REVIEW: Papa Johns Cheddar Crust Pizza

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Pizza chains have attempted to make the pizza’s end crust as delightful as the rest of the pizza. However, while they have done things like stuffing it with cheese and meats, brushing it with garlic butter, and dusting it with seasonings, it usually never ends up being as satisfying as the rest of the pizza. However, Papa Johns Cheddar Crust Pizza might be the best tasting end crust I’ve ever stuffed into my pie hole, and I hope it never goes away.

The crust features a blend of aged cheddar cheese with a garlic and herb seasoning baked onto the edge of Papa Johns’ Original Crust. All that aged cheesiness and seasonings helped create an orangey crust that made my taste buds think they were eating elongated, doughy Cheez-It Crackers, but saltier. With the first slice, I ended up finishing the rounded end before I even took a bite of the sauce, cheese, and pepperoni side. I can’t say I’ve ever done that with any stuffed crust.

While enjoying that first slice, I wondered if the cheese extended to the bottom crust because I believe Papa Johns did that with another cheese. It doesn’t; it’s just the ends. But after taking bites from both ends of my second slice to get the whole pizza experience, I think having the cheddar on the bottom would be a waste of cheese because the toppings, especially the sweet marinara sauce, overwhelm any cheddar flavor.

However, not only do the cheddar and seasonings give the end crust a Cheez-It-like flavor, but they also provide a pleasant toasted cheese crispiness, along with the crust’s usual chewiness. The one-two punch of taste and texture makes this one unlike any other crust I’ve had. Also, you know how sometimes a pizza has a large bubble in the end crust that’s all dough and no show? Well, there was one with this pizza, and I didn’t mind it at all because I knew the cheddar baked into it would provide a good amount of cheesiness.

I loved the ends of Papa Johns’ Cheddar Crust Pizza enough that I may or may not have cut off the crust from a third slice and then put the rest of the slice back into the box so that I could eat that cheddar-y pizza butt on its own. SHHHH! Don’t tell anyone in the house that it was me. But I’m going to tell you that you should give this cheddar-encrusted crust a try.

Purchased Price: $16.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on Papa Johns website at the time of publication.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did. It’s being advertised for $11.99 in other areas.

REVIEW: Cheez-It Pizza

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I’m not breaking any new ground by saying that even the worst pizza is still pretty good.

Your local pizza joint? Pretty good. Pizza Hut? Pretty good. Those little plastic rectangles they force-fed you in elementary school? Pretty good. Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time! When pizzas are on a bagel, it’s still pretty good.

I love pizza… butttttt, I’ve never been much of a thin crust guy. Outside of Domino’s, I don’t even really eat it. I’m actually on record saying, “I don’t want pizza on a cracker.” Well, that changed the second I found a frozen pizza that was literally on a cracker. The cracker in question? You know it’s Cheez-It, so why teez-it?

“Take a Cheez-It, freeze it, and then Pizz-it.” – some marketing guy, probably.

Cheez-It Pizzas come in three flavors — Pepperoni, Cheddar Jack Supreme, and Italian Four Cheese — and are available nationwide. I opted for the Four Cheese, which has whole milk mozzarella, parmesan, yellow cheddar, and Romano… and Cheez-It, so technically, it’s Five Cheese. Semantics.

Right out of the box, the pizza smelled like Cheez-Its, so it was a great start. The baking instructions said to cook the pie at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, but as a lover of Extra Toasty Cheez-Its, I defied their orders and set the timer for 11.

I’m not one for rules – not even these pizza rules everybody apparently knows about. It’s a good thing I didn’t stop at just one bite; otherwise, this review would have been a dud because the first bite didn’t pop.

I had flashbacks to the Cheez-It collab at Taco Bell, where I thought the Cheez-It was lost entirely within the Crunchwrap. I was ready to say something snippy like, “This pizza puts the ‘ick’ in ‘gimmick.'” Good thing I didn’t say that, though, because it’s not funny at all.

It grew on me. After one square, I ate four more—one for each cheese. The cheeses had a really nice flavor, but they kind of blended into a generic, chewy “pizza cheese” taste. Parmesan stood out the most.

At first, I wasn’t getting anything more than crisp from the Cheez-It, but by square three, the Cheez-It flavor was firmly there. The crust tastes like 75% of a Cheez-It.

Honestly, this is just a hot, overly salted, cheesy cracker, and I think that’s fine.

There isn’t enough marinara, though. Maybe the extra minute in the oven evaporated the sauce, but it’s dry, and I’m not even a guy who likes a super saucy slice. I’m not even a guy. I’m a child eating Cheez-It Pizza.

I ate half the pie, and I was satisfied. I air-fried the other half the next day and was equally satisfied. It wasn’t even that far off from a Domino’s Thin Crust, but like takeout pizza, I think I prefer my frozen pizza like I hate my stomach – doughy.

It’s not delivery. It’s not even DiGiorno\*. It’s decent. It’s a snack, not a meal.

So yeah, I’ve had worse. I don’t even know you, and I know you have too. It’s technically pizza, and as we all know, all pizza is pretty good.

*This is from Palermo’s. Until writing this review, I literally thought this was a collaboration with DiGiorno because of the box design, but it’s not DiGiorno, it’s Deceptive!

Purchased Price: $8.99
Size: 16.85 oz.
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/4 Pizza) 320 calories, 18 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 850 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Baja Cabo Citrus

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There’s a new Dew in town, and that town is Cabo. Or is it Baja? Both of those are towns in Mexico, right? I wasn’t sure, so I looked it up. It turns out Baja is a state in Mexico, on the California peninsula, while Cabo is a city in Baja, so I guess the name kind of works? Anyway.

In the bottle, this soda is shockingly orange. The deep teal label provides a nice counterbalance, heightening the depth of the drink’s color. I know this might be a bit much for a color, but I find it really appealing. It’s very summery and bright. Looking at it just feels refreshing and summery. Like, I want the bottle to be wearing sunglasses with a pool floaty around it.

Opening the bottle, the scent is very orange-forward citrus. It’s not overpowering, but definitely noticeable. There are faint hints of lime as well, but kind of a syrupy sweet lime, unlike Baja Blast itself. It’s really nice and fresh, and I wouldn’t mind an air freshener or candle that smelled like it.

Then I took a sip. Have you ever had those very generic gummy orange slice candies? The ones dusted with sugar and seemingly only available at gas stations? Yeah, Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus could have been called Mountain Dew Gas Station Orange Slice based on flavor alone. The lime and supposed “Citrus Punch” vanishes into the background, all but invisible against the looming presence of sweet, yet very artificial tasting, orange. If you’re a fan of orange sodas in general, I feel like you’ll probably like this. There’s a brief flash of Dew-flavored aftertaste, but that candy flavor is far more dominant.

I think this would make excellent floats with some vanilla ice cream or freezes with some lime or orange sherbet. It’s not bad, and I actually like it. It’s just very, very orange-forward, and I’m a lime girlie who really appreciates the more tart notes in my soda. (RIP Pitch Black II, the sourest of them all!)

In conclusion, this isn’t a super original flavor, but it is a nice orangey addition to the Dew lineup if you aren’t into that spicy mango flavor that recently dropped at Little Caesars.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Per Serving: 280 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 74 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry

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Just in time for the hot summer months and to join the annual deluge of s’mores-flavored products, McDonald’s has rolled out its new Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry. It combines McDonald’s ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate bits, graham crumbs, and white marshmallows.

While my photos make my McFlurry look like it’s been hanging out in a woodworker’s shop, talking about joinery techniques and snickering every time the butt joint is mentioned, I assure you that this dessert has all the flavors of the classic campfire treat.

The mix-ins give varying textures that contrast the creamy nature of the sweet ice cream. While I described them as “marshmallows” above, they’re similar to the crunchy marbits you’d find in a cereal, and they’re a little bigger than the marshmallows you’d see in an instant hot cocoa packet. They may be small, but they do pack a sweet punch. And with their crunchiness, they are an excellent addition to the dessert.

Bringing all the chocolate flavor are small dark pieces floating in the white frozen dairy. Even though Hershey’s has partnered with McDonald’s on the dessert, the bits didn’t instantly evoke thoughts of Hershey’s milk chocolate and its distinctive flavor. It tasted a little darker to me. Nevertheless, they added a choco flavor that was as sweet and tasty as the marshmallows. They also had a nice candy bar snap to them that complemented the crunchy marshmallows and creamy ice cream.

Finally, we have the mostly crunchy graham crumbs, which I was concerned wouldn’t be noticeable, as many s’mores-flavored products struggle to convey the graham flavor effectively. But my first spoonful from the McFlurry allayed my fears. As Yoda once said, “The graham is strong with this one.” There were moments when I got more of a waffle cone flavor, but that is definitely not a complaint. Hey! I just came up with a brilliant idea. How about a s’mores treat that involves toasting marshmallows and dumping them into a waffle cone with some chocolate in it? Did I just invent something? (Searches internet) Nope. It’s been done many, many, many, many times.

All together, the mix-ins and ice cream create a delicious treat that evokes the sweet campfire delicacy. The next time I indulge in the McDonald’s Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry—and trust me, there will definitely be a next time—I think I’ll enhance it with some hot fudge to give it the feeling of melted chocolate.

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: Regular
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 460 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 57 grams of sugar (including 47 grams of added sugar), and 10 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Crumbl Cookies & Cream Pie

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Crumbl’s Dessert of the Month for June 2025 is the Cookies & Cream Pie. The returning product is a chilled pie with a cookies and cream crust, smooth cookies and cream filling, and topped with whipped cream and crunchy cookie crumbs.

Despite the amount of whipped cream, I assure you there is a pie under all that, and it is not a whipped cream pie that will be flung into the face of an unsuspecting victim as a prank while they give an interview on television. I also assure you that this pie has all the flavor and some of the crunch you’d expect from something with “cookies & cream” in its name.

Although the word “cookie” is in the description of this dessert three times, only one of those ingredients provides any cookie crunch — the dark cookie crumbs on top. Sadly, the cookies and cream crust, although firm, doesn’t give a satisfying crunch. Instead, it’s what you’d expect from a pie crust. But that’s okay because it amps the pie’s chocolate flavor considerably. Although there appear to be cookie crumbs in the pie’s filling, they are so soft that they don’t even add any grittiness, and when mixed with the white cream, they make the filling look grey in some places.

While being black, white, and grey sounds like the beginning of a riddle, this pie’s flavor is ridiculously good. The cookies and cream balance is perfect, with neither the chocolate nor the cream overwhelming each other. Not even the overabundant whipped cream affects the balance. I’m not sure if Oreo cookies are being used, but it tastes like they are. It’s so good that I’d eat the whole thing in one sitting if I didn’t know its nutrition facts.

Crumbl’s Cookies & Cream Pie is worthy of the Dessert of the Month title. If you’re a fan of cookies and cream-flavored products, this is worth ordering even if there’s a 99-cent premium over Crumbl’s usual offerings.

Purchased Price: $5.98
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 930 calories, 63 grams of fat, 34 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 133 milligrams of cholesterol, 564 milligrams of sodium, 88 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 59 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

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