TRIFECTA!! Waffles & Syrup Oreo Review!

If you read my Fireworks Oreo review, you'll remember I said there were 3 new Oreo flavors, so this is number 2.  (Still hunting for the 3rd much to my dismay).

These Oreos are exclusive to Safeway type stores, so that also includes Jewel-Osco, Shaw, and Von's.  Anyway, thanks to networking with people from all over the country with Perfectly Posh, I was able to have someone from Montana mail me these 😋😋😋

What's the first thing you noticed on the packaging?  They're 5 more calories per cookie than usual. HAH!  These are far from being diet friendly, but hell, calories add up fast, so of course I had the attitude of "these better be worth the extra minute on the dreadmill!"

When I first opened the packaging (again, yay for the pull tab!), I was immediately hit with the scent of sugary syrup.

As usual, I twisted the cookie apart.  Inside the cream filling had a tan colored center with white cream around that (as pictured on the packaging).  Now, before I opened the cookies, I was pretty hesitant about the cream appearance.  There is something about it that reminds me more of an egg.  Don't get me wrong, I like eggs, but not with Oreos.  Luckily, the tan color reminded me more of peanut butter in this case than it did an egg yolk.  Phew.  Crisis averted.

The yellow cookie part tasted like it always does - nothing fancy there. So now we get to what makes the cookie a Limited Edition.  I wasn't surprised in the least when tasting it - if I could smell syrup, I could taste syrup.   I really never got a hint of waffles; however, bravo to Nabisco for nailing the syrup flavor.  For those that are hoping it's maple syrup, I hate to disappoint, but it just tastes like your standard Mrs. Butterworth or whatever other store brand you prefer.  The cream is very sweet so I really probably couldn't eat more than two in one sitting even if I wanted to torture myself with countless miles later.

So do I like these better than the Fireworks ones?  Ehh, yes, but then I'm comparing apples to oranges.  Final rating: 8/10. 

FOOD REVIEW: Tostitos Sopapilla chips

I know a sopapilla isn't the same as a churro, and I have indeed had sopapillas before, but I blame Disney for my love for churros.  I decided these were a "must have" because I figured they're close enough to a churro thanks to the cinnamon sugar.

Sometimes I admittedly like to cheat before buying something, and reading reviews from others.  But that's the beauty of reviews.  A review is your own opinion, and guess what? Not all opinions matter,  nor do all opinions match.

Anyway, I had been reading positive feedback on these.  So I had high hopes! ... Remember how in my Oreo post (just the one prior to this one), that I had low expectations and sometimes if they're low, the outcome is better?  Well, same thing holds true for high expectations.  When you set them too high, you can be faced with disappointment.

Cue the disappointment. 😭😭😭

So what didn't I like about them?  Sometimes I'm terrible at explaining things, which is probably the case with this.  But there was just this weird after-taste to them.  I think it was the attempt at artificial butter perhaps?  I had to eat SEVERAL (and very quickly!) to try to get that taste to go away.  Did it? Yes, but I shouldn't have to binge on them to find them acceptable and have my taste buds find them edible.  Was I repulsed? No.  I just feel no need to buy them again.

NOTE: Many others who reviewed them claimed that they either added them to vanilla ice cream (as the back of the bag suggested) which I did not, and others stated that the ratio of "seasoning" to chip needed improved upon.

So what's my final rating? 4/10 from me.  My fiance seemed to approve of them much more than me, though, so I say that if these sound intriguing to you, please don't let me own opinion sway you and go give them a try.

She's back with a BANG! ... Bringing you FIREWORKS Oreos!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  Work happened.  Then a week long illness.  Then a "racecation" to WDW for the (Star Wars) Dark Side Half Marathon weekend.  Then... well, you get the picture.

So here I am back with a foodie review on 1 of 3 new Oreo flavors that are currently available.  

The good news?  You should be able to buy these anywhere.  They're not exclusive to any one store, which makes my life a hell of a lot easier, and also why you're getting this review.  I'll have one more flavor to review, but I have yet to get my hands on the third flavor.  They're eluding me still.

The bad news?  While they're readily available, they're not exactly "new". What do I mean by this?  Well, the Fireworks Oreo is essentially your standard Oreo, but there are "popping candy" bits inside the cream.  Notice, I didn't call them Pop Rocks.  I'm guessing that's due to legal issues with using the trademarked name and all that jazz.  And the candies are colored blue and red.  (Hooray for patriotism!)  I actually thought these wouldn't hit shelves for another month in honor of the 4th of July, but Memorial Day makes sense, too.

So as I mentioned above, there's nothing too wild and crazy about these Oreos, so I really didn't have high expectations.

What happens if you set low expectations?  You're generally pleasantly surprised when your expectations are surpassed, and that's exactly what happened with these.

I actually don't generally separate the cookie from the cream filling, except when trying a new flavor.  However, I did this with every one I ate.  Standard chocolate cookie, nothing new here.  But I was pleasantly surprised with the popping candy!  Now, it's far from an explosion, and I think the ratio of candies to cream was far from consistent, but when I happened to find an "active" cookie, I could really hear and feel them popping, especially on the roof of my mouth and on my tongue. I even got adventurous and took a sip of soda (yes, I call it soda!) and it did intensify the result.  (No, I didn't die clearly.)

So how would I rate these?  Their gimmicky, but I love Oreos.  So I'd give these a 7/10 overall.

PS - can we both be excited this packaging also has the pull tab?  Sometimes the specialty flavors don't!

Coffee Review: Da Bomb!

Watch out now - you're getting a "two for one" deal today.  And why is that?  Because I'm drinking my latest batch of coffee from Java Factory Roasters.  And when the box let's you know it's double caffeinated, you have energy to #getshitdone.

So let's clear the air about how this review almost didn't happen.  JF (that's how I'm going to abbreviate the company) let me know last week that new coffee was on its way and shipping via Fed Ex.  In case you didn't know, you can sign up for Fed Ex alerts when you're expecting a delivery. Both UPS and USPS also offer this.   Anyway, I could tell my coffee was going to get delivered on Saturday, and according to Fed Ex, it was indeed delivered.  Small problem though, it wasn't on MY doorstep.  So that either means 1) Someone stole it, or 2) It was delivered to our next door neighbor. Grrrr.

I decided Monday after work I'd go see if the coffee was mistakenly delivered to the wrong house. Luckily, it was already walked over and left on my doorstep.  Hooray!  Crisis averted of getting their beagle barking.

If you don't recall, I received two boxes of flavored light roasts in December.  I wasn't sure what to expect this go-around since I really can't think of any Valentine's Day related flavors of coffee... Maybe chocolate covered strawberries? (#somethingtoconsider).  So I open the box to find Da Bomb, which is an extra bold dark roast.  Oh, and it's double caffeinated.

I was pretty apprehensive to try it.  Why?  Sometimes dark roasts don't always agree w/ my stomach.  In order to avoid a potential stomachache, I decided to make myself a cup of this after lunch for that afternoon jolt of energy.  I am also wondering if a "crash" is possible.

How did I brew it?  I set the cup setting to 10 oz, and added 2 Mini Moo creamers, 1 packet of sugar, and 1 packet of Equal.  Normally, I don't add sugar anymore, but upon first trying it, it was still a tad bitter for my liking, so I did feel the need to sweeten it up.

Despite it not having a "flavor" assigned, it is indeed QUITE flavorful overall.  It's rich, and I like it more than I expected I would.  I don't feel jittery either, which is a relief.  However, it is helping me fight off the "food coma" I often fall into, so it's working somehow.  I had given one to my fiance to try yesterday.  When I asked him if he thought it was extra caffeinated, all he could tell me was that he didn't feel like he needed  nap when he got home, so there's that 👍

#dabombsquad #javajunkies #javafactory #javafactoryroasters

Food Review: Hint of Jalapeno Tostitos

A few weeks ago, I spotted these on the shelves.  But I didn't buy them then.  I was second-guessing myself as to whether or not they were "new" since I didn't see the word "new" on the bag.  They were placed next to the "Hint of Lime" Tostitos (which I've definitely had before and love!) so I was thinking to myself, "Maybe I've just never noticed these before."

After some digging around, I learned that the Hint of Jalapeno Tostitos are indeed new, so back to the store I went. 

If you ever ask me what some of my favorite snack foods are, chips (whether potato or tortilla) always win.  And chips and salsa, guac, queso... The list goes on. However, I love the Hint of Lime chips by themselves, so I figured I probably would be fine w/o any dippers for these as well.

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty gross all day - bloated (a way a man will never understand).  I got home from work and saw the bag waiting for me.  I debated if I wanted to try them then since I risked the chance of intensifying my gross feeling.  But let's face it.  I'm a glutton (and for punishment!) so I decided to go for it.

Upon opening them, I could smell the jalapeno scent immediately.  I wouldn't say it's a strong enough scent to make your eyes water.  (PS - I love spicy foods so even if that had been the case, it probably would have intrigued me more.)  The best part about these chips - they're actual chips.  None of these crumbs and half-assed size chips.  Full chips that if you wanted to dip, they shouldn't break and be worthwhile of getting a decent amount of dip without having to buy the "Scoops".

Anyway, I failed to take a picture of the "seasoning" that you can see on them, but it's there so you'll just have to take my word for it.  As soon as I tried it, I knew I was in trouble.  I grabbed another, and another, and another.  This was a snaccident (this is when you only mean to eat a few, but accidentally eat them all) in the making.  Eventually, I came to my senses and stopped binging on them.  I also wanted my fiance to try them, too.

Are they spicy?  In my opinion, no.  They have the right amount of flavor without causing you to breathe heavily and chug water/milk.  All in all, I'd give them an 8/10, because quite frankly, I could use a little extra heat 😉

Food Review: NEW Fiber One Layered Chewy Bars: Double Chocolate Almond

When I see the words "new" or "limited edition" when it comes to food, I'm instantly intrigued.  I'm not sure how new these actually are, but they're new to me, so that's what counts.

When I think of fiber, I picture people drinking awful Metamucil or a plate of heaping greens, like spinach.  (PS - I love spinach!) I remember when Fiber One first broke out onto the scene, and I really was convinced either the bars wouldn't taste good or they wouldn't be effective. I still really can't vouch for their effectiveness but I can say they taste damn good. I know they aren't the healthiest with all the chocolate, so maybe that's why they're not as effective.

So here's the latest flavor (of two) I found at Target. The other was Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate, but they have a whopping 10 extra calories per bar, so my fiancé said we should try the Double Chocolate Almond layered chewy bars instead.

My biggest gripe with the bars is generally that I make a mess (of course). The chocolate ends up falling out somehow, and I magically get it embedded into my clothes. I'm special like that. Anyway, these bars have melted chocolate on top as opposed to lots of chocolate chips so they weren't as messy. They definitely aren't lacking in chocolate though, so I don't want you thinking that by mistake.  I (personally) would prefer more almonds but overall they're very good as a snack. Would I recommend them? Absolutely. So give them a try and let me know what you think!

Coffee Review x2 with Java Factory Roasters

Good Morning!  So let's get this ball rolling!  A blog entry all about COFFEE!

I wouldn't say I *need* coffee in the morning, but it surely doesn't hurt either.  I've liked coffee for as long as I can remember.  We're talking probably the age of 8 or 9. I was always told drinking it would stunt my growth, but how many Asians do you know that are tall? C'mon now.

Anyway, coffee and I have so many fond memories together. I used to make myself a full pot of it just for me during college to help cram for finals.  I love visiting coffee shops.  Even though I am Gold Status at Starbucks, I still love to support small businesses, too.  It's also no surprise that when I was given a Keurig for my birthday, I was pretty excited and couldn't wait to use it.

If you're going to throw stones and tell me k-cups are wasteful, then you're missing the point about this entry.  I have a short attention span.  I've never denied it.  That includes my attention span for boring coffee.  Give me flavors!  Yes, I know you can buy syrups, too, but I'm all about VARIETY.  K-cups allow me to expand my horizons!

Social media is a crazy thing sometimes.  I posted a variety of k-cups I purchased with companies as familiar as Green Mountain to those less known such as Java Factory Roasters.  One day, I received a message on Instagram from a person working for Java Factory asking me if I would be interested in becoming an ambassador for them.  I only ever knew of ambassadors in the running world (i.e. for races and attire - think socks, headbands, etc) but I was excited to have an  opportunity to become one for COFFEE!  I quickly replied that I was on board and waited (im)patiently for my first shipment even though I had no idea what to expect.

Shipping was super fast for me.  I received two 12-count boxes of two different seasonal flavors: Java Nagila and Jingle Java.  Both are light roasts.  Java Nagila's flavor description is chocolate and mint, while Jingle Java's flavor description is hazelnut and nutmeg. They also sent me a pair of funny glasses to wear, so I happily participated.

So let's get to the review, shall we? How do they taste?

Java Nagila: as soon as I brewed it, I could instantly pick up the scent of the flavor description. I could smell more chocolate, than mint, which is ultimately what I tasted.  The mint is subtle.  As far as how I prepared it, I had my Keurig set to make a 10 oz cup, and I added two Mini Moo creamers, but no extra sugar.  Rating: 7/10

Jingle Java:  while brewing, I could smell the hazelnut.  While drinking it, I didn't notice the nutmeg.  Nutmeg is generally a really strong flavor, but this tasted primarily like a standard hazelnut coffee.  I also made a 10 oz cup with two Mini Moos, and no extra sugar.  Rating: 6/10.

Between the two, I preferred the Java Nagila to the Jingle Java.  The Jingle Java was still good, but it didn't "wow" me.  I didn't feel like it stood apart from let's say, a Gloria Jean's hazelnut.  I look forward to receiving a new shipment soon!