Too Much of a Good Thing?

A quickie, since I've been burnt out at work but I wanted to keep my posting streak up. 

Pink is the best Starburst flavor. I thought this was universally agreed upon, so I was shocked when several friends, and even my own mother, confessed that they didn't like pink at all! (Blasphemy! They don't like red Skittles either!) Since there are no all-lemon or orange packs hitting the shelves, I am pretty sure they're on the wrong side of the flavor-wars. 

My Starburst ranking (of just the original line-up) would be 

1. Pink
2. Yellow
3. Red
4. Orange

And I think that's a fairly common take. (Let me know your order in the comments) 

So, given that pink is my favorite, I thought this, "Oops, All Pink,"-version would be the best pack of Starburst ever, sadly, it wasn't.

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'!

A Surprising Novelty - Mike & Ike's Peeps on a Stick

Mike and Ike Peeps on a Stick - Walmart 

Easter is right around the corner, so I might as well stick with the (accidental) Peeps-heavy posting. We've had Peeps in a can, Peeps in cotton candy, and now we have Peeps on a stick. Mike and Ike edition. 

So we have four different colors fruity flavored chicks on a stick. Is this worth buying? Or something we should skip? 

Berries 'n Cream - Dr. Pepper Edition

New Dr. Pepper has dropped and, for me, the timing could not be better.  

I've been craving strawberry ice cream for weeks, but I already have 4 different flavors in my freezer, so, until I consume what I have (and blog about it), I'm not letting myself buy anymore ice cream. (Sporadic food blogger problems.) I actually walked to a local ice cream shop for a scoop, so I could scratch the itch without taking up freezer space, but there was a note posted saying they were closed for the rest of the month. (Even though I saw them open the day before! A literal sign from the universe?) 

Then Dr. Pepper swoops in with THIS! A 20 oz. bottle of strawberries and cream themed soda. 

It's Cereal AND It's Pink for Valentine's Day - Double Theme'd!

Wrapping up this week's unplanned cereal theme, I have Strawberry Milkshake Frosted Flakes. 

I went out for drinks with friends from college, but I don't drink, or smoke. Everyone at the table asked, "what DO you do?" I go on post-work junk-food binges, and watch a LOT of movies. (As you can tell, I'm very cool and very social.) Crap-food and movies are my thing, and my community of junk food loving bloggers let me know I'm not alone in this, but I guess non-internet people find it strange. 

Anyway, this was bought during one of those binges I mentioned. I walk the aisles and put anything interesting into my cart, and this made the cut. I wasn't especially excited to try it, and I definitely didn't meant to commit to the family sized box, but at the very least, it's pink and Valentine's Day-looking. Another happy on-theme accident! 

Are these possibly better than the original? Let's find out.  

Marshmello's Limited Edition Coca-Cola - Watermelon Strawberry Flavored

Coca-Cola Creations has been busy. We've already had four different flavors: Starlight, Byte, this collaboration with Marshmello, and Dreamworld in under a year! That's one flavor per season. 

New flavors are fun, but if you don't do it right, it leads to burn out. After a decade of blogging, and countless limited edition products from well known brands, I feel qualified to say, Coke is doing it right.

 

While Creations hasn't had enough time, or flavors, to be a proper one-to-one comparison to Oreos...I'm going to compare them to Oreos anyway.

Go Phillies, Go Sports! - Big League Chew Triple Treat

I had a bizarre craving for grape Big League Chew out of nowhere. Super weird, since I've only had it maybe twice before in my life, ever. My 30+-year old body just decided that we needed it. I could only find original at Five Below, my least favorite flavor, but the foodie gods shined upon me. Because Lidl had a cardboard display at checkout with tons of flavors. I guess they have really expanded since I was like, 9. I grabbed grape, strawberry and the new-to-me blue raspberry. (I left original and sour apple on the cardboard stand where they belong. Apparently there is also watermelon, cotton candy, and hot cocoa versions?!) 

Time for a jaw workout! 

Ghu-Ghu-Ghu-GHOST Dots - 12 Days to Halloween

Ghost Dots - Target 

Dots are a classic, but they still know how to have fun with seasonal and limited edition flavors. They've done candy corn dots, black-batty blood orange flavored dots, and these Ghost dots. Three different Halloween-specific flavors? Not too shabby for a retro candy. They even added a new flavor, Watermelon Dots just this year! (Pretty sure they are Dollar Tree exclusive?) Somehow in all my years of blogging, and snacking, I've never actually posted a Dots review. And there's no better way to start than with the original...with a spOoky twist!

 

Variety Hour- with Tirol!

Tirol Chocolates 

I've reviewed a lot of Japanese candies over the years, but they've mainly been fruit based and more often than not, they're gummies. (My favorite kind of candy.) Japanese chocolate is an area I haven't really explored, and from what I can tell it's quite different than what we have in America. 

I've seen Japanese candy bars, like Meiji or Crunky, but it doesn't seem like they have the wide variety that we have here. Just off the top of my head we have Snickers, Milkyway, 3Musketeers, Skor, Crunch, Heath, 100 Grand, Charleston Chew, BabyRuth...the list goes on and on. From what I can tell, that is not the case overseas. They may not have all that, but they do have Tirol.

A Trio of Tangy Treats! - Crazy Candy Co. from Aldi

I'm known by all my friends for having a copious amount of junk-food in my house, and they're not wrong. Crazy Candy Co. seems to be an Aldi exclusive line of candy, and I've had their Rainbow Belts before, which were amazing, and these back to school themed gummies. So far, this brand seems to do no wrong. And at a great price point! So, why not try three more of their products? 

Neapolitan vs. Neapolitan

Name Brand vs. Generic: Neapolitan Edition

This new Oreo came out, I bought it, and then I went to put it away and found this box of cookies from Aldi that were a different take on the same thing. In fact, they're an Aldi twist on a Neapolitan Trader Joe-Joe's item that's been around since at least 2018. 

I figured I'd take this opportunity to compare the two and see who did it better. Oreo? Or Aldi? 

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.

"Ah, a duet of pleasures." - Strawberry + Dark Chocolate Kit-Kat Bars

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Kit-Kat Bar

The Kit-Kat Duos have become a trio. First we had Dark Chocolate Mint, then Mocha Chocolate, and now Strawberry and Dark Chocolate. The first fruity addition to the line-up.  

If the other flavors are any indication, this is going to be a winner...but strawberry can be hit or miss with Kit-Kat. Will this taste authentic, like the other two? Or will it taste too fake? 

Ah Chex Mix, We Meet Again - Strawberry Yogurt Simply Chex

Strawberry Yogurt Chex Mix - Target

Did anyone else go through obsessive snacking phases as a teen, or was it just me? There was one summer I was absolutely obsessed with Herr's BBQ potato chips. I ate them until I was absolutely sick of them. I moved on to Pizza/Ranch Doritos which I ate religiously until they were discontinued. Then I became obsessed with Chex Mix for a few years, but this was back when it was new, in a blue and white bag, and it still had bagel chips. (I also think the pieces covered in extra seasoning were far more plentiful back then.) There is actually a fun rant about which pieces are the best in The Venture Bros. episode, A Very Venture Halloween.

The extra-seasoned rice Chex were my holy grail during snacking, I could easily demolish an entire bag while seeking them out. But, like the BBQ chips, eventually I made myself sick of it, so I moved on to something else. 

During my Chex-Mix-less years, things changed. More flavors, both sweet and savory, have come and gone, and, as stated earlier, bagel chips are MIA in the original mix (but we still keep two different types of meh-flavored-pretzels? Blasphemy!)

I think I have only tried a handful of the different varieties. I remember a caramel turtle flavor, a chocolate one, and the bold mix (which I hoped was 100% extra seasoned pieces, so I was very disappointed when it wasn't). I think that's it, but honestly, none of the other flavors appealed to me. Even now, I bought this flavor on a complete whim. At best I had hopes this would taste like breakfast cereal, at worst? Chapstick or maybe NesQuik. So, will this be a new snacking obsession, or a regrettable impulse buy? 

Strawberry & Cola Licorice Sticks - Lidl

Strawberry & Cola Licorice Sticks - Lidl

Most Lidl products are variations on name brands, I was able to suss out the Skittles, Croco's and Mousey dupes right away, but these? A quick google search reveals nothing. I mean we've seen plenty of licorice brands, and tons of strawberry flavored ones in particular, but cola is more rare and a combination of cola and strawberry? I had never seen it before. Maybe they're a truly new and unique-to-Lidl combination? 

And what a combination is it, cola and strawberries? Not exactly peanut butter and jelly. I think it sounds awesome, but I am well aware that my tastes don't always align to the general public and what's popular. Still, I love cola flavored gummies, and strawberry licorice, so this must be the best of both worlds, right? 

Hurts, Don't-it? - Strawberry Frosted Donut Oreos

Strawberry Frosted Donut Oreos - Gift

Another Oreo I was going to skip, because I was pretty sure this was more gimmick than anything else, but a friend bought these and demanded I try them, so here we are. Was my assumption correct? Or will these blow my mind?

Crushing It? - Crush Soda themed Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids

Crush Soda Candies - Dollar Tree

Since the branding, flavors, and pretty much everything about these two Crush themed candies are the same, I thought it would be fun to compare them and find any differences. (Other than one being sour, obviously.) Will all four flavors be the same, just with a sour-coat of paint? Or will the flavors actually differ in their Fishy or Kid forms? Let's find out!

Starburst By The Foot

Fruit by the Foot Starburst - Target

I found them! I was really excited when I saw photos of these online and I finally found a box when I ran to Target the other day. I'm a big fan of Starburst, and after having the Jolly Rancher Fruit Roll-Ups a while back, I had high hopes that these would be equally delicious. Let's jump right in!

Tiramisu and Strawberry Almonds - Gilim Tom's Farm

Tiramisu and Strawberry Almonds - Hung Vuong Food Market 

Nuts are my least favorite part of trail mix. I don't have anything against them, I'm not allergic and I don't mind the flavor, in fact I love things flavored with nuts, I just don't want to eat them as-is, for some reason. The idea of someone just snacking on almonds absolutely blows my mind. Yet, it's a booming industry. Look at the snack aisles. They're covered in different flavors of mixed nuts, everything from sweet to savory, and the Hung Vuong Food Market is no exception. 

There was an end cap absolutely filled with different flavors of Gilim Tom's Almonds. From what I can tell, they're the Bertie Bott's of snacking nuts. They offer all kinds of varieties but the store I was in seemed to focus on almonds. 

Here is a quick run down of the flavors I have seen:

Tiny Burgers, Fries, and Fruits, Oh MY! - 4D Gummies

4D Gummies - Dollar Tree

I bought these because I wanted to photograph them. I mean, look at them! They're little 3D gummy shapes of fruits and burgers and stuff. It's like, my kryptonite. But, I know what I'm getting into. After my experience with 4D Gummies (which were also from Dollar Tree) I knew these would likely be more of a fun visual novelty than a decent candy. 

So I am going into this with a healthy amount of skepticism and very low expectations. (Kind of like dating in your 30's, am I right? Self-burn.) 

Let's jump right into it!