Hershey's Extra Dark 60% Cacao Bar

This chocolate would make great cookies!
I have had this bar just laying around for about three months now. Every time I would think about trying it something else always seemed more interesting or tasty. Today however, it just looked pretty good. I wanted something strong and a little bitter.

Taste wise the bar reminded me of a more bitter Nestle Toll House Morsel. Is has a nice crisp snap. Because of the high cacao content there is of course not a
smooth melt. The pieces more or less crumble in your mouth.

Honestly, this is not a bar I would reach for for snacking purposes or chocolate cravings- but it would be a good choice for baking or for garnishing.

And yes, of course because it is dark chocolate it has many health benefits so that is another point in it's favor!

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)

Snapple Antioxidant Water Defy- Raspberry Acerola

First I would like to sat thank you to Chessia with Snapple for giving me the chance to review several of the new Antioxidant Waters
I am a huge fan of Snapple so I was pretty excited to hear from them.

The new Antioxidant Water line contain vitamins and electrolytes. This particular water was part of the Defy group and have vitamins A & E as well as grape seed extract.

The flavor I tried was Raspberry Acerola. OK, I admit I had to Google Acerola. According to the Wiki entry they are a kind of cherry like plant that are well known for being very high in vitamin C.

The flavor of the water actually kind of reminded me of a weaker, more sour version of raspberry Kool-Aide. It has a nice sour taste without being bitter.
It was smooth and easy to drink. I liked that unlike some of the flavored waters out there it didn't seem to be sickeningly sweet from artificial sweeteners. All in all it was pretty refreshing.


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Starbucks Chocotes Espresso Truffles

WOW! These are like the perfect cup of espresso-wrapped in chocolate.
Once you have unwrapped the truffle give it a good sniff- it smells just like fresh coffee beans (a smell I happen to love)

The truffles have a surprisingly thick dark chocolate shell. The shell gives a nice snap but still is milky enough that it melts smoothly. The cream center has a strong coffee flavor that's on the bitter side (just like real espresso)
The easiest way to describe this would be to tell you to image taking a sip of coffee with a piece of chocolate in your mouth. The chocolate plays second banana to the coffee but it works because it keeps the coffee from being over baring and the chocolate from being too sweet.

I have to say that while I didn't love the tea and chocolate tasting squares the truffles so far have been excellient! Check out the lways excellient Cybele's reviews of the truffles (and the rest of the line) HERE


PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Cinnamon Life Cereal

Would I be compleatly dating myself to admit that I grew up in the Mikey era of Life Cereal?
Mikey and I had a lot in common. We were both picky, had annoying siblings and liked cereal. Mikey had the good fortune of not being sensetive to milk at a time when dairy alternatives or Lactose pills either weren't readily available or didn't exist.

The few times in my younger life I did eat cereal I loved life. The even slimmer times I got Cinnamon Life were indeed happy days.

Thankfully, these days between soy milks and Lactaid products I can eat cereal (and ice cream!) to my hearts content but Cinnamon Life is still one of my favorites.

The cinnamon flavor is exactly like that of a fresh cinnamon stick. Just a little firey, not sugary sweet and at the same time it's not overbaring.

I love the texture. Life has a kind of open basket weave to it, that helps trap the milk in but if you like your cereal soggy (and I do- I know I am weird) it also helps expediate that.

There is a reason this is a classic breakfast staple. It's simple, there are no wacky flavors or dried fruits or super vitamins. It just tastes good- and I like it! I like it!


PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter Ice Cream

Happy 30'th Birthday Ben & Jerry!
Every once and a while Ben & Jerry come out with a flavor that is just so good I am prepared to lock myself in the room with a pint and have myself a little threesome (TMI?) I haven't felt that way in years to be honest.

However, for their 30'th Birthday they have a special Cake Batter edition- now, if you have read any of my ice cream reviews you would know that my absolute all-time favorite ice cream is Cold Stone Creameries Cake Batter. I won't lie this ice cream does not top the Cold Stone but it is pretty damn good!

The base flavor is supposed to be yellow cake batter. And I'll be a monkey's uncle if they didn't nail the flavor of yellow cake batter right on the head. If you brought it to room temp I am willing to bet based on flavor alone you would not be able to tell the difference between real cake bater and the ice cream.

Most cake batter ice creams feature a frosting swirl (Like Mayfields). As a rule the frosting is vanilla or a butter cream. Ben and Jerry up the ante here and use a chocolate frosting swirl. The combo of the yellow cake with the chocolate is great!
If I didn't know it was frosting I would have just assumed that it was a standard chocolate swirl. If you are looking for that thicker, slightly grainy, extra sweet edge frosting brings, you may be disapointed. But personally I think it was pretty good as is.

One of Ben & Jerry's best flavors ever!

Dasani Plus- Calm & Relax Water

Dasani has added a fourth flavor to the plus Line!
I have tried all three of the original flavors and liked all of them enough to purchase them again (I still like the Pom/Blackberry best) so I was happy to see a new flavor out there.

The new water is a lemon lime that is supposed to calm and relax. And has extra vitamins E, B6 and Magnesium. I have been under a lot of stress lately and am up for trying anything that will help me chill out (OK almost anything). I also happen to like lemon lime so I figured it would be win-win.

The first thing that turned me off to be honest was the color. The water is a shade of yellow that to say it bluntly reminded me of urine. It's not bright enough to make me think of say a super sugary kids drink. And it's not clear enough to make me think of water with a fresh squirt of lemon or lime.

That lovely visual aside, let's move on to smell. It smells EXACTLY like a lime Otter Pop- you know those tubes of somewhat fruit flavored sugar that you freeze yourself. Not a bad smell. It's the kind of sweet smell that you know will be followed by an artificial flavor.

And the water does not disappoint, well actually it does. The flavor is a lot like one of those Otter Pops if you were to drink it unfrozen right from the tube. It's lemon lime in the fakest way possible. I don't get it, it's not like Coke doesn't make their share of lemon lime flavored products why did this one turn out so badly?
I kept drinking it, hoping that with each sip the flavor would grow on me. But alas, it never did.

The other three flavors are all pretty darn good but I will not be going back for seconds on this one.


PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Mieszko Gems- Rum

As if rum and chocolate could possibly be bad!

I loved the Orange Brandy Mieszko Gems and have been hording my small stash of them. I have some of the other flavors on hand and decided now was as good a time as any to pull out another one to try.

I went with the Rum Gem because it just sounded plain good.
It's a pretty dome of milk chocolate and if it smells half as good as it tastes then I will be very happy. It actually smells vaugely coconutty- while I may not like non-toasted coconut I do like the smell.

The filling is a smooth chocolate creme, even if there was no rum in it the filling would still be good. The filling is cool on the tongue and there is not a doubt that there is actual rum in the candy. It is so strong that you actually get the burn from the alcohol. The flavor is great but it's just too much rum.

Starbucks Chocolates Chocolate & Tea Tasting Squares

This sampler has a trio of tasting squares all infused with tea!

I will skip the whole I love Starbucks routine. I know that you know that I love them and the longer it takes me to write the superlatives the longer it is until I get to the chocolate.

This box has three adorable rows of small "tasting" chocolates- the pieces are small and thin, kind of like a mini Ghirardelli square.

The one I tried first was the:
Passion Dark Chocolate.
When I am in the mood for a cold drink at Starbucks my choice is almost always the Passion Tea/Lemonade blend. In fact the Passion Tazo is one of the few teas I buy to drink hot so I had high hopes for this one.
Once the wrapper is opened the chocolate smells EXACTLY like a fresh cup of the passion tea. It's sort of floral and citrusy at the same time.

The first notes that hit your tongue are all about the tea. So much so that you could almost recreate the flavor of the square by drinking some of the iced version of the tea while holding a few chocolate chips in your mouth. That sounds weird but it actually was an interesting effect.
The chocolate it's self is just sort of there. It's not bad- but it's not good. It's grainy (although that may be the tea it's self), it melts reasonably fast. It's sort of a middle of the road dark. It's not dark enough that it has much bite of it's own (or that it refuses to melt). But it is also not milky enough to be smooth, sweet or have much of a dairy component. What I think I was most disappointed in is that it had no snap to it. Biting or breaking the square just yields a pretty wimpy bend.
Even with the so-so chocolate the Passion tea just tastes so good I would have this square again.

Onto the next square.

Citron Dark Chocolate:
I loved the smell of this square instantly. It smells exactly like freshly grated lemon zest and deep smokey chocolate.

The lemon has a stronger aroma then taste and while the smell is amazing the taste is... well it's not. Furniture polish is what immediately came to mind.
Again the texture is gritty, which in the case I think I can without a doubt attribute to the tea leaves. I love that they used the dark chocolate with lemon (it is one of my favorite combo's) Everything I said about the chocolate with the Passion square stands true here.

This square I will be avoiding in the future... unless I suddenly get the overwhelming craving for edible Pledge.

And last but not least.

Chai Milk Chocolate:
Let's remember that I LOVED the Chai Truffles. I was expecting these squares to be little flat versions of the truffles. While it is clear they are related the squares are not exactly the Mini-Me's of the truffles.

The scent is just as good. Warm, inviting and on the spicy side.
The Chai in the case of the square overpowers the chocolate. It's like there are to many competing flavors fighting each other in the piece. With the truffles it's easy to pick out the individual notes, in the square everything is just sort of mushed together and it ends up tasting more like black pepper then anything else.
Combine that with a slightly grainy texture (although less so thanks to the milk chocolate) and a mediocre milk chocolate, it's just disappointing after how high the truffles set the bar.


The stand out here is definitely the Passion Squares.
Is it worth the $5.00+ price tag for one decent set of squares, honestly? not really but should you see them at steep discount or the Passion squares alone then they are well worth a try.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)

Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

This is one of those foods I only have once in a blue moon. It's decadent, rich, sinful goodness AND it's topped with whipped cream!

To be honest I am not even a big cheesecake fan. This is the only exception I make to that rule.

How can you not love something that is made with layers of flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate cheesecake? each layer is delicious eaten separately but all three in the same bite that my friends is... well I hate to use this phrase again but it really is Clive Owen Naked good I mean c'mon!:

I like to think a few of you out there understand what I mean!

Ok, yes the calorie count is beyond scary, the "bad" fat will probably haunt you longer then Clive's looks will hold out. But as a once in a while treat you are hard pressed to find something better. It's an 11!

Hostess Orange Cupcakes

This is the 200'th post!!

Wow! that sort of snuck up on me. Once again let me say thank you to everyone out there who reads this. I have more fun then I probably should admit too putting this blog up.

I thought that it would be fitting that for the 200'th post I review one of my childhood favorites. And that would be the Hostess Orange Cupcake.

My first memories of the orange Hostess stems around grocery shopping. Way back when I was much, much younger and my parents would select me as the lucky kid out of three that got to go to the grocery store with them, somewhere around kid time hour seven of the task it went from being fun to being about as boring as the ingredient list on a bottle of water. I am not not really sure if my Father was also as bored (my Mother could and still does spend about a half an hour in the detergent aisle alone)or if he was simply sensing that whining was about to start had sort of a seventh inning stretch up his sleeve.
It was at that point that a package of Hostess Orange Cupcakes would make an appearance. There are few things that bring as much joy to a bored kid as sugar. Because they were as far as I ever knew only sold in the two cupcake packs they never seemed to make their way home and were a covert snack- not to be shared or even mentioned to my Brother and Sister at home (an even number of snack and an odd number of kids is a recipe for diaster). Ever since them I have been in love with the things! When I see them at convince stores or once and a while at the grocery store I can't resist getting a package.

They are still sold two to a pack. Much like their better known chocolate sibling they feature a fondant like frosting top (complete with squiggle)and a filling of too sweet "cream".

The base cake is vaguely orange flavored and spongy. The main orange flavor come from the frosted top. And I do love those frosted tops... Yes, I have been known to pull it off and eat it on it's own. The orange flavor is zesty, yes it is on the artificial side but it's one of those cases were if it is wrong then I would rather not be right. The texture is gritty and sugary but again that is one of the charms as far as I am concerned.

These will also be a childhood guilty pleasure, and I will always love them.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)

Fuze Slenderize Strawberry Melon

So if I drink this it will make me thin?
The answer is not exactly but it does have only a butt load of vitamins (that's a technical term), only 10 calories, 2 carbs and a partridge in a pear tree per serving -OK so each bottle is actually 2 servings even at 20 calories and 4 carbs your still doing pretty god if you ask me.

The aforementioned butt load of vitamins include vitamin C (135 mg), Chromium (40mcg). Another couple things called L.Carnitine which according to the bottle is an amino acid that boosts energy and Super Citrimax that is supposed to help the metabolism. Since I have never heard of those last two supplements there is pretty much nothing more i can say about them but "ok..."

Does anyone out there really care about any of that?, be honest you just want to know what it tasted like.

So what did it taste like?
Not bad actually! it tasted most like a combo of cantaloupe and strawberry. It does have a bitter aftertaste but I thought it helped, I think without it the drink would have been way to sweet. I think this is one of those drinks that would be better as a Popsicle then straight from the bottle.

Not my favorite drink ever but as a mixer or a Popsicle it could be pretty good.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)

Starbucks Chocolates Chai Truffles

A new way to take my Starbucks addiction to the next level!!
As if I really needed another reason. Starbucks has launched a new line of premium chocolate.

I started out with the Chai Truffles as my first taste/review. I love that chai spice has been so popular recently- this is what the third chai product review I have done.

I don't say this often but these candies are so cute!, they look like little upside down tea cups! The chocolate is a glossy milk. The truffles also smell terrific. Warm and spicy, the cinnamon and a hint of black pepper come right through.

Biting through the truffle the chocolate shell is thick and has a good snap to it. It's a sweet milk chocolate that has a nice melt.
The chai center is outstanding. Smooth, the spice plays off of the chocolate perfectly- you can taste the clove and anise. There seems to be some citrus notes. The cardamom is clean and deep.

I hope that the rest of the line is as good as these truffles because they did an excellent job with these.


PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

CVS Gold Emblem Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets

I love peanut butter filled pretzels as a snack.
They have got to be one of the best snack foods, they're crunchy, salty and you get some creaminess from the peanut butter. It also doesn't take many of them to do the trick.

Honestly, my brand of choice is Trader Joe's version. But I am always looking for new ones.

I picked up a bag of CVS's Gold Emblem brand and gave them a shot.
The salt proportion is good, enough salt that you get a nice hit of it with each bite but not so much that it sends you running for a drink.
The pretzel is crispy but a little bland. It's just sort of there to be honest.
The peanut butter has a decent flavor but the texture is powdery and dry.

Over all these are just OK. They will get the job done but there are better versions to be had out there.

PURCHASED FROM:
CVS

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee Ice Cream Limited Edition

I can feel less guilty about eating this ice cream because Haagen-Dazs is donating part of the sales to helping the honey bees
And being the friend to the Bees that I am I of course had to do my part (yes, I am allergic to them but we aren't going to talk about that)

Even if I wasn't trying to help the Bees (being a giver and all) I would still buy it.
The vanilla is milder then the normal Haagen-Dazs vanilla but it is gently accompanied but the sweet taste of honey. The honey is strong enough that you notice it but not so strong that it overpowers the vanilla. I also liked the fact that the honey is incorporated into the base flavor rather then as a swirl.
The mouth feel is what you would expect from Haagen-Dazs, creamy and rich.
I would love to try this as a milk shake.

This was good, really good.

PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Girl Scout Samoa Cookies- Updated!

It's Girl Scout cookie time!!
My addiction to Samoa's is probably well documented in every troop HQ from here to California. I swear those little green sashed darlings have a mug shot of me or something because at this time of year I swear they hunt me out. Maybe it's because I am an easy sell, maybe it's the fact that I have been known to buy a years worth of cookies to freeze- or it could be because everyone I know seems to have a scout daughter.

Any way, after purchasing what I am underestimating to be about 700 boxes of Samoa's this year I thought maybe I should review them.

Is there really a better mass made cookie out there?
I don't know which part I love more. The toasted coconut (the only way I like coconut) or the gooey, slightly too sweet caramel. They are crunchy, yet gooey and sweet! I know the Thin Mints are slightly more popular (and I do like those as well) but c'mon people! how do you not love these?!

The only thing I don't like about them is the use of mocklate rather then real chocolate. WHY???!!!! were they always made with mocklate rather then chocolate?
I did send off an email to Little Brownie Bakers asking just that question and should I get a reply I will do an up date.


As promised I got an email back from Little Brownie regarding the question as to if the chocolate used on the cookie was real chocolate or mocklate. The responce was:

Dear Gigi,

Thank you for contacting Little Brownie Bakers. Girl Scouts depend on great customers like you!

The chocolate on the Samoas is cocoa powder sweetened with alkali.

Gigi, We are grateful for the opportunity to respond. Thank you for your support of the Girl Scouts in your community.


Sincerely,


Lorraine
Consumer Affairs Department"

Well at least they were quite prompt with responding!



PURCHASED FROM:
About 6 different local troops.

Claim Jumper Chicken Fried Beef Steak

Claim Jumper is actually one of my favorite restaurants from back home (Southern California).

The portions are bigger then any sane human should ever eat but they do some interesting things with what would otherwise be standard issue chain restaurant fare. Since they don't currently have an Atlanta location the frozen entrees are the closet I can get.

I tried the Chicken Fried Beef Steak. I love chicken fried steak- and I have had and liked Claim Jumpers version before. The frozen version is a generous sized piece of meat, mashed potatoes and a corn cob- and don't forget the white country gravy.

To be honest I discarded the corn. It might very well have been fine but I can't stand frozen corn (yeah, I know fine time to be a food snob). The mashed potatoes are really good for frozen. There are little bits of "skin" (which I love), lumps and a decent amount of pepper.
The steak it's self. The batter is not nearly as crisp and rustic looking as the picture would have you believe, but it does have a good peppery flavor. The meat it, kinda mushy. But at the same time it is tender and not ropey or gristly like frozen beef can sometimes be.
The gravy does have a sausage flavor to it and again is heavy on the pepper. The taste is good but it is pasty.

All in all, for a frozen chicken fried steak it is not the greatest but it is better then most. The potatos alone make it worth it.

Twizzlers Rainbow Twists

Twizzlers are one of those candies that I don't keep in the house because I WILL eat the package in an embarrassingly short amount of time.
Personally, I prefer the old school Strawberry Twists but I thought I would give these a chance.

They come in handy packs of six- one of each flavor. There is Strawberry, orange, lemonade, blue raspberry, watermelon and grape.

Strawberry:
These smell like baby aspirin and taste like taking a bite out of a strawberry chapstick. Why they messed with perfection and didn't go with the classic strawberry is beyond me. UGH!

Orange:
The smell was promising, kinda like orange soda. Not bad, kind of like Sunkist soda meets orange Tic-Tacs.

Lemonade:
Doesn't really have a smell. The taste is sort of like a weak lemonhead. If these were stronger they would be pretty good.

Watermelon:
Again no smell. Again with the chapstick taste. Think of how great these would have been with a strong Jolly Ranchers like flavor! But no....

Blue Raspberry:
Promising as it was both blue (and there are just not enough blue foods) and it smelled like a Blue Raspberry Slurpee! Unfortunately, it tastes like a 3 day old Slurpee that had an affair with envelope paste- only it was less good then that. Again, this flavor could have been so good!

Grape:
Smelled like grape soda! taste like grape soda! the best of the pack.

The pack was fresh and the Twizzlers were super soft, had this been the classic Twizzlers they would have been perfect! As is they were just bad. These good have been so good!- why?! why?!

For another take check out Cybele's review her pictures are great btw.


PURCHASED FROM:
CVS

Haagen-Dazs Reserve Pomegranate & Dark Chocolate Bar

I finally got my hands on these bars!
It has only taken over a year for these bars to turn up in my local market!

I wish they hadn't taken so long but it was well worth the wait!

The bar is covered in a rich dark chocolate. The dark chocolate was a good choice, milk chocolate just would not have worked. The Pom ice cream is out of this world!
It's tart, it's creamy, the chocolate shell lends just the right amount of sweetness. This is like Clive Owen naked good.

If you see this in the store just buy it and thank me later!

Frey Bouquet d'Oranges Bar

I loved the Frey Coriander and Cinnamon bar so I had high hopes for this one
Once again do I even need to repeat that I love orange and chocolate together?- AND not only does this bar have that, it is even dark chocolate!


The aroma of the chocolate is vaguely floral and the chocolate has a nice snap. There is no melt to the chocolate but it does have a crunchy bite. The mouth feel even at that is weird. The best way to describe it would probably be that it's dry, really dry. There seems to be little studs of sugary orange-type origin. I am not sure exactly what they are because as far as I could tell the orange only comes to the bar in the form of "orange powder" (well and citric acid)
I liked the little grainy mystery studs none the less. I would love to do a chocolate chips cookie with these.

Loved the taste. The whole dry mouth feel I could have skipped. It would have been better with actual orange bits. Again I would love to cook with this bar.

PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Peeps- Cocoa

Chocolate Peeps?- I am so there
These have actually been out for a few years now, I had just never gotten around to trying them.
They are the traditional peeps with a light coating of cocoa powder.
I like the fact that the cocoa is not overwhelming. It tastes exactly like a marshmallow rolled in cocoa powder would. I loved these!

I can't wait to try these in hot chocolate!

PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Mrs. Smiths Heavenly 100 Chocolate Mousse

100 calorie chocolate mousse?!

For 100 calories this really is pretty good!
The chocolate is deep and rich (like Dutch Cocoa) and while it doesn't have a lingering flavor it also does not have an aftertaste as some low calorie chocolate products have. It reminded me of the taste of a fudgecicle to tell the truth.

The texture is kind of weird. It looks like it would have the fluffy, airy feel that real mousse has when in fact it more like low quality frozen yogurt. It is sort of airy but there is no creamy mouth feel. On its own, again it is good for a low calorie dessert but it's not very mousse like.

I wish the texture was more mousse like but over all I liked it. For a 100 calorie product it delivers a lot of taste for a small price and it's close enough to an ice cream/froyo experience that for some it might even solve that craving. Well worth trying!


PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Hershey Kisses Lemon Creme- Limited Edition

I have said this before but why am I the only person on the planet who likes lemon and dark chocolate together?



While it is great that there is a lemon flavored kiss it is sad that the base is white chocolate. Oh, well I ca dream...

Opening the bag the first thing you smell is the lemon- and it actually smells like tart lemon curd rather then say Pledge. The smell reminded me of lemon meringue pie!

So the taste...
The lemon is strong and does in fact taste like lemon curd. The white chocolate is gritty but it melts nicely. Normally it would be too sweet for me, but paired with the lemon it works. The tartness of the lemon cuts the sweetness of the chocolate nicely.

Honestly, I would still much rather have the kiss with dark chocolate but I do think this is one of the better limited edition kisses.

PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Ferrero - Rondnoir

My thanks to Amy with Ferrero for send out the beautiful Prestige package you see in the picture
I am already a huge fan of the Ferrero Rocher so just the description of the Rondnoir was enough to convince me I would probably like it even more.

The Rondnoir is as the companies description says has a dark chocolate cream that surrounds a "black pearl" of fine dark chocolate. That is enclosed in a delicate wafer and covered in more dark chocolate.

I loved everything about this candy!
The crunch of the wafer. The great little bits of nubby chocolate covering the shell.
The cream layer is sweeter then all of the other layers but that really serves to set of the generous sized pearl of dark chocolate in the center. The pearl melts in your mouth in a smooth waterfall of chocolate.

My only compliant is that I could easily eat way too many of them in one sitting.
My initial thoughts proved correct. As much as I do like the Rocher the Rondnoir IS my preference of the two.

I hope the Easter Bunny brings me more!

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Rep

Cadbury Orange Creme Egg

How do they get the chickens to lay orange flavored eggs?
Are they related to the cows that make chocolate milk?
Should I write reviews on 3 hours of sleep?

Those are all good questions but lets just talk about the egg.
I admit that every Easter I eat one (and only one) of the traditional Cadbury eggs. I have done it every year of my life that I can remember (OK, when I was younger I did eat more then one) and this year I saw the orange version.

We all know how I feel about orange and chocolate together so you know I HAD to try it.

Did the Cadbury eggs used to be bigger or did I used to be smaller. I actually like the new smaller portions, in my old age a larger serving would be just too much sugar. My weird way of eating a Cadbury egg is to unwrap it and bite off a portion of the top of the egg (sort of like how one eats a soft boiled egg) then I like to nibble slowly around that opening. I like the fact that if I wanted it it would be possible to extract the creme and leave the chocolate shell.

I have to give the orange egg points for looking pretty cool split open, it does look kinda like real egg yolks.

The chocolate it sweet, hints vaguely of diary and is a little waxy- but I think by now we all expect that Cadbury Eggs will have sweet chocolate. The orange creme tastes like orange zest- as imagined by someone that never really had orange zest. There is no tartness to it,no bite, only super sweetness. The fondant is grainy and if you are unlucky enough to have a cavity it will find it for you.
Needless to say I was not impressed.

I hope the Easter bunny leaves these out of my basket.

PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Froot Loops Smoothie

Having a MAJOR Froot Loops addiction any time they come up with something new I am all over it.
Recently at my local market I saw the new Froot Loops Smoothie edition. Whats so special about it is that some of the pieces have a yogurt coating... um OK.
How bad could it be

Well it's not bad (as if Froot Loops could possibly be bad!), but honestly flavor wise I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Smoothie version and the Classic version if my life depended on it. In fact the only way to tell the difference is that the yogurt coated pieces have the texture and bite of stale Froot Loops.

Was the yogurt supposed to have flavor?
Was the texture supposed to be different?
Were they trying to keep me from buying yet another of the Marshmallow boxes?
Toucan Sam I beg of you to explain the mystery to me!


PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Peeps

Ah the classic, innocenty look of a Peeps chick...
Something about those smushy little faces and bright colors always makes me want to bring out my inner Ozzie.

It has literally been years since I bite into one of these so I picked up a package (blue, because there is not enough blue food). They were soft and fresh. The outer coating of bright blue sugar giving a nice grainy crunch. The inner marshmellow being fluffy and spongey. It was everything I had remembered it to be. They may not be the most flavorful Easter candy out there but on the other hand is it really Easter without them?

Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Hey you got your peanut butter AND your chocolate in my ice cream!
Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter together? Toss in ice cream and is there really a better combination? (would eating chocolate peanut butter ice cream off of Clive Owen count?)

Haagen-Dazs once again does justice to the classics.
I really love their base chocolate ice cream to be about the best of the mass market ice creams. It has that great deep flavor you expect from something based with Dutch cocoa.
The peanut butter in this ice cream comes in the form of sizable chunks (although blobs might be a better description) of smooth peanut butter. What I like about it is that the cold from the ice cream makes the peanut butter more of a solid chunk then a gooey pool or ribbon- which would not be bad either, it's just that the chunk is more old school. When the peanut butter hits the warm of your mouth it starts to melt.

No, there is nothing new or exciting about this flavor but it is just plain good!

Little Debbie Apple Pie

We know I wasn't crazy about the cherry pie, how did the apple fare?
I felt like Little Debbie had a better chance with me preferring their apple pie over the Hostess version (apple being my least favorite of the Hostess flavors) so I even though I didn't really like the cherry pie I thought the apple had a good chance.

The crust is still too thick and store brand pie crust for me.
The filling once again is too sweet and syrupy. The little tidbits of fruit are just big enough to give a little crunchy bite.

Yeah, I think I am definatly stick to hostess for my pies.

Milk Chocolate & Raspberry White Creme Hugs

Because everyone needs a hug

Or something sappy like that.
This is yet another version of the Hershey's Kisses (well Hugs in this case line)
These kisses are a standard issue kiss that is wrapped in raspberry flavored white creme.
The kisses smell good- like fake raspberry but not overwhelmingly so.
When you pop one in your mouth the first taste is the fake raspberry in the white "creme". The creme sort of reminds me of the center of a Whopper, vaguely malty, sweet and with a grainy texture. The sweetness of the creme only adds to the normal sweetness of the chocolate.

These Hugs were too sweet for me and the raspberry leaves a horrible after taste- sort of like raspberry gum that was chewed while drinking a soda.
It is safe to say I won't be looking for these again.

PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Mieszko Brandy & Orange Gem

I found these in a bulk candy bin at my local Persian market.
Let me tell you it was not terribly easy to get information on this candy in English!

Mieszko from what I can tell is a very popular candy maker in Poland. They have quite an impressive web site- that I finally found in English! (mieszko.com)

Inside the wrapper is a very pretty bon bon that is a milk chocolate shell that is filled with a mix of orange and brandy filling. The smell is heavenly! the orange not noticeable but the deep earthy cocoa and the sweet brandy marry perfectly. It smelled so good I almost didn't want to bite into it.

Note, I said almost It actually tastes better then it smells!

The chocolate shell is surprisingly thick and has a good snap to it, it is also more of a semi-sweet then a milk if you ask me.
The orange is the first things you taste. It tastes like freshly grated zest. The brandy has got to be real brandy. It's thick and sweet with the slow burn of brandy.
Simply outstanding!
The combination of the chocolate, the orange and the brandy is amazing.

I like these enough to make a trip out to my Persian grocer just for them- but if you are not lucky enough to find them locally they can also be purchased from Chocoladka.Com

PURCHASED FROM:
Local Persian Market

Little Debbie Cherry Pie

Fruity Pies- so good they should be there own food group.

My favorite of the convenience fruit pies has long been the Hostess lines. I hadn't even known Little Debbie had their own version until I was browsing through CVS- and you know that meant I had to try them!

I picked up the Cherry version (because who doesn't love cherry pie?)
The pastry is heavily glazed an is thicker then the Hostess version. It sort of reminded me of grocery store bakery pie crust, if you are a pie of that then I am sure u would love it.

The filling is generous but is very, very sweet. There were little bits of cherry buried deep in the goo but they seemed to have no flavor of their own.

I feel safe to say that I will be sticking to the Hostess version.

PURCHASED FROM:
CVS

Hershey's Kisses- Coconut Creme limited Edition

I might not have been the best person to review these Kisses
While I am a fan of coconut flavor eating actual coconut it's self is not one of my favorite things. It's the texture I don't like. I like it when it's toasted, but in it's "raw" state it tends to make me gag. That being said I tried these any way.

The other 'shell' of the candy is standard issue Kiss chocolate. The center creme taste like a 50/50 mix of coconut and vanilla flavoring. It's a good flavor but it is VERY sweet. The texture is gritty. Grainy in a way that suggests too much sugar and it's filled with small slivers of raw coconut.

I liked the flavor, for me if it had had just a smooth creme center it would have been a new favorite (I just couldn't deal with the texture). I can see people who like actual bits of coconut thinking that these kisses are great.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)