REVIEW: Taco Bell Cherry Sunset Freeze

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Taco Bell Cherry Sunset Freeze

What is the Taco Bell Cherry Sunset Freeze?

Taco Bell’s frozen drinks are quite popular, especially in the searing sun of the summertime. This latest flavor, Cherry Sunset Freeze, totally exploits that burning need to cool down with a bit of cherry syrup layered in with the pineapple slush to make a beautifully scenic drink.

How is it?

Taco Bell Cherry Sunset Freeze 2

Like a positively primo Don Henley tune, this smooth elixir is the perfect taste for an evening of, perhaps, eating tacos on the Taco Bell patio, if there is one. Or, most likely, hanging in the backyard with the dog and a couple of bean burritos, which is more my speed in the summertime.

Taco Bell Cherry Sunset Freeze 3

The thirst-quenching cherry syrup hits my first like a wave of dusk washing over the evening sky, with the clever pineapple slush refreshing my insides like the last peeks of sunlight on a sultry day. Both flavors are very present and complement each other graciously, providing cool relief without the horrid cough syrup aftertaste that so many of these novelty freezes seem to have.

Is there anything else you need to know?

If I was a drinking man, which, sadly, I’m not, a couple of jiggers of rum really would have been tropically lovely in this, making for a festive fiesta of one.

Conclusion:

Holding tight to my cup, even as my Cherry Sunset Freeze melted in the 103 degree Oklahoma evening, it maintained a decidedly winterish feel to my summery surroundings. With an absolutely inventive taste that keeps going after the drink has long melted into a cup of syrup, this is the flavor sensation to truly beat the freakish heat.

Purchased Price: $1.00 (Happy Hour)
Size: 16 oz.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 190 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 49 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Limited Edition Baby Shark Cereal

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Kellogg s Limited Edition Baby Shark Cereal

If you’re not familiar with the “Baby Shark” song and music video, here’s a YouTube link to a video that loops it for one hour. You’re welcome. Your pop-culture has been updated to Version 2016.06.

Now that’s you’re acquainted with the viral hit from Pinkfong, we should move on to the cereal it has spawned. Oh wait, you’re not ready to move on because the song is still stuck in your head?

I’ll wait.

All right! Ready? Not yet?

How about now?

Nope. Well then, I’m going on without you you you you you you.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Baby Shark Cereal Back of Box

Kellogg’s Limited Edition Baby Shark Cereal is Berry Fin-tastic flavored and comes with marshmallows. I’m going to assume the colors for the cereal correspond with the colors that Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, Mommy Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, and Daddy Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo are.

Kellogg s Limited Edition Baby Shark Cereal Closeup

Every piece also has colorful sprinkles on them, but I’m not sure what they signify. DNA, maybe? As for the white marshmallows, I can only guess they represent the color of shark’s teeth or the type of noise you wish to hear instead of the Baby Shark song that won’t leave your head.

Being that this is from Kellogg’s and the cereal pieces are colorful, fruity rings, it’s easy to assume this could be Froot Loops with marshmallows. But this doesn’t taste like Toucan Sam’s classic pride and joy.

Kellogg s Baby Shark Cereal and Birthday Cake Froot Loops
Kellogg’s Baby Shark Cereal (left) Birthday Cake Froot Loops (right)

Instead, it tastes like Toucan Sam’s newest pride and joy — Birthday Cake Froot Loops, but with marshmallows. Even the colors of the two cereals are almost identical. The one hue difference is the blue piece, which is purple in the celebratory Froot Loops.

For those of you who didn’t bother with Birthday Cake Froot Loops, you might be wondering how birthday cake can taste like this berry-flavored cereal? Well, let me spoil the not-so-secret of the cake-flavored cereal — it was strawberry birthday cake. Just like with that older fruity loops cereal, the berry flavor in Baby Shark Cereal is too subtle for my taste buds and is even more subdued when in milk. The shark teeth-colored marshmallows don’t add much to the cereal beyond their texture.

Overall, Kellogg’s Limited Edition Berry Fin-tastic Baby Shark Cereal is suf-fin-cient, but is easily less memorable than the song that gave rise to it.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 13.2 oz. box
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s (available at Sam’s Club and Walmart)
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup) 150 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

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Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

I haven’t set foot in a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for around, sadly, a decade, since stopping at a Denver location that was a few blocks from my former favorite record store (Twist and Shout, if you’re interested). Even back then, however, I always thought that, when it comes to fried chicken, with its Louisiana-inspired seasonings and spices, Popeyes was the best in the biz.

When I received word that Popeyes was taking on Chick-fil-A with its own version of the heralded chicken sandwich that has made the Chick-fil-A so popular for so long, I knew it was finally time to rekindle my passionate taste for Popeyes once again.

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich 3

The sandwich is pretty basic, especially when you read about it in print: a large chunk of boneless fried chicken, placed on a “buttered bun” with a few pickles and (spicy) mayo. Of course, it comes in two variations, classic and spicy. I undoubtedly went the latter, as it was originally Popeyes spicy fried chicken that I had always devoured.

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich 2

Delivered to me in a foil-like silver bag, the first thing I noticed was how gratuitous this sandwich truly is. Popeyes already beats the chicken skin off of not only Chick-fil-A but just about every fast food chicken sandwich on the market with the sheer largesse of this New Orleans-style beast. I mean, it’s shocking how heavy the thing is. For only $3.99, even if the sandwich is just okay, you’re still getting your money’s worth.

But, you know, the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is not okay… it’s mother-clucking fantastic!

It’s probably the best (non-gimmicky) chicken sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Every blessed bite is a mouthful of crispy fried skin and tender white meat, all coated with that special Popeyes seasoning that I have missed for so long. Every juicy sliver of meat is spiced with enough heat to not overdo it, but without that overly “greased” feeling that seems to buckle down a lot of fast food chicken.

(If I’m being honest though, I did squeeze a couple of packages of Louisiana Hot Sauce on top for a little additional down-home warmth.)

Popeyes Chicken Sandwich 4

With a couple of mild pickles and a small dab of spicy mayo for taste — not to mention the very firm, very plump, and very rich buttered buns — it doesn’t need all the unnecessary hoopla so many other sandwiches do and, maybe, that’s the thing I love so much about Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.

With basically a strongly empowered piece of fried chicken and very little else, Popeyes may have crafted the chicken sandwich of the year — and if you don’t believe me, well, then it’s your loss, champ. Cómpralo ya!

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on the Popeyes website that keeps crashing my browser.

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REVIEW: Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Sandwich

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1 OscarMayer Ice Dog Pkg

When French’s recently announced they were dropping a >mustard ice cream for National Mustard Day, it clearly sent shockwaves through the processed-food industry, because the very next day, Oscar Mayer waded into the turgid waters of inedible-sounding treats with its own concoction.

“The Ice Dog Sandwich” consists of a cookie “bun,” hot dog sweet cream ice cream with candied hot dog bits, and spicy dijon gelato – handed out at the newly-white Wienermobile.

I would normally assume that Oscar Mayer was trying to bite into French’s publicity with the suspiciously-timed release, but 13 days seems like a tight turnaround to make enough product, repaint the ride, and get it to NYC. Coincidence? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

2 Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Mobile

3 Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Wrapper

The standard paper hot dog trays, foil wrappers with logo stickers were underwhelming. French’s had branded cups, decorations, and napkins. Just sayin’. But I was fascinated by the ingredients list on the back – celery juice? Cherry powder?

4 Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Ingredients

The sandwich didn’t look like the advance photos. It was half the thickness and none of the color. The pink candied meat bits were the only way to tell the hot dog side from the mustard side.

5 Oscar Mayer Ice Dog Sandwich Split

Image on left via Oscar Mayer

I was not a fan of the cookie bun. Flavor-wise, it was a decent sugar cookie, but the texture was like a wet blondie. It didn’t hold a candle to the lovely Coolhaus pretzel cookie at French’s truck.
The spicy dijon gelato tasted exactly like what I expected when I tried the French’s ice cream – tangy, strong, and extremely mustardy. I didn’t like it at all. It didn’t mesh well with the hot dog ice cream, which was delightful.

Yes, I’ll say it again – the delightful hot dog ice cream. Its flavor was mostly vanilla (like French’s) but with meaty/savory hints when you got to the candied hot dog bits. It felt like a spin on ice cream with bacon. I would eat it again, but not in this combination.

Proving that we should all stay in our lanes, Oscar Mayer’s Hot Dog Ice Cream, French’s Mustard Ice Cream, and Coolhaus’ Pretzel Cookies would be an amazing trio.

Now, where is my Pizza Sorbet?

Purchased Price: Free
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Received at Oscar Mayer Ice Dog mobile
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Hot Dog Ice Cream alone – 9 out of 10)
Nutrition Facts: Not available.

REVIEW: Zombie Skittles

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Zombie Skittles

What are Zombie Skittles?

This year’s new Halloween Skittles mix includes five fruit flavors: petrifying citrus punch (orange), mummified melon (green), chilling black cherry (purple), boogeyman blackberry (blue), and blood red berry (red). But lurking among all these colors is a “rotten zombie” flavor, so you can eat a zombie before it eats you. It’s like Russian roulette for your taste buds.

How are they?

Zombie Skittles Closeup

All the fruit flavors are lovely. Melon might be my new favorite Skittles flavor; black cherry is a nice alternative to typical cherry flavors; citrus, red berry, and blackberry are what you would expect.

But I know you came here for the zombie flavor.

It’s truly repulsive.

It starts out tasting like rotting fruit, and then it transitions to a somewhat meaty flavor, which is horrifying when you think about it. This flavor stops me in my tracks, and I almost want to laugh because it’s so bad.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Zombie Skittles Spoons

It’s easy enough to power through the zombie flavor (or spit it out), so it doesn’t entirely spoil the candy-eating experience. My educated estimate for the ratio of zombie to fruit is approximately 1:9, so most of them are safe.

That said, there is genuine relief when you get a fruity one.

Conclusion:

I probably will not buy these, nor will I be sad if they don’t come back next year. But they do exactly what they mean to do, and they’re a weirdly fun novelty candy. They would be great at a Halloween party.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: Free
Size: 3.6 oz. bag
Purchased at: Received from Mars
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/28 g/27 pieces) 110 calories, 1 gram of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of total sugar, 21 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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