Rum Coconut Patties

Did someone say rum?!

The Attraction:
I've seen these dang things around for years, mainly around the airports and souvenir shops around Florida. I've never bought any for anyone nor for myself cause although I like coconut, I've never been able to commit myself to giving someone something in which I've never tried or had a better idea of what it tastes like. Well, when a co-coworker recently returned from a trip from the Sunshine State with these and the Key Lime version in tow, this was the perfect time to sample these little buggers.

How many of these would I need
to eat to get a buzz, from rum, that is

The Review
Anastasia Confections makes these patties with assorted varieties and each of the two flavors I have on-hand, rum and key lime, come with 12 individually wrapped patties. I opt to try the rum version first. Let the party begin!

I tear open the clear cellophane wrapping and the smell of rum is quite clear. "Gee, I hope the rum flavor isn't too strong", I think to myself, and thankfully after my first bite, it's clear that the rum flavor isn't over-powering. The sweetness, on the other hand, whoa!

It's what you would imagine a rum-coconut patty might taste like. The addition of the rum does do a great job of maintaining the moisture of the patty itself. The chocolate also adds a nice contrast both textually as well as add some dimension flavor-wise.I take another bite.....sure enough....it's still dang sweet....too much so.

Looks like a slice of miniature cake with a chocolate frosting, no?

The Sweet:
The moisture is perfect in these patties. I really dislike dry coconut, but these patties hit it right on the money. The rum works! The partial chocolate coating is also a seemingly small detail, but overall nets a huge gain as it works wonders both on your taste buds and the sensation in your mouth as you chew into one of these patties.

The Bitter:
Its really sweet. Perhaps almost about 20%-40% too much so. It's the type of sweetness that makes you stop wanting to have an additional piece after you polish one patty off.  Perhaps even stop wanting sweets in general for a bit.

The room started to spin...from the sugar high!

Conclusion:
Although these rum coconut patties do a wonderful job of maintaining a nice balance of moistness and an ideal ratio of chocolate to patty, the overwhelming sweetness makes this product difficult to recommend. With that said, this probably is an ideal souvenir; most folks will just grab one, feel satisfied, and not wish to have another one again for some time.

Perhaps the key lime version will rate more favorably? Hmm....we'll have to wait and see.

Video of the Week
Something a bit different this week. I know Christmas just passed, but here's a feel-good clip about a lad named Patrick that was unable to communicate for much of his young life. He was born deaf and his village didn't have a school that taught sign-language, so he sat in silence, until recently.

Happy Patrick!

Dongguan Hsu Fu Chi Strawberry Sandwich Cookie

I, too, can only understand Strawberry Sandwich Cookie.
That and 50% of something

The Attraction:
Knowing I had an upcoming holiday week ahead of me, I searched desperately to find a snack that I would hope I would like while I was home hibernating for the next few days. Last week I found myself at the Asian grocer again when I came across this. Look how delicious those strawberries look in the lower-right-hand corner. Even at that, it didn't really jump out at me, but it's OK. Like closing time at a bar, sometimes you don't get exactly what you are looking for, but what looks good enough for that moment. Hello, Ms. Strawberry Sandwich Cookie...

I'm hoping that says "Yummy stuff inside"

The Review
The Nestle company recently bought a majority share of the Dongguan Hsu Fu Chi, which in China, is the 2nd largest snack company next to Mars. I didn't know all that before picking up a package, but it did seem to give it some "street cred" after finding that out. Nestle has got to know a good thing when they see it, right? Let's find out...

Upon opening up the package, I find that there were single individually-wrapped servings within the packaging tray. Not unusual and it usually works out pretty well if a company is trying to maintain freshness in it's product. Next, I tear open the single serving wrapper and it reveals something that looks very similar to the famed Pineapple cakes from Taiwan; a crumbly shortbread exterior. For those uninitiated, think of a shortbread outside on a Fig Newton, but encased on all sides. Hmm...I'm not crazy about those pineapple cakes, but who knows if they taste the same?

 I finally dig in; the texture of the outer layer is the same of that of a pineapple cake. It's a drier and denser shortbread that yields to the thick strawberry gel inside. My suspicions were right, this is exactly a pineapple cake, but with a strawberry filling. Yay?

"What's up, shorty?"

The Sweet:
If you are a fan of Pineapple Cakes, but want to venture into different flavors, welcome to your Nirvana! The Hsu Fu Chi Company does a great job of recreating all the signature components of a Pineapple Cake; crumbly, dry shortbread on the outside and fruit-flavored filling on the inside.

The Bitter:
You have to like pineapple cakes or at least like shortbread. Although I recognize that I'm not a good person to review a product like this since it's so similar to another product I don't like, I do see how fans of these types of snacks could enjoy this. Just not "moi", as the folks at Nestle might say.

It does look rather like a Fig Newton, doesn't it?

Conclusion:
For me, shortbread is good on it's own. When you throw in a fruit jelly of some sort, in theory, one might think that would counter the dryness of the shortbread, but for me, this item just reminds me how dry it is....and I hate really dry sweet snacks.

Somehow, this makes me appreciate Fig Newtons even more. They use a moister exterior and wisely only encase the fig filling on two sides. Dang, now I want a Fig Newton....and if you are like me, maybe you should get one too instead of this product.

Update: Maybe I like these more than I thought. I polished off half the box already!

Video of the Week
In case you were wondering what to get me this year. I won't hold it against you if it's a little late.

Someone pinch me

Holiday Snack-Fest

I know I'm late in posting a review this week, but don't fret. There will be several updates this week due to all this free time at home for the holidays! Gosh forbid if I did something other than snack a lot.

Wheat Thins Zesty Salsa

Just how "zesty" is zesty? 

The Attraction:
I love Wheat Thins! My pal Phil introduced it to me over 15 years ago. I never thought to try it as it struck me as some sort of health food "thing" way back when.(that should give you an idea of how things have changed over the years). I've been keeping it pretty simple and avoiding many of the new flavors that Wheat Thins have been offering, but when I saw a "two for" deal at the supermarket, I thought it was a fine time to live a little, take a walk on the wild side, fly without a net....OK, you get the idea.

The Review
I take a deep whiff as I tear open the bag within the Wheat Thins box and sure enough, there is a smell of salsa in there. I'm amazed at how Nabisco was able to capture the smell of salsa on a cracker. I take a bite and I wasn't sure what to expect; does "zesty" imply hot? A strong flavor of some sort? As I work my way through my first chip, it reminds me of a Taco Bell hard shell taco, but not just the shell, the whole taco, with sauce! I take a few more chips and an air of familiarity strikes me. It takes a few more pieces after that before I can place it; it also taste like a mild Cool Ranch Dorito!

Looks the same, but do I taste good?

The Sweet:
The flavor is great! Think a Taco Bell hard shell taco crossed with a Cool Ranch Dorito (minus some salt) and that's what this Wheat Thin tastes like. Incidentally, I like Cool Ranch Doritos and Taco Bell, in case you couldn't tell. I think I just showed my hand...

The Bitter:
Nothing that jumps out at me. Perhaps a clearer idea of what the "zesty" part is in "Zesty Salsa". I get the salsa part clearly, the zesty part, not so much. It's not spicy (which I actually would have liked, but I understand why they didn't tack that on), and the flavor doesn't particularly have a strong "kick" to it. Salsa: check. Zesty: MIA. To add to the confusion, there is also a Ranch flavored Wheat Thin. If this taste like Cool Ranch to me, what the heck will that taste like?

"Guess where you are going"

Conclusion:
Nabisco does a fine job on this flavor variation of one of their snack standards, Wheat Thins. In a crowded snack aisle, it manages to carve out a specific flavor without going way outside of the "flavor" box. In fact, I enjoyed this Zesty Salsa flavor so much, it has opened my mind up to try their other Wheat Thins flavor variations. Perhaps Ranch so I can distinguish the two or Spicy Buffalo so I can get that spicy kick I was wanting with this product. I feel like that's exactly what Nabisco wants! Well played, Wheat Thins people, well played.

Video of the Week
Working on finding a good one...

Khong Guan Custard Cream Biscuits

The Attraction:
Almost anything sandwiched with a cream filling at the minimum gets a moment of consideration. I remember eating these awhile back. They have since changed the packaging. I wonder if anything else has changed...

The Review
Khong Guan, much like the Singapore version of Nabisco here in the US, makes a many assorted varieties of snacks and cookies. One of them, the Custard Cream Biscuit, was my first introduction to the Khong Guan brand several years ago. I was a fan because the cookie wasn't overly sweet, complicated or gimmicky. It was just a simply tasty cookie. When I noticed the recent repackaging of their product lines, I wanted to revisit the cookie that I once loved. Did the new packaging come with a change to the recipe I had grown to love in my youth? "Hope they don't mess this up", I thought.

Upon first inspection of the cookies, everything looks identical. I take my first bite; hmm...the outer shell still has the simple sweet that I can recall, but as I keep chewing, something seems different. The cream finally interacts with my first bite. This cookie seems drier than I remember. Could I have grown out of liking this cookie? Has my taste buds become less acute.....no! After I take a second bite, it dawns on me......they put in less custard cream! Are they mad!?

The "old school package"
Who knew that wouldn't be the only thing that would change

The Sweet:
Still a very simple sandwich cream cookie that has a outer shell cookie that are slightly reminiscent of shortbread that is still tasty in itself. You could probably enjoy it on it's own. The custard cream (I'm not sure why they call it custard) is a perfect pairing with the outer cookie, except...

The Bitter:
... not enough cream! By lessening the amount of cream they place into each cookie, it has dramatically changed the product, and not in a good way. The biscuits now seem drier and well.....rather ordinary.

Conclusion:
The reduction of cream in each cookie has thrown the balance off on this once delightful product. The dance in your mouth between the cream and cookie shell was perfect. Now, it seems that the cookie exterior is doing more of a solo with a cream cameo.

Imagine if you will, an Oreo. Now take said Oreo and remove about 33% to 50% of the cream middle out. See how the cookie just seems drier and well....just not seem like an Oreo? That's what happened here. Hopefully someone at Khong Guan notices how popular the cream part is in the biscuit and right this epic wrong. Besides, how well would you think a "half-stuffed" Oreo cookie would be? Probably about as popular as this cookie is with me. Unless the cream comes back, I won't.

Video of the Week
You know, this time of year, it's important to remember all your friends, love ones and most of all, family. No other group of people in your life will be sure to send you immediately into years of therapy.

Meanwhile, joy is being spread to a family in Asia

Nagaraya Hot & Spicy Flavor Cracker Nuts

Thank god there's no transfat, otherwise
this might have been the speedball of snacks

The Attraction:
I think I was strolling in the snack aisle awhile back when I saw this brightly colored package screaming at me. Hot and spicy? What are cracker nuts? I've never even heard of the brand Nagaraya before. Reason enough to try a bag.

The Review
After getting these home, I Googled around and discovered that Nagaraya is a Filipino food company that also sells corn starch and water systems? Maybe life is just a whole lot simpler in the Philippines, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've actually had this bag lying around at home for a while. Somehow other snacks would keep leapfrogging this offering. Well, one day I just brought them to work so I can sample them along side with some of my co-coworkers. The reaction was mixed in the office, although after putting a few in my mouth, I was pretty definite about my thoughts on this item.

These "cracker nuts" were coated with a powder of some sort when I poured them out. I put one or two of "deez nuts" in my mouth and immediately the salt on them triggered a sodium alert in my brain. I've eaten and been fond of many a salty snack in my day (pretzels, various forms of jerky, preserved seafood products, etc.), but this damn thing was super, over-the-top salty! I bit in and there was a nice crunch to the cracker nut. Once the saltiness flavor subsided, the rush of heat came on like the 2nd punch of a "1-2 boxing combination". These were pretty dang spicy as well.

This may be the first time I felt nuts kick back

The Sweet:
Texturely speaking, the cracker nut is fun to eat. There seems to be a crunchy shell surrounding a nut inside. It's fun to chomp down and crunch on. The spicy finish brings some serious heat. Frankly,more than I was expecting, but that was a good thing.

The Bitter:
Salty! Super doggone salty! Way saltier than any snack really should be. That was enough to kill any thoughts of having more than a handful at one time...unless you want to trigger a heart condition of some sort.

Conclusion:
Although there are some nice characteristics from this snack, the over-generous application of salt on this snack is enough to squash any hopes of a return engagement with these cracker nuts. Perhaps the other flavors will bring a lighter hand with the seasoning application, but I'm not particularly hopeful.

Although some co-workers said they liked the cracker nuts, at the end of the day, the bag remained about 3/4 full. I think that speaks for itself.

Video of the Week
We are wrapping up Thanksgiving this week in America, but in order to make sure we weren't totally glutinous from all of the holiday feasting, we thought it was a wise idea to put the treadmill to work. It's only the right thing to do for our bodies.

Meanwhile, at my house

Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter

Red, White, Blue and Peanut Butter?

The Attraction:
While taking a tour at the grocery market last week, there were several boxes that had hand handwritten words written on them; "Imported from England". This Kit Kat bar was in one of the boxes. Need I say more.

The Review
My fondness for peanut butter has been well documented ( Peanut Butter Moon Pie, Peanut Butter and Strawberry Biscuits, Reese's Nutrageous) so it was a natural fit to jump on the opportunity to try a peanut butter flavored version of a Kit Kat. Although it's at the larger "Chunky" size, it was still worthwhile for me to pick up one of these. I've tried variations of Kit Kats before ( White Chocolate Kit Kat) which I enjoyed and other peanut butter variations of classics (Snickers Peanut Butter) with mixed results. Where will this fall on the scale?

At the unwrapping, I noticed that the bar is cleverly shaped as a giant version of a singular stick of a Kit Kat, Cool! I dig in without wasting another moment. Same crunch as a Kit Kat bar, just, umm...larger? Well, anyway, slowly the peanut butter flavor comes through. The peanut butter itself isn't as sweet as what you might find in a Reese's offering. It comes off as slightly salty actually. Interesting, I keep digging in still with an uncertainty as to what I think about it. I'll need to ponder on this a but more.

Now that's a Chunky Kit Kat bar!

The Sweet:
The familiar Kit Kat formula works even at the "Chunky" size. The peanut butter adds a slightly salty twist on an old favorite.

I feel like I put a Kit Kat bar in a copier at blew it up 10x the size

The Bitter:
I think this product would have worked better at the conventional Kit Kat size. Although I did enjoy this chocolate bar, I think the smaller bars would have provided more of an opportunity to savor the flavor of the peanut butter in the bar. Speaking of peanut butter, the flavor could have been a bit more pronounced as well.

Conclusion:
Though hardly an item that I would go rush out and get another one of, it does a decent job of putting a peanut butter spin on a classic chocolate bar. It wasn't bad, but it barely made enough of an impression to move the needle. For me, the Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter bar is like being in Times Square for New Year's Eve; once you've done in once in your lifetime, there really isn't a need to do it again. I can't but help to have a "been there, done that" attitude towards this item should I come across it again on the market shelves.

Video of the Week
Alright, I got nothing this week. I will share this video of the Chrvrches new single off the Hunger Games Soundtrack. Wasn't sure at first, now I'm digging it big time.

"Chvrches - Dead Air" 

Orion's Custard Soft Cup Cake

Orion's Custard Soft Cup Cake

I'm drooling just looking at this picture

The Attraction:
To simply put it, they were on sale at the Asian grocer and I always wanted to try them, but was reluctant to shell out $5 a box for them. For a discounted $2.50 a box, I was "inspired" to finally give these a shot. Oc I'm imagining something like a Twinkie, but with a custard-flavored filling. Oooh, can't wait to try one!

The Review
Orion, perhaps best known for their Choco Pie (which is very much like an American Moon Pie) product, also offers up these baked cakes. I think they are the US equivalent to Hostess or Drake's. I practically grew up eating things like Yodels and Donettes, so I was ready to try these custard filled cup cakes. I have a weakness for baked goods. Granted the fresher, the better, but these certainly qualify as a baked good. Like some of the recent snacks I've been reviewing, each cup cake comes individually wrapped. I'm all for maintaining freshness as much as possible. When I open the packaging, I see that the outside of the cup cake has a nice yellowish tint like the famed Twinkie I had imagined it could taste like. I take a first nibble at it; it's a bit drier than I imagined. Instead of a moist Twinkie, it's a bit more reminiscent of a drier cornbread, but not quite as course. It's not terribly sweet, which is a good thing, cause it'll probably be kicked up a notch when I hit the custard. Several more nibbles in and I still don't taste any custard. Hmm, Maybe it's on the other side. I look at the cup cake and realize I've actually already bit into some of the custard, but just didn't notice it. Unless you look at the cup cake, you can't tell! That's not a good sign. The amount of custard in the cup cake itself doesn't look remotely like what is advertised on the packaging. OK, in fairness, not many products look exactly as they do on the packaging, but come on...I couldn't even taste the bloody thing. Actually, I did taste something.....RUM! WTF?! Yes, Rum. It wasn't til I looked at the packaging later that I realized that it says that it contains alcohol. Is this stuff geared towards kids? I'm all kinds of confused by this product.

One step closer to the party soon to be in my mouth

The Sweet:
The baked confection itself tastes like a drier piece of cornbread. I do like cornbread, so that's a plus and maybe the only thing really going for it.

There's a custard explosion waiting for me inside, I just know it!

The Bitter:
Custard! Where the eff is it? Based on the photo below, you can barely see the custard that is injected into each cup cake. Worse yet, you can't taste it. Even consistency-wise, you can't tell it's in there. That's either how little custard they put in or how dry the product is that it soaks up all the custard out of the filling.

Person#1: "Knock, knock"
Person#2: "Who there?"
Person#1: "Custard"
Person#2: "Custard who?"
Person#1: "I don't know either, cause it ain't in this damn cup cake!"

Oh, and rum in a product that seems to be aimed for a general audience. It's not a huge amount where you are going to get a buzz, but can you imagine the backlash if Hostess or Drake's released a product like this? There would be heck to pay!

"Where's the beef?"

Conclusion:
This custard cup cake fails to deliver anything that resembles custard, in both flavor and consistency. So much so that I'm debating on whether I should contact some consumer affair group about false advertising or reaching out to the FBI to file a missing custard report.

You'd be better off getting a piece of cornbread somewhere. Save your money and you'll be much more pleased with Orion's offering of Choco Pies.

Video of the Week

This week, our friends over at Vice have posted an interesting piece on a women who enjoys cooking with roadkill. She does a pretty good job of making it as appealing as possible, but in the end, I still kept saying to myself that it's a squirrel and roadkill. (Ask me again if I would eat it if I've gone 2 days without food and I'm certain my response would be very different). Warning: There are some graphic images that some viewers may find offensive.

"Oh, poor delicious little squirrel"

Arnott's Tim Tam Vanilla

Tim Tam, but will I thank you, Ma'am?

The Attraction:
Almost 2 years ago, I reviewed Arnott's Caramel version of Tim Tam's cookies, so with my love of flavor variations of familiar products, it was a natural attraction when I saw the vanilla version of these treats. Even better was that I didn't have to commit to a full size package (and price) to sample these cookies. In the bag it goes...

The Review
One could say that Arnott's is the Australian equivalent to the United State's Nabisco or Keebler, a company known for putting out tasty savory and sweet treats for over a century like their US counterparts. One of Arnott's flagship products, if not their flagship product, is Tim Tam. They come in various flavors, but this will be the first time I will be sampling their vanilla offering. Like the caramel version I tried earlier, even the smaller package comes carefully packed with spacers in the tray to prevent sticking and crushing of the chocolate covered cookies. (Although frankly, I may have preferred to have an extra cookie or four squeezed in there to forego the thoughtful packaging). First bite; same crunch and rush of chocolate flavor as the caramel version, but this time with a white cream in the middle. The results of the "new twist" on an old favorite? Blah. Perhaps my expectations were misguided; I was hoping for actually vanilla flavor, not just a white cream. Either way, the cream seems rather inconsequential. It didn't bring anything to the flavor party, well actually, if anything, it took the place of caramel or the original chocolate filling, which was much more satisfying and added something to the finished product rather than was just inserted and seems rather neutral to the item, like the vanilla cream.

"Hello, Sexy!"

The Sweet:
At the core, it's still a Tim Tam, but really, when you take away the customary chocolate cream, it's a whole lot less tastier than the original. There's really not to much to like about this item.

"It's not you, it's me....OK, it's really you"

The Bitter:
If I never had a Tim Tam previous to trying this vanilla version, I wouldn't try another Tim Tam again. That's how unimpressive I was with this product. It's not that it was bad, per se, it was just indistinguishable from any other "so-so" chocolate covered cookie. (I may be nice in saying this item is considered "so-so").

Conclusion:
Take a regular Tim Tam, take away the chocolaty cream filling and substitute with a white flavored cream that you can't taste and this is what you get. I assume the "vanilla" in this product refers to the color of the cream, because it certainly didn't taste of anything.

This flavor detour falls flat and is a boring deviation that detracts from the lore of the legendary Tim Tam line. Save your money and stick with either the original or the "Twix" like caramel variation.

Video of the Week
If you are cheap like me, you like to find different ways to save money and make things on your own. That's what this kid and his Dad had in mind when they tried to make sparkling wine from regular red wine. Can't imagine what could possibly go wrong.

"I'm such a genius for figuring out how to save time and money!"

White Chocolate Pringles / Cinnamon and Sugar Pringles

What's all the fuss about?

The Attraction:
I had a coworker recently storm into my work area and excitedly say that she just picked up a can each of White Chocolate Pringles and Cinnamon and Sugar Pringles. She offered me some to sample with her and of course I took her up as it's my obligation to report on new and interesting snacks...that and I just wanted to try the dang things.

The Review
I'll apologize in advance for the lack of photos for the review as it was all rather spur of the moment. (Even the photo above I had to steal from an Ebay auction). First when you crack open the can, you can smell the advertised flavors for both items. I was intrigued; a sweet twist on a savory item. Could this possibly work? I tried to think of any items in recent memory that was able to successfully make that transition. Maybe Snyder's Honey Wheat Braided Twist, but they also removed the salt off the "pretzel", which was a good call. Chocolate covered pretzels might be a better example. God knows I love those. I digress. The first special flavor I tried was the White chocolate flavored chip. First thought; subtle....very subtle, maybe too subtle. After the hint of white chocolate washes through your palate, the rest is familiar to Pringles eaters. The finish is maybe a tad less salty than the original flavored Pringles, but essentially the same. Hmm...that was uneventful. Next up, Cinnamon and Sugar flavored Pringles! Pick up a chip, pop a chip in....identical type of experience as the white chocolate flavored chip; a hint of the flavored advertised, then the familiarity of a original Pringle. This was like Seinfeld's last episode; a bunch of hype about it and then, for me at least, then it just went away. It was anti-climatic to say the least.

Could this Pringles offering catch on like these?

The Sweet:
I applaud Pringles for thinking outside of the box. Not the most obvious flavor combinations, but there seems to be a recent rash of oddball pairing of flavors recently like Lay's Cappuccino Flavored chips and Watermelon Flavored Oreos. I have yet to try those items, but frankly, the appeal just isn't there for me for those combinations. Umm...that's about all I can think of in terms of sweet.

The Bitter:
The flavors are too subtle. You get a hint of sweetness of the flavor, but it fades so quickly that you barely can taste it. Even if it turned out that upping the sweetness factor of each flavor would overwhelm the saltiness of the chip, you would at least feel satisfied that you got a hit of the flavor that grabbed your attention enough to purchase the item. The best way to describe my snacking experience of these products is for you to imagine if you were eating white chocolate or a cinnamon and sugar cookie and then picked up a Pringles Original Flavored chip and ate it. You clearly would taste a Pringle, but then you also taste a remnant of the flavor of what was in your hand previously....and that's usually pretty weak, which both of these items were.

Conclusion:
Is this just a money grab by Pringles to "sweeten" their profits by targeting snack foodies that are curious about new and unusual flavor combinations? Perhaps, but although these particular items do not come close to hitting a home run on the enjoyability scale, who knows what these experiments will yield in the future. Maybe they are just a release or two away from that game changer. We'll just have to wait until then.

Video of the Week
As frequent as I have been writing up snack reviews, health and fitness is still a concern of mine. These folks have thought of an easier way to tackle the appearance aspects of this. I'm so silly! With 2 minutes of Photoshop work, I can have my snack and eat it too. No one will ever be able to tell that those abs aren't mine, right? Apparently neither did these guys below.

Maybe I can just Photoshop my face on this picture

Triko Garlic Green Peas

See Mom, I'm eating my vegetables

The Attraction:
I've been wanting to try some snacks that weren't so carb heavy in case I wanted to have a late night craving or after dinner snack. I already eat cashews occasionally (and everyone knows how tasty those already are), so I was trying to locate a snack that would work for those late day situations. When I came across this from Triko, a Taiwanese brand, I thought this would fit the bill nicely.

The Review
Several years back, wasabi peas were the rage. I don't eat those too much these days, but I thought these garlic flavored ones would be a good reason to try peas again. When I opened the packaging, I noticed that unlike the wasabi variety I used to buy, these followed suite of some of the other snacks from Asia I've tried recently; individually portioned packs. Although a costlier process and not quite as eco-friendly, it makes sense to do this for some snacks to help maintain the freshness of the product and to preserve certain characteristics of the item after opening the initial packaging. I proceed to tear open the smaller pack and pour some peas into my hand. I pop a handful of them into my mouth and the garlic flavor promised on the labeling on the outside bag rings true. Next as I chomp down, it's clear that these peas have a great crisp crunch to them. (all the more reason why the individually wrapped portions make sense) After about another 2 handfuls, the small bag is completely empty. What's a guy to do? That's right, open another one..

A package within a package

The Sweet:
Garlic flavor combined with a nice crunch has worked for many an item; potato chips, croutons and crackers. It's a tried and true formula. Why not peas as well? Keeping to that recipe, these peas deliver the goods. A tasty garlic flavor, without being overpowering, combined with a mouth satisfying crunch as you crush these peas with your teeth. Honestly, you can barely tell you are eating a pea because they are flavored so well. You'd be hard pressed to not eat more than one portioned pack of these.

Come to daddy

The Bitter:
If you have some sort stigma in your head about eating a vegetable as a pleasurable snack (even one that doesn't taste much like itself), you may be resistant to trying these peas. That would be too bad, as they may change your opinion on things. Although technically still a pea, I wouldn't eat these and try convince myself that it's just as good for you as eating a celery or a carrot.

Conclusion:
Granted, these should not be confused as some sort of a "health food" item, it offers snackers a nice change of pace from the majority of potato based savory snacks available in grocery store snack aisles. Recently, my mainstay of snack items seem to be potato chips and cashews. After trying these flavorful peas, they very well may round off the trifecta of savory snacks in my kitchen pantry

Video of the Week
My bud Grace sent me this baby as she seems to have a weird fixation with the 5lb bag of gummy bears that Amazon offers. It's slowly becoming a thing of legend as based upon the reviews of people that have bought them. (unfortunately, not legendary in a good way). Check out the video below of a Youtuber named LA Beast that takes on many food challenges and documents them all for the world to see. You may want to fast forward to the 11:15 mark to see the "fireworks".

"For my next trick, I will make a 5 lb bag of gummy bears disappear"

White Chocolate Kit Kat

Can they possibly mess this up?

The Attraction:
Who doesn't love Kit Kats? I can remember eating them from way back since I was a kid. It doesn't hurt that I like white chocolate as well. Do I even really need to do a review? I already did a review of the green tea variety. This might be a subconscious excuse to buy it. Well, let's see if there's a happy ending here...(no, not that kind)

The Review
It's all too familiar; just with a different color package. Peel open the wrapper, snap a stick off and slide it out. Can't tell you how many times I've done that in my life. Take a bite and it's exactly as advertised; it's a Kit Kat wafer covered with white chocolate, but wait; something else is different about this Kit Kat....the white chocolate isn't as sweet as most white chocolate bars. It's a good move. Although part of me closely associates that almost "sore throat" sweetness of white chocolate, Hershey's dialed it back a few. The results are you feel inclined to have more, but really, it's near impossible for me not to polish off a Kit Kat bar as it is.

I'm like an albino, but better tasting...what?

The Sweet:
It's a freakin' Kit Kat! Hershey's was smart enough to tone down the sweetness of the white chocolate. Even though white chocolate tends to be sweeter than milk chocolate, the white chocolate used here is more reserved and not as over the top. The result; your taste buds aren't sent into overload and therefore...you can eat more Kit Kats!Brilliant!

I'm drooling just looking at this

The Bitter:
Not everyone is a fan of white chocolate and if your not, I don't think you'll love this. It isn't as overwhelmingly sweet as some other white chocolate products that I've had, which is a huge plus, but it's white chocolate nevertheless.

Conclusion:
I don't think they can ever really mess this up, unless they go off the rails and pick some crazy flavor like mango. (if they did, I would still try it anyway). I really enjoyed how Hershey's didn't overwhelm us with the sugary sweetness of the white chocolate covering.

If I was at the candy store and I had only $1 in my hand and I had to choose between the "classic" Kit Kat and the White Chocolate variety...I would pick the classic 4 out of 5 times....but boy would look forward to that 5th time.

Video of the Week
I originally had another video planned, but I was hypnotized after watching this fan named "Dancing Kevin" go off during a Blue Jackets ice hockey game in Ohio. He needs to loosen up a little bit. Learn how to let his hair down....umm, on second thought...

Meanwhile, in Columbus, Ohio

Oreo Mini Peanut Butter

"Mini, unlike my belly"

The Attraction:
I was always curious about some of the alternate flavor of Oreos, but sometimes didn't want to commit to buying a whole pack of Oreos in case I didn't like it or felt obligated to eat the whole thing. Well, worry no more, thanks to this snack portion "Big Bag" I am now able to sample Nabisco's new offerings without the guilt. For 88 cents, even if it was awful, it was only 88 cents. OK, count me in.

The Review
I can barely contain myself when I saw a basket of these at the local grocery store. Being a fan of peanut butter and Oreos, it was a no-brainer. I take these mofos home and tear open the bag and the smell of peanut butter fills the air. Being a smaller portion also helped me feel less guilty about it all, so I jump in with complete abandonment. Even at the smaller size, the flavor is familiar. With the twist of pb in the middle, I find that it actually isn't as sweet as a conventional Oreo. The peanut butter flavored cream brought to mind a "Nutter Butter", but still not as sweet (which is a good thing) and also not as peanut buttery (also another good thing in this case).

"I am a dime-sized dynamo"

The Sweet:
Nabisco knows it's cookies...and they are smart to continue to experiment with different flavors with one of their signature lines, the Oreo. This iteration with a peanut butter filling is a nice combination. It doesn't overwhelm you with pb flavor and strikes just the right balance. The slight saltiness of the pb cream helps tame the sweetness of the cookie shell and vice-versa. This "Big Bag" size with the minis is the perfect amount.

Just the right size..and portion.

The Bitter:
Although I enjoyed this product, I wouldn't say it's good enough for me to go out and buy a pack of the full size version. This size and portion is just enough for me. Would I buy this "snack size" portion again? That I would, but the larger version may be too much of a good thing for me.

Conclusion:
I love that Nabisco offers these smaller portion size servings. Although I'm sure it's more to give the ability to the public to grab a smaller, portable size package of it's products, I use it more as a chance to sample the products without the full commitment of purchasing the larger serving of an item. How does this variation compare to the original, you may ask? I think what in part makes the original so good is the sweetness of the cream filling and although I noted that I find it good that this item isn't as sweet, it also makes it less memorable. I also think it is a balancing act since there are so many other items Nabisco offers with similar flavor combinations.Too much peanut butter flavor, you lose the Oreo essence of the cookie and you think solely of a Nutter Butter, too weak of a peanut butter flavor, you risk alienating Reese's fans that purchased this item to get a hit of PB in their mouth. I think they took this item as far as they could while being true to the brands associated to it. It's good enough to eat, not good enough to obsess over.

Video of the Week
This one goes back a bit, but I just discovered it. Tired of the same ole same ole when you are at home eating? Try one of these combos and let me know how it goes. Some sound ok, others, I don't get...like the one below..but I might just try anyway. Who else, but Buzzfeed would think of such a thing?

This sounds....dangerous

Moon Pie Peanut Butter

"I do not get promotional consideration for reviewing
all these Moon Pie items, but I'm open to it!"

The Attraction:
When I see the name "Moon Pie", my eyes automatically widen and I focus on the product. (As if you couldn't imagine that with all the reviews I have of their products). That's how much I enjoy most of their products. I also dig peanut butter. Consider my taste buds ready to roll when I brought this little prize home.

The Review
I was a bit apprehensive at first with this item. Despite being a fan of the original Moon Pies, as well as the their Banana Mini Moon Pie offering, I thought their Mini Mint Moon Pie was a misstep. With that said, I was curious to see how the Mini Peanut Butter Moon Pie would fair. As I slid the cookie out, I could tell immediately that the cookie was following suit like the Mini Mint Moon Pie by using a crunchy shell covered with chocolate. I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. It brought me flashbacks of how much I didn't care for the Mini Mint Moon Pie partially because of the crunchy cookie they used. "Let's just try and see", I thought. I dug in and as I suspected, there was a crunchy cookie under that chocolate coating and then the creamy peanut butter inside found it's way to my palate. Hmm...it tasted familiar. It wasn't like the filling of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, in which I love. It was creamier. Then it dawned on me; the filling is like that of a Girl Scout Tagalong. For the record, I love Tagalongs. I think you can see where I'm going with this.

I'm like an adopted Moon Pie

The Sweet:
The peanut butter filling works really well with the crunchy cookie shell. The hard cookie adds a needed contrasts against the creamy peanut butter filling. Without it, the cookie may have been too "goopy". The best way to describe this snack is take a Girl Scout Tagalong add another chocolate crunchy cookie on top, and you have a Peanut Butter Moon Pie. The result is a delicious paring of peanut butter and chocolate.

Peek-a-boo! I see you

The Bitter:
These may be discontinued. I don't see them on the company's site anymore. Maybe Cracker Barrel will have a stash of them...I hope.

Conclusion:
Whereas the Mini Mint Moon Pie failed because I believe it disappointed fans that it didn't have some of the signature characteristics of a Moon Pie, this variation although also doesn't have those characteristics, seems to want to stand on it's own and proclaim that it's nothing like a traditional Moon Pie. Other than shape, chocolate coating and the actual name, there aren't many similarities. If it wasn't for the packaging itself, you could easily forget that you are eating a "Moon Pie" product. This item would have been strong enough to have it's own line within another snack company (like Keebler or Nabisco). I think it's a bit misleading to call it a "Moon Pie" since there isn't a marshmallowy center or an airy top and bottom cookie to contain it. Forget what you know about Moon Pies when you try this item and have none of those expectations. What you may find in the end is just one damn tasty snack, regardless of it's name.

Video of the Week
Not a food related item this week, however it may very well make you lose your lunch. I present you with Female Ice JJ Fish with her heartfelt rendition of John Legend's "All of Me". In addition to having a super catchy stage name, I wasn't quite sure if she was singing in English until the 2nd or 3rd time I watched the video (the things I do for this blog). She reminds me of Rihanna minus the talent, looks and charisma.

"Allllll of meeee, wants to drown all of her.."