Trick of Treat - Minecraft Edition: Suspicious Stew Pringles

Yesterday's not-really-Halloween-but-kind-of-Trick-or-Treat-adjacent theme continues! Today I have these Suspicious Stew flavored Pringles. 

Minecraft is something beyond my elder-millennial scope, so I asked my younger cousin to explain it's, "Suspicious Stew," item to me. She said it is kind of like poison, it makes your screen get all wiggly. Makes sense to me as an in-game item, but when there are other more positive foods in the game they could have gone with, I do think it's a strange choice for a limited run flavor. (A "sus" choice?)

Sadly, I bought these for whatever normal price they were going for at Walmart, but if you do want to try these for yourself, they seem to be popping up at Dollar Trees already for a lower price, which does not bode well for my snacking experience. 

Condiment Chip Consumption Craze

Hot Mustard & Tangy Ketchup Doritos

What is up with condiment themed chips? 

Herr's was the first brand I noticed, they announced a line of boldly flavored chips meant to be added to sandwiches, "Sandwichips." They are currently available and come in four flavors: mustard, ketchup, spicy pickle, and sweet onion. As someone who likes adding chips to their sandwiches, I like the idea, but I am skeptical about their flavor pay off. If you have the mustard chips, do you still add actual mustard? Normally I find adding chips to my sandwiches is more-so a texture thing than a flavor one. And what about ketchup? Is that meant to go on Burgers? What other "sandwich" do you eat with ketchup? Hot dogs? Are hot dogs a sandwich? (I say no. Also, ketchup on hot dogs after the age of 12 is a crime.)

Then Doritos got in on the action with a ketchup and mustard duo of their own. No application gimmick, just condiment flavors for chippy consumption. Mustard, I get. Especially with a name like "hot mustard." It makes me think the the spicy mustard packets that came with our Chinese take-out. Which could be great in tortilla-chip-form. But...ketchup? 

"It's as if a standard sour cream and onion chip took a trip down the condiment aisle"

Lay's Wavy Cuban Sandwich (Limited Time Flavor) - Walmart

In college, I worked at Panera Bread, and it was awesome. Mainly because of our epic work-family, (imagine a soup and sandwich version of Empire Records), but the food was pretty great too. I still eat there today, (which is something I can't say for another food-related job I had as a teen). Panera will always hold a special place in my heart, and my stomach. I like to recreate stuff in my kitchen all the time. Especially the older discontinued stuff, like their Cuban chicken panini. 

Americanized as it was, it was my first experience with the sandwich, and I loved it. The Panera take had focaccia bread, sweet and spicy pickle chips (closest I have found are the horse radish pickle chips from Aldi),  ham, chicken, tomato-based-whole-grain-mustard, chipotle mayo and swiss cheese, all toasted in the panini press. It is a pretty far cry from a legit Cuban sandwich, but I didn't know that back then. 

A legit Cuban has: ham, roasted pork (not chicken), salami, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Which looks like what this chip flavor is based on. The real deal. So, which take will taste more legit? My bastardized Panera sandwich of choice, or these chips? 

Potato Chip Party! - 3 Flavors, one post!

De-stash time! One post, 3 chips, let's go!

I DESTROYED These - Hot Honey Pringles

The title for the post completely reveals my thoughts on these. Normally there's this coy game of, "I don't know, will I like these?" But, I destroyed this tennis ball can of chips in 2 days. When you are surrounded with as much junk food as I am (completely by choice), that's saying something.  

Hot Honey was on-trend a few years ago, but it's prevalence and popularity has started to wane. I still love it though. It reminds me of eating chicken nuggets with honey as a kid. Like a warm nostalgic blanket that somehow grew up along with me. 

However, this was not love at first chip.

Sometimes Foodie's Not-so-Secret Stash - Part 1

My food hoard is officially out of control. I have lots of expired food, and I hate myself for it. It's a waste of money, resources, and space...so, I'm finally going to do something about it. Tomorrow, after work, I am sitting down and filming myself trying as much of this junk as I can stand (anything that's still safe anyway) and getting rid of it, once and for all! 

That said, here are four items from my hoard pile that I already had photographed and just, never got around to posting. Consider this a literal taste of things to come...

Sweet & Salty Clusters...of lies!

Chocolate covered potato chips are sweet and salty, with the added bonus of a crispy texture, what's not to love? 

Well, unlike most consumers, I have been spoiled. Aunt Charlottes, a confectionary located in Merchantville, NJ, makes the best chocolate covered potato chips of all time. 

It's true! I have tried big-brand chocolate potato chip products, and even made some attempts at my own, but none of them compare to Aunt Charlotte's. 

The chocolate used for their chips is incredibly smooth and sweet, more like European style chocolate than when we're used to in the states, and the flavor blows brands like Hershey's out of the water. (Which is basically chocolate flavored wax at this point.) Their good-quality chocolate has a lovely mouth-feel, and somehow, even after dipping, the chip stays crisp and crunchy. It is the best of the best....that said, how do these "clusters" compare? 

Cre-E-epy Crawlers! Rather, CREEPY Crisps

Creepy Crisps - Gift

Sticking with savory snacking for a sec, I have these Limited Edition Creepy Crisps from The Good Crisp Company. 

I had never heard of this brand before, but at a glance, these seem to be...healthy Pringles? The little blurb on the can says that as a parent, they wanted to have a snack for their children that they felt good about, and that this year they "added a spooky twist." Safe to say, my assumptions were correct.

What's the spooky twist? Judging by the package, the chips inside are black-colored, but normal, original, potato-flavor. Will they actually look as black as they do on the tube? Will they still taste okay? Will they cause the same colorful gastrointestinal aftermath as other black products, like the Black Cherry Fanta slush or the Burger King HA1loween burger? We shall see! 

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. 

Elotes Pringles

Elotes, aka "Mexican Street Corn," has been popping up all over American grocery shelves. We had corn chips, crunchy Cheetos, various dips, and now a Pringle. 

If you've never had Elotes, I highly recommend it. They're a bit messy to eat, but they activate all your taste buds. We have sweet, salty, cheesy, creamy, buttery, tangy, zesty, and spicy. All at once. While I've had nothing but positive experiences with Elote-themed items, I find that no snack food can truly capture this dish. They have gotten close, but it's not quite the same thing. 

That said, I am excited to try these Pringles but I am keeping my expectations grounded. 

It Should be A Match Made in Heaven - Reese's with Potato Chips

 

Reese's with Potato Chips

First we had Reese's filled with Reese's Pieces, a brilliant textural innovation I absolutely adore. (I even prefer them to the original!) Then we got a rerelease of the peanut butter lovers and chocolate lovers versions, dark chocolate, and thins. Unlike Oreo Thins, which turned a cookie into an addicting potato-chip-like snacking experience, Reese's thins left me wanting more. Then we got the announcement that there would be a pretzel filled Reese's cup, and a potato chip one. Both flavors sound amazing in theory, but how is the execution?

My Kind of Shots - Doritos Crack Pepper Chicken Flavor Shots

Doritos Flavor Shots Crack Pepper Chicken  - Hung Vuong Market

Are Flavor Shots still sold in America? The Frito-Lay website only lists one flavor, Fiery Habanero Triangles, but when you click on it, they're not available for purchase locally or online. I guess they're discontinued state-side? Which goes to show how much attention I pay to Doritos these days.

I can never find new products in my area (RIP Wasabi and the Tangy Cool Ranch flavors I never got to try), and when I do fall in love with something new and interesting, it's discontinued, like my beloved Collisions series. Frito-Lay is like the Bath & Body Works of the snacking world, as soon as you fall in love with something new, it's gone. (But they'll have Japanese Cherry Blossom FOREVER.) 

I've had no luck with American Doritos flavors, but what about a Taiwanese one? 

Aldi's Journey to Japan - Take 2 - Ponzu Ginger

Journey to Japan Ponzu Ginger Chips -Aldi

Aldi likes to release "around the world" products, with a particular recurring focus on India, Germany, Italy, and Japan. These were the flavor companion to the Wasabi flavored chips I reviewed a little while ago, and the newest addition to the "Journey to Japan" line.

If you haven't already read my wasabi review, spoiler alert, they're good, but not great. I am on a mid to high tolerance range for wasabi/horseradish, it takes a lot for me to feel the burn, and I wanted those chips to pack a punch. They didn't. Here's hoping that this flavor is a bit more unique and flavorful.

Wasabi Potato Chips are How I Roll

Journey to Japan Wasabi Chips -Aldi

Remember the Wasabi and Ginger Kettle chips from the Lay's Do Us a Flavor Contest? (I think they were from the second ever contest.) They were delicious, with a sushi-like profile thanks to the wasabi and ginger with a hit of soy sauce. I was sad to see them go, but I feel like their execution needed a bit of work. They were good, but not perfect. Still, it's a flavor profile that doesn't have any equivalent in the American potato chip market. Until now. 

Give Us a Mystery! - Herr's Mystery Mix - 9/7/2021 UPDATE

Herr's Mystery Flavor - 7-Eleven

Three classic flavors in one chip, eh? The contest ended on August 31st, 2021, let's see what my guesses were and if I was right!

So the chip itself is a reddish orange, ridged, with little flecks of green. When I think of Herr's classic flavors, I think BBQ (gold bag), Sour Cream and Onion (green bag), and original (blue bag), but that seems way too easy. How could they have a giveaway contest if that were the case? 

The website lists the following as flavor options that could be part of the trio of this mix: sour cream and onion, BBQ, salt & vinegar, cheddar and sour cream, honey BBQ, red hot, fire, ketchup, old bay, dill pickle, cracked pepper and sea salt, jalapeno, boardwalk salt and vinegar, mesquite BBQ, and Cheddar Horseradish.

Time to binge on some chips and make some guesses. 

Mexican Street Corn Take 2 - Aldi Edition

Mexican Street Corn Flavored Corn Chips - Aldi

What a week, and it's only Monday. My bathroom gremlins are getting spayed/neutered today, one step closer to finding forever homes, and my dog, Pepper, had to go to the emergency vet because he somehow damaged his junk. That's right, his junk. I was making panicked emergency vet calls to talk about my dogs genitals to not one, not two, but four different animal hospitals. Thankfully the last one had an availability and we were able to be seen. 

His bits are now on the mend. How did it happen? Absolutely no idea. Best guess the vet had is he lifted his leg to pee on something during our current heatwave and somehow burned himself. Which I don't entirely buy because I have no idea what in my grassy backyard could have ever gotten that hot or only harmed him in such a specific place, but it's not like Pepper can tell us what he did to himself, so it shall remain a mystery. Thankfully he is okay now. If there was ever a time to binge on some junk-food, it's now.

Aldi's at it again! - Queso Fundido Wavy Chips

Queso Fundido Wavy Chips - Aldi

"Oops, I did it again" (#freebritney). I bought junkfood I was really excited to eat, but then I wouldn't let myself eat it until I could sit down and review it, which I never did, so it piled up...and now the top of my fridge is nothing but novelty flavored potato chips.  

So, here is the first of many potato chip reviews coming your way.

Garlic Bread, Without The Bread? - Parmesan Garlic Kettle Chips

NEW Kettle Brand Parmesan Garlic Chips - Walmart

If you're eating something Italian, and it's delicious, it's usually thanks to garlic and parmesan. This dynamic flavor duo is responsible for some of the most delicious things in the world, pasta, pizza, and best of all, garlic bread.  

So, when Cheesy Garlic Bread won Lay's Do Us a Flavor contest when it was first introduced, I wasn't surprised. What did surprise me, however, is how quickly that new "permanent" flavor of chips would disappear. A year or two and they were no where to be found. Then, a few years later, a dupe would start rotating as a special buy item at Aldi, and then at Lidl, and now here? Well these aren't officially marketing themselves as "garlic bread," so that might not be a fair assessment, but...isn't it close enough?   

Will these taste like kettle-style garlic bread? 

A Moscow Mule you Can Chew - Aldi Moscow Mule Chips

Crinkle Cut Moscow Mule Chips - Aldi

Moscow Mules are a Christmas-thing, right? I feel like I always see the copper mugs around the holidays, but I'm not 100% sure. I've never had one, no particular reason why or anything, I'm just not a big drinker. Boozy beverages taste kind of off or medicinal to me. (Which, fun fact, is why I have only ever been drunk once in my life. I just don't like the taste of anything to drink more than one of them.) I'm always open to trying new things, like the beer my friends bring to parties or fancy cocktails, so why not try it in chip form? 

A few months ago Aldi released these, and a bloody Mary version, as part of a boozy brunch/happy hour line of snacks. The bloody Mary flavor made sense to me, since it contains such savory elements, but with a Moscow Mule, I wasn't so sure.

Caramel Pumpkin Lay's (I Think?)

Caramel Pumpkin Chips - Hung Vuong Market

Halloween may be over, but we're not through with pumpkin-season yet. Although I pretty much ruined all things pumpkin related for myself, forever, I still can't resist new and wacky items, like these chips. 

I found them all alone in the snacking aisle with little to no English, so all I had to go on was a translated ingredient label, and the imagery, which made it seem like these were some kind of sweet caramel and pumpkin flavored chip, and I figured...why not give it a try?

You can check out the video review above, or keep reading for a fully written post and close-up photos.