A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It - Fall Festival Candy Corn

Happy Halloween! What better way to wrap things up than with some novelty candy corn! 

Brach's Fall Festival Candy Corn has 6 distinct flavors: 

Sprite Lymonade Legacy

Sprite Lymonade Legacy - Walgreens

Sprite has released a new limited edition soda celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop. It's Lemon-Lime, Strawberry, and Lemonade flavored, which is a little tricky to say, and awkward to type, but it sounds great for summer. I'm excited to get sippin'!

What does Hibiscus Taste Like?

Hibiscus Lemonade Kombucha - Lidl

Another day, Another 'bucha. 

I'm very familiar with lemonade, not so much hibiscus. I know what the flower looks like, they're pretty, and tropical. The flower of choice amongst surfers, Hawaiian shirt lovers and various resort wear companies. I know they tends to turn food and drinks they're in pink. But that's it. 

Is it perfume-y? Fruity? Will this kombucha taste like grandma's perfume? Pairing anything with lemon is usually a safe bet, so I'm not nervous. More-so curious to see what hibiscus will bring to the table. 

When opened, the kombucha has it's classic fermented tea tanginess, but it's extra sour. Like lemon juice. It smells tart, tangy and juicy, but right off the bat this makes me think of lemons more than it does lemonade, and I don't detect anything floral. Is hibiscus sour? 

I'll google hibiscus flavoring after I try it. I don't want it to influence me. 

Laffy Taffy Explores Citrus - Orange Sherbet and Lemon-Raspberry

Laffy Taffy - Orange Sherbet & Lemon-Raspberry

When I saw these, I thought I had already reviewed them, specifically in some kind of Easter-themed mix. Searching through my blog, there was no sign of them. Did I imagine it? Was it something I ate and never wrote up? Are these completely new and my brain is finally at the point where I've forgotten what I've tried and what I haven't? 

Time to fix that.

Pucker Up - Lemon Crisp Kit-Kats

Lemon Crisp Kit-Kat - Walgreens

Hi everyone! I disappeared again. (Sorry!) In my defense, my one-year pandemi-versary is coming up and reflecting on the past year has put my head in a weird place. I am still surrounded by candy and things I want to post about, but editing the photos and typing posts requires a level of focus that I just don't have right now. I'm trying to schedule a bunch of reviews over the weekend to fix all that, but in the meantime, there's a new Kit-Kat in town! 

Duo-licious? or a Dud?

Starburst Duo - Walmart

Apparently Starburst released this "new" Duo-themed candy. Juts in case the quotes didn't tip you off, get ready for some old man yells at cloud-level grumpiness in this review.

Instead of four individual flavors in this mix, you only get two. Kind of. One could argue that you still get four, since these are just two different flavors of fruity taffy fused in the center to create one piece of candy. So if you nibble each side individually, you still have four flavors here, but that sounds a little too sticky and inconvenient.  

As a concept, this is something we've seen before. More recently I feel like Airheads has leaned into this two-flavors-as-one trend, and while it can be a fun idea conceptually, I feel like this particular take is falling flat. 

None of these flavors are new, and a consumer could always eat any two Starburst candies together to make your own DIY Duo mixes. Mixing and matching flavors of preexisting candy is something foodies like Cybele have been advocating for for ages, but I guess the appeal of this item is that these particular flavors have never been in the same mix before? There is some minor convenience there, but is that enough to warrant a whole new candy with fanfare and blog posts? We shall see...

I Chews You! - Korean Pokemon Candies

Pokemon XYZ Crown MyChew Fruit Chews - H-Mart

Howdy, strangers! 

I apologize for my sporadic updates. (Or lack there of.) Life just keeps throwing me curve balls. (Says the food blogger with very limited knowledge of sports.) Anyways, quick life update: I started a new job last week! It's kind of food related, and a lot closer to home, which means I gain an hour and a half of my life back every single day. Yay!

Once I settle in to my new routine I plan on dedicating that hour and a half to the blog so I can finally get back to posting daily. Which will be extra awesome because my food hoarding problem is only getting worse. (I'm one box-full-o'-food away from Hoarders banging down my door.) So, let's knock out some candy!

Pink Lemonade Pop-Tarts - Walmart #tbt

Pink Lemonade Pop-Tarts - Walmart #tbt 

It's still warm outside and technically summer, but I'm still going to count this as a #tbt anyway because it's been sitting in my to-be-reviewed-pile for months.

(8 flavors) DumDums Summer Time Favorites - Target

DumDums Summer Time Favorites - Target 

I'm torn. Pumpkin products and spooky decorations and lining the shelves, which warms my little-gothic heart, but at the same time I can feel summer slipping through my fingers! I'm not ready for fall sweaters yet! I'll be clinging to summer for as long as I can, and I've got 250 summer themed lollipops to help fuel my delusions.

Watermelon Mint Lemonade, Bolthouse Farms - Aldi

 Watermelon Mint Lemonade, Bolthouse Farms - Aldi

Welp, I need a new CPU fan. My old one finally died on me and I need a new one or my PC will overheat. I'm hoping to pick one up on my way home from work tonight but in the meantime, let's prevent my brain from overheating with some refreshing lemonade.

I know, I know, I've been reviewing a LOT of Aldi products lately, but it's my go-to grocery store. I stop there twice a week to grab stuff for myself, my mom, and my grandpa. Since I've been reviewing so many Aldi products this week I figured I would take a break from their house branded items and try one of the name brand products they carry, like this summery Watermelon Mint Lemonade.

Snackbusters: 3 Different Tic Tac Reviews in one post!

If there's something weird
And it don't look good
Who you gonna call
Snackbusters!

Remember how I said this wasn't going to be a thing? It might not be a permanent addition to my blog line-up, but it's an awesome way for me to bust through similar products in my stash, so I'm doing it again! This time I've got three different flavors of Tic Tacs.

My friends and family have been buying me these flavors as gifts, because they haven't been on the blog yet, but really...they've been in my food stash all along. So I figured I better get these posted ASAP before I drown in Tic Tacs!

Project 7 Build A Flavor Half and Half -Target

Project 7 Build A Flavor Half and Half -Target

Okay, I've reviewed enough Project 7 products by now, you guys know I'm head over heels for the company's message, their packaging, and their aesthetic, but their products tend to be hit or miss when it comes to quality. The mints? Always awesome! The gum? Not so much. I've talked about the packaging and design in tons of other reviews, so I'm going to get right to it. How does this mix hold up? 

Dum•Dums Heart Pops - Target

Dum•Dums Heart Pops - Target 

Every time I buy a Dum-Dums product I get the song from their 90's commercial stuck in my head. Looking back, I feel like that commercial and the Blow Pop one were always being shown on Nickelodeon! I can still recite them both from heart, along with the kickass song from the Crossfire commercial!

Dum-Dums lollipops have been around for quite some time but they aren't letting their brand get stale. They've been having some fun releasing pizza, bacon, and buttered popcorn flavored lollipops, some jelly bean centered candies for Easter, and now these new Heart-shaped pops offer two flavors in one. 

Cucumber Watermelon Lemonade - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Cucumber Watermelon Lemonade - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

I posted a photo of this on instagram the second I saw it. Watermelon cucumber lemonade? It sounds so fancy and refreshing, especially for Aldi. I popped it right into my cart, but then it hit me. Cucumber Melon? Where had I heard of that combination before...my high school Bath & Body Works obsession! 

Like a lot of people in the late 90's and early 2000's, I was obsessed with the cucumber melon fragrance from Bath & Body Works. I once had a bottle of lotion explode in my gym bag and from that point on, no matter how many times I washed it, everything that ever entered that bag became infected with cucumber-melon-itis. I wore it so much I made myself sick, so I've avoided this fragrance ever since. Will this taste like I'm drinking a bottle of body spray?

Project 7 Front Porch Lemonade Gum - JoAnn Fabrics

Project 7 Front Porch Lemonade Gum - JoAnn Fabrics

I had been trying to track down these Project 7 chewing gums for almost a year. The packaging is so clean, and all the other food bloggers were posting about them, and I (like the foodie sheep that I am) wanted to check them out too. Since I try really hard not to buy food or candy online, I was scouring the grocery stores hoping to find these, and back in January I finally found them! At Jo Ann Fabrics of all places! I started out with the Birthday Cake version (which was reviewed here) but thankfully more and more flavors are popping up here in Jersey, so now I have this beautiful summery lemonade to review!

Candyology101 Episode 19: Lemonade, Cotton Candy & Watermelons, Oh My! (Summer Flavors)

July is flying by fast, so let's take a moment to relax and enjoy some classic summer flavors. On today's episode of Candyology101, Cybele and I discuss three candy flavors commonly associated with summer: lemonade, cotton candy, and watermelon.

We take a moment to talk about what makes a lemonade candy different from a plain lemon candy, give you a little history on the origin of cotton candy/fairy floss, and finish things off with some watermelon themed bubble gum machine memories. Which flavor is your favorite?

Have you been liking Candyology101 so far? 

Please head on over to itunes and give us a little review to let us know how we're doing.

Meet the cast:

Cybele from Candy Blog

Maria (Me) from Sometimes Foodie

Listen to the player above, check us out on Stitcher, or you can download the MP3 file. If you want to subscribe to the show, it’s available on iTunes and via RSS.

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

Like Sometimes Foodie's Facebook page to keep up with all my foodie adventures!

Lifesavers Gummies Tangy Collisions - Walgreens - Cherry Hill, NJ

Lifesavers Gummies Tangy Collisions - Walgreens - Cherry Hill, NJ

Is it gummi? Or gummy? However it's spelled, these sweets are my absolute favorites.

Back in high school, long before I started a food blog, I was candy-loving goth mallrat and I'd buy a huge bag of gummies every Friday at the (now closed) bulk candy store in our local mall. I'd fill a bag with all kind of different gummi shapes and sizes, and I'd eat it all before the next weekend. (Although one or two gummy sharks may or may not have been released back into the wild, meaning the mall fountain. I'm so sorry early 2000's mall cleaning staff. I was a rebel.) I even used to joke that the best birthday present for me would be my weight in gummy candy! (Which I would still love by the way. *hint*hint*)

Now that I've proven my gummi-loving street-cred, let's check out this new flavor variety from Lifesavers that I found at the drugstore. (Where I was buying oh-so-sexy shoe inserts to wear to the convention center.)

Rose Effervé (Sparkling Pink Lemonade) - Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Rose Effervé (Sparkling Pink Lemonade) - Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Back to back Aldi reviews! I normally like to scatter my reviews so that I don't review items from the same location several times in a row, but I was thirsty, and I really wanted to drink this lemonade. Forget planning and blog procedure, let's have a drink!

Welch's Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade - Aldi

Welch's Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade - Aldi

I don't know why, but I've been buying a lot of flavored lemonades. I've bought 4 different kinds in the last two weeks, which is very out of character for me. I normally drink water all day (and I still do), but I find myself craving something sweet and fruity in the evenings. Maybe it's because summer is practically here? I mean, nothing says summer like fancy lemonades. Anyway, this is going to be a pretty quick one, so lets get started!

Belvoir Fruit Farms Beverages - Whole Foods: Marlton, NJ (Photo Heavy)

Belvoir Fruit Farms Beverages - Whole Foods: Marlton, NJ

It's been a really long time since I've been to Whole Foods, in fact, I actually bought these and photographed them while ago, I just never got around to typing up the review. (So don't let that 2014 expiration date scare you.) I drank these back in November and wrote down some notes, now I'm finally getting off my lazy butt and typing it all up. This is going to be PHOTO HEAVY, so you've been warned.