Monster Mash Fruit Snacks - CVS
Last year we got a Monster Mash cereal, I loved the concept, but the execution left something to be desired. The logo was great, box art was great, but the cereal itself was generic berry and marshmallow, which is the go-to for any novelty release and pretty, "meh." Thankfully, the Monster Mash concept and logo isn't dead and buried. This year we have the same concept applied to chewy fruit snacks!
When I first started blogging, I would find out about a new product and purposefully go out to several stores just to find it. Hitting up three Targets in a day to find exclusive limited edition m&m's or different flavors of Peeps. It was fun while it lasted, but I don't do that anymore. I just go about my day, run errands, and if I happen to see stuff while I'm out and about, I'll get it. That's what happened here. I saw this flavor released on Instagram, what feels like ages ago, and then I spotted it at CVS in a Key Lime Kit-Kat display box while buying Neosporin. (Living that glamourous cat-owner life.) By now, Blueberry Muffin Kit-Kats have been released, which means Fruity Cereal is old news,but it's still Rock n Roll to me. I'm still excited to give this a try.
Jolly Rancher Fruit Roll-Ups - CVS
I have gone to CVS more in 2020, than ever before in my 33 years of life for a few reasons. One: it's close to my home, two: it's full of covid-safety gear, and three: it's actually filled with limited edition food stuffs. Who knew they carried limited edition m&m's, and Oreos, and breakfast cereals? Not me! Well I stopped there to grab clearance Halloween candy (another great reason), and thought I would check to see if they have the Starburst Fruit by the Foots, they didn't, but they did have these!
I love Starbursts. I love them so much that made this purse! It was made using clear vinyl, thread, tons of Starburst wrappers, and nylon strapping for handles. I had just taught myself to sew, so it wasn't great, but I still have it and it still works!
I remember hoarding wrappers for ages and being pissed when the logo changed from a round "S" to a tear-drop. (I have since comes to terms with it.) I remember when Sours were first introduced, and their spiky sunburst-logo blowing up my spot (seen in the blue area of the bag), and I remember a Retro themed mix that had an awesome "Optimus Lime" flavor, and trippy white wrappers, that I thought were really ugly at the time, but looking back they were really cool. (Wish I saved more of those!)
So yeah, I'm a pretty big Starburst fan. That said, when these were announced, I was pretty "meh," about the whole concept.
Happy Friday the 13th to you all! I should probably celebrate by watching some Jason movies, but he's never been my favorite. I'm more of a Nightmare on Elm Street kind of girl. So, even though Freddy vs. Jason was pretty much garbage, I think it's what I'll be watching tonight, and along with my bowl of popcorn I'll be chowing down on discounted Halloween Candy, like these Vampire Kisses!
Since I really liked the strawberry-filled Ghirardelli squares that are only available on Valentine's Day, I thought this might be a Hershey equivalent I could snack on in the meantime. I wasn't expecting much at all, just Hershey's quality chocolate kisses with a strawberry center. You know, like they promised.
Reese's Franken-Cup - CVS
Historically, Reese's tends to play it safe seasonally, focusing more on shapes, like pumpkins and bats, instead of wacky seasonal flavors. At first that seems kind of lame, why not try something new? But, would I really want Reese's to make something like, pumpkin spiced peanut butter cups? Or something along the lines of Zombie Skittles? That's going to be a "no," from me, dawg.
So while this may seem boring at first, I appreciate it's practicality and how the subtle color change acts as an homage to a classic horror icon, Frankenstein's Monster, and his notoriously flat-head, but, does the colored confectionary bottom change the overall Reese's experience for the better? Or worse? We shall see...
I always go ALL-IN on the Halloween clearance aisles, but in 2019, I out did myself. Take a look at this lovely photo of me, and my dogs, surrounded by the first round of my post-Halloween haul. Everything here was at least 50% off! (Then I bought even more a few days later at 75% off!)
We're finally nearing the end of my stash, so I thought I would take a moment to shout-out a few of our favorite items, starting with these Count Chocula cereal bars.
When did CVS, a drug store, become such a lucrative epicenter for bizarre snackfoods?
These were on an end-cap next to the Herr's Orange Cream Balls and the Herr's Cotton Candy Balls. (It seems like Herr's is very into balls right now...) I decided to pass on the orange balls, for now, but I couldn't pass up a hoagie flavored chip.
You know how I have a tenancy to buy things and post the reviews long after the item has left shelves and lost it's relevance? Yeah, me neither.
Anyway,...here are those Carrot Cake Oreos!
Milky Way Fudge is back!
I live in a Snickers household, (I'm outnumbered, 2-to-1), so I don't buy Milky Way very often, but in my eyes, they are the superior candy bar. I'm just not a fan of peanuts in my candy. Peanut butter? Sure. Actual peanuts? It's like trail mix masquerading as candy. No thanks.
That being said, a new flavor is a great excuse to grab some MilkyWays, and I was really excited that this flavor in particular. Milky Way Fudge had a limited run in 2018, but I missed out on it. But now it's back! (New candy is the best candy consumption excuse!)
Also, I found these at CVS when I was buying a bag of stress-Cheetos after a long, and rainy, work-week, and who doesn't want a bit of chocolate when they're in full melt-down mode? Let's see if this new flavor can usurp Midnight as my number one!
I'm a hypocrite. I called these boring, and reminded the general foodie-public that this flavor has been available in Japan for years, but I bought them anyway. In my defense, it's been a tough week.
Remember how I managed to kneel in poison ivy last week while cleaning up my yard? Well hold on to your hats, because this week I discovered poison sumac with (nearly) my entire body. I look like I have greyscale! I had never seen poison sumac before this week and even though I was wearing thick gloves while working in the yard, I still managed to get it...pretty much everywhere. Including the right side of my face. (Call me Princess Shireen.) It's been an itchy, miserable week, and while buying every variation of calamine lotion CVS had to offer, I noticed that their "Flavor of" candies were on sale. It was a buy one get one 50% off deal, so decided to treat myself to some sweets thinking they might take my mind off the itch. (Spoiler alert. It isn't working.)
I know that a decent chunk of the foodie community was hype about these "Flavor of..." items, but I'm not entirely sure why.
This new location-based series includes: California Strawberry Kit-Kats, Honey Roasted Reeses Cups, Texas BBQ PayDay bars, New York Cherry Cheesecake Cookies & Creme bars, and last, but not least, these Hawaiian themed Coconut Almond Kisses.
With the exception of the BBQ PayDay Bar (which I sadly couldn't find), this new series feels unimaginative. After all, Japan has had strawberry flavored Kit-Kats for years and honey roasted Reeses were out in 2003. Hershey Kisses previously released a coconut creme filled Kiss in 2007, and again in 2014, but those were milk chocolate based with a coconut center, so admittedly this is a new product, but it's not a new flavor for the brand, and so far I've never had a cheese cake flavored candy that I could stand...so I'm left with maybe 3/5 that are truly new, and only 2/5 that I find worth checking out.
In spite of my Scrooge-like views on this line, my love of coconut flavored sweets won out and I decided to try these Kisses anyway. Just because I think they're unimaginative, doesn't mean they won't taste good!
