Dreyers/Edys Fruit Bars: Mango

I should probably admit up front that I have nothing but love for practically the entire line of Dreyers/Edy's Fruit Bars. They are additively refreshing and they are almost always my bedtime snack of choice.

Mango is the newest bar to join the family. Much like the strawberry, blueberry-açaí and the elusive (but irresistible) peach bar, the mango is made up of what I believe is frozen puree--rather than the flavors which are more like simple frozen juice (like the grape bar, etc).



The flavor of this bar is like that of a perfectly ripe mango. Sweet, with that vaguely pine-like flavor and none of that "green" taste that under-ripe fruit can have. The bar finishes with that slightly apricot/peachy aftertaste that seems to be found less when eating an actual ripe mango on its own, and more from products made with mango. I am not sure how much sense that last made--but it tastes good either way. I know a lot of people like to sprinkle a mixture of salt and chili powder on fresh mangos, and I don't see why that couldn't also be done to the bars. I personally don't really like mango that way, so I didn't experiment with it.

The texture of the bar starts melting in your mouth instantly. I know that must sound redundant, but the texture is velvety smooth to the point it reminds me of a chunk-free frozen smoothie. Unlike the juice bars, or even a kids style ice pop that stays reasonably solid as you eat it, these bars go just shy of actual liquid in your mouth. Again, it is one of the best treats on a hot day (or night).

I am even going to so far as to say this flavor is second only to the pineapple, it's just that good!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$3.99

CALORIES:
80 calories per bar

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Fat free, kosher, gluten free, does not contain nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
dreyers.com

Extra Dessert Delights Apple Pie Gum

NOTE:
THIS REVIEW WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. I JUST HAD NO PICTURES SO, I DIDN'T PUBLISH IT. I APOLOGIZE FOR LACK OF BETTER SHOTS, BUT LETS BE REAL-- GUM ALL PRETTY MUCH LOOKS ALIKE. AND SADLY, I CAN'T CHEW ANY FOR AT LEAST 3 MORE MONTHS.

If there is a flavor of gum you don't see all that much of, it is apple- and that is normally a good thing, because when you do find it, it tends to be sour apple flavored. And as much as I love an actual Granny Smith, I am not a huge fan of fake sour apple. What greatly adds to this gum's appeal (get it?--a PEEL?--yeah, I really haven't blogged in a while...) is that is a warm, sweet apple flavor. (And yes, I see that there are green apples pictured on the packaging.)

I mean, who doesn't like apple pie?

The stick has a mellow cinnamon halo that sits in back of the almost floral taste of the sweetened apple flavor. Extra even managed to get a taste that could almost be called "buttery" in there...almost. I know that all sounds weird taken separately, but as a whole it is actually pretty tasty.

My only real complaint is that the flavor fades fast. As in, under five minutes. This I do not understand, as Wrigley's produces other gums whose flavors lasts far beyond my desire to chew them, and yet this one practically sits in your mouth apologizing for coming (and going) so fast. Kind of reminds me of some dates I had back in the day. But never mind.

My only other issue--and it's a small one--is also for some odd reason the gum seems a bit tougher than most of the other Extra flavors. I was willing to blame poor storage/weird shipping, etc. on the first batch. But I am on pack number three, and they were all purchased from different retail outlets--in three different states, no less--so that leads me to think it's the gum itself. (Obviously, it is not so tough that the texture is keeping me away.)

A nice flavor for those times when you aren't in the mood for mint.

Be sure to check out these other reviews from:
The Impulsive Buy

&

Gum Alert
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif



PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

PRICE
$0.97

CALORIES:
5 Calories per stick

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains phenylalanine

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
extra.com

Mousse Temptations by JELL-O: Chocolate Mint Pudding...AND A JELL-O MOUSSE CONTEST!!

Is there anything better than pudding? OK, yes, there may be a few things better than pudding...but you'd really have to do some serious thinking to come up with them.

Last year when JELL-O launched the Mousse Temptations line, I was lucky enough to be among the first to get a sneak taste. This year, JELL-O has added a new flavor to the line-up: Chocolate Mint Sensation. And once again, they were awesome enough to send me some to try.



I love the texture of the Mousse Temptations puddings. As you've probably noticed, texture is where sugar-free/fat-free puddings often fail, even when the taste is acceptable. But that's not a problem here at at all. They're whipped and airy, and just all around smooth. Maybe this is what eating a chocolate flavored cloud would be like...

OK, we know the texture is good. But how does it taste?

Well, first the aroma: I like that the scent is mostly chocolate with just a hint of mint. I was worried it would be overwhelmingly minty...but I need not have been concerned.

As for the taste, it's terrific. JELL-O has also perfected the flavor of their sugar- and fat-free puddings to the point that it's hard to tell them by flavor alone from their sugar sweetened, full-fat counterparts.

Tastewise, it's a nice deep cocoa flavor. (I am pretty sure it uses the Dark Chocolate flavor as a base). The mint flavor is pleasantly mild. You certainly taste it -- it's brisk and clean and leaves your mouth feeling cool. But at the same time there's no sense that it's toothpastey or medicinal.



Overall, it was quite good. The Dark Chocolate Decadence is still my favorite, but this flavor is definitely comes in next!

AND NOW FOR THE REALLY EXCITING PART...THE CONTEST!!

Yep, YOU can win some yummy JELL-O Mousse...and not just a teeny little taste, but a whole happy lot of it! The good folks over at JELL-O are so nice that they want one of my lucky readers to try not only this new flavor...but also the Dark Chocolate Decadence, the Chocolate Indulgence, and the sugar free Chocolate and Chocolate-Vanilla puddings as well!

Yep, that is a whopping five packs of pudding! And with six individual cups per pack, that's a total of 30 servings of JELL-O Mousse Temptations joy! Really, what more could one want? I dunno about you...but personally if it's a choice between world peace and winning 30 servings of über-delicious JELL-O mousse, I'd be seriously torn.



So what do you have to do to enter and win? Good question!

All you have to do is leave a comment in this post telling about your favorite JELL-O pudding flavor. (It doesn't matter which variety, nor whether it's the kind you make yourself or one of the snack pack flavors). The contest will be open until midnight PST, October 9th, 2010, and the winner will be announced Monday October 11th 2010. See the rules below!

The winner will be asked to submit their email address via a comment (don't worry, it will NOT be published), so that I can contact them for mailing information. Your information will be shared ONLY with Hunter P.R., which will be shipping the winner their prize directly.

Rules and other important contest info:

* The contest is open to U.S. residents only. (My apologies to my Canadian and overseas friends.)

* Only one entry per person.

* The winner will be chosen by me at random by whatever means I find amusing at the moment -- quite likely by some method involving cats.

* The winner will have until October 19th to contact me, or a new winner will be picked.

* Again, the winner's shipping information will NOT be posted, and will be shared ONLY with Hunter P.R, which will be shipping the prize package directly to the winner.

Good luck!!



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

CALORIES:
60 calories per cup.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Sugar free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftfoods.com

The Power of Fruit: Tropical Fruit Bar

Summer weather has finally hit Southern California. Boy, has it hit! We've had high temperatures around 100 for about a week now, and a couple days ago it reached 106 degrees F. (For those of you outside the States, that's a hair over 41 C.) And let me tell you something: just because this is reclaimed desert and it's dry heat, that doesn't make it any less oppressive. Air conditioning, IMHO, is the greatest invention since the wheel.

Anyway, one of my favorite warm weather snacks is the frozen juice bar. And the good people at The Power of Fruit were kind enough to send me a stash of their 100% whole frozen fruit bars.

When these guys say pure fruit, they mean it. There are no added colors, preservatives or sweeteners, and each bar is the equivalent of half a day's serving of fruit. They sent me three varieties, and I decided to start with the Tropical Fruit bar because my flavor obsession of the moment is pineapple.

The Tropical bar features pineapple, mango and banana. These bars are actually old school stickless tubes, the kind you squeeze out of their plastic wrappers.



What I liked best about the bar/tube is that you can actually see the chunks of fruit. I also liked that the fruit was in such big pieces that it was easy to tell which was pineapple and which was mango. The banana chunks were less distinct, and seemed to act sort of like a binder to hold it all together. The flavors of all of the fruits were really bright and fresh.




Because it's a plastic-wrapped tube, you push your portion up so there's minimal drip. Texture-wise, this is what kind of threw me: As I said, everything is in what looks like decent-sized chunks. And that's what it feels like too. So it wasn't what you'd think of as a Popsicle. It was more like you'd made a fruit mash yourself and frozen it solid -- not a texture I am used to, but which I guess is the whole idea, and it's a good one.

All told, it's a really refreshing treat! I'm looking forward to tasting the others.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
30 calories per bar.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
poweroffruit.com

Necco Sweethearts: New Moon Fire & Ice Special Editions

Here's something that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. As everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows, Eclipse -- the third film entry into the Twilight saga -- comes out on June 30th. And with that in mind, there has actually not been quite the merchandising push prior to its release as there was with New Moon. I am not sure if there won't be as many Eclipse-related items, or if they are just releasing them closer to the actual movie.

Necco has been the chief candy maker for all of the Twilight confections since the first movie. And when I saw these at the store, I found myself wondering if it was a product I'd overlooked around the time of New Moon's release -- and it turns out that it was. The Fire & Ice Sweethearts were apparently introduced at TwiCon last summer (don't get too excited and start making plans to go -- apparently there will be no 2010 events run by TwiCon). In any event, it seems they are back just in time for Eclipse. (In fact, these boxes are dated 2010.)

Unlike the Forbidden Fruits Sweethearts mixes -- which featured three different boxes, each with a different main character on it, but the same candy inside -- the Fire & Ice mixes are completely different.

The boxes have Jacob representing Fire, and Edward representing Ice. Even though the candy is still branded as New Moon, the Fire & Ice comparisons actually come directly from a chapter in Eclipse. How do I even know that? "Gigi!" you might be screaming at your computer, to the horror or amusement of co-workers, family or friends -- "you didn't actually read the books, did you?"

DON'T JUDGE ME, DAMMIT! I decided a few months ago that if I was going to bag on the series relentlessly, I should at least read it and make educated disparaging remarks. I still say I have read better-written pamphlets from the pharmacy -- but yes, I did actually end up liking the story itself. I know, I know...even I am kind of ashamed of myself.

Anyway, let's get to the review before I embarrass myself further. The boxes are marked "1 of 2" and "2 of 2," with Fire being placed first. So that's the order we'll review them in.

Texture-wise, these hearts are the same as every other Necco heart made since the dawn of time. It's pressed dextrose...so there is only so much we can reasonably expect. They are chalky and crumbly when you bite into them; grainy and slow to melt if you hold them on your tongue.

So how did they taste?...


FIRE:



The Jacob-inspired Fire mix consists of two flavors: "Steamy Chocolate" and "Hotter Than Apple Pie." Kind of a weird combo if you ask me (and they didn't), but whatever...

The flavors are supposed to have an "intense surge of heat," according to the box. Also unlike the Forbidden Fruits mix, these hearts are not sparkly -- but that makes sense, as Jacob is a wolf and the sparkling is restricted to the vampires.



Like all other Sweethearts Necco makes, each heart is branded with little words or sayings. Mine said things like "Team Jacob" and "Howl." The printing is just plain unreadable or missing off of most of the pieces.

"Steamy Hot Chocolate": This heart has a flavor that I can best describe as "essence of chocolate syrup." If you have ever been so desperate for a chocolate fix that you hit that bottle of syrup that had been lurking in the fridge for far too long...well, it sort of tastes like that. It's clear that chocolate is the flavor they are aiming for, but it's more like the idea of chocolate than the real thing. It does indeed get a little warm in your mouth. Not sure why, though it's vaguely cinnamony. And it's not all that interesting, let alone intense.



"Hotter Than Apple Pie": You know those horrible cinnamon-apple scents some stores use in their restrooms? Imagine sucking on that. It's mostly a cinnamon taste -- think cinnamon from uncooked instant oatmeal. As for the apple, it's fake, chemical-tasting, but mercifully it's barely noticeable.The only redeeming thing about this flavor was eventually the aftertaste died. (But it took its sweet time.) Absolutely horrible.

I am sincerely hoping for better luck with the Ice mix...



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$0.99

CALORIES:
160 calories per 40 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
necco.com




ICE:



Ice is mascotted by Edward, with his fashionably mussed-up hair and slightly tortured emo gaze. He's sensitive, damn it! And you stonehearted bastards don't care!! (Well, at least he doesn't whine like a certain young Anakin Skywalker we could mention. Yes, folks, I am still bitter about whiny teenage Skywalker from Episode II.) These hearts do sparkle -- like Edward -- and also have nearly unreadable sayings like "Risky" and "Bite me."



The two flavors are "Raspberry Freezeout" and "Lime Frostbite." And the box smells like a convenience store Squishy gone horribly wrong.

"Raspberry Freezeout": Like all modern raspberry flavored items, it's a frosty blue rather than a reddish hue. This one starts off pretty good. For the first few seconds it's like every "blue" squishy on the planet...and then the aftertaste kicks in. I don't know how many old ladies' perfumes they had to swipe to make this flavor, but if Bubbe or Grandma asks for a bottle for her next gift-getting occasion...well, I have a good idea as to why. I actually could not finish an entire heart. Talk about sucking.



"Lime Frostbite": This was hands down the best flavor in the bunch. It tasted as if they'd made candy out of lime "juice" mix. It's a little tangy, a little sweet. It's very artificial, but it still tasted pretty good. These I would actually eat on their own.

This mix is getting a higher rating only because of the lime.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$0.99

CALORIES:
160 calories per 40 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
necco.com

Wonka Exceptionals Fruit Jellies: Red Apple

Nestlé has really gone all out in the last few months pumping some new life into the Wonka line of products. Why they didn't go this far when the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came out a few years ago (which would have been a natural tie-in) is beyond me, but in any event they are doing it now.

I opted to start with the Exceptional Fruit Jellies because they just seemed different -- and you just don't see a lot of red apple flavored candy.



As you can see above, this candy has a lot of packaging. While it is very colorful and fun looking...well damn, there is just a lot! There's a sturdy cardboard sleeve that houses another cardboard box, and then inside of that box the candies are sealed in a foil packet. Why so much? These candies are not that delicate. Is there some sort of Oompa-Loompa packaging don who demands so much be used or Willy sleeps with the fishes? Does Al Gore know about this?! I mean, I love the purple -- can anything bad really come out of a purple box? It is cool packaging, but c'mon, there's like 40 pounds of it...

OK, regardless of Wonka's obvious hatred for trees, how about the candy that you get to after the oodles of packaging?

Each candy is the size of a sugar cube, each square is sugared, soft, and brightly colored. The box has a slight apple scent to it (What? Doesn't everyone smell their candy boxes?), but the individual candies are pretty much without any smell at all.



The chew is soft. It's not as as firm as a gummy type product, but it is softer and less sticky then most jelly/gel candies.

I both chewed them and simply let them dissolve in my mouth. I found I liked the flavor and texture more if I let them dissolve.



So how was the flavor?

Really good! It's not overly sweet, despite the outer coating of sugar. The apple flavor reminded me a lot of apple juice, rather than the "green" sour apple that most apple candy tends to be flavored with. They are quite juicy, and it is entirely easy to eat a handful or two and wonder where they went. I really liked these little cubes.

Cybele reviewed not only this flavor but the grapefruit and goji berry as well. Be sure to check out her review here.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

PRICE:
$2.96

CALORIES:
130 calories per 14 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made with 25% real fruit juice. Fat free, sodium free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
nestleusa.com

Dreyers/Edy's Fruit Bars: Pineapple

Ice cold pineapple has got to be one of the most refreshing things on the planet. I love fresh, ripe slices, as cold as possible. One of my favorite places to snack at Disneyland is the long-standing Dole Pineapple Hut. It's at the entrance to Adventureland, and all they sell is pineapple spears, juice, and -- the thing that makes standing in the always outrageously long line worth it: the Dole Whip.



True, there are -- or at least were -- other pineapple Popsicles out there. But they were always aimed at kids, and tasted more like pineapple flavoring rather than actual pineapple juice.

I am not going to blather too much on this one one. These bars are so good it almost, almost, makes me forgive Dreyers/Edy's for making the despicable "Fun Flavors" line (almost).



The sunny yellow bars have the sweet taste of perfectly ripe pineapple, with just a little extra sugar added. And there are little bits of pineapple pulp. It's possible that I may have actually eaten two in a row...purely in the name of providing a good review, of course. I mean, what if they weren't as good as I'd thought they were the first time around? You can never be too sure, right? By the second bar, I think they may have actually been better than I'd first thought. Which means the second bar was entirely justified.

The perfect summer snack! (OK, so it's only spring, I am just thinking ahead. Because one should always be prepared.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$1.99

CALORIES:
80 calories per bar.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Fat free, gluten free, nut free, kosher.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
dreyers.com

Kosher Macaroons (Manischewitz and Streit's)

There apparently are several types of cookies that can be referred to as macaroons. But as best I could tell, the two most popular are the coconut/almond based macaroon and the also almond-based (and pronounced the same way) French-style Macaron. Truth be told, not exactly being coconut's biggest fan myself (and the fact that the French style kick serious butt), I am firmly planted in the camp of the French version. But even with the coconut, I do have a soft spot for the Passover style macaroons -- but only the commercially pre-made kind. I know that is wrong on at least 20 different levels, but it's true.

Maybe it's because the canisters that they are sold in are so well-sealed that the macaroons stay nice and moist. (Maybe forever?) Conversely, the homemade or even bakery versions I have had tended to be on the dry side.

There are literally dozens of versions out there, but I picked up two of my favorite flavors. We have the ever popular Manischewitz brand with their version of almond, and then we have Streit's chocolate. We'll start with Manischewitz...



Manischewitz Almond Macaroons:



I like almost any baked good that uses almond paste (or almond flour) as a rule. And I love the smell when you open the seal on these. It's like concentrated marzipan.

Each Macaroon is about the size of a U.S. quarter coin in diameter, only puffy. The tops are nicely browned.



Each macaroon is super soft and moist (but not greasy). There is a slight crunch from the coconut...but not so much that even a coconut hater like me objects.



The taste is a combination of sweet almond (with that slight cherry taste that almond has) and a tiny bit of coconut. I really loved these. If you have never had a macaroon before, this is the one I would start with.



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

PRICE:
$3.99

CALORIES:
100 calories per 2 macaroons.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Parve, kosher, trans-fat, contains coconut, egg, and wheat.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
manischewitz.com





Streit's Chocolate Macaroons:

Streit's macaroons are slightly wider (closer to a half-dollar size), but more dense than the Manischewitz.

Opening the container you get the classic smell of the combination of coconut and chocolate.



Streit's is another company that has been making fantastic Jewish food products since roughly the dawn of time (well, 1925). To put it into more mainstream context: if Manischewitz is like Coke and Kedem is Pepsi, then Streit's is the Dr. Pepper.

Streit's is also the brand of macaroons whose chocolate flavor I like the most.



The bite on these macaroons is just as moist as the Manischewitz -- but there is a stronger sense of coconut. Texture-wise I am going to give the advantage to the almond Manischewitz. They are a little more crunchy -- by which I mean crunchy in the fibery sense, rather than like a potato chip (or like raw coconut).

The flavor is very much a fudgy cocoa type of chocolate rather than a milk chocolate. It's almost got the slight bitterness to it that actual cocoa powder has. The coconut flavor is there, but it's not so strong that it makes you think you're eating some sort of Mounds cookie (although I know there are people who would kill for that).



Admittedly, side by side, I give the Manischewitz almond the edge because of my love of marzipan. But if you prefer chocolate, you should definitely try the Streit's.



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

PRICE:
$0.99

CALORIES:
100 calories per 2 macaroons.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains eggs and nuts, sulfite free, gluten free, kosher, parve.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
streitsmatzohs.com

Savion Fancy Fruit Flavored Slices

I have always been indifferent to the allure of the fruit sliced jelly candies. I don't dislike them, but I certainly don't go out of my way for them. In fact this is the only box I think I have ever purchased specifically for myself.

But they always seem to be present at a Passover Seder. I understood, from an ingredients standpoint, why the candy is a popular Passover treat. It's sweet, and contains no chometz. It's not that they don't taste good enough; it's just that I just wanted to know why they were so popular.

As I sadly have no wise and all-knowing bubbe to ask, I turned to the warm, loving arms of Google.

According to several different blogs -- though no real reference site like chabad.org, etc -- the reason that jelly candies are so popular with American Jews is that they stem from the preserves and candied fruit slices traditional in their ancestral lands of Russia or Eastern Europe. Heck, it makes sense to me.



I know that the kosher foods giant Manischewitz makes what is, at the very least, the most commonly available version...and wouldn't you know it, my local store didn't have them. Not figuring that I would eventually have to make a trip to Gelson's market (which is a fantastic Jewish-oriented store for many reasons, but unfortunately not close to me), I settled for what my local store did have...

...And that would be the box in front of us. Savion may not have its own website, but it is apparently a part of the Kedem food products empire. (Kedem is another huge name in the world of kosher foods -- sort of the Pepsi to Manischewitz's Coke)

There are four flavors of fruit slices:

*Lemon
*Lime
*Orange
*Cherry

Bet you can't guess which is which.

Each slice is about two inches across at the widest point. The slices are sprinkled with coarse sugar. The colors are all bright and the jelly is clear. The outer crusts of the slices may feel dry and sandy from the sugar, but the inner jelly is moist and slightly sticky. The texture is the same on all, so we'll just talk about the flavors individually.

Lemon:



It can't help but be sweet from all the sugar, but it also has a great zesty zing. The flavor is one of the most natural lemon flavors I have ever had. It's sour, but it avoids that foul aftertaste that fake lemonades can have. It's almost as if they'd made candy from those little plastic bottles of lemon juice. You know, the ones that almost-but-not-quite taste like fresh squeezed?



Anyway, this was a great flavor and I would buy it on its own.

Lime:



Lime always seems to be the hardest citrus flavor to pull off. If done right, it's reasonably close to the real thing. If done wrong, they taste the way lime-scented household cleaners smell.



All I am going to say on this one is that I suddenly feel like mopping.

Orange:



If lime is the hardest citrus to pull off, then orange is the easiest.

Let's be fair -- even the worst orange isn't all that bad. This one is just sort of there. It's not bad, it's not good. It simply exists.



It's a little too sweet, yet also bitter in a non-natural way that somehow doesn't offset the sugar. There is some zest to it once you get all the sugar off. Again it's not bad, but there are far better version out there.

Cherry:



This was a tough one. The very first taste was good. It was a tangy cherry that reminded me of the best part of fruit punch...



...and then the unwelcome bitter aftertaste of the red dye wormed its way in. I personally couldn't get past the taste of the dye.

Bottom line: the lemon is actually pretty good, but the same can't be said of the other flavors. As stated above, I'd happily buy the lemon ones again if they were sold alone. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be an option.




PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

PRICE:
$2.99

CALORIES:
140 calories per 3 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Kosher, parve, fat free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
None for Savion specifically, but their parent company is at kedem.com.