Cotton candy grapes?!

So these little beauties made the circulation last year and I just didn't get a chance to get a bag.  They are only here a short amount of time and sell out pretty darn quickly.  Luckily, I got the last bag of these at Big Y on Friday and I've never been so stinking excited to eat a grape in my life.

People go ga-ga over pumpkin every year.  As I mentioned previously, I'm not as huge of a fan as most people think I am.  I do, however, feel the same giddiness about cotton candy as most people do about pumpkin.  It's just my jam ;) So, to finally get a hold of these...well...I heard angels singing.  I was impressed with myself that I waited until I got in the car and didn't eat them while I got the rest of my canning ingredients for peach salsa.

Wash your fruit?  Not when it comes to something I've been wanting for well over a year, I just rolled that grape on my pants and went with it.  Popped it in my mouth hoping for the best but expecting the worst.  Oh em GEEEEEEEEEEE they really DO taste just like cotton candy!  I couldn't believe it.  The flavor is subtle but it's there.  The more you eat, though, I feel like more of the typical green grape flavor comes out, but there's always that cotton candy undertone.  It just blows my mind that these taste so much like the real deal and so it's been my mission, since Friday, to force people to try these.  I've been carrying them everywhere.  I even have them at work and made 2 co workers and the mailman try them.  Every time I start with...have you tried these yet?  And every time they give me that confused look..."cotton candy...GRAPES?"  YES!  You have to try one or ten!  And then I wait...as they pop one in their mouth and chew...I get that same pondering look and then BAM everyone gets that HOLY CRAP look and follows that with a "wow, that really does taste like cotton candy!"  I KNOW!  It's like the most fabulous thing in the world!

Final rating ***** - 5 stars!  RUN to the store to try these before they are gone for another year!

The pumpkins are coming the pumpkins are coming!

Pumpkin season is literally right around the corner.  Already my news feed is filling up with pictures of actual and rumored pumpkin spice flavored items new (and sometimes not new) for this year.  This only means one thing...I really have to get cracking on my annual pumpkin party details!

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not that big of a fan of pumpkin.  I don't like pumpkin pie, or anything overly pumpkin flavor.  Which is odd because I love butternut squash and I think they taste pretty similar.  Maybe it's a texture issue.  ANYWAY, what I do LOVE about pumpkin spice season is the fact that we are at that tail end of summer and ready to make our way into fall.  I absolutely adore fall and everything that comes along with it and I love pumpkins (as in the gourds not as in eating them).  I have pumpkin items out all year long...I mean, they're cute and orange!  DUH!

So, back to pumpkin spice... my awesome husband got me a new screen for my laptop so hopefully that'll get fixed sometime this weekend and I won't have to blog at odd times in places I probably shouldn't be blogging and will get cracking with items past and present that have to do with pumpkin including last year's oreos, DQ blizzard (which comes back out 8/31, btw), pasta sauces, cookies, m&ms and what ever else I can remember.  I will be on the look out for the new stuff for this year and report back!  In the meantime, here's a pumpkin teaser from last year just to tide you over ;)

Lay's Gyro Chips

I took a few days off from finishing the four Lay's chip flavors that are circulating right now looking for votes.  It wasn't to keep you hanging but more because I found some other items that piqued my interest better at the time.  If you were patiently waiting, I'm sorry and here it is!

Gyro... I love these things.  The meat, the tzatziki sauce,...onion, lettuce and tomato (which I usually flick off) and that yummy pita...I'm drooling!  Obviously this sandwich is far better than the cb&j I had for lunch.  That's a cashew butter and jelly, in case you thought that was a typo.  Still, I didn't have high hopes fore this chip because as I stated before...meat flavored chips just don't sound appealing!

I opened that bag and true to form I bend over to get that whiff of aromas that fly up out of the bag once opened.  OH DEAR GOD!  What the hell is that smell?!?!  *insert 2 year old yucky face here*.  I try again... OH MAN!  It's worse the second time around.  BUT, they were bought and they were opened and now I need to try them.  I.DON'T.WANNA!  Okay, quick like a band aid... I pick off the smallest chip on the top and pop it in my mouth.  Okay, so to me the smell was far worse than the taste but the taste wasn't exactly the best thing in the world.  I don't get gyro out of it.  We collectively decided it smells like dog food and tastes what we would assume is the same since none of us make it a habit of eating dog food.  I don't know how to describe it any other way.  Revolting, maybe?  Okay, that's a bit harsh.  This bag was quickly toss off to the side of the table where no one could see it or be reminded of it ever again.

We purposely left the bag out hanging in a tree to feed the raccoon that scared the boogers out of me the night prior when he crept up and sat next to me outside.  We didn't necessarily want to waste them and the good news is the raccoon all but licked the bag clean he/she liked it so much.

Final rating * One star because you can't give negative numbers.

 

Hostess Chocolate Chip Muffin

This morning I was feeling a little saucy so I decided to run next door to the gas station to see what junk I could have for breakfast.  I was just commenting on how good I feel in my own skin so why not sabotage that with unhealthy snacks!  I was doing pretty good, I had a water and a kind bar in my hand when I passed by the hostess rack.  I quickly put back the kind bar and made my way over.

First of all, no chocolate cupcakes?  What the hell kind of a gas station has every other hostess product and no chocolate cupcakes?  That's just blasphemy!  Anyway, I bend down to see what is on the lower shelves and I see muffins!  WOO muffins...I didn't know they had muffins!.  So I pick up one that says NEW in big blue letters because...well...you know.  The flavor...chocolate chip.

Satisfied with my purchases I head back to the office and quickly open the package.  I cut it like a cake, because the thing is huge, and eagerly shove the first piece in my mouth.  Eh... Next piece... Eh.... Third try... Nope, I don't like it.  **Side note...now that I'm writing this it is dawning on me that I now remember they do have those little muffins in a bag and I don't like those much either.***  These don't taste like muffins to me.  These taste like a denser Twinkies with chocolate chips shoved on it.  VERY disappointed and so not worth the 600 calories.  Yeah, 600 calories if you eat the whole thing, which I didn't.  Next time I'll just stick to my kind bar.  :(

Final score * One star out of pity.

 

Brownie Batter Oreos

I decided to take a small break away from the Lays potato chips because I walked by the new LTO Brownie Batter Oreos on my way to the check out line yesterday at Big Y.  I only needed garlic, but of course I just *HAD* to get them.  I even talked to the cashier and the lady standing behind me about them and my addiction to LTO flavors.  I couldn't wait to get back to my parents' house and give them a try!

So, unlike potato chips, taking a big whiff of cookies doesn't really work.  I eat my oreos in a certain way...taken a part, one cookie eaten, then the cream, then the other cookie.  The rule of three still applies, though.  I eagerly opened the bag to see the typical chocolate oreo cookie with a very dark chocolate center.  The cream is very rich...for an oreo anyway.  I initially do get a brownie type flavor out of it.  My dad said oh yeah it tastes like brownie to him.  My friends also said it tastes like licking a brownie bowl.  My mom said it tastes just like the brownie batter they have at work (DQ).  The more I eat it the more I get a brownie-esque flavor to it but I think they are a darker chocolate than a typical brownie.  Don't get me wrong, the darker the better when it comes to chocolate for me and the three of us (okay mostly me because...well...it's my eat week) had no problem polishing off the entire bag.

As of late, Oreo has thoroughly unimpressed me...down right disappointed me.  The past few flavors fell very short of what they were supposed to be.  So, to have a cookie actually taste pretty close to what it was supposed to taste like, I have to give them props for that.  They may be on the path of redeeming themselves!

Final score - **** 4 stars

Lays New York Reuben

Two down...two to go.

Let's talk about Reubens.  Have you all had one?  I hope so!  I have to admit I like them, but it's not my "go to" sandwich by any means.  And, then, there's that whole pastrami vs. corned beef debate.  Personally I like both but would pick pastrami over corned beef for this sandwich.  If you are unfamiliar with a Reuben, it is a sandwich made with either thinly (hopefully) sliced pastrami or corned beef, Russian dressing, sauerkraut and swiss cheese grilled on rye bread.  In many cases, the meat to mouth ratio is about four to one, so you better hope you don't dislocate your jaw trying to eat the darn thing.

When all four flavors came out, this flavor intrigued me the most even though it sort of disgusted me at the same time.  I've had chicken flavored chips and let's just say those shouldn't exist.  So, I didn't really think pastrami chips would go over too well, but that morbid curiosity really clouded my judgement when I debated whether or not to try them.  Of course I tried them who was I trying to kid?

So, per usual, I opened the bag and took a nice deep breath of chip air.  You know that face that kids make when you ask them if they want broccoli?  Yeah, I made the same face.  All I smelled was sauerkraut.  That's it...nothing else.  The vinegary smell literally burned my nose and I had to turn away.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love vinegar but this wasn't appealing at all!  I actually didn't even really want to try them, but I did.

It is my theory that it takes at minimum two tries but ideally three tries to make your final decision on whether you like it or not.  Sometimes the initial flavor shock is a huge turn off but you learn to like it as you try it again.  This was not the case for me.  I was turned off from the get go and continued all the way to the third and final chip.  I did not get "Reuben" going to my brain.  I got "freshly opened can of sauerkraut" to my brain and nothing else.  I like sauerkraut but not as a chip and I really felt the pastrami, cheese, dressing and rye aspect was missing or if it was there it was just being over powered.  One of my friends, however, was delighted by these chips and said they tasted just like a Reuben to her.  Maybe my taste buds aren't equipped to handle something so sour and get the undertones at the same time.

Final score: * one star for originality but I wouldn't buy these again.

Please note:  This is not my photo, just a general one found on google.

West Coast Truffle Fries

Good tasty morning!  I figured I would continue with the Lays potato chip flavors that are out now and looking for your votes.  There are four in total, and yes I've tried them all!

Today brings you to my second favorite of this particular bunch...the West Coast Truffle Fries flavor.  Have you ever had truffle fries?  If not, you need to find them.  Now!  Go ahead, I'll wait...

Like routine, I started off with shoving my head in the opened bag to take a whiff before diving in to try these beauties.  The scent is enough to entice you to try them, for sure.  These chips have a unique flavor and one that those of us who have had the pleasure of eating actual truffle fries will recognize.  Although, while I think the flavor of these is unique, I also think that the flavor is light.  Meaning it's not a huge, bold flavor like the biscuits and gravy.  Let's see how many more times I can say flavor...flavor flavor flavor.  Anyway, I immediately get hit of truffle oil when I eat these.  Then that mixture of light cheese and garlic yumminess follows.  Like I said, these are a light chip so don't expect a firework display in your mouth, but sit back and savor the goodness that is truffle fries!

I enjoyed these very much and it is my opinion that these are a great chip to pair with something more on the bolder side OR a chip that you would be okay layering with other flavors such as a dip of some sort.  I actually dipped these straight into plain sour cream last night and enjoyed them that way.  I would definitely buy these again if they won and were available going forward.  I actually might even like these better if they were on a baked chip vs. the waffle chips.  Blasphemy, I know!

Final rating: *** Three stars - only because I think they could have coated the chip a little more to give it a little more flavor instead of just a hint of it.