Ben & Jerry's vs. The Girl Scouts - Chewy Gooey Cookie

Chewy Gooey Cookie Ben & Jerry's - Target

Samoa ice cream? 

This has milk chocolate and coconut ice creams, shortbread pieces, fudge flakes, and a caramel swirl. All the ingredients of top-tier Girl Scout cookie, Samoa (aka Caramel deLites.) Since this is as subtle as a baseball bat to the face, I'm far from the first person to make the connection. Which makes me wonder, why isn't this a collaboration? 

Ben & Jerry's previously released, "Thick Mint," a clear parody of Girl Scout's, "Thin Mint," so maybe there's some bad blood between the two junkfood giants? Someone more versed in brand politics can fill me in down in the comments. I'm sure I'm missing something. 

Whatever the reason, I love Samoas, and I love ice cream, so I have high hopes for this pint! 

Coconut with a Side of Play-Dough

Coconut & Chocolate Crunch Gelato

Teeth are stupid, we get baby teeth and those last us like, 12 years (or whatever), only to be replaced with something that needs to last us another 70+ and even then they might not grow in "right." It made sense when life expectancy was like, 35, but this is 2022. George Jetson was (supposedly) born this year, shouldn't we GATTACA this stuff up by now to genetically ensure our collective dental future? Or is there a big dental conspiracy so they charge us a fortune? 

Long story short, I went in for my normal cleaning and ended up getting dental surgery. It was expensive, and it sucked. On a positive note, I get to eat a bunch of soft, cool, foods. Like ice cream, or gelato while I heal, so I grabbed a bunch of stuff to try. Including this gelato. 

Banana-ang on the Drum All Day! - Banana Split Drumsticks

Banana Split DrumSticks

Salt and Straw dropped another really delicious looking ice cream collection, (this one is summer picnic themed), and I decided to go for it. Their Thanksgiving drop was innovative, playful, and most importantly, delicious, so I was pumped. Problem is, I needed to make room in my freezer. I have always liked ice cream, but I never pegged myself as an "ice cream" person. But my freezer begs to differ. 

 

After some rearranging, I came to realize...I already had a LOT of ice cream. So, get ready for a lot of back-to-back ice cream posts!

Banana Split is a recurring limited edition offering from Drumstick, and I have bought it several times with the intention of reviewing it, only to go through the whole box before I get the chance. Finally, it's time as come.

Extreme! Maximum Fudge Moose Tracks - Aldi Ice Cream Review

Extreme Maximum Fudge Moose Tracks - Aldi 

As I reached for my tried and true pint of Make Fudge Not War I thought, why not try something new? This container of Extreme Maximum Fudge Moose Tracks was a seasonal product, popping back in time and again throughout the year, mostly during warmer weather, and I had never tried it. Why not now? 

For comparison, Make Fudge not War is a Ben & Jerry's knock-off with "super premium ice cream," but it's just a chocolate ice cream with brownie chunks, and this is just chocolate ice cream "maxed out" with Moose Tracks fudge. How different could they be? 

If you want to be all responsible and science-y, and compare the two nutritional panels, these are actually quite different. A serving of the Make Fudge Not War is half a cup, which clocks 310 calories, while this stuff is portioned out at 2/3rds a cup for a mere 240 calories. So you get less calories per scoop, which means there's something to the "super premium" labeling after all.  

Compared to the pint this has less fat, less sugar, and about the same amount of sodium. Health-wise, that sounds like it would be "better," right? Well when it comes to ice cream, fat is good. It makes things richer, creamier, which is why all those light ice creams are so styrofoam-y and full of air. Will this taste diet-y? 

Oh, Fudge! It's Back! - Milky Way Fudge

Milky Way Fudge - CVS

Milky Way Fudge is back!

I live in a Snickers household, (I'm outnumbered, 2-to-1), so I don't buy Milky Way very often, but in my eyes, they are the superior candy bar. I'm just not a fan of peanuts in my candy. Peanut butter? Sure. Actual peanuts? It's like trail mix masquerading as candy. No thanks. 

That being said, a new flavor is a great excuse to grab some MilkyWays, and I was really excited that this flavor in particular. Milky Way Fudge had a limited run in 2018, but I missed out on it. But now it's back! (New candy is the best candy consumption excuse!)

Also, I found these at CVS when I was buying a bag of stress-Cheetos after a long, and rainy, work-week, and who doesn't want a bit of chocolate when they're in full melt-down mode? Let's see if this new flavor can usurp Midnight as my number one!

I Mint to Post This Earlier - Dark Chocolate Mint Fudge Stripes

Dark Chocolate Mint Fudge Stripe Cookies - Ollie's $1.29

Good o'l Ollie's. Where all limited edition food goes to die. 

If you're not familiar with Ollie's, it's a bargain shop that gets closeout goods and off-season products and sells them are lower price points. I was there buying last minute Christmas ornaments (because all I own are Halloween decorations) and couldn't resist picking up a few snacks.

If you search the blog you'll see that in all my years of blogging, I've never reviewed a Fudge Stripe cookie, and that isn't an oversight. I'm not a fan, but I love the combination of chocolate with mint, and I love a bargain, so maybe these will win me over? 

Not a fan of vanilla? How about Mocha?

Dunkin' Donuts Mocha Pop-Tarts - Walmart

The companion Pop-Tart to yesterday's review, today we have Chocolate Mocha! 

Kind of a redundant name, don't you think? With "mocha" the chocolate is usually implied. I mean, a cafe mocha is milk, espresso (some times places use plain ol' coffee) and a hint of chocolate. It's like calling chocolate milk, "chocolaty chocolate milk."  Perhaps the chocolate here refers to the chocolate pastry shell? Oh well, enough semantics, let's eat!

Make Fudge Not War Ice Cream - Aldi ($1.99)

Make Fudge Not War Ice Cream - Aldi ($1.99) 

Another long day at work deserves another pint of Aldi ice cream.

Last time I looked into Aldi's Brookie Dough, which seems like a dupe of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, and this one looks suspiciously like Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie...but it's half the price!

Fudge being made in The Fudge Kitchen

Making some fresh #fudge in #wildwoodnj

A video posted by M. Smith (@poison_and_antidote) on Aug 30, 2015 at 6:03pm PDT

Sorry for the lack of a post today, I got stuck in traffic on the way home from the beach last night and got home much later than I expected. Plus, I got a pretty healthy sunburn, even with my SPF 50. I'll write up something fun tonight when I get home from work, but in the meantime, watch this neat video I took at The Fudge Kitchen in Wildwood, NJ!

Jersey Shore Food Post Teaser

I went to the Jersey shore yesterday and ate a TON of food. I’ll be writing up a big blog post about it, but here are some teaser photos to tide you over.

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

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Fudge Covered Ritz Crackers - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Fudge Covered Ritz Crackers - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

I posted a photo of these a very very long time ago, and asked if I should check them out. I got one or two responses saying I should go for it, and long story short, they've been sitting in my to-be-reviewed box for nearly two months. (Whoopsie.)

I'm (finally) starting to get through my foodie back-log, so it's time to crack these crackers open and see if they were worth the buy.

Chocolate Nut Fudge - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Chocolate Nut Fudge - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

I normally don't buy fudge, unless I'm at the Jersey Shore, but this Aldi item seemed a bit unique. (At least to me.) I mean, chocolate fudge with a cheddar base? Is that normal? When I make fudge I use a dairy base, usually sweetened condensed milk, which isn't completely different from cheddar cheese, but it sounds so odd! I didn't buy this right away, I scoped it out over nearly a month's worth of grocery runs, and the "cheddar" must have scared away potential buyers, because trip after trip, the display was untouched. It went on clearance the other day and when I saw how cheap it was, I finally took the risk and tossed it into my cart.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge - ???

Pumpkin Pie Fudge - ???

This was a little gift from my mother, who likes to read my foodie posts. (Hi mom!) I'm not sure where she bought it, I'm guessing it was somewhere near the Jersey Shore, but a lot of places are peddling pumpkin fudge these days. At this point I have already reviewed a pumpkin fudge, but this one is packaged so cutely! How could I not photograph it?

There isn't much packaging to review. This is just a mini pie tin with some saran-wrap and a sticker. I don't even see any nutritional information posted anywhere. (Which is a little odd, but the last fudge I reviewed didn't have any information either.) There really isn't much for me to talk about. I mean, I like the pie tin, but I feel like this packaging is more for show than function or convenience. It was easy to remove the fudge from the tin, but it is difficult to keep it fresh. 

Pumpkin Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

Pumpkin Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

A seasonal favorite, pumpkin fudge!
It is almost time for me to fill your queues with a ton of pumpkin-y goodness. I may try to switch things up this year. I am still playing around with the idea, but I am thinking that I might schedule pumpkin related items only on certain days (like Mon, Wed, Fri) from October to November. There are some viewers who aren't on my pumpkin obsession level, so I'd like to include some non-pumpkin reviews each week. Any suggestions/objections?

Now, on to the review!

Penuche Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

Penuche Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

Another thing that sets The Fudge Factory apart from it's competition is that they allow you to sample all of their fudges, not just the classic chocolate and vanilla. I asked for a sample of penuche a few years ago and now it's a staple flavor in every box of fudge I buy. (I practically always get amaretto swirl, penuche, and pistachio with one wild card flavor.)

Penuche is a classic American candy that is made with brown sugar, butter, vanilla and milk/cream. Basically it's all the wet ingredients from a batch of chocolate chip cookies cooked up into a creamy fudge-like dessert.

Amaretto Swirl Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

Amaretto Swirl Fudge - The Fudge Factory : Wildwood, NJ

Here's a little taste of summer now that school has started back up.

I have been going to Wildwood every summer since birth. It isn't the classiest, or fanciest, sea-side town in New Jersey, but it hold a special place in my heart.

If you have ever been on Wildwood's boardwalk, you'd know that there are tons of fudge shops and they are all having a special sale today! The sales clerks stand outside and tell you about "tonight's special," buy 2 lbs of fudge and get a free box of salt water taffy. If you live in a sea-side town you know that this is the same special that has been offered everyday since the beginning of time. (Not literally, but it's been the same special since I was a fetus. Only the prices have gone up.) If you're in town, don't get fooled by the "special." Check local papers for a coupon. Every fudge shop on the boardwalk offers them. (Fudge Kitchen, Laura's Fudge, Douglas Fudge...etc.)

Over the years I have tried every fudge shop on the boardwalk and I think Fudge Factory is the best. It is the only place I ever buy fudge from.

The shop isn't fancy by any means, it looks just like all the others. It's the actual fudge and it's flavors that make this shop stand out.

Wildwood Foodie Teaser

Shore Trip - Wildwood, NJ

I’m in Wildwood, which means that I can’t write a proper update or edit photos, so I’ll post an in depth review tomorrow. For now, enjoy the delicious food porn!

 From top to bottom...

• Fudge from The Fudge Factory (The best fudge shop in Wildwood)
• Two paninis from Wildwood Bagel (A place I have reviewed before)
• A delicious strawberry, banana and Nutella crêpe

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

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