Klondike The Candy: Mint & Caramel

You guys know I loved limited edition products. As soon as I see one on the shelf, some part of my brain goes "You must buy a few now! In case they change the recipe or stop making this product next week!" Well, today I was standing at the checkout line at Super Walmart and got quite a surprise: Klondike Ice Cream Bars are now available in candy form! (Unilever's Klondike Bar site does not mention Klondike Candy).The candy packets were on the right side of each checkout stand, under the Slim Jims, Combos and Oreo snack cups. And of course I immediately scooped up 8 of the mint chocolate chip and 4 of the caramel. You know, just to be on the safe side. 

"New! Klondike The Candy. Mint Chocolate Chip"

"4 Pieces Per Pouch"

Klondike The Candy: Caramel

"Caramel Center Covered In A Milk 

Chocolate Flavored Coating"

Each 1.4 oz packet of Klondike Candy contains 4 pieces of candy. Klondike Caramel smells and tastes like a Milky Way bar with slightly thicker, toffee flavored caramel. The caramel was chewier than I care for, although the toffee aftertaste was nice. The milk chocolate coating was neither good nor bad. The caramels were just average to me. I would skip buying this flavor again. Although someone else told me today "So-and-so bought the caramel Klondike candy and she said it was amazing!" So YMMV.

Klondike The Candy: Mint Chocolate Chip

"Mint Chocolate Chip Center, Covered In A Dark Chocolate Flavored Coating"

On the other hand, I absolutely fell in love with Mint Chocolate Chip Klondike. This package had the aroma of York Peppermint Patties. The green filling is thicker than Peppermint Patties, though. The middles are dead ringers flavor and texture wise for pastel colored nonpareil mints. Yum! Paired with the smooth dark chocolate coating, this flavor is a winner for me. The chocolate chips are basically chocolate streaks that don't stand out; but I'm willing to overlook that.

I can honestly say that Klondike The Candy does not remind me of Klondike Ice Cream Bars at all, aside from the outer wrapper. And I was a little disappointed to find out this candy did not have a delicate crunchy shell + a soft, gooey filling. That aside, I would definitely buy Mint Chocolate Chip Klondike again. They are a great alternative to my usual York Peppermint Patties!

*ETA: ZOMG Candy noted that Klondike The Candy is a licensed by Flix Candy. I agree with the points about the greasy spots and how real chocolate would've been better.

Dean & DeLuca: $75 Ice Cubes

One of my guilty pleasures is Dean & DeLuca. Browsing their website usually makes me think "Wow, their food looks delicious! I need to splurge on those yummy chocolates. And maybe that picnic basket set...." However, I came across something rather silly today in the Dean and DeLuca e-newsletter: luxury ice cubes. $75 gets you 10 Glace Luxury Ice Cubes with a longer "dilution rate." I'm assuming that's code for "we added salt to the water before freezing", but that's just my guess. 

Dean and DeLuca notes that it takes up to 24 hours for the ice to ship. If the cubes show up melted, do you get a refund or does customer service politely suggest refreezing the water yourself ?

A new Nicole's location

A recent Times Union article mentioned that Nicole's On The River will be closing soon. They will be opening a new restaurant in Lake Asbury. (Nicole's On The River is owned by the same people who run Nicole's Cafe In The Country in Middleburg.) The third location will be at 2808 Henley Avenue in Lake Asbury. That address is where the old Pulcinella Italian restaurant used to be. I've had great meals at both Nicole's Cafe In The Country and Nicole's On The River, so I'm expecting more good food at the Henley Road restaurant, too!

*8/27/13 update: The Lake Asbury location will not have a buffet like Nicole's On The River did.

*9/10/13: The plans for a Lake Asbury location have been scrapped.

*2/19/14: A new Nicole's location is officially open. Nicole's On The River / Nicole's In Orange Park is on Jefferson and Blanding, across from Wendy's & Burger King. Same menu as Nicole's In The Country in Middleburg (which is staying open).

Golden Corral raises prices

This little nugget was in my Pepsi e-newsletter today. Yeah, 

Golden Corral is seriously raising their weekend prices by $2 through September 8th. I almost choked on my ice cream laughing.  I don't think anyone would pay that much for a Golden Corral meal to begin with, even if the infamous Golden Corral dumpster food video hadn't gone viral this summer. The only place I'd pay $13 for a buffet is a Disney resort, a special holiday brunch at a fancy hotel or a dockside restaurant where I know the seafood was caught that same day. 

The Better Chip

The AMW family is big on snacking. Whether it's a car trip or an evening movie, somebody will be packing yummy food to take along. Our munchies of choice are usually sugar free drinks, dip, fruit or veggies and something with crunch (nuts, granola, crackers or chips). Snacker that I am, I was super excited when The Better Chip recently offered me the chance to taste two new flavors!

AMW readers may remember my previous taste test of The Better Chip's jalapeno & sea salt, sweet onion & cheddar and red pepper & salsa fresca flavors. So I'll be reviewing the corn chips with sea salt and the newest flavor, spinach & kale corn chips.

Corn With Sea Salt

"Made with fresh corn with sea salt"

               

       

  

I am a huge fan of fresh tortilla chips. Whenever I go out for Mexican food, I am the first one with my hand out for the hot, lightly salted chips and the spicy salsa. Which is why these corn chips tasted so good to me! They're crunchy, have a fresh corn taste and are sprinkled with just the right amount of salt. The only thing I need now is a lime drink and an enchilada to go along with the corn chips. Yum!   

On top of that, I am impressed with the simple ingredient list: corn masa flour, whole corn, sunflower and / or canola oil, sea salt. I don't need a dictionary to figure out those ingredients. Fresh corn off the cob and double thick corn masa are food I'll gladly eat or cook with. In contrast, I had bought a bag of candy the other day and choked at the number of mystery ingredients listed on the package. Eeek!  

Spinach And Kale Corn Chips

"Made from fresh spinach & kale with sea salt."

       

    

    

 

I am a life long spinach eater. Every from spinach alfredo pizza to spinach stuffed mushrooms, you can count me in. Kale, however, is a veggie I've only recently started consuming. I started out with a kale-ginger smoothie earlier this year. Then I bought a bagged kale salad. Call me a kale convert!

I was curious how those flavors would translate to The Better Chip's spinach and kale chips; because whenever I buy spinach tortilla wraps, I find myself thinking "These look green, but I really don't taste spinach." Not a problem with the spinach & kale corn chips, though. These hearty, crunchy snacks have light, distinctive, fresh from the garden flavors. I recommend pairing this flavor with hummus. It's an amazing combination!

The Better Chip's spinach & kale chips are available in 2 oz snack packs or 6.4 oz deli packs. In addition, they are gluten free, vegan, non-GMO and made in a "completely nut-free environment." Plus the green color comes from fresh kale and spinach, not food coloring. 

Red Pepper And Salsa Fresca
"Made with 40% fresh red pepper so the flavor is inside"

  

 

Jalapeno And Sea Salt

"Made with 40% fresh jalapeños so the flavor is inside"

 

Sweet Onion and White Cheddar

"Made with 40% fresh onion so the flavor is inside"

 

 

In addition to the samples above, The Better Chip also sent me a wicked cool t-shirt. I can't wait to wear this when I go hiking again next week. Y'all know I'll be bringing some tasty The Better Chip snacks in my pack, too : ) You can't go wrong with The Better Chip , whether you're throwing a party, looking for road trip snacks or shopping for a gluten free family member.