Author: Marvo

NEWS: McDonald’s Chicken McBites Allow Them To Attach The Prefix Mc To Another Word

Marvo 6 Comments

McDonalds

Update: Click here to read our McDonald’s McBites review

Sure, I can’t tell you what part of the chicken are in McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, but even if I did know and it wasn’t the good parts, I’d still probably eat them by the McLoad because they’re McYummy in my McTummy and I adore McDonald’s Hot Mustard Sauce. However, the McDonald’s Chicken McBites, which are currently being tested in Detroit, might do what McDonald’s Chicken Selects couldn’t do, which is lure me away from McNuggets.

According to Burger Business, McDonald’s first introduced Chicken McBites in Australia. However, they are no longer selling them there, since it was a limited edition item. (Here’s a review of the Australian Chicken McBites). Those McBites were made out of 100 percent chicken breast-meat, had a Southern-style coating, didn’t come with a dipping sauce, and were similar in size with KFC’s Popcorn Chicken.

Burger Business goes on to report that the Chicken McBites in Detroit are being sold by weight. A 4-ounce serving goes for $1.99, 6 ounces cost $2.99, and a 12-ounce serving goes for $4.99.

Source: Burger Business

REVIEW: Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley

Marvo 6 Comments

Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley

Raisins are the dark, shriveled Post-It Notes that remind me what happens if I spend too much time in the sun without sunscreen. So I like to have raisins around in the forms of Raisin Bran, Raisinets, and, of course, plain Sun-Maid raisins to ensure I put on some SPF before I go out to do a bit of nude sunbathing.

Thankfully, the folks at Post have given me something new to help remind me to rub on some sun protection — Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley.

The latest Honey Bunches of Oats variety is made up of multi-grain flakes, oat clusters, a touch of honey, and three kinds of raisins. What are the three types of raisins included? Well, in the ingredients list, the three are lumped together into the generic term “raisins.” However, without using any knowledge I gained from my Journalism 151 in college, which I earned a D in, I learned the cereal has three different types of raisins — natural seedless, jumbo seedless, and flame (red grapes).

Basically, Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley tastes almost like what would happen if you were really bored and decided to separate a box of raisin bran into raisins and bran flakes, and then throw the raisins into a box of Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted cereal and feed the bran flakes to the birds that hang out near the car of someone you do not like.

Oh wait, that wasn’t very basic. But this is: Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley is damn good.

The multi-grain flakes and oat clusters bring the crunchy, while the raisins bring the chewy. Although, the flakes in Honey Bunches of Oats are notorious for getting soggy quickly, but the oat clusters don’t and they provide a nice crunch when the flakes get milklogged. There were a lot of plump raisins in the box I purchased, and while eating through the box one bowl at a time, I found that most of my spoonfuls had a raisin in it. The three types of raisins pretty much look and taste the same, but that’s fine with me. However, all is not perfect with this cereal. I do wish it was a little sweeter and that instead of having a touch of honey, it had an inappropriate fondling of honey.

Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley Closeup

Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley is now my favorite Honey Bunches of Oats variety, and it might be one of my favorite cereals of all time. No, Post is not paying me to say that, although if they were willing to pay me for saying that, I’d gladly accept a check made out to “Cash” in an amount somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000 and the $2.99 I paid for the box.

Personally, I don’t why this marriage between cereal and raisins didn’t happen sooner because Honey Bunches of Oats have been around for over two decades and raisins have been around since someone got drunk on wine and left grapes out in the sun.

During those years of not having Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley, I’ve had to tolerate lame attempts at combining Honey Bunches of Oats with fruits, like Honey Bunches of Oats with Real Strawberries, Honey Bunches of Oats with Real Bananas, and Honey Bunches of Oats with Real Peaches. I have so much disdain for those varieties that they’ve made me want to throw some Honey Punches of Oats at Sugar Bear’s Grape Nuts.

Although I’ve had to wait for it, Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley was worth it.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup (cereal only) – 200 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 120 milligrams of potassium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, 26 grams of other carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, and a bunch of vitamins and minerals.)

Item: Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley
Price: $2.99 (on sale)
Size: 17 ounces
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Awesome combination of Honey Bunches of Oats and raisins. My favorite Honey Bunches of Oats variety. Lots of raisins. Being the number one Google result for the phrase “Honey Punches of Oats.” Contains a bunch of vitamins and minerals. Sunscreen.
Cons: Could’ve had a little bit more honey flavor. Getting a D in Journalism 151. Didn’t come out sooner. No real taste difference between the three types of raisins. Feeding birds bran flakes. Sunburn.

NEWS: Lay’s Introduces Three New Regional Potato Chip Flavors and Two New All Over Kettle Cooked Flavors

Marvo 11 Comments

I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind Lay’s regional potato chips flavors, which are special flavors that represent the region and are only sold in the region. Why not share them with the rest of the nation? I’m pretty sure no one will be upset if someone outside of their region got to try their region’s chip. It’s as if Lay’s wants to leave money on the table.

As an impulsive person, and someone who runs a blog called The Impulsive Buy, I would buy all three new Lay’s regional flavors, and I’m sure many other impulsive people would too. If I only get one flavor I’m going to buy only one. It’s simple math. You can either get my money for one bag or you can get my money for three bags. As a company that has to report to shareholders, I’m pretty sure me buying three bags instead of one would sound much better to them.

So what are the three new Lay’s regional flavors I can’t buy all at one time?

The Northeastern U.S. will get Lay’s Honey Mustard, a tangy mustard combined with a little bit of honey. Midwesterners will get Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch, a mixture of sour cream with spices and cucumbers. Those in the Southwestern part of the U.S. will get Lay’s Chipotle Ranch, a combination of sour cream, buttermilk ranch, chipotle spice, and green chilies.

Man, that Lay’s Chipotle Ranch does sound good. But, awww, I won’t be able to try it and stuff Lay’s pockets with money because I don’t live in the Southwestern part of the United States. Awww, shucks.

A one-ounce serving of Lay’s Honey Mustard has 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, and 16 grams of carbohydrates. A serving of Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch has 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, and 15 grams of carbohydrates. Lay’s Chipotle Ranch has 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, and 15 grams of carbohydrates.

While I won’t be able to try all of Lay’s new regional flavors, I will have the chance to taste the two new Lay’s Kettle Cooked flavors — Creamy Mediterranean Herb and Spicy Cayenne & Cheese — since both flavors are available nationwide.

An ounce of Lay’s Kettle Cooked Creamy Mediterranean Herb has 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, and 16 grams of carbohydrates. Lay’s Kettle Cooked Spicy Cayenne & Cheese has 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, and 16 grams of carbohydrates.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker Taco

Marvo 13 Comments

Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker

I wanted to ask the slightly above minimum wage earning person behind the Taco Bell counter if I could buy a large container of their nacho cheese sauce.

I didn’t ask because I wanted to be a dick, I asked because if all it takes is their nacho cheese sauce to magically come up with new menu items, like turning their Double Decker Taco into a Cheesy Double Decker Taco, then I’d rather to do it myself. I could also use it as a prop to act out what I imagine the Taco Bell new product brainstorming session was like when the Cheesy Double Decker Taco was created.

Taco Bell Executive #1: We need a new product for next month and I need it right now. And I need it to be good.

(Rumbling among the other executives)

Taco Bell Executive #2: How about we offer the Crunchwrap Sandwich, which has a generous helping of seasoned carne asada steak, sour cream, and refried beans in between two Crunchwraps The tagline for it can be, “Your mind has to wrap around it before your mouth does.”

Taco Bell Executive #1: That’s a horrible idea. Are you trying to kill our customers? Let me ask, are you high right now?

Taco Bell Executive #2: Maybe.

(Taco Bell Executive #2 giggles)

Taco Bell Executive #3: I got it. Since we’ve done a red taco shell and a black taco shell, how about we make a blue taco shell and use it for a shrimp taco. It’ll look like the shrimp are swimming in water.

Taco Bell Executive #1: Really? Lemme guess. You just watched Avatar again, and you’re probably high too?

Taco Bell Executive #3: Maybe.

(Taco Bell Executive #3 giggles and then high fives Taco Bell Executive #2)

Taco Bell Chihuahua: Yo quiero Milkbone Crunchwrap Supreme.

Taco Bell Executive #1: NO!

Taco Bell Bell: DONG!

Taco Bell Executive #1: NO!

(Taco Bell Executive #1 rolls her eyes.)

Taco Bell Executive #1: All right. We’ve got a lot of this nacho cheese sauce, so let’s just squirt some of it into our Double Decker Taco and call it the Cheesy Double Decker Taco. Are you all okay with that?

(Other Taco Bell executives nod to approve)

Taco Bell Executive #1: Good.

Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker 2

Taco Bell’s original Double Decker Taco is my favorite Taco Bell menu item and was the number one cause for my Freshman fifteen in college. The combination of a warm, soft flour tortilla, filled with refried beans, wrapped around a taco that contains seasoned beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and shredded lettuce gets my heart to beat quickly, although that could just be from the sodium. Combining the nacho cheese sauce with the refried beans obviously adds a lot more cheesiness, and that was nice. However, I didn’t find it to be better than the original, but I did think it’s just as tasty as a regular Double Decker Taco

While I didn’t think the nacho cheese sauce makes it better, I do think it makes it several times messier than the original Double Decker. Alone, the viscosity of the refried beans is high, but when combined with the nacho cheese sauce, it significantly lowers it, causing refried beans and cheese sauce to ooze out from in between the taco shell and tortilla when you bite into it. If you’re eating the taco with the wrapping it came in below you, you’ll find yourself scooping up escaped refried beans and cheese from it.

Overall, I liked the Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker Taco, but that’s mostly because of my love for the original. Sure, it’s not very inventive and a monkey with a picture book of ingredients could develop something better, but if you think about it, it’s what we expect from Taco Bell. Personally, I think not straying too far creatively is the reason why when they introduce something a little more outside of the box, perhaps a blue shell taco, it blows our minds a little more than it should.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 taco – 350 calories, 15 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 760 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.)

Other Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker Taco reviews:
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Random Dude Eats Random Food

Item: Taco Bell Cheesy Double Decker Taco
Price: $1.49
Size: 1 taco
Purchased at: Taco Bell
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Just as good as a Double Decker Taco. Nacho cheese sauce brings on the cheesy. Provides 8 grams of fiber — thanks beans! I <3 Double Decker Tacos. Pretending to hold a Taco Bell new product brainstorming session.
Cons: Nacho cheese sauce makes it messier than a regular Double Decker Taco. Not inventive. A monkey with a picture book of ingredients could come up with something better.

NEWS: New Target-Exclusive Ben & Jerry’s Flavors Promote Volunteerism, But Will Also Promote Weight Gain

Marvo 1 Comment

Target sign - Store #1

Update: Click here to read our Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter World and Ben & Jerry’s Volun-Tiramisu review

Volunteering. It’s something we should all do.

For example, I help little old ladies cross the street, and if they don’t give me a monetary tip when I hold out my hand and let out a hearty AHEM after getting them to the other side of the street, I write it off as me volunteering my time and services to help the elderly.

Target and Ben & Jerry’s are doing their part to promote volunteerism by introducing two new Target-exclusive Ben & Jerry’s flavors, Volun-Tiramisu and Peanut Butter World. These flavors join last year’s exclusive flavors, Berry Voluntary and Brownie Chew Gooder.

Volun-Tiramisu consists of coffee mascarpone ice cream with cocoa dusted coffee rum lady finger pieces. While Peanut Butter World is made with milk chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirls and chocolate cookie swirls.

The new flavors began showing up at Target store this month, which is fitting since April is National Volunteer Month. If you’d like to find volunteer opportunities in your area, you can visit Volunteer Match or you can help little old ladies cross the street and see if they’ll give you a tip.

Source: On Second Scoop