Trident Splash: Strawberry with Lime

Strawberry mixed with lime is a tasty combination when it comes to tropical poolside drinks. In a gum, however, it's not so hot.

Upon opening my sample of Trident Splash, I was hit with a sickly sweet aroma of artificial strawberry. The first bite produced a flavor closer to artificial watermelon than strawberry. In the center of the gum was the lime filling, which tasted like a lime Slurpee. The flavor of the gum alternated between watermelon and lime. Those two flavors did not mix well : P

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding

Yesterday was my first attempt at making pudding from scratch. The original recipe, sans the candy bars, came from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

3 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 C. granulated white sugar
Dash of salt
1/2 C. cold milk
1 3/4 C. scalded milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla [I used French Vanilla
Coffee Mate coffee creamer]
5 - 1.3 oz Hershey's Cacao Reserves Bars [Milk
Chocolate With Hazelnut]
1/3 C. cocoa

Mix cornstarch, white sugar and salt. Combine the dry mixture with the cold milk. Slowly add hot milk to the above mixture. Cook the entire mixture in a double boiler, stirring until thick, for 15-20 minutes. Add candy bars. Stir until melted. Add the vanilla. Chill pudding in refrigerator until ready to serve.

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 !