Denis

REVIEW: Blue Bell Peachy Peach Ice Cream

Denis / March 25, 2022 / Reviews / 12 Comments

What is Blue Bell Peachy Peach Ice Cream?

It’s not the most creatively named ice cream, but it certainly has an accurate moniker. This newest flavor from Texas-based Blue Bell is described as “creamy peach ice cream with chunks of sweetened peaches.”

How is it?

Well, it’s peachy, as advertised, both literally and figuratively. There are no bells and whistles with this ice cream — those wouldn’t taste very good anyway — but it delivers on its promise. It’s a tasty peach ice cream base, and the peach chunks give it a pleasant boost and some extra texture. I generally find Blue Bell ice creams to be creamier than the average store brand. However, this one seemed to be a bit lacking in the creaminess department. Even so, that’s about the only mark I have against this. The ice cream flavor is pleasant with the perfect amount of peachiness while not being overpowering.

The peach chunks, which are quite large, dial up the peach flavor and the sweetness a few notches, but again, not to the extreme. I wouldn’t say you get a fresh peach flavor from the chunks but rather more of a candied peach taste. It’s hard for a somewhat basic ice cream product to be spectacular, and this one isn’t, but I did like it better than the average single-flavor ice cream.

Anything else you need to know?

You don’t need to know this in any way whatsoever, but apparently, the world record for the largest peach is 1 pound 12 ounces, and not surprisingly, it was grown in Georgia. I have to say I’m not that impressed. I don’t know what weight would sufficiently impress me — maybe if it was as big as my head — but I thought the record peach would be bigger for some reason. See, you didn’t need to know any of this, but since it’s a section of the review, I feel compelled to fill this space.

Conclusion:

For a straightforward ice cream flavor like this, your level of enjoyment will be closely tied to your affinity for peaches. For me, peaches land about in the middle of the fruit spectrum. So I’ll happily finish this pint but probably won’t buy another one. If you are a peach fanatic, this might turn into one of your favorite ice creams.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 210 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Mint Brownie Blizzard

Denis / March 10, 2022 / Reviews / 2 Comments

What is the Dairy Queen Mint Brownie Blizzard?

It’s the March Blizzard of the Month with brownie pieces, choco chunks, and mint flavor combined with Dairy Queen vanilla soft serve. It’s not technically new, as DQ had the more accurately named Choco Mint Brownie Blizzard with the same ingredients back in 2012. But I don’t remember what I had for breakfast today, or even what day it is, so I’m counting this as new since there’s no chance of me remembering if I’ve had it before.

How is it?

Classic, simple, and really good. This Blizzard is not extreme or outrageous like some past combinations, and DQ even made the name more basic than the last time it was offered. Even though it includes three common Blizzard elements, they all work together perfectly.

The brownie pieces are amazing creations that can maintain a perfect chewy texture even while bathing in ice cream. I assume one of the words I cannot pronounce in the list of ingredients on the DQ website is responsible for that. Then the choco chunks add some crunch to go with the soft brownies, and the mint flavor is complementary instead of overpowering like in some mint ice cream treats. Mint is not even one of my favorite flavors, but I still enjoyed this Blizzard and will miss it when it’s gone.

Anything else you need to know?

I originally thought it would be easy to order this Blizzard any time of year because DQ always has mint flavoring, brownies, and choco chunks available. It turns out I was wrong. According to the never-wrong internet, DQ stopped making mint flavoring available year-round in 2015, so now they only have it sporadically when there’s a Blizzard containing it. It makes me wonder if somewhere there’s a big warehouse full of DQ mint flavor just waiting for the chance to be called into action. Clearly, I have too much time on my hands to sit and wonder about such things.

Conclusion:

I’m not going to tell you to run to DQ to get this Blizzard. Running is hard, and I don’t want you to get tired. But this one is worth picking up, or even overpaying a delivery service to bring it to you.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Medium) 910 calories, 35 grams of fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 380 milligrams of sodium, 137 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 110 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.

Dairy Queen Fast Food

REVIEW: Papa John’s NY Style Pizza

Denis / December 29, 2021 / Reviews / 13 Comments

Papa John’s has been busy lately with a bunch of new offerings, including the Triple Bacon, Shaq-a-Roni, and Epic Stuffed Crust pizzas, all of which earned generally positive reviews from my esteemed colleagues of culinary critique. Now comes the NY Style Pizza, which launched nationwide on December 27 and will be available through March 13, 2022.

I’m sure this will shock you to your core, but no, Papa John’s did not successfully replicate true New York-style pizza. Yes, these are foldable and (somewhat) oversized as Papa John’s advertises, and I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is also hand-stretched as the website claims, even though I was not there to witness that. But if you tried serving this at a pizzeria in New York City, then a brouhaha, fracas and/or kerfuffle would probably ensue. Perhaps even all three.

Usually, my main qualification to do a review on this site is simply that I have a functioning mouth, but in this case, I do bring some pizza credentials. I grew up in New York (actually New Jersey, but we decided long ago as a state that it’s better to just say New York), so I’ve had my share of authentic New York pizza. And now, as a resident of Texas, I’m used to be being both disappointed and amused when I try New York pizza around here. Truthfully, some local joints come reasonably close, and maybe even closer than I give them credit, but I do deduct authenticity points when someone says, “Here’s y’alls pizza.”

With that said, this isn’t bad — it is still pizza after all — and it’s a bit better than I thought it would be, especially considering it’s made using the standard Papa John’s crust, sauce, and cheese. To me, the two things that define New York pizza are the crust being both chewy and crispy with a few of those big air bubbles and the cheese having some stretch and snap along with an unhealthy amount of grease/oil.

Papa John’s fared well on the first requirement, and I think they probably did as well as they could using their regular crust, which I’ve always found to be a little too thick and chewy. This pizza fixed both of those issues, and it comes close to the overall thinness of New York pizza. The outer crust doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as the right balance of crisp and chewy, but it did contain a few modest-size air bubbles and faintly reminded me of New York crust.

The shortcoming here is the standard Papa John’s cheese, which has very little of the stretchiness, snap, or general oiliness you might get with a New York pizza. The toppings (I went with pepperoni) were plentiful, so bonus points for that, and even though the slices were a little smaller than most New York pizza I’ve had, they did fold quite well.

I didn’t expect to get anything close to real New York-style pizza when I ordered this — and I didn’t — but if you temper your expectations based on what a big chain can deliver using its standard ingredients, and you don’t have many other options in your area, then this is a serviceable pie.

Purchased Price: $13 with one topping
Size: Extra-large (16”)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Detailed nutritional information not available on the Papa John’s website, but it does say each cheese slice has 310 calories.

Fast Food Papa John's Pizza

REVIEW: Blue Bell Eggnog Ice Cream

Denis / December 9, 2021 / Reviews / 7 Comments

What is Blue Bell Eggnog Ice Cream?

Just in time for the holidays, Blue Bell has released a new eggnog flavored French ice cream with nutmeg and whipped topping.

How is it?

Let’s just say that if I wanted Santa to give me some spectacular gifts, I’d leave a bowl of this ice cream next to the fireplace (and I know it would melt by the time he came down the chimney, but I’m going to assume he’s magical enough to resolve that issue).

This is rich, creamy, silky, and not all that dissimilar from fancy vanilla ice cream, but you also get hints of nutmeg (even though the advertised nutmeg “flecks” are really hard to see) and the subtle but distinct eggnog flavor. This was the first time I’ve ever had eggnog-flavored ice cream, and I loved it.

The only thing I didn’t love was the whipped topping, which I’ve mentioned in other Blue Bell reviews. There’s quite a bit of it in here, and it has the taste and consistency of Cool Whip. Now I have nothing against Cool Whip. When there’s a tub of it sitting out, I’m going to jam my finger in it for a taste. I might even take a second taste, but that’s about it.

Cool Whip is fine when it plays a minor role, so a scoop of this ice cream that is 80/20 eggnog to Cool Whip is great. But when you get a bite with the opposite ratio, then it’s a little off-putting. So use that spoon wisely.

Anything else you need to know?

I’m probably in the minority in that I don’t have a strong opinion on eggnog. It seems everyone else either loves it or hates it. If someone offers me some, I’ll probably take it, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually purchased eggnog.

I think it can be delicious, but its consistency sometimes bothers me. It’s not as thick as a milkshake but not quite thin enough to pass for liquid, at least in my book. And if it’s a little too yellowish, it makes me think I’m about to drink uncooked scrambled eggs. I even get a little bit of a slimy or mucous-like vibe from some. Perhaps that’s why I liked this ice cream so much. It has all the taste and richness of eggnog without reminding me of nasal drainage!

Conclusion:

If you are already on Team Eggnog, chances are you will really like this. If eggnog is on your naughty list because of its consistency, you might still want to give this a shot. And if you just don’t like the taste of eggnog, why are you reading this review anyway?

Purchased Price: $6.17
Size: 1/2 gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 240 calories, 14 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Blue Bell Ice Cream

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Reese’s Pieces Cookie Dough Blizzard

Denis / October 8, 2021 / Reviews / 9 Comments

What is the Dairy Queen Reese’s Pieces Cookie Dough Blizzard?

It’s the October Blizzard of the Month, and its name pretty much describes what it contains: Reese’s Pieces candy, chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter topping, and pumpkin-flavored soft serve. OK, it’s regular vanilla soft serve. Just checking to make sure you are really reading this part of the review.

How is it?

It’s good, but this one goes into the category of what I’ll call the Taco Bell-style of Blizzard. While Taco Bell has introduced some new items lately that are actually new, like the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco, most of its “new” introductions are just a slightly different combination of its core ingredients or the same combination from a few years ago that it thinks we forgot about. While Reese’s Pieces are not generally on the standard DQ menu, there have been countless Blizzards with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and/or cookie dough, so I can’t give the DQ folks many creativity points here.

I realize with the seasonal Blizzard menus, the Blizzard of the Month (which is sometimes more than one), and other new Blizzards throughout the year that every Blizzard can’t be a mind-blowing creation, and there’s nothing at all wrong with this one. It’s quite good, but I doubt my opinion is going to sway you on this one.

If you like Reese’s Pieces (or PB Cups) and cookie dough, then this is going to be a winner for you. If you are not on Team Reese’s, then this probably isn’t for you. I will say that the crunch of the Pieces in a Blizzard is a nice change compared to PB Cups, which have a consistency similar to the cookie dough. Even though there are chocolate chip cookie dough pieces in this, the chocolate flavor gets pushed aside by the power of peanut butter. So if the chocolate part is important to you, then maybe ask them to add in a bit of chocolate fudge topping or chocolate chunks.

Anything else you need to know?

Assuming that the nutrition info on the DQ website is correct — which is not always a safe assumption because, in the past, the chain has challenged the laws of both math and science by listing negative numbers for dietary fiber — this is the highest calorie Blizzard I can remember seeing. The small size has a whopping 900 calories, and the large has 1,710 calories, along with 81 grams of fat and 192 carbs. Wow.

Conclusion:

At the risk of hurting the feelings of this Blizzard, there’s nothing special about it. But don’t feel bad little Blizzard, you are still pretty good.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Small
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 900 calories, 39 grams of fat, 20 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 490 milligrams of sodium, 108 grams of carbohydrates, 2 gram of dietary fiber, 88 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

Dairy Queen Fast Food Ice Cream