Ghu-Ghu-Ghu-GHOST Dots - 12 Days to Halloween

Ghost Dots - Target 

Dots are a classic, but they still know how to have fun with seasonal and limited edition flavors. They've done candy corn dots, black-batty blood orange flavored dots, and these Ghost dots. Three different Halloween-specific flavors? Not too shabby for a retro candy. They even added a new flavor, Watermelon Dots just this year! (Pretty sure they are Dollar Tree exclusive?) Somehow in all my years of blogging, and snacking, I've never actually posted a Dots review. And there's no better way to start than with the original...with a spOoky twist!

 

You Bet'cha 'Bucha! - Lidl Seasonal Kombucha

Cranberry Cherry Kombucha 

Aldi used to have this house brand kombucha line that I loved, and my favorite flavor was the cherry cassis, but I haven't seen it in ages. In fact, a lot of my old Aldi staples have been MIA for a while now. No more balsamic glaze, no more pizza pockets, no more 3-packs of onions (one white, one red, one yellow), and now no more kombucha? Aldi, my love, where did things go wrong? 

With prices on the rise, and not being able to find my favorite products, I have been gravitating towards their competitor, Lidl, more and more. Not only does Lidl offer coupons, and mark products down as they near their expiration date meaning you can scoop up items for 30-50% off their already low prices, but they have a very healthy kombucha section with seasonal rotating flavors. Like this one.

I Don't Know If I Need You - Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop Black Cherry

Pepsi Cola Black Cherry Soda Shop - Wawa

Maybe it's because I was a rebellious teenager in a Coke-household, but I prefer Pepsi. 

I'll drink Cherry Coke when I visit my mom (who usually keeps a few cans for me), but when I'm buying soda for myself, I always go Pepsi. I feel like Pepsi tastes a bit zippier, bolder, and their Generation-themed ads in the 90's with the Spice Girls continue to take up space in my brain all these years later. (Move over, yeah! Don't do it over!~) 

Cherry cola is my go-to drive-thru beverage. I prefer Pepsi, but I'll take Coke when needed and if neither is available it's good ol' Dr. Pepper. (BUT If there is a Coke Remix machine, it raspberry Coke, 100%) Basically, I love fruity colas. So when I saw Pepsi launched this semi-retro Soda Shop line I headed straight for the cherry flavor. 

Bowl & Basket Shop Rite Seltzer Party! 6 different flavors!

6 Flavors of Shop Rite Bowl & Basket Seltzer

When compared to Aldi and La Croix, Bowl & Basket finds itself somewhere in the middle in terms of variety. La Croix opts for fancier, more exotic offerings, like Limoncello and Hibiscus, where Aldi sticks to citrus fruits for the most part. But what Aldi lacks in variety, they make up for in consistency. Of their main flavors, I don't think there is a dud in the bunch. I decided to grab a bottle of Bowl & Basket lemon lime, to have a better basis of comparison to my go-to Aldi seltzers, but otherwise grabbed new flavors I have yet to experience in seltzer form. I'm pretty excited to see how these taste (and to add a bit of variety to my bubbly sipping.)  

Punch Line is a Welcome Break from the Hype Machine. -UPDATE

Ben & Jerry's X Netflix Punch Line - Shop Rite

Food and flavors are subjective. I know that, you know that, but we all love to hop online and compare tastebuds with strangers. (Hi!) Why do we do it?

Whether it's to find out if a product is worth your money (which is my main goal), or for validation in your opinions, or just to see how your taste-buds compare to others. We feel compelled to try new and potentially gross food, then turn to our friends and say, "You gotta' try this!" It's just human nature. But, in doing so, we fall victim to the hype of new-ness and extra-ness. 

I've been blogging for a long time, I think 7 years (I keep forgetting how long exactly) and from what I can tell, I'm an oddball.

Starburst By The Foot

Fruit by the Foot Starburst - Target

I found them! I was really excited when I saw photos of these online and I finally found a box when I ran to Target the other day. I'm a big fan of Starburst, and after having the Jolly Rancher Fruit Roll-Ups a while back, I had high hopes that these would be equally delicious. Let's jump right in!

Lidl's take on Skittles - Worth the Buy?

Sweet & Sour Crunchy & Chewy Candy - Lidl

Chocolates are easy to copy. I have seen variations of peanut butter cups from pretty much every store out there from big chains to mom and pop's, tons of candy bars that look an awful lot like Snickers, but aren't, and I have even seen plenty of takes on m&m's, but fruity candy? That's harder to dupe. 

There are a few exceptions, like gummy bears, which are available from tons of brands, but how often do you see a knock-off Skittles? 

I have seen a few faux Starburst over the years, but something that this closely matches Skittles is so rare. They even have 3 of the same flavors as Original Skittles, and it comes in normal and sour flavors. How will these compare? 

Bon Bon BUMMER - Black Tongue Lollipops

Black Tongue Lollipops - Dollar Tree

I grabbed these at the Dollar Tree because they reminded me of the Tongue Painter gumballs my teacher used to use as incentives for good behavior back in the 90's. Did anyone else's teacher create a fake currency that could be earned inside their classroom and used to purchase candy, pencils, or free "No homework" passes? Or was that just me? (Also, my fellow 90's Jersey kids, no one else did fluoride rinses in their classrooms. That was a weird program think that only happened to us!)

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to try some candy and paint my tongue black but I was wrong. So, so wrong.  

 

Watch the video above to see what happens, or keep reading below for the written post and close-ups. 

Taste The Rainbow of Nostalgia

Mentos Rainbow- Five BelowThe 

When was the last time you bought Mentos? At one point, back when their catchy theme song ruled the world, they were one of my favorite candies. If Tic-Tacs and Starbursts combined to create a crunchy, chewy, minty baby, it would be Mentos. One day I just stopped buying them. No rhyme or reason really, but they seem to be doing just fine without me. I see them in every checkout aisle, and they keep releasing cool new flavors overseas (which make me incredibly jealous.) Why not jump into the wacky flavor market here in the States? 

Anyway, I saw this fruity rainbow variety pack at Five Below, and I thought this might be fun to check out to get a little taste of what we've all been missing.

♪ 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. 

Ghost-less Ghostly Gummies?

Haribo Ghostly Gummies - The Dollar Tree

Mischief night is upon us, which is apparently a New Jersey-specific term for what the rest of the nation calls, "Devil's Night." Kind of strange that the home of the Jersey Devil would miss the opportunity for a devilish holiday tie-in, but that mystery'll have to wait.
(Wait, Vermont and New Hampshire call it, "Cabbage Night?" What's the deal with that?)

Today's mystery is...why are there no red gummies in this bag? 

Mike and Ike Sundae Sweets - Jo Ann Fabric

Mike and Ike Sundae Sweets - Jo Ann Fabric

Did you know chinchillas like fleece? Neither did I!

Well, not until this June, anyway. That's when my boyfriend's daughter graduated and we got her a cuddly little chinchilla all her own. He's her baby, but seemingly overnight we've turned into crazy chinchilla people.

Segues are hard. 

So I'm at JoAnn fabrics, buying a few yards of fleece (which is on sale) to use in a chinchilla litter box (you know, totally normal food-blogger stuff) and this colorful package catches my eye. It's a cute box, and I like Mike and Ikes, but I LOVE all things banana. I figured I owed it to myself to check this out.

Flash forward to today, when I saw the very same box, a few cents cheaper, at The Dollar Tree. Kind of kicking myself, since I could have gotten it cheaper, but maybe it'll taste so good that I won't care anymore? Fingers crossed!

America POP flavored gum - Walmart

America POP flavored gum - Walmart 

'Merica Pop, that you can't stop
I know you chew this 'Merica pop
This must be, GUM

I graduated high school when "Dirty Pop" by *Nsync was on the radio, and now Justin Timberlake is voicing a blue CG troll. Life is weird.

Happy Fourth of July my fellow Americans! It's time for a holiday/seasonally appropriate review! In the past I've reviewed America themed Skittles and  Red White & Blue Tic-Tacs, but this year we've got America Pop gum from Juicy Fruit.

I had to buy a three pack just to try this flavor, so fingers crossed it's good!

Aldi's Version of Ben & Jerry's? - Possible Cherry Garcia Dupe

Thank You Cherry Much Ice Cream Pint - Aldi $1.99

A while ago, Aldi started offering three permanent flavors of "Super Premium Ice Cream" and it's pretty obvious that this is their attempt at a house-brand Ben and Jerry's. Just look at it!

Sweetarts Softbites (Halloween Edition) - Target

Sweetarts Softbites (Halloween Edition) - Target 

Target used to have the BEST Halloween stuff! Real ceramic and melamine plates (that I use year round), actual glassware, sturdy decor, and tons of seasonal sweets. Sadly, their seasonal decor and kitchenware has taken a dive in quality the last two years, but the candy section has yet to disappoint! Seeing all these skulls, pumpkins and bats on the shelves warms my gothic-heart. (I may not dress like it anymore, but my heart still beats for all things Halloween.) So I walked up and down the aisles and grabbed a bunch of Halloween goodies to review this week. I'm really excited, so let's get started!

4 Flavors of Fit & Active Fruit Bars - Aldi

4 Flavors of Fit & Active Fruit Bars - Aldi (Clearance .99 cents each)

I love food. I love cooking food, finding new foods, photographing food, eating food. Food makes me irrationally happy, and it's why I started a food blog, but every day I scroll through my Instagram feed and I see tons of people eating meal replacement bars, protein puddings, pro-gurts (protein yogurt), and other things that just look like soylent-protein-power-monstrosities. If it makes other people happy I'm all for it. I'm not knocking their lifestyle (especially since they seem far healthier and more active than I am) but eating that stuff would be torture for me. It takes all the fun and texture out of food!

Along with my lifelong love of food, I'm also a frugal shopper. I love a good deal, so when I saw that these Fit & Active bars were on sale at Aldi for only .99 cents a box, I thought this could be my version of a meal replacement bar. I typically don't eat breakfast, and I don't eat lunch until 1-2PM, so eating one of these for breakfast is probably a good idea, right? Then again, will a "healthy" fruit bar that only cost me .20 cents each taste good?

Sour Patch Fruits - Walmart

Sour Patch Fruits - Walmart

We have a lot of candy around the office (surprisingly it's not my doing) and one of the sweets we always have in stock are Brach's fruit slices. They're big, citrus-segment-looking gum drops with a sweet sanding sugar coating that come in a big plastic tub...and I hate them. They're one of those candies that look way more appealing than they actually are. I don't hate ALL of the flavors, the orange and lemon ones are pleasant enough, but the rest taste like sugary petroleum jelly. Bland and unsatisfying. I usually eat them as a last resort and they're barely worth the tooth-decay. 

I was buying the new Sour Patch Strawberries at Walmart and spotted this. I had never noticed it before, but they seem like Sour Patch's answer to the bland Brach's slices. Will sourness save these colorful fruit jellies? Or will these be another candy that looks better than it tastes? 

Big Slice Cherry Vanilla Kettle Cooked Apples - Target

Big Slice Cherry Vanilla Kettle Cooked Apples - Target

By now I think most of you have realized that I'm cheap frugal. I love shopping the clearance racks and Target tends to have a bunch of really interesting food products on their discount food end-cap. I've gotten awesome Avocado Oil Salt & Vinegar Chips, great Indian meal kits, and now...some kind of apple sauce packet? To be honest I'm not entirely sure if this is apple sauce, or some kind of pie filling, or how you're even supposed to eat it, but for $1.74? Why not find out?

Teddy Pop - Asian Food Market

Teddy Pop - Asian Food Market

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! (Well the few minutes left of it anyway.) The last two years I went all out and cooked up some fancy holiday-themed recipes, but...it's Thursday night and it's been a very long work week. I am barely sane as it is, so I'll be typing up a few reviews for some green colored packages in my food stash instead. It's win-win! You guys get multiple posts on the blog, and I clear out a tiny corner of my food haul. First up, something I've been looking forward to for months, Teddy Pop! (Plus this is not only green but RAINBOW themed. If that's not festive, I don't know what is.) 

Dum•Dums Heart Pops - Target

Dum•Dums Heart Pops - Target 

Every time I buy a Dum-Dums product I get the song from their 90's commercial stuck in my head. Looking back, I feel like that commercial and the Blow Pop one were always being shown on Nickelodeon! I can still recite them both from heart, along with the kickass song from the Crossfire commercial!

Dum-Dums lollipops have been around for quite some time but they aren't letting their brand get stale. They've been having some fun releasing pizza, bacon, and buttered popcorn flavored lollipops, some jelly bean centered candies for Easter, and now these new Heart-shaped pops offer two flavors in one.