Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Jack in the Box Cronuts

Folks that know me know that I like my junk food. If a fast food place has something new on the menu, I will be the first person standing in line to try it.  But if you know me, you'll also know that I don't eat fast food daily or even weekly. And It's rare that once I try one of the new greasy, high fat, high sugar, high caloric items fast food restaurants come out with, I rarely will ever try them again. Taco Bell Waffle Tacos, McDonald McTeriyaki Burgers, Denny's Bacon Milkshakes...tried them all...once. But I will admit, there are some exceptions to the once and one rule. There are those tasty bits of junk food that, if I have a chance, I will go back for more.

Doritos Tacos Locos. I can honestly say that I'm quite fond of them. Not the cool ranch or any other version, just the basic Doritos Loco Taco. And those McDonalds Mighty Wings? When they came down in price I found them quite tasty and made it a point to order them a few times.

And now Jack in the Box Cronuts have been added to the "wow, these are actually really good list". Because, wow, they actually are really good. Like in the "It's Sunday morning and I really don't want to get out of bed but I want some Cronuts" kind of really good. So yeah, I'm saying give them a try.

And I'll give you a little hint. They are great warmed up. Need a quick one bite dessert and you have NO time? Get some Jack in the Box Cronuts, heat them up when your friends are not looking, drop a couple of blueberries, a blackberry or two and a sliced strawberry on top, plop on some whipped cream and you have a quick dessert to impress your friends (you can just say you got the recipe from your friend Jack). Or if you really want to live, serve with a bit of candied pumpkin sauce and make a perfect seasonal taste treat.

Russian Chocolate Candy Bar

There were several candy bars located on the counter at the Russian Cafe and Deli. I picked this particular one because it had a cute little kid on the cover. And I can tell you that it tasted just like a regular chocolate bar. But I can't tell you much more than that because someone (not me) took the half of the candy bar that we were saving for later (not me), ate it (not me) and then threw the wrapper away thus destroying any evidence that the candy bar existed (not me).

That someone (not me) has offered to go back to the Russian Cafe and Deli and pick up another candy bar to make up for the error (not mine). Of course when that person (not me) does go to the Deli to get another candy bar, I'm going to assume that more dumplings will be purchased and since I am now addicted to Russian Dumplings (yes me) I have forgiven the chocolate snatcher.

Yes, would buy again.

Russian Cookies - Krujeva Vasilisi in Chocolate Glaze

There were quite a few different cookies available at the Russian Deli. Again, I had no idea what was what. I picked these cookies to try because they were actually kind of pretty. And lets be honest, it might have also been the fact that the backs had been coated in chocolate. The only English on this package was the information on the  "stuck on" label....which gives nutrition facts and mention that these cookies were a product of Russia (Distributed by Rodeo Foods in LA). I believe part of the name of the cookies means "lace".

The cookies weren't bad...I think I expected them to be a bit sweeter (the American in me) but the cookie itself seemed to taste more like an English Biscuit. The coating of chocolate was nice. Not my favorite cookie in the world but Mr. L and I had no problem polishing the bag off. The cookies are a bit delicate in that most of them had cracks all over them and several were already broken in the package. Eat with care or you'll have crumbs all over that the cats will fight for.

These cookies were a pretty nice size (about the size of a teacup saucer). The label had a serving as 100 gr which was probably about three cookies...but that serving was 441.40 calories!

Russian Penny Candy - Ctakah Monoka

It was easy when I went and looked for food for the Canada and England Olympics...everything was in English. Plus I was familiar with Canadian candies and snacks as I've made many trips up north to watch hockey games. And over the years, I've bought many a candy from England as many of them are just different versions of American candy and they sell quite a variety at Cost Plus World Market.

Buying candy from a Russian Deli when you can't read the labels? Interesting. And actually quite fun. Mr. L and I came across a bin of little, what I call "penny candy". Except these little bites of candy weren't in prepackaged bags, they were more in little sandwich type bags...no information on the outside but a price written in black sharpie. Maybe 10 to 20 pieces in each bag. I knew I was going to try some, but the question was, which one? All sorts of colors and logos and pictures to chose from.

I picked these candies for one reason only. Because...Cats! How could I not try a candy that had a cat on it, the Russians being as fond of cats as I am! As you can see the cat on the wrapper has a glass of milk in it's paws and with Mr. L's trusty iPhone app we translated that Ctakah Monoka means "glass of milk". The label itself does say Made in Ukraine and gives a website for Roshen which is a European manufacture of confectionery products.

Can't say they tasted like milk. They did have a bit of a caramel flavor to them. Very soft, chewy candy. The taste is familiar, I just can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. Everyone I gave a piece to seemed to have to stop for a minute to figure out if they liked them or not. Most had no problem taking a second piece. I actually have become quite addicted to them. Next time I go back to the Russian Deli (and oh I will be going back...one word...dumplings) I will have to pick me up some more of these!

Tuesday Taste Test - Halloween White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M's

I admit, the one item I have looked for and been unable to find, have been the Candy Corn Oreo's sold exclusively at Target. I've been obsessed with trying to find them. I've even tried out of area Targets and had no success. So when I found these Candy Corn M&M's I thought "wahooo" score! Cuz they're M&M's and pretty much any M&M is awesome right? A perfect substitute for my unobtainable Candy Corn Oreos.

Well...these were not great. Not completely horrible, just not good. It was pretty funny when I brought these out and had folks try them. When I showed them the package their eyes lit up, I had exclamations of "oh wow, can't wait to try these". And then when they popped a few in their mouths, that smiled faded. The face that remained wasn't a "these are so horrible I'm going to spit it out" kinda face, but a surprised and disappointed kinda face. Which is exactly how I felt about these. I expected to have to use tons of willpower to not eat the whole bag (I bought an individual bag and then several full size bags to share with friends).But after just a few tastes, the bags went uneaten.

Friends and co-workers complained about the M&M's being too sweet or too rich. I don't think anyone that I gave these out to ate more than three or four. Nobody came back for seconds. I had comments that these didn't taste like Candy Corn at all. While some said that they tasted like wax, that isn't an issue with me since lots of Candy Corn has a waxy feel to them. I liked the crunch of the outside shell but the candy corn inside just didn't really taste like candy corn to me. I found it interesting, that while no one said they actually hated them, no one really seemed to like them.

I found small bags at my local grocery and large bags of these at Target. You can also find them on Amazon. Prices for the big bags ranged from $3.99 to $10.51 (Amazon being the most expensive). While these Candy Corn M&M's may look good sitting out in a bowl in a Halloween decorated house, don't be surprised if that bowl is still full by Thanksgiving.

Treacle Sponge Pudding

This can of Treacle Sponge Pudding wasn't bought at a local British Food Store or the local Cost Plus World Market. This Treacle actually came all the way across the pond from England. It was lovingly brought to me by the sister of Mr. L's boss who came visiting from the UK. She also brought me a can of Bird's Custard Powder, so I no longer have an excuse not to make my own. I can't tell you how cool it was that my husbands boss knew I was eating "British" during the Olympics and had his sister pick me up something.

I originally thought "treacle" was a made up word. But it's actually any syrup made during the refining of sugar and is defined as "uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar". I've read and heard about Treacle Tarts for ages....it's mentioned in Harry Potter...and it was actually on my list of things to make during the Olympics, but I ran out of time. We ended up having this during the Closing Ceremonies which made a perfect end to my British Food Fest.

Alas, this didn't turn out the best. We actually liked Spotted Dick better, though it might be because of an error in cooking. We cooked this the same as the Spotted Dick, dropped the can in some boiling water for 35 minutes. The "treacle" I believe was supposed to melt and become like a sauce on the sponge cake. Alas, it never melted...not sure if it was because we didn't cook it long enough or too long. It actually didn't taste bad, Mr. L and I scarfed it down with smiles on our face, so I'd love to make one from scratch sometime.

Yorkie Chocolate Bar

It's fun trying all these foods without really paying attention to the wrappers and what we are about to eat. So when I first bit into this Yorkie chocolate bar, I expected there to be some sort of filling or addition to the chocolate. But there wasn't. It turned out to just be a nice chunk of milk chocolate.

Originally the Yorkie Candy Bar was geared towards men and even had the slogan of "It's not for girls" which I guess caused some controversy. Luckily they've changed the tag line because I would have eaten it even if it wasn't for girls. At 302 calories, it pretty much uses up an entire meals worth of calories but since Mr. L and I split the bar, we didn't feel so guilty.

It seems to come in different flavors (dark chocolate, raisin and biscuit) but we liked the milk chocolate version just fine. In fact, there was just something so comforting about biting into that chunk of milk chocolate that days later, it's the one candy that we've tried that I keep thinking about (yes, even more so than the caramel Kit Kat...who knew!).

 

 

Tunnock's Tea Cakes

When someone says "tea cake" my mind goes to cake. Like maybe a coffee cake. Or a pound cake. Or a light chiffon cake. It does not go to wonderfully gooey marshmallows on a cookie covered in milk chocolate. Think of a little wrapped S'more.

These little beauties came wrapped individually so I had no idea they weren't "cake" until I opened one. Had I read the package front, I would at least have known they were covered in milk chocolate (and of course chocolate covered cake wouldn't have been a problem). The back actually states that they are "a delicious biscuit base" (read cookie) " topped with marshmallow and covered with real milk chocolate". Um, what's not to like?

Each cake is 110 calories. And they are good. Mr. L couldn't have just one. He had two. And he's bugged me every day since if there were any more. Alas, I too liked them, so no, there were no extras floating around. They are often served with tea or coffee. Or eaten right out of the box in front of the TV while watching Olympic coverage without any tea or coffee in sight. Your choice.

I hear there are caramel and dark chocolate versions. I may just move to England for these.

Kit Kat Chunky Caramel Bar

Kit Kat Caramel Bars? OH. EM. GEE....candy bar heaven. Now admittedly I already like regular Kit Kat bars so this was a real no-brainer. But I prefer Twix bars over Kit Kats. Why? The addition of caramel to the milk chocolate cookie like candy bar that is a Twix.

And these? Kit Kats with caramel. Perfection. Just adding a bit of caramel to the standard Kit Kat bar elevates it to another level. Instead of the rectangle "fingers" of Kit Kats you normally get, this is one solid bar divided into squares (that's why they call it "chunky"). And from Mr. L, these were not dry! A bonus in our book. They were "lighter" than a the Twix bar in comparison by the way. More of a wafer type cookie.

Can't tell you how many calories or how much they cost...I think we were so enamored of the Kit Kat bar that we threw the wrapper out without paying attention!

I read that you can get Chunky Caramel Kit Kats in the United States but because I don't eat candy bars much, I've never hunted them down. The recipe and texture of the Caramel Kit Kats are supposed to vary between the countries so until I have one from the US and one from the UK I have no idea of the similarities or differences.

Would we buy these again? In a heartbeat. I'm just bummed that I didn't know about these when I was younger and could eat candy bars without it showing on my hips.

 

Tyrrell's Chips

These were very good. Mr. L and I both really liked them. Of course I don't think I've ever met a chip that I really didn't like, but Mr. L is pretty particular.

These Tyrrell's chips were lightly salted and had a really nice crunch. They are more like crispy Hawaiian Original chips than say Lay's Potato Chips. The light dusting of sea salt was a perfect touch.

The website says the potatoes are from local farmers, the skin is left on, they are thick cut, hand cooked in small batches, and nothing artificial. Oh and they are called "crisps" not chips. The website for Tyrrell's is actually better than most. And oh the different types of chips they sell! Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar, Mature Cheddar & Chives, Sunday Best Roast Chicken, Ludlow Sausage and Mustard, Worcester Sauce & Sun-dried Tomato, Honey Roast Ham & Cranberry, English Summer Barbecue....I'm so bummed that the only variety I could find was the basic chip! er Crisp! Oh and they don't just make chips, they make popcorn, peanuts, rice crackers and tortilla chips.

I loved the swimmers doing handstands on the front of the package. I thought it fit in perfectly with the Olympic theme this week. There are different "old time" photographs on all of their packaging. They even mention where you can send in your old photos of your English ancestors and get them on the front of their products.

More chips please! We plan on going back to World Market and buying more of these.

UPDATE: Since we really liked these chips, I went on Tyrrell's Facebook page and asked where I could find more of them (specifically some of their other flavors). They actually answered and said they'd get back to me on where I might purchase them here in the US. I'll keep you posted if they come up with a place.