolate chicks, and eggs of various kinds.  ALDI also has Easter-themed gummi bears, and they're made in Germany as well.  (By the way, there really is a difference between the flavor and texture of gummies made in Germany and those made anywhere else in the world.  The German ones are better.)

Most of the foil-wrapped chocolates are delightfully retro in design and will remind you of the stuff you used to get back when you were a kid. Some of them might remind your grandparents of stuff they enjoyed when they were little.  And, of course, the selection isn't limited to kid-targeted chocolate novelties - as fun as they might be to fill out a basket with.

Look for ALDI's Grandessa line of chocolates made with adults in mind - like these miniature egg-shaped truffles.  And keep an eye open for ALDI's Moser-Roth brand of awesome specialty chocolate bars.

So there you have it.  Today is Friday.  You have two days to put something together for your sweetheart and impress her with your thoughtfulness on Sunday morning. Get to it, guys.