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

Kraft Jet-Puffed SwirlMallows: Caramel & Vanilla Marshmallows

I think we all know by now that if there is a marshmallow type product out there, I will try it. I like them plain, I like them flavored. I liked them chocolate covered. Heck, in a move that surprises everyone, including me, I even like them coconut covered.

So when I saw the new Jet-Puffed SwirlMallows, I had to try them. I picked up a bag of Caramel & Vanilla flavor. (Research showed me that there is also a Chocolate & Vanilla option out there -- and I would have gotten those as well, had I seen them.)

I warn you up front: you will smell the fake caramel aroma right through the plastic bag. In fact, the aroma is so strong that if you are within about three feet of them you will smell them. It's that too-sweet smell that caramel flavored items tend to have, rather than the nice burnt sugar smell of real caramel. Naturally, this was kind of off-putting. I am not exactly expecting hand made artisan caramel here, but the smell is just cloying. It reminded me of cheap air freshener.



They are cute enough, however, with the light brown striping on the outside and tan splotches on the inside.



So, how does it taste? As always with marshmallow products, I tried them both "raw" and "toasted."

RAW: It tastes remarkably like a regular old marshmallow -- except that it does have that "caramel flavor" added to it. It's sort of as if the marshmallows had been lightly soaked in the type of commercial syrup used to flavor coffee. It's not a bad taste, but it's a little stronger than I would like. Kinda forgettable, really.

TOASTED: OK, let me be honest here -- I do not merely "toast" my marshmallows. I incinerate them! I do this to all marshmallows that I eat cooked. I happen to like the crunch and the charred taste that setting them afire and letting them burn beyond recognition brings. And of course that also makes for a really cool flaming marshmallow photo. (Do not try this at home, kids -- I am a somewhat skilled professional.)

(In retrospect, using a real flame on them may have been overkill. The temperature here in my cheerful Southern California town reached 113 degrees F yesterday -- which is 45 degrees Celsius, for my overseas readers -- so I probably could have just left them on the balcony and waited for them to spontaneously combust in the sunlight. Or at least melt into a puddle of disgusting goo. Or both. But let's be honest...playing with fire is just more fun, isn't it?)

Anyway, the flavor rounds out much better when they're toasted. The caramel taste is still present, but it seems more toned down and more like "real" caramel...which it might indeed be, given the carbonized sugar that results. In either case, toasted is definitely the better way to eat them.



I'd be lying to you if I didn't admit that the bag has been snacked out of on a pretty steady clip since I got them. Are they my favorite marshmallows ever? No -- that honor still goes to Vosges for their Caramel Marshmallows -- but I certainly would not complain if a bag "magically" made its way into my shopping basket again.

Be sure to check out Jess's review of the Chocolate & Vanilla variety here.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

PRICE:
$1.00

CALORIES:
100 Calories per 4 pieces

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftfoods.com

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Homestyle Deluxe: 4 cheese

Yes, yes, I know -- once again, it seems that Gigi is hitting the kiddie food. Well, hold on just a second! Yes, this is Mac & Cheese, but this version seems to be aimed more at adults. Its (rather annoying) ad campaign even features a cheesed off (Get it? Cheesed Off? Oh, I am so witty today!) Thomas Jefferson showing up at random peoples' homes and getting upset that Mom is taking credit for his recipe...rather than, say, over hyper kids cooing over the cartoon character du jour.

The prep steps are almost completely identical to "normal" mac and cheese: boil and drain the mac, add milk, butter, the mysterious contents of the included foil packets, stir. And in fact you can eat it at that point if you like. But this one also offers an additional option: once you have the mac & cheese made as per above, you can then add the also-included magic bread crumb topping packet (and some grated cheese, not included) and bake the cheesy crust onto the mac.



So how does it taste? Well, it tastes like normal Kraft mac & cheese, with a blandly crunchy topping. It's not bad, but honestly I can take a box of the of the Classic (or the Deluxe, if I am feeling bougie) and make a tastier topping with things already in my kitchen. Heck, if you've got cheese and panko on hand -- and I usually do -- there's really no reason to buy this stuff instead of the regular Kraft mac.



The mac & cheese is as cheesy and Middle American yummy as you could expect a Kraft Mac to be. And that, believe me, is a good thing.

As for the topping...well, it's just meh. It's not bad, but it's bland. The fact that it's crunchy is about the only thing I can really say in its favor. I love the texture that baked mac & cheese acquires -- slightly crunchy but still moist -- but I really think they could have done a much, much better job with this. In the end, the topping not only adds nothing noteworthy to the mac & cheese, but its very blandness ends up detracting from it. And that is not a good thing.

Yes, I know they're trying to keep it "safe" and "familiar." In this case they have erred on the side of caution.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$3.49

CALORIES:
280 calories per 3 ounce serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains wheat and milk.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftbrands.com

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese: Grilled Cheese Explosion

It is possible that I eat far more macaroni and cheese than any childless adult my age should. But I really love the stuff. I also really love grilled cheese (yes, as "sophisticated" as I like to deem my taste buds, sometimes my inner five-year-old just wants to get her way). And wouldn't you know it -- Kraft has managed to combine those two loves into one cheesy dinner. We're off to a good start already!

Much like Kraft's Deluxe line, this version also features a different pasta than the traditional elbows included in the classic box. This one has little tubes. I am an elbow purist as a rule, but tubes are a fun shape.



You make this version just as you do the classic; i.e., you simply boil and drain the macaroni, add milk and a little butter, then stir in the contents of the powdered cheese packet. The resulting sauce is a little thicker than the classic version -- but I like that in my Mac & Cheese, so no complaints there.

The flavor is supposed to be grilled cheese, as in grilled cheese sandwiches. Honestly, I can't say I would have put two and two together without the box telling me what it's intended to taste like. So what do I think it tastes like? I think it tastes like the classic, only sharper. The cheese is more "dry"-- and I mean that in a good way. It's like they added a really strong, hard cheese to the mix.



I think this version would be really good baked, with something nice and crusty on the top.

Overall, I really liked this. I can see kids not noticing that there's much different. But I think it would appeal to the adults who are eating it, regardless of whether it's because they like Mac & Cheese on their own, or whether they're eating it simply because the kids are.

As for me, I will definitely eat this again!



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
310 calories per 3 ounce serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk and wheat.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftfoods.com

Shake 'n Bake: Parmesan Crusted

It has been so long since I last had Shake 'n Bake that I can't even remember when the last time was. I don't know why -- I distinctly remember it being the only part of my mother's pork chops that I liked. (I didn't like pork then and I still don't. Wait a second...is bacon pork?) In any event, it's been quite a while.

But you don't need to use it on pork. Shake 'n Bake can also be used on chicken, and thanks to the nice people at Kraft, I have this box of the Parmesan Crusted version. I happen to like Parmesan crusting as a rule. And while I am going to use it on chicken, I am doing a little experiment and trying it on salmon too. There, doesn't it look all cheerful 'n' stuff baking in the oven? I am truly a modern Donna Reed, no doubt about it.



Since this Shake 'n Bake is not really meant to be used on fish, I am only going to rate it based on the flavor of the coating and the results on the chicken. (But I will still let you know how it held up on the salmon.) Below you see it both ways; the chicken is on the left and the salmon on the right. Call me cowardly, but I didn't think it would work on the asparagus.



To use, all you do is moisten the meat of your choice and pop it into a plastic bag (included in the box) along with the dry mix, and shake until covered. Or you can dredge, or you can just get it on there in whatever way makes you happy. I am not going to judge you; rock on with your bad self.



Once coated and cooked -- I simply followed the instructions on the box -- the Shake 'n Bake formed a nice light crust that browned up well and had little bits of parsley throughout. And there were some shiny spots where the Parmesan cheese had melted and pooled. Again, while I am not rating based on appearance, it gave equally attractive results on both the chicken and the salmon.



All right, we know it looks good...but how does it taste?

It's really cheesy -- the box says that it's made with Kraft Parmesan cheese -- and you can certainly taste it. It's a very basic breading, but the cheese adds some pizazz. It's salty, but let's be fair -- it is a boxed seasoning. I can see how this would be a great way to make chicken fingers for the kids, while still having something Mom and Dad want to eat. It made my chicken less boring -- and chicken usually does bore me, so that's a plus. And for the record, it was also tasty on the salmon (below). You're not going to get your socks knocked off, but it does add a little extra somethin' somethin', as they say in the Deep South. (Sorry, no picture of the salmon cut into -- that picture didn't come out -- so you'll have to use your imagination.)



What the coating did do an excellent job of was keeping the meat moist. I don't cook a lot of chicken, and as a result I tend to overcook it. But I got nice juicy breasts (shut up!) and I am giving the credit -- mostly -- to the coating.

I'll be honest: while there was certainly nothing wrong with this Shake 'n Bake flavor, it didn't wow me. It was pleasant enough, but also completely predictable and unexciting -- probably the best way to describe it would be to say that it's a very "safe" and middle-of-the-road item. But that's not necessarily a demerit. If you prefer milder flavors and don't care for spice, this could be right up your alley.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
35 calories per 1/8 packet, or about 10 grams. Basically, what it takes to coat your meat.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains wheat and milk.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftfoods.com

Terry's Chocolate Orange

This is kind of a teaser for the Brit Week that we're going to do soon. Terry's Chocolate Orange was once available only in the U.K., but is now available around the world.

Each Orange is just that -- a sphere of orange-flavored chocolate that has been molded to look like the actual fruit. The sphere is broken up into segments that look like individual slices.



I have no idea how, with my love of orange-flavored chocolate, that I managed to take this long to review a Terry's Orange. Maybe it's because, until the last few years, I can only remember really seeing them around Christmas. (Granted, they could have been there year around, but they never caught my eye). Or it may also be because when I was a kid, my family didn't do the whole orange (or fruit), candy, or nuts in the stockings bit...oh sure, all those things were around; we just didn't get them from Santa.

The label says to "whack and unwrap" the candy, but I decided that I at least wanted to attempt some pretty pictures, so we simply unwrapped. (Besides, in the neighborhood where I grew up, "whack" meant something other than to slap with an open palm. And I don't know how you'd properly assassinate a hunk of chocolate in any case. And no, my surname is neither Soprano nor Corleone, though it does end in a vowel.)




Anyway, the candy is made up of milk chocolate flavored with orange oil. When the orange is unwrapped, the first thing you smell is the sugar and the orange. The slices came out cleanly, probably because after taking the initial pictures we did give it a nice whack. (Uh, I mean a slap. Yeah, that's it, slap. Go away, I dunno nothin' about it!) When you bite into a slice, the chocolate is soft. In fact, the chocolate actually bent slightly to my bite rather than just snapping off.

The first flavor that hits you is the sweetness.



This is some seriously sweet chocolate. The texture is very smooth. I was expecting it to be grainy because of the high sugar content, but it's not. There's a milky quality to it, but it's a rather synthetic milky quality: not to crib from Cybele's review, but she nailed it perfectly when she said it was more like powered milk than real milk. To put my own spin on it, it's like a milk flavor that may have come out of the Enterprise's replicator instead of a cow. (Read Cybele's review here.)



All of this may sound disappointing so far, but it really isn't. What makes the whole thing work is the orange oil. If you've ever tasted fresh orange zest, or licked your fingers after zesting, or even after simply peeling an orange -- well, that's the orange flavor here. It's very strong and pure, almost (but not quite) to the point of being bitter. And that is the magic that makes it worth eating. The sharpness of the orange oil keeps the sweet chocolate from being overwhelming (although, to be fair, my teeth did hurt a bit after eating entirely too many slices). And at the same time, the sugary chocolate keeps the orange oil from overpowering the overall flavor.

I understand why Terry's Orange has become a classic. It's comforting, and yes, it could certainly be addictive. It's almost so bad that it's good, and so good that it's bad. (Be sure to also check out Jim's review here.)

PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

Fudge Covered Ritz Crackers (Limited Edition)

All right, I admit it. After reading Marvo's review of the new Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz Crackers, I had blogger envy and went on a trip to my local Wally World to try to find them for myself.

I didn't find the Brown Sugar Cinnamon variety...but I did find the limited edition Fudge Covered! Yes, people, this review is packing some fudge (oh, come on, you knew at some point in this review my inner twelve-year-old was going to come out).



If you think about it, a fudge covered Ritz cracker ought to be pretty darn good. Ritz crackers are buttery and salty -- both tastes that pair quite nicely with chocolate/fudge. I also happen to be a huge fan of chocolate covered matzo, so I thought this might be an extension of that love.



According to Marvo, the Brown Sugar Cinnamon version only has the cinnamon and sugar on one side. So that's what I was expecting with this version. As it turned out, the crackers are fully enrobed. The fudge layer is quite thin, granted, but it covers completely.

The fudge itself has a very light, milk chocolate color. It is very sweet and only vaguely cocoa flavored. And it's oily, too. (There is a lot of oil in them, so this is no surprise.) Based on the package illustration, I thought it would be a little darker. Actually, I wish it really had been a dark chocolate. I think dark chocolate or darker fudge pair better with savory items.

I had had high hopes for the cracker. I expected that the rich, buttery, salty crunch of the Ritz cracker would cut through the fudge. Sadly, that never came. And oddly enough, the crackers seemed neither buttery nor salty as one would expect. In fact, it tasted exactly like a Keebler Fudge Stripe cookie. It's not that this is a bad thing per se, particularly if you really love Keebler Fudge Stripes -- it's just that they sucked everything out of it that could have made it distinctive. The crackers aren't even that crunchy, for crying out loud! Makes you wonder what the point of this effort was.

Bland, boring, and completely forgettable.



PURCHASED FROM:
Wal*Mart

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese: Sharp Cheddar

Sometimes after a long and hard day (well, night in this case) at work you just want to get home and treat yourself.

Maybe it's a foot rub, maybe it's a glass of wine. In my case tonight, it was having Mac & Cheese for dinner. But not just any old Mac & Cheese. NOOOO! I had DELUXE Mac & Cheese (I am just a baller like that).



The only kind of boxed Mac & Cheese I like is Kraft (yes, I know homemade is like 10000 times better...but at 1:00 A.M. I have no desire to make it). In terms of prep, the deluxe version skips the alchemy stages of mixing milk and butter with an oh-so-unnatural packet of dried orange cheese and tossing it all with the cooked pasta. Instead, it replaces those steps by providing one single packet of oh-so-unnatural orange quasi-liquid cheese and mixing that onto the cooked pasta. (A step I should have taken a photo of but didn't...and we are just going to have to learn to live with that.)

The Deluxe version also replaces the thin hollow tubelike noodles of the classic Kraft Mac with a more grown-up elbow rigati (a fancy word that means the pasta was ribbed for my pleasure).

I have to admit that the some-what liquidy cheese had me nervous because it reminded me a lot of the Velveeta Shells and cheese...and I HATE the Velveeta Shells & Cheese. (My friend Sam, however, could live on it-- but she hates the Kraft version, so figure that one out)

My worries faded away on the first bite. The Cheddar cheese made the Mac taste closer to homemade (well, my homemade anyway). It had a really nice, sharp tang to it. The texture was rich and creamy, but it didn't taste as milky as the classic version. The ridges in the pasta helped the sauce cling better. I bet this version would be passable for homemade if baked and topped with something crunchy.

I never thought I would say this, because I love the classic version...but I actually liked this one even more!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate Cream

I don't get to review Milka products as often as I would like...

And darned if I don't end up drooling on my keyboard way to often when Jim posts his many Milka reviews (in fact, he reviewed this bar HERE). Every now and then, though, my local German deli gets a new load of Milka bars in (and WHY does it only seem to be the Happy Cow bars?), so I search hoping for something new to me. I got lucky on my last visit and scored 3 different bars.


The Alpine Milk Chocolate bar is a milk chocolate bar that has a layer of chocolate cream smooshed in between the solid chocolate top and bottom. The bar is very light in color and has a very sweet, very dairy aroma.


The bar is so sweet it almost has an outright sugary taste. At first it's almost too sweet, but as you eat more of the bar it becomes less so and more milky. The melt is excellent. Very smooth, to the point that it's silky.

The chocolate creme layer is kind of a letdown. Maybe I just have this image in my mind from the wrapper, but it did remind me of chocolate Cool Whip. I do not consider that a good thing. There is a sour aftertaste. Unlike how eating more of the bar made it less sweet, eating more did not make it less sour.

It wasn't a bad bar, it just wasn't a good bar either.



PURCHASED FROM:
The German Deli