Trick or Treat: Favorite Day Filled Gumballs

Normally I try to go in and write these with a first-taste experience, but I cracked into these the second I bought them, they're great! Probably my favorite Favorite Day product I've ever had. 

You get three flavors, and each have a unique filling. 

Halloween Candy Showdown: Name-Brand vs Target vs Trader Joes

No-frills products are the way to go, especially when it comes to pantry staples, but there are some exceptions to the rule, like candy bars. It's really tempting to grab store branded sweets when filling your candy bowl, but are they worth it? 

I grabbed candy from Target's house brand, Trader Joe's house brand, and the real deal, who will come out on top? 

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! 

Sweet Sherbet Summer Sippin'

Rainbow Sherbet Sparkling Water - Target 

Did you know, it's "sherbet?" Not, "sherbert." 

I definitely grew up pronouncing it, "sure-bert," and didn't think twice of it. Until a college (English) professor of mine went on an, admittedly adorable, rant about this misnomer being one of her biggest pet peeves. I can still hear her voice in my hear strongly emphasizing the "bet," in "sherbet."

Wherever you are professor, I always say sherbet now, and apparently, so does Target. 

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? 

PEEPSI - Peeps Flavored Pepsi

Why is this not labeled "PEEPSI?" Sure, it's silly, but this is soda flavored like marshmallow chicks. If the time to be silly isn't now, then when? (It's very fun to say out loud. You should try it.) 

I've reviewed a veritable glut of Peep flavors on the blog, so even though they're a pretty divisive candy, safe to say, I fricken love them and, like I mentioned in my Dr. Pepper (Dr. Peepers) post, I prefer them aged like a fine wine. (AKA: Stale AF.) But I'm also a Pepsi drinker. So, Peeps flavored Pepsi for a Peep-loving Pepsi drinking casual food blogger? Yes, please! 

Seasonal Sippin' with Chobani? - I thought they only made yogurt?

Chobani Coffee - Cold Brew with Pumpkin Spice Creamer

How often do you need to drink coffee to be considered a "coffee drinker?" 

In college I definitely qualified. I worked at Panera bread, and between school, work, running a college club, my Etsy shop, and starting this blog...I never slept. My secret weapon? A 32-oz soda cup filled with ice, several shots of espresso (every shot is actually 2), 3 pumps of caramel, and 1% milk. Sometimes topped with whipped cream. Hate to say this, but sometimes I would drink two of those in a day. I don't know how I survived (or how I avoided lactose intolerance) but after a year my schedule lightened up and I stopped cold-turkey. I was younger then, stopping was super easy. No headaches, no withdrawals, no side effects. 

Since college I would say I drink coffee roughly 20 times a year. (Even that is being generous.) Have I lost my caffeine consumption cred? Do I no longer qualify as a "coffee drinker?" 

When I do drink coffee, you can immediately tell the difference. Normal coffee? I have a little bounce to my step and hate everything slightly less than normal. But a client of mine gifted me a few "turbo" coffee drinks with vanilla oat milk and I felt like I was vibrating! I started bouncing and dancing while I worked and felt like I was full of bees. It was awesome, but I can't imagine chasing that feeling every day.   

That said, a big part of Fall and Halloween culture in America just so happens to be coffee focused. What is fall without a pumpkin spiced latte? And I bought a decent amount of these products, and there are only a few days left until Halloween, so watch out world, I'm about to be caffeinated! 

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!

 

Coffee, Coffee, Who's Got The Coffee?

Brewed to Matter - Target

Ben and Jerry's has expanded their dairy-free line, created "topped" flavors, "core" flavors, store-exclusive flavors, Netflix tie-ins...and while I did enjoy their (very under appreciated) Punch Line flavor, nothing announced gave me that "I gotta run out to the store to find that"-feeling. 

Punch Line was such a success for me, not for the novelties and branding, but because of the actual flavors. Almond and cherry are a classic combination, which seems boring compared to sugar-cookie-dough cores and fudge meteors, but at the end of the day I want an ice cream that tastes worth the calories, and leaves me wanting more after I've finished the pint. That said, this Target-specific flavor is not trendy or complicated, but it sounds pretty solid. Coffee and chocolate, another classic pairing, but is it well executed? 

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? 

Waffle Blues (Not Blue Waffle.)

Blueberry Waffle Organic Cotton Candy - Target

I still have a few Eastery-y products to review, so I might as well knock them out now while everything is still available (and likely on clearance.)

First up, this Blueberry Waffle Cotton Candy I picked up at Target! 

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!

Get into The Loop - Froot Loops Pop-Tarts - TOASTED UPDATE

 Froot Loops Pop-Tarts - Target

With all the health and safety risks these days, I have been trying to stay home as much as possible and avoid stores, in doing so I've been safe, but I've also missed out on trendy food items. For the most part, missing out on a few Oreos and a bunch of novelty breakfast cereals didn't bother me, but then there were items like these that I found really intriguing. I finally got my hands on them, so let's hope they were worth the wait.

Heigh-Ho Brookie-O

Brookie-O Oreos - Target

Oreo has dropped three "new" flavors, Java Chip and Chocolate Hazelnut, which are permanent additions to the line-up, and this limited edition Brookie-O.

Good News: We already have three new flavors of Oreos for 2021. 

Bad News: They're mostly repeats/rebrands, AND Pistachio Oreo Thins are discontinued! (Apparently they were discontinued in 2020, another strike against a terrible year.)  

Java chip is a coffee and chocolate mashup, similar to the previously released Dunkin Donuts Mocha, or Tiramisu, or Oreo Thins' Latte, and Chocolate Hazelnut is a re-release of the 2018 Chocolate Hazelnut, but the golden cookie was swapped out for classic chocolate. This could be the start of a trend, where limited edition flavors could have the potential for permanency, but I think "permanent" is too strong a word. Similar to most of the Lay's Do Us a Flavor contestants, I give it a year or two before they fade into oblivion. (Honestly, I don't know why Carrot Cake or Red Velvet have lasted as long as they have, especially when flavors like Reese's were so. damn. good. )

Then we have these Brookie-O's, which are the only limited edition flavor of the bunch. They are a mashup of classic Oreos, 2014's Cookie Dough Oreos, and 2015's Brownie Batter Oreo. While the combination of all three at once is new, each of these flavors has been done before. Are they worth the buy? 

#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?

Chocolate and Mint for Cookies? Groundbreaking.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo  - Target

Are you even a food blogger anymore if you don't try weird new Oreos? What was once fun, rare, and unique has now become a monotonous status quo. A food blogger blinks, and Oreo releases three more flavors. Can you keep up with it? And more importantly, are they even worth it? 

La la la la Lava Cake, I'd love to Eat You Up! - Lava Cake Kisses (& Recipe Review)

Lava Cake Kisses - Target

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (At the stroke of midnight, be sure to run out there and scoop up all the clearance candy!) 

To celebrate this day of candy consumption (and love), I've doubled down on the content. I'll be reviewing the candy as well as the recipe for lava cakes included on the bag. Will this post end up being twice as nice? Or double the disappointment?

Thanks, I Hate It - Sweet & Tangy Oreos

Sweet and Tangy Valentine Oreos - Target

Let's skip the (mildly) dramatic build up and reveal. After all, the title completely gives my opinion away. This year, Oreo released festive Valentine's Day cookies with lots of great gimmicks, and a vague flavor description, "Sweet and Tangy." Thanks, Oreo. I hate it.

Snow Cones in February

Project 7 Rainbow Ice Gum - Target 

I wasn't kidding when I said I picked up at least 6 new flavors of Project 7 during my blogging absence. Let's keep these reviews rolling! (It's still Tuesday, so technically I am still on time!)

So I don't know about the weather in your corner of the world, but it's been pretty crazy here in NJ. Last week it was 7 degrees Fahrenheit, this week? Sixty Five! I saw people wearing freaking shorts outside today! (I'm pretty sure the world is ending...) So since it, oddly enough, feels like it's spring, let's review something spring/summery. How about a snow cone?