I always love to try new food, from the sweet to the savory. In this case, the very sweet - Häagen-Dazs® Brownies à la Mode. Yes - this blog is about ice cream.
I chose this particular flavor because who doesn't love brownies with ice cream. Put it all in the form of ice cream, it has to be good, right?? As someone who love to have indulgent ice cream, this flavor seemed right up my alley.
So what did I think? Well, as you can imagine, the bar was set pretty high, as it was coming from Häagen-Dazs®. And while they did not disappoint, it didn't knock my socks off, either. I think I was hoping/expecting a lttle more creaminess with a swirl of sweet vanilla cream (or something to that effect). And while the flavor was there, I didn't find that swirl. And I think I was expecting more of the chewy brownie chunks... which is hard to have when something's frozen. So that was all on me.
But don't get me wrong - it was good ice cream! And I'd absolutely buy it again. The flavor was really good - not overpowering, but rich, none the less. The richness is probably what kept me from eating the whole pint in one sitting. Which is a good thing. For me, at least.
So if you're a brownie fanatic, and love ice cream - and really love the two together - this could be your go to ice cream. I think I'll thrown some strawberries on there next time I try it, because, yum!
Remember the days of the soft serve ice cream trucks that would drive around? Remember how excited you got when you saw him (Mr. Softee, in my case), and how sweet taste of the soft serve was when it hit your tongue? Yeah... that was the bliss I felt when I first tasted Nutchello. The sweet, smooth sensation as I took that first sip. Who knew you could revert back to childhood with such a simple drink??
Nutchello is from the brand, Silk. Which makes perfect sense, since they already do Almond Milk and Cashew Milk, in addition to their popular soy milk. There are currently three flavors - Rich Dark Chocolate + Walnuts; Caramel Almonds + Cashews; and Toasted Coconut + Cashews. My first taste was of the Caramel Almonds + Cashews, which I have to admit, was a tough choice. Of course, it took awhile to find. Not too many stores carry this stuff yet, but it's worth searching it out if you can't find it at your normal grocery spot.
My second thought immediately when to the thought of using this in smoothies. There's just enough sweetness to add a little something sweeter, though I imagine not all mix-ins will work well. But some of the basics, like any kind of berry... YUM! I stood in my kitchen, kind of wishing I had some on hand to try it out right then!
So bottom line, if you can't already tell, is that this stuff rocks! Search it out and try it yourself. There's even a coupon on their website right now. And you can even search out a specific store in your area that DOES have it! So go! NOW!!
I know... Sweet'N Low has been around for a long time (since 1957,to be exact)... why am I writing about it?
Simple. Until I became a member of Team Sweet'N Low on Crowdtap, I have never thought about using it for anything other than a drink sweetener. But did you know you can bake with it?? The idea never even crossed my mind. But, they do sell in in bulk form, and in liquid form, if that's your thing. But even without those option, you can always use the little pink packets we're all familiar with. It's not unit per unit the same measurement, but it's easy to convert.
And that's what I did. I was given the challenge of preparing brunch using Sweet'N Low. 
They actually have some really easy recipes on their website if you want to try out using Sweet'N Low for yourself. I was pleasantly surprised at how things came out - granted, I never had the recipes WITH sugar, it was not evident that there wasn't plain white granulated sugar in it. I baked two kinds of muffins, and aside from my flub of too much flour (oops on my part!), they tasted really good. Even Eric liked them. And I can say I'd make them again, as well, with some personalization, maybe. Like, some additional add-ins maybe? And I'll likely try Sweet'N Low as a substitute in some of my other recipes as well... it's definitely worth trying. Who couldn't use a little less sugar in their life... but you can never have too much sweetness!
So yeah... Sweet'N Low. It's not just for sweetening your coffee and tea! It surprised me and it might surprise you, too!
I'm sure like most of you, the Brookside name is nothing new to me. I've seen it around on store shelves, and even tried the chocolate cover fruity bites. Always a tad different with their flavors. And even though I did enjoy them on occasion, it never quite grabbed me enough to be a regular purchase.
Well, that's about to change. Enter Brookside Crunchy Clusters. When I had a chance to try these, I didn't think much of the concept. But then I tried them. I was hooked, instantly! The flavor combination of the fruit and chocolate, paired with this crunchy, crispy rice bit. Wow! It's the perfect combination! And they say there are some other grains in there, too... whatever the combo is, it's awesome.
Normally, when I'm posting about various things on this blog, I have some caveat that I speak about... you know, 'it's great, but...' However, other than being highly addictive, I can't find something even remotely bad to say. So bottom line, if you see this on the shelf, buy it. Try it. Love it.
Seriously. This is a new fixture in my snack cabinet.
I know what you're thinking... Campbell's? They're not new - they've been around forever! Yes... they have. But you might be surprise what all falls under the Campbell's brand. And I was lucky enough to try a bunch of their items, both new and old (but maybe new to me). 
I was actually surprised at a few of the things that fall under their brand umbrella. But it made me like the Campbell's brand that much more.
So CrowdTap helped me discover all these Campbell's brands over the past couple of months or so. Among the items we a new V8 juice (I chose Spicy Mango!); Skillet Sauces; a new Prego flavor (light Alfredo); a new Chunky soup (Beer & Cheese with Beef and Bacon); Easy Cooking soups; Swanson Cream Soup Starter; microwavable Spaghetti-o's; another 'style' of soups for cooking (Creamy Poblano & Queso!); and Slow Kettle microwavable soup. So, it seems like a lot for one blog... but as a quick summary, I loved everything I tried and it really opened my mind up about 'easy cooking options' for a quick weeknight meal. Or a nice weekend meal. The key is they taste great!!
So what all did I actually do? Well, they helped out by including some recipes to kick start my ideas. And they helped. But not everything needed one of their recipes... I found that some of the items helped as a shortcut for my own recipe ideas. 
Like the Cream soup starter... it was perfect for this Roasted Cauliflower soup recipe I had. It was perfect on that first cold weekend we had. It saved so much time and so many steps! I bought another box of it the next grocery shopping trip I went on, knowing that it would come in handy as winter really set in.
I've heard about turning a can of Chunky Soup into a meal for more than one in the past (by pouring it over a starch base), so I tried that with the Beer Cheese soup I was given. It was perfect over some potatoes and Eric even loved it. It really filled both of us up.
Both of the 'soups for cooking' were surprises for me - I used the recipes they sent for both of these; Speedy Sausage Rigatoni and Creamy Poblano Mac & Cheese. Both got raves an will definitely be made again in this house. And while Skillet Sauces are already part of my regular regimen, this was a new flavor for me (Parmesan Chicken), and it, too, will be bought and made again.
I also loved all what I will call 'the simple samples' in the box, which include the V8 juice, the Slow Kettle soup, and the Spaghetti-o's... though I drank all the juice before I got to try the mango simmered rice recipe. Still want to try that one... sounds awesome!
So yeah... if you haven't tried some of these things, get out there and try them. Check out Campbell's website for recipes if you're unsure of how to use something. Or just experiment... they make it so easy to make great meals, weeknight or otherwise. And if you start with Campbell's you are sure to make a meal that will make others smile.
I love when I get to try new products out - I think that's obvious by this blog. Even if everything isn't rand new on here, it's usually new to me. But this time, the product is really new.
Everyone knows the brand Ricola. The brand's been around a long time and everyone know their 'catch phrase' from commercials... "Riiii-co-laaaaaaa!!" Well, now they've taken their natural herbs from their cough drops and put together a new kind of 'drop' for us... a Revitalizing Herd Drop. 
I tried the Lemon Zest flavor through CrowdTap and I have to say, it surprised me... quite literally!
I popped one in my mouth and started sucking on it like I would one of their cough drops. And then in true impatient form, I could wait no longer and had to crunch it up. And that's when the shock came! It says right on the bag, 'Effervescent Center' but I didn't fully comprehend what that would be. It fizzed up and tingled and felt all crazy for a minute. But definitely in a good way.
Now the whole point of these is that they are 'revitalizing' and supposed to restore your energy. They definitely tasted good, and the citrus flavor did it's job with the 'illusion' of waking you up wit the scent/flavor. But I'm not sure if it truly 'restored' energy. I guess that's where I was left a little unsure... to what extent was it supposed to restore my energy? Like a shot of caffeine? Or just enough to keep you going?
Either way, I did enjoy them. They were quite tasty, and even if this was treated like a straight piece of candy, I'd be okay with that. If nothing else, the effervescent pops you awake, however briefly. Not a bad thing if you're stuck in front of a computer all day.
Some opportunities I get to try new things are just awesome. This was one of those such things... how could it be anything but good? It was from Hershey's, after all! Plus, it was a CrowdTap sampling... they've continuously had great samplings! I only wish I had more time to try this before really talking about it... like, time to go through the whole jar! But between the weather and the fact that the post office damaged the delivery, I really only had a week before needing to report back. Not that I needed more time to tell you it's great stuff.
So the new Hershey's spread... I received Chocolate with Almond, which, quite frankly, I love Hershey's candy bars with Almonds. And while I get this was Hershey's answer on getting in the popular 'chocolate/hazelnut spread race' that was spurred on by the ever popular Nutella, I like that this isn't hazelnut. Ironically, I bought some almond butter instead of peanut butter a couple of months ago. I like the trying the slightly different.
Anyway... back to my 'testing' of a product I had no doubt I'd like. But I tried to put that aside... go into it with an open mind and truly form an opinion about it. SO I tried it with a bunch of different things to get a feel for how it would be. Interestingly enough, I didn't try it the one way I'm sure I'll eat it often - on a sandwich of a piece of toast. I was more focused on trying it in different ways. First place I tried it... waffles. The warmth of the waffles melted it just a little to give it a nice gooey yumminess. Then I tried it as a snack with some strawberries and apples. 
I liked the strawberries better, but both were still good. Then with some Nilla wafers. And then some pretzels. Finally, I melted some in the microwave so I could drizzle it on ice cream. It was pure goodness.
But wait. Then genius struck me... time to make a sundae! I chopped up some strawberries and threw in the Nilla wafers... voila! THIS was by far the best thing. It was so good I forgot to take a picture of it! I can guarantee that I'll be doing this again very soon! The mixture of all these items together was just all brought together by the now Hershey's with Almost 'sauce' that I melted down in the microwave.
So yes... when you see this on shelves, you need to get some. It is absolutely wonderful and quite a tasty treat in many forms, from breakfast to dessert. I can only imagine what craziness this might add in my baking... just thinking about the possibilities truly gets me excited. Maybe you'll be the lucky recipient of one of these treats!
Not sure if it's just me, or my generation... but tuna just wasn't part of our normal routine. Tuna in a can, that is (I LOVE Spicy Tuna rolls!). But it's a great thing to have in your diet. but what can you really do with it, besides tuna casserole, tuna salad, and tuna melts?
Yeah... that's what I though, too. Until I discover Starkist Tuna Creations! They have a few different varieties that have been pre-flavored with flavors like ranch and lemon pepper. 
Talk about making it easy for you! You could so easily throw this on a bed of greens and be good with calling it a salad. But there is so much more, I've learned.
For example, I tried the ranch flavored tuna through my CrowdTap membership, and they gave a link to all sorts of recipes. The tuna sliders caught my eye... definitely different. And it seemed pretty easy, too. It's almost like making tuna salad, but there's some cheese thrown it, along with bread crumbs to make it all stick. Standard procedure. However, instead of the mayo that the recipe called for, I used my new favorite mayo substitute - greek yogurt! SO much better for you! Can't speak on the taste difference, but I sure liked it with the greek yogurt. My husband even liked the sliders - he thought it was a nice change from the norm.
So anyway... this is something worth having in your pantry. Easy to grab and make something with it, and has a lengthy shelf life, just like it's canned sibling. But with flavor. Now I just need to decide which flavor to try next!
I'm sure you all have heard of Truvia by now. If not, where have you been??
I've been a fan of Truvia for awhile now, but apparently, word's been slow to get out there. Not sure why - the stuff rocks! What better way to have a sugar substitute than one that comes from nature, itself? Who needs a lab when nature give you everything you need.
So, for those who have been in a cave recently and are just re-emerging into society, here's the scoop of Truvia. There's a plant out there, Stevia, that has a naturally occurring sweetness to it. With no calories. Think of it as another herb from your garden... all natural, very sweet flavoring. And unlike many of those other artificially sweetness out there, there's none of that nasty aspartame in there. In other words, no nasty chemicals going into your body.
Hard to believe, huh? Well, it's true.
I recently did a 'Sweet Switch" on my husband. Honestly, he doesn't think much one way or another when it comes to sweeteners, artificial or not. He just knows he has a sweet tooth, whether it's candy, soda, coffee, tea... whatever. If it's sweet, he likes it that much more. So who better to test it out on. If I could get sugar out of this house, it's a win-win for everyone! Well... maybe I can't get it all out of the house. But let's see what I can do, at least.
Turns out, he's a fan! Or he's at least not NOT a fan! Maybe he wasn't the best guinea pig... but you should try it yourself, if you haven't already. You can go get a sample here, if you'd like - no excuses not to try it! Not only do they have it in packets, but they have a spoonable version, as well as a baking blend (mixed with sugar, but brings calories down, at least.
Definitely glad I did a #SweetSwitch for my house!
I love to try new stuff (hence, this blog). When you try new stuff, you find new things to love. You also get the other extreme sometimes and it make you not want to try new things.
The LÄRABAR wasn't either really... but it did disappoint me, a bit.
I guess I've tried so many different protein bars and 'health nut' bars, that I had really set the bar high as to what this one would give. It definitely gave me the perception of some yummy for my tummy when reading the description.
Yeah... not so much. While it had good flavor, which is something you really want, it had the texture and consistency of a mud pie. Literally. With an occasional rock... er.. nut to crunch on. Maybe it was the particular one I tried, but I can't imagine others would have too much different of a texture.
So unfortunately,I don't see any more of my business heading that way anytime soon. I'd be willing to try it again, just to see if my first impression was wrong... but so very few times is your first impression of ANYTHING wrong.
This latest little product I received in my last Birchbox, actually, and I really wasn't too sure about it... dark chocolate with chipotle flavor, salt, and popping candy?? Not too sure about that.
Somehow, though, this Venezuelan chocolatier figured out some combos (such as the above) that play out well in chocolate form! There are a variety of these Chuao Chocolate bars that look odd, at first, but then blow your mind with the taste. I absolutely loved the one I had, named Firecracker (with the flavors listed above)! The flavor all melded together and made for a unique taste experience that was actually memorable, not just your ordinary chocolate so easily forgotten.
I haven't seen this brand in stores, but I actually have looked at buying it online. On the Chuao Chocolate website, they even pair up the chocolate with things like craft beer. This is definitely not chocolate that should be taken lightly.
So, bottom line... yes, I would buy this! Would LOVE to see it in stores, eventually. My first sep will be to try all the various flavors of chocolate bars, and they continue through the other products they have. I can only imagine there's the same uniqueness throughout!
This was another Gluten-Free mix I was asked to try. I'll save you all the background - you can check out my cookie mix blog entry if you want to see all that. I'm just going to get down to it.
After trying the cookie mix last week, I wasn't naive about gluten-free products and knew a little bit more what to expect out of King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownie Mix. Of course, brownie batter is already pretty sticky... but aside from that, all the other items of interest from the cookie blog applied... sticky, grainy texture, still a yummy batter, and didn't rise like 'normal' brownies. Actually, I take that back... they rose, but then fell again. The final product still looked like a regular brownie, though.
And the taste... these really tasted like normal brownies, through and through. So much that others that tried them never knew the difference. I was impressed! I'm even almost sold on buying these again, 'just because' sometime.
So final verdict on these... winners! Again, something the whole family can enjoy if you have a member of the family that needs to eat gluten-free. These didn't last as long as the cookies, so I can't comment on the storage of them... but for the short time they were stored, they were great!
This was an interesting trial for me. Occasionally, I get to try kitchen products or foods. So I was intrigued when I got the request the try King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Cookie Mix.
First off, I can have gluten products, so this product is not necessary for me. But that also gave me a way to truly compare it to 'the real thing' I would normally make. I've never (knowingly) had a gluten free bakery product.
So to start, this is just a base. You can add nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or whatever to it. I added some chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a little something different. for those who've never tried a gluten free mix, the powder base you work with is typically a rice flour or tapioca powder or a mix of the two. As anyone whose been in the kitchen can tell you, those two items can become very sticky. Which, in turn, makes this a very sticky batter when mixing. Didn't think much of it until I tried to spoon out the cookies... they didn't want to leave the scoop (and I have one of those snazzy cookie scoops)!
Of course I tried the batter... I know... you're not supposed to. But I can never help myself. This is when I noticed the next big difference... a much grainier/gritty consistency. But the taste wasn't far off from your typical batter.
They cooked up pretty well, though they obviously don't rise like some cookies can. But when they came out, if no one told me from looking at them, I never would've known they were gluten-free!
Now the real test... how do they taste? I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. They definitely weren't the same as your flour based cookie, but they had a very similar flavor. And that grainy texture could still be felt, but that may only be because I knew it was there before.
One thing I will note is they didn't store well as long as normal cookies. I guess the tapioca/rice dries out faster? Not sure. But you may not have them around toolong, anyway.
Final verdict? If you have a family member that can't have gluten, this is a great substitute that the whole family can still enjoy. I, myself, don't see buying these 'just because' in the future... but that's probably more because I like making them from scratch. Or just going to the dairy section of the grocery store if time doesn't allow for scratch. But all in all, this is a product I could get behind.
I chose this particular flavor because who doesn't love brownies with ice cream. Put it all in the form of ice cream, it has to be good, right?? As someone who love to have indulgent ice cream, this flavor seemed right up my alley.
