ARE YOU A NUTELLA FANATIC?

No matter where you turn...in the supermarket or the television...Nutella gives us the impression that it is a fabulous spread...and good for you.  Give it to children and they will certainly run to the table for breakfast.  Hey, it doesn't even matter how much you've toiled to made a meal...the Nutella on a baked good will do it!  Peter Pan decided to get on the hazelnut spread wagon as well. 

At least with peanut butter, you can buy it fresh or make your own...add a little salt, a touch of sugar or nothing.  Hazelnuts do not have the same taste as a hazelnut paste no matter how long you chew it.

I love hazelnut paste, so Nutella is just fabulous for me.  As a spread?  Are you kidding?  I'm not wasting those calories by spreading it on anything.  I just take a spoonful right from the jar.

BEWARE!  NOT ALL NUTELLA IS THE SAME!  Nutella that is imported from Italy does not contain palm oil...in fact...they are not allowed to use palm oil.  They use a vegetable oil but not palm oil.  Yes, they do taste different.  For me it's like chocolate chips with palm oil as an ingredient.  I taste the palm oil and it masks the taste of the chocolate.  Same with Nutella from the US or Canada.

One way to tell is seeing the Italian written all over it.  I understand (from a source at an Italian grocery store) that the first sign that it's not from Italy is that it is in a plastic jar and not a glass jar.  Yes, it may be a bit more expensive, but this isn't really for kids.  Your average supermarket will most likely not carry the imported, so check out a bonafide Italian grocery store.  Great dessert is to blend a scoop into ice cream...Graeter's for the best.