Salty Goodness

Every now and then I break down and buy a bag of salty goodness. This time a bag of Chex Mix Jalapeño Cheddar met that craving. I felt like adding a little spice into my lunch and I certainly could not resist the fiery hot bag design. Inside one finds a mix of pretzels, 2 types of Chex, some little breadstick type things, and cheese triangle crackers. Yum, Yum!

The back of the bag reads: “Experience a FLAMING rush of TASTES and TEXTUES like never before. Chex Mix brings you the more interesting Jalapeño Cheddar snack EXPERIENCE. CHEX MIX IS A BAG OF INTERESTING!” I would venture to say this is stretching truth about the overall experience of eating the contents of the bag a bit too far. I definitely did not consume the product and immediately want to write how interesting and amazing my experience was in all capital letters. I did however enjoy my snack. I enjoyed the processed powdered cheese flavor, I mean who wouldn’t? It more than met my need for salty goodness with its 280mg of sodium per serving (the small bag has 3.5 servings). The salt flavor was not overwhelming but it is a prominent flavor. Just about midway into the bite I think, “Hey, these are a bit tangy…and spicy.” If you are looking for real jalapeño flavor this is not the product for you. I would venture to say no one buys a product like this for its natural or fresh jalapeño flavor. They could have easily be called it a spicy, tangy, hot sauce flavoring. I would have not known the difference. It is what it is. It is good at being what it is. The heat is a nice change from your basic cheesy Chex Mix.

As for the “Mix” part of the snack, I could have lived without the little breadstick things and the pretzels. Do not get me wrong, I love pretzels. Unfortunately they are lost in this bag. When popping the breadstick or the pretzel in my mouth I found they did not hold the flavor like the other pieces did. Like the bag suggests, they did add texture. What I would have liked was more crackers. My bag had only a few, perhaps other bags were luckier. The crackers added a nice softer and smoother texture to the mix. You may look at the picture I took ask “Hey, where are the cheese crackers?” The answer is simple. I ate them. I could not resist. My favorites were the Chex. I love how they are the perfect little vessel for flavor. I would have been just as happy if it was just Jalapeño Cheddar Chex and the “Mix” was dropped. 

I would definitely consider buying these again and would probably choose these over the other Chex Mix flavors because it is just that much more complex in flavor and in turn that much more enjoyable to eat. Natural flavors? Absolutely not. Good flavors? Yes as long as you are not looking for natural flavors.

Oh Christmas Tree...

Nothing says Christmas like…novelty Christmas tree shaped ice cream. These minty trees are a throwback to long ago (I’m not sure how long ago because I can’t find the history of these fun little snacks). Over the years I have seen a variety of these ice cream treats, everything from vanilla/strawberry  Santas, vanilla/strawberry/chocolate snowmen, gingerbread men sandwiches, vanilla bear cookie sandwiches, and of course the minty Christmas trees. They are made by different brands and I find them in different stores each year. In the past 5 years or so the novelty ice creams  seem to be harder and harder to find. Last year I stocked up on them but they do not do well in the freeze for long periods of time. This year I was only able to find the Christmas trees. I’m satisfied. I have had my novelty Christmas ice cream fix.

This year’s Christmas trees are brought to us by Dean’s. They come in a box of 6 delightful green trees. They are mint with little red and green sugar sprinkles. Each tree is individually packed in a plain white wrapper. This is the first year that I noticed that the box is marked “lowfat” and weighed in at 80 calories per tree. They didn’t taste any different to me so I doubt the changed the recipe, more like an added gimmick for sales. The purpose for buying these is simply for the fun of it. They have a good mint flavor but are in no way creamy or high quality. The texture is that of frozen frothy and crystalized milk. The sprinkles seem to be melted and smeared all over the packaging. They are difficult to get out of the package fully intact and come only in slice form without a stick. The trees are a bit messy to eat and if you are not careful the dye from the sprinkles ends up everywhere. Despite their short falls I come back to them every year, call it a tradition of sorts. So for now I will finish off my box of 6 (maybe another box if they mark them 50% off after Christmas) and wait for next year to see which flavors are released. For some reason like a child I get giddy just thinking of it.

Merry Christmas all!

Deliciously Simplistic Pizza

My first critique is of a quaint little pizza place that is near and dear to my heart. Some call it Bimbo’s Pizza, I call it Heaven. Every time I am anywhere close to Kalamazoo, MI I make it a point to stop by the pizzeria. Bimbo’s Pizza can be found on the main road that curves through downtown Kalamazoo and has its own special place in Kalamazoo’s history. Bimbo’s was opened in 1959 and remains in the original location run by the original family. I personally have been scarfing down Pizza here with my family since the 80s. When I was little I loved picking out a large wooden booth to sit in at this 15 table restaurant. There used to be a juke box in the back where I would use my hard earned quarters to play “Ghostbusters Theme Song” and “Bang the Drum All Day”. The jukebox has since been replaced with a television and the restaurant has been remodeled some but it still has the original old world charm.  I cherish the time my family spent at this place. Bimbo’s pizza was even the last meal that I had with my mother before she passed away securing its place in my heart and memories.

Bimbo’s slogan is “A treat in Michigan smuggled out of Italy.” I’ve never had pizza from Italy so I cannot compare but I would say this is the best pizza I have ever had. Bias aside, Bimbo’s has a great simplistic thin crust pizza with no thrills. My favorite combination: sausage, mushroom, and extra cheese. I have rarely ventured away from my traditional threesome but when I do I replace mushrooms with green olives or onions. You can watch the pizza dough being rolled out fresh with every order.  It is topped with an unsophisticated smooth pizza sauce with a slight bit of tang to it. The pizza is then topped with mozzarella cheese (I love cheese so I order double) and your selected toppings. The sausage here is fresh and dropped on in clumps. It is almost sweet with a tiny black pepper bite at the very end.  When your chosen toppings have been masterfully placed, the thin crust pizza is perfectly cooked in a pizza oven to a point that lies somewhere in between crispy and floppy and then sliced into small squares. The pizza pie is delivered piping hot to your table on a thin metal sheet pan. On the table you will find a large parmesan cheese shaker (my favorite add-on) and a red pepper flake shaker (my husband’s favorite add-on). I have never left this place without a burnt tongue, it is just too much to ask to wait for the pizza to cool, and I rarely leave with left overs.

As I mentioned above, the pizza here is simplistic, simplistic in a good way. Patrons don’t need to wade through excessive spices, herbs or flavors to enjoy Bimbo’s pie. When you bite into a slice you can taste the crust, the tomato sauce, the cheese, and your toppings, pure and simple.  No one ingredient overpowers another. Each piece fits perfectly together to finish a puzzle of flavor. Bimbo’s doesn’t deliver so if you are in Kalamazoo, stop in or grab a pizza to go, enjoy a deliciously simplistic slice and create some memories of your own. 

Bimbo's Pizza Website

Formalities

I guess my first post should be about me and the blog. I’ll keep it semi-short and sweet so we can move on to the good stuff.

I am just your everyday thirty-some year old girl (I stopped counting) who is married and works a full time job. No kids yet but I do have some wonderful pets. My husband and I live in a medium sized town in the middle of the country. We come from typical medium sized families. Basically I am terribly ordinary.  

I like to travel, take the occasional photo, veg out in front of the television, and read on my off time. Cold winters give me time to relax inside and summers allow me to get out and play. At times I will dabble in my very ordinary kitchen.

I have no official culinary training. Everything I know about food is either learned through my addiction to food TV, eating, or gastronomic skills passed down from my family. Occasionally I’ll go on a cooking streak and break out of my processed food rut (trying to do this more and more). I love to pick up fresh foods at the farmers’ market when I get the opportunity. I love eating out when I can. Restaurants give me the opportunity to try foods that I know I could never make on my own.  I like them all, everything from fast food to fine dining. However, nothing irks me more than paying for a meal that does not taste good.

In today’s economy every cent counts. Whether it is $1.00 or $50.00, wasting money on food that I cannot enjoy is frustrating. This frustration is what led me to formulate the concept for this blog. If I could stop someone from wasting their hard earned money on food that wasn’t enjoyable I would be happy. In return I hope to have someone prevent me from throwing away money on something that I wouldn’t find satisfying. I understand everyone has unique tastes. What I like, someone else might despise, and vice versa.  However, sharing opinions will allow us all to go into a food purchase informed. So, if you can eat it, I will critique it.