What do you bring back from the US when you visit?

Combo of me & hubby's likes:

- several boxes of Benedryl

Hear hear!!  I bought the cheapest available box of benadryl from the chemist and it was almost 6 pounds for like 12 tablets!!!!!  And it wasn't even diphenhydramine, it was something else and it didn't work!  I can get them at the dollar store back home - I almost croaked when she told me the price, but my eyes were swollen and watering from allergies and I had no choice.  

Also, Saltines!  Cream crackers are crap in chili!

Taco Bell Fire Sauce for my DH

Little Debbie cakes!!  Miss them so much.  Oatmeal Creme Pies....drooooool

Seconding the semi-sweet choc chips as well, they cost a bomb here

Double Bubble gum

Kraft Mac & Cheese (wish I could bring some Hebrew Nat. dogs to go with!)

Peeps!!

Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix, etc!

(basically, all the sugary crap haha)

Oh yes, Neosporin and Hydrocortisone....I can't find anything close to that here...I think you need a prescription.

Nyquil is another fav I've brought back. 

Eek - i think it was the hydrocortisone I was actually thinking of that I paid a bomb for!  The Benadryl was cheap enough, it just didnt work.  The hydro cost 6 pounds though!

can't think what else....but FYI you can get grape jelly and hot tomales and lots of that kind of stuff in kosher stores in London!

I my mind, you can find all kinds of everything in London. However, I'm not taking a near 2 hour plane ride then a bus/train into London from an airport, or a 10 hour train ride or worse, me driving down, to find it. 

 I don't need anything at all desperately enough- so I will wait until I go to the states, since I seem to go enough that I can keep well stocked. 

Yes, you can buy Benadryl here of course, but it's missing the crucial ingredient!  Hubby gets bad allergies from time to time and he likes Benadryl to knock him out at night.  Even off-brand from the USA is better than the name brand stuff here

TastyKakes.  More specifically, peanut butter kandy kakes. 

You can get it here! It's in our local greengrocer, but you can order online if there's no stockist near you: http://www.casamariastore.com/products-casa-maria-salsa.htm

Yuuuuuuum. Thanks for the link.

Hmmm.  Aleve, Aleve, Aleve.  Also, Nyquil.  Night Nurse just isn't the same for me!  But I've found substitutes for most things.  I have shipped myself back on previous trips things like:

Quaker Instant Oatmeal (I can deal with porridge, but I love some Banana Bread oatmeal)
Dunkin Donuts Coffee
Refills on make up thats cheaper in Sephora
Reese's anything (but peanut butter M&Ms as well)

Also, I bought over PB2 (it's this powdered peanut butter thing that's pretty great in cooking but doesn't have a ton of the fat of regular peanut butter) b/c it's not available here.

And clothing.  I can't help but shop.

Oh yes, Neosporin and Hydrocortisone....I can't find anything close to that here...I think you need a prescription.

I got hydrocortisone cream (1%) in Boots for around £4. You have to ask for it (it's behind the counter) but they def. have it.

I almost forgot my new thing that I will start bringing back every time - those little pots of non-dairy flavored creamer. I only brought one box of vanilla and one box of hazelnut last time. I won't make that mistake again!

I got hydrocortisone cream (1%) in Boots for around £4. You have to ask for it (it's behind the counter) but they def. have it.

I found it at my chemist's too, but it costs so much that I would rather stock up at the dollar store back home!

Has anyone tried to make homemade root beer?  I was meaning to buy a couple bottles of Root Beer Extract before I left and forgot to.  I think you just add it to club soda or something.  Just wondered if anyone had successfully made it, perhaps that would be an idea of something to bring because you can't get it here!

I'm with bookgirl on the Tastykakes...totally forgot about them...

Has anyone tried to make homemade root beer? 

Yup!  The last time I visited bf, back in August, I bought Sprecher root beer syrup (Soooo good!) before I left.  So, I was able to make bf his first root beer float.

I bought the regular concentrate syrup that they'd use with CO2 systems, but mixing it on a 1:4 ratio with club soda or seltzer water works really well.  It's available from most home-brewing supply shops.  Unfortunately, it's only available in gallon jugs, which are a bit tough to transport.  What I did was rinse out and save a plastic 20 oz. Coke bottle.  I filled it with the syrup and double-bagged it in ziploc bags.  No leaks or anything. 

I looked into a lot of different root beer options, and I think this one was best, because all I had to do was add the soda and it was ready.  With a lot of the others, they're not sweetened, so you have to add sugar, and they're meant to be 'fermented' for several days in order to get fizzy.  Too much work!

Yup!  The last time I visited bf, back in August, I bought Sprecher root beer syrup (Soooo good!) before I left.  So, I was able to make bf his first root beer float.

I bought the regular concentrate syrup that they'd use with CO2 systems, but mixing it on a 1:4 ratio with club soda or seltzer water works really well.  It's available from most home-brewing supply shops.  Unfortunately, it's only available in gallon jugs, which are a bit tough to transport.  What I did was rinse out and save a plastic 20 oz. Coke bottle.  I filled it with the syrup and double-bagged it in ziploc bags.  No leaks or anything. 

I looked into a lot of different root beer options, and I think this one was best, because all I had to do was add the soda and it was ready.  With a lot of the others, they're not sweetened, so you have to add sugar, and they're meant to be 'fermented' for several days in order to get fizzy.  Too much work!

Thanks for the info!  It gave me an idea, actually.  We have (back in my hometown) an old-fashioned drive-in root-beer stand called Allen's and they have the absolute best root beer in the world.  You get it in big frosty mugs with a coney dog and onion rings....ohhhh, I'm drooling now.  Anyway, I bet I could buy some syrup from them and have tasty Allen's root beer anytime I want! 

Thanks again for the tips!  I will definitely be getting some next summer!

Thanks for the info!  It gave me an idea, actually.  We have (back in my hometown) an old-fashioned drive-in root-beer stand called Allen's and they have the absolute best root beer in the world.  You get it in big frosty mugs with a coney dog and onion rings....ohhhh, I'm drooling now.  Anyway, I bet I could buy some syrup from them and have tasty Allen's root beer anytime I want! 

Thanks again for the tips!  I will definitely be getting some next summer!

LOL.... I'm drooling now, too, and I've never been to Allen's! 

Woadgrrl - I've tried that before. Had one of the soda stream thingies but I had root beet extract and it sucked. But your idea with syrup might be an option.


What we brought back?

- candy corn
- candy corn
- candy corn
- Hot tamales
- Peeps
- Tootsie-rolls
- Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts
- Chef Paul's Prudehomme Blackened Redfish Magic
- Chef Paul's Prudehomme Blackened Steak Magic
- Necco Wafers
- Sugar Babes
- Milk Duds
- T-shirts
- 2 pairs chucks (Converse shoes)
- various kids clothes
- candy corn (had a lot of people waiting for this item)
- some toys

One spare suitcase completely full of reconstituted sugar.