A Frugal Indulgence for a Millennial Marie Antoinette - Aldi Spring Assortment Macarons

Aldi Spring Macarons

There is a clear difference between freshly-made bakery macarons and mass produced frozen ones BUT that doesn't mean frozen macarons are bad. They're just different. 

Pros of frozen macarons: more affordable, are readily available in stores like Aldi, Walmart, Lidl, etc., keep for a long time but are quick to thaw for snacking.

Cons of frozen macarons: Their stability means they aren't as decadent or delicate as freshly made, and they tend to come in boring flavors. If you'd seen one box of frozen macrons, you've  seen them all. 

Until now that is. Aldi is opening their frozen macaron section up to seasonal flavors, like this spring box. I hope this is the start of a trend and we see more, maybe even limited edition, flavors in the future. So, what's in this spring mix and how does it compare to the normal year-round one? 

An Aldi Girl Shops at Lidl - Chocolate Pistachio Ice Cream

Chocolate & Pistachio Cones - Lidl

If you're looking through the novelty ice cream freezer at Aldi, you're likely to see a lot of chocolate and vanilla, maybe the occasional seasonal item shaped like a snowman or whatever with a hint of fruit, but for the most part they play it safe. Lidl's offerings seem to lean more towards their European roots, and they don't shy away from nutty offerings like hazelnut or pistachio. They actually offer two different pistachio themed items, an ice cream bar covered in a layer of chocolate, and white chocolate, with pistachio pieces, and these chocolate pistachio cones. As a pistachio-lover, I had to give these a try. You know, for science. 

My FAVORITE Oreo of 2018! (& Why I Love Oreo Thins)

Pistachio Oreo Thins - Shop Rite $2.50 ea.

I am kicking myself. I have a jar filled with real pistachios sitting right on my kitchen counter that would have made these photos look fantastic...but I completely forgot about them until I was editing this post. I flirted with the idea of re-shooting just to satisfy my perfectionist nature....but we both know I barely blog as it is. If I buy another brand new unopened package just to re-shoot these pics...this is never getting written up. 

So, for my sake, imagine delicious pistachios, both shelled and un-shelled, sprinkled about these photos making me look like a domestic foodie goddess I aspire to be, not the frazzled sometimes-foodie I actually am. (Really living up to the name the past 2 years...)

With today's review, the title completely gives my opinion away, so there's no use dancing around it now. These are the best Oreo I have eaten all year.

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.

Specially Selected Sicilian Pistachio Gelato - Aldi

Specially Selected Sicilian Pistachio Gelato - Aldi

Look at me getting all fancy with condensation in these photos! Sorry for the sporadic posting schedule, as of today things finally calmed down at my day job so we should be back on track.

A few days ago I was walking around Aldi grabbing my usual groceries when I noticed that there were three new fancy flavors of gelato in the freezer section. Each one is contained in a cute little plastic tub with a resealable lid. Is it just me, or do these tubs look familiar? Kind of Talenti-like, right? But with a silver lid. The flavor variety at Aldi was really reminiscent of Talenti too. I wanted to check this stuff out, so I grabbed one of each flavor and tossed them into my cart for further analysis. (Which is a fancy way of saying it's been a rough week and I needed an excuse to buy three tubs of ice cream.) 

Pistachio (Ice Cream) Iced Coffee - Dunkin' Donuts

Pistachio (Ice Cream) Iced Coffee - Dunkin' Donuts

Back in college I lived off of espresso shots and caramel, but now-a-days I just drink water out of my oh so classy giant Walmart mason jar. I know that sounds super hipster-y, but trust me, I don't use it for the look. I use it because it's huge (it's a quart-sized soup jar for canning), and since it's nice and big, I only have to refill it 2-3 times a day. (I drink a LOT of water and constantly refilling a normal sized cup is annoying. I'mlazy.) Coffee got me through a lot of tough times in college, but I don't need that boost of energy in my every day life. (At least not yet.) I'll drink it maybe 4-5 times a year, but when Junk Banter posted a photo of Pistachio iced coffee at Dunkin' Donuts...I knew I was in trouble.

Watch out world, I'm caffeinated! (Be afraid. Be very afraid.)

Pistachio Cherry Meltaways- Pinterest Recipe Review

 Pistachio Cherry Meltaways- Pinterest Recipe Review : The PIN The RECIPE

Happy Holidays! It's been a really long time since I've done a Pinterest recipe review, I think my last one was back in April, but I'd like to start doing them a bit more often.

My annual holiday cookie party/swap was this weekend, and we had a really great turn out! I made my gingerbread bats, like I do every year, and I picked another random cookie recipe from my cookie board to try out, this time I went with these festive little Pistachio Cherry Meltaways.

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!

More Frozen Macarons!

Looka Frozen Macarons- Walmart: Berlin, NJ

It seems like frozen macarons are available everywhere these days. The last batch I reviewed was from Trader Joe's, which is known for having unique and gourmet food items, but now even convenience store chains have begun selling their own version. Even Walmart! That's right, I got a box of frozen macaron cookies from Walmart. Before I get started let me say that frozen macarons will never be as delicious as bakery fresh ones, the eating experience is entirely different, but I did enjoy the premade and frozen Trader Joe's version (especially the pumpkin ones), how will Walmart's compare?

Pistachio Almond Thins - Sam's Club: Cinnaminson, NJ

Pistachio Almond Thins - BJ's: Voorhees, NJ

Buying new items at wholesale clubs can be risky. It's one thing to buy something you already enjoy in bulk, but it's another to totally take a risk buying large amount of potentially gross food. (I have been burned before.) Normally BJ's and other wholesale clubs hand out samples to let you know about new products before you buy them, which is really helpful, but that wasn't the case for this item.

My curiosity, and love of pistachios, lead me to this huge box of biscotti-like crisps and even though I knew nothing about this product...I bought it.

Let's hope that these almond thins are delicious, or else I'm stuck with 14 more packages of them.