Newman O’s Crème Filled Chocolate Cookies

At a recent visit to my local natural foods store (yes, there’s a first time for everything), I bought a bag of Newman’s Own “Newman-O’s” chocolate filled crème cookies. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered, but they were on sale for a good price and I was curious to see how them would compare to Oreos. I figured that because they were being sold in a health food store and are made with organic ingredients, they may not taste as good as the venerable Oreo cookie. In reality, they taste every bit as good as Oreos, and maybe a little bit better. I didn’t have any Oreos in the cupboard, so I was unable to do an A-B comparison. But, I really like the chocolate flavor of the Newman-O’s and think that the crème filling might have a better texture and flavor than that of an Oreo. In short, they are definitely worth buying as an Oreo replacement. I wonder what other good stuff the natural food store has that I might like…

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Jones Soda Halloween 2007 Limited Editions

2007 is another "Bertie Botts" Halloween for Jones Soda. In 8 oz portions, these are, no doubt, designed for novelty or Trick-o-Treating giveaway for kids (if you live in a "cool treats" neighborhood). The "new" flavor for 2007 is the "Lemon Drop Dead" soda, that tastes more sour than what has been released before under this name. The scent and flavor is very similar to Lemonheads brand candy. Yet with each gulp you're drinking the sweet and sour value of a small handful of Lemonheads. There's not much here but to say, "Gross!" That's almost a "gross in a good way" around kids. Almost.

On the other hand, the Candy Corn flavor is disgusting, even to kids. It's a hint of cotton candy burnt sugar taste coupled with artificial caramel flavor. Does real candy corn really taste this badly? Poured into a glass the "day glo" color even grossed out my kids (in a bad way). Gruesome Grape and Strawberry S'lime both taste like extra sweet, slightly more tart and garishly colored versions of fruity sodas you might enjoy elsewhere. These last two aren't great, but not awful either. Jones Soda's website says of its Limited Editions, "Don't Blink or You'll Miss Them." I suggest you blink instead of drink. If not, sip lightly.

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Sheer Bliss Vanilla with Pomegranate Swirl Ice Cream

Sheer Bliss is, as the label points out, an “ultra super premium” ice cream. What does this mean? It means it has less air mixed into it and lots more fat than other ice cream. Not surprising, it has a very smooth, luxurious, and creamy texture that you just don’t get in lesser ice cream. Sheer Bliss offers several varieties, and I recently bough a pint of Vanilla with Pomegranate Swirl. I really liked the flavor of the pomegranate swirl and wish there would have been more of it. The vanilla flavor was good, but not what I expected. For a high-quality ice cream such as this, I thought that the vanilla flavor would have been more pronounced and exotic. Sheer Bliss is not cheap – I paid $5.99 for a pint. However, it is very tasty and even comes in an attractive steel-anodized can that you can reuse. I would buy it again, but probably not to often lest I risk coronary heart disease. Sheer Bliss has limited distribution across the country, so you may have to search around for it or may not be able to find it at all in your state.

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Oreo Cakesters

The Oreo cookie sandwich is one of those classics that never goes out of style. Whether with milk or alone, Oreos are a perfect little snack. One impressive thing they have managed to do over time is come up with innovative new varieties and flavors that keep their product fresh and interesting, or, in the case of Double-Stuf Oreos, twice as good as the original. Their most recent addition to the snack industry is called the Oreo Cakester. Instead of a hard chocolate cookie, the Cakester consists of two chocolate cake-like pieces sandwiching the same Oreo filling people have loved for almost a century. The Cakesters are more like a pastry than a cookie and aren’t packaged in a sleeve like traditional Oreos, but in wrapped pairs. They managed to pull off the cake-like taste with some effectiveness, however, the rich chocolate flavor attacks your taste buds with little room left for the cream filling, which offsets the balance of chocolate and cream that we’re used to. This can be annoying for those of us who lick the cream off and throw away the cookie pieces, but if you enjoy chocolate pastries or other Oreo products, I recommend you give the Cakesters a try. Just be sure you try them with an open mind (and mouth).

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Anderson Valley Brewing Boont Amber Ale

I bough a six-pack of Anderson Valley Brewing Boont Amber Ale because it was included on a list of the 25 best beers in America. I’m not a beer expert, and I haven’t tried every beer on the list, but I’m surprised that it was included. Although it tastes good, and is very drinkable, I am not blown away by it. To me, its flavor was a little too boring to be considered one of the best in the country. I just don't find the flavor to be one that is especially memorable or unique. In the end, I’d gladly drink a Boont Amber Ale if someone offered me one, but won’t go out of my way to buy it again.

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Swedish Fish

On my most recent visit to a local convenience store, I was in the mood for some non-chocolate candy, which I like to call “plastic.” I saw a bag of all red Swedish Fish, which I hadn't had in a while, so I thought I'd give them a try. From the first taste, I was amazed. This candy was everything I could ask for. Swedish Fish also come in a variety pack with multiple colors and flavors, but the pack of red Swedish Fish I enjoyed that day was perfect. To me, and I would extend that to most people in the world, the red fish are the most tasty in the variety pack, and to have a package consist of only red makes one wonder why other candies don't employ this strategy. For example, how fast would packs of all-red Skittles fly off the shelves? All I can say is that red Swedish Fish are amazing, and the only minor complaint I have is that eating too many too fast can cause the candy to build up on your teeth causing a minor annoyance. Don't underestimate the Swedish Fish red pack-they truly are delicious.

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Cheerios Cheddar Snack Mix

New Cheerios Snack Mix has one thing going for it – the Cherrios name. Many people will probably buy it based on this, as I did. However, they may not buy it again. I recently tried the Cheddar variety, which looks delicious on the front of the bag, but really doesn’t have much going for it. To begin with, it has too many Cheerios. I estimate that they make up about half of the snack mix. The other components – cheese crackers, twist pretzels, Chex cereal, and bread twists, are barely discernable. One of the great things about snack mix is the variety of flavors that you get while eating it. Not so with this snack mix – everything tastes like cheddar cheese. I guess that if you are a serious cheddar cheese lover, you might like it. Others should probably look elsewhere to satisfy their snack mix cravings.

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Doritos Collisions - Hot Wings and Blue Cheese

There never seems to be a shortage of ideas for renewing Doritos. In my opinion, there is no need, as they are a delicious classic snack. Regardless, Collisions are a fabulous idea. All they did was combine two complementary flavors of chips in one bag. Simple enough, but oh so perfect. I tried the Hot Wings and Blue Cheese Collisions. Although Blue Cheese is not a traditional flavor of Dorito, I'm glad they didn't just get boring and put the Zesty Ranch in. I've always though Ranch with Hot Wings was just wrong. The best strategy is to eat a Hot Wing chip and follow it with a Blue Cheese cooler. It truly tastes like you've eaten the real thing. The only preference I might have is to combine the two flavors on the same chip for ease of snacking. The other downfall is that there are only two flavors right now- this and Zesty Taco with Chipotle Ranch. I look forward to more though!

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