Archive for the ‘Hall of Fame (Taste)’ Category

Walgreens Truffle Cookies

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Stef Cirillo sent in this set of snapshots: (Try saying that five times fast.)

Walgreens Truffle Cookies - Ad

Walgreens Truffle Cookies

Looks: Well, the picture on the box is a cartoon, but I guess the cookies pretty much look like that. The added hilarity is that the cartoon is “enlarged to show texture.” Of the … box? The bitten cookie in real life looks nothing like the cartoon cookie, as I found it difficult to distinguish the caramel from the chocolate. 2 out of 5

Taste: Oh my god these cookies are amazingly delicious. None of the flavors are distinct in themselves, but meld into a delicious, choco-caramelly cookie delight. There’s even a hint of saltiness to offset the sweetness. The cookies are crunchy, the chocolate and caramel gooey. It took a considerable amount of self-control to make these last the three days I had them. Totally exceeded expectations. 5 out 5

Don’t be shy about disagreeing with anything or everything Stef wrote. I know you’re not timid when it’s me doing the commentary. 🙂

Smart Stuffers Turk’y with Cranberry Stuffing

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Today’s Food In Real Life is LightLife’s Smart Stuffers, comes courtesy of my brother Aaron. (You might remember the LightLife brand from their previous appearance on FoodIRL via SmartBacon. You probably don’t remember my brother Aaron, since you’ve never met him.)

Smart Stuffers Turk'y - Ad

Smart Stuffers Turk'y

Looks: The colors are pretty much spot-on, but there are not nearly enough cranberries in the cranberry stuffing. The ratio of turk’y to stuffing is as advertised. 4 out of 5

Taste: I was pleasantly surprised by how much the stuffing actually tasted like real stuffing. I mean, that sort of thing can’t be easy to fake. I expected it to be really dry, but it wasn’t. It also had the right texture and an appropriate amount of spices. I bet you could give it to someone who eats stuffing every day, and they wouldn’t know the difference. Oh, and the turk’y tasted more like chik’n, which was fine with me. 5 out of 5

Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Clerkerist sends in this week’s reader submission and does a pretty good job of emulating the photo on the box:

This one is pretty much on target. The pie is browned and flaky. The only deviance from the package cooking directions was a little cooking spray in the pan before microwaving. Otherwise you pretty much have to serve the pie upside-down. Very tasty with crisp peas and carrots, all-white-meat chicken, and rib-sticking gravy. 5 out of 5

Wait a minute… “crisp peas and carrots, all-white-meat chicken, and rib-sticking gravy”? Clerkerist, are you an undercover Marie Callender’s rep sent here to counter the effects of my post on your disgusting cheesy chicken and rice? For shame, Marie Callender, for shame.

Bertolli Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Bertolli Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine - Ad

Bertolli Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine

Looks: This is the first Bertolli meal I’ve had that didn’t look almost exactly like its packaging. The noodles are off-color (if they were a movie, they’d be rated PG-13… ba dum bum), and the chicken and mushroom pieces shown on the bag are most definitely not that size. 2.5 out of 5

Taste: Although it doesn’t look as expected, it tastes fantastic. I used to call the Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle my favorite Bertolli meal, but my wife and I both agree that this dish tops it. The noodles have just the right amount of bite and texture, and the sauce is a nice light alfredo (admittedly, our favorite kind of sauce). The chicken is most, as Bertolli always manages. (You might be thinking, “Man, this guy is in love with Bertolli.” You would not be incorrect to think this.) I cannot think of enough things to say in praise of this meal. 5 out of 5