Chocomize Custom Chocolate Bar: Ahhh

I really love the idea of custom created chocolate bars. And I could literally spend hours coming up with different bars (and I have!), so when the folks at Chocomize contacted me and asked if I would like to give their bars a try, I could not resist.

I did several bars. Some of them are pretty interesting in terms of ingredients -- at least I think so -- but I also wanted to try something simple, because sometimes simple is really best.

The "Ahhh" bar is made up of a dark chocolate base, with dried cranberries and crystallized mint leaves.



The bar itself looks beautiful. The colors of the cranberries and the mint leaves are really vivid and allow the smooth and dark-looking chocolate to show through in little patches. The bars were well molded and arrived in perfect shape.

The ingredients are embedded in what is technically the bottom (or underside) of the bar. The top is simply molded and very, very, glossy.



I am going to rate this based on the individual ingredients rather than the bar as a whole -- because, after all, I chose how I paired the ingredients. The ingredients could be great but if I put them together in a less then stellar combination, it wouldn't be fair to hold that against Chocomize. (And if it's a brilliant combo, then I get all the credit! (Kidding...kidding...no, kinda not)



The dark chocolate: It's a 56% dark chocolate. Not the deepest, darkest chocolate by any stretch, but it does have a good flavor. It's got strong coffee notes, and a sweetness that I wasn't expecting -- but it's not so sweet that there isn't a slightly bitter edge. Honestly, it reminded me more of a deep milk chocolate than a true dark. The melt is very smooth and it feel silky and cool on the tongue. I tend to like my dark chocolates, well, darker -- but this was pleasant and it would be a good gateway dark for newbies who want to expand beyond milk chocolate.

The cranberries: These were great! Very plump and sweet and also very fresh. They were even still soft!

The crystallized mint leaves: They look quite pretty and they were not overly sugared. You could still see the details of the veins in the leaves. The flavor is mostly sugar (well, duh), but towards the end you do get a tiny hint of mint. Don't expect a full-on peppermint rush like you would get from, say, a classic candy cane -- think more of what's muddled into your mojito. But that's exactly what I was expecting, so I was pretty happy with being right. (I just happen to like being right a lot.)



Not to toot my own horn (and not basing the rating on this either), but I have to say that cranberries, mint, and dark chocolate is a pretty damn good combination.

This bar has definitely got me looking forward to my other Chocomize bars.

The folks at Chocomize also want you to give you a chance to make your own bar (or try my combination). So visit them at chocomize.com and use coupon code "Gigi" at checkout to get 10% off your order!



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
118 calories per 1/5 of a bar.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
May contain traces of milk, nuts and gluten.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
chocomize.com

Swanson's Hungry Man Turkey Dinner

While other companies may have made frozen dinners first (so says the all-knowing Wikipedia entry), it was Swanson's original that made the whole concept catch on. And here we all are years later still eating "TV Dinners." (And yes, that is what Swanson actually called them.)

Should I also admit that I remember, back in the day, when the trays were still metal and you couldn't microwave them? And we only had six television channels...and no Internet...and the only kinds of coffee you could get were "regular" and "decaf"...damn you kids! (insert fist shaking here)



Anyways...Swanson still makes the classic frozen dinner -- and this "Hungry Man" version, which boasts 1 pound of food, which really sounds like a lot. The meal features 3 slices of breast meat and 1 slice of what I think is supposed to be dark meat, but in reality is just a scarier beige color than the rest of the turkey. There is also mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, and what I consider to be the highlight of the meal -- the apple cranberry dessert.

Let's talk about the components, one by one:

The turkey:
It seems to be more of a "pressed turkey" product than I remember it being the last time I ate one (well over two years ago). It's kind of patchy in terms of color. The texture is like a really thick piece of processed deli meat. The flavor is good; it's got a strong "roasted" taste to it. But at the same time, it seems like it tastes that way because it was injected or altered in some fashion to give it a stronger turkey flavor than it would have on its own.



The Stuffing:
I am not a big stuffing fan, so I am probably going to be less critical of this stuffing than someone who loves it would be. For me, the bread crumb stuffing reminds me of a drier version of Stove Top. You can taste the onion, celery and sage. I have to admit I would actually chose this stuffing over many others -- but again, I am not a huge stuffing fan to start with.

The Gravy:
Super-processed (not that the rest of the meal isn't), too salty, and only vaguely poultry flavored. Hmmmm, can I think of something nice to say about it? Well, it's wet...to the best of my knowledge it is not classified as a weapon of mass destruction...sorry, I can't think of anything much nicer than that.



The Corn:
There's not much one can really do to either improve or to screw up frozen corn. It is what it is: butter-flavored frozen corn. If you've ever had frozen corn, you know exactly what this tastes like.

The Mashed Potatoes:
I know I lose foodie cred every time I say this, but I really do love "fake" or powdered mashed potatoes, including the ones in this frozen dinner. No, they don't really taste like the real thing, but they are smooth and creamy. Also salty...in fact, a little much on the salty side, but I still like it. Probably raised my blood pressure about fifty points, but what the hell. What fun is life if you can't be a daredevil, right?



The Cranberry Apple dessert:
Little chunks of apple and whole berries in a sweet gel. There is nothing remotely natural about it, but it is just good!

Overall this meal is salty, overly processed, and in the whole foodie scheme of things, not something that is likely to be reinterpreted by Daniel Boulud. But there is something about it that's comforting and good in an embarrassingly lowbrow, kitschy way. You know your favorite aunt who is very sweet-natured and kind, but there's no way to get around the fact that she's also a complete idiot? Well, this might be her food equivalent.

It's okay to like this. You just need to be circumspect about whom you admit it to.



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

Nestlé Cranberry Raisinets

Dried cranberries are good in pretty much any shape or form. You can eat them on their own as a snack, or add them to a salad. You can sprinkle them on ice cream (try it with a quality vanilla). They are full of antioxidants. They are just a good all-purpose treat.

So who wouldn't want to try a chocolate-covered cranberry? I know I would!

Well, the cranberries themselves were quite good. Very plump and moist. Not quite as chewy or tart as "craisins" can sometimes be (although Ocean Spray Craisins are my dried cranberry of choice).



It's the chocolate that was the downfall here. To give some credit to Nestlé, the product is made with actual milk chocolate -- but it helps a lot if you're a fan of Nestlé's American version of milk chocolate...which, unfortunately, I am not. (I really like Nestlé's Swiss product, but our version is just not as good). The cranberries are thinly enrobed in the chocolate. The chocolate is really sweet. It's not exactly creamy, but at least there is only a slight graininess to it. It is also waxy, but that seems to be somewhat universal for this kind of snack. I wish that Nestlé had gone with the "dark chocolate" coating they came out with for the classic Raisinets. It would have better complemented the cranberries, and while it is not a fantastic dark chocolate, it does taste exactly like Toll House Morsels.



All in all these little bites are tasty enough, although the chocolate is at best forgettable.




PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

Kit Kat Mixed Berry

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