The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: DiGiorno Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza

July 1, 2022June 30, 2022 Jenna 7 Comments

DiGiorno Double Pepperoni Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza Box

Convenience, accessibility, price… there are so many reasons to love frozen pizza, and lots of people might also consider a crispy, cracker-like crust to be one of them. But buyer beware, that is not what you’ll get with DiGiorno’s new Fully Stuffed Crust.

DiGiorno Double Pepperoni Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza Frozen

I bought the Double Pepperoni variety, which, truthfully, I had cynically assumed was just a marketing gimmick to make run-of-the-mill pepperoni sound twice as exciting. I was pleased to realize that the name does, in fact, refer to two distinct types of pepperoni, “sliced” (the usual rounds) and “diced” (little chunks that reminded me of the julienne-cut Canadian bacon from Papa John’s Triple Bacon Pizza). If you prefer your pizza with an additional exciting adjective, you can also opt for Ultimate Three Meat.

DiGiorno Double Pepperoni Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza Cooked

I don’t think I need to dwell too long on the standard elements here: the cheese on top is mild and chewy, the pepperoni is greasy and aggressively meaty-tasting (I found the diced bits to be notably tender too, almost melt-in-your-mouth), the sparingly applied red sauce is flavorful if a bit watery, and the crust is yeasty and satisfying. My particular pie actually reminded me of Pizza Hut’s The Edge, with the toppings extending right to the end of every slice. I’m not sure if that’s a core part of the Fully Stuffed Crust brand or if I just got lucky, but either way, I’m happy! I sometimes find eating a dry, hard pizza crust a bit of a chore, but this was its own pleasure, reminiscent of focaccia bread, thick and luxurious.

Speaking of thick and luxurious, let’s get to the star of the show!

DiGiorno Double Pepperoni Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza Cheese

Unlike traditional stuffed crust, which merely crams cheese along the pie’s paltry perimeter, this ambitious new entry into the DiGiorno canon boasts, according to its box, “A FULL LAYER of cheese” on the inside. After some careful peeling (the pizza lent itself oddly well to being separated into layers), I can confirm that this is no joke! The inner cheese really does span the entire pizza, meting out an extra mound of mozzarella in every mouthful.

DiGiorno Double Pepperoni Fully Stuffed Crust Pizza Bite

This is where my warning about the lack of crispiness comes in: often frozen pizzas are so brittle they snap if you look at them wrong, but the bonus layer of cheese makes this whole shebang seriously smooth and supple. I’d even go as far as to call it “fluffy.” That being said, the fluffiness is buried under an avalanche of sauce, toppings, and surprisingly soft crust, all jostling for your taste buds’ attention, so “extra cheesiness” does not necessarily jump out as part of the flavor profile. During my aforementioned peeling experiment, I was able to isolate the inner cheese and enjoy its buttery, slightly sharp taste — and the very comforting joyfulness that stuffed crust inevitably induces in me — but it was still a little bland.

If you particularly appreciate a silky texture or are just a passionate pizza patron, I would fully recommend this Fully Stuffed Crust. If your primary concern is taste, the extra cheese layer might not be stuffed with enough bang for your buck.

Purchased Price: $10.49
Size: 31.2 oz
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/6 pizza) 370 calories, 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 950 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

SPOTTED – 6/30/2022

June 30, 2022June 29, 2022 Marvo 2 Comments

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

(Spotted by Geoff at Schuncks.)

The Pioneer Woman Spicy Cowgirl Sweet Spicy Snack Mix — *The Pioneer Woman Spicy Cowgirl Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

*Skinny Dipped Strawberry Lemonade Almonds*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Market Street.)

Ratio Keto Friendly Cereal Maple Almond Crunch and Cinnamon Cranberry Almond Crunch — *Ratio Keto Friendly Cereal (Maple Almond Crunch and Cinnamon Cranberry Almond Crunch)*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Tom Thumb.)

Snak Club Antiox C Cinnamon Oat Yogurt Trail Mix — *Snak Club Antiox-C Cinnamon Oat & Yogurt Trail Mix*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Tom Thumb.)

H E B Flavors of Texas Soups Creamy Poblano Chicken Noodle Green Chile Chicken Noodle and Chicken Tortilla — *H-E-B Flavors of Texas Soups (Creamy Poblano Chicken Noodle, Green Chile Chicken Noodle, and Chicken Tortilla)*

H E B Flavors of Texas Soups Beef Fajita and Fiesta Chicken Noodle — *H-E-B Flavors of Texas Soups (Beef Fajita and Fiesta Chicken Noodle)*

(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

H E B Mealtime Solutions Ginger Soy Beef Stir Fry Kit — *H-E-B Mealtime Solutions Ginger Soy Beef Stir Fry Kit*

H E B Mealtime Solutions Sheet Pan Kits Cajun Style Chicken Poblano Cream Chicken and Garlic Parmesan Chicken — *H-E-B Mealtime Solutions Sheet Pan Kits (Cajun Style Chicken, Poblano Cream Chicken, and Garlic Parmesan Chicken)*

(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

REVIEW: Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

June 30, 2022June 29, 2022 Denis 8 Comments

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Tub

What is it?

Blue Bell’s Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream continues the company’s tradition of generally straightforward and boring names, but it does have a couple of twists. First, it’s a mix of ice cream (strawberry) and sherbet (lemonade), and then it adds in lemon-flavored flakes.

How is it?

It’s quite tasty but also a classic example that more is not always better. And yes, I’m talking about you, lemon-flavored flakes. But let me get back to them.

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Top

The strawberry ice cream is creamy with a more subdued flavor than what you might get from other brands. It’s clearly strawberry, but it just doesn’t jump up and down and scream strawberry. The lemonade flavor is, well, basically lemon (is there really any difference between lemonade and lemon flavoring?). Together, they are a perfectly refreshing summer treat.

The surprising part for me was that the ice cream and sherbet were almost indistinguishable from each other, except for the different flavors, of course. Even eating the sherbet by itself, I had difficulty convincing myself it was sherbet, as it seemed almost as creamy as the strawberry. So if you are looking for two contrasting textures, you will likely be disappointed. But as for their flavor, they were great together.

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Lemon Chip

Now let’s get back to the lemon flakes. On the plus side, they kind of look like shark teeth, so the 5-year-old in me thought that was cool. But other than that, all they did was add a weird and tasteless crunch, like when you eat ice cream of an unknown age from the back of the freezer and it has those big ice chunks in it. If you enjoy those ice chunks, you might like these flakes. But this would have been better off without them, even if they were only a minor annoyance.

Anything else you need to know?

As I wrote this review, I really gave spell check a workout as I could not stop typing “sherbert.” I know that’s not how you spell it, but my fingers kept adding that second r. It turns out that my fingers are smarter than my brain. This might blow your mind a little too, but “sherbert” is actually correct, sort of. According to Merriam-Webster, sherbert “isn’t wrong” and is “now a fully established (though far lesser-used) variant.” So I say we all make a pact to only use sherbert until it becomes the more common variant, or at least until spell check accepts it.

Conclusion:

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Scoops

Even though the lemon flakes knocked my rating down a little for this one, it’s still a classic and delicious flavor combination. I’m looking forward to making a float with this by adding lemon-lime or strawberry soda like the Blue Bell website suggests.

Purchased Price: $6.98
Size: 1/2 Gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Overdrive

June 30, 2022June 26, 2022 Marvo 8 Comments

Mtn Dew Overdrive Bottle

Mtn Dew Overdrive is a Casey’s-exclusive flavor. What’s Casey’s? It’s a convenience store chain that isn’t convenient for anyone who lives outside the upper center of the United States.

According to its label, it’s a Dew with a blast of citrus punch. I assume that punch contains mango, raspberry, and lime flavors because there are images of those fruits on the label. The graphics also include a bunch of critters, like a beaver, turtle, catfish, duck, and what I assume is a moorilla, part moose and part gorilla.

Mtn Dew Overdrive Moorilla

(UPDATE: I am told that is Benny the Bearalope, and it’ll be touring Casey’s locations and the nightmares of those poor folks who lay their eyes upon it.)

Mtn Dew Overdrive Critters

If you’ve read my past Mtn Dew reviews, what I’m about to type is whatever the written equivalent of me sounding like a broken record is. Mtn Dew Overdrive smells and tastes very similar to another Dew (or a Dew offshoot) that exists or has existed, but I’m not sure which one. However, I know for sure that I have no idea whether it tastes like Mtn Dew Cyclone, the first citrus punch-flavored Dew that was a Speedway exclusive, because I’ve never tried it.

While it’s supposed to have mango, raspberry, and lime flavors, I only taste the raspberry and lime when I take a sip. I notice a bit of mango in the aftertaste, but I wish I could taste it with the other fruits. As much as I enjoy Mtn Dew Overdrive’s flavor, it’s not one I’d put in the uppermost echelon of my favorite Dew varieties. Of course, your taste buds may vary.

Again, Mtn Dew Overdrive is tasty, but I can’t help but think about how it’s a little disappointing that it reminds me of another Dew variety. If you live far outside the region where Casey’s stores are located, it’s not a flavor I’d drive over many miles to obtain.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay (Casey’s exclusive)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 270 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 73 grams of sugar (73 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 91 milligrams of caffeine.

SPOTTED – 6/29/2022

June 29, 2022June 26, 2022 Marvo 9 Comments

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.