Butter Chicken Meal Kit - Aldi

Butter Chicken Meal Kit - Aldi

For years I've been looking for a dupe for this discontinued Archer Farms meal kit. It was so freaking good! According to what I've read online, the general public complained that it was too spicy, so it was discontinued and replaced with a lame mild version that doesn't taste as good. BOO!

When I saw that Aldi had a few Journey to India meal kits a while back, I scooped them up, hoping that one of them would be worthy of taking the Archer Farms meal kit's place.

The meal kit I loved was Vindaloo, and spicy, and this is Butter Chicken, which is more mild. Now this flavor won't be exactly what I'm looking for, but it's more palate friendly for my spice-intolerant family, so I decided to cook this one up first so we could all eat dinner together.

BNutty Irresistible Pretzel Peanut Butter (Sample Review)

BNutty Irresistible Pretzel Peanut Butter - Sample from the Summer Fancy Food Show

Part of my pre-2017 stash busting includes finally getting to some of these samples from the Summer Fancy Food Show. That's right, SUMMER. Well, better late than never, right? 

There are people out there who LOVE peanut butter. I've never quite understood the obsession. Sure, peanut butter is great, and I enjoy PB&J sandwiches and Reeses cups from time to time, but some people take it to the extreme.

Popcorn Flavored Cocoa?

Limited Edition Sweet Popcorn Options Cocoa - Gift from Food Review UK

So this has been in my stash for ages, because I really didn't want to review it, but after trying the Buttered Popcorn Mike and Ike's I figured there was no better time than the present.

Since it's just a little hot cocoa packet there's not much for me to talk about as far as packaging, so let's skip the packaging portion of the review and get this over with get right down to it!

Three Colors Crunch Ball Snacks - H-Mart

Three Colors Crunch Ball Snacks - H-Mart 

Three Colors. Crunch Ball. When I saw this adorable pastel and pink package at H-mart picking it up was a no-brainer.

Shimmery White Chocolate m&m's - Target

Shimmery White Chocolate m&m's - Target

I was originally going to skip these, because they're just white chocolate m&m's with a shimmer coating, but they were on sale, and I thought they be fun for photos...so here we are!

Pigs N' Taters Chocolate Bar by Hammond's

Pigs N' Taters Bar - Target

There were a bunch of Hammond's bars in the Christmas section at Target and they just so happened to have a sale on buying three bars, and since I only had 2 stockings to fill this year, I treated myself to a little something sweet. And savory.

That's right! Not just a bacon and chocolate bar, but a bacon, chocolate and POTATO CHIP bar! And with a name like "Pigs N' Taters," how could I resist?

Mike and Ike Throwback Flavors from Dollar Tree

Mike and Ike Throwback Flavors - Dollar Tree

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! Mine was great, but INTENSE. We're talking 4-days of non-stop family gatherings, cooking meals, and gift giving. It's fun, but I need a minimum of 2-days of no make-up and sweatpants to recover before the New Year festivities begin.

Since the flaming garbage heap that is 2016 is nearly over, I thought I should try and do a bit of stash busting to make room for new year goodies. First to the foodie chopping block? Some retro throwback flavors from Mike and Ike.

Racine Dutch Almond Kringle - Aldi

Racine Dutch Kringles (Almond) - Aldi $4.99

It's a Christmas Mira-kringle! (Boo!)

What's a Kringle? Well, it's a large halo-shaped pastry made with layered dough and various fillings and toppings. They're the official state pastry of Wisconsin, they have Danish roots, and here on the East Coast, seasonal Kringle offerings are often sold at Trader Joe's. When Trader Joe's does get a shipment of Kringles in, they never last long. People go crazy for these things!

A while back I reviewed the seasonal Pumpkin Caramel Kringle from O&H Danish Bakery, but before that I tried the O&H Almond Kringle (my first ever Kringle) and it was the absolute BEST! Since it's the holidays and they're in HIGH demand, it's hard to get my hands on one from Trader Joe's, so I decided to try this version from Aldi instead. Will Racine Danish Kringles taste as good as O&H? We shall see!

Pumpkin Pie Almonds - Target

Double Crunch Pumpkin Pie Almonds - Target

'Tis the season to be BASIC, fa la la la la...Well, not really. 

Basic weather has come and gone, and Christmas is literally this weekend, but I am way behind on my food blogging, so we're going to dive into some overdue pumpkin spice reviews on today's #TBT.

Last Minute (Non-Edible) Food Gifts: Foodie Flair Edition

Last Minute (non-edible) Food Related Gift Ideas - Foodie Flair Edition 

Pins, patches, and keychains...OH MY! Battle jackets and vests (jackets covered in patches and pins) have been a staple for fans in the music scene for ages, but artists are branching out! Now even foodies like me can cover themselves head-to-toe in various foodie flair to show my passion for all things edible. Here are a few of my favorites that will make AWESOME stocking stuffers this year. 

It's a feast for the eyes, & there's something for everyone!  

Efsane Uludag Gazozu (Turkish Soda) - Appetit Fine European Food Market

Efsane Uludag Gazozu (Turkish Soda) - Appetit Fine European Food Market

Finally, something to wash down all the snacks I've been munching on. Bonus points because, I have absolutely no idea what it is! 

I bought this from the small European market in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I drive past it every day, but I've only gone inside twice in all the years that it's been open. I wish I could pop in more often, but their parking lot is a nightmare. It's right on the highway, and I pass it around 5-6PM, so it takes AGES for the traffic to clear up enough for you to get out, but it's not like I don't have a HUGE pile of food waiting to be reviewed at home.

Anyway, I picked this up a while back and from what I can tell, there is no English on the can at all. It's obviously a drink, but what kind of drink?

NEW Nutella Doughnut at Krispy Kreme! - Available TODAY

Image © Krispy Kreme's website

They are marketing this as "#easiestsellever, you you know what? They're right.

Kiss of Fresh Air (Breath Freshener Sprays) - Gift

Kiss of Fresh Air Breath Freshener Sprays - Gift

After eating a bag of sugary sweet octopus balls, made with actual octopus extract, you might not want to have a conversation too close to me. When I'm at home I have plenty of opportunities to clean and re-fresh my breath, but when I'm at work, and I'm eating leftover wacky food-blog-stuff at my desk, I don't have the opportunity to brush my teeth before dealing with my clients face-to-face.

A while ago the people behind KISS of Fresh Air breath freshening spray sent me a message asking if I'd like to try their products, and I said, "Sure!" To be completely transparent, the company sent me this stuff for free, but this is not sponsored. I'm just a food blogger with octopus-breath trying some free breath-sprays and letting you know what I think of the flavors.

KISS' line-up includes a classic mint, but that's a breath freshening standard. We all know how that one's going to taste, so I rather talk about their wacky dessert-flavored sprays, like Raspberry Whipped Cream!

You guys want some Octopus Balls?

Takoyaki flavored Puffed Snacks - H-Mart $1.99

I promised you a non-Aldi review, and here it is: Takyoyaki flavored puffed snacks! (Definitely not something you'd ever see at Aldi.)

For those of you unfamiliar with "takoyaki," it's bite-sized pieces of octopus, coated in thick batter, and baked in small sphere-shaped molds. Once cooked, they are topped with sauces, seaweed, green onion and fish flakes. 

To the typical American, it sounds a little odd, and believe me, a few years ago I was turning up my nose at it, but after giving it a try I can see why this street food is so popular. I'm still not a fan of the bouncy eraser-like texture of the octopus inside, but everything else about takoyaki is great! Fried dough, mayo, BBQ-like takoyaki sauce, fish flakes, onions and seaweed are an AMAZING combination!

Since I'm not a huge fan of the octopus chunks inside (mostly due to their texture) I'm really hoping these snacks will deliver all the takoyaki flavor I love, but with the delightful texture of a cheese puff. Will these octopus balls live up to my expectations?

Chocolate Meringue & Almond Creme Cookies - Aldi

Specially Selected Cookies (Chocolate Meringue & Almond Creme) - Aldi

Three Aldi reviews in a row? Repetitive, I know, but I'm about to buy a house, so the food blog budget is tight! I swear I have something non-Aldi lined up next, but be prepared to see a lot more budget food in the following months as I hopefully finish the home buying process and get settled.

Winter is right around the corner here in New Jersey, and that means it's cookie season!
I just wrapped up my 6th annual cookie swap, and even through my kitchen is filled to the brim with homemade cookies, I just couldn't resist some fancy Specially Selected seasonal offerings.

Choceur Peppermint Meltaways - Aldi

Choceur Peppermint Meltaways - Aldi

Bah, Humbug. I may be a Scrooge-y old Grinch when it comes to the winter holidays, but even I can't resist the allure of yummy chocolate mints.

I picked these up on a recent trip to Aldi and thought it'd be a good idea to hurry up and review them while they're relevant, plus once photographed, I can share them at my annual cookie swap. This is my 6th year hosting a swap, and each time I model the party's theme after a movie franchise with that year's number of sequels. This year?

I went with the cinematic classic, Leprechaun 6: Back 2 tha Hood. I'm a big fan of bad horror franchises like Leprechaun, Puppet Master and Demonic Toys, so it's my way of working a little Halloween into the Holiday spirit.

Honestly, I'm starting to run out of ideas, so if any of you have some fun bad movie theme suggestions for next year, be sure to leave them down below. If I can't think of something I might just have to "reboot" next year's theme.

Okay, enough about future party planning, time to stuff my face with some chocolate!

Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons - Aldi

Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons - Aldi

I'M ALIVE! Oh, Internet, how I've missed you.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen bits and pieces of my PC struggles posted in my "Instagram stories." What happened was a Microsoft (Windows 10) update murdered my PC and had me stuck at the start up screen (with those evil white spinning dots that I still see in my nightmares) and it took me AGES to sort out all the damage.

Thankfully I'm back in business, with all my files to boot, and I can finally get this blog back on track!

During my (unscheduled) hiatus I went through my giant food hoard and found a few gems I forget I had, like these croutons I bought at Aldi....last year. Whoops. Croutons are already stale bread, right? I bet these are totally fine...(Or are they?)