Delish Dark & Twisted Lemon & Black Pepper Dark Chocolate

Picture courtesy of me, my iPhone and filter apps. :)

One night I headed to Walgreen's to pick up some things allergy meds and a bag of candy for my candy bucket at work (it was running low, and I was wanting some back stock to top off the bucket). When I got to the candy aisle, I saw the usual chocolate bars - which I am a fan of don't get me wrong, but they were advertising the same old thing, and I can get that anywhere really. Then I saw this little guy and thought I haven't seen you before. 

Most of the time I see chocolate bars advertising that they're just chocolate with this much cacao and so on, and that's fine, but after a while they all start looking the same to me. So when I saw Lemon & Black Pepper, I thought Okay, I'll give you a go.

So you open the box-type packaging and find the giant foil wrapped chocolate which brings me back to my Hershey Bar and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wonka Bar days. When you open the foil, the chocolate is similar to a Hershey bar meaning it's divided into sections, but instead of the little Hershey stamped rectangles, you have giant blank squares (equivalent - at best guess - to four little Hershey rectangles) giving you eight squares in total.

I broke off a couple and ate one, and at first, it just smelled like chocolate and tasted like chocolate. There was a bit of a crunch to it, and I assumed that had to be the pepper, but the lemon came in at the latter half for a nice finish.

Overall you get mainly chocolate with hints of black pepper - I think you can see some in the grain when you break a piece in half - but there is no physical trace of lemon like zest, at least that I can see.

Well done chocolate. I like you.

Would I Ever Try This Again?: Yes. The fusion of the flavors isn't overwhelming that you forget what you're eating or make a "What the hell is that?" face. Overall, it's a nice, tasty treat, and I can't help but wonder what it would taste like in a s'mores.

Distributed by
Walgreens Co.
200 Wilmot Rd.
Deerfield, IL 60015

Walgreens.com
http://www.walgreens.com/search/results.jsp?Ntt=lemon+and+black+pepper

Macaroons (from Whole Foods)

So there I was... minding my own business... stopping by one of my favorite places (Whole Foods) to get a little salad to nosh on the way home, and I was being a good little girl and then I saw the cookie trolley - this cart that has all these bulk candy-type bins each filled with a yummy baked sweet treat.

I was fine, willpower in check, when I walked around it with that "No thank you, kind Sir, I shall not have any of you today" attitude and then I saw the most delicious thing ever... and in four different versions. I remember swearing as my feet brought to the trolley, and I picked up one of each (which were each one and a half to two times the size of a golf ball).

Damn you Whole Foods! Deliciously damn you devils!

*sings* I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

The first delicious treat we have is the good old fashioned coconut macaroon.

Oh you heavenly yummy creature you. You have given me so much joy over the years from various bakeries all over. I've even had you in cookie form. I have baked you for many cookie exchanges over the holidays. You are by bar one of my favorite tasty treats.

*sings* Do you like pina coladas...???!!!

Next up we have the pina colada macaroon. I can vaguely taste the pineapple in it. There are very few small chunks of (crushed) pineapple so it leaves me to think that there might be some pineapple extract added perhaps? And the icing is just sweetness overload. Dear gawd man. I'm a big girl already. LOL!

The lyric "She's my cherry pie" doesn't fit here, so I got nothing.

Third up on the tasting block is the cherry chocolate chip coconut macaroon. Duuuuude!!! Right away you get the taste of the cherry. The insides of the macaroon is a little darker than a plain coconut macaroon so I'm thinking either brown sugar was used or the chocolate chips and cherry slightly dyed this little guy, but it doesn't matter. Why? Cuz it's AMAZING!!!

HarryBurns: ... but I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie!

Lastly we have the one I was saving for last - the caramel pecan macaroon. Now since I'm obsessing over macaroons, y'all can pretty much guess I LOVE coconut, but another dessert that I love is pecan pie, and I never thought to put pecan and coconut together. (WHAT?! I know, right?!) Don't mind me, I just had a moment. OMFG!!! The pecans aren't crunchy - probably because they were soaked in the mixture and then baked in - but there is a distinctive pecan flavor, and the caramel is really tasty, too.

*******

Would I Ever Try This Again?: ABSO-FRAKKIN-LUTELY!!! I don't know why it never occurred to me to mix flavors. I mean, when I baked my own, sometimes I'd switch out vanilla extract for coconut extract or I even added chocolate chips at one point, but jimineychristmasman!!! This stuff is yum-yum-doodle-yumscious!!!  -- Overall, they were all pretty tasty, but they are all admittedly really sweet since they're basically sugar, coconut, egg white and vanilla extract, so if you can't take "too sweet" things or don't like coconut, these bad boys aren't for you. (But they're definitely for me!)

Macaroons purchased at:

Whole Foods Market
20955 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014

Bean Jelly

My schedule for work has me closing every Saturday night. On the way to work, I had gotten into the habit of buying a boba pearl drink from a place down the street. The flavors I got varied from time to time, but I'd always get extra pearls, popping boba and some jellies (usually coconut) added into the milk tea (of which I always got a large cup). The dispatcher on duty that night would always come to my department and check in on me, see how things were going, how I was doing... and then he'd see the drink and start questioning. What the hell is that? What is in it? What is all that? I'd offer to let him try some, but he'd always say no since he had a bad experience when a friend told him to "drink this" and without looking, took the drink, sucked on the straw, and choked on a tapioca pearl.

Since then he's kinda anti those drinks.

Fast forward to recently.

There's a store that I like - Daiso Japan. When describing it to people, I call in the Asian Dollar Store... except everything is $1.50 unless otherwise marked.

Yeah, I kinda love that store. You find some cool stuff in there. Granted, the stationary doesn't make much sense to me, but it's pretty, and sometimes I get some. (But right now, I'm not talking about pens and notebooks.)

I went there a few days ago to get this little change purse for my mother. I have one that I keep in my car that holds random bits of spare change. My mom thought it was cute and wanted one so... I got her one. While there, though, I always have to browse. They have a small snack section - same aisle as stationary stuff... sneaky devils - and while looking over a notebook, there was a lady near me looking at these bars that reminded me of the meal bars from Snowpiercer. 

Still... color me curious.

Making my way to that part of the aisle, I saw that what she had been looking at were these large bars of bean jelly. (Yes, you heard me. bean jelly.) I've had various bean pastes and bean jellies before - like in boba tea and all that - so I thought Why not give it a go? I opted for the smaller pack of four instead of buying multiple large bars of different flavors.

I think the ingredients on the back signify which block is which flavor. If that's the case, the following flavors are...

SALT - sugar, bean jam, glucose syrup, agar and salt.
RED BEAN - sugar, bean jam, red bean, glucose syrup, and agar.
BEAN - sugar, bean jam, glucose syrup, and agar.
PLUM - sugar, bean jam, glucose syrup, agar, vegetable juice (red radish), and plum flavor.

Still not really sure which one is which since the little guys are individually labeled, so let's play a game shall we?

My best guess: Bean

First up is little pink guy... the "one of these things is not like the other" guy since it's the only light-colored one in the group. On the back like a pack of gum, there's a starter strip with an arrow that you're supposed to pull that takes off one end of the wrapping.

There is no real distinctive smell.

For anyone that's ever had red bean mochi, that's the closes I can compare it to that people might understand. Biting into it... the consistency is like biting into a soft bean, but there's a sweetness like with red bean (also probably due to the sugar), that doesn't make it so bad. Not sure what flavor it is. Maybe trying another block will help with that.

My best guess: Salty

Next block up for tasting is little dark guy with blue character writing on it.

Ohhh, this one has a scent. It smells slightly sweet... though when I bite into it... yeah, I found the salty one.

I usually like salty treats, too, but this one is salty bean, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. All the bean type Asian treats I've had have always been a little sweet. This one is still sweet but salty... but not like salted caramel frozen yogurt or chocolate covered salted pretzels. It's not disgusting, but definitely not my favorite.

My best guess: Red Bean

This dark one with pink writing on the label was a little difficult to open. The arrow tab on the back was made of total epic fail. When I finally got it to rip a little, I nearly ripped the whole wrapper off.

There's a scent to this one, too, just like the previous one, but where I thought the previous one might be just red bean and had a plain red bean smell (well, to me anyway), this one smelled slightly sweeter.

I definitely liked this one better than the salty one... but probably about even to the first pink one. The flavor was stronger than the first one, but both are pleasant.

And that leaves one more...

My best guess: Plum

This one had "wrapper fail" as well... right when I thought I had it, it just kept unraveling and unraveling to the point where I had to cut it off with scissors. There was also a slight scent thought not as strong as the others. The taste was similar, but when I bit into it, it tasted just a little off... like red bean with a little something else. (Perhaps that's the plum flavor and the red radish juice doing something to my taste buds.)

So to recap (in order of tasted):

1. okay, not much flavor
2. WAY too salty
3. just right (like Baby Bear's porridge)
4. similar to #3 but a little... off?

I still have NO WAY of knowing which one is actually which since I can't read those characters, but meh. Curiosity sated.

Would I ever try this again?: Probably not. Maybe it was a lesser quality or something, but it just left nothing for my tastebuds to holler at. None of them - save maybe the salty one - offended me, but I think I'll stick to eating my bean jelly in boba drinks or mochi treats. (I can just imagine if I bought the bigger ones. Ick.)

Product of Japan

Exported by:
Daiso Industries Co., LTD.
1-4-14 Yoshiyuki higashi, Saijyo
Higashihiroshima-City, Hiroshima
739-8501       JAPAN

Shrimp Chips - Hot Garlic

I don't remember when I first had them, but I do remember having them young... like when I was in kindergarten or first grade. I remember a time when my mom had forgotten to make my lunch and instead of bringing my lunchbox to school before lunch time, she brought me some food items, one of which were the regular Shrimp Chips...which are baked puffed snacks that taste like shrimp. In describing them to people, I would always say they are shrimp-flavored crackers in the shape of fries (which I thought was pretty accurate). Then people would ask to try some. After having described the treat to them, I thought they would be prepared, but then they'd take one, crunch it up in their mouths and say, "Ew! This tastes like shrimp!" I'd look at the bag... then at them... and I'd think "I told ya it was shrimp. It says so on the damn bag for crying out loud!"

But there's no talking to these people. These are the same people that ask as a question, and you say something like, "She went to the store, and that's all I know." And then proceed to ask more and more questions... as if they didn't hear you say that's all you knew or they think they can jog your mind by poking and prodding you with more questions.

I have friends that do this. I just roll my eyes, sigh and pat them on the head as I smile.

But back to the chips.

So over the years as I've grown older, I've seen different varieties on the classic from my childhood. I usually stuck with the regular since most of the time I only saw Wasabi and Hot Garlic... both of which I took to be HOT as in SPICY and therefore... DEATH!!! (Can you tell I'm a hot wuss?)

Recently I decided to bite the bullet and grab a bag of the Hot Garlic. It was the garlic part that held my interest. I LOVE me some garlic. I had forgotten that I had them, actually, until I went to visit my family recently for the weekend, and tossed them into a bag of road snacks. I actually didn't get around to them until the drive home, and let me tell you... they helped me stay awake a bit.

That's not to say the flavor was strong... it wasn't like licking the sun covered in Cholula or something, but - for me - it was definitely warm... but TASTY! On the drive home, I would grab one, nosh, repeat... repeat... repeat... but it was a small build and getting lost in their tastiness would leave my mouth letting me know it needed a break. I made myself put them away - I think I ate about a third of the bag before willing myself to stop - and then snacked on them this evening after work on when I got home.

And now they're all gone.

The icon is just a big bulb of garlic with no mention of the heat other than the "hot" before it. The back tells you they added Hot Garlic seasoning to make a "spicy, crispy snack". It's also an "ideal snack for any occasion". (Have you ever seen a bowl of these at a party?) And just so you know, it's "made with real shrimp". Not sure what percentage that is, but I'm pretty sure the snack itself would not be on the healthiest foods top ten.

Would I ever try this again?: Of course I would. Sad thing is, this is the kind of snack you have more luck finding in Asian markets as opposed to your local store... but I have come across them in the Oriental/Asian section of my local grocer so all is good. It's a lovely salty snack, great for a PMS treat, and I'm pretty sure there are some cookery type things you can do with them... maybe use them instead of onions on top of a green bean casserole. I dunno. They're just tasty. What else do I need to say?

Manufactured by
Calbee North America, LLC
Fairfield, CA 94534
http://www.calbeeamerica.com

Calypso - Coconut Colada Limeade

Today is my first of two days off, and I'm trying to multi-task a bit... so I thought I'd blog about some stuff I've recently tried.

This morning was spent at the movies with friends (How To Train Your Dragon 2 -- good movie, made me cry, dammit! And I want a Toothless). After that, I didn't want to just go home so I headed to Zanotto's Family Market for some lunchy snacks, and then parked it in the shade of the Rose Garden down the street and noshed while I read my book.

Of the few beverages I nabbed, I opted for this lovely coconut/lime drink since I like coconut and lime. Usually when a food type item is comprised of components that separately I enjoy, my brain tends to think that together they'd be fine (which isn't always the case when I tried the cheese/corn ice cream... I'm sure it's an acquired taste, but blech). So here we have two popular flavors much like kiwi and strawberry or peanut butter and jelly together in one bottle for your beverage enjoyment.

At the time I first sipped this, I had just snacked on two sausages that were rather peppery so perhaps that tainted my first impression - which wasn't all that great - but then after the pepper taste went away, and I took a few gulps of water to cleanse my pallet, I tried again... and STILL didn't like it.

Now it's not terrible... it just (to me) tastes like it's lacking something.

The bottle starts off with residue at the bottom of the bottle, but then on the bottle it says to "shake well" and so I did. Right next to those instructions, it says "Real Lime Bits" so I'm assuming that is what had settled at the bottom that I was mixing into the rest of the bottle. I popped the top after I shook it all about, and it smelled of coconut (not so much lime), but the smell wasn't all that great to me either. It was sort of like an imposter fragrance of sorts... like it smelled like it but not quite.

Being thirsty, I took really big swigs which the 20 fl oz bottle was happily to give, and the second time around, I just didn't taste the pepper aftertaste the sausages left the first time. It wasn't bad, but I kept thinking it would taste better if it had some vodka in it or something.

I made the commitment buying it from the store, and like the good consumer that I am, I drank the whole thing down (all 2.5 servings), and in the end was still left with a 'meh' feeling. The ingredients seem to be natural (nothing I can't pronounce or had to look up to figure out what it was - although it was only 10% juice), but it just didn't leave an impression on me.

Would I ever try this again?: Most likely not. I think I had one of the drinks from this line before since the labeling looks familiar - at best guess it was a pink lemonade - but I can't remember much of that time so I guess it didn't leave much of an impression on me then. And unless the one I had today was made into a cocktail of some kind, I won't be trying it again.

http://www.calypsobeverages.com/
http://www.calypsobeverages.com/limeades.html

King Juice Company, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI 53221

Fabrique Delices Truffle Mousse

So last night I was hungry. Hadn't really eaten all day. (Got a soup/salad combo for lunch. Salad was questionable so I tossed it. Drank the soup. Tomato bisque is yummy.) Had a small piece of cheese pizza since it was ordered for our department meeting that day. (Seriously. How do they cut those things? One slice was a few inches wide - the one I took cuz I'm trying to be good with food - and others were almost a quarter of the pie. WTFrak?!?!)

Anyway, I went window shopping and ran some errands, and after all that, I was feeling really lazy and tired and was thinking about hitting a drive-thru on the way home so I didn't have to get out of the car. But in my attempt to be good with food, I opted to go to Whole Foods (I LOVE that place) and grab a healthier snack/dinner option.

I was wanting salmon but instead of getting the filet, I grabbed a thing of sushi. Then I tried some other things - sweet and sour tofu, some spicy sweet potato dish - and got myself some chicken pot pie for my actual dinner. (The tofu was on the unimpressive side, but the spicy sweet potato thing? Yum!)

I ended up in the cheese section. (Me? Cheese? Duh!) The time I had gone to Whole Foods before, I had noticed they had a sample/bite size section in the cold case near some other cheeses and pastas. Not impressed with the selections I picked up then, I was actually looking for some cheese when I came across the mousses and pates.

Now I've had whipped caviar before (quite tasty I must say), but never a pate or mousse so I thought... why not? The first one I looked at caught my eye (mainly cuz it was on sale... though sale price was a dollar off the regular price). Out of the four they had there, one was around $13.00, the rest the same price as the "Truffle Mousse" I chose. The I went in search of some crackers to spread the mousse on, grabbed a drink, and left with my food purchases.

Okay. So what it says on the label... Made with chicken liver, sherry wine, truffles and mushrooms. Fully cooked. Ready to enjoy. Topped with aspic. PORK FREE.

No pork? I lived. Don't worry. I don't have to pork ALL the time, but dammit pork, you are one tasty treat.

The ingredients are what you would expect: chicken liver, chicken fat, water, eggs, sherry wine, modified cornstarch, mushrooms, salt, sugar, nonfat dry milk, truffle, porcini mushrooms powder, dry onions and pepper. ("Modified" made me think "we can rebuild him, we have the technology" but I'm sure that's not what they meant.) The aspic was made of water, gelatin, vinegar, brandy, salt and carrageenan. (Contains: milk, eggs.)

No grams trans fat per serving. Serving size is 2oz and it's a 7oz package, but they say there are four servings per package. Wouldn't that need an 8oz package then? And it's 200 calories so don't eat the whole thing in one sitting.

So right off the bat, I will say this - NOT a big liver fan. Nope. A friend once told me a story about how his mom made liver and had marinated it in something which made it taste different, so when he was invited to stay for dinner at his friend's house back when he was a kid, he said he'd stay even though his friend told him to say no and bolt for home. He remembered everyone trying for the smallest piece, but he grabbed the biggest piece thinking all liver tasted like his mom's. Nope! But since he was a good kid, he was polite and ate the whole thing. It wasn't until later that he learned how his mother prepared it and realized his mistake.

In my childhood, my mother continually tried to get me to eat liver, but I was adamant about it. No way, Jose! I think I had tried it once - just a tiny bit - and it tasted icky. My brother ate it, but then back in the day (and still a little bit now) my brother would try anything. With me? It took me until I got older to try stuff I didn't care for when I was younger.

When looking at the mousse, I thought, "Hey! I've since eaten brussel sprouts, sauerkraut and horseradish. I can give liver another go." I also thought back on the whipped caviar thing. Regular caviar, though I've never tried it, just seemed unappealing to me. I always felt I would react exactly as Tom Hanks did in the movie "Big". But my Seester (Margrit) has never steered me wrong, and I was with her and her family so I tried it, and it was good. It was just made different... just like my friend's mother's liver. So I figured chicken liver in mousse form wouldn't be so bad.

And it wasn't.

So it comes in this mini bathtub looking dish wrapped in plastic wrap that was practically vac-u-sealed over the mini-tub. Took me forever to get through it to the actual mousse. Then I thought there was another wrap to peel off, but no... when I squeezed the tub, the contents poked up and out of the tub like one solid block of... stuff. What I thought was another layer of wrap to get through was actually the aspic on top of the mousse. I tasted a bit of it. Per the ingredients, it was all edible. I didn't personally care for the consistency though the flavor was tasty. I just peeled the aspic off and grabbed a cracker and scooped some up.

I had it in my mind that I wanted cracked pepper crackers. Love those things. But I couldn't decide which ones I wanted. Finally decided on one and also got a plain old cracker (like Ritz) kind. The cracked pepper cracker kind of overshadowed the flavor of the mousse. So I spooned up some and ate it plain.

Ahhh yes. By itself I could definitely taste that it was liver, but the whipped/creamy aspect of the food plus the seasonings make it taste much better than I thought it would. Still I felt it was missing something. Oddly enough, I think pepper would have made it better so perhaps the cracked pepper chips were a good pairing after all. (The chips were tasty on their own as well. Perhaps I'll write about them next.)

Would I ever try this again? It didn't leave a lasting impression on me so I won't be actively seeking it out at the stores again, but if I were at a party, and it was on the snacks table, I'd definitely have some.

http://fabriquedelices.com/product/truffle-mousse-pork-free/
http://fabriquedelices.com/

Made in USA
MFG by Sapar USA, Inc. - Hayward, CA
Phone: 510-441-9500

ROCKSTAR SUPER SOURS - BUBBLEBERRY & GREEN APPLE

So there's this deli near my work. Sometimes I go there if I have enough time, and I haven't had breakfast, and my stomach lets me know that it ain't havin' that kind of thing.

It was there that I first found Bubbleberry... which in all honesty wasn't all that impressive save the pretty colors. It kinda tasted sour, and I've grown accustomed to the general energy drink flavor so it just tasted like a flavored Rockstar to me.

Green Apple on the other hand...

I've talked about my love for sour stuff before - mostly in the realm of candy - but "Super Sours" intrigued me. I chugged Bubbleberry with no problem. Green Apple though... that was actually sour tasting. It kind of reminded me of a Jolly Rancher.

As far as the flavor, I'm not a real green apple fan. I mean, they're good for baking and all, but I was always more a red delicious sort of gal. And green apple in other things - like Jolly Ranchers - were never my taste of choice. This, however, made me happy.

Maybe it had something to do with it actually tasting significantly different than just an energy drink as well as green apple.

Maybe it had something to do with Bubbleberry being a bit of a disappointment.

I wonder if they'll come out with any others in the line.

Now I'm not going to bother going over the calorie intake as well as portions because we already know it's really not healthy for you and that portions are frakkin ridiculous when it comes to things like this. I'm surprised it doesn't say you've consumed so many calories by just holding the damn can.

But is that gonna make us stop drinking the damn things? Probably not.

Would I ever try this again? I would, and I have. Bubbleberry? Probably not.

http://rockstarenergy.com/
http://rockstarenergy.com/products/supersours-bubbleberry
http://rockstarenergy.com/products/super-sours-green-apple

ROCKSTAR, INC.
Las Vegas, NV 89109 USA

Doritos JACKED: Ranch Dipped Hot Wings

Hey there! Long time no try something new.

So here I am.

While at work today, I had a hankering for a large soda. At the start of my lunch, I headed over to a nearby 7-Eleven to grab a Gulp of the Super variety. Feeling a little drowsy, I also grabbed a couple Rockstars (which I'm not sure why I even get those since I'm not sure they do anything for me.

When driving? Yeah.

When just sitting? Less likely.

I had spotted a few new Doritos flavors so on my way back to the register - beverages in hand - I grabbed two bags of chips.

First up? ranch dipped hot wings. (looks at bag) Oh wait. I mean RANCH DIPPED HOT WINGS!

I'm still trying to learn how to eat hotter (as in spicier) things, but it's a slow process for me. I'm still a noob, but the desire is there. I see stuff and think "That looks tasty." Then I see jalapenos or chilis or whatever and get all kinds of "oh gawd, that's gonna melt my mouth and make me poop liquid fire for days".

So here I sit... an open bag of Doritos before me... and trying some chips that are like the regular size Doritos on steroids.

I've eaten a few so far, and yeah... not too terribly impressed. I mean, I'm dealing with powerloss at the moment (time of the month to start soon though the PMS salty cravings have begun early as usual). They're tasted, but I'm not getting JACKED as the wordage on the bag proclaims. I can't really taste the ranch much although there is something there with the hot wingy-ness. It's not bad... just not anything special.

I'm not gonna bother anymore with the calories and all that since it's frakkin DORITOS!

And did you know Doritos contains milk ingredients. Really? Not MILK... but MILK INGREDIENTS.

And the part that makes me giggle a little? The "Guaranteed Fresh" notation that says if it's not fresh by the freshness date on the pack... "this snack's on us". Questions or Comments? 1-800-352-4477 - Weekdays 
9:00am to 4:30pm, Central Time. Please provide product name, bag size, date, price and numbers found below price for each package.

Seriously. The bag was like a buck something. Who the frak is gonna call with all that information to say their snack sucked and they want their (looks at bag) $1.49 back.

*rollseyes*

Would I ever try this again? Yeah. Why not? I don't think I'm ever gonna be overcome with a need to sate this craving NOW kind of feeling, but if it's all they have left in a mini-mart as I scavenge for snacks during a zombie apocalypse? I wouldn't say no.

FRITO-LAY, INC.
Plano, TX 75024-4099
http://www.fritolay.com/
http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos-jacked-ranch-dipped-hot-wings.html

Cofresh Hummus Chips - Creamy Dill

In planning my travels for the holidays, I had plotted that I wanted to leave straight from work (I get out at 8pm this Wednesday), and head to Fresno to see my family with as minimal amounts of stops as possible. I knew that I wanted to stop at the nearby 7-Eleven for a beverage for my 3-hour nighttime excursion, but I thought I could easily head to the store and gather some snacks for the road beforehand.

While running a quick errand before work today, I made the mistake of straying from my goal of looking for one thing (which was in no way food-related) and perused the store ending up in the snack aisle. I found a few goodies, one of which were these hummus chips.

I like hummus! So I bought some to try.

Now COFRESH is a company I have never heard of before, but hey... that's not to say they won't be good. A lot of lesser known brands as well as generic versions of things are just as tasty if not better than the original.

Anyone try the Kirkland products from Costco? Then you know what I mean.

Anyway... now here I sit at work on my lunch break (which I usually spend working on my story blogs), trying my hummus chips and writing about them.

Right away the bag is not so big which is all right by me. It's a nice and compact 4.7oz which is easy for snacking as well as sharing. The image ON the bag is pretty much what you get IN the bag. They remind me of some weird love child of a Frito Scoop and a Bugle.

The front of the bag also boasts this treat has 30% less fat than regular potato chips (fat reduced from 10g tp 7g per serving... someone want to tell me what that means/)

The bottom of the bag says these chips are gluten free with no artificial colors or flavors and also have no artificial preservatives.

So this makes me curious about the ingredients.

Flipping the bag over I see the following: Chickpea Flour, Potato Starch, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed), Corn Flour, Creamy Dill Flavor (Whey Powder, Salt, Dextrose, Onion Powder, Rice Flour, Sugar, Flavor Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Lactose, Cheese Powder, Yeast Extract Powder, Natural Flavorings, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Diacetate), Herbs (Parsley, Dill).

Ahhh, good ol' MSG. Recently hung out with friends, and they were talking about how MSG makes things taste so much better. I have stuff without it, and it tastes just as good so I have no idea what they're talking about.

Then there are other things that I wonder about (like "rapeseed"?), but overall, it looks - for all intents and purposes - normal and digestable.

Also on the back it gives "Allergy Advice" saying that this product is made in a factory that handles milk/dairy products, nuts, sesame seeds and wheat and may contain trace allergens. Contains Milk & Dairy products. When reading that (as well as typing it out), it made me think of those drug commercials that are supposed to make you better, but then they start listing the side effects, and the list seems to go on forever and ever. This allergy list didn't run as long, but it was more than I was used to seeing on a food item.

Pop open the bag. Stick a chip in my mouth. CRUNCH!!!

We have taste success.

This snack (could be because I'm currently PMS'ing) is nicely salted and not overly so. The consistency of the chips makes me think of Munchos since they're so puffy and light. You can also taste the dill which is subtle which is great since some chip-like snacks can have a lot of flavor that - while flavor is good - sometimes can overpower your tastebuds.

Would I ever try this again? Maybe. It's a brand that I haven't come across frequently enough, and it's not so mind-blowing great that I would ever seek it out. As a "new thing", it was a nice experience and apparently a healthy one.

http://www.cofresh.co.uk/creamy-dill-hummus-chips

Cofresh Snack Foods
Cofresh House, Lewisher Road
Leicester, LE4 9LR, United Kingdom
Tel: 44 (0) 116 246 4101
Email: sales@cofresh.co.uk
Website: www.cofresh.co.uk

Angie's Kettle Corn

my bag was the new yellow design

Popcorn.

It's an evil treat. It tastes so good, you gobble it up, and it's gone before you know it.

I grew up on regular popcorn - either popped by my parents or stock sold at the movies. We had a popcorn maker that we occasionally brought out, but then my favorite was always the Jiffy Pop - the little foiled pie tin with a handle that you would cook over the open flame of the stove.

I love watching that thing pop into a giant ball and then when you ripped it open, all the steam would come out. So hot, fresh and tasty.

(There's a joke in there somewhere.)

Then of course there were the variations of popcorn: Fiddle Faddle, Crunch & Munch, and (of course) Cracker Jack. Sweet and salty... and sometimes you got a prize!

In elementary school on game days, I'd occasionally buy a rectangular block of pink popcorn. On some holidays, I'd receive a nice popcorn ball as a treat.

And then the evolution of popcorn delivered unto me one of my best friends and vilest of addictions: kettle corn.

I believe I first experienced kettle corn during my fair days. My mind immediately conjures up a dude in an apron behind a giant black cauldron-looking thing (I could totally be wrong on this). And all he'd do all day at faire was make kettle corn.

I think I shared some with a friend and after they let me snack on some, I was immediately hooked and wanted my own bag.

The fresher, the better.

So since renaissance faires aren't all day, every day, the only time I could buy tasty goodness from the vendor was weekends when faire was going on, and I was able to make it.

Then kettle corn became a thing and everyone was making and selling. At the time, all I came across were microwaveable kettle corn, and let's just say... no.

Keeping an open mind, I tried various kinds /brands of kettle corn, but nothing measured up to the sweet treats of renaissance faires. Nothing tasted as good.

Until now.

Can we say "snazzy logo"?

Recently I attended a Halloween party, and toward the end of the evening when a handful of us were left, I began cleaning up a bit. Like last year, there were lots of snacks that the hosts were trying to send home with people. I think I got cookies, chips and Wheat Thins.

This year? I got a bag of kettle corn.

I was starting to PMS. I thought it'd be something to nosh on during my "gimme salty" food cravings and while watching shows on Hulu.

I didn't notice until later (I think I had finally made it home) that it was kettle corn. It was also a brand I had never tried before (Angie's), so I thought, "Why not? I can try it and write about it."

Now in taking time away from devouring the bag to actually look at the bag, I see that the ingredients include: popcorn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane juice, and sea salt.

The serving size is two cups which gives seven servings per 7oz bag... and seeing as I was given the rest of the open bag (which was maybe 2/3 full)... I ate a lot of servings (each serving being 140 calories).

The bag of the bag states this is "goodness you'll love" since it's...

• all natural
• no artificial anything
• cholesterol free
• who grain
• no high-fructose corn syrup
• vegan
• no trans fat
• kosher
• certified gluten-free
• non-gmo project verified

Now... aside from that last one, that all sounds healthy, right? (But wait, there's more.)

May contain the following: Delight = 25,000mhz, snack satisfaction = 39 ROI, flavor density = 1700 G/CM, happiness = 1.21 gigawatts.

That last one was a Back to the Future reference, dammit, and one of my favorites, so how can you NOT love this snack already?

Furthermore, it's just... AWESOME! It reads healthy, and it doesn't taste like society assumes healthy food tastes like (which is crap). 

When you get a moment, you should read their story which is posted on their website. 

Would I ever try this again?: Does a bear shit in the woods? LOL! But seriously, yes, I would. In fact, I want to know where the person who brought this stuff bought it. Most likely Whole Foods or some such.

(And while writing this post, I finished the last of the kettle corn. And there was much weeping and sadness.)

Angie's Artisan Treats, LLC
1918 Lookout Drive

N. Mankato, MN 56003
1-888-982-4984

http://angiespopcorn.com/