Smarties Squeeze Candy - Five Below

Smarties Squeeze Candy - Five Below

It's like candy and toothpaste had a baby just to spite dentists everywhere. This kind of squeeze style liquid candy has been around for quite some time and they're really popular with small children, but you don't need to be a child psychologist to understand why. It's liquid sugar, with bright colors, packaged in a squeeze tube. What's not to love? I remember buying a bunch of Hubba Bubba's Squeeze Pops from Blockbuster video back in the 90's and thinking I was the coolest kid on the block, but looking back, eating them was super awkward and messy, and I honestly don't remember them tasting all that great.

I was walking around Five Below a few months ago to get some sour sweets for the Candyology 101 podcast, and I saw this lonely tube of squeezable candy sitting on the shelf. I picked it up for a closer look and someone who was restocking the merchandise said it was really popular and that they couldn't keep it in stock. Welp, that sold me! Into my handcart it went. I wonder 28-year-old-me will like this stuff as much as 8-year-old-me.

Warheads Sour Worms - Dollar Tree

Warheads Sour Worms - Dollar Tree

Remember these from our Candyology101 Treat or Trick section? It was a while ago, but I finally found them! Warheads were really popular when I was growing up in the 1990's, so I was excited to see what the brand was doing these days with their newer products.

I'm hoping that these are some kind of super sour gummy worm, but they look just like normal gummy worms sold by Trolli and every other candy company out there. Maybe they made these look like normal gummy worms so that you could easily swap the two out for pranks? I guess we'll find out! After all, looks can be deceiving. 

Starburst Sweet & Sour Jelly Bean Mix- Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

Starburst Sweet & Sour Jelly Bean Mix- Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

After the Sour Patch beans ended up being a flop I moved on to another supposedly sour take on this seasonal sweet, and this time it's Target exclusive.

Yoshi Island Gummy Egg - J-Box

Yoshi Island Gummy Egg - J-Box

I posted a little teaser of this over on my Instagram a few days ago. I said it once and I'll say it again, I freaking love Yoshi's Island. I grew up with the original NES, which my mother and grandmother played while I was a baby (That's right, they're that cool.), and when I was older, I had my own SNES with a handful of games. I had Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World, and Super Mario World 2, also known as Yoshi's Island. That's it. I would play these games over and over trying to get everything on each level, I'm a total completionist, and I couldn't of been happier.

Brand Name vs. Knock Off - Aldi's Titon vs. Mar's Milkyway

Brand Name vs. Knock Off - Choceur's Titon vs. Mar's MilkyWay

Since we just recorded a store-brand focused episode of Candyology101, which will be out relatively soon, I thought this would be a fun post to write up. I don't think I'll end up making this a regular kind of thing, I just happened to have both of these on hand and I thought this could be kind of interesting.

Normally I'm not a brand loyalist. (Which is why I love Aldi so much.) I usually go with the off-brand items to save money, and a lot of those items are comparable and occasionally better than the big name brand versions, but once and a while a name brand product shows that it's truly superior. MilkyWay has always been my favorite chocolate bar, and so far I haven't found a cheaper alternative. Can Aldi's Titon bar beat it? 

Mike & Ike Strawberry Reunion - Dollar Tree: Berlin, NJ

Mike & Ike Strawberry Reunion  - Dollar Tree: Berlin, NJ

I'm finally putting a dent in my foodie-stash! There's still a ton left for me to review, but I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. (Or in this case, I can see the bottom of the box.) I bought these Mike & Ike's a really long time ago, embarrassingly long, and I'm finally ready to give these a try!

Caramel Filled Waffle - Gift

Caramel Filled Waffle - Gift

It's been a very, very long day, so I'm taking a break to treat myself with this little chocolate covered treat. This is going to be a pretty short review, since there's really no packaging, so let's just get right to it!

Fettuccine Gummi (Strawberry Cherry) - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

Fettuccine Gummi (Strawberry Cherry) - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

Okay, now that I'm done with all my Sailor Moon chocolates, it's back to the normal everyday foodie grind.

My last 5 posts were chocolate-related, and even though I love the stuff, I'm really happy to move on and start reviewing other things. (I am chocolated-out!) Since gummi candies are one of my absolute favorites, and I love fruit flavored sweets, I thought I'd treat myself to a candy that's been sitting in my to-be-reviewed-pile for almost a month, these adorable Fettuccini gummis!

Sailor Moon Prism Power Tin - JBOX.com

Sailor Moon Prism Power Tin - JBOX.com

No matter how many times I photograph these tins, I'm never happy. The art is really lovely in person, but these pastels are a major pain in the butt to photograph! I have photographed this specific tin and it's chocolates three separate times. I would have kept going, and tried again, but the chocolates were getting soft and melty from being handled in front of all the photo lights. I had to suck it up and go with this set, even though I'm still not entirely happy with it.

Bah, enough rambling about my first-world-food-photo problems, let's talk about magical girls and candy!

Red Velvet m&m's - Target: Marlton, NJ

Red Velvet m&m's - Target: Marlton, NJ

These are a re-release, so the flavor isn't really new, just seasonal, and last year I refused to buy them. I really thought they'd be a huge flop. I mean Red Velvet m&m's? With their milk chocolate base, I thought there was no way these would taste any different from their normal chocolates, and that this was just a gimmick. Apparently the flavor was popular enough with consumers to return, so I thought I'd check them out and see if they were somehow better than I had expected.

Sailor Moon Chocolate Packaging Review!

This is a (pretty clumsy) video I shot looking at the packaging for the Sailor Moon chocolates I ordered from jbox.com. I'm in the process of taking photos for a full fledged bog post, or three, they'll be really photo heavy, so I might have to break it up, but for now, watch me fumble with packaging and check out the beautiful pastel artwork of Sailor Moon! (I mean, let's not kid ourselves, I bought this for the packaging, the chocolates are just an added bonus.)

Sorry for the jumpy editing, all I have in Movie Maker and I had to edit out some clips where my dog was barking and what-not. I have to get better at this YouTube stuff.

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

Like Sometimes Foodie's Facebook page to keep up with all my foodie adventures!

Meville Candy: Honey Spoons - Marshall's/Home Goods: Cherry Hill, NJ

Meville Candy: Honey Spoons - Marshall's/Home Goods: Cherry Hill, NJ

It's that time of year, everyone around me has a cold, the flu, or one of those oh-so-fun viruses. Even though I'm surrounded by sick people, I'm still going strong, well not really. I have a bit of congestion and raspy throat, but so far that's it, and I intend to keep it that way.

This is another item that's been sitting in my review pile for a while, and what better time to try it out? Honey is perfect for raspy throats, so let's give these spoons a try.

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!

Swedish Fish Candy Canes - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Swedish Fish Candy Canes - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

I actually bought this on a whim and hadn't planned on reviewing it, but they were so interesting, I decided to cobble together a review anyway. I have a big bottle of Swedish Fish "Gummy" vodka, so when I saw these in the seasonal aisle at Wegman's I thought this might make a fun, and edible, garnish/stir-stick for some mixed drinks. I tossed the box into my cart and off I went.

Merry MEGA Buttons (Holiday Flavors) - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Merry MEGA Buttons (Holiday Flavors) - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Sometimes you see a candy and you know it's going to be bad, but for some reason, you buy it anyway. This is one of those candies.

This was one of those cheap novelty holiday candies that was piled up in the seasonal aisle, and if it weren't for the sugar cookie flavored button, there was no way I was going to buy this. If memory serves, I think this was a dollar, so I figured, why not review it and have a laugh? So into the cart it went.

Teaberry Gum - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Teaberry Gum - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Here's a little something we were discussing over on Candyology101, Teaberry gum! This retro little candy was really popular in the 1960's, when my mom was born, and she remembered chewing on it as a kid, while I remember seeing it on grocery shelves as a child of the late 80's. It didn't seem super popular at the time, and I don't recall chewing it when I was little, but it's still being produced and carried by a few candy shops and grocery stores today! (Although it's become a little hard to find.) Thankfully I found a pack at Wegman's, so I thought I'd write up a little review for those of you who have never heard of this sweet chewable treat before.

Trader Joe's PB & J Bar - Trader Joe's: Voorhees, NJ

Trader Joe's PB & J Bar - Trader Joe's: Voorhees, NJ

We just wrapped up recording for episode 2 of Candyology 101, which was peanut butter themed, and one of the candies we discussed was this sandwich inspired candy bar from Trader Joe's.

In case some of you have never heard of Trader Joe's, it's a privately owned grocery chain that offers products under it's own label, has a selection of fresh produce, and offers a lot of organic and natural products. It's kind of like Whole Foods, but the prices are better, and this place practically has a cult following. (There's even an awesome blog dedicated to reviewing only Trader Joe's products.)  People go crazy for their cookie butter (speculoos) and specialty products, admittedly, I do love Trader Joe's, but I don't think I've achieved cult member status. (I usually go there in the fall because Trader Joe's is the one grocery store that loves pumpkin products more than I do.)

Since I rarely go to Trader Joe's, I really go overboard when I'm there, so to kick off my (very unnecessary) food haul, let's see how this PB&J bar tastes!

Muscat Fruit Cocktail Candies - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

Muscat Fruit Cocktail Candies - H-Mart: Cherry Hill, NJ

I have a few posts written up and added to the queue, so I'm back in business! (Of daily reviews that is.) Since my last item was something pumpkin-y, today's post will be another random item from my candy stash. Let's get right into it and open up this adorable package of muscat candies!

Trident Layers Jelly Bean Gum - Shop Rite: Berlin, NJ

Trident Layers Jelly Bean Gum - Shop Rite: Berlin, NJ

Last month, my rear passenger-side tire tore apart completely on my way into work. The tire wasn't more than 2 years old, so it was most likely something in the road, but there was no repairing it. I could fit my entire hand inside it! Thankfully I have AAA, so I got some road side assistance so that I could get a replacement put on after work. What does this have to do with food? While I waited for my new tire to be put on, I wandered around a Shop Rite that was close by and found a few (admittedly older) limited edition food items to review. (Yay for foodie retail therapy!)