Break me off a piece of that Birthday Cake!

Birthday Cake Kit-Kat Bar 

I'm a hypocrite. I rant about "birthday cake" flavoring being a scam, which I 100% stand by, and yet? I. Just. Keep. Buying. It. 

After I searched for, "birthday cake," on my blog, and saw how many results came up, I realized how intense my hypocrisy has been. Why keep buying a product that infuriates me? 

But, after looking at the results? They prove my theory to be true.  

Any cake, any flavor, can be a, "birthday cake." Some of these products are chocolate with chocolate frosting, some vanilla, with vanilla frosting, sometimes a mix of the two...the only thing that stays consistent is sprinkles. Every single one of these "birthday" items has sprinkles, either actual ones, or implied specks of rainbow colors. And I am expecting this to be more of the same. 

April Showers? How about a Sprinkle? - Chocolate Confetti Cake Oreos

Happy (belated) Birthday, Oreo!

Birthday Cake Oreos were released in 2012 for their 100th anniversary and it was kind of a big deal. This was back when the bags had roll-down and twist-tied tops, instead our modern front--peel packaging. (Which I hate.) It was also before we were all burnt out on fancy new Oreo flavors. (Or is that just me?) 

Upon their original release, this flavor was limited edition, but since then it has become a staple of the line-up, with a Mickey-themed Disney release added in for good measure. 

So, for their 110th anniversary, they rereleased their centennial product and added a layer of chocolate creme. That's it. Same classic chocolate cookie, same "birthday cake" creme, but with added chocolate. I didn't feel like that was anything special, and with my irrational annoyance at "Birthday Cake" themed products and marketing, I was going to skip this...but then I was given a package as a gift. So, here we are. Happy Birthday! 

Birthday Cake Cool Whip Mix-Ins

Birthday Cake Cool Whip - Shop Rite

This has been in my freezer FOREVER. Well, not literally, but this was an impulse buy I made right around the time quarantine first began. I braved the stores to buy ice cream for my then ex and his daughter (who were obsessed with Turkey Hill vanilla bean and it was on sale), and I spotted this. My judgement wasn't the best, being in panic-mode, and I hadn't had Cool Whip in forever, so I grabbed it. 

Several months of quarantine, a cancelled wedding, 2 new hair colors, and about 5 mental health crisis later, here we are. So, is this still edible? And, if so, is it good? 

Hey, Remember These...?

Carrot Cake Oreos  - CVS

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!

Pancakes: Breakfast Champions? Or Glorified Syrup Sponges?

Trader Joe's Pancake Bread  - Trader Joe's

I haven't bought anything from Trader Joe's since I moved into my house two years ago. It's too far of a drive, so I've been living vicariously through my friends over at What's Good at Trader Joe's.  There have been some murmurs of a Trader Joe's AND a Costco being built in my area in the near future, but I'll believe it when I see it. We've been burned by business promises before.

Anyway, while my boyfriend fiance (still not used to it!) was out, he happened to see a Trader Joe's and popped in to grab me a pancake-y present because, "It looks like something you'd review." And he's right!  

Today I'm going to skip packaging and get right into the review! (For the record, packaging is cute, but a little boring.) 

There's no use fighting it, it's PUMPKIN TIME - Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake - Aldi $3.99

Pumpkin-pocalypse 2017 wasted no time taking over grocery store shelves. I was going to wait a little longer before dipping my toes into any pumpkin spiced products, but apparently stores have begun putting up Christmas displays?! It's insane how quickly stores cycle through holiday goods! There's no use fighting it, the seasonal limited edition product gods have spoken, it's pumpkin-time. 

I won't be going full-force into the pumpkin product reviews like previous years where I did a new pumpkin product pretty much every day from now until Christmas (and sometimes beyond), because...well, I'm sick of pumpkin. (*collective, internet gasp*) I know, I know, a food blogger, sick of pumpkin? In the fall?! I used to live for this season, and I purchased every pumpkin product that came my way, but I've pumpkin'd myself out to the point where one full foodie-cycle through the year just isn't enough time for my taste-buds to recuperate. I over-pumpkin'd, and now these items that I was once so hype for, make me cringe a little. I'm sure with time I'll be back to my basic, pumpkin-loving, self, but for now, I am taking baby steps to get myself back into the fall-spirit. 

Personally, my mind is still in summer mode. However, this was the last package of this particular flavor at Aldi, and it won't keep for very long, so my curiosity, practical nature, and frugality banded together to inform me that it's better to review it now than to let it slip through my reluctant fingers. 

Enough rambling, let's eat some cheesecake!

#tbt Caramel Apple Cup Cakes - Walmart

#tbt Caramel Apple Cup Cakes - Walmart

Yesterday's Christmas post was a throwback, but these limited edition fall Cupcakes take the CAKE! (Lame joke was lame, and lame meme reference is even lamer.) I took these photos and wrote down some snacking notes back in SEPTEMBER, so it's been a while, but I still have one caramel cupcake left in my snack drawer. So let's dig it out and get this review started with a fresh (but  possibly stale?) perspective!

Happy New Year!! - May your 2017 be filled with delicious food! (2 Teasers of reviews to come)

Happy New Year everyone! I know 2016 had a bad rep, what with all the celebrity deaths and the Election results and all, but it was actually a pretty great year for me. I am still finishing up the process of buying a house (short sales aren't fun kids, but if they work out they'll save you $$), and I will be moving into my first real house-house this year, which is very exciting. I also replaced my car (which if you remember was totaled last Christmas. FYI not my fault), and, of course, I ate tons of yummy food here on the blog. 

Although I am not happy with how my 2016 update schedule went, which was pretty sporadic, I have learned a lot and I have made some changes/progress compared to years prior. I've been playing around with photo backgrounds and trying to change up my dishware to be more like those hip lifestyle food blogs, and I hope that once I do get my house I can upgrade my photo/filming area so I can make content a lot more easily.

With that being said, I wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU all for following me on this foodie journey. This blog started as a personal hobby, and a way for me to work on my writing skills, but it's become so much more, and that's all thanks to readers like you guys. So, again, THANK YOU, and I look forward to steering you all towards some really yummy new products in the new year! 

Limited Edition Banana Split Twinkies - Walmart #tbt

Limited Edition Banana Split Twinkies - Walmart 

I don't want to adult anymore! Sorry for the sporadic update schedule. I'm house hunting for place closer to work (to lessen my nearly 2-hour daily drive) and it's been eating up whatever free time (and sanity) I have left when I leave my 9-5. Fingers crossed that I find a place soon, but for now I'm taking a break from Adulting. For the next hour or two I'm going to sit back, put on some Netflix, and eat a box of Twinkies. I bought these a few months ago, and the cycle of food products have already replaced them with a slew of spooky new treats, so I'm counting this as a #tbt. (But next week's #tbt is going to have a little more...Spice.)

Jones Birthday Cake Soda - Rastelli Market

Jones Birthday Cake Soda - Rastelli Market 

Monday was my boyfriend's Birthday! (Yay!) 

I stopped by the Rastelli Market on my way home from work (which is a nifty higher-end grocery store, kind of like Whole Foods, but less pretentious) to get some fancy cupcakes from their bakery when this caught my eye.  

Just like Airhead's, who released a Birthday Cake flavored candy earlier this year, this was done to celebrate Jone's 20th anniversary. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! I grabbed a bottle of this stuff, along with my cupcakes, and excitedly drove home to celebrate.  

Banana Twinkies - Walmart

Banana Twinkies - Walmart

I'm on the hunt for those Ghostbusters themed Key Lime Twinkies, but so far no luck. After checking my third Walmart I didn't want to leave empty handed, because it's not like a have a massive food backlog sitting at home waiting to be photographed and reviewed or anything... *cough**cough*, so why not grab a box of banana Twinkies while I was there? 

Twinkies are this huge pop culture phenomenon, being referenced in movies like Ghostbusters and Zombieland, but I've never been a fan. However, I do love banana (and Ghostbusters) so maybe I just haven't tried the right flavor yet. This could be the Twinkie to finally win me over to the processed snack cake side!

Birthday Cake Airhead - 7-Eleven

Birthday Cake Airhead - 7-Eleven

Today is my friend Karen's birthday, so why not celebrate by eating a cake flavored taffy and then describing it to a bunch of strangers on the internet? To top things off I'm not even sharing it with her! (Sorry Karen, but to be honest, I'm really skeptical about this flavor, so it sounds selfish, but I might be taking a cake-flavored bullet for you. You're welcome.) 

Project 7 Red Velvet Cupcake Gum - Target

Project 7 Red Velvet Cupcake Gum - Target

Do any of you watch Orange is The New Black? If you do, you might remember THIS scene where prison guard, and fad-dieter, O'Neill goes on a tirade about the popularity of Red Velvet Cake and how he personally feels like it's a scam.

You tell 'em O'Neill! I grew up watching cooking shows, so even though I know that Red Velvet Cake is indeed a real thing, and a Southern tradition, I can't help but agree with him. The sudden surge of products and popularity we are seeing is a total scam coasting on tons of food dye and all of the food companies out there are getting in on it. We have Oreos, yogurts, m&m's, and now? Chewing gum. Even Project 7 isn't immune to the trendiness of this red-hued wannabe. I love this company and their concept, but I hate the trendiness of all this red velvet cake nonsense, so let's see if trying this gum will make any difference in my velvet-y stance.

Pumpkin Spice Tastykake Cupkakes - Gift

Pumpkin Spice Tastykake Cupkakes - Gift

Foodie confession time! I hate Tastykakes. There, I said it. They're an iconic product, and east coast staple, but I've never understood the obsession. I hate their dense texture, the oily residue they leave on your fingers, and their artificial flavorings. As a kid I would sometimes eat the sponge cakes with the jam filling, but I only ate them because Tastykakes were the only sweets my grandpa would keep in his house.
 

With that being said, I did not buy these for myself. These were a gift from one of my awesome friends, and while I totally appreciate the gesture (he's a super awesome guy), I am not going into this review with high hopes. I'm actually dreading it to be honest. Well, no more stalling. Let's get this over with started!

Doraemon Dorayaki- Asian Food Market - Cherry Hill, NJ

Doraemon Dorayaki- Asian Food Market - Cherry Hill, NJ

I actually reviewed dorayaki way back in 2012, and although I stand by my old post, it wasn't all that detailed. Back then I didn't write as much as I do now, so I thought this was a product worth re-visiting. Plus this version has Doraemon on it, and it comes with a collectable sticker, how could I pass that up?

First I'll do a quick run-down on what dorayaki actually is.

Project 7 Sugar Free Birthday Cake Gum - JoAnn Fabrics: Cherry Hill, NJ

Project 7 Sugar Free Birthday Cake Gum - JoAnn Fabrics: Cherry Hill, NJ

Birthday cake flavored gum? And it's not from the Dessert Delight's line? What madness is this?

I had been on the lookout for Project 7's products after seeing a few fellow foodie bloggers review a few of their items, and I finally found them in my area, at the crafty store of all places! I already reviewed the vanilla peppermints from this line, and I liked those quite a bit. They've been in my purse ever since and everyone I've shared them with has enjoyed them as well. Since the mints were such a hit, I decided to give this gum a try, even though I still feel like "Birthday Cake" is a subjective flavor. Come on! There is no one-way to make a birthday cake! It could be any flavor of cake and any flavor of icing, then again, I guess "vanilla cake and icing" doesn't have the same allure as "birthday cake."

Oh well, on to the review!

Moist & Chewy Cake - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Moist & Chewy Cake - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

I've seen this package in a few Asian grocery shops and I had always passed it by. I'm not a fan of snack cakes, I always feel like they're really oily and processed, so these little fish-shaped sweets never appealed to me. I really don't know what caused me to finally buy them, but I'm very happy I did.

I got the cookies!

So I was at Wegman's getting fresh Salmon to get my Sushi Bowl tutorial together when my boyfriend suggested going to the cookie aisle to look for some of the fancy new cookies that have been all over the internet.

Since all of this was just announced I didn't think we'd find anything, but I was wrong. I got both of the new Chips Ahoy cookies! First up, the Birthday Cake review! (It'll be up in an  hour or two from now.)

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

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Birthday Cake m&m's - Easter Gift

Birthday Cake m&m's - Easter Gift

My boyfriend grabbed a little bag of these as part of my Easter gift and, although Candy Blog has a really accurate and thorough review, I couldn't resist the chance to try them for myself.

Shoeido Banana Roll - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Shoeido Banana Roll - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, banana roll! (I'm sorry.)

My boyfriend has been teasing me about being pregnant because of my weird food cravings. I don't know why, but for the last few months I just want wasabi flavored snacks and banana flavored sweets.