Foodzie Tasting Box - August

I promise I will post something in between the August & September tasting box. And from now on I will try to spread these out so you don't get cravings to buy expensive foodstuffs online all at once.

August

Gourmet Scooping Ketchup - This ketchup came in the size bottle you get at fancy hotels when you get breakfast in bed and they bring you jams for your toast. I had it on a hamburger and discovered it tasted a lot more like chili sauce than ketchup. The sauce had a real zing but it wasn't as good as the standard Heinz Chili sauce so I won't be buying it special. 4

Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate - As luck would have it, we just tasted this frozen concoction recently at the Serendipity cafe on the grounds of the Caesar's Palace hotel in Vegas. At the cafe, I thought the drink was just okay and a little overly sweet and grainy for my taste--kind of like some of the iced drinks at the Coffee Bean. We will probably try out this mix, but right now we're still aware of how it tasted in the wild and not interested in trying it again, even if it is famous.

Sweet Potato Chips, North Fork Potato Chips - I have not tried these yet but I plan to this week

Justin's Nut Butter Sampler - I have noticed Justin's peanut butter packets before at REI. I have noticed their jars of butter on grocery shelves too, wondering who would pay over $10 for a jar of peanut butter. The sampler pack included regular peanut butter, honey peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut butter and almond maple butter.

O. M. G. Two of these butters were the best I've ever tasted. The honey peanut butter was a nice mix of sweet and salty with a slightly crunchy texture even though it was a creamy variety. It's the kind of peanut butter you can tell is actually made from peanuts. However, compared to the maple almond butter the honey pb was nothing special. I've never had almond butter before but this one was so delicious I actually bought the jar within a week of tasting it. The texture was again a familiar nut crunch but the creaminess of creamy butter. The flavor was out of this world. This is pretty much the best nut spread I have ever tasted and I have joined the ranks of people who pay too much for peanut butter. The regular PB was not very sweet which I suppose is the point but I didn't really like it. The chocolate hazelnut butter was also not that sweet and had a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I am weary to even finish the remaining package of the hazelnut butter.

CHB: 3

MA: 10

HP: 9

P: 3

Marshmallow Crunch Bar - This was a huge rice crispy treat. Is there really much that can be done to improve a rice crispy treat? Is there really a reason to try and recreate this poor-man's delicacy? No, I don't think so. These are such a cheap dessert to whip up that it should be made that way every time---melt some butter and marshmallows, mix, shape eat. A great cooking project for home and a warm treat beats a plastic-wrapped one any day. 5

Nut and Herb Bar - These "healthy" bars are made nut/dairy/so free for all the allergy prone. I have not tried these yet but of the two bars we have already passed off one to our gluten free friend in hopes that he can find a new indulgence. I haven't tried one for myself yet.

Foodzie Tasting Box - July

July

Fleur de sel Peanut Brittle - We have not tried this yet but it is on our list. This peanut brittle has a touch of sea salt and vanilla

Organic Olive Oil - This miniature bottle of olive oil has a future in ice cream, that dream has not yet been met.

Black Truffle & White Cheddar Popcorn - It took me a long time to eat this popcorn from the brand 479 degrees, but when I did I was totally hooked. The airy puffed corn is light in both calories and taste. The flavors were delicious and I was really satisfied with one bag and happy it was surprisingly low in calories. This product comes in lots of different flavors and is another one of those products that I would definitely buy again. It is on my list if I ever do indeed order from Foodzie. 9

Dried Cherries - I have not yet eaten these

Fennel Pollen Shortbread - Shortbread isn't my go-to dessert (it's chocolate chip cookies or ice cream for the wondering minds) so I haven't really been focused on this small box of cookies but apparently it is all Joey can do to keep his hands off it. These could be delicious and we will let you know when we try them

Organic Heirloom Emmer Farro - Farro is one of those fancy grains that is all the rage these days like quinoa. I haven't tried it yet. I'm worried that it will be tasteless to me like quinoa which everyone seems to adore. I'll try it next time I make some kind of grain salad. Joey won't touch the stuff so it will be all on me. It does say you can substitute with barley though so maybe I can make a vegetable soup

Foodzie Tasting Box - June

June

Falafel Chips - I thought these were really good and a nice addition to hummus, they were crispy but not too flavorful without a dip. I also like eating them in the car not feeling like I was having a terrible snack. 7

Green Tomato Relish - This relish looks gross and tastes about the same. I tried to eat it with some pork we were having and found the flavor to be off-putting. I still have the condiment in my fridge wondering what to do with the rather generous jar. I am not generally a fan of sweet relish but I just thought this was too sweet and not as acidic as I hoped. 3

Blueberry Acai Gummies - The strong blueberry smell really turned me off of these gummy candies. Every time the bag was opened I was overcome by the scent. Needless to say, Joey ate all these. He liked them and continued to eat the bag even though the smell drove me crazy. 7

Spiced Almonds - I had a few of these almonds covered in a sweet and spicy spice rub but Joey really loved the, This is one of the few products we've gotten in a tasting box and immediately been interested in purchasing. They are from Glenview, IL where we happen to be traveling next month. Maybe we'll try to pick them up locally before buying online. 9

Coconut Oat Bar - this granola bar meats sweet treat was another traveler with us to Vegas--and back. We still haven't eaten it but I've been told that it's super sweet and can't be eaten in one sitting.

Miso Chocolate Brownie - This product unfortunately didn't travel well and came slightly melted, I'm really weird about packaging and so the melty-mess in the thick plastic sort of grossed me out. I won't be trying this brownie. We plan to send it to someone at Joey's work. While I think Joey would like it, he's not a fan of Asian foods in most circumstances

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Foodzie Tasting Box - May

For a few months now, I have subscribed to the gourmet tasting box from Foodzie. At first I got the free box on a guest pass, but then I continued to fork over the money for a new surprise box every month. I think the novelty in the box is both the idea of a care package every month and a taste of products I otherwise would not buy because I'd deem them too expensive just for a trial. However, with this box it's different. I really feel like I'm getting something neat, new and possibly delicious. Until I decide to cancel my subscription, I will be reviewing each box on this blog. I will list all the items but may not review them all until I have actually tasted the item. Sometimes I am not the only eater, in that case I will provide the other person's review as well.

Foodzie is a gourmet food site that provides people with a way to buy artisan and gourmet local products from around the US. The word artisan may mean to you expensive and yes, it is the same here, but the samples are nice because then you know before you buy.

May

The rating scale is out of 10, 10 being the best

Dried Pineapple - We took this with us to Las Vegas and brought it back again and still have yet to open the package, luckily it lasts forever

Traditional Alfajores - These are these little sandwich cookies with fillings. Joey ate these as I was turned off by the foil packaging. 7

Lemon poppyseed and almond biscotti - I actually gave this to my sister because I don't like biscotti and she is always eating individually wrapped foods when I see her, verdict unknown

Assorted Fresh Herb Sea Salts - I tried the rosemary sea salt on potatoes, I thought it was okay but didn't impart as much rosemary flavor as I would have liked. I am interested in trying the truffle flavored one but Joey is weary of this mushroom sounding delicacy. 4

Pure Southern Iced tea - I just made the basic iced tea and didn't add sugar as I'm not a big fan of sweet tea. I thought this was going to make too much tea so I saved it for a special event, then it only made 2 qts--smaller than the pitcher we have. I thought it tasted like regular iced tea and nothing more. 5

Classic Seaweed Snack - I also gave this to my sister and didn't hear anything. Then, I was at whole foods the other day and saw someone buying the same product so it can't be terrible, right?