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.."