SPOTTED ON SHELVES: 7-Select Peach Cobbler, Corn on the Cob, and Grilled Brat Kettle Style Potato Chips

7 Select Peach Cobbler Kettle Style Potato Chips

7 Select Corn on the Cob Kettle Style Potato Chips

7 Select Grilled Brat Kettle Style Potato Chips

Wait a minute. Are these Boulder Canyon Peach Cobbler, Sweet Corn, and Grilled Brats Potato Chip wolves in 7-Selects sheep’s clothing? (Spotted by Robbie at 7-Eleven.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: CVS Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops

CVS Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops

A cough drop review? Don’t act like cough drop flavors don’t matter. You know you’ve felt the crushing disappointment of walking into the drug store in peak cold season with a scratchy throat to find all that’s left are the basic blue menthol Halls. Your brain runs through all the flavors you’d rather have: strawberry, cherry, citrus. Hell, I’d take honey before plain menthol.

I have to give CVS a slow clap for taking the bold (i.e. insane?) step of cashing in on the pumpkin spice trend via the cold relief aisle. Mentholated PS cough drops? My first reaction was “Whyyyyyyy?”  But I wanted to try them. I couldn’t wait to HATE them with the fire of a thousand Targaryen dragons.

CVS Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops 2

So imagine my surprise when I tasted Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops and found them – not bad at all!

It’s tough to describe the aroma inside the bag. It didn’t resemble pumpkin, spices or menthol. It was like asiago Band-Aids…but let’s not dwell on that because if you’re in the market for cough drops, your nostrils will be snot-blocked anyway and you’ll probably never actually smell them.

CVS Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cough Drops 3

When I popped one in my mouth, the first flavor to come screaming out of the gate was loud, obnoxious menthol. Yelling over everyone else and kicking chairs over. But once menthol quieted down, I started picking up on cinnamon just underneath. Not a hot fiery cinnamon, but a warm, fuzzy loved-up cinnamon. There was probably some nutmeg flavor there, too, but I’m bad at identifying nutmeg – it just ends up being in everything I describe as “autumn-y.”

I’m shocked to say this cough drop flavor works. I happen to be trying them in good health on an 80+ degree day, but I can imagine on a chilly fall or winter day when you feel like you swallowed a cheese grater, they’ll be a pretty decent option. They’re still sweet like most cough drops, but a not-unpleasant change from the usual fruit flavors. They’re not delicious, but they’re not the horror show I expected.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 drop – 10 calories.)

Purchased Price: $1.49
Size: 30-drop bag
Purchased at: CVS
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted! The cinnamon/menthol combo works better than expected. (I know! I’m shocked too.)
Cons: Strange aroma – which will likely not be experienced when you have a cold and need cough drops. Do these cough drops make me look like a basic b***h?

SPOTTED ON SHELVES (FROZEN FOOD EDITION) – 9/29/2017

Here are some interesting new or limited edition frozen foods found by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Guinness Irish Nachos

Guinness Irish Nachos

Guinness Loaded Taters

Guinness Loaded Taters

Guinness Mac  Cheese Bite

Guinness Mac & Cheese Bites

(Spotted by Nicholas C at Food Lion.)

Ajinomoto Teriyaki Beef Take out Box

Ajinomoto Teriyaki Beef Take-out Box

Ittella Orange Tempura Cauliflower

Ittella Orange Tempura Cauliflower

Member s Mark Applewood Smoked Bacon Mac  Cheese Bites

Member’s Mark Applewood Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese Bites

(Spotted by Richard at Sam’s Club.)

Evol Korean BBQ Style Chicken and Shawarma Style Chicken

evol Korean BBQ Style Chicken and Shawarma Style Chicken

(Spotted by Caitlin J at ShopRite.)

Ore Ida Homestyle Mashed Potatoes  N Cauliflower

Ore-Ida Homestyle Mashed Potatoes ‘N’ Cauliflower

Ore Ida Homestyle Simple  N Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Ore-Ida Homestyle Simple ‘N’ Creamy Mashed Potatoes

(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

Green Giant Corn Veggie Tots

Green Giant Corn Veggie Tots

Green Giant Sweet Potato  Cauliflower Veggie Tots

Green Giant Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Veggie Tots

Green Giant Broccoli  Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

Green Giant Cauliflower  Sweet Potato Riced Veggies

Green Giant Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Riced Veggies

Green Giant Cauliflower Risotto Medley Riced Veggies

Green Giant Cauliflower Risotto Medley Riced Veggies

Green Giant Cauliflower with Lemon  Garlic Riced Veggies

Green Giant Cauliflower with Lemon & Garlic Riced Veggies

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart)

Evol Chicken  Bacon in Creamy Romano

evol Chicken & Bacon in Creamy Romano

(Spotted by @ Jennie_Basset at Target.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

WAYSNACK MACHINE: Pop Secret Pop Qwiz Popcorn

Pop Secret Pop Qwiz

Waysnack Machine is a series that looks back at discontinued products.

I’ve always loved popcorn. One of my favorite childhood memories is my dad making it in a pan, pouring the kernels out from one of those big plastic canisters of good ol’ Orville Redenbacher.

I’d stand there in the kitchen, waiting for the first pop, then listening to the following explosion of kernels, until we got down to that three-second count that meant it was ready. Then he would melt some butter in the already-hot pan and pour it over the bowl, adding generous amounts of salt.

There was one point, however, where I took ownership of my own popcorn destiny. That sentence has a really inflated sense of self-importance, but what I’m getting at is that in 1991, Pop Qwiz came out, and ten-year-old me was more than ready for it.

Why would a kid know or care about a very specific brand of popcorn? Well, Pop Secret (the maker of Pop Qwiz) went apeshit bonkers with their marketing. The commercial for Pop Qwiz had D-rate Zach Morris wearing a jacket I swear I owned, zany music, and a bunch of kids trying to win the “qwiz” (ugh) by guessing which color would “pop up next.”

You see, the gimmick behind Pop Qwiz was that it came in small, different-colored bags, but the color of the popcorn inside the bag didn’t necessarily match the color outside. That’s right, it was popcorn that came in neon-bright colors! Red, green, blue, yellow, purple, and…orange? I think orange was the sixth color. Obviously, yellow was the dud, since buttered popcorn already came in that color. I always considered green to be the win, as it seemed to be the most vibrant of the bunch.

Pop Secret Pop Qwiz 2

In addition to the color guessing, there was also a bunch of puzzles and activities on the box. The popcorn equivalent of a breakfast cereal box. Between that and the commercials, who could resist?

It’s a shame the popcorn tasted like flavorless styrofoam and the bag held little more than a handful of popcorn. I’m not sure when Pop Qwiz was discontinued, because my interest soon waned, despite the novelty of colored popcorn. I guess I was just spoiled by my dad’s buttery, salty approach to making popcorn (and the copious amounts I received).

Mystery flavors have made a comeback recently, so I could see Pop Qwiz becoming popular once more. If they did bring it back, they’d better work on taste and portions, though, because novelty wears off quickly.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Panda Express Peking Pork

Panda Express Peking Pork

Update: We reviewed it! Click here to read our review.

The one item I miss having at my local Panda Express locations is sweet and sour pork. I don’t know when it disappeared, but it was my “Ugh, I have to wait five minutes for a fresh batch of Orange Chicken” replacement. But, for the next few months, Panda Express will be offering a new sweet and sour pork dish — Peking Pork.

The entree features crispy, lightly battered pork chop bites, with green bell peppers and onions tossed in a savory sweet and sour glaze.

A 5.6-ounce serving has 400 calories, 180 calories from fat, 20 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 960 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of protein.

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via Panda Express’ website.)