REVIEW: Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats

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Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats

What are Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats?

Betty Crocker has added a limited-edition pumpkin cake to its (her?) lineup of Mug Treats. The box contains four packages of cake mix and four pouches of cream cheese icing.

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Mix

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Mixed

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Cooked

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Icing

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Icing Neat

Mix the batter with water or milk (I cooked it both ways) in a mug, microwave it for a little over a minute, then top with the frosting. It’s super easy. (If you want it to look pretty, tear a small hole in the icing pouch; if you want to move on with your life, make a big tear and squeeze it out in globs. It tastes the same.)

How are they?

As the cake was cooking, it smelled delightful. Unfortunately, the cake itself is perfectly mediocre. I didn’t think it was much more flavorful than a pancake. There are prominently visible spice clusters, but the spice flavor is subdued, and overall it’s bland.

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cake Mug Treats Eaten

The cream cheese frosting is just OK as well. It certainly isn’t bad (and it adds some needed sweetness to the cake), but it’s unremarkable.

Is there anything else you need to know?

As I ate this Betty Crocker pumpkin item, I couldn’t help but think of a similar item: Kodiak Cakes Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Muffin Cup. That treat is more expensive, but it tastes better, and it’s better for you. Go with that one instead.

Conclusion:

These Mug Treats are essentially seventy-five-cent cupcakes. When you think of it that way, they’re fine. But mostly they’re not worth the calories.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12.5 oz. box/4 pouches
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pouch mix + 1 pouch icing, 89 grams) 340 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 55 grams of sugar (including 54 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza

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Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez It Pizza Box

When I learned about Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza, my jaw dropped. My mouth was so agape with astonishment that an entire Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza square could’ve fit into it.

Visually, it’s impressive. It has a Cheez-It cracker crust. It comes in a sweet Cheez-It themed box that I’m going to add to my collection of fast food packaging that my wife will ask me to throw away a month from now. And, the pieces are shaped like GIANT Cheez-It crackers. Pizza Hut did a great job at making them look like the beloved snack, even doing the rigid edges and hole in the middle. And, might I say, they look extra toasty.

Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez It Pizza Box Inside

Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez It Pizza Shape

Each pizza comes with four pieces that measure around three inches. It’s available with either cheese or pepperoni and cheese, and comes with a marinara dipping sauce. I went with the meat and cheese option.

When I pulled back the lid, a Cheez-It aroma plume rose from the packaging and shot up my nostrils as if I was huffing a box of the crackers. As for the flavor, the cheesy goodness that we all know and love, unless you love Cheese Nips, comes through in the crust. However, that Cheez-It taste is more prevalent along the edges, but much less so towards the middle. The edges also provide the most crunch. It’s not as mouth vibrating as the actual crackers, but it’s a pleasing chomp.

Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez It Pizza Filling

The cheese and pepperoni filling isn’t bold enough to take away the spotlight from the Cheez-It crust. To be honest, I’m not sure it enhances the flavor in any way. Plus, its texture was not what I was expecting. I thought the cheese would ooze out somewhat. The filling is so dense that there’s no oozing or stringy cheese; it’s a congealed combination of cheese and pepperoni, which is a little weird when looking at a cross section of it. It looks like fatty raw meat.

Pizza Hut Stuffed Cheez It Pizza Sauce

At first, I questioned the addition of marinara because I didn’t think the cracker’s flavor would come through with the sauce. Thankfully, it still does, and it surprisingly tastes okay with the crust’s flavor, but it’s not tasty enough that I’m going start replacing spaghetti noodles with Cheez-It crackers.

Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza is something I’m happy I tried, but I wouldn’t purchase it again. Pizza is in its name, but to me, they seem more like super fancy cheesy breadsticks. Also, because the filling is so dense, it got a little too rich for me while in the middle of eating a second piece. But, if you love Cheez-It crackers, it’s something you should get one time because it’ll be neat to experience the snack in an unusual form.

Purchased Price: $7.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 square) 240 calories, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 430 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 9 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: Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows

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Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows

What are Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows?

This bag of disappointment contains classic Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows with food coloring that are shaped into hearts, stars, half-moons, and clovers.

How are they?

There’s nothing magically delicious about them. I expected the taste of these marshmallows to remind me of Lucky Charms in some way. But I knew I had to prepare myself for disappointment when I opened the bag, and they didn’t smell like the cereal. What irks me is that Kraft has the capability to make flavored ones because I’ve had the Fun Mallows that taste like Fruity Pebbles!

Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows with Cereal Pieces

To add insult to injury, Kraft didn’t even include all the shapes! Where are the horseshoes, pots of gold, rainbows, red balloons, and unicorns?! It’s as if Lucky fell asleep at the factory or no longer has magic.

Is there anything else you should know?

Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows Clovers

There are three sizes of clovers for some reason. I’m not sure if it’s an error or intentional. Also, if you like these ‘mallows more than I do, you will be happy to know they’re a permanent addition to the Jet-Puffed line.

Conclusion:

Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows 2

Taste-wise, you’re better off picking out the marbits in the cereal. But, I admit that the Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows made my marshmallow eating experience just a smidge more exciting than the regular cylindrical puffs.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 7 oz. bag
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 pieces) 100 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 17 grams of total sugars, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Toasted Cheddar Chalupa

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Taco Bell Toasted Cheddar Chalupa

Like the bright shimmer of hidden gold from the lost city of El Dorado, Taco Bell’s newest menu item is a shining beacon of simple ingenuity filtered through pure borderland knowhow. The Toasted Cheddar Chalupa is a revelation of fried bread and cheese, combined the way Quetzalcoatl intended.

When unwrapped from its thin paper sheath, the grease stains catching the light allows the chalupa shell to portray a certain kind of inalienable beauty. Taco Bell has turned this thick carb-heavy casing into a surprising work of edible art that feels right at home in my quivering hands.

Taco Bell Toasted Cheddar Chalupa 3

The basis of the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa is the chalupa shell itself: an amazing feat of Tex-Mex handcraftiness. It’s a fried centerpiece that, now with the yellow bits of cheddar cheese clinging for additional flavor, is a treasured piece of corporate frybread that one could eat all day if they ever decided to stop living by the laws of common decency.

Seriously, if Taco Bell were to ever offer these chalupa shells by themselves, I would order a slick dozen fresh from the fryer, no problem. Call it sacrilege if you must, but I actually prefer them to the lauded Doritos Locos taco shells.

Taco Bell Toasted Cheddar Chalupa 2

The typical Taco Bell fillings are all present and accounted for — temperate ground beef, cool lettuce, chopped tomatoes, stringy cheese, and reduced fat sour cream. They all seem to be spiritually created simply to mate graphically with this chalupa shell.

It was still crunchy even after an hour or two of sitting by itself on my dining room table. Even the best tacos the Bell has to offer can’t live up to that scrutiny.

More of this please, Taco Bell.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 450 calories, 30 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 550 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit

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McDonald s Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit

While everyone sits around twiddling their thumbs waiting for Popeyes to announce the return of its chicken sandwich, Ronald and the gang have quietly dropped a couple of intriguing chicken sammies of their own.

I’ve never understood chicken for breakfast, but guess what? I don’t have to understand it. We live in the golden age of fast food, so I could roll up to the drive-thru and get a Chicken McGriddles and a McChicken Biscuit at three in the afternoon – and that’s exactly what I did.

I’m pretty sure these sandwiches aren’t “new,” but this was the first time they hit the menu in my neck of the woods. “Secret Menu” aficionados probably scoff at the idea of a McChicken on a biscuit or griddle cake, but these were revolutionary to a sheltered sap such as myself.

Do you like the McChicken? Do you like McDonald’s biscuits and McGriddle cakes? Well then, I think you can imagine what you’re getting here. Personally, I can live without the McChicken, but those McGriddle cakes, ohhhh baby, do I love me some McGriddle cake.

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I’ll start with the biscuit because it was the less successful of the two. The McChicken is not exactly a moist (he said “moist,” oh the horror!) piece of meat, so pairing it with a dry, crumbly biscuit only works if you also slather it in some kind of sauce. It doesn’t come with one.

McDonald s McChicken Biscuit

In hindsight, some honey or maple syrup would have improved this significantly. If you’re not in the mood for breakfast, some BBQ sauce will work as well. That’s the beauty of chicken on a biscuit. So, the McChicken Biscuit is decent, but make sure you ask for sauce.

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The McGriddles version is a McChicken patty between the two cakes, no eggs or cheese, and that was fine with me. The grease and maple syrup pockets of the McGriddle cakes provided the lubricant (a word more gross than “moist”) that the biscuit lacked.

McDonald s Chicken McGriddles

Anyone who enjoys the sweet and savory combo of chicken and waffles should be all-in on the Chicken McGriddles. I’m of the opinion that the McGriddles are the best McDonald’s menu addition in the past 20 years, and this isn’t changing my mind. I might go back and see if I can try them with eggs added. I’m sure it’s legit.

McDonald s Chicken McGriddles 2

I have to reiterate the McChicken is a middle of the road fast food sandwich at best. I couldn’t help but think this would be better with someone else’s chicken. A Popeyes filet patty between two McDonald’s McGriddle cakes would be an instant 10.

These both go down easy and can be eaten at any time of day, so they’re definitely worth checking out. They should make you forget about your Popeyes fever for a spell.

I dig this expansion of the McDonald’s brand. Maybe we can try a McGriddles Burger soon without knowing someone who works there or ordering from some secret Illuminati’s menu.

Purchased Price: $5.52 (for both – 2 for $4 before 10:30 a.m.)
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Biscuit), 7 out of 10 (McGriddle)
Nutrition Facts: Biscuit – 420 calories, 20 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1040 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein. McGriddle – 390 calories, 15 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1000 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

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