Sometimes Foodie

Biscoff Cookies - Aldi : Moorestown, NJ

Biscoff spread was one of the first items I ever reviewed on Sometimes Foodie. It tastes delicious, and I absolutely loved it, but I had never had the actual cookie it was based on. During a recent trip to Aldi, I saw that both were in stock and I couldn’t resist.

The design is classic with a hint of European flair. (Which makes sense, since this is a European company.) The sophisticated color palette of red, gold, white and black is very clean and it gives the package a mature look that appeals to adults. My only gripe is that the packaging is made of very thin plastic which made it difficult to open without tearing it apart.

Inside, there are delicious oval-shaped cookies that smell like molasses and cinnamon. (The aroma is slightly similar to graham crackers.)

These are delicious! I can taste some molasses, which must come from the brown sugar, and a nice spicy cinnamon. The cinnamon flavoring is just light enough to make this taste like a spiced cookie, but not a graham cracker.

This may be the perfect cookie to accompany a cup of tea or coffee. I really love these cookies, and I see myself buying more in the future.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Ichitan Organic Green Tea with Chrysanthemum - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Blast from the past! A few moths ago I started reviewing these bottled green teas, but I never got around to posting the last flavor. Here it is!

The only difference between these three bottles were the shrink-wrapped labels. This flavor has a bright white background with scattered yellow chrysanthemum flowers and luscious leafy greens. I think the design is light and refreshing, but it’s my least favorite. I just feel like it’s a little boring when compared to the texture and color of the other two labels.

Right away this tea smells sweet. In fact, I think this might be the sweetest of the three. There are hints of honey, chrysanthemum, and cane sugar.

This is so sweet, it’s almost syrupy! At first it tastes like tea with too much honey, but there are some bitter chrysanthemum notes in the aftertaste. This really isn’t what I was expecting. To be honest, it’s like I mixed a menthol throat drop with a ton of honey and a splash of green tea.

I wish I could say that I saved the best for last…but this is undoubtedly my least favorite of the three green teas. (I won’t be buying anymore of this in the future.)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Strawberry All Natural Cane Sugar - Home Goods :Moorestown, NJ

Okay, this post is going to be a little different…

I’m going to do my typical review, but I totally bought this without knowing what I should do with it, so I am going to ask all of you for suggestions.

What should I make with this?

I was drawn to this product because of the packaging. The sugar is inside a thick glass jar with metallic detailing, which gives this product an industrial look, but the typography feels a little off. The lowercase font that is used for “strawberry” looks out of place when mixed with the distressed information in all caps. I like the look of either font on it’s own, but something about mixing the two just doesn’t work.

The only ingredients listed are raw sugar, dried strawberries, beets and red cabbage (the latter two were for coloring purposes only), so this is pretty good stuff. This smells exactly like I expected. I can smell delicious cane sugar mixed with tangy, ground up, dried strawberries.

I love the smell and taste of this fruity sugar, but I have no idea on what to make with it.

PLEASE SEND ANY SUGGESTIONS MY WAY!

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Wegman’s Premium Ice Cream - Wegman’s : Cherry Hill, NJ

I was so impressed with the Wegman’s premium banana ice cream, I decided to try this cherry one. (Which looks a lot like Cherry Garcia, my favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor.)

The design is just like the banana, but with a red color scheme. While it doesn’t look that great in person, these bold designs really photograph well.

The ice cream has a deliciously sweet black cherry scent. Right off the bat, this looks a LOT like Cherry Garcia. I can see chocolate fudge flakes scattered on the surface of the ice cream, but there wasn’t any sign of the cherries.

As I scooped the ice cream I found several black cherries hidden under the surface. The fruit bits are always my favorite part, so I was really happy that there were a lot of them in my first scoop.

This looks and smells like Ben and Jerry’s, but it isn’t quite the same. The ice cream has a strong black cherry flavor, which I like, and there are plenty of add-ins throughout the pint. The chocolate flakes aren’t quite fudge-y, they are more like little bits of dark chocolate, which isn’t a bad thing. This tastes great! (It just doesn’t taste like Cherry Garcia.) The overall flavor is a lot like chocolate covered cherries.

While I liked this ice cream, I’d rather have a pint of Cherry Garcia. I think I’ll use this to make some root beer floats. (I always use cherry ice cream for my root beer floats, and using this means getting little bits of chocolate in my float too!) I’m still very impressed with the Wegman’s banana ice cream, and I would still love to try more flavors.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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AZ Arizona Energy Drink - Dollar General : Cherry Hill, NJ

I VERY rarely use energy drinks, but right now I have a psych paper, two finals, and a summer practicum observation course all at the same time! I just don’t have enough energy to keep going and get everything done, so I resorted to an energy drink to give me the boost I needed. (I didn’t even know that Arizona made energy drinks.)

Typically, Arizona cans are tall and colorful. This design has more of an urban-graffitii feel, and it doesn’t match any other product in the Arizona line. I don’t feel like this design was very well thought out, because the can doesn’t even say what flavor this drink is. The ingredients list mango and other fruits, as well as a laundry list of chemicals that I can’t even pronounce. While I like the idea of an Arizona energy drink, I think this can needs a bit more design work and information.

I popped the can open and the liquid inside smelled similar to a typical Arizona tea. Maybe this is another tea-based energy drink?

Well I guess not, because it is carbonated and a bright yellow egg-yolk color.

I have no clue what this will taste like!

Turns out, this is a pretty quirky drink. I get an artificial tea flavor similar to Arizona or Brisk, but with carbonation. The aftertaste is pretty similar to Red Bull. I imagine if you mixed a can of red bull with a can of Arizona, you’d get this drink. (Maybe not the same color.)

I am not a huge energy drink fan. After drinking 1/3rd of this I started to feel nauseous, but that quickly passed. I nursed the can for the rest of the night and I was able to stay up and get a decent amount of work done.

If I needed another boost of energy, I might get this again because it was effective, but I didn’t really care for the flavor (or the can design).

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Cream Cheese and Crab Wontons - Pinterest Recipe Review : The Pin

This is a VERY easy and VERY yummy recipe. (Plus the finished product looks professional and impressive.) Since pinning it, I have completely stopped ordering these from take-out restaurants!

All you need is a package of cream cheese, green onion, garlic powder, and oil. (You can check out THIS recipe for more details.)

The only modification I made to this recipe was adding crab meat. (I just mixed it in with the cream cheese filling.)

I have made these several times, and here are some flavor variations I have done:

Jalapeno Popper: I added shredded cheddar cheese and diced jalapeno peppers to the cream cheese mixture.

Pumpkin Pie: I had some leftover pumpkin pie filling and wonton wrappers from other recipes, so I fried up some little pumpkin pie wontons and sprinkled them with cinnamon.

Cherry Pie: The same as the Pumpkin, but with cherry filling.

Wonton wrappers are a fantastic item to have in your kitchen or pantry. They are easy to use and delicious! (I want to make some buffalo wing and pizza ones)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Wegman’s Premium Ice Cream - Wegman’s : Cherry Hill, NJ

The other day I had to stop by Wegman’s to pick up some wonton wrappers for dinner, and I saw they they had little pints of premium ice cream, similar to Ben and Jerry’s. I just couldn’t resist. I love banana ice cream. (It is second only to Cherry Garcia.)

Store brands typically mean no frills, so the designs and packaging are very basic. The container is a bright, gaudy, yellow with chocolate brown swirls and generic graphics. At first glance, the packaging looks like a 2nd semester design student project, but it actually photographs really well. The bold colors and design give it a nice graphic quality in photos.

Once I peeled the protective plastic coating off, the ice cream had a creamy vanilla-banana scent. It wasn’t a very strong aroma, like banana chips, but it was very pleasant.

As I scooped the ice cream I was pretty impressed with the distribution of add-ins. There were little peanut butter cups and fudge swirls in every scoop! I wasn’t able to see any of the marshmallow swirl, but I think it blended in with the banana ice cream.

I fell in love with this after the first bite. I could taste yummy vanilla-banana ice cream and chocolatey swirls instantly. When I got a bite with a peanut butter cup in it, it not only added a delicious peanut buttery flavor, but it added a nice texture to the ice cream as well. I couldn’t taste any marshmallow, but I think the marshmallow flavoring is what gave me the nice vanilla notes in the ice cream.

I have to say, this banana ice cream is awesome! I am really impressed with the Wegman’s store brand, and I will be buying more flavors in the future. (They had a little something that looks like their version of Cherry Garcia..<3)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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One year ago I started this blog. It began as a little hobby that made me happy, but now I have over 200+ followers. After year one, my writing and photography have both improved so much! I am excited to see where year two will take me.

To thank you all for following, here is a chance to win some snacks!

RULES:

You must be 18 or older to enter
I will only ship to USA or CANADA (Sorry, shipping fees are expensive. Maybe next time I’ll open it up for international shipping.)

TO ENTER:

CONTEST ENDS: JUNE 18th 2013

(There is plenty of time to enter )

ABOUT THE PRIZES:

1st place is a pack of some of my favorite items

2 Meiji Samplers
Seafood Ramen
Pudding Mallows
Several different candies from USA and ASIA

2nd place is a sampler pack of several candies

Some USA and some ASIA
Sweet and Sour

Thank you all for following, and GOOD LUCK!

___

Just a Reminder, there is a little more than a month left to enter!

Why did I make the contest so long?

I am finishing the teacher prep program with a dual certification and right now I have Spring Finals and Summer classes all at the same time. It’s pretty hectic and very fast paced. Plus I have my etsy shop orders to complete each day! I am barely sane as it is, so I gave myself some breathing time for the contest to make sure I announce a winner and ship everything out on time.

Plus I am adding more and more things to the give away as I go! (Since I am still reviewing more foods I am adding more candies to both prize packs.)

Frank’s RedHot Wings Pringles - Walmart : Lumberton, NJ

I haven’t had Pringles since they attempted a dessert line, and since I no longer see any of those flavors on the shelves, I’m guessing that didn’t work out. I wanted to like them, but the chips just weren’t good. (Check out my reviews on the White Chocolate Peppermint and Cinnamon Sugar versions if you don’t believe me.)

I saw an announcement online that the limited edition Frank’s RedHot Wings Pringles were being re-released. I’ve heard good things about this flavor, but I missed out on it last year. This time I was able to get a can before the shelves were cleared.

Like all Pringles, the chips are stacked inside a tall foiled container with a color scheme that plays off the flavor. For Frank’s RedHot, the design features a bright yellow-orange gradient and a bottle of buffalo wing sauce. Compared to the other packaging I photograph/review, Pringles have a lack-luster design. I’m not really liking this label, and I feel like they could have done a lot more with it.

Once opened, I could smell the traditional potato-flaky Pringles aroma mixed with a hint of hot sauce. (Really, it was more like a tangy vinegar aroma, than hot sauce.)

The chips have a very uneven dusting of red-orange flavor powder. Most of the chips have a thin, dull, diagonal streak of flavoring on the underside. There is an occasional chip with more of an even coating, but those are few and far between. The lighter the color, the less flavorful the chip.

The chips with a light streak, which are the majority, are barely flavored. They taste like a plain Pringles chip that might have a teeny drop of wing sauce on the edge. If you manage to find one of the chips with a more even coating, they actually taste a LOT like wings! The flavor is tangy, slightly sweet, and there is even a hint of chicken. Sadly, these properly coated chips are rare, and typically at the bottom of the can.

My biggest complaint is the severely uneven flavoring. If the chips had been coated more evenly this would have been absolutely delicious. (I will say these are the best Pringles I have had in the past year, but since I have only had the dessert line, that isn’t saying much.)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake Extra Dessert Delights - Target : Moorestown, NJ

As of right now, I have had every flavor in the Dessert Delights line. (Although I’ve only posted reviews for about half of them.)

Click on the flavor for photos and a review:

Orange Creme Pop

Rainbow Sherbet

Root Beer Float

Lemon Square

Today I’ll be reviewing Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake, the newest flavor. I’ve been a fan of this gum since the beginning. Key lime pie (which is now retired) was my absolute favorite! I’m not 100% sure, but this flavor might replace Strawberry Shortcake. (They seem to be making some changes to the flavor lineup.)

The packaging follows the same guidelines as the other flavors. There are flowing stripes of color that coordinate with the flavor, and there is a photo of the real dessert the gum is based on.

When it was announced, I wasn’t too sure about this flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love raspberries. It’s just that Raspberry flavored foods can come off as candle-y or perfume-y. With that being said, this gum definitely smells like something from Bath and Body Works. This smells like a really nice raspberry lotion, not like a yummy candy or gum.

This flavor was just released. It’s brand new, but the texture feels like this gum is old and stale.

The first flavor I could detect was a floral raspberry. The taste isn’t sweet, or jammy, it’s more like a sugar free raspberry pudding. I can slightly taste some vanilla cake notes, but it’s more like a pre-made grocery store cake than bakery-fresh.

For the most part, these newer flavors haven’t been living up the the original three. (With the only exceptions being Root Beer Float, and Lemon Square.) While this flavor isn’t terrible, I wouldn’t say it tastes like a raspberry cupcake. I’ll keep this in my purse for now, but I don’t see myself buying any more of this flavor in the future. (BRING BACK KEY LIME PIE!)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Lion Soda Kids Candy - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

Because this candy has 6 flavors, and such amazing packaging, I am splitting it up into multiple reviews.

Check out THIS POST on the aesthetics.

And THIS POST for the other 3 flavors.

Today I’ll review 3 flavors of this soda candy:

Cola (brown)

Orange (orange)

Lemon (yellow)

Cola:

You can taste the cola flavor the second this hits your tongue. This candy starts out tasting a little flat, similar to the Haribo gummy cola bottles, but when you hit the fizzy center it really starts to shine. These are really similar to the other cola hard candies, (reviewed here) , but these are much fizzier.

Orange Soda:

This might be the most accurate soda flavor in the bunch! This candy honestly tastes just like a glass of orange soda! As it dissolves, you can detect some sweet mandarin notes, but the overall flavor is unmistakably orange soda.

Lemon Soda:

Bright and refreshing. This starts out with a sweet lemon-drop flavor, but as it dissolves the fizzy center brings out stronger citrus notes. These are a little tart, but no where near Super Lemon.

It was tough to pick a favorite out of this group, but if I HAD to pick…

Orange

Lemon

Cola

My love of citrus sodas and candies beats the cola, but all three are delicious. This group turned out a lot better than the last one.

I’m not sure if I’d buy another bag of these, but if they sold individual flavors I’d definitely buy a bag of orange.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Lion Soda Kids Candy - Asian Food Market: Cherry Hill, NJ

Because this candy has 6 flavors, and such amazing packaging, I am splitting it up into multiple reviews.

Check out THIS POST on the aesthetics.

Today I’ll review 3 flavors of this soda candy:

Melon (green)

Ramune (blue)

Grape (red-violet)

Melon Soda:

I had such high hopes for this flavor. I LOVE melon flavored sweets, but this is NOT like any melon I have ever had. The hard-candy outside tastes like bubblegum. I HATE bubblegum, so I was very disappointed. Inside, the candy has a fizzy center which is tangy and flavorful, and I really liked that, but it wasn’t enough to overpower the bubblegum flavor. To me, this was like having carbonated bubblegum mouthwash in my mouth. (As a kid, I was forced to do in-school fluoride treatments with bubblegum mouthwash for YEARS and it absolutely ruined the taste of bubble gum for me. To this day it still makes me extremely nauseous.) It is my least favorite of the three.

Ramune:

The blue ramune candy has some light citrus notes, but there is a slightly bubblegum-y flavor to this one too! Thankfully, it is much more tolerable. This candy reminds me of a diet lemon seltzer. While this isn’t a favorite, it wasn’t as bad as the melon.

Grape Soda:

This flavor is wonderful! The grape notes are really jammy and rich. It’s just like drinking a glass of grape juice cocktail. When you hit the fizzy center, it makes this candy taste just carbonated grape juice. (I often serve non alcoholic carbonated grape juice at my holiday parties and events, and this tastes just like it!)

Out of these three flavors, grape is by far the best. While each candy has a wonderful fizzy center, that really adds to the soda aspect of the flavors, the ramune and melon candies were too bubblegum-y for my tastes.

If you like bubblegum, or things that are flavored like bubblegum, you might really like the melon and ramune flavors. They just aren’t for me.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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