Tag Archives: food and drink
Yuengling’s Hershey’s Chocolate Porter
What do you get when two great Pennsylvania tastes decide to mix it up? You get a fantastic porter that’s well worth searching out. Yuengling knew what they were doing when they collaborated with Hershey’s. And the brewery definitely let … Continue reading
Oliver Brewing Co.’s Creator Destroyer
I love Baltimore. So many great breweries so close together. But you never forget your first. For me it’s Oliver Brewing Co., which used to brew right in Pratt Street Ale House, but now has its own digs. This ale … Continue reading
Village Bakery’s Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
So you thought all the pumpkin things went away after Halloween? Oh my sweet summer child. Have you forgotten that Fall is decorative gourd season? And with gourds come…wait for it…pumpkin. We’re not even close to maximum ‘kin y’all. Buckle … Continue reading
Cadbury Screme Egg
Holidays with candy as a focus are fantastic. Even though I’m an adult (going by trips around the sun; mental maturity is a separate matter) I can gorge myself on all sorts of candy. Sure I regret it later (I … Continue reading
Reese’s Wasabi Horseradish
No. No no no no no. NO. This isn’t wasabi, it’s an abomination. And yes, I’m angry because I was hoping wasabi in a tube would be wonderful. It’d be nice to be able to put just a touch of … Continue reading
Bissinger’s Coffee Toffee 75% Dark Chocolate, Almond Toffee & Rich Roasted Coffee Bar
Sometimes I feel as though I’m not cool enough for some of these uber-fancy chocolate bars. Such was the case with this one; made in Italy, sustainable trade, single-origin chocolate…I’m way out of my league here. And I’m not telling … Continue reading
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.’s Cookie O’Puss Limited Edition Stout
Growing up in the DC area, Carvel ice cream stores were a staple. What’s best known from this ice cream chain is their ice cream cakes; two layers of ice cream with chocolate cookie crumbles in between. Sure, Fudgy the … Continue reading
Specially Selected Mango Chili Flavored Tortilla Strips with Chia Seeds
Aldi is quickly becoming my go-to place for finding new things to try. They have a knack for creating items that make me do a double-take, and then put said things into my cart. Like these chips. Mango and chili … Continue reading
Noble Jerky – Chipotle
Vegan…jerky? Of course! Now that we’re all lusting over vegan burgers, jerky is a no-brainer for companies wanting to lure vegans (and vegan-adjacents like myself) into the land of tastiness. And this jerky just may fool your more carnivorous friends. … Continue reading
Wyndridge Farm Crafty Cider
I often buy cans of alcoholic beverages based on the can art. I’m not ashamed. It’s led me down some pretty cool rabbit holes. So when I saw this can with a foxy Robin Hood-nik balancing an arrow-ed apple on … Continue reading
Marabou’s Schweizer Nöt
Or “milk chocolate with hazelnuts”. As you like. This bar has been called Sweden’s favorite chocolate bar, and I can see why. Smooth chocolate that’s just the right amount of sweet, studded with lots of chunks of hazelnuts. Yep, you … Continue reading
Lakritsfabriken’s Swedish Premium Sweet Liquorice
Tiny bits of heaven is what this is. It’s no secret that I love licorice, but this candy is gonna go into my Licorice Hall of Fame. This isn’t a sweet-sweet licorice, ala Good ‘n Plenty, but a lovely umami … Continue reading
Ghirardelli Intense Dark – Hazlenut Heaven
I’m always game for dark chocolate. Plus, I’m a sucker for hazelnuts (aka filbert, a name I absolutely love) in any form. So hello, combination of the two! Ghirardelli blends their premium chocolate with nicely minced nuts to create a … Continue reading
Samuel Adams Seasonal Summer Ale
Sam Adams has changed up their Summer Ale for the first time in 23 years. If you think I’m passing up a chance to give it a sip-see, you’re crazy. And you’re not crazy. Okay, you’re the right kind of … Continue reading
Victory Brewing Company’s Storm King Imperial Stout
Stout, stout, stout, stout. I love stouts. So when I found a bottle of one I’d been wanting to try for a while – this very brew, as it happens – I grabbed it up immediately. I’d heard great things … Continue reading
McKeever & Danlee Confectionery Co.’s Liquorice Allsorts
Licorice (though the company spells it with a “qu”, I’m used to the “c”, so I’ma go with that) allsorts are so darn pretty. All the colors, shapes and styles, all in one bag. Who can resist? Not me. And … Continue reading
Orchard Valley Harvest’s Sweetened Cherries in Dark Chocolate
Dried cherries and dark chocolate. Two great tastes y’all. I’m not a chocolate covered berry kinda gal; the berry ends up mushy and the chocolate ends up damp. It’s a downer no matter how you look at it. But dried … Continue reading
Specially Selected’s Chocolate Truffle Eggs
Easter chocolates can typically be found in two forms: the egg, and the bunny. Eggs tend to get a classier treatment, because they’re filled, so they can be called truffles. Truffles are classy y’all. Aldi’s foray into classy Easter isn’t … Continue reading
Choceur’s Dark Chocolate Marzipan Mini Eggs
I used to avoid almond flavor like the plague. As a matter of fact, I had been accosted by marzipan when I was a small child, thank you for asking. Those syrup-oozing “strawberries” fooled me one too many times. I … Continue reading
Reese’s Outrageous! Pieces bar
I love peanut butter, I love chocolate, I love caramel. And I really dig Reese’s Pieces. But Outrageous is less the sum of its parts. And that’s a real shame. The bar has a nice weight to it, and the … Continue reading
Anthony Bourdain’s “The Nasty Bits”
(To keep things on the up-n-up, I must confess this is a re-print of the piece I wrote back in ’06. I could change tenses, and/or mention Bourdain’s passing, but I’m still in denial. So here ’tis, unsullied by the … Continue reading
Heavy Seas Brewery’s Blackbeard’s Breakfast Salted Caramel Porter
I’m not one of the cool kids. I typically can’t handle bourbon-barrel aged brews. Too much like actual liquor; if I wanted a shot of booze, I’d grab tequila or vodka. When I want a beer, I want a beer, … Continue reading
Oskar Blues Brewery’s Death By Coconut Irish Style Porter
Oskar Blues is a brewery that can’t do wrong in my eyes, ever since I stumbled upon their Old Chub Scotch Ale. So I’d been dying to try their seasonal coconut extravaganza for quite some time. And Death is right … Continue reading
C.R. Maguire‘s A Whovian Feast: A Doctor Who Inspired Cookbook for Discriminating Fans and Chris-Rachael Oseland’s Dining with The Doctor
This review is really an acknowledgement that there’s a nearly inifinite number of writings about Doctor Who done by the fans of the show over the past fifty years. Yes there’s fanfic where they’ve created their own stories, some using … Continue reading
Carletti’s Jakobsen Coffee Time chocolate collection
Danish chocolates? Don’t mind if I do! Especially when the package itself gives me a great excuse to indulge. Coffee time? Yes please! And while these chocolates would go great with coffee, I had mine with a stout, and then … Continue reading
DeLallo Flat Fillets of Anchovies
I don’t like pineapple on pizza. I think it’s an abomination, and a waste of perfectly good pineapple. But what do I know, I like anchovies. So for part of my Feast of the Seven Fishes, here comes some ‘chovie … Continue reading
Specially Selected Cold Smoked Salmon Deli Sliced
Smoked salmon seems to be a mainstay around here, especially during the holiday season. But while it’s a great treat, it often becomes cost prohibitive to really get your salmon on. Cue Aldi! Farm raised in Chile, their smoked salmon … Continue reading
Specially Selected’s Cajun Flavored Hot Smoked Salmon
Hot smoked salmon? I’ve never heard of this. Or maybe it’s just that I tend to focus on the better known cold smoked salmon that typically graces bagels and brunch plates. But hot smoked is just that; a piece of … Continue reading
Smashmallow’s Cinnamon Churro marshmallows
‘Tis the season for warm festive beverages! And for all the things to top ’em. Nutmeg for nog, a cinnamon stick for mulled goodness, and for folk who partake of animal products (ex: gelatin), marshmallows for coffee and chocolate-centric libations. … Continue reading
Bar Harbor All Natural Smoked Wild Kippers
Tis the season to be fishy! While Christmas is almost a month away, I love planning a Fest of the Seven Fishes. Yes, at this house that includes Goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish, but I won’t judge you if you … Continue reading
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin – Snack Size
Milk chocolate and peanut butter. What a great combination. Even I, a dark chocolate fan, can appreciate it. Especially the tangy salty bite of a Reese’s cup’s peanut butter. Reese’s makes their usual cups, but sometimes they shape them for … Continue reading
Treat Street’s Zombie Hand Gummy Lollipop
Gummy candy feels like cheating. All the fun of candy, but without the fat and cholesterol of chocolate. That means I can eat more, right? For Treat Street’s gummy lollie, I think I’ll stick to one. Not because they’re not … Continue reading
Jelly Belly’s The Original Gourmet Candy Corn
JB started as Goelitz candy back in the mid-1800s, but Jelly Bellys wouldn’t come around ’til 1976. And thank goodness; I don’t know how I’d get along without their Buttered Popcorn, Margarita (from their Cocktail Classics® line), Toasted Marshmallow and…well, … Continue reading
Wonka’s Halloween Fright-Tins: Vampire, Mummy and Ghost
I love Wonka candies. Everlasting Gobstoppers, Fun Dip, Spree, Bottle Caps…they’re all the stuff my childhood summers were made of. And of course Nerds and SweeTarts, which tended to bleed over into Halloween, thank goodness. (I realize we can all … Continue reading
Sour Patch Kids’ Sour Patch Kids’ Zombie candy
Sour Patch Kids are a candy I tend to like, but only sometimes. And by “sometimes”, I mean “I only eat the red, blue and pink flavors.” Because let’s face it, these candies aren’t fruit flavored more than they’re flavored … Continue reading
Flying Cauldron’s Butterscotch Beer
For the past twenty years, with Halloween comes Harry Potter. And Hermione, Ron, Tonks, Sirius, and the crew. I’ll admit to donning my own version of a Slytherin costume (well, as a Hufflepuff why not go as my polar opposite?) … Continue reading
Cheetos’ Bag of Bones*
Like Eric Cartman, I love cheesy poofs. The crunchy ones are good too, but there’s something special about letting a savory, cheesy bit of air and corn melt onto your tongue. Weird, yes. But damn it’s good. During this, the … Continue reading
Halva Licorice Bars – Sweet and Salty
Everyone around here knows I love black licorice. Wasn’t always so; I absolutely hated the stuff when I was a kid. But my dad would grab it gleefully, so after a while I decided to give a mini-box of Good … Continue reading
Stork’s Toffifay
I remember being a kid and seeing Toffifay. It looked so elegant, so grown-up. Now this was a classy candy, obviously made for ADULTS, thought Little Me. Naturally, I had to try it. And I loved it. But I seldom … Continue reading
Taza Chocolate’s Guajillo Chili Discs
There are lots of tastes that taste great together. Peanut butter and jelly. Buttered popcorn and champagne. (Seriously, try it.) And, of course, chocolate and licorice. But there’s one that doesn’t get enough love here in the States, and that’s … Continue reading
Greenbriar’s Halloween Candy Bracelets
These strange, Fruit-Loops looking candies strung on a bit of elastic string, with or without a “pendant” or “charm” made of the same kind of candy were a must when I was a kid. They were fun, they were cheap … Continue reading
Golden Island’s Sriracha Pork Jerky
Pork jerky! I’ve had beef and bison, but never pork. So I dug into this bag, curious…and hungry. The first piece out of the bag, and I got something that was stringy and thinly sliced. This is a jerky you’re … Continue reading
Chef’s Cut Real Jerky Co.’s Smoked Beef Chipotle Cracked Pepper Jerky
I get a carnivorous hankering every now and then. And when I’m too lazy to throw a hunk of animal muscle on the barbie, I grab some jerky. I love dried meat; it’s got a lot of flavor, a lot … Continue reading
Trader Joe’s Boneless Skinless Mackerel in Sunflower Oil
Omega-3 is good for you. That’s what “everybody” says. And by everybody, I mean doctors and other health professionals. But if you’re like me, you enjoy fish but are too damn lazy to cook it most days of the week. … Continue reading
RJ’s Licorice Choc Twists
On a recent vacation (or “holiday”) trip in New Zealand’s South Island, we were doing some grocery shopping before hitting the road for our next destination. We’d already picked up a couple of bags of Cadbury Jaffas to take home … Continue reading
Russell Stover’s Fine Assorted 2 ounce pack
Little boxes of chocolates. They look so lovely. And with only four pieces per pack, hiding the evidence of a binge is easy-peasy. So when I received a wee box of Russell Stover, I couldn’t wait to dig in. Sadly, … Continue reading
Butterfinger Dark
I love dark chocolate. It’s something everyone knows, because I don’t mind saying so. But I think I’ve found something that has me thinking that perhaps dark chocolate has its limits. Because with Butterfinger Dark, these two great tastes don’t … Continue reading
Righteous Felon Jerky Cartel, Victorious B.I.G. Beef Jerky
Westchester PA based company, Righteous Felon crafts a whole lot of jerky. But I sunk my teeth into their Victorious B.I.G. because I needed to know what beer infused jerky tasted like. This one’s a collaboration with PA’s Victory Brewing … Continue reading
Justin’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I’m not really into milk chocolate. And by “not really into”, I mean I avoid it like the plague. Too many bad memories of dusty tasting mass-produced stuff stuck into my Halloween sack back in the day. Give me good … Continue reading
Crunchy tacos: my madeleines?
We had crunchy tacos the other night. They’ve become a regular fixture on our home menu in the past year or so, especially since I’ve discovered several brands of taco shells that are quite low in sodium. Now, I know … Continue reading →