Orville Redenbacher's Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper Popcorn

I don't really care for pepper. I think it's the smell; it kind of grosses me out a little bit. Nevertheless, something about the new Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper popcorn flavor from Orville Redenbacher just called out to me.


This is good stuff. I didn't think I'd be able to eat it... the pepper smell is overwhelming after popping a bag. I tried it anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's fantastic! It tastes like good popcorn and it's only slightly buttery (not drenched in the stuff like the "movie theatre" flavors), and there's not so much a pepper flavor as there is a nice spicy burn.


Orville Redenbacher has a hit on their hands with the salt and pepper popcorn. It makes a nice change from the traditional popcorn flavors... but be sure you keep some water nearby!


Product: Orville Redenbacher's Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper Popcorn
Place Purchased: Wal-Mart
Price: $2.50 for a box of 8 mini bags
Calories: Info Coming Soon!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

3 Musketeers Dark Chocolate with Cherry

Well, yesterday was Valentine's Day, and I am now suffering from candy overload. I can't resist buying all the shiny new products that get put out for the holidays, even though I ought to know better by now. This new 3 Musketeers flavor is a prime example of holiday induced buying, and I really should have left these on the shelf.

I'm not a huge fan of the original 3 Musketeers, but it's acceptable when I need a chocolate fix and nothing else is available. When they came out with the Dark Chocolate and Mint flavor, I decided to try it out (since I like both dark chocolate and mint) and found it to be absolutely divine. I didn't even hesiatate buying the new cherry minis, but I forgot one important fact: I don't like cherry flavor. I like real cherries, but we all know that artificial cherry flavor tastes nothing like the real thing.

I had really high hopes for this, but I was sadly disappointed. The fake cherry flavor was the only thing I could taste; it completely overpowered the chocolate. The flavor was so terrible that I think I went into shock. I convinced myself that it couldn't be that bad... my expectations were just too high. I tried one again the next day, but nope, it was still terrible.

I didn't even get a picture of these; they were so bad that all I could think about was how to get rid of them. I decided on the spur of the moment to send them to school with Lily so she could give them out to her class for Valentine's Day.

You might like these if you enjoy cherry flavored candies, but if you don't, your best bet is to stay far, far away.

Product: Musketeers Dark Chocolate with Cherry

Place Purchased: Target

Price: $2.99 for a bag of minis

Calories: I'm ashamed to say I didn't even look.

Overall Rating: 1 out of 5

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Isn't it odd how you can expect to hate something but wind up liking it instead? That's the sort of situation I experienced while trying this candy, which is a movie theatre staple. I'm not sure why I thought I wouldn't like them; I love raw cookie dough, so this candy would seem to be a perfect alternative to sitting down with a roll of uncooked Toll House cookies.

I finally decided to try them this weekend. My daughter got to see the new Hannah Montana movie, and that got me to thinking about all the various movie theatre candies out there. Most of them are larger versions of candies we already know, but a few of them are oddballs. I thought I would review these because out of all the movie theatre goodies out there, Cookie Dough Bites are one of the few I hadn't tried.

To be honest, I wasn't really crazy about them at first. The chocolate is definately not high quality, and it tasted sort of fruity to me... sort of like they had scraped the chocolate off of some chocolate-covered raisins and reused it. However, the cookie dough part of the candy was terrific! It had that grainy, sugary texture that you find in real cookie dough, and it was surprisingly soft (I had kind of expected it to be crunchy for some reason). And the more of them I ate, the more I wanted. Luckily, I managed to exert some self-control, but between me and my hubby the box was gone in less than 24 hours.

Overall, these were pretty awesome. I'm still not sure about the chocolate, but they were addictive nonetheless. They're made by Taste of Nature, and the company has a few different flavors--such as Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough-- although I'm not sure where you can find them.

Product: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Place Purchased: Target

Price: $1.00

Calories: 127 per ounce, 3.1 ounces per box

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Hostess 100 Calorie Pack ~ Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cakes

Whoever invented the idea of the 100 calorie snack pack is a genius. Those little packages make it so easy to keep up with how much you're eating, and you don't even have to measure stuff out! I'm especially fond of the Hostess brand 100 calorie treats; for some reason, cupcakes seem more decadent to me than cookies or cheez-its.

The Hostess 100 calorie line origanally started out with three flavors: Chocolate with Chocolate Icing, Golden with Chocolate Icing, and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Those little cupcakes must have been a boon for Hostess, because while browsing at my local Super Target I found three new flavors. The new products are billed as muffins instead of cupcakes, and they come in Blueberry, Banana, and Cinnamon Streusel. I was tempted to grab the blueberry muffins, but it says right on the box that they're made with artificial flavor... and it's getting harder and harder for me to buy anything made with fake flavorings. I know that plenty of chemicals go into our food, but shouldn't at least the flavor be natural?

Anyway, I decided to go with the Cinnamon Streusel because the box didn't say anything about artificial flavors, and, well... I like cinnamon. It turned out to be a good choice. The muffins are absolutely adorable, all tiny and cute and covered with streusel topping! They taste wonderful, too; the amount of cinnamon was just right, and although I thought there was a bit too much sugar, it really wasn't enough to stop me from devouring the whole pack. The cake part of the muffin was nice and soft, a change from the rather dry texture of the original 100 calorie cupcakes.

Overall, these muffins are definitley worth checking out. They make a nice addition to breakfast, but they're also good as a snack anytime. Target stores are pretty good about being ahead of the curve when it comes to new products, but I'm sure the new Hostess line will hit other grocers soon (if they haven't already!).

Product: Hostess 100 Calorie Pack~Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cakes

Place Purchased: Super Target

Price: $3.99 for a box of 6 packages

Calories: 100 per serving

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Graffiti Zoo ~ Zanzibar Racing Snails

I'm in a good mood today; my brother's first child was born on January 30th, and now she's coming home! What better way to celebrate than with a delicious treat of some kind? In honor of my new niece Ava, I've decided to review the scrumptious Zanzibar Racing Snails from Graffiti Zoo.

I couldn't resist picking up these chocolates. The ingredient list reads like my own personal candy fantasy-"All Natural Dark Chocolate, Cranberries & Roasted Almonds topped with Sea Salt & Sugar Crystals." I absolutly love all those things by themselves, and combining them is simply an act of providence.

This stuff is delicious! The chocolate is basically a bark-style candy: a thin plank of dark chocolate with cranberries and almonds added in and sea salt and sugar sprinkled on top, then broken into irregular pieces. The flavors blend very well together, and the amount of each ingredient used is just right. The chocolate is perfect; it has the dry notes that I'm used to in dark chocolate and just the right amount of sweetness.

Graffiti Zoo is a family run company based right here in my home state of Georgia, and their products are sold at several retailers statewide. They also sell their different types of chcolate from their website, so you out-of-state folks are in luck. They have all kinds of flavors and combos, and they all have animal-based names. Hey, what do you expect from a company named Graffiti Zoo? To top it all off, the company donates a portion of its proceeds to the Conservation Endowment Fund of the American Zoo & Aquarium Association. You can treat yourself and help animals all at the same time!

So, here's to my little niece Ava... may she live long and enjoy snacks as much as her aunt Alley Cat!

Product: Graffiti Zoo~Zanzibar Racing Snails

Place Purchased: Whole Foods

Price: $5.99 for 4.5 oz

Calories: 200 per serving, 3 servings per 4.5 oz package

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5