SPOTTED: 8/29/2023

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.

Urban Pie Pizza Co. Mini Calzones (Sausage Ricotta and Pepperoni Rosa)
Urban Pie Pizza Co. Mini Calzones (Chicken Pesto and Spinach Mushroom)

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Sprouts.)

Kraft Singles Ultra Thick

(Spotted by Rachel J at Safeway.)

Enlightened White Creme & Dark Chocolate Coated Berries

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Sprouts.)

Good Word Chocolate Protein Cookie
Good Word Peanut Butter Protein Cookie

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Carbone Spicy Vodka
Carbone Pizza Sauce

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Humble The Original Potato Chips
Humble Creamy Dill Potato Chips
Humble Smokey BBQ Potato Chips
Humble Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar Potato Chips

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Ball Park Nacho Cheese Franks

Ball Park Nacho Cheese Franks

After doing some research, I learned there was a Fully Loaded Nacho Cheese variety in 2021 that had jalapeño, onion, garlic, paprika, and lime seasoning. This Nacho Cheese one doesn’t seem as loaded. (Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Van Leeuwen Fall 2023 Walmart Exclusive Flavors

Van Leeuwen Idaho Potato Malted Milkshake & Fries Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen Purple Velvet Ice Cream – purple chocolate ice cream with a cream cheese swirl
Van Leeuwen Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream – brown sugar and date ice cream, yellow cake pieces, and caramel swirls
Van Leeuwen Apple Pie Ice Cream – sweet cream ice cream, caramelized apple swirl, brown sugar crust pieces
Van Leeuwen Cranberry Crumble Ice Cream – cream cheese ice cream, cranberry swirl, and oat crumble
Van Leeuwen Sweet Potato Marshmallow Casserole Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream

At this point, I’m just waiting for Van Leeuwen to team up with Frito-Lay to come up with a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ice cream flavor or some kind of Lay’s flavor. I’d love an ice cream with potato chips in them. Sweet Potato Marshmallow Casserole and Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll are returning flavors. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Domino’s Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread

Domino's Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread Top with cheese and a single pepperoni slice

When you combine bread, cheese, and meat, there’s no possible way to go wrong, right? That’s what I believed before writing this review. But unfortunately, the new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread from Domino’s was disappointing in more ways than one.

I have to admit, I first opened my box to quite the pretty picture — a thick golden loaf featuring rivulets of scorched cheese dripping from every crevice, densely-sprinkled flecks of garlic and Parmesan, and a single ruby-hued piece of pepperoni smack dab in the middle, like a beautiful ribbon hinting at the even more beautiful present within.

Domino's Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread Side. It's like the Battlestar Galactica if it was made of bread and cheese.

If you place your order through the Domino’s website like I did, you’ll notice this side dish and/or entrée is specifically described as “8-Piece Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread.” But I should note that mine was barely perforated, so ripping apart a single piece was not the cleanest endeavor. Upon tearing off a hunk (which, due to said difficulties, I think technically constituted two pieces), I was greeted by my first hint that this bread might not be all I’d chalked it up to be.

Innards of the Domino's Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread. It's mostly bread. There's so little cheese that a mouse will probably walk right by.

Peering at the cross-section, the innards didn’t look that different from a regular load of bread. There was the slightest clue of mozzarella cheese seeping out from the center and a thin slip of red that signaled the presence of pepperoni, but the fillings certainly weren’t as jam-packed as the word “stuffed” would imply.

A different looks at the innards of the Domino's Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread. There aren't many pepperoni, but slightly more than there is cheese.

Unfolding my slice confirmed that, yes, there was a small amount of fluffy mozzarella and the telltale gleam of orange grease (Domino’s website also mentions cheddar, but it looked and tasted like part of the cheese melted on top), but there were only two limp pieces of pepperoni sitting side-by-side. That ratio was pretty consistent throughout the rest of my meal, and it just doesn’t feel right that it would only contain eight measly single-layered pieces throughout the dang thing.

Unfortunately, this tasted pretty much just how that inside looked: like bland bread that was crispy on top and soft on the inside, with only the occasional faint suggestion of spicy pepperoni or sweet cheese. When the cheese did shine through, it pleasantly reminded me of what’s in the stuffed crust from Papa John’s… and reignited my decades-long desire for Domino’s to introduce their own stuffed crust pizza, but I guess that’s a different story. I also got a strangely earthy aftertaste that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it wasn’t great.

Honestly, I got some of the garlic Parmesan seasoning on my hand when I was opening this, and it’s sad to say that licking that off was the most flavorful part of this meal by far.

When my dad is disappointed by junk food that he’d been looking forward to, he’ll lament that “It wasn’t worth the calories,” and that’s exactly how I felt here; maybe you won’t hate this, but if you’re planning on eating something bready, cheesy, and meaty anyway, you definitely can—and should!—do a lot better.

Purchased Price: $9.24
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 piece) 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

SPOTTED (CELEBRITY CHEF FROZEN ENTREE EDITION): 8/28/2023

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.

Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sloppy Joe Mac & Cheese
Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sweet & Sour Pork Bowl
Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Cheesy Lasagna with Pepperoni Marinara Sauce
Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bowl

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

Delicious Eats by Kardea Brown Southern Kitchen Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Delicious Eats by Kardea Brown Country Kitchen Chicken Pot Pie
Delicious Eats by Kardea Brown Country Kitchen Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Delicious Eats by Kardea Brown Sausage & Grits

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

Andrew Zimmern Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
Andrew Zimmern Swedish Style Meatballs
Andrew Zimmern Turkey Dinner
Andrew Zimmern Caramelized Onion Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese

(Spotted by Daniel N and Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Chef Lorena Garcia Latin Delights Mexican Style Lasagna with Beef
Chef Lorena Garcia Latin Delights Mexican Style Lasagna with Chicken
Chef Lorena Garcia Latin Delights Vegetable Lasagna

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.