INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. and#8212; My father Paul is popular for a lot of reasons: He is tall and handsome like Cary Grant; he's intelligent and super funny; speaks several languages and (my personal favorite) he wears a T-shirt that says and#8220;Bank of Pop.and#8221;

Yes, he has many endearing qualities appealing to a myriad of personalities and cultures but, across the board, every man, woman or child who has ever entered his sphere wants to be his BFF because of his candy. When I visit him in Hawaii I am inundated with requests for and#8220;Your dad's candy.and#8221; From the lady at the post office, to the cashier at Foodland, to Rick at Wu's Liquor (could the man show a little respect for a holy place?) it is the same old song: and#8220;Hey Simone. Glad you're back in town. Your dad making any candy?and#8221; Then I return to Truckee and get it again, same show, different time-slot: and#8220;Hey Simone. Glad you're back. Did you bring any of your dad's candy?and#8221; Holidays I get it in stereo, with surround sound. and#8220;Your dad send any candy?and#8221;

The answer is: Yes! I always have my dad's candy, OK? He sends it to me in precious, huge Ziploc bags and I horde it, to buy friends and influence people. I divvy it out in miserly nuggets (just enough to get you started...) and save the mother lode for myself, in my walk-in closet. (Great. Now I have to find a new place to stash it.)

My father is French and has worked in the pharmaceutical business for decades, so the snide and#8220;French Connectionand#8221; remarks in reference to his candy are really not a stretch. All it takes is one sampling and there you are and#8212; knocking on my door, looking for more. Always more! Really, my dad should sell this stuff. If he did, he could afford a and#8220;Bank of Popand#8221; shirt for every day of week, for an entire year. But he has no plans to do that and#8212; at least not while the kids are still young and impressionable.

So, with Easter approaching and the stores rife with sweet, mediocre product, I have decided to share my dad's candy recipe with the masses, thus getting the chunky monkey off my back. I am tired of keeping this family secret. Whew! I feel lighter already...