SPOTTED ON SHELVES – Nabisco Lemon Oreo

Nabisco Lemon Oreo

I wonder if there’s any difference between these and the Limited Edition Lemon Twist Oreo Cookies that have shown up for a limited time the past two years. Also, Nabisco should team up with a cleaning company to make Lemon Oreo scented cleaners. (Spotted by Lindsay at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

FAST FOOD FIVE – 1/15/2014

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Here are five recent fast food news bites:

Pizza Hut is rolling out a new crust. My goodness. Pizza Hut has done so many things to pizza crust that aliens with probes must say, “Whoa! That’s a bit too much.” (via Grub Grade)

Pizza Hut is also selling pizza by the slice at select locations. Perhaps they’re practicing in order to take over food courts if Sbarro closes. (via Consumerist)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Listen up everybody if you wanna take a chance. Just get on the floor and do the New Kids’ dance. Don’t worry ’bout nothing ’cause it won’t take long. We’re gonna put you in a trance with a funky song, ’cause you gotta be hangin’ tough, hangin’ tough, hangin’ tough. We’re rough. (via Brand Eating)

Until January 19th, order your Domino’s pizzas online and get a 50 percent discount. I guess New Year’s Resolutions can wait until January 20th. (via Grub Grade)

I wonder what McDonald’s Coffee Chocolate Cake taste like. (via Brand Eating)

QUICK REVIEW: Burger King Rodeo Burger

Burger King Rodeo Burger

Purchased Price: $1.59*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Burger King
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Awesome value for $1 (Decent value for $1.59). Love the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, which there was just the right amount of. Size of onion rings ensure there’s a bit of it in every bite. Onion rings and barbecue sauce complement the beef patty well. Even though they were sitting in its wrapper for about 10 minutes, the onion rings were still a little crispy. 450 milligrams of sodium is surprisingly low for a fast food burger.
Cons: Having to pay $1.59 for a sandwich that’s being advertised at $1. It’s not at all filling. Beef patty was noticeably smaller than the toasted sesame seed bun. I really should say “Where’s the Beef?” but I think many of you are too young to know the reference.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. Most of you will pay just $1 for it.

Burger King Rodeo Burger Topless

Nutrition Facts: 310 calories, 110 calories from fat, 13 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 450 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber, and 9 grams of protein.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 1/15/2014

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

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Spoonz

Snyder's of Hanover Korn Krunchers

“Spoonz”? “Korn Krunchers”? Well, all right then, let’s see how you like having your name purposely misspelled, Snider’s of Hanouver. (Spotted by Kenzi at Publix.)

Panera Bread K-Cups

It appears Panera is trying to make a whole different kind of fresh bread with their Panera coffee K-Cup. The varieties in the picture include Light Roast, Dark Roast, Hazelnut Creme, and Colombia. (Spotted by Joshua at Winn Dixie.)

Chobani Greek Yogurt Simply 100

These Chobani Greek Yogurt Simply 100 have just 100 calories per container, is made using only natural ingredients, come in the six flavors (Blueberry, Strawberry, Pineapple, Peach, Black Cherry, and Vanilla), and pretty much looks like every other container in the yogurt aisle. (Spotted by Lindsay at Family Fare.)

Kashi Crunchy Granola & Seed Bars

If Kashi made a variety of their Crunchy Granola & Seed Bars with hemp seeds, I would go to every store, cross out the word “Seed” on every box, and replace it with “Weed.” (Spotted by RiRi at Piggly Wiggly.)

Kellogg's Eggo French Toast Bites Cinnamon

Microwaveable pouches of bite-sized French toast. I think I will leggo of those Eggo. (Spotted by Marvo at Safeway.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream

Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream

Lights! Camera! Popcorn! Ice Cream?

Wait a second there, Spielberg. I get that with the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice awards packed into a two week span, January has become the de facto tie-in month for food branding to take a stroll down the red carpet. But you do realize, don’t you, that it’s January. As in, we just had a freaking polar vortex January. You’ve got to have something unique and unbelievably tasty to get me to put frozen stuff into my already frozen body in January.

Well, at the risk of also making January the de facto month for predictable food blogging puns, this year’s award for the best new ice cream flavor undoubtedly goes to Baskin-Robbins’ Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream.

I’ve got to give Baskin-Robbins credit. They do this whole “Flavor of the Month” and it’s usually something we’ve seen before – another Marvel comic book movie, if you will. A little chocolate here, some crushed up cookies there; sometimes, when they really go out on a limb, they might even add some fruit or fudge (edgy, I know.)

There’s nothing wrong with these flavors, but then again they’re hardly game-changing. Spider Man saves the world again but loses MJ? Bah! Seen it. Throw in the fact that my local Baskin-Robbins employees seem to take it as a personal insult when asked to walk the three steps from their station on the Dunkin’ Donuts side of the store to scoop ice cream on the Baskin-Robbins side, and it takes a lot for me to really get excited about their Flavor of the Month.

Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream Closeup Ice Cram

This month has been different. Between my unbound love of all things salty and sweet and my own experiments making kettle corn ice cream at home, I was cautiously optimistic that the film-inspired flavor would deliver just the right balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy – the fantastic four of texture and flavor, if you will.

Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream Yellow

The off-beat flavor not only delivered that elusive combination, it embodied it almost as well as Tom Hanks captured Richard Phillips in Captain Phillips. It all starts with the popcorn pieces, which, interestingly enough, are made from rice. Weird, right? Well, they don’t exactly look like perfectly popped and fluffy pieces of popcorn (actually, they have a stained gold color that familiar to those who drown their popcorn at the theater’s butter dispensers), but they sure have that buttery corn taste.

For you popcorn aficionados, consider these almost like little glazed nuggets of kettle corn, except with more butter. And more butter is always better, even in the case of ice cream. It’s almost toffee-like in its effect, providing a sweet crunch that stays remarkably brittle even in the extra creamy ice cream.

Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream closeup

What’s more, there were no signs of ice crystals or other textural defects that sometimes come with larger mix-ins. About the size of a penny, the already salty-sweet popcorn flavored crisps get an extra shot of salty-sweet from the salted caramel swirl, which also adds an element of smooth dulce de leche-like viscosity to the ice cream. The whole flavor profile, with a depth of sweetness and hint of browned butter and salt, even elevates the lowly cake cone. Like a nominee for best supporting actress or actor, the cone actually takes on an element of – and I realize this sounds weird – pound cake flavor when eaten with the creamy, buttery ice cream base.

Granted, I like ice cream. But it takes a lot to get me to really, really, really like ice cream in January. But, as Brooklyn Nine-Nine pulled out a stunning surprise as the best new comedy at the Golden Globes (hilarious show, by the way), so Baskin Robbins’ Movie Theater Popcorn ice cream steals the show amidst over some otherwise worthy ice cream flavors. I just hope they bring it back in, shall we say, more conducive months for ice cream eating.

(Nutrition Facts – 2.5 oz scoop – 170 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugars, and 3 grams of protein.)

Item: Baskin-Robbins Movie Theater Popcorn Ice Cream
Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2.5 oz Kid’s Scoop
Purchased at: Baskin-Robbins
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Crunchy, buttery, salty-sweet popcorn pieces have a toffee-like effect. Plentiful salted caramel swirl. Creamy, clean mouthfeel. Raising the mere cake cone to the herculean dessert height of pound cake.
Cons: Eating ice cream in January. Predictable film puns. Awesome source of saturated fat.