Blueberries, Butts & Bubblegum

Lotte Fruity Bubble Gum Dispensers - Asian Food Markets 

Sometimes it's the subtle things that win me over. Sure this has cool packaging, but one little detail is all it took for me to toss this into my cart. Notice anything different between these two flavors?  

On the right, we have little gum-ghosts blowing bubbles shaped like blueberries, which just so happens to match the flavor of the candy inside. The peach gum-ghosts? They're blowing normal balloon-shaped bubbles. Why is that? Because if they were blowing up peaches it'd look like they were blowing up pink-hued bubble-butts...or worse. Part of me wishes they hadn't of caught that (the evil part), but my graphic design background wants to commend their design-team and their foresight. 

As it turns out, everything about this packaging is incredibly thoughtful. 

My FAVORITE Oreo of 2018! (& Why I Love Oreo Thins)

Pistachio Oreo Thins - Shop Rite $2.50 ea.

I am kicking myself. I have a jar filled with real pistachios sitting right on my kitchen counter that would have made these photos look fantastic...but I completely forgot about them until I was editing this post. I flirted with the idea of re-shooting just to satisfy my perfectionist nature....but we both know I barely blog as it is. If I buy another brand new unopened package just to re-shoot these pics...this is never getting written up. 

So, for my sake, imagine delicious pistachios, both shelled and un-shelled, sprinkled about these photos making me look like a domestic foodie goddess I aspire to be, not the frazzled sometimes-foodie I actually am. (Really living up to the name the past 2 years...)

With today's review, the title completely gives my opinion away, so there's no use dancing around it now. These are the best Oreo I have eaten all year.

Carbonated Matcha Soda?

Matcha Ramune - Rocket Fizz

We went to brunch the other day (which is the preppiest white-girl thing I have probably ever typed), and right next-door to our hipster brunch-oasis was a Rocket Fizz. In case you don't have them in your area, Rocket Fizz is a quirky candy and novelty product franchise that has all kinds of sodas, sweets, and squirrel underpants? Yeah, it's like the Spencer's gifts of snacks. All those crazy Chicken Wing flavored sodas and stuff you'd seen the guys on Wreckless Eating and Cult Moo drink? (Which are two of my favorite Youtube-foodie channels.) They've got it!

I wasn't too adventurous with my selections, so if you want to see some gross sodas, check out these videos, but I did pick up this matcha ramune. I've had tons of match flavored sweets over the years, but I've never had a matcha soda. This could be interesting...

Espresso vs. Mint: Crunchy M&M Showdown? (Not Really Though)

Crunchy Mint & Espresso m&m's - Walgreens

I've been out of the blogging game for a while...so I completely missed the chance to review these before the contest ended and the winner was announced.

If' you're like me, and completely out of the loop, m&m's ran a flavor contest with 3 variations of crunchy m&ms. The contenders were: Crunchy Mint, Crunchy Espresso, and Crunchy Raspberry. The winner would become a permanent flavor. 

Since the contest ended (in August), and new packaging would be hitting the shelves, all three flavors were on clearance at our local Walgreens. I could have gotten all three, but I knew the raspberry ones were going to be a flop in our household, so I bought the two I knew we would enjoy. Would we like the same flavor as the one that won the contest? Let's hope so!

A Candy Farewell Toast! - Goodbye to My Beloved Asian Food Markets

Tokachi Wine Candy - Asian Food Markets 

Two weeks ago, the Asian Food Markets, arguably, the best Asian grocery store in South Jersey, broke my heart by closing it's doors. 

According to articles online, their lease was up and they are currently looking for a new location, but as of now, they haven't found one. I'm a little nervous that this could be goodbye forever...

(Before I get too dramatic, these are a chain and there are other locations, but there are none within reasonable driving distance of my home.)

I couldn't let my favorite store disappear without one last hurrah, so the day before they closed, I stopped by and took advantage of their 30% off everything sale. Normally I stick to a simple hand cart, but if this was (potentially) a "good bye forever" situation, I was going to go out with a BANG. I grabbed a full-size cart and filled it with all kinds of goodies. We're talking candies, tons of tea, snacks, curry cubes, wasabi tubes, and tons of cooking ingredients. Pretty much I grabbed everything I had always wanted to try and knew I couldn't buy at H-Mart or the other Asian markets here in South Jersey. 

When I got to the check-out, my cart was pretty heavy and practically overflowing with stuff, and the total? Only $109.76 for 50 items! The frugal part of me was stoked, but it ultimately a bitter sweet victory. 

To celebrate my love for the oddly pluralized "Asian Food Markets," (and to get my butt back into blogging semi-regularly) I'll be reviewing a bunch of the stuff I purchased there, starting off this these wine flavored candies. 

A crunchy candy farewell toast!

Well, shake it up baby now! Twist and...meh? - Lemonhead Twists

Lemonhead Twists - Walmart 

While running errands I had a craving for some tangy candy. Instead of reaching for an old faithful, I decided to try something new. Was it worth the risk? We shall see...

Fancy Fruity Friends Drinking Beverages? - My New Tumblr Aesthetic?

Friends Drinking Beverage Clear Fruity Sodas - H-Mart 

These bottles are really freaking cute. I'm not sure if the size translates well in these photos, but each one is about half the height of a 16 oz. soda bottle and they're made of heavy glass. For their size, their price tag was a little on the steep-side (since they're imported and all) so it came down to aesthetics or frugality...

We all know which option won out. Let's pop these bottles!

Sippin' on Some Snow Pear, Banging on a Street Light! - Quickie Review

Tropicana Snow Pear Juice - Asian Food Markets

After going to the doctor for the first time in five years....I've been trying to get a little healthier. Don't worry, if I ever do get back to regular blogging (which I really really want to do), I won't be getting all health-foodie on you guys. I just need to start taking better care of myself. Ah, the joys of adulthood. 

I lost 14 lbs. of body weight...and gained 14 lbs. of Pomeranian. Meet Pepper! Jack-Jack's new little brother who we adopted a few weeks ago! 

So, all of my pants don't fit, I have a new pup, my day job has been crazy busy, my tomato plants are sprouting, our Chinchilla is getting more and more snuggly, and I bought a butt-load of cool drinks from the Asian Food Market. That pretty much catches you up on my life, so let's crack open some of these bottles and do some quickie reviews!

This Flavor of Oreo Doesn't Pump It's Own Gas - Piña Colada Oreo Thins

Piña Colada Oreo Thins - Target $2.99

That's right, this flavor suggestion came from a teacher who resides in, you guessed it, New Jersey! Who else is from America's lovable-armpit? Me! So that's it, this is the winner. Everyone else can go home now. 

I kid, but of the three flavors announced, this one did seem the most palatable. Kettle Corn had the potential to be the buttered popcorn bean of cookies, and Cherry Cola could have ended up a medicinal nightmare, but piña colada? It's pretty hard to get that wrong, so it was the safest bet of all three flavors. However, playing it safe doesn't make for a guaranteed win, so let's see if these Oreo Thins are a slice of paradise, or if they taste like the floor of a Rupert Holmes concert.

♪ Ooh, I want you, I don't know if I need you! ♪

Cherry Cola Oreos - Target $2.99

Obligatory link to Savage Garden's 90's hit, I Want You. One of the first CDs I ever stole from my mom's collection. (She has good taste.) Such an under appreciated band and song! 

If I ever review something cherry cola themed and do NOT link to that song, just know that I have been replaced with a robot or body snatcher. 

Now that the song-nostalgia-gods have been appeased, let's take a closer look at these Cherry Cola Oreos. 

Enter the G-Dragon - Citrus Tea with a Pop-Idol Tie-In

Nongfu Tea π Citrus Green Tea G-Dragon (Big Bang Promo) - Asian Food Markets

This line of teas has the BEST illustrations on their labels. Seriously, each one looks like it should be printed onto fabric and turned into trendy clothing and throw pillows. I feel in love with their visuals and reviewed their Peach Oolong tea awhile back, and now I'm back again, this time with a BANG. A Big Bang.

The Dark Horse of The #MyOreoCreation Contest

Kettle Corn Oreos - Target $2.99

I blink, and Oreo releases a boatload of new abominations flavors. 

I was going to ignore them (since I suck at blogging and all) but I had to run to target today to grab some ice cream sandwiches for my boyfriend. (It's a long story, but the short version is, Aldi was sold out.) I walk into Target, all determined to run to the freezer aisle, grab the sandwiches, and get our before my groceries in the car melt...and there it is. 

A big ol' display with all three of the newest releases front and center. Their calorie-crushing siren song worked, and my 60 day diet has officially been drowned, but hey! I'm blogging again! (Woo!) 

So let's find out if these gimmicky contest cookies are worth the calories!

The name is Red, it looks Purple, but it tastes like Blue

Redbull Limited Edition Blueberry - Target $2.09

I tried to find a classy way to work in a blue-bulls joke into the post title...but I failed. 

While I'm out grabbing groceries and doing other boring adult stuff, I like to grab a little treat for my boyfriend. Sometimes it's candy, sometimes it's food, but nine times out of ten, it's a random flavor of Redbull. One of his go-to pick-me-up products. 

We've tried a lot of flavors over the years, but never blueberry, which is rarely ever seen on its own. (Normally it's paired with trendier fruits like acai, or lumped in with red-berries.) Will this taste like real fruit? Or will it taste like blue? We shall see...

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

Cocoa Puffs Ice Cream Scoops - Ollie's Discount

Rounding out the faux-ice cream trifecta is this box of limited edition Cocoa Puffs Ice Cream Scoops. I found these at Ollie's Discount (which is where all limited edition food goes to die), and even though I am pretty sure these are going to taste gross, I couldn't pass up having a third Neapolitan review on the blog. 

A while back I reviewed the Target Exclusive Neapolitan Peeps
A few days ago I finally posted the American Neapolitan m&m's
and now, we have faux-ice cream for breakfast!

Puccho Fruit Chews - Grapefruit & Yubari Melon

Puccho, Grapefruit & Melon - Asian Food Markets

Even though I have reviewed a BUNCH of different Puccho flavors, there is only one other Puccho review here on the site, and it's the Banpeiyu Da Mon Puccho. 

All the other posts are still in my Tumblr archives, and we both know I'll probably never get around to transferring all those posts over....so let's start fresh with a little information about this candy. 

Puccho is a fruit chew candy produced by UHA. At a glance, the fruit chews look similar to Hi-Chew and many other dense fruit chews from Asia, but this particular variety has some different mix-ins that make it unique. Usually those mix ins are small, stiff, oval-shaped gummy candies with their own unique flavors, but I have had some in the past that used fizzy candy as well.  

Unlike Starbursts, which are more like a stiff taffy that dissolves as you chew it, Puccho has a denser, bouncier, almost gum-like chew that dissolves more slowly. It's a texture I have only experienced in Asian candies, like Hi-Chew, and it's something you really need to experience for yourself to truly appreciate. 

There are tons of flavors available, pretty much every fruit you can imagine, as well as localized specialty items, cola, ramune, and even a mystery fruits flavor. I've tried every flavor I've come across and even though I do have a few favorites, I have never been disappointed.

Will today mark the end of that winning streak? We shall see. 

More Ice Cream Impostors? - Neapolitan m&m's

Neapolitan m&m's - Target

It feels good to be back. 

Blah, blah, life is busy-blah. Let's eat some candy! 

Thanks to this year's Peep and m&m releases, Neapolitan got it's moment in the sun. A classic mix of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, now in candy form, what could go wrong?

If you guys follow any of my fellow foodie friends, you likely know that these are (kind of) a re-release. Prior to their USA debut, Neapolitan m&m's were available in Australia, but their execution was a bit different than what we have here. Firstly, Australia got MUCH nicer packaging. Secondly, their release used "normal" sized m&m's, and each color was a different flavor. The American variety is quite different, starting with the packaging...

March-a-Ween? Taste Test Video(With Boyfriend Shenanigans Outro)

It's like I blink and a whole month goes by! I'm scheduling posts for the rest of the week, in the meantime, enjoy this off-season Halloween taste test and stick around until the end to hear my boyfriend's impressive vocal skills. 

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

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Brach's Brunch Favorites - Candy Corn, For Breakfast?

Brunch Favorites - Target

Because I'm a hamster-human hybrid, and a heartbeat away from being on a special food-themed episode of Hoarders, I'm still finding random food items squirreled away in my moving boxes. I think these came out last year? Maybe last spring? I don't really remember when I bought them, but thanks to the Target exclusive logo at the very top, I do know WHERE I bought them. So, that's something. 

Limited Edition Candy Corn is not an avenue I really specialize in. I'm no candy corn hater, I dig the classics, but a lot of the specialty limited edition stuff just doesn't work for me. Especially not in a full-sized bag. If they came in fruit-snack-sized pouches I'd try a lot more of them, but I've thrown way too much money, and stale nibbled on candy corn, in the trash to continue taking risks on one-off flavors just for reviewing purposes. 

Yet, for some reason, I still bought this one? Maybe the allure of brunch was just too much for me to ignore. Anyway, past me bought it, and now present me (or not-as-past me, depending on when you read this review) is gonna eat it. 

Sizzlin' Cinnamon Oreos?

Hot & Spicy Cinnamon Oreos - Target 2-for-$5.00

This combo may sound strange to  some, but I'm no stranger to cinnamon Red Hot candy in cookies. Whenever Christmas rolled around my mom would make a bunch of cookies, and one of my favorites was her almond press-cookies with cinnamon red-hot candies mixed in. When baked, they melted into stained-glass-looking ornaments and added a wonderful crunch as well as cinnamon-y flavor. 

That being said, I'm kind of shocked that there aren't actual candies mixed into the cream for added texture. Part of the cinnamon-candy experience is the texture...but I'm excited for these nonetheless. 

Irish Cream Soda - Aldi

Irish Cream Soda - Aldi

Wanna know something crazy? I've been counting my calories. (Don't worry, this isn't going to become a diet blog or anything.) 

It's been a very eyeopening experience. For example, I normally drink a ton of orange juice every weekend, because that's healthy, right? Welp, my large 16 oz. glass of OJ clocks in at over 236 calories! It's nuts. That being said, this one 12 oz. bottle or Irish Cream Soda? 210 Calories! Nearly twice the calories found in a 12 oz. can of Coke. 

Are those calories worth it? We shall see...

Unicorn Gum? I give up. (Quickie Review)

Fairytale Fruit Project 7 Gum - Target

I don't even know what to say for myself. I keep saying I won't go back to Project 7, because of the artificial sweeteners, but their gimmicks sucker me in every time. 

This is unicorn gum. UNICORN. GUM. What am I? Made of stone? So yeah, I don't have high hopes for this, but it's pretty and I wanted to photograph it, so... here we are. 

Functionality-wise, the packaging is the same packet-style as all the other Project 7 gums I've reviewed in the past. Plastic foiled packet, re-seal-able, matte-finish, etc. It photographs like a dream and the colorful fruity unicorn illustration is Juicy Fruit meets Lisa Frank. It's wonderful. 

Peeps Oreos - Déjà vu Round 2!

Peeps Oreos - Target (2 for $5.00) 

That's right! It's a Déjà vu-Round 2 of Limited Edition Peeps Oreos.

Last year's take on this seasonal sweet used the golden cookie base with a bright highlighter-pink marshmallow creme flavored filling, and even though I bought several packages of it last year, and definitely photographed them, but I guess I never wrote them up? (Which isn't surprising, 2017 was a very VERY bad year for my blogging habits.) 

Anyway, I thought they were pretty good, sickeningly sweet and sugary, but good. However, my boyfriend's daughter LOVED them. Of all the Oreos I've dragged into our pantry over the years, these are her favorite so I made sure to buy several packages. I did a quick search online to see what my fellow foodies thought of the neon-pink pucks, and it turns out reviews weren't so favorable? That's news to me! 

Skip the scoop and have a Peep Instead?

Neapolitan Peeps - Target $1.66

The Peeps floodgates have opened! We have a ton of "new" Peep flavors hitting the shelves. Why did I put "new" in quotes? Well...most of them aren't really new. 

This season, we've got... 

• Kroger gets Pancakes & Syrup (One of last year's Mystery Flavors, unmasked & re-released) 
• All Grocery Stores are getting Sour Cherry (Another Mystery Flavor, unmasked & re-released)
• Cotton Candy Peeps (re-release, I saw them at Target, unsure if they're exclusive)
• Lemon and Orange Sherbet Peeps (Very similar to previous orange & lemon Delights)
• Walmart has the NEW trio of Mystery Peep Flavors - Actually New
• Target has filled Neapolitan and Triple Chocolate Delights - Also New 

In that sea of marshmallow chick-shaped sweets, there's a lot of old ideas being rehashed. In all honesty, I've always liked original Peeps (Especiaolly when they start to get a little stale), but a of of the fancier flavors they've released over the years just don't appeal to me. Especially the Delights line. That "fudge" dripped bottom is a waxy coating of lies. In what way is that fudge? 

Even though I am no fan of the "fudge dipped" delights, I couldn't pass up a filled peep, especially one with a Neapolitan flavor profile. All the new flavors we have seen over the years are great, but the combination of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry is timeless. If it's done right...

So, let's see if these are a real Delight, or a fake-fudge-failure.

New Snickers Bars - Available June 2018!

Check out my thriving fig tree in the background! 

New (written) posts are coming up this week. 

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

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Maui Onion Chips!

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

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My Boyfriend Went KETO - The Worst Culinary Week of My Life

I didn't plan on writing about this (hence the bad cellphone pics), but it turned out to be a really interesting experience and worth blogging about. 

Mid-December, wanting to be healthier for the New Year, my boyfriend suggested we go Keto, and my original response was, "I'd rather die." 

At that point I only understood the most basic concept of Keto, which is that it limits carbohydrate intake, forcing your body into burning fat stores instead. Wanting to strengthen my argument (and hoping to talk my boyfriend out of it) I started researching Ketogenic diets online. Several weeks of Pro-Keto YouTube videos, blog posts, recipes, and Reddit threads later, I had a much better understanding...and I still refused to do it. 

As I thought, the goal of a Ketogenic diets is to burn keytones for energy, and to do that, you need to cut your carb intake down to very VERY low levels, somewhere between 20-100 grams per day, while eating a diet rich with proteins and fats. This dietary-lifestyle has it's benefits, like balancing out sugars for diabetics, or treating some forms of epilepsy, but it's pretty extreme for a casual dieter such as myself. To put it into perspective, one average-sized apple contains 25 grams of carbs. If you're on the lower end of the carb-limiting spectrum, that already put you over your daily limit. 

Now, more informed, and still refusing to do it (this time with a better argument), I still  supported my boyfriend's decision to give it a try. Instead of joining him on his diet journey, I supported him by cooking Keto recipes all week. There were some successes, a lot of failures, and intense grumpiness...

Happy...Febru-ween?

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

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Hail The Great Potato!

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

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