Gummy Bat - Target - Riverside, NJ

Gummy Bat  - Target - Riverside, NJ

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I still have a decent pile of Halloween candy to go through and this is my last week to do Halloween reviews, so I am going to try and post another review later today.
Being a gummy fiend, I had to buy this giant gummy bat. There were two flavor combinations available:

1. Orange and Grape
2. Blue Raspberry and Cherry

Usually I love orange and grape flavored gummies, but the combination of the two seemed a little off putting, so I opted for the cherry and blue raspberry bat.

Candy Blood Bag - Dollar Tree - Cinnaminson, NJ

Candy Blood Bag  - Dollar Tree - Cinnaminson, NJ

I haven't been this excited for a photoset in a LONG time. This little bag of 'blood' was only a dollar and I got some AMAZING photographs! (I know I got a little carried away with the photos, but it was a LOT of fun.)

I was walking through the local dollar store, trying to find a cheap fake pumpkin to decorate, and I found this. As odd as it sounds, I am pretty familiar with fake blood drinks and candies. Jared, one of my closest friends, is the lead singer of The Zombie Mafia, and the band uses medical props in their shows. Drinking fake blood packets from an IV on stage has become a fun gimmick, but it gets expensive. Unlike the ones TZM typically buys online, this was only $1.00!

Monster Pooper - ???

Monster Pooper - ???

This little guy was a birthday gift from one of my oldest friends, B. It's a little wind-up monster that poops candy! ('Poop' is a trigger word for B. It ALWAYS makes him laugh.)

Although this is more of a toy than a candy, I'm going to review it anyway!
The design is pretty gaudy, but this is a pooping monster toy. What do you expect?
Looking at the brand itself, Treat Street,  mimics Sesame Street's aesthetics for the packaging, logo, and little monster. Although Sesame Street does it better, this isn't a bad branding. (It's kind of like a college kid's packaging project.)

The packaging is fairly sparse, so I was a little surprised that a clear poop-tray was included. The candies are perfectly round little pellets, so the tray prevents your "poop" from rolling away while your monster is walking. I am actually shocked that a novelty product thought things through. (Good job Treat Street.) Although I appreciated the tray, I totally didn't use it. My photo set up kept the candies in check and scattered candy made for much better photos.

The candy inside is very similar to Spree. I grabbed a few different flavors to try:

• orange = orange
• green = lime (Not 100% sure) 
• blue = blue raspberry
• red = cherry
• yellow = pineapple (I was quite surprised!)

Although all of the candies tasted artificial, the yellow/pineapple was by far the best. Although this little guy is a novelty, he is pretty darn fun. I'm not sure how much he was, but I'd say it was worth it. 

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Jones Caramel Apple Soda - Target - Riverside, NJ

Jones Caramel Apple Soda  - Target - Riverside, NJ

Sorry for the short hiatus. That crisis I mentioned before reappeared, so I had to take a moment to handle it. (Sorry to be cryptic, but this is a foodie blog, not a diary. I'm not gonna bore you with that kinda stuff.)  I'll be making another post later today to make up for my few days off!

With Halloween upon us, I am shifting gears and reviewing all kinds of Halloween goodies. To kick things off, here is some seasonal Jones soda.

When I was in high school, Jones was my go-to soda. I absolutely loved it's artistic packaging and unique flavors. (Flavors like Thanksgiving dinner!) Back then, I could buy it at various restaurants, grocery, and convenience stores. Now, it's kind of difficult to come by. (What happened?) Restaurants like Panera stopped carrying it, grocery shelves were empty, and the amazing flavors fizzled out. Has Jones abandoned the east coast? (Or just New Jersey?) Let me know if you guys have it in your area.

For a while now, Jones has been releasing a few limited edition, seasonal, products at target stores. This Halloween I picked up two of the four flavors: Caramel Apple and Candy Corn.

Mini Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups - Walmart

Mini Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups - Walmart

These are the same as another strawberry Fruit Roll-Up, just Halloween themed and miniaturized. So, instead of a review, this post is more like a Halloween shopping tip. 
For the last three years my sister and I have been buying these Halloween boxes of mini Fruit Roll-Ups. (We also buy the boxes of tropical mini Fruit by the Foot.) We are both in our 20's, but we have had these mini snacks out at college parties and they are an absolute hit. (No matter what season it is. no one cares they are Halloween themed.)

Growing up, I loved these snacks and they were a very rare treat. (You were always the most popular kid in the lunchroom if you had one of these or a Fruit by the Foot.) As an adult, I can buy them for myself, but they are pretty expensive for just a few fruity treats. (No wonder my mom didn't buy them.) When compared to the normal fruit roll up boxes, this is a lot more bang for your buck.

Positives about the mini size:

• the portion size is a lot more manageable than their full sized counterparts (40 calories each).
• You get a lot more candy than a traditional box of full sized Roll-Ups
• These go on sale for at least 50% off after Halloween. (Or sometimes ON Halloween.)

TIP: Wait for all of the Halloween candy to go on sale/clearance and buy these boxes at half price. I have done that for the last two years and these things are a steal for the price. (I jumped the gun this year so I could photograph it before the season was out and to give you all a heads up.)

I hope you guys enjoyed this little Halloween candy tip!

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Pumpkin Pie Fudge - ???

Pumpkin Pie Fudge - ???

This was a little gift from my mother, who likes to read my foodie posts. (Hi mom!) I'm not sure where she bought it, I'm guessing it was somewhere near the Jersey Shore, but a lot of places are peddling pumpkin fudge these days. At this point I have already reviewed a pumpkin fudge, but this one is packaged so cutely! How could I not photograph it?

There isn't much packaging to review. This is just a mini pie tin with some saran-wrap and a sticker. I don't even see any nutritional information posted anywhere. (Which is a little odd, but the last fudge I reviewed didn't have any information either.) There really isn't much for me to talk about. I mean, I like the pie tin, but I feel like this packaging is more for show than function or convenience. It was easy to remove the fudge from the tin, but it is difficult to keep it fresh. 

Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte  - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Here's another seasonal item I picked up at Target.  While I still have a decent array of pumpkin items in my stash, I was really hoping for some more savory snacks. Does anyone know of some savory seasonal items that are on the shelves? (The harvest salsa, which I reviewed last year, and pumpkin soup mix were the only items I could find.) Please send me a MESSAGE if you spot anything seasonal and savory that I should review. 

On to today's review, Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai.

Chocolove XOXOX - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Chocolove XOXOX - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

(Still cleaning out my stash a little bit. I'll get back to pumpkin posts tomorrow.)

Remember that love letter themed chocolate bar I reviewed a few months back? Well I couldn't resist their packaging, and I bought another bar. Since I talked about the packaging in my other post, this will be a relatively short review that focuses on the chocolate itself.

Like always, the packaging has a lot of detailing. As you can see there is a lovely foiled logo that mimics a wax seal, bold colors, and cute faux stamps that relate to the specific flavor combination inside. I absolutely love this wrapper and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Calypso Strawberry Lemonade- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Calypso Strawberry Lemonade- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

I know this isn't Halloween-y, but it was in my review pile and I have to make room for more stuff. I have a pretty big back-log of foodie items and I need to start going through them.

Two years ago I went to the Amish market and got some of the best strawberry lemonade I had ever had. It was a seasonal item, and when I returned one year later, the vendor wasn't there. I have been trying to find a replacement ever since. (I really ought to try and make my own version next strawberry season.) I saw this big display of colorful, fruity, lemonades at Walmart and thought I might as well give this brand a try.

The bottle is made of glass and it is fairly large (20 fl oz). The logo on the clear label is a bit garish, with it's bright colors and thick outlines, but the same logo is embossed directly on the glass and it looks much classier. Losing that outer stroke really makes a big difference, because they are both written in the same font. Other than the logo, there are a few other little glass details, like little lemon slices around the neck of the bottle, that provide a nice texture and plenty of visual interest. I would say that the bottle design itself is great, but that cap and label need to be reworked. With a little tweaking you can make this product look much more high end than it is.

Market Pantry Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Market Pantry Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

The Pepperidge Farm pumpkin cheesecake cookies were very soft and chewy, but expensive, and they didn't taste very pumpkin-y at all. Maybe these sandwich style Target brand cookies will be better.

I've talked about Market Pantry being a no frills brand before, which means they skimp on packaging to provide a cheaper product, so I'm going to skip over discussing the package itself. Instead, I'm going to focus on the photograph featured on the box. Although these cookies are supposed to be the same flavor as the Pepperidge farm cookies, they tackle the cheesecake aspect in different ways. This time the cookies are sandwich style, instead of large soft cookies, and the cheesecake flavoring is limited to the creamy filling. (Similar to an Oreo.) Judging by the photo, these cookie look a lot like ginger snaps, and they seem pretty small.

Brach's S'mores Candy Corn - Wegman’s : Cherry Hill, NJ

Brach's S'mores Candy Corn - Wegman’s : Cherry Hill, NJ

Time for a Halloween staple, candy corn!

It seems like this has been a good year for candy corn and s'mores. This summer I spotted a decent amount of limited edition s'more items on the shelves, and now there are a bunch of new candy corn flavors. I have seen Starburst flavored candy corn, pumpkin spice candy corn, and tons of fruity flavors like caramel apple or grape. I like candy corn, but it is just too sweet for me. (If I buy any it'll sit around forever while I slowly nibble away at it.)

The packaging is the same as any other bag of candy corn, but what sets this item apart is the large s'more in the upper left corner and the uniquely colored candy inside. From top to bottom there is a yellow-orange cap, a chalky translucent white center and a chocolatey bottom. (Similar to Indian style candy corn.) I really like the combination of colors, it gives you a very nice, generic, fall feeling. Although the bag is pretty blah, the candy would look great at a Thanksgiving dessert table.

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

I just realized, a lot of my 2013 pumpkin haul came from Target. Last year I had a ton of Aldi stuff, so I guess it's Target's time to shine.

I am not a big fan of pre-made baked goods. I feel like a lot of them taste the same and the only Pepperidge farm product I occasional buy is the Gingerbread. (Those cookies are so light and crispy! How do they do it?) I wanted new pumpkin items this year, ones that I hadn't reviewed before, and this just happened to be out on the shelves.

Gummy Tongues - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Gummy Tongues - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Another Novelty Halloween candy from Target. Again, I wasn't expecting these to be that great tasting, but I knew they would make for some fantastic photographs. (Plus I can use them as a decoration for a Halloween-themed dessert tray.)

Market Pantry Pumpkin Cereal Bars - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Market Pantry Pumpkin Cereal Bars - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

I went to Target a few weeks ago to check out their Halloween home decor. (They usually have some awesome poison-themed items. Since they go along with the theme of my etsy shop and art account, I love having them around.) While I was there I decided to check out the seasonal goodies on the shelves.

This year Target's Market Pantry line released a bunch of pumpkin flavored items!
There's:

• Pumpkin Cereal Bars
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies
• Pumpkin Spice Waffles

After I had such a good experience with the Kashi bars, I decided to give these Target ones a try. (Although I am comparing the two, they aren't quite the same. This is a cereal bar while Kashi was a granola bar.)

The box is really plain and boring, but it is a store brand, so that is to be expected. There really isn't much to say about the packaging, other than it was very functional and easy to open.

Brad's Raw Leafy Kale - Home Goods: Moorestown, NJ

Brad's Raw Leafy Kale - Home Goods: Moorestown, NJ

A bit of a seasonal stretch, but I thought I would add these Kale chips to my October reviews. Why? Because this specific flavor is called, "Vampire Killer" of course. (Yummier than a stake to the heart.)

I think this might be first time I have ever bought kale chips. Prior to this my family has always made our own at home using sea salt and our oven. While similar, these chips are a little different from mine. First of all they are raw, which means they are not dried using heat (like my oven method). Instead, these are crisped using a dehydrator that never goes above 115 degrees. Secondly, these are flavored with garlic and vegan cheese. I never though to flavor mine with cheese before. I definitely have to try that next time we make a batch.

The packaging is simple and clean. It's a clear clam shell container with a wrap-around label. I like the earthy brown color and faux texture on the label, but I feel like it's typography could be a little cleaner. For example, look at the 'B' in 'Brad." It seems so far away from the rest of the letters. Little things like proper kerning can really make a product look finished. 

Goya Pumpkin Noodles and Pumpkin Soup Mix - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Goya Pumpkin Noodles and Pumpkin Soup Mix - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Here are two pumpkin items I combined (with a few other ingredients) to make some yummy vegetable soup.

• A packet of Pumpkin Soup Mix
• A bag of Goya Pumpkin Pasta

Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax Seed Granola Bars - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax Seed Granola Bars - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

After everything that has happened in the last week it's been hard to get back into the swing of things, but I am trying to get back into the habit of updating on time.

With that being said, the pumpkin posts will continue!

I picked these up at Target a few weeks ago and it was torture seeing them sit in my review pile. Part of me wanted to tear the box open as soon as I got home, but I had to wait until I could take photos. (First world food blogger problems.)

The Kashi boxes on the shelves all had very similar designs, each one is very clean with bold images and some scattered text. I haven't bought Kashi products before, so I am not sure if this is a standard flavor or a seasonal one, (send me a message if you know) but the packaging blends seamlessly into the rest of the Kashi collection. If this is a seasonal flavor you might miss it, but I think the clean layout reflects Kashi's healthy products.

Kabaya Karipori Candy Stick - Ramune Review - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Kabaya Karipori Candy Stick - Ramune Review - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

Sorry for the brief hiatus. Things are finally starting to settle down a bit and I can get back to my regular update schedule. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

I already discussed the packaging and the cola flavored candy. (Posted HERE!)

So today we’ll focus on the ramune candy and it’s wrappers.

Impulsive Buy Spotted on the Shelves Entries - 5 (Walmart Edition)

Orange milk? Imagine what color it would turn if you used this with Count Chocula...

 There is a really awesome foodie site called The Impulsive Buy (Go check it out!)
One of my favorite posts on the site is called "Spotted on the Shelves." It is a viewer-fueled inventory of new items that have been released in various stores. I already made four posts of my submissions, found HERE, so here is round 5!

Here is the stuff I found at Walmart!

Pumpkin Pie TastyKake- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Pumpkin Pie TastyKake- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

I’m having a bit of a family crisis right now, so I am not sure if there will be an update tomorrow. I’ll try my best.

I am not a big fan of snack cakes and the TastyKake brand, but I was on the look out for different pumpkin things to review for my Pumpkin 2013 haul and this caught my eye.

The box is very pale and plain, other than the generic TastyKake design, there isn’t much to review at all. I will say that it opened very easily and the box did prevent the little pie from being damaged in my grocery bag. (So it’s functional.)

Pumpkin Face Gumballs - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Pumpkin Face Gumballs - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Guess what everyone? Today is my birthday! (Yay for being old?)

Now, these jack o’ lantern themed gumballs may not be very unique, or fantastically flavored, but they ARE freaking adorable! I really wanted to photograph them, and they were on sale, so I went for it. (Happy Birthday to me.)
The jar is made of clear plastic with a black twist off cap, not the finest materials, but it’ll do.  After all, this is a novelty item, so I’m not expecting super fancy packaging, but I do have one complaint. It is really difficult to get the gumballs out of this container! (Especially when it is still full.) The little candy spheres settle together and get stuck inside, so you need to use your fingers to pry the first few candies out before you can shake the rest free from their genie-bottle-like prison. Personally, I think a large mouthed jar would have been better for gumballs, but it might not have been as aesthetically pleasing.

Archer Farms Candy Corn Coffee - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Archer Farms Candy Corn Coffee - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Sorry my posts have been a little wonky the last few days, my queue finally ran out and that video post took me forever to edit and upload. Plus, student teaching has been exhausting.


Target has released some really awesome Halloween collections in the past. This year, the fall themed goodies include: pumpkin spiced cookies, caramel apple coffee, gummy bats, spiced cereal bars, and fancy coffees. I saw this candy corn coffee in a Spotted post over on the Impulsive Buy and really wanted to give it a try. (Especially since my boyfriend loves Candy Corn and coffee. I hoped this would be the best of both worlds.)

The packaging is a standard, foiled, coffee bag with a resealable fold down top. Honestly, I am kind of surprised by the plain packaging. I mean, you could very easily walk right past this and never notice that it was a limited, seasonal, flavor. Other than the Archer Farms label, there aren't any design elements. I kind of wish the bag was covered in little candy corns, or had an overall candy corn color scheme, but it doesn't. Then again, Archer Farms is a slightly frilly no-frills brand, so keeping it simple does make sense as far as keeping costs down.

Once opened, I feared that Archer Farms pulled another fast one on me. This smells like normal coffee with a hint of vanilla. I couldn't detect any hint of candy corn or honey. Bah, I should have known better. This brand has burned me before with their fancy kettle chips, Archer Farms products are good, but they rarely live up to the tantalizing flavor name. Maybe it'll be more authentic when it's brewed?

Sadly it wasn't. The brewed coffee has a mildly sweet vanilla taste, which is pleasant, but there is no way you'd ever mistake this for candy corn.

I love the idea, but this product does not deliver.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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The Best Pumpkin Spice Latte

The video is finally up!

Who makes the best Pumpkin Spice Latte? My boyfriend and I do a blind study with four different lattes to find out.

(I really need to get a decent video camera. If I make 20 semi-decent videos I promised myself I'd invest in one. For now I'll make due with what I got.)

Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Another snack food post. I’mstressedoutandwanttoeatjunk.
My boyfriend had these at his place a long time ago, and I really enjoyed them, so I figured I might as well grab a bag to review.

Doritos seems to be changing up their product line with new designs and some flavor deletions. (I think those bags with the mixed flavors are discontinued. I haven’t seen the Pizza and Ranch chips in a long time.)  The older Doritos design that I remember had a more in-your-face aesthetic, and this new bag is pretty toned down. All that you can see is the logo, which is still a little obnoxious, and an image of the chips. The main thing that makes this bag stand out is the color. There aren’t many purple chip bags on the shelves, so this specific flavor really stands out. (I don’t think Sora has an outfit that coincides with this flavor. Does he?)

ALDI PUMPKIN ALERT

ALDI PUMPKIN ALERT

I plan on making Pumpkin related posts every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This may last from now until Mid-November. (Depending on how many items I find.) Any objections?

The pumpkin Spice Latte video is on the way!

I'm teaching myself Adobe Premiere, so it's taking a little longer than expected. (The Windows movie maker/editor is complete garbage.)

For now, here is this week's Aldi ad.

I am very happy to say the Pumpkin Salsa and Pumpkin Cider are back! I'll be picking some up this week, along with a few new pumpkin items.

Is there anything that caught your eye?

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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