Sometimes you feel like a Nut - or Two?

Another seasonal de-stash. 

I grabbed these from Lidl thinking I could incorporate them into my baking, but my cookie boxes were crowded already, so they were relegated to snacking. 

Problem is, I rarely eat nuts. (That's what she said!) I'm not allergic, and I love nut-flavored things like, marzipan, Reese's cups, and pistachio ice cream, or even chopped peanuts scattered over a savory pad Thai. But snacking on a handful of plain almonds? Not going to happen. 

But, these are fairly healthy (especially when compared to all the Doritos currently on top of my fridge), so I took them into work so I could eat them as a desk-snack. Maybe they'll surprise me and I'll be converted...but I doubt it. 

Fall-bucha - Apple, Cinnamon, Vanilla and Clove flavored Kombucha

The blog has accidently turned into mostly-Lidl reviews. It makes sense, since I've been shopping there a lot lately, and they really went all-in with interesting fall themed products, but for the sake of variety, I promise my next review will be non-Lidl. 

Today we are still Lidl-ing it up, this time with a a seasonal kombucha: apple, cinnamon, vanilla and clove.

I love kombucha, and have tried a lot of flavors over the years, but my preferences typically lean into berry based flavors like cherry, raspberry, or cranberry. So this apple, cinnamon, vanilla, and clove option is pretty different for me. 

Will it be a good-different? I guess we'll see. 

Rice Cakes: Food or Packing Material? - Two Seasonal Lidl Flavors

Did anyone else go through a rice cake phase in the late 90's to early 2000's? I remember eating chocolate flavored ones with mini chocolate chips all the time. I also remember eating them with little pods of apple cinnamon flavored peanut butter. After searching online for ages, I found it! It was Jif Smooth Sensations in Apple Cinnamon. Specifically the sample versions seen in this photo! My mom got a bunch of free samples but due to peanut allergies, she couldn't give them away to kids, so we were drowning in these things at home. (According to the 1999 commercial, I guess it was a fully realized product in jars?) 

Were rice cakes a universally popular snack in the late 90's? Or was this a personal quirk?

Anyway, Lidl released some seasonal rice cakes in their fall line up and I thought, why not?

Bonne Apple-Tea - Lidl Seasonal Tea

Cinnamon Apple Tea - Lidl 

I am officially over-pumpkin'd, but there is one pumpkin thing I purchase each year and enjoy, and that is Pumpkin Spiced Tea. 

A bunch of companies make this stuff. Over the years I have had Celestial Seasonings, Trader Joes, Harney & Sons, Aldi, and Lidl's takes. I even made this post about it, Three Teas Enter, One Tea Leafs! 

But, since I still had some pumpkin spice bags leftover from last year, I thought I would give apple a try this time. 

This was a bad call. 

Apple Cider Donut Oreos - A taste of Fall in the dead of winter

Playing catch-up before we are bombarded by a slew of new Oreos. 

Are apple cider donuts a universal fall item? I always thought it was a niche east-coast-thing, so I was surprised this flavor had such a wide release. Growing up we always associated cider donuts with local farms and pumpkin patches, and as a kid I just thought they were stale cake donuts dipped in cider and sugar to give them a refresh and apple flavoring, but that is obviously not the case (otherwise they would be soggy.) 

These were released fall 2021 and while I do have a fondness for cider donuts, I usually hate Oreos take on apple flavoring. (I find it chemically and gross.) I wasn't going to go out of my way to find these flavor, and then they popped up at Aldi of all places. With it being right there I thought, why not?

Let's Get Cozy - Lidl Pumpkin Spice Tea Review

Pumpkin Tea - Lidl

I normally like to be detached and light hearted in food posts, and I know this has been a difficult time for everyone, but somedays I'm able to take it in stride, and other days it just sucker-punches me in the gut. This month was filled with a lot of sucker-punch-days. 

But in the end, my little food blog here is one of my happy places on the internet. So let's all take a breath, get cozy, and have a cup of tea to forget about all the hard stuff for a minute.

I'm certainly no stranger when it comes to pumpkin teas. Over the years I have had three different varieties: Celestial Seasonings, Trader Joe's, and HT, and while that is but a mere scratch on the pumpkin-themed-tea surface, I still feel like I have a pretty good base to judge this new contender.   

Aldi Thanksgiving Ravioli - Pasta meets leftovers

Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli - Aldi

Sometimes things just never make it to the blog, even when I have the best intentions to do so. Like these ravioli. I actually bought these, and the bourbon sweet potato flavor, last year and I photographed them and everything...but I never wrote it up. (I'm pretty sure I posted pics to Instagram though.) 

Thankfully, both products returned this year, giving me a second chance to share them with you! Also, like HalloWEEK, I'll be posting a new review every day this week for Thanksgiving! So be sure to check back every day to see what I'm munching on! 

#TBT White Pumpkin Pie m&m's, from 2019 (Because I'm a hoarder)

White Pumpkin Pie m&m's  - Target (I think)

In 2019, a simpler time, I went Halloween clearance crazy. While I totally don't regret it, a bunch of stuff ended up slipping through the cracks...like these m&m's. 

The bag says these are best before April of 2020, but do m&m's ever really go bad? They get chalky, sure, but rancid? Not really, unless they get wet.  So let's open up this (dry) bag of Halloween m&m's from 2019 and see how they've held up! 

Battle of the Bad Apples : Dove vs. Hersey's

Apple Chocolates: Dove vs. Hersey's   

I'm back just in time to celebrate the end of a decade!

Like always, my hiatus wasn't planned, and proof of that is...I kept buying stuff, so much stuff, and telling myself, "it's okay it's for a review." Well, we both know that didn't happen. To make matters worse (or better), I kind of jumped into the Halloween clearance section with both feet. There is a LOT of fall-themed backlog to get through, but I consider that a win since I'd rather ruminate in fall flavors than dig myself into further foodie-debt with winter offerings. 

To speed up the de-hoarding process, today's post is double trouble. Today we have two different apple themed chocolates, which one will be more a-peel-ing?

Better Late Than Never? Seasonal Salsas from Aldi

Seasonal Salsas - Aldi

I posted these on Instagram and they got a moderate amount of attention, so I picked all three up to review...and then didn't review anything for, like, a month. (Or two.) What can I say, I sucked at blogging in 2017. I debated on saving these for a #tbt post, but they're still available at my local Aldi, so I might as well share my thought in case any of you have been wanting to check these out before they disappear. 

Cinnamon Flavored Pepsi: Delicious? Or Medicinal Nightmare?

Pepsi FIRE (Cinnamon Soda) -  Wawa

Pepsi is finally bringing some wacky limited-run flavors state-side and, while I'm normally all for trying Wacky Pepsi products, I just don't know about this one. 

Normally, I love cinnamon. I use cinnamon sticks to infuse my water (with apple slices), I bury homemade pancakes in a spicy dust-storm's-worth, and I completely coat apple slices for my mid-day desk snack (which is the best and only way to eat apples.) So yeah, I love eating stuff with cinnamon, but I pretty much hate it everywhere else. Cinnamon mouthwash or toothpaste? No thanks! Big Red Gum? I'm more of a DoubleMint girl. Those decorative cinnamon pinecones? Too intense. 

Knowing that, I'm not sure how this review it going to go. I guess we'll find out...

#tbt Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes - Walmart

#tbt Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes - Walmart

Are you ready for another pumpkin spice throw back Thursday? I know I am!

Actually, this might be the last pumpkin spiced product in my stash. I don't see anything else hiding in my cabinet, but knowing my food hoarder ways...something might pop up in a week or two.

First world food blogger problems, am I right? Oh well, let's eat some 6 month old Cupcakes!

Caramel Apple Pop-Tarts - Walmart #tbt

Caramel Apple Pop-Tarts - Walmart #tbt 

I know it's not Thursday but...I GOT THE HOUSE! 

I have been working with lawyers, realtors, and banks since the beginning of October to seal this deal and my short sale journey is finally at it's end. We start the closing proceedings next week and then I have to start tackling repairs and cleaning before I can move in, but still...I'll have a HOUSE!

This also means I need to bust through as much of my food-hoarding-stash as I can to lighten my future moving-load, so expect a lot of off-season throwbacks! 

Let's kick off the throwback frenzy with these Pop-Tarts!

#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!

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Corn - Aldi

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Corn - Aldi

Sorry Christmas enthusiasts, I've got some lingering pumpkin goodies to knock out before moving on to all things mint and cocoa related. (Not to mention my personal vendetta against Santa for turning my Halloween clearance shopping into a winter wonderland ON Halloween. Not cool, Santa. Not cool.)
For today's post I've got some pumpkin spiced caramel corn from Aldi. To be honest I wasn't too keen on buying this, because I thought it was going to be another novelty pumpkin spice product that no one wanted to eat that would clutter up my kitchen cabinets, but it proved me wrong.

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spiced Glazed - One Day Only!!

Pumpkin Spice Galzed Doughnut VS. Original Glaze

Krispy Kreme offered a classic glazed version of their pumpkin spiced doughnuts, but they were only available for ONE DAY in October. I was hype. I posted about it on the Sometimes Foodie Facebook page, and pretty much count down the days until to was offered, reminded everyone that day that it was out..and I totally forgot to pick some up for myself. I finally remembered after midnight and I was kicking myself. Weeks later, a shining ray of hope appeared. 

Krispy Kreme was bringing this special doughnut back for another one day event in November, so I seized this opportunity and went to straight to Krispy Kreme after work to secure some of these (and a few other) doughnuts.

Project 7 Pumpkin Spice Delight Gum

Does the world really need another pumpkin spiced gum? 

Battle of the Pumpkin Teas! - 3 Teas Enter, One Tea Leafs!

(Get it? Leafs?) Welp, give me a pity laugh any way because I'm sick. It's just a head cold, but my voice sounds oh'-so sexy, and I'm pretty much bed-bound playing Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon on my 3DS until my thumbs fall off. 

The bright-side to being sick (other than playing video games) is I'm stuck at home, which gives me the time to type up some long over due reviews! I decided to focus on some sick-stomach-friendly items in my stash, and I found three different fall themed teas! So let's have a throat-soothing showdown to see which tea shall reign supreme!

Krispy Kreme! Pumpkin Spice Original Glaze - Nov 16 ONLY!

It's back! I missed out on this last month, but I've got a second chance! The pumpkin spice original glaze doughnut will be available next Wednesday (11/16/16). Are you going to give it a try?

Lovely Halloween Pocky - Pumpkin Apple & Milk Reviews

Lovely Halloween Pocky! The last YouTube review for the day!
In case you missed the others:
Mystery Flavored Pepsi GHOST (from Japan)
League of Legends Shrimp Snacks (from Korea)