Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Wayne’Swirled

Anticipation can be a tricky thing.  Sometimes that expectation can lead to disappointment.  Tons of kids have stories about less than stellar Xmas the result of not getting what they thought they were going to get. 

But the other side of the coin is anticipating the worst and being relieved when it doesn’t come to pass.  There have definitely been times I anticipated getting caught and was relieved when I wasn’t.  So, anticipation can go both ways. 

Which brings us to Ben & Jerry’s final SNL Batch; Wayne’Swirled

Monday Munchies – Angie’s Holidrizzle Candy Corn Kettle Corn

I like being adventurous.  I enjoy taking chances with food.  Sometimes that’s ingesting something after it’s “use by” date.  Sometimes it’s trying something that should, by all accounts, be awful. 

I’m a firm believer in the whole risk versus reward paradigm.  It’s often yielded impressive successes, but occasionally there’s a horrible failure. 

Where does Angie’s Holidrizzle Candy Corn Kettle Corn rank? 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Candy Bar Pie

I love New York.  I really do.  But one of the things I don’t dig is that limited access to ice cream flavor.  My grocery store, Pathmark, never stocks up limited edition flavors and rarely gets any new flavors.  It’s frustrating. 

Fortunately I’m visiting family for the holiday, which means I’ve got access to a wider selection of Ben & Jerry’s flavors, including the limited batch Candy Bar Pie.

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Two Wild & Crazy Pies

Just in time for the Fall we get a new flavor for Ben & Jerry’s line of SNL Batches.  And SNL Batches should be a great thing.  But much like some sketches on Saturday Night Live, the execution of some these flavors leaves a little to be desired. 

Gilly’s Catastrophic Crunch lived up to its name, while Lazy Sunday lived up to its inspiration. 

So, how will Two Wild & Crazy Pies stack up?

Monday Munchies – Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Blueberry Cobbler

I’ve been spoiled.  For the past seven years I’ve basically had a steady stream of homemade cookies.  Whether it’s family, friends or coworkers I’ve been supplied with fresh cookies baked with love. 

In fact I sort of unofficially swore off of store bought cookies. 

Still, there are few words that prompt me to buy something like “Limited Edition.”  And that’s how I came to pick up Pepperidge Farm’s limited edition Blueberry Cobbler. 

Monday Munchies – Little Caesar’s Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza

It’s rare that I try a gimmicky pizza.  It’s not that I’m a pizza purist, I’m just not all that interested crusts stuffed with things or that detach to become breadsticks.  I don’t see the need for it and it doesn’t engage my curiosity.

I do like a good white pizza, but that’s as close as I get to tinkering with the format. 

But, as I’m sure you know if you’ve read a Monday Munchies before, if there’s one that I’m a fan of it’s salty.  So the idea of a pizza with a pretzel crust proved tantalizing.  And thus I went to Little Caesar’s. 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Turtle Cheesecake

I used to work at a certain factory known for cheesecake.  It was quite the fun job.  One of the perks was getting “dead” cheesecake, which was cheesecake that wasn’t perfect enough to be sold to the masses. 

Basically I ate cheesecake every day I worked for a year.  Needless to say I’ve rarely eaten it since.  I’ve exhausted my appetite for cheesecake.  It’s done.  Over. 

Still, when I saw Turtle Cheesecake at the Scoop Shop, I knew I had to at least try it out. 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Seven Layer Bar

Coconut is one of those things that both seems awesome and not worth all the fuss.  I can remember as a kid, my family trying hard to open a coconut, which seems impervious to modern tools.  And result wasn’t nearly as refreshing as television had made it seem. 

Maybe it’s because coconuts pop up on televion and in films on deserted islands, where a protagonist is without food, so a coconut is much needed sustenance.  I’ve also found coconut water as a beverage to be a less than satisfying experience. 

So how would Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Seven Layer Bar ice cream measure up to my expectations? 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Lazy Sunday

I can remember going the Foothillls Mall and getting Häagen-Dazs with Ma Serpico.  It was fun, it was a treat and it was indoors.  I’m not really a fan of novelties or ice cream cones because they tended to be messy, especially if you’re a kid growing up in Tucson. 

And that’s why I rarely visit Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops; I’ve been conditioned to eating ice cream at home.  Still, when I heard they had SNL inspired flavors, I knew a visit was in my future. 

Lazy Sunday is obviously inspired by the classic SNL Digital Short of the same name.  Will the flavor go equally viral? 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Gilly’s Catastrophic Crunch

Regular readers here know that if there’s one thing we love at Fission Spaghetti Industries it’s a new flavor from Ben & Jerry.  Ice cream is pretty much a fixture here.  If there’s a new flavor, chances are it’s going to be reviewed here. 

But if there’s something that comes close, it’s the our love for Saturday Night Live.  We’re huge SNL fans.  In fact some of might call us SNL geeks. 

So you can imagine our joy when two of our favorite things combined via Ben & Jerry’s SNL themed flavors.  In honor of SNL’s 40^th anniversary Ben & Jerry’s will be introducing SNL themed flavors throughout the year. 

First up GIlly’s Catastrophic Crunch.

Monday Munchies - Doritos Jacked Test Flavor: 855

There's a certain thrill to be found in going in blind.  It's that thrill you get when you go to a movie that you know nothing about.  Or you buy an album from a band you've never heard of.  Or when you move to a city you've never even visited.

I've done all of the above so I can tell you first hand, there's a rush involved.   It's something I've even addressed before, when I wrote about seeing Robyn in concert.  Worst case scenario you're going to have a brand new experience.

So..I recently experienced Doritos' latest Test Flavor, 855 (red label).

Monday Munchies - Doritos Jacked Test Flavor: 404

Who doesn't like new things?

Actually now that you mention it, I'm pretty cool with things that aren't new.  I'm a fan of used cds and was shopping at thrift shops before Macklemore...and Ryan Lewis (never forget Ryan Lewis) made it statement on society.

But new can be dope too, which brings us to Doritos Jacked Test Flavor 404 (Orange Bag).

Monday Munchies - Doritos Jacked Test Flavor: 2653

If there's one thing we love at Fission Spaghetti Industries, it's new snack foods.  Any time we see them on the shelf we grab them and immediately try them out.  It's fun and exciting.

Of course the danger with trying something new is that you may not like it.  But c'mon, are you going to let fear run your life?  Are you going to let fear make your decisions for you?  What kind of life is that?

Anyway, we saw the Doritos Test Flavors and we knew we had to try them out.

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Nutty Caramel Swirl

I’ll admit to having a collector’s mentality.  I like knowing that I’ve heard everything that a particular artist has released from demos to B-sides.  I like knowing that I’ve seen every episode of a television show, deleted scenes and all.  And I like knowing that I’ve tried every new Ben & Jerry’s flavor. 

Of course this means having to go to places like Target, Walgreens and Walmart.  Well, maybe not Walmart.  But even 7-11 has their own exclusive Ben & Jerry’s flavor.  Is Nutty Caramel Swirl worth tracking down? 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Jam Session

Expectations can be tricky things.  Sometimes expectations can lead to disappointment, particularly if things are overhyped or expectations are too high.  Other times expectations can be minimal, which leads to them getting exceeded. 

Which brings us to Peanut Butter Jam Session, a Target exclusive Ben & Jerry’s flavor.  I’ve already addressed my thoughts on “exclusive flavors” so today is all about the ice cream. 

Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Hazed and Confused

It’s that time of year again; new flavors from Ben & Jerry.  I’m usually pretty pumped because a) I dig ice cream and 2) I like trying new things.  It’s the most wonderful time of year. 

This year’s new Ben & Jerry’s flavors all share a theme by way of a new branding; Core.  Basically, each pint has a “core” running down it’s center.  There are four new flavors, with Karamel Sutra joining the Core line. 

The first flavor we looked at; Hazed & Confused. 

Monday Munchies – Popcorn, Indiana’s White Fudge Hot Cinnamon Drizzlecorn

It’s the time of year when new flavors of familiar snacks begin hitting the shelves.  The quality is never really guaranteed; sometimes it’s a revelation, sometimes it’s an atrocity.  But what is pretty much guaranteed is that I’m going to pick it up and try it out. 

Popcorn, Indiana has been pretty consistently not terrible with their last few offerings.  While I may not have fully enjoyed every bite of a given variety, I’m pretty sure that they’ve never really struck out. 

Will they hold true to form? 

Monday Munchies – Steve’s Sweet Corn & Blackberry Preserves

This is what an empty container looks like

Obviously I love ice cream.  I’m pretty sure at least fifty percent of Monday Munchies have been ice cream related.  Ice cream is almost part of my daily routine.  But I’m also a fan of corn. 

I love corn the way Bubba loves shrimp.  I love popcorn.  I love corn on the cob.  I love kernels.  I’m even cool with it as an component of succotash.  My family roots goes back to Iowa, so corn is in my blood. 

Naturally seeing a sweet corn flavored ice cream got my engines flowing. 

Monday Munchies – The Ramen Burger

I’m not really much of a meat eater.  Occasionally I’d do turkey bacon and I’ve been known to make some chicken taquitos.   There are even times when I genuinely crave a burger.  But for the most part, animals are part of my diet. 

But I do love noodles.  I dig pasta of all sorts.  I also had a cousin who spent some time in Japan and convinced me that ramen was going to be the next big thing.  Sure enough, he was right. 

When I heard about the Ramen Burger, I was instantly intrigued. 

Monday Munchies – Fig and Mascarpone Cronut

Cronuts are the latest New York pastry sensation to catch the national spotlight.  Personally, realized cronuts weren’t going away when Dominique Ansel popped up on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to detail the process of making them.

I like croissants and I like donuts, so the idea of something that merged them sounded appealing.  Of course the thought of waiting in a line for hours to get them didn’t seem all that appealing.

But then again, I do have a ton of free time.