Sometimes Foodie: It Came From The Snack Aisle: Screamin' Sriracha Doritos

Screaming Sriracha Doritos - Target

Spicy switch-up with some spooky Sriracha Doritos!

Sriracha has returned from the retired-flavor-graveyard, so it's not new-new, but like Dots, I never got around to reviewing it, so why not do it now when it's all dressed up for Halloween?

Look at this bag! It packs a lot of playfulness into a simple layout. We have a flaming-red Dorito that casts a tall shadow in the shape of a bottle of sriracha. It's giving me looming Nosferatu and Bram Stoker's Dracula-vibes. Putting the final nail in the coffin, there's a classic horror-drip font, in bright green, with hints of texture. All of these factors come together to create a surprisingly sophisticated Halloween package. So unassuming, yet, so perfect.

If the visuals weren't enough to convince you that this is a Halloween product, turning the bag over you get a little panel stating "Heat that gives you chills" and "Happy Hauntings." That cinches it. Dortios themselves gave this the official Halloween-Stamp-of-Approval.

Although this is available in large bags, I opted for the small, 2.75 oz. version. Mainly because I am a chicken and afraid these might be too spicy for me, but also because I currently have so much junk food open that, at the time that I am writing this post, I ran out of chip clips and started using binder clips to keep everything fresh. (The top of my fridge looks like the junk food aisle exploded up there.)

Popping open the bag, they look like normal Nacho Cheese Doritos, but they definitely smell different. The aroma is bright, tangy, a little sweet, tomato-y, pepper-y. As in the vegetable, not the seasoning. They kind of remind me of the Sweet and Spicy Chili Doritos, which I love, but with with more of a vinegar and pepper kick.

I grabbed a chip and popped it into my mouth. It's spicy alright, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

First impression, the flavoring actually starts out deceptively sweet, like the Sweet and Spicy chili chips I mentioned earlier. They are sweet, but like in the way a bell pepper can be sweet. It's a vegetable kind of sweetness, while the chip adds in some corn-y goodness with a with a dose of vinegar. Pretty darn accurate to sriracha, which is impressive and appreciated.

The heat didn't hit me right away, it started out sweet, then tangy, and bright. Then, after you chew and swallow the tortilla chip base, the sides of my tongue started to burn, and then the back of my throat...it's a dry, slow-burn, that builds up higher as you continue to snack. Honestly, if you keep shoving chips into your mouth, the heat level ends up being more intense than the Ghost Pepper Whopper.

(Check out my nails! I've been painting them the past few weeks in Brown to Earth by OPI. You can't see it, but I have glow in the dark ghosts on my ring fingers! Look at me, actually putting in some effort!)

For the record, I like sriracha. I have a bottle of it in my fridge that is nearly empty as I type this, it's especially delicious on breakfast food, like eggs of home fries, BUT it takes me a while to go through it. I buy a bottle like, once a year. And it's the smaller bottle. I have friends who practically drink the stuff. So while I really like the accuracy of this flavor, the building heat level keeps me from over indulging. After three chips I need to wash the heat away with a drink, and I can already feel the heartburn headed my way. (Ah, the joys of eating spicy food in your 30's.)

These chips are spot-on, and if you love sriracha, stock up! Me, this little bag, like my little bottle of sriracha, is delicious, and I really like it, but it's going to last me a while.

Today's pop culture Halloween ramble, The Eureka's Castle Halloween Special. AKA It Came From Beneath The Bed, or, Nightmare on Magellan Street. The name alone BEGS you to watch it, doesn't it?

I watched a lot of TV and movies as a kid, specifically a lot of stuff my mom taped off TV onto VHS. I would then take those VHS tapes with me to my grandma's house, where she didn't have cable, to watch, and rewind, and watch again. This was on one of those tapes, and while I loved it when I was a little kid, I grew to love it even more as an adult.

Eureka is reading a bedtime story to the creatures of the castle during a storm when Batly bursts in, terrorizing the gang (mainly Magellan) by recounting a scary monster movie he just saw. They sing songs that are more catchy than they have any right to be, and Batly's song about the scary-scary-scary-scary-monster frightens Magellan so much that he starts seeing a monster in the castle. Is it all in his head? (Spoiler alert, it's not!) For a special aimed at really tiny kids, it's pretty spooky, and it has some great looking puppets.

It's a short watch, sadly the video quality is like it was recorded on a VHS powered by a potato-lightbulb, BUT that kind of adds to the charm. If anyone knows where I could get a good quality DVD version of this, let me know. I really want to share it with my god-daughter who is very into monsters and Halloween!

What's your favorite Halloween special from your childhood? Share in the comments down below so I can add it to my weekend Halloween binge-list!