The following are my thoughts on some new (or new to me) products I've tried recently. These items were bought at Little Rock retailers unless otherwise noted.
COOKIES
The first new flavor I tried as the Oreo S'Mores, or Smoreos as I've seen other food writers call them. These limited-edition cookies were a disappointment (but that didn't stop me and my husband from eating the whole package). The graham-flavored cookie is filled with a layer of chocolate-flavored creme topped with a layer of marshmallow-flavored creme. The operative word here being flavored. These Oreos sound good in theory, but taste too artificial to warrant buying again.
Next up were Cookies & Creme Oreos. These are, well, Oreo-flavored Oreos. And they taste just like Oreos, but different. For comparison I also bought a package of original Oreos. The Cookies & Creme Oreos have a thicker filling that is flecked with brown (I assume chocolate cookie bits) that gives this limited-edition version a slightly sweeter, more chocolatey flavor. As ridiculous as it sounds, I actually really liked these Oreos better than the original Oreos. I'd definitely buy them again.
CHEESE
I first discovered Sargento Balanced Breaks at the grocery store, then a few weeks later I received samples of the portioned fruit, nut and cheese snacks at the office. Available in four flavor combinations, sharp cheddar, cashews and cherry-flavored dried cranberries; pepper jack, peanuts and raisins; white cheddar, almonds and cranberries; and white cheddar, cashews and raisins, the snacks are just right for a midafternoon pick-me-up or for tossing on top of a salad. The only flavor I didn't care for was the sharp cheddar, cashews and cherry-flavored cranberries. The cherry flavoring tasted too much like cold medicine. The preportioned cups come in 3-packs in the dairy case. Although I really like these, they aren't cheap, so I'll buy them only when they're on sale.
ICE CREAM
When a public relations person for Edy's offered to overnight samples of the company's new frozen custard I couldn't resist. When it comes to ice cream, my husband and I are Blue Bell devotees, so it has been a tough summer for us (Blue Bell had to stop production at all of its facilities in May due to a listeria contamination). We've tried Edy's before, but the company's regular ice cream is just a bit too airy for our tastes. But I approached the custard with an open mouth, I mean, open mind. The frozen custard is available in Chocolate Malt, Mint Cookies n' Cream, Old Fashioned Vanilla, Peanut Butter Pie, Salted Caramel Pretzel and Snickerdoodle. We tried the Chocolate Malt and Snickerdoodle flavors. The custards are thick, rich and creamy -- just like frozen custard is supposed to be. The Chocolate Malt was by far our favorite. According to the Edy's website, the custards are available at select Kroger, Wal-Mart and Target stores.
BEER
When it comes to summer sipping, I'm a sucker for a shandy. The beer meets lemonade (or lemon soda or other fruity beverage) blend is refreshing on a hot day and the lower alcohol content means I can enjoy more than one without overdoing it.
Several breweries are bottling shandys (also known as radlers) and some breweries do it better than others.
The Traveler Beer Co. (the brewery is based in Vermont, but owned by Boston Beer Co. aka Sam Adams) is newish to our market and I was excited to try two of its brews: Illusive Traveler Grapefruit Shandy and Curious Traveler Lemon Shandy.
The Illusive Traveler Grapefruit Shandy was tasty, but on the sweet side. OK, it was really sweet. Much too sweet for my taste. (For less-sweet grapefruit versions, check out Leinenkugel's Grapefruit Shandy or Stiegl's Grapefruit Radler.)
I liked the Curious Traveler Lemon Shandy better as it isn't as sweet and its subtle hint of lime makes it different from the other lemon shandys on the market.
Leinenkugel's summer shandy lineup has expanded to feature ginger, orange, summer (lemon) and grapefruit. The summer shandy with its bright lemon flavor has been a favorite of mine for years, and I've been on the lookout for the orange ever since I first tried it a couple of falls ago. In fact, I've never had a Leinenkugel I didn't like, so I was excited to try the grapefruit and ginger flavors. All four of these are good. I particularly like the orange version. The ginger, though tasty, drinks more like a ginger ale than a beer and would be excellent in a Moscow mule. I've seen the grapefruit and summer versions in six-packs, but as far as I know the orange and ginger are only available in the sampler pack.
Food on 07/29/2015