They melt in my mouth like buttah....

Every now and again I have little magical moments in my life that bring a truly happy peace to my soul. Today, I had one of those moments....

I was walking through Walgreen's picking up some miscellaneous items when I decided to wander down the Christmas aisle. Through the shelves of fake evergreens, dancing Santa's, cheap candles and piles and piles of tinsel, I saw it.....sitting oh-so-innocently on the bottom shelf, next to the cherry cordials (yuk). The beautiful blue box that house THE. BEST. ITALIAN. CHOCOLATES.

For a second, I could have sworn the box was encircled by a halo!

Baci's! I first discovered these decadent treats on my first trip to Epcot when I was 14. The family I babysat for wanted to go to Orlando and take the kid to Disney during the day and party at night, so they took me along to watch the kid. It was a sweet deal for me! Free trip to Disney AND they paid me $100!

If you know me at all, you know I was born with a fascination of all things Italian, so when we were wandering through Epcot's "Italy" I discovered these beautifully wrapped dark chocolate and hazelnut treats in a candy store! I bought 20 of them, and believe it or not I savored each and every one. Like Charlie Bucket in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," I only ate a Baci when I absolutely HAD to (usually once a month)!! This was a huge deal for me because I have absolutely no willpower. Seriously....none!

Since then, I have made it a point to stop into various retail outlets to hunt down my favorite Italian treat! Let me tell you, they are NOT easy to find. When I was in Vegas two years ago, I stopped at the Bellagio just to visit their chocolate counter to buy some Baci's (although while I was there I gambled, had a drink or two and listened to a great local band in one of the many lounges). I still have one left from that box. Each time my supply dwindles, I get a little panicked that I may have to wait months and months until I find my sweet Baci's. They are so prized that my children know if they even think about getting into my Baci stash they will face a wrath like no other!

Then today, at Walgreen's.....WALGREEN'S of all places, I find my cherished Baci's. They were only $10 for a box of 12! What a deal! I've paid $2 for 1 Baci before, and it's usually in some fancy import store.

I snatched up 3 boxes, looking over my shoulder the entire time as if Walgreen's Management would realize what a deal I was getting and tell me that the Baci's were mis-priced or they were past their sell-by date (they weren't....I checked).

The problem with having so many delicious treats in front of you is that it is WAY more tempting to plow through them. I ate 4, the most I've ever eaten at one time, but I did eat them slowly....savoring each and every bite!

It was a great day!