Ice SCREAM Pumpkin Delights

Little Debbie has branched out into ice cream. Turning classics, like Cosmic Brownies and Oatmeal Creme Pies into scoop-able desserts.  

After the Fruity Pebbles ice cream left me feeling is was more of a gimmick than it was edible, I figured these would likely be the same and skipped them. Until I saw that the seasonal sweet, Pumpkin Delights, were getting the ice cream treatment. 

Pumpkin Delights look...rather unfortunate. I reviewed them back in 2015 and I stand by my comparison that they looks just like the Koopas from the live action Mario Bros movie. 

Twinning. 

They may look bizarre, but they are absolutely delicious. If the ice cream is even half as good, I'll consider this a win. 

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.

"There are no unicorns, so there are no rules!"

Unicorn Cupcakes - Walmart 

We seem to be at the tail end of the unicorn trend. It was going strong for several years, with notable detour through mermaids, before taking a shocking left turn into llamas. I'm not sure how we went from magical creatures to a real-life furry animal, but, here we are. 

I myself am not a unicorn-person, but I have several unicorn-people in my life with ages ranging from single digits, to nearly 30, so I get the appeal. They're magical, they're colorful, they're a symbol of innocence, and they inspired Peter S. Beagle to write one of my favorite books, "The Last Unicorn." (I actually met him at Otakon once, he was a really cool guy and they totally screwed him over the animated movie rights.) I'm not shocked that unicorns were trending, and I'm not even annoyed by the trend itself, but I am annoyed by how lazy most of these products seem to be.

"The universe tends to unfold as it should"

White Castle Gooey Butter Cake On A Stick - 7-Eleven

As a movie buff, and a life-long resident of New Jersey, I hate to break this to you, but there is no White Castle in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. (That's right, the 2004 film Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle is built on a foundation of LIES!) 

The aforementioned movie was filmed in Canada, and guess what? There are no White Castles there either. The one featured on-screen was a restaurant made to look like a White Castle for the movie, which then became a real burger restaurant called, Yuppie's Burgers. It's since been abandoned and cool urban explorers break in and write articles about it for nerds like me. (You can't make this stuff up people.)

So, like Harold and Kumar before me, I have to go on a 45-50 minute trek to consume tiny onion-filled burgers. It's a decent drive, that lacks Neil Patrick Harris, but I make this journey once or twice a year so I can stuff my face with fresh burgers. During my trips I've seen random menu offerings like BBQ pulled pork sliders and cheesecake on a stick, but I have never encountered butter cake. Since when is this a thing? And how can something so traditionally gooey stay neatly on a stick?   

These questions needed answers, so I grabbed a box and headed home to investigate.

Chickpeas for Dessert: Delicious Trend? Or Disastrous Failure?

Dessert Hummus - Aldi

Dessert hummus invaded fancy grocery store shelves a while ago, and now this trend has trickled it's way down to Aldi. When I first heard of the concept my knee-jerk reaction was that this was a bad idea. Like most people I enjoy hummus, but I've only ever had it in a savory sense, mixed with garlic or roasted red pepper (my fav!), and taking that savory-familiarity and turning it towards desserts just wasn't clicking in my brain. 

Then again, plain hummus is pretty bland, maybe it could be doctored into a passable dessert?  After all, there are all those black bean brownie recipes floating around online that people swear by, but I personally haven't had the guts to ruin perfectly good brownies to find out for myself. Maybe this will be my gate-way health-food dessert? 

Against my better judgement, I grabbed one of each flavor and put them out on cheese plate night for my family to try. This is the result... 

Take it all in. (That's what she said?)

American Globs Big Gay Ice Cream - Wawa

Big Gay Ice Cream is a company that's been on my foodie-radar for years I mean, they're an ice cream brand that have a theme song written by Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's! (Also she was Joan of Arc in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which I love.) Popculture, cool graphics, and (potentially) yummy ice cream? I had to try it! 

They have ice cream trucks, brick and mortar locations, and sell ice cream pints in a handful of locations across the nation with one being right across the bridge from Jersey...but we all know that I never go anywhere. (I don't know how you other foodies have any energy for all that traveling!)  

Being the hermit I am, I longingly watched from afar as their brand grew and grew. Guess what? They started selling pints at Wawa! So, being the multi-tasker I am, I filled up my gas tank and grabbed a few pints to finally satisfy my snacking curiosity.

Is It Fall Yet? - Pumpkin Whipped Topping

Pumpkin Whipped Topping  - Shop Rite

No, we haven't traveled back in time and no, the Pumpkin Invasion of 2019 hasn't started early. I'm just a hoarder.

I bought this last fall thinking it would be an easy item to review that would get me back into the habit of blogging. We both know that didn't happen, but it has been in my fridge ever since.

Back in my blogging heyday, I used to go all out each fall and review pumpkin-flavored everything. We're not just talking Pumpkin spiced lattes. I've reviewed teas, pasta sauces, ravioli, pumpkin salsas...pretty much anything I could get my hands on. And you know what it did? It burnt me out. Big time. After three years I went from big ol' basic pumpkin-lover to a hater.  

After all this time off I've started to become interested in a few pumpkin products, but I've never fully recovered. Still, I saw this and found the idea intriguing. I mean, nothing goes better with pumpkin pie than whipped cream, and this would up the pie factor by at least 1000%. (I totally used real math skills there. It's a legit number.)

Diagnosis: Splitsville (& My Top 5 Pop-Tarts Flavors)

Pop-Tart Splits  - Walmart

Have any one you seen a real-life Pop-Tart that looked anything like the picture on the front of the box? 

It seems that both Pop-Tarts and fast food burgers never look anything like their advertisements. Here we have perfect icing and giant sprinkles on the outside of the box which look amazing, but inside...

Unicorn Gum? I give up. (Quickie Review)

Fairytale Fruit Project 7 Gum - Target

I don't even know what to say for myself. I keep saying I won't go back to Project 7, because of the artificial sweeteners, but their gimmicks sucker me in every time. 

This is unicorn gum. UNICORN. GUM. What am I? Made of stone? So yeah, I don't have high hopes for this, but it's pretty and I wanted to photograph it, so... here we are. 

Functionality-wise, the packaging is the same packet-style as all the other Project 7 gums I've reviewed in the past. Plastic foiled packet, re-seal-able, matte-finish, etc. It photographs like a dream and the colorful fruity unicorn illustration is Juicy Fruit meets Lisa Frank. It's wonderful. 

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake: breakfast of champions?

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake - Aldi $3.99

We started our journey with Pumpkin Cheesecake, took a detour through the freezer section with the Swirlin' Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream, and now we're bringing things to a close with a decadent, spiced, cinnamon roll cheesecake. The kicker? I normally don't like cheesecake, and yet, I really liked the first two items. Will this Cinnamon Roll cheesecake end my positive review streak? Or am I officially a cheesecake convert? We shall see.

The packaging for this product is exactly the same as the Pumpkin version I reviewed earlier this week. Again, I love this portioning, but there's nothing much to talk about here, so let's jump right into the review.

Aldi's Version of Ben & Jerry's, but for half the price! - Swirlin' Strawberry ($1.99)

Swirlin' Strawberry -  Aldi $1.99

For someone who doesn't like cheesecake, I'm sure eating a lot of it. 

Swirling' Strawberry seems to be an Aldi-fied version of Ben & Jerry's (surprisingly un-funly-named) "Strawberry Cheesecake." This was released, along with Peanut Butter Cup, and I'm not entirely sure what do make of these, are they just seasonal offerings? or new permanent additions?

As we saw earlier this week, I wasn't a fan of the new "Peanut Butter Cup," and to be honest, I'm not too thrilled about the idea behind this one either. Originally I was really scared that these two new flavors would phase out one, or all, of the previous flavors which I absolutely love, but now these flavors seem to be disappearing without being restocked. So I guess these were seasonal switch ups? 

That's the problem with Aldi, you never know what's coming, going, and if something will never see the light of day again. (I lovingly refer to products like these as "Aldi Unicorn items." They're rare, and elusive, and you aren't sure if you'll ever see them again or if they even existed in the first place.)

Seasonal offering or not, I couldn't resist trying both of the new ice creams, I mean they're only $1.99 a pint! So, frugal curiosity wins again! Will this flavor balance out the disappointment of the previous pint?

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!

More Aldi Knock-Off Ben & Jerry's flavors? - My Peanut Butter Half

My Peanut Butter Half -  Aldi $1.99

It's peanut butter ice cream time! 

Aldi's line of premium ice cream pints has two new flavors! They've added Swirling Strawberry (strawberry cheesecake), and this new peanut butter one. Just like the three original Aldi offerings: Make Fudge Not War, Brookie Dough, and Thank You Cherry Much, these new flavors are dupes for popular Ben & Jerry's flavors (Peanut Butter Cup & Strawberry Cheesecake) only these cost half as much. 

I'm happy to see this line expanding, but I personally wasn't excited by these two new flavors. They aren't as globally appealing as the other three, but for two bucks? I'll check 'em out anyway!

Cotton Candy (Unicorn) Milkshakes!

Frozen Bean Cotton Candy Frozen Drink Mix - Walmart .99 cents

The days are shorter, the temperature is dropping, and Pumpkin-pocalypse 2017 has invaded the grocery store shelves. If there was ever a time for a (denial-laced) summery unicorn-themed cotton candy milkshake, it's now. 

Today's post is part two of my Frozen Bean drink mix trilogy. We started with plain ol' Cookies n' Cream and now we've moved on to fabulous cotton candy.

Grab your cozy denial-blankets, ignore all adult responsibilities, and marvel at my decorative paper unicorn straw, as we sail off into a sugar-induced unicorn hallucination. 

Cotton Candy Twinkies - Walmart

Cotton Candy Twinkies - Walmart

Three reviews in a row! I'm finally getting back on my feet!

With Summer in full swing I figured there was no better time to review these Cotton Candy Twinkies.

Limited Edition Trolls Cotton Candy Jello & Strawberry Cupcake Pudding - Walmart

Being a late 80's baby, I caught the tail-end of the Trolls phenomenon. I had a few treasure trolls and a musical VHS tape that taught me that, "Trollies come from acorns, and that's how Trollies are born." Seriously, I didn't even have to look that up. It's a repetitive song that has been stuck in the back of my mind over 2 decades later out-surviving the troll dolls themselves whose glued-on hair and jewels popped off over time dooming them to yard sales and flea markets. (If you want to suffer along, here's a link. It's even worse than I remember.) Looking back, Trolls were are pretty weird concept and I didn't think it could be modernized to appeal to children today, and yet, here we are. 

I haven't seen the new movie, even though it's already on Netflix! (That was fast.) From what I've gathered from Cinema Sins take on it, Trolls have ditched their bejeweled belly buttons in favor of magical hair and glitter, but they still sing. Other than their hair, the characters don't really look like their retro-ancestors at all. (I think that they look like the Fraggles and Trolls franchises were mashed together with a sprinkling of Eureka's Castle.) Even though they don't appeal to me as a near 30-year old, kids are eating them up! We just went to a family event and a seven year old reenacted the whole fist-bump-gear-shift scene for me line for line.

I may not be all that interested in the movie, but these two limited edition Trolls items at Walmart caught my eye. (Plus they were cheap.) So, are these more universally appealing than the movie? 

Pistachio Gelato - Aldi

Pistachio Gelato - Aldi $3.99

Sorry I missed yesterday's post. I'm currently in shortsale-home-buyers-hell. (Which is a misnomer, since it's anything but short.) It's a process I started in early October, and we're nearing the (possible) end next month, so things are getting REALLY intense. I'll try to keep up with blog posts as best I can but, In the meantime, I could really use some ice cream. (And super comfy sweatpants.)

I'm fresh out of ice cream, and there's no way I'm putting real-people-pants back on to go out and buy some, so gelato will have to do.

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!

#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!

Chocolate Filled Belgian Waffles - Aldi

Chocolate Filled Belgian Waffles - Aldi

Torn between breakfast and dessert? Why not both?

Even though I visit Aldi twice a week and thumb through their circulars like a budget-obsessed-food-junkie (which I am), I still find new and unknown products every grocery trip! Like these filled waffles.

I spotted these in the freezer section, and they came in two flavors: chocolate and cherry. I was most excited for the cherry, since I'm a fruit-topped-waffle fan, but if any of you are Aldi shoppers like me, you know that if you don't buy something when you first see it, you're going to miss out. (One of the few issues I have with Aldi is their limited specialty stock.) So, rather than have lingering foodie regret, I grabbed a box of each.

First up, we have the (possibly) fudge-filled chocolate version!