Starburst Ice Cream Jelly Beans - AKA Candy-Coated-LIES

Starburst Ice Cream Jelly Beans - Target $1.99 (on sale) 

I've been against this mix since the day CandyHunting spotted it on the showroom floor. Sure, "Ice Cream Starburst Jelly Beans," may sound great, but this is all flash with no substance.

Look at these flavors! We've got: lemon sorbet, strawberry, orange sherbet, and red raspberry. I like sorbet and sherbet as much as anyone, but they are NOT ice cream. Not only is this mix poorly named, but it's (almost) completely unoriginal! With the exception of red raspberry, these flavors are re-named repeats from the original Starburst jelly bean line-up. I declare shenanigans!

I planned on going with my gut, and leaving this product on the shelves, but...I'm a sucker for a bargain. These were on sale at Target for $1.99, so though it'd be interesting to see if my gut feeling about this product was on-the-money.

Little Debbie Mini Strawberry Donuts - Walmart

Little Debbie Mini Strawberry Donuts - Walmart

I don't like to bash products, and I tend to be a savvy shopper with good intuition. Very rarely I will indulge in a bad product if it's super cheap and good for a laugh, but this product is neither. (Well it was cheap, but not super cheap.) 

 I saw these doughnuts at Walmart and they reminded me of the Tastykake spring strawberry version that was out this time last year. I enjoyed those a lot more than I thought I would, so I figured I'd take a chance and see what little Debbie had to offer. After all, Little Debbie makes some really tasty pumpkin cookies. How bad could these be?

Wegaroons Part 2! Macaron 6-pack- Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Macaron 6-pack- Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Part 1: Vanilla, Pistachio and mystery Coffee/Salted caramel

I took a ton of photos today and I'll be writing a bunch of posts tomorrow so that the posting schedule will be back on track starting today!

Okay, let's finish off these macarons!

Chewy Chips Ahoy! Mocha Chunk - Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Chewy Chips Ahoy! Mocha Chunk - Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

About a month ago Chips Ahoy! (Do I really have to type the '!' every time?) released four new cookie flavors that were supposedly ice cream inspired. There's Root-Beer Float, Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Mint and Mocha Chunk. I posted a photo of the Walmart display, which was super cute, but that seems to be the extent of their advertizing. I haven't seen any ads for these new flavors. (Have any of you?) 

Pecan Pie Pringles - Target - Riverside, NJ

Pecan Pie Pringles  - Target - Riverside, NJ

Last year the Pringles company decided to change things up and they released three different dessert flavored chips: White Chocolate Peppermint, Pumpkin Pie, and Cinnamon Sugar. I was really excited that the company tried something new, but it turned out to be a big disaster. I was only able to get my hands on the cinnamon and white chocolate varieties last year, and both were disappointing. All the company did was take normal, salty, Pringles and coat them in a light dusting of cinnamon or mint. It was like eating Pringles after brushing your teeth or eating something cinnamon-y.
I noticed that the dessert flavors quickly disappeared from the shelves, so I figured the company decided to scrap the idea, but they are back! What else? Pringles released a new Pecan Pie variety. (With a really weird ad to boot. Is it just me? Or is this really creepy?)

I was going to ignore this culinary innovation due to being burned in the past, but other foodies said that these were worth trying, and they actually got some good reviews. I caved in and bought a container when I casually saw them on a Target end-cap. Let's hope I wasn't tricked into another foodie fail. I put the last two sweet Pringles flavors I bought out at a party with over 20 people and NO ONE liked them. There were a few half eaten chips on napkins, but I was stuck with those tubes until the snow thawed and they could be given to the birds and squirrels. I hate wasting money on foodie fails, so I really hope these are at least tolerable.

Pumpkin Soup- Trader Joe’s - Marlton, NJ

Pumpkin Soup- Trader Joe’s - Marlton, NJ

Sorry for the delay, but here is today's pumpkin post!

My mini pumpkin haul from Trader Joe's hasn't really lived up to my expectations. I absolutely loved the pumpkin macarons, but the granola was nothing to write home about. With Trader Joe's having such a huge following, I might have set the bar a little too high. Let's see if this pumpkin soup will make a difference.

My first thoughts were that this box is pretty small. When I picked it up it felt like I was holding a box of Pop-Tarts, but it actually contains about three servings of soup. For $1.79, that's not too shabby. The price may be right (ha) and the portioning is decent, but the design is a little lacking. This box is stuck in between modern packaging and vintage design, neither one is fully realized and the whole box suffers from the same monotone color issues as the pumpkin macarons. It's safe to say, I don't care for the package design, but as far as functionality, this was super easy to open and pour. 

I read the ingredients list in the store before I purchased the soup and I saw onions, pumpkin, and various spices. I assumed that this was going to be deliciously savory, but it wasn't. When I opened the container I could smell pureed pumpkin, and that was it. The aroma was sweet and nutty, which was enjoyable, but it was definitely not what I was expecting.

WarHeads Sour Chewy Cubes - Dollar Tree - Cinnaminson, NJ

WarHeads Sour Chewy Cubes  - Dollar Tree - Cinnaminson, NJ

This is my last piece of Halloween Candy. (I think...)

Starting tomorrow we're back to pumpkin posts! (And I have a nice pumpkin stock pile ready to go.) 

There isn't much to review here, so this will be pretty short.

Other than the box, what's seasonal about this candy? Apparently it has three "limited edition" flavors.

• Scary Black Cherry
• Goblin Green Apple
• Ogre Orange

Wait a minute, aren't these all normal WarHead flavors? It seems like all three flavors are already available in the every day version of this candy. What a rip off!

The tiny candy cubes inside were soft, like a fruit pastille, and very generically flavored.

• Black Cherry - was artificial, but it was my favorite of the three. It reminded me of the black cherry Blow Pops that turn your mouth purple.
• Green Apple - was pretty chemical-like and generic.
• Orange - was just like a normal orange slice gummy/jelly.

The kicker? These weren't even sour! I know that these rate really low on the WarHeads sour scale, but even sour patch kids have these beat. Heck, a Sweet-Tart is tangier! 

It stinks to end on a sour note (that was bad. I'm sorry), but these candies are a pretty big disappointment. They are absolutely nothing like the candy they claim to be. These aren't very flavorful, or sour, and they aren't even limited edition! Although I love the soft jelly texture, I actually regret buying these things. (Although they were fun to stack.)

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

Like me on facebook to keep up with all my adventures!

Calypso Strawberry Lemonade- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

Calypso Strawberry Lemonade- Walmart: Cinnaminson, NJ

I know this isn't Halloween-y, but it was in my review pile and I have to make room for more stuff. I have a pretty big back-log of foodie items and I need to start going through them.

Two years ago I went to the Amish market and got some of the best strawberry lemonade I had ever had. It was a seasonal item, and when I returned one year later, the vendor wasn't there. I have been trying to find a replacement ever since. (I really ought to try and make my own version next strawberry season.) I saw this big display of colorful, fruity, lemonades at Walmart and thought I might as well give this brand a try.

The bottle is made of glass and it is fairly large (20 fl oz). The logo on the clear label is a bit garish, with it's bright colors and thick outlines, but the same logo is embossed directly on the glass and it looks much classier. Losing that outer stroke really makes a big difference, because they are both written in the same font. Other than the logo, there are a few other little glass details, like little lemon slices around the neck of the bottle, that provide a nice texture and plenty of visual interest. I would say that the bottle design itself is great, but that cap and label need to be reworked. With a little tweaking you can make this product look much more high end than it is.

Pumpkin Face Gumballs - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Pumpkin Face Gumballs - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Guess what everyone? Today is my birthday! (Yay for being old?)

Now, these jack o’ lantern themed gumballs may not be very unique, or fantastically flavored, but they ARE freaking adorable! I really wanted to photograph them, and they were on sale, so I went for it. (Happy Birthday to me.)
The jar is made of clear plastic with a black twist off cap, not the finest materials, but it’ll do.  After all, this is a novelty item, so I’m not expecting super fancy packaging, but I do have one complaint. It is really difficult to get the gumballs out of this container! (Especially when it is still full.) The little candy spheres settle together and get stuck inside, so you need to use your fingers to pry the first few candies out before you can shake the rest free from their genie-bottle-like prison. Personally, I think a large mouthed jar would have been better for gumballs, but it might not have been as aesthetically pleasing.

Archer Farms Candy Corn Coffee - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Archer Farms Candy Corn Coffee - Target - Cherry Hill, NJ

Sorry my posts have been a little wonky the last few days, my queue finally ran out and that video post took me forever to edit and upload. Plus, student teaching has been exhausting.


Target has released some really awesome Halloween collections in the past. This year, the fall themed goodies include: pumpkin spiced cookies, caramel apple coffee, gummy bats, spiced cereal bars, and fancy coffees. I saw this candy corn coffee in a Spotted post over on the Impulsive Buy and really wanted to give it a try. (Especially since my boyfriend loves Candy Corn and coffee. I hoped this would be the best of both worlds.)

The packaging is a standard, foiled, coffee bag with a resealable fold down top. Honestly, I am kind of surprised by the plain packaging. I mean, you could very easily walk right past this and never notice that it was a limited, seasonal, flavor. Other than the Archer Farms label, there aren't any design elements. I kind of wish the bag was covered in little candy corns, or had an overall candy corn color scheme, but it doesn't. Then again, Archer Farms is a slightly frilly no-frills brand, so keeping it simple does make sense as far as keeping costs down.

Once opened, I feared that Archer Farms pulled another fast one on me. This smells like normal coffee with a hint of vanilla. I couldn't detect any hint of candy corn or honey. Bah, I should have known better. This brand has burned me before with their fancy kettle chips, Archer Farms products are good, but they rarely live up to the tantalizing flavor name. Maybe it'll be more authentic when it's brewed?

Sadly it wasn't. The brewed coffee has a mildly sweet vanilla taste, which is pleasant, but there is no way you'd ever mistake this for candy corn.

I love the idea, but this product does not deliver.

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

Like me on facebook to keep up with all my adventures!

Cheddar Jalapeño Bites - Wawa: Collingswood, NJ

Cheddar Jalapeño Bites - Wawa: Collingswood, NJ

Junkfood indulgence time!

While I was at Wawa, buying their version of the ever-popular pumpkin spice latte, I grabbed a bag of these cheddar jalapeño bites. When I first saw the bag I got excited thinking it was the jalapeño cheddar pretzel, but it wasn't. (The Wawas around here just don't' make those anymore. Do they still make them in your area?)

The bag is pretty rough looking. There are cheddar smears on the outside that really made this look unappetizing in photos. Without the cheesy additions, the bag design is pretty nice. It's simple, straightforward, and it does it's job. This might be a more recent change, but I remember the bags being more of a white color, but I don't mind this more natural, unbleached, color of paper.

Basil Seed Drink with Honey - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

Basil Seed Drink with Honey - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

I bought this drink because it received favorable reviews from my favorite foodie Youtubers, EmmyMadeinJapan and CultMoo. (To be fair, CultMoo said it wasn't really good, but not truly bad either. Not a really favorable review, but they seemed interested in it.)

Right off the bat I have to say that I hate this packaging.

Pumpkin Spice m&m’s - Pumpkin Haul 2013

Pumpkin Spice m&m’s - Target : Deptford, NJ

After I saw THIS post over on The Impulsive Buy I went crazy and called 5 different Target stores in the area. Most of them didn’t have this flavor in stock, but I was finally able to track down 2 bags. One was a gift to my boyfriend, and the other was for reviewing.

Design-wise, all of the m&m bags have the same layout with the only differences being the color scheme and featured character. This flavor features the ever-nervous orange m&m with some pumpkins. Nothing fancy, it gets the job done, but the beige background doesn’t help it stand out on the shelves. (Which may be why I was able to grab these two bags, I think a lot of people passed them by thinking they were normal m&m’s with fall colors.)

Why did I go crazy over these m&m’s? Because I am one of those insane pumpkin and pumpkin spice people. Most of you might remember last fall when I reviewed tons of pumpkin items. (I almost made it a full 30 days!)
With that being said, this will be the first official review for Pumpkin Haul 2013!
Let’s get to the actual candy review…

Spooky Sprinkles- Walmart :Pennsauken, NJ

Spooky Sprinkles- Walmart :Pennsauken, NJ

I love spooky stuff and I love baking, so it’s a no-brainer that I would instantly buy spooky shaped sprinkles that are in a coffin container.

The container is the reason why I bought these sprinkles. If I had seen these little bug/spider toppings in a normal, tube-style, container I would have passed by and not even noticed them. Beyond being adorable and eye catching, this container is pretty handy. It features a Tic-Tac style pour spout and the clear plastic really shows off the colors of the product.

The sprinkles themselves are really adorably detailed. Each little bug has a distinct head, body, legs, and itty bitty fangs. These look adorable on top of ice cream and cupcakes.

This is where the positives end.

These sprinkles taste awful. Absolutely awful. I don’t even know how to begin describing this taste. It is kind of like Aspirin mixed with artificial sweetener. The flavor from these ruin everything they are on.

I began carrying these in my purse and trying to offer them to squirrels on campus, and they spat them out. I don’t know what is in these things, but the flavor is extremely disappointing.

A product can be visually appealing and well packaged, but if it tastes like butt, no one is going to buy it. I think I might try to do some resin crafts with these because they are basically inedible. (Just ask the squirrels.)

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

Like me on facebook to keep up with all my adventures!

Palmer’s Giant Cake Batter Cup - Dollar General: Cinnaminson, NJ

Palmer’s Giant Cake Batter Cup - Dollar General: Cinnaminson, NJ

I knew this was going to be a risky treat. It could either be really yummy… or just as disgusting as those Cupcake Bites.

The packaging is a soft lavender color which is actually quite lovely, but the art is pretty bad. I am not a fan of those creepy children in the bottom corner, the design would have been much stronger without them. 

Cupcake Bites - ???

Cupcake Bites - ???

This was a gift from my mother, so I have NO CLUE where this came from. 

My mother picked these up because I like cupcakes. (I have cupcake shaped cookie jars, cupcake scented perfumes, and cupcakes on my T-shirts.) So logically, this should be right up my alley.

The packaging is mainly primary colors. Right away the combination of red and yellow makes me think of fast food establishments, while the addition of blue makes me think of preschools. These colors are mixed up with a Disney-esque font and actual photos of the bites floating in space. I think if the fonts and colors were adjusted this could be a salvageable design, but right now it looks like high school design work. My favorite things are the vectored cupcake and icing dribble.

When I got to the actual bites they looked just like their photos on the box, but they smelled like canned frosting.

I had to eat a few of these to figure out how I felt about them. They aren’t great. The outside is “frosting,” which is more like the waxy outside of those Easter egg malt balls they sell every year, while the inside is more of the same but with a crumbly texture. There are tiny rainbow nonpareils throughout that add a bit of crunchy texture, but they do not add to the flavor.

While these were something novel, and new to try… I can’t say I would -ever- buy these again.

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

Like me on facebook to keep up with all my adventures!

White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles - Target : Cherry Hill, NJ

White Chocolate Peppermint Pringles - Target : Cherry Hill, NJ

When I saw the promo picture back in October for sweet Pringles I was really excited. Just look at it! The packaging is adorable, and matches the flavor. I have no complaints about it at all.

After I opened the canister, I really couldn’t smell anything. No mint. No white chocolate. That was really surprising. Inside, the chips looked like normal original flavor. I expected them to be coated in white chocolate, or to have flecks of minty candy.

I have had chocolate covered potato chips before, and they were delicious, so I assumed that these sweet Pringles would be great too.

Wrong.

I don’t know what the guys in the flavor department were thinking! The chips taste like original, SALTY, chips with a VERY light dusting of minty powdered sugar. I really wish that more effort was put into making them taste better. This idea has so much potential!

I wouldn’t recommend picking this flavor up. AT ALL. This one was a real disappointment, and I hope the cinnamon sugar flavor is better.

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

Like me on facebook to keep up with all my adventures!

Life, Strawberry Crunchtime - Target : Cherry Hill, NJ

Life, Strawberry Crunchtime - Target : Cherry Hill, NJ

Franken Berry is only available in my area around Halloween, how am I supposed to get my strawberry cereal fix year-round? Maybe this new Strawberry Life cereal will help fill the void.

The box is bright and uses a large CG strawberry as the bowl. (Which I love! I wish they sold bowls like that!) As you can see on the box, this cereal is a bit different from other types of flavored Life. According to the website, the "cool pinwheel shape" was meant to appeal to kids. I think that is silly. Why couldn’t they have made strawberry flavored rice-chex?

Neuro : Sonic - from a promoter

Neuro : Sonic - from a promoter

Companies LOVE coming to college campuses and having students try new products. It makes sense, you have a lot of 17-25 year olds there to test out your product, and if they like it they’ll seek it out in the future.

I have tried Neuro before, just a different flavor, and I was NOT a fan. 

Like my other review states, I LOVE this bottle design, but this specific bottle looks like a sex toy. I think it’s because it is all one color, the Bliss variation I had before was broken up with different colors. (There is an orgasm themed drink in the line, so maybe they want that kind of association.)