NEWS: Denny’s Taste of the Holidays Menu Could Be Why Santa Won’t Lose Weight This Year, Despite Pleas From His Reindeer

Marvo 2 Comments

Give Me Some Sugar

I expected Denny’s to come up with some outrageous holiday fare. After all, they’ve been hitting some gluttonous home runs this year with their Baconalia and cheese crazy menus. However, after looking at the new items on their Taste of the Holidays Menu, I’m disappointed.

The new items include: Red Velvet Pancake Puppies with Cream Cheese, Arthur’s Milk & Cookies Shake, and Arthur’s Christmas Cookie Pancakes. I don’t know about you, but when I look at that list, I think nothing stands out. Having reindeer meat as a Grand Slam option would’ve been sufficient.

The Red Velvet Pancake Puppies consists of six bite-sized pieces made with white chocolate chips, sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with a side of cream cheese icing for dipping. Arthur’s Milk & Cookies Shake is a blend of vanilla ice cream and sugar cookies. It’s also topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with sugar cookie bits. Finally, Arthur’s Christmas Cookie Pancakes are three silver dollar pancakes with sugar cookies baked in. They’re topped with whipped cream and sugar cookie bits. The dish also comes with your choice of two bacon strips or two sausage links, one egg cooked to order and a side of syrup

Denny’s Arthur’s Christmas Cookie Pancakes have 660 calories, 21 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 265 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,210 milligrams of sodium, 97 grams of carbohydrates, 59 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 17 grams of protein. A 15-ounce serving of Arthur’s Milk & Cookies Shake has 790 calories, 41 grams of fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 160 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 90 grams of carbohydrates, 75 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.

Image via flickr user Sam Howzit / CC BY 2.0

NEWS: Stacy’s Pita Chips Simply Cocoa and Simply Gingerbread Sound Simply Seasonal

Marvo 8 Comments

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I remember when pita chips first became popular. It was marketed as a healthier alternative to potato chips and I ate a lot of them at first. However, I have to admit since then I’ve eaten way more potato chips than pita chips. But, I do like them for their flavor, hearty crunch, and the way shoppers in Whole Foods nod at me with approval when they see it in my smaller than normal green shopping cart.

Although it’s been awhile since I’ve had pita chips, it looks like Stacy’s Pita Chips might get me to eat more with their limited edition Simply Cocoa and Simply Gingerbread flavors.

According to Stacy’s Pita Chips Facebook page, Simply Gingerbread is flavored using a blend of brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. As for Simply Cocoa, there isn’t much information about it. Like all Stacy’s Pita Chips, both flavors are all-natural and have no trans fat.

An ounce serving of Simply Gingerbread has 140 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 4 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Source: Stacy’s Pita Chips Facebook Page and jojonewfood.blogspot.com

Image courtesy of jojonewfood.blogspot.com

REVIEW: Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles (Sea Salt & Vinegar, White Cheddar, and Extra Cheese)

Stephanie 8 Comments

Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles

Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles gourmet popcorn introduces three new flavors to the line-up: Sea Salt & Vinegar, White Cheddar, and Extra Cheese. The hook is not only that they are sold separately in single packages, but also the fact that they come with little flavor packets, which you’re meant to sprinkle over your popcorn.

Some things aren’t meant to be experimented with. I get it — snack foods are the interminable guinea pig. There will never be a time when a snack food manufacturer won’t have the desire to tweak their signature item with a new flavor or texture or shape. Their goal is to create a need where there was never one before; to lure the itinerant snacker over to their side of the grocery aisle and convince him or her to lay down their hard-earned cash for their latest Frankenstein-like creation. But damn it, Orville, you sort of beefed with this one.

Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles Extra Cheese Pouch

Let me explain. The only flavor I actually liked was Extra Cheese. Despite the neon orange glow of the cheese powder, the Extra Cheese popcorn possessed a rather robust cheese flavor, which, when applied to a bag full of freshly-popped, already-cheesy popcorn, made things quite delicious… and doubly cheesy. But when it came time to sample the other two, I was terribly disappointed.

Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles White Cheddar Pouch and Packaging

To start things off, the White Cheddar popcorn was really just regular white popcorn with no seasoning. All of the white cheddar flavor came from the packet of seasoning, but when I sprinkled it on, it tasted… well… a little mature. That is, the White Cheddar popcorn was a tad bitter. Now, I know that white cheddar itself has a more distinguished cheese flavor than regular cheddar, but on microwave popcorn, I don’t think it’s the best combination.

B-b-b-but wait, it gets worse! Sea Salt & Vinegar popcorn must be the popcorn they serve in Hell’s movie theater that only screens From Justin to Kelly on a loop. For $50 a pop. And it’s mandatory. Once again, the popcorn is unflavored, white popcorn to which you must add seasoning. I evenly distributed the flavor packet’s contents on my popcorn and was startled to taste nothing but vinegar. I couldn’t taste a bit of the sea salt. This was the ultimate in disgusting. I think the problem may be the popcorn itself. Sea salt and vinegar potato chips and French fries with sea salt and vinegar are sometimes an acquired taste (one which I have… ahem… acquired), but there is something about the base flavor of the fried potatoes themselves that I think balances the tanginess of the vinegar with the bite of the salt. That does not exist here with this popcorn. It is like eating straight-up vinegar on Styrofoam. Now, some of you may like that kind of flavor experience, but I will tell you right now, I am not a fan.

Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles Closeup

I would probably go back for the Extra Cheese flavor again, since it fulfills my expectations of what a cheesy snack food should look and taste like. However the other two flavor experiments, White Cheddar and Sea Salt & Vinegar were not as satisfactory, with one of them being an abject failure in the realm of culinary innovation. I could only manage a couple bites of each, and boy, those were some rough bites. Looks like my friends will be receiving tins of leftover popcorn this Christmas! It will be mandatory.

(Nutrition Facts – serving size varies – 2 Tbsp (about 5 cups – 6.5 cups popped) – Sea Salt & Vinegar – 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 280 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. White Cheddar – 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 350 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein. Extra Cheese – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 330 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.)

Other Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles reviews:
Junk Food Guy (Salt & Vinegar)

Item: Orville Redenbacher’s Flavor Singles (Sea Salt & Vinegar, White Cheddar, and Extra Cheese)

Price: $1.49
Size: 3.24 ounces
Purchased at: Albertson’s
Rating: 1 out of 10 (Sea Salt & Vinegar)
Rating: 3 out of 10 (White Cheddar)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Extra Cheese)
Pros: Two words: Extra Cheese. Doubly cheesy snack foods. Mandatory gift-receiving. Apparently there’s money circulating in Hell, so at least you can save up for something nice down there.
Cons: Three words: Sea Salt & Vinegar. White Cheddar flavor is a tad bitter. The popcorn itself in the White Cheddar and Sea Salt & Vinegar packages is unflavored. Paying money in Hell to watch an American Idol reject sing and dance.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Target Gift Card Winner!

Marvo 1 Comment

Here’s the winner of The Impulsive Buy’s Target Gift Card Prize Drawing:

Lindsey Cota

Congratulations, Lindsey!

I’d also like to thank all of you who participated, whether it was leaving a comment or tweeting “I wonder if Kmart stores dream about being Target stores.” Be on the lookout for another gift card prize drawing later this month. Where will the gift card be from? Let’s just say it’s not as good as a Target Gift Card.

NEWS: Wendy’s To Add ‘The W’ Cheeseburger Line Weally Soon

Marvo 4 Comments

Several weeks ago, Wendy’s introduced nationwide their Dave’s Hot ‘n Juicy Cheeseburgers, but it looks like Wendy’s isn’t done with releasing new products this year.

In late November, Wendy’s will introduce a mid-priced cheeseburger line called “The W.” Once they’re available, they’ll make it possible to eat The W while listening to The W at The W. The new line of cheeseburgers will be priced at $2.99 and will squeeze in between the premium Dave’s Hot ‘n Juicy burgers and the products on the 99¢ Everyday Value Menu, like the Cheeseburger Deluxe.

The W Cheeseburgers will have two 2.25-ounce beef patties. According to Burger Business, the new line appears to be what Wendy’s has been testing in select markets under the D.T. Doubles name.

Grub Grade posted something about the D.T. Doubles a few months ago. According to that post the varieties we could be looking at when The W is released are Original (American cheese and a signature sauce), Spicy Chipotle (pepper jack cheese and fiery chipotle sauce), and Garlic Steakhouse (monterey jack cheese and aioli sauce).