Freeze Dried Ice Cream

This review is admittedly aimed at my eight-year-old self who would have thought freeze dried ice cream was just the shiznit. Well, I am no longer eight, but I still picked up this package of freeze dried ice cream in a NASA-themed gift shop at Houston's George Bush International Airport. Sadly, the shop was almost entirely aimed at kids -- and not big kids like me --- but hey, never let it be said that I let pouting get in the way of a possible review! Doing research on the history of freeze dried ice cream (AKA what can I learn from Wikipedia in three minutes or less), it was interesting to note that all these fantastic little packs of ice cream that can be found at gift shops the world over -- and that all proclaim their contents to be genuine astronaut ice cream -- are really only about as accurate as I am when I tell my nephew that I am in fact cool.

Freeze dried ice cream as we know it was developed for the Apollo missions, but actually it ended up flying only on Apollo 7 in 1968. It apparently wasn't very popular, and by the 1970s they were able to send real ice cream up. So yeah, this is "space ice cream" in the sense that it made one single voyage. Kinda in the same sense that I was considered cool once back in 1996, and that for about five minutes. Obviously, this is not filling me with hope. Is it sad to admit, pre-tasting, that I wish the gift shop hadn't been sold out of the ice cream sandwich? The thing is I never, ever eat Neapolitan ice cream in real life. Blame my parents for being too cheap and/or lazy to buy actual good flavors. It's not that I don't like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry alone; I just don't like them together.



So how was my space treat?

The little brick was surprisingly thick. If you have a small group interested in trying it, there's plenty to be shared. It is also surprisingly lightweight for its size -- and surprisingly fragile. As you can see, it shatters like glass quite easily. The texture reminded me of a very dry, very dense meringue that sort of liquefies on your tongue...and yeah, that effect was kind of cool (although the novelty quickly fades). Obviously the "ice cream" is not as creamy as even the lowest of the bargain brands of ice cream, but it does have a vaguely dairy-like mouthfeel. The three flavors varied, so we will talk about them individually:



Strawberry: Had a pleasant berry flavor that actually came off as natural. However, the dairy notes were just plain funky. It reminded me of milk that had been left out too long but had not quite turned yet.

Vanilla: I think this tasted more like "residue of chocolate" than vanilla. Again, the dairy was just funktastic -- even more noticeably than it was with the strawberry. That's probably because there was no real flavor to mask it.

Chocolate: It tastes like freebasing cheap chocolate syrup. Not bad -- but only in the sense that it was the most edible of the three flavors. The chocolate was strong enough to hide the nasty dairy taste.

Yeah, I think I know why the astronauts held out for the real thing. It was fun to try, although I certainly won't be rushing to try more (or even finish this package).



PURCHASED FROM: Random gift shop at George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas

PRICE: $3.99

CALORIES: 110 calories per 3/4 ounce package

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: luvyduvy.com

Dole Shakers: Mixed Berry Smoothie

I have to admit that I'm the first one to say I don't especially like smoothies. I like the idea of smoothies, but basically it stops there. Of course, as I also feel the need to say for around the four millionth time, I am currently stuck with soft foods only. And since I need to eat/drink things other than just ice cream (oh, don't I wish that could be a full diet!), I have to keep looking for new things. Hence...

The Dole Shakers in Mixed Berry. The Shakers are cool in that you don't need to pull out a blender. (Very helpful if you don't own a blender to start with.) You simply add the juice of your choice--the label suggests apple, orange, or don't-listen-to-us-use-whatever-the-hell-you-want. All right, I made that last part up; they used the far less witty "or your favorite juice." But let's actually follow the instructions in "real time" and disregard my need to ignore authority (AKA I do not feel like repeating myself).

So, first you open the cap. Then you're supposed to shake or break up the contents before adding the juice. Inside the container you will find frozen yogurt pellets and red chunks that I assume are the fruit...that, or the yogurt has Ebola Zaire. Either way, it's not pretty to look at (not that this matters).



Now that things have been loosened up, in comes the juice. I used orange juice because it was what I had on hand. You are supposed to add enough juice to reach the handy-dandy little window in the cup (helpfully shown below).



Next up is the "vigorous shaking for 30-45 seconds."

LIARS! PANTS NOT ONLY ON FIRE, BUT HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE AND SHOULD BE BURIED DEEP BENEATH THE NEVADA DESERT FOR THE NEXT 75,000 YEARS! YES, CAPS LOCK AND MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS NECESSARY HERE, SO SHUDDUP!!!!!

All right, maybe that was a little harsh, but I am grumpy and the above instructions were an epic fail. You see, despite the pre-juice-addition break up, it took more than five full minutes of vigorous shaking to get things fully mixed. (Yes, I did time it.) A decent aerobic workout undoubtedly, but hardly what the instructions indicated. To be fair, I am willing to admit that maybe my smoothie had partially defrosted on the way home from the supermarket and thus turned into something a little more solid than intended upon being re-frozen at home. Entirely possible. But the recommended 30 to 45 seconds just didn't begin to cut it, and I suspect they wouldn't have in any case.

Eventually, after the aforementioned workout, it did thicken up/mix properly and was ready to be put into a glass for your viewing pleasure:



Looks kinda like pink faux-marble, doesn't it? Like that stuff they make bathroom countertops in Florida retirement communities out of, only in liquid form. In any case, the smell was pleasant--just like strawberry yogurt. And regardless of my complaints on the mixing time, I do have to give it points for being pretty darn close to the thickness of a real juice shop smoothie. It was a just a little thinner than a professionally made one...but that was a selling point for me, as I prefer a thinner smoothie anyway.



So how did it taste?

Well, I liked the tangy zing of the yogurt. What I wasn't loving was the berries. Maybe OJ wasn't the best choice to use for a mixed berry smoothie, but it was all I had on hand. (And the label did suggest it, so...) The OJ quickly became the strongest flavor and drowned out the berries until they were merely an aftertaste. Still okay, mind -- but not what I was expecting.

Honestly, this smoothie was better than what I was expecting, and I think that with a different juice it could have actually tasted like berries. I may retry it using a cranberry or cranberry juice blend just to test that theory. (If anyone out there has tried that, what did you think?)

Not bad overall. Just expect to do a lot more shaking than the label tells you.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$1.99

CALORIES:
100 calories for the contents alone; 190 calories for the contents plus 6.5 oz of orange juice.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made on equipment shared with products containing eggs, wheat & soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
dole.com

JELL-O Strawberry Sundae Pudding

So here I am again, poised over the old laptop with a pudding cup in my hand. The last one was kind of like a Gigi Scooby Snack. I did not have to be asked twice to scarf that puppy. But this one...



Part of it is that, honestly, I am not a huge fan of most things strawberry. But that's only part of it. The other part is that the top layer is color that I could see my eleven-year-old nephew loving simply because it resembles nothing in nature. Still I do like sundaes, and this flavor is supposed to have a bottom layer that tastes like strawberry ice cream, with the top layer like strawberry ice cream topping.



It's the top layer that is a lurid shade of pink most often found in lower budget nail polishes...and what I imagine it would look like if Barbie could bleed. This cup, much like on the S'more cup, also features different textures in the different layers. In this case the top layer is very fluid--like ice cream topping can be. It's very smooth, and texture-wise I liked it.

Flavorwise, it has that super-exaggerated strawberry flavor that kids seem to love. I got through it, but it reminded me of kids' vitamins (I did in fact have strawberry-shaped vitamins as a child, and this made me think of them. So if nothing else it gets a nostalgia point.)



The bottom layer is a paler (and less terrifying) pink shade that does in fact resemble strawberry ice cream. The texture was super thick and smooth. Also, the flavor was much, much closer to real strawberry. I know it is supposed to be like strawberry ice cream, but it reminded me more of strawberry yogurt, though without the yogurty tang. On its own it was actually pretty tasty.

So what happens when you mix the two layers? Like a speech I twice got from my parents, sometimes people (or foods in this case) can still love each other, but they just can't live together anymore. Seriously, I could see kids knocking each other down to get to these cups. Me...not so much. I couldn't get over that super strong first layer. I think it completely overpowers the "ice cream" layer. Which is too bad, because I ended up loving the texture of that layer, and I even got to like the flavor the more I ate. It's just together...well, as I said, not so much.

Granted, this flavor really is geared more towards kids, and maybe I am just too old of a cranky cat lady to appreciate it. But I will be sticking with the S'mores.



Be sure to check our Marvo's reviews at:
The Impulsive Buy

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

CALORIES:
110 Calories per cup

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
kraftbrands.com

Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips

First of all, I feel the need to apologize to the nice people at Jelly Belly. They actually sent this box out to me just prior to Christmas, and due to snowballing events (a good majority of which included the six inches of snow that pretty much shut down Atlanta), I have not actually gotten around to doing the review until now...and really I hate being so tardy. Mea culpa.

I actually was really excited to try these beans after reading Candy Blog's review in early December, when Cybele got her hands on a box.

I have long loved Jelly Belly's beans, and oddly enough, as much as I dislike coconut, that is my favorite flavor jelly bean. I was sent the five flavor gift box. The official Jelly Belly website also offers a rather impressive selection of ways to get the dipped beans besides the gift boxes. Inside the box, in little bean-shaped wells, the dipped beans sit clearly marked so you don't have to guess which kind you're getting. The five flavors are Very Cherry, Orange, Raspberry, Coconut, and Strawberry. And since that's the way they're placed in the box, I am going to review them in that order.



As far as the chocolate coating goes, each bean is completely enrobed in a layer of glossy chocolate. But as Cybele points out in her review, the size of the bean is identical to its non-dipped siblings. This is because the chocolate replaces the normal sugary shell that would cover the bean's center. Knowing that kind of disappointed me prior to tasting, because I am one of those people who like the slightly crunchy texture that you get biting into a normal jelly bean. But hey, we have chocolate! So maybe I shouldn't be preemptively whining.



The chocolate is simply identified as Dark Chocolate, but I could not tell you the cocoa percentage. When you open the box, the aroma is vaguely chocolatey and sort of fruity. The beans, of course, are sealed by the chocolate; so I was not expecting a strong fruit smell.



Very Cherry:

This was the flavor I was least looking forward to. I am not a fan of cherry candy as a rule, but I was glad it was first, because I figured it would be all uphill from here.

The chocolate is a thin layer that dissolves quickly (if you're the kind who lets your beans melt in your mouth rather than chewing it). It tastes OK. It's not the best chocolate, but it certainly is not the worst. It is a very mild dark -- enough that in the case of the cherry, it provided some nice contrast to the sweetness of the bean. I have to say my fears about the texture were wasted. I really liked how it was basically a nice soft jelly. It reminded me of the chocolate covered jelly sticks I like.

The cherry itself is strong. They have always reminded me exactly of a Luden's cough drop. It will never be my favorite flavor but I give it points for not having a bitter aftertaste.


Orange:

Orange and dark chocolate are always a winning combination and this bean is no exception. It's a nice zesty orange. I really liked the fact that Jelly Belly didn't hold back on the flavor; this is a seriously strong orange. I think the chocolate helped sweeten it up a little, and that may help those of you who prefer your orange a little tame. I like the boldness and think this is one of the best orange-chocolate combos ever.


Raspberry:

Like the orange, this is pretty much a classic chocolate and jelly flavor combination. The raspberry has a very floral quality to it. It reminded me of a raspberry liqueur (like Chambord). I really liked the fact that it was a very grown-up, realistic raspberry flavor instead of something artificial. Again, I think for a time tested chocolate/jelly candy it is on par with the best of the best.



Strawberry:

Ok, I admit it: I was not really looking forward to this one. I love fresh strawberries, but strawberry-flavored items tend to have a nasty aftertaste for me. And unfortunately, this was no exception. Which was a bummer, because after the orange and raspberry beans being so outstanding, I'd gotten my hopes up. Sadly, this bean is just too darn sweet. It skirts the line between tasting like the actual berry, and every cheap strawberry flavored gum on the planet. I think I actually liked the Very Cherry more. And that, my friends, is saying something.

Finally, I saved the one I was most looking forward to for last. (OK, so I just messed up the order in which they're packaged. Shoot me, why doncha?) And that one would be...


Coconut:

Blame it on a young love of piña colada flavored items and the smell of certain sunscreens. Once again, while I hate actual coconut, the coconut bean has always been my favorite of the Jelly Bellys. I know that makes pretty much no sense, but that's the way it is. (OK, that and toasted marshmallow ones -- how great would that be chocolate coated?) I like the slight vanilla edge it has and the sweet tropical flavor. Incidentally, I have already announced I will not be sharing the remainder of these beans, so don't even ask -- y'all know who y'all are!


As a whole, I really liked the Chocolate Dips. I hope they expand the line to more flavors -- I am nominating the marshmallow and popcorn beans.

Since this is a gift box, I am going to give it an overall rating rather than rating the individual beans -- but remember that each bean is also available on its own. If I had rated them individually, I can tell you that the Orange, Raspberry, and Coconut would each be solid, orgasmic 11's...but the Very Cherry and the Strawberry dragged the average down. It's still a very nice gift box, though.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

PRICE:
My box was a manufacturer's sample. It sells for $5.99 on the Jelly Belly website.

CALORIES:
150 calories per 40 beans.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Box doesn't give any allergen information.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
jellybelly.com

Hostess Strawberry Cupcakes

These new Hostess Strawberry Cupcakes represent the first new full-sized cupcake option Hostess has offered in several years. And I actually have to compliment them for not jumping on the red velvet train. Don't get me wrong -- I happen to really like red velvet cake (if it's well made), but it seems as if every new snack cake type product in the last five years has done red velvet. Usually badly, I might add.

Hostess has been doing a strawberry cupcake in their 100 Calorie Pack line for a couple of years now. (In fact, I reviewed them in a short and boring review you can read for yourself here.) That was the first, last, and only time I bought the cupcakes. And I honestly am working completely off of that review for memory of them.



This box is the first 8-pack of Hostess Cupcakes that I've bought in a long time. (I love the orange ones to an insane degree, and I never see large packs in my area.) Incidentally, is it just me, or has the serving size shrunk?...

Anyway, moving on... The pastel pink is a shade that I am sure little girls who love all things Princess and Barbie would be thrilled to have in their lunch boxes/snack boxes etc. I am not a fan of pink, but even I have to admit it was kind of a fun color for a snack. Like if Mattel made Hannibal Lecter dolls, his anatomically correct polystyrene snacks (fava beans and Chianti sold separately) would probably be this color. And that's pretty darned cool, doncha think?



The smell is all fake strawberry. And, to be lazy and steal from my own review, it does indeed still remind me of children's vitamins. The cake is moist, and while again it has that fake strawberry flavor going on, the taste is better than I remember the 100 calorie version to be.

The filling, not surprisingly, is the standard Hostess filling -- and as such it barely merits a mention. The fondant top was my favorite part. It's just so bad that it's...well, I dunno about good, but it's...well, maybe "interesting" is the right word.



I will admit that much like the first box of the 100 Calorie version, I can't say I will probably ever get another box. But there is something about them that is just so horrible that it's almost good.

Almost.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$2.50

CALORIES:
190 calories per cupcake

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains eggs, milk, and soy

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
hostess.com

Natural Vines Licorice: Strawberry

I have actually had this package of Natural Vines Strawberry Licorice on deck for review since December. The company was nice enough to send samples my way, and unfortunately they arrived the very day I was leaving for Atlanta for the holidays. Then, after my month-long stay there, when I got home...well, things have happened, and I have sadly been slacking on doing reviews since. So my apologies all around. I am trying my best to get back on track.

And really -- what could possibly be better to start my reviews again with than licorice? We all know how much I love it (and if you don't, let's just say I would pick licorice over pretty much all other candy first).



Natural Vines are actually the healthier, more natural sibling of everyone's favorite movie theater licorice twist: the venerable and ever-popular Red Vine. Natural Vines contain no HFCS, soy, cholesterol, or trans-fats. They're suitable for vegans and they're even made at a tree nut-free facility. I highly suspect that they may even wear tiny Birkenstocks and listen to NPR.

This licorice comes in a soft, resealable pouch rather than the flat box of its movie-loving brother. And I like that for my licorice. (Although, to be honest, if I really like it, there's no way it'll last long enough to need resealing.)

Opening the pouch, there's not much in the way of scent. If anything, it smells vaguely like a strawberry candle. But the aroma is nowhere near as intense as that of a regular Red Vine.

Each of the little twists is about one inch long and is roughly a third of an inch in diameter. Unlike the standard Red Vine, which is a hollow tube, these are solid all the way through. The twists have a somewhat translucent red color. And I think Cybele said it best in her review when she said it reminds her (to paraphrase) of strawberry jam in solid form.



But how do they taste?

The strawberry is pleasantly tart -- which I appreciate, as I hate when strawberry flavored items are super-sweet (which is all too common, sadly). At the same time, it won't cause any puckering. In a lot of ways it actually does remind me of a solid version of strawberry jam. Wheat based licorice always has a distinct taste to me; I am unsure how to describe it other than "pasty," and that is definitely present. It's not a bad taste; it's just there.

The texture is chewy but not sticky. If you like to let the licorice dissolve on your tongue, you will get a satisfyingly long-lasting treat -- although it will eventually break up into smaller pieces on its own (but I kind of like that myself, so no complaints).

Oddly enough, I think my favorite part was the aftertaste. It's all semi-sweet strawberry, and it lingers for several minutes.

Truthfully, when it comes to fruit flavored licorice, my heart still belongs to another -- but this is solid entry in the field, and I am looking forward to trying the black licorice version.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company.

CALORIES:
150 calories per 9 piece serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains wheat. Does not contain HFCS. Cholesterol free, soy free, vegan, made at a tree nut free facility, trans-fat free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
americanlicorice.com

Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits

When Cybele reviewed the new Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits, it was the first time in forever that I was excited to try a Skittles product.

I liked the Sour skittles when they first came out, but I don't really care one way or the other for the current version. I tried the Cores, but never bothered to review them. But these, these FIZZ! How do you not like a candy that could make you look like you have rabies and lets you talk like a rapper, and we all know I likes that fo' sho' (OK, the lame white girlness is showing, lol).



There are five flavors in the mix: Berry Punch, Melon Berry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Wild Cherry. As Cybele pointed out, if you think you've heard this list before, you're right -- because they are the same five flavors used in the Wild Berry mix.

Each Skittle on its own has that sandy, muted look to it -- sort of like the Sour Skittles. Each Skittle seems to have the same sweet, sort of fruity smell. The texture is also the same, regardless of flavor: chewy inside, semi hard crust.

The fizzing starts as soon as the Skittle hits your tongue, and then goes flat after about 10 seconds. It's sort of rough and scratchy on the tongue. I wish the fizz lasted longer because it is a cool sensation. For the heck of it I tried loading up on several Skittles at a time. It doesn't last any longer, but because you have more than one in your mouth it is more intense (gee, that doesn't sound too dirty). It also has an almost salty taste that goes with it -- not enough to stop you from wanting more, but it is there. Putting on my Alton Brown Junior Food Detective Hat, as best I can tell, the salty flavor comes from the sodium bicarbonate that is actually used to make the fizz. As you may have guessed from the word sodium being used in the name, it is in fact a salt and thus would taste salty. Yes folks, hard hitting food journalism is what I got going here.



The above picture shows a happily fizzing Skittle that has been moistened with a drop of simple tap water, so no disgusting, juvenile jokes please! That's my job.

Anyway, let's talk about the flavors.

Two of the five flavors are red. And truthfully, no matter how hard we tried, we just could not get a picture where you could really tell the difference. (When you actually have the real thing in front of you it is a little easier.) The darker red is wild cherry and the lighter red is strawberry. Use your imagination in place of a decent photo for this.

Wild cherry:



If you have ever had a "cherry" cough drop and really wished it was fizzy, then this is your lucky day. The flavor is all fake cherry and red dye. This is always the Skittles flavor I prefer to avoid. In fact, I wonder if anyone in the world really ever likes the cherry flavors that get stuck in these mixes. Maybe it's a vast candy conspiracy. Maybe candy makers have to keep using it because long ago the original batch of cherry flavoring somehow took on a life of its own, and turned into some sort of always-growing amorphous mass (sort of like The Blob), and the only way to keep it in check and prevent it from oozing its way to world domination is to suck out large quantities at a time and use it to flavor what could otherwise have been good candy. The Cherry Flavoring Mass (CFM) is probably imprisoned in some sort of top secret lair buried deep in a mountain where it's closely guarded by security guys in red shirts -- and because we all know what tends to happen to security guys in red shirts, I am sure it's a constantly changing guard. (I wonder if they have to hire via Craigslist?) Candy companies are then forced by our government to come and take some of the goo and use it in their products. Hmmm, you know, now that I have said it, I firmly believe that is the only reason we keep getting subjected to bad cherry flavoring.

OK... that may have been a little far fetched. I highly doubt our government is capable of executing such a complex and secret multi-level plan, much less force it on the public and still keep it a secret. Silly me...it's clearly an evil plot of the Bilderbergs.

Strawberry:



In the normal Skittles mix I actually like this flavor. And for just a moment when it first hits your tongue, it picks up almost a cotton candy taste. Once that wears off I think the lingering aftertaste from the fizz makes it taste sort of like air freshener.

Melon Berry:



This is a nice sour melon. Sort of like unripe cantaloupe mixed with watermelon. I like this flavor a lot on its own. What I found weird is that even though each appears to have the same amount of powdered fizz on them, they don't seem to actually fizz as much as the other flavors. I have no idea why. It must be related some shadowy Masonic plot.

Berry Punch:



This flavor actually reminded me of grape soda, sweet and bubbly. I know it's supposed to be berry flavored, but it just screams grape to me -- maybe it's the purple.

Raspberry:



Again, are there ever enough blue foods? (No, there aren't...and you can surely blame the Illuminati for that.) The fact that it's blue was pretty much the highlight of this Skittle for me. It's not a bad flavor; it's just sort of generic raspberry. And much like the Melon Berry, the fizz level seems unusually low compared to the other flavors.

My feelings overall? Meh. The Wild Berry mix has never been my favorite. I like the Tropical mix the best, actually. So the actual flavors didn't wow me. At the same time, with the exception of the wild cherry, there are no flavors in the mix I would go out of my way to avoid. I really liked the fizzy effect. I just wish it had been more consistent between the flavors. Would I buy them again? No, probably not, but I would eat them if offered to me. I would love to see them try this idea with the soda-inspired flavors, and with the fizz kicked up a little.

Of course, being me, I had to try an experiment. (None of this reflects on the rating -- I did it strictly for fun.) If you sip soda with two Skittles in your mouth, the fizz sensation prolongs a bit. Dropping a couple of Skittles into a little soda gives a super short (about three seconds) Alka Seltzer type fizz in the cup -- but it also makes the Skittle as hard as a rock. I wonder how many skittles and how much soda it would take to make a Diet Coke/Mentos style volcano? Sadly, as Gigi has neither the outdoor space nor the time to test it, the world will have to wait on some other nerd to figure that one out.



PURCHASED FROM:
7-11

PRICE:
$1.09

CALORIES:
200 calories per bag.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Gluten free, gelatin free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
skittles.com

Ritter Sport: Waldbeer Joghurt

It's been a while since my last Ritter Sport review, and I had this bar calling to me from my kitchen.



I've ended up being a fan of all of the joghurt (yogurt) bars in the Ritter line I have had so far. So I had high hopes for the Waldbeer Joghurt bar. All the verbiage on the wrapper was in German, but the picture showed the wild berries were a mix of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry. Not only are the flavors there, but there are also little bits of dried fruit mixed into the filling. There is also crispy rice, all contained in a neat little milk chocolate square.



The center filling has a pleasant tang to it. I wouldn't pin it down as yogurt if I didn't know what it is -- but I liked it because it kept the bar from being too sweet.

The berry flavor is good, but it's just sort of a generic berry. I can't say that any one of the berries stood out any stronger than the others. It's certainly not bad. There's just nothing about it that made me go, "hmmmmmmmm, blueberry!"

The dried bits of fruit and the rice crisps added a nice bit of crunchy texture. The fruit bits seemed to be almost entirely strawberry.



The milk chocolate was smooth and creamy. The melt is fantastic and rich. There is the perfect ratio of chocolate to the filling, so that you get a good mixture of the two tastes.

This was a really tasty little bar! Jim thought so too, so be sure to check out his review here.



PURCHASED FROM:
The German Deli (Upland, California)

PRICE:
$3.50

CALORIES:
568 calories per bar.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
ritter-sport.com

Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: Limited edition

Seeing this carton of ice cream, the combination of a white ice cream and strawberry swirl made me think of those little "sundae" cups that were really popular when I was younger. In those cases, the white ice cream was vanilla flavored (not cheesecake as in this version), and I remember loving them -- even if I knew there was definitely better ice cream to be had out in the big wide world. But I still liked what I had at the time.

So here I am today with this bowl of Slow Churned Strawberry Cheesecake in front of me. As much as I may bag on Dreyer's/Edy's for the Fun Flavors line, I genuinely like the Slow Churned line. The flavors are interesting and taste good, and for a lower fat, lower calorie ice cream I think they are often excellent.

Childhood nostalgia aside, there have been a couple of other cheesecake flavored ice creams that I have loved in the past -- and this just sounded like a good flavor. The base ice cream is cheesecake flavored, and there are strawberry and graham cracker swirls. (I'll admit it -- they had me at graham cracker swirl!) But in the end it really comes down to how it tastes.



So how did it taste?

First, let's talk about the smell. I know it's supposed to be a cheesecake base -- and it does in fact smell like cheese. Old cheese. It's not an overly strong smell, but it's there, and it is not a selling point.

Fortunately the taste is better than the smell. It's sort of like a bland cream cheese rather than a proper cheesecake. Even at that, the flavor seems to get entirely lost within the first few bites.



The strawberry swirl is just strange. I mean, you can see it -- you can see a lot of it. The problem is you can't taste it. There is a really faint, vague strawberry taste; and weirder still is the fact that it tastes more "red" than actually strawberry. What's the deal, Dreyer's? It's not like a passingly good fake strawberry is all that difficult to engineer.

The Graham cracker swirl is nice. It retains a little crunch and isn't too crumby or too soft. It had a nice light honey flavor. Easily the best part of this otherwise horribly lame ice cream.

As always, the texture is smooth. While I wouldn't call it "creamy," it is pretty good for a light ice cream. Don't expect that wonderful film that super premium ice creams leave in your mouth, but it is better then most low end "real" ice creams.

One of the poorest of the Slow Churned offerings. Skip it.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$2.99

CALORIES:
140 per half cup serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made on on shared equipment with peanuts. Kosher

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
dreyers.slowchurned.com

Ferrara Chocolate: Strawberry

I think I am severely out of the loop.

Somewhere along the line I missed the memo that designated strawberry as the official flavor of Valentine's Day. (This must also be the same memo that declares Jay Leno is funny.) It seems like a majority of the Valentine's candy I have seen this year has been strawberry. Or maybe this has been going on for a while -- Valentine's Day is not a big holiday to me, and I think it has the weakest of all the seasonal candies.

All that said, this Ferrara chocolate intrigued me. It's a sizable globe (6.17 oz) and has the "chocolate orange" style presentation: the chocolate comes out in pre-molded slices. Each slice also bears a romantic saying, such as "True Love" or "Only You." (Why don't Valentine's Day candies ever bear messages that better reflect the real world? You know, sweet nothings like "Creepy Mama's Boy" or "Obsessed Stalker" or "Will Falsely Claim Pregnancy To Force You Into A Loveless And Prisonlike Marriage"? I just don't get it.)



In true chocolate orange fashion, you have to "whack" the orb to break the slices off. Let me tell you, this was one solid orb -- it really took some heavy hits to make the slices break apart. The slices are nicely molded, but they don't have the dimpled outer texture mimicking orange rind (or, I would guess in this case, strawberry seeds).



The scent is all milk and strawberry. Fake strawberry at that, but it's not so strong that it's noxious. The chocolate has a really nice snap and an incredibly smooth melt. It is milky and rich. It's not the most complex nor high-end milk chocolate, but it has a good flavor and is not overly sweet.



As for strawberry: The first few nibbles definitely give the sense that it's strawberry flavored...and then something weird happens. The flavor starts to taste more like fake cherry than fake strawberry. Sadly, as good as the chocolate is, the fruit flavor just gets to be too much. I made it through one slice before my teeth started to ache, and I couldn't take the sweetness of the fruit flavor.

It had potential. It blew it.



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CVS