YumSugar

Taste Test: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz Crackers

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:15 -0800

With holiday parties looming on the horizon, I've had killer apps and hors d'oeuvres in the back of my mind. Since no party is complete without a meat, cheese, and crackers platter, it's only appropriate that Nabisco has come out with a new variety of Ritz cracker, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, that's sure to be popular come Christmastime. Ritz crackers were an after-school pastime for me growing up, so I couldn't wait to try the new flavor. Did it live up to its highly-regarded name? Find out when you read more.

Fall Pantry Favorite: Cranberry Hazelnut Raincoast Crisps

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:00:41 -0700

At a recent happy hour hosted by a friend, I found myself conveniently placed near a certain charismatic snack: rustic crisps studded with slivers of dried cranberries and roasted hazelnuts. Despite my attempts to save my appetite for dinner, I couldn't pull myself away from the crackers, which were just as habit-forming when eaten alone as they were with a slather of good goat cheese.

After a little research, I learned that Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps, as they're called, hail from Canada and come in a multitude of flavors, like Raisin Pecan, Fig and Olive, and Salty Date and Almond, and are sold at many Whole Foods stores. I tried several flavors, but the hazelnut, with its mild nuttiness, paired with the slightly chewy consistency of the cranberries, remains my hands-down favorite combination. I'm keeping some stocked to make a mark at impromptu gatherings this Fall.

Have you ever tried Lesley Stowe's Raincoast Crisps?

Taste Test: Häagen-Dazs Tart Natural Frozen Yogurt

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:13:35 -0700

I'm one of the masses who's taken great advantage of the ballooning tart frozen yogurt trend. I make a pit stop at downstairs darling SoGreen at least once a week. But when Häagen-Dazs sent me its latest tart natural frozen yogurt flavor, I wanted to see if swapping it out for SoGreen was a possibility. Could it be the new replacement for my expensive frozen yogurt habit? The answer, after the jump.

Taste Test: Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:50:57 -0700

I must admit: I'm not the world's biggest fan of cheesecake, it's always seemed a bit too rich. But I'm obsessed with red velvet cake, and was intrigued when I first heard about red velvet cheesecake. I put it on my list of things to make and before I could get to it, The Cheesecake Factory came out with a version and sent one our way - along with a couple others. Was it the perfect hybrid of Southern red velvet and smooth cheesecake decadence? How was the cheesecake on a whole? Find out when you read more

Taste Test: Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:00:50 -0700

Last week, my desk was covered with bags of Cape Cod Popcorn. This week, it was another comforting snack - pouches of Granola Nut Clusters, a new item from granola bar pioneer Nature Valley. The product, which is offered in four different flavors, comes in 5-ounce resealable bags for a reasonable price ($3.79). But were the nut clusters everything they'd been cracked up to be? The final answer is after the jump

Taste Test: Cape Cod Popcorn

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:15:10 -0700

I'm a huge snacker, and admittedly have more than a few downfalls. One of them is popcorn. Combine this with a shipment we recently received of new popcorn from Cape Cod Chips, and you can guess where the story is headed.

Cape Cod is known for its all-natural potato chips, which come in a wide variety of flavors (my favorite is the jalapeño and aged cheddar - especially as a hangover snack). Now, the brand has added three kinds of popcorn flavored with all-natural ingredients to that list: white cheddar, sweet cream butter, and sweet and salty (all $2.69). Did they live up to their chip counterparts? Find out after the break.

Taste Test: Quizno's Toasty Bullet Subs

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:07 -0700

It's a well documented fact that I'm a fiend for sandwiches; likewise, PartySugar loves them, especially warm, toasty paninis. Naturally, when Quizno's launched its new Toasty Bullets, it wasn't long before we went to our neighborhood outpost to check them out.

Customers can get a Toasty Bullet in five different flavors: Italian, Big Kahuna Tuna, Pesto Turkey, Turkey Club, and Beef, Bacon & Cheddar. The snack-sized sandwiches are about eight inches long and two inches wide, cost a dollar or two less than the average Quizno's sandwich, and come in a nifty paper pocket to assist with easy, on-the-go eating. Did any of these stun us with their bold flavors - or should you be dodging these bullets? Find out after the jump

Sir Mix a Lot

partysugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:15:59 -0700

My younger sister is one of those people who absolutely adores breakfast foods – she finds herself eating them all day long. So I was shocked when she said she was swearing off one of her a.m. staples: granola. Always health-conscious, she discovered how high in fat and calories a serving could be. I suggested she try the granola from MixMyGranola, a website that allows you to customize the fixings in your granola and check the fat and calorie content of each serving before ordering. Find out how it works after the jump

Taste Test: Coconut M&Ms

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:30:56 -0700

After reading the comments on a recent M&M's quiz, I decided it was high time that I sample the new limited-edition Coconut M&M's from Mars.

Once a beloved snack of mine, I was around the candies so much in a former life that I ate myself sick of them. But these could be a different story. "Coconut M&M's? That's crazy!" a coworker said in passing. Indeed, it was. Upon glancing at the package, which featured the sultry Green M&M basking in the sun with a flower behind her ear, I immediately envisioned candy-covered morsels filled with flaky, sweet coconut, Mounds style. Did they live up to my expectations? Keep reading.

Taste Test: Doritos Late Night Tacos at Midnight

YumSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:30:32 -0700

In the interest of living a healthier lifestyle, I've been trying to cut out my habit of late-night snacking. Unfortunately, it hasn't gone so well, as that's my favorite time of the day to snack. And the fact that Doritos sent me a bag of special-edition Late Night Tacos at Midnight? That doesn't make it any easier, either.

These chips are intense: each triangular bite is densely covered in a blizzard of burnt orange powder and flecked with black spices. Upon first trying them, I wasn't too crazy about their seemingly artificial taste. They had a flavor that I couldn't pin down - but by the 15th chip or so, I'd figured it out. To find out what they taste like, keep reading