Hershey's Nuggets

I tasted Hershey's Nuggets: Special Dark Chocolate Truffles With Mint recently. I never understood why people said Hershey's chocolate tasted waxy until now. The outer shell is dark chocolate. It doesn't taste like Hershey's usual dark chocolate bar. The inner filling is the consistency of Play-Doh and has a cheap, obnoxious mint flavor [And I normally love mint candies]. This candy is similar in taste and appearance to Brach's Double Dutch Chocolatey Cremes I reviewed before : / If you're looking for outstanding candy, skip Hershey's and buy from See's Candies or River Street Sweets instead.

Amy's Stuffed Pasta Shells

"Tender organic pasta shells stuffed with low fat ricotta and organic vegetables in a genuine Italian tomato sauce and smooth, creamy white sauce. A delightfully rich comfort food, perfect for guests and special occasions."

I wasn't expecting much from the stuffed pasta shells, especially after the blandness that was the pesto bowls. However, this dish turned out to be extraordinary.

I thought the three shells in the bowl would not be enough food for me. But by the second one, I was absolutely stuffed. They were absolute heaven *dreamy eyes* The filling of spinach and ricotta was moderately rich. The shells were not mushy or overcooked. The tomato sauce was very pleasing to me; it was not horribly acidic and overbearing like Hunt's or other brands of tomato sauce. The white sauce was not noticeable. It got lost in the tomato sauce somewhere. Amy's probably should have just stuck with one sauce in the bowl. The white sauce aside, Amy's stuffed shells were luscious and worth buying.

Amy's Pesto Tortellini Bowls

"The ultimate in comfort foods…tender organic tortellini pasta and ricotta in a rich creamy pesto sauce."

I wasn't too pleased with Amy's pesto tortellini. The pasta on the bottom of the bowl became horribly soggy after being microwaved. The ricotta filling was brown and barely noticeable. The pesto sauce was also disappointing; Amy's did not add enough of the basil traditionally used in pesto sauce. I will stick with making my own pesto sauce and pasta from scratch.

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pocket

"Inspired by Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza. The same great tasting combination of organic shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sweet onions and marinated artichoke hearts."

I absolutely adored this sandwich. I was worried the onion taste would overpower the other veggies, but that wasn't the case. The veggies were actually sweet and tender. The crust was soft and delicious. So good !

Dinner ala Kraft

I am on the email list for Kraft. Most of the recipes they sent me today sounded really good. But then I came across this in the middle of the email:



I thought at first Kraft meant you should make a casserole from Capri Sun, apples and macaroni [I must be really exhausted from final exams]. That aside, who would find that to be a filling dinner ? If cooking dinner is that much trouble, wouldn't it make more sense just to eat at a restaurant ?

Altoids Sours, Part II

The last time I reviewed Altoids Sours, I tasted the mango flavor. Here is the latest batch:

- Raspberry Sours = At the first taste, the raspberry Altoids are great. I was pleased not to encounter the usual sickly sweet artificial taste most raspberry candies possess. The problem was that the taste got worse the longer the candy was in my mouth. They just didn't taste like raspberry after a certain point.
- Citrus Sours = Remember the lemon-lime Tic Tacs I reviewed ? Yeah, these aren't much better. More candy that tastes like Lemon Pledge : X
- Tangerine Sours = After the raspberry and citrus tastings, I thought I was in for another disappointment. But Altoids actually did this flavor right. The tangerine ones actually evoke the full flavor of eating a juicy tangerine.

Luna Elixir

I received a sample of Luna Elixir in the mail today. It is a powdered drink mix that only requires adding water. The suggestion on the 1/2 oz package of Orange Passion fruit was to add 8 oz of water for "juicy, full flavored" taste, 12 oz for "tad sweet" and 16 oz for "flavored water." I went with the 8 oz suggestion. The scent I encountered after adding the water was a nice orange aroma. The taste was similar to a less intense orange juice. The aftertaste is a really pleasant bit of passion fruit.

Amy's Indian Samosa Wraps

"We took lightly spiced organic potatoes, peas and tofu and wrapped them in a wheat tortilla and baked it. The result is outrageously delicious."

The bolded parts are what I disagree with. The wheat tortilla by itself is delicious, but the filling is another story. The amount of turmeric is horribly overpowering. Also, the color of the filling is gross. Mushy bright green bits + mushy bright yellow bits = not very attractive sight. Bleh. Trust me,the picture on the box was not an accurate portrayal.

Amy's Country Dinner

This meal from Amy's consists of vegetarian Salisbury steak, gravy,mashed potatoes, green beans and apple crisp. The Salisbury steak is made from grains, walnuts and a little bit of cheddar cheese.

- I am not a big fan of Salisbury steak most of the time. I have too many memories of the U.S. public school system's version of it : P However, Amy's vegetarian Salisbury steak was tender and flavorful. I really could taste the small amount of cheddar in it.
-I've always hated green beans. The smell of boiled [canned]green beans makes me gag. But this side dish was the complete opposite of what I expected. The green beans smelled wonderful and were very fresh tasting.
- The amount of gravy on the steak was moderate, which I liked.
-The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy.
-The apple crisp was another pleasant surprise. Anyone who's had apple crisp in a frozen meal knows it tends to be mushy and sub par, at best. That was not the case this time. The apples were fresh tasting and deliciously seasoned.