ANNOUNCEMENT: Introducing TIB’s DQ Blizzard Reviewer, Joe

A wise man once said, “It’s dangerous to go alone.” Well, I presume it was a wise man. After all, how could an enigmatic cave hermit thrusting a deadly weapon into the hands of a child be anything other than a fount of wisdom? I believe the historical ranking of the wizened sages goes:

  1. Confucius
  2. Socrates
  3. Nameless, child endangering cave hermit

I however, offer something much more valuable than a mere warning and a trinket. I offer knowledge and foresight into the world of Dairy Queen Blizzards. I shall bear the enviable burden of sampling every new Blizzard Treat of the Month, along with returning offerings, and sharing my thoughts with you, my friend. I will be your guide in addition to arming you with the red plastic spoon plucked from the frozen sheath of your inverted delight.

To that end, let me tell you a little about myself. Because I transition with the grace of a rancor in a pottery shop, I was sired in an Illinoisan shire before spending many years aboard a Navy destroyer on a quest to cast the Onion Ring into the depths of Davy John’s Locker.

Hmmm, maybe I need to read those books again…

I leveled up upon returning home by earning a business degree and entering a career in the thrill-a-minute world of costing and pricing analysis . Much like actual hobbits, I spend many hours in the kitchen to indulge my sweet tooth and many more hours in the gym because of it. Eye roll-inducing puns put an impish grin on my face, and I love all things chocolate, peanut butter, and ketchup. The eagle-eyed amongst you may note that one of those things is not like the other, but that’s okay as it will have nothing to do with Blizzards…probably.

Enough about me though as I’m really here for you, dear reader. I hope that my tales will be illuminating or at the very least entertaining. I look forward to learning more about you as I share my exploits into a very cold and tasty world. Blizzards are coming, and the drive-thru is long and full of terrors.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES (LOTS OF GREAT VALUE FROZEN FOOD EDITION) – 9/1/2017

Here are some interesting new frozen foods from Walmart’s Great Value brand found by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Great Value Tomato Basil Soup and 5 Cheese Mac  Cheese

Great Value Tomato Basil Soup and 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese

Great Value Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup

Great Value Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup

Great Value Broccoli and Cheese Soup and Classic Mac  Cheese

Great Value Broccoli and Cheese Soup and Classic Mac & Cheese

Great Value Chicken Pot Pie and Spaghetti Pie

Great Value Chicken Pot Pie and Spaghetti Pie

Great Value Stacked Beef Burrito and Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Great Value Stacked Beef Burrito and Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Great Value Turkey  Dressing Bake and Cheesy Ham  Potato Bake

Great Value Turkey & Dressing Bake and Cheesy Ham & Potato Bake

Great Value Chili with Beef  Beans with Cornbread Crust and Beef Shepherd s Pie

Great Value Chili with Beef & Beans with Cornbread Crust and Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Great Value Southwestern Style Chicken  Pasta and Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

Great Value Southwestern Style Chicken & Pasta and Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

Great Value Sweet  Sour Chicken and Herb Roasted Chicken

Great Value Sweet & Sour Chicken and Herb Roasted Chicken

Great Value Five Cheese Lasagna Meat Lover s Lasagna and Stuffed Pepper

Great Value Five Cheese Lasagna, Meat Lover’s Lasagna, and Stuffed Pepper

Great Value Stuffed Shells

Great Value Stuffed Shells

Great Value Italian Style Meatballs in a Rich Marinara Sauce

Great Value Italian-Style Meatballs in a Rich Marinara Sauce

Great Value Sesame Chicken

Great Value Sesame Chicken

Great Value Vegetable Lasagna

Great Value Vegetable Lasagna

Great Value Teriyaki Chicken

Great Value Teriyaki Chicken

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

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.

UNSCIENTIFIC POLL: How Many Taco Bell Sauce Packets Do You Have in Your Home?

Taco Bell Hot Sauce Packets

Every other year, I do a Taco Bell sauce packet purge.

That’s when I toss out ALL the packets I can find in our fridge’s middle drawer. By the way, what is that middle drawer in our fridge for? Beverages? Yogurt? I’m pretty sure it’s not meant to be used as a fast food condiment drawer.

Although some are fairly new, I get rid of them because they’re thrown in the drawer haphazardly. This makes it hard to tell the difference between those that have been in there for two years and those that just got there. When I do a purge, I throw out about 50-75 packets.

How do I accumulate so many packets?

Most of the time it’s a generous Taco Bell employee who dumps a handful of sauces into my bag that’s four times more than what I need. Other times, at locations that have the sauces out in the open, my hand becomes a broken arcade claw game machine that causes everyone to win a prize and it picks up more than what I need. And, sometimes, I pick up sauce packets, but end up not using them because what I bought didn’t need any.

Recently, I did a purge, so I don’t have many packets right now, just 19.

But I feel I’m not alone when it comes to accumulating Taco Bell sauce packet, hence this Unscientific Poll. So Impulsive Buy readers, how many Taco Bell sauce packets do you have in your home right now?


The poll will close on Thursday, September 7 at 11:59 p.m. HST.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Sara Lee Perfect Pairings Pies

Sara Lee Perfect Pairings Country Apple Pie with a Sweet Maple Crust

Sara Lee Perfect Pairings Wildberry Pie with a Zesty Lemon Crust

What? No pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust for fall? (Spotted by Dorothy at Giant Eagle.)

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: Cheeseburger, Cheese Pizza, and Cheddar Nachos Cheez-It Crackers

Cheez It You Choose The Champion Flavors

Having to choose a favorite between cheeseburgers, pizzas, and nachos is like trying to pick a favorite child.

Just kidding. It’s not.

First born.

Just kidding. I don’t have kids…that I know of.

Cheeseburger.

But having to choose a champion between cheeseburger, cheese pizza, and cheddar nachos-flavored Cheez-It crackers is difficult.

Just kidding. It’s not.

Cheeseburger.

But why do we have to choose a champion? Can’t we give everyone participation trophies? Because while I enjoyed the cheeseburger flavor more than the other two, they are also worthy of recognition. Actually, this whole You Choose The Champion line deserves some kind of award because it’s nice to see Cheez-It offer flavors that are more complex than different types of cheeses, like cheddar, white cheddar, sharp cheddar, Italian four cheese, baby Swiss, Colby, mozzarella, provolone, and pepper jack.

Cheeseburger

Cheez It Cheeseburger

It’s my favorite of the three because it did a great job with replicating the flavor of a McDonald’s cheeseburger. It smells like steak sauce, but it’s got the pickles’ tanginess, the onions’ bite, mustard, of course, the cheese, and there’s a little bit of beef patty flavor. If you’ve had cheeseburger-flavored snacks before, besides those horrible Cheeseburger Goldfish, you’ll know what these this like. Although it’s not an original flavor, it’s the one that tastes most like what it’s trying to emulate.

Cheese Pizza

Cheez It Cheese Pizza

To be honest, it’s a little boring that it’s cheese pizza and not something a little bit more complex, like a pepperoni pizza. After all, there’s beef flavor with the cheeseburger, so why not add extra spices and artificial flavoring to get some pepperoni.

But with that said, I also enjoyed this flavor because, with almost every one I put into my mouth, it was as if I was putting tiny cheese Totino’s Party Pizza in my mouth. The crackers capture the cheese, sauce, and herbs one would taste and smell on those wonderful cheap pizzas, which I adore. Even the crispy texture of the crackers kind of reminds me of the Party Pizza’s crust.

Cheddar Nachos

Cheez It Cheddar Nachos

I’m not sure why the cheese needs to be announced for this flavor. I mean, the word “nachos” alone excites me and including the word “cheddar” makes it a little less mysterious. Like the other two flavors, this one also reminds me of something else and that is Taco Bell’s nacho cheese sauce.

There’s also a paprika-level of spiciness that builds up, but it more of a tickle than a slap. But to be honest, it’s good, but is the least impressive because it’s not as complex as the other two. This flavor could just be one of the regular Cheez-It flavors, but with a slight kick.

Cheez It  Cheddar Nachos Closeup

While all three flavors vary from great to good, there’s an issue with them. The application of seasoning is inconsistent. Some are blasted with it, some aren’t seasoned as much, and others have so little that they taste like regular Cheez-It crackers. But I imagine shoving handfuls into your mouth, and not eating it like a bird, which I do, will solve that problem.

NOTE: Thanks to Impulsive Buy reader Carla for sending these to me.

(Nutrition Facts – about 25 crackers – Cheeseburger – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 220 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Cheese Pizza – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein. Cheddar Nachos – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 12.4 oz. boxes
Purchased at: Walgreens
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Cheeseburger)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Cheese Pizza)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Cheddar Nachos)
Pros: All munchable. Cheeseburger tastes like cheeseburger. Cheese Pizza tastes like Totino’s Party Pizza. Cheddar Nachos reminds me of Taco Bell’s Nacho Cheese Sauce.
Cons: Inconsistent seasoning. Having to choose between cheeseburgers, pizza, and nachos. Cheddar Nachos has a very light spiciness.

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