SPOTTED ON SHELVES – Lay’s Pico de Gallo Potato Chips

Pico de Gallo Lay's Potato Chips

Maybe it’s just me, but Tostitos Pico de Gallo Tortilla Chips make more sense than Lay’s Pico de Gallo Potato Chips. But what do I know. I don’t own a multi-billion dollar snack conglomerate. Here’s Chip Review’s thoughts. (Spotted by James at Jay C Foods.)

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.

QUICK REVIEW: Mikawaya Lychee Exottics Gourmet Ice Cream

Mikawaya Lychee Exottics Gourmet Ice Cream

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Nijiya Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Spot on lychee flavor. Not overly sweet. Wonderful way to enjoy lychee when it’s not in season. Airiness makes it easier to scoop. If I had no willpower, it would be gone in 15 minutes. Oh wait, I don’t have any willpower. Will someone please take this pint away from me?
Cons: Why are there two T’s? Why aren’t there three X’s? Not as creamy as premium ice cream, like Häagen-Dazs. Airiness gives it a texture similar to frozen dairy dessert. Its bright white color may blind you if the sun hits it at the right angle. Might be difficult to find.

Mikawaya Lychee Exottics Gourmet Ice Cream Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, and 10% calcium.

QUICK REVIEW: Jack in the Box Loaded Nuggets Munchie Meal

Jack in the Box Munchie Meal Loaded Nuggets

Purchased Price: $7.00*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Cheese and ranch are a pleasant salty, creamy, and tangy combo on the nuggets. Comes with 10 chicken nuggets. Jack in the Box Tacos satisfy my taste buds more than the Loaded Nuggets. Halfsie fries. Reasonably priced meal.
Cons: I think calling these “loaded” is like calling Keira Knightley “well-endowed” because there aren’t many toppings. Lacks bacon, and whatever bacon there is gets lost in the sea on cheese and ranch. Uneven distribution of cheese and ranch. Doesn’t look like a lot in the tray it comes in. Passing out drunk and landing face first into a tray of these Loaded Nuggets. Least impressive of the four Jack’s Munchie Meal entrees.

Jack in the Box Munchie Meal Loaded Nuggets Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 1592 calories, 921 calories from fat, 102 grams of fat, 20 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 113 milligrams of cholesterol, 3593 milligrams of sodium, 1394 milligrams of potassium, 118 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 48 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay six dollars for the meal.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie

McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie

Do you remember the great pumpkin shortage of 2011?

If not, lucky you. Here’s a brief history lesson: Hurricane Irene stifled the pumpkin crop that summer, and aside from leaving us with a dearth of pumpkin-flavored goodies, it also pretty much crippled society. Families cut ties when informed that there would be no pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving dinner table; teenage girls broke up with their boyfriends en masse when they didn’t come back with Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes; and many a tree suffered unspeakable damage as rowdy 12-year-old kids with no pumpkins to smash took to TP’ing trees on Halloween.

Dark times, indeed.

Through it all, McDonald’s remained a beacon of hope for pumpkin lovers. For just a buck, I remember getting their warm and sweet baked pumpkin pie even when grocery stores were out of orange Libby’s cans. So if my local McDonald’s could sell pumpkin pie even amidst a worldwide shortage, why are some areas of the country instead selling sweet potato pies this fall?

After hitting up a half-dozen Baltimore-area McDonald’s I really have no idea why, but the good news for pumpkin lovers is that we probably shouldn’t care. I know sweet potato pie is something of a regular occurrence in the land of Dixie, but considering I’m about as southern as Winston Churchill, well, let’s just say it was a new and wonderful experience for me. To borrow a line from an Alabama song that hasn’t made sense until now, this is a pie that will make you shut your mouth.

McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie Scored Top

It all starts with the crust. The outside of the pie looks exactly like the McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie, right down to the cinnamon dusted freckles and scored top. Like the pumpkin pie, the crust is an enjoyable upgrade over most cheap, prepackaged single-serving pies available in grocery stores. There’s enough sweetness and cinnamon flavor to convince you you’re not just eating layers of shortening and flour.

McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie Creaminess

I was surprised the McDonald’s Sweet Potato Pie’s filling had a creamier texture than their pumpkin pie’s, although it doesn’t have a necessarily creamier taste. In fact, if I do have one complaint (okay, two complaints considering there are no pecans), it’s that the filling lacks the richness of cream and butter and the emulsified body of a baked custard. I worried about a stringy interior or fibrous texture, but the tubular center (hooray for vegetable puns!) was stuffed with a smooth and fully cooked purée that wasn’t excessively watery or diluted.

McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie Innards

Even though it has more grams of sugar than McDonald’s Pumpkin Pie, its sweetness is mellow and just right with a hint of molasses and some cinnamon and cloves that help to round out the filling. Dare I say it, but the sweetness discrepancy between the pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie is a testament to the sweet potato’s natural and more starchy flavor. In this application, it just works. And with much better interior filling coverage than a Pop-Tart, it doesn’t feel like you’re getting shortchanged with nothing but crust.

McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie isn’t my beloved pumpkin pie, but it’s more than an acceptable substitute. The crust is flaky with a wonderful cinnamon sweetness, while the filling has a smoother, even creamier texture than McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie. It’s so good that it might make you forget about driving around to look for their Baked Pumpkin Pie.

(Nutrition Facts – 270 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 6 gram of dietary fiber, 16 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein.)

Item: McDonald’s Baked Sweet Potato Pie
Purchased Price: 98 cents
Size: 2.7 oz.
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Flaky, slightly crunchy crust with tastes of cinnamon and sugar. Plenty of sweet potato filling with molasses-type sweetness. Creamy texture. Just a buck. A crapload of Vitamin A and fiber. Regional delicacies finally understood.
Cons: Lacks taste of cream and butter. Not a true custard filling. No pecans. More calories than McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie. 1980s country music songs.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – Pecan Pie Pringles

Pecan Pie Pringles

Update: Click here to read our Pecan Pie Pringles review

Last year, Pringles introduced three seasonal sweet varieties — Cinnamon & Sugar, White Chocolate Peppermint, and Pumpkin Pie Spice. This year, they’ve come out with another flavor that doesn’t sound right being on a potato crisp — Pecan Pie. (Spotted by Brandon at Dollar General.)

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.