Favorite Day Peanut Butter Chocolate Trail Mix

So this is basically like Reese's trail mix, right? Sounds delicious. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's pretty hard to screw up peanut butter and chocolate. Let's hope Favorite Day didn't do anything silly here. We'll break it down piece by piece.

First: mini peanut butter cups. That's logical. The base for a peanut butter and chocolate trail mix should obviously be something that contains both peanut butter and chocolate. It's a bit hot out and these little guys want to melt fast so we've been keeping the bag in the fridge while not in use. Good quality. Sweet, nutty, and scrumptious, plus there are plenty of 'em. Thumbs up.

Second: chocolate covered cereal squares. So they're like Chex, but they're the Chex squares in "Puppy Chow" or "Muddy Buddies" rather than the Chex squares straight out of a cereal box. These squares are plenty sweet, very chocolatey, and plentiful as well. They always leave a residue on your hands, though, but that can be remedied with some Wet Ones or Moist Naps.

Next: peanuts. If not for this ingredient, I don't think they could legally call this "trail mix." They're just plain peanuts, and they help to offset the ridiculous amount of sweetness from the other elements. Nutty. Peanutty. Salty. Heck, you all know what peanuts taste like.

Moving along: chocolate chips. Totally unnecessary here. Plenty of chocolate without these. Fortunately, there aren't many of them.

Finally: peanut butter chips. Also somewhat unnecessary, but without them this mix might too heavily favor chocolate over peanut butter.

The verdict: this is a ridiculously indulgent blend—more of a dessert than a snack you'd eat on a hike. I wouldn't take this mix outdoors in the summer heat. All the chips and cups would melt and it would be super messy.

That said, the flavor is extremely tasty and is pretty much everything I'd want in a peanut butter cup type mixture. I like washing it down with a glass of milk. Would buy again.

I give this trail mix 9 out of 10 stars.

Good & Gather Sweet Cajun Trail Mix

Now this is Tex Mex Trail Mix...or rather Tex Mex as it was meant to be...

I might have been a little too harsh on the Tex Mex mix I reviewed many years ago. I know a lot of people love Tex Mex trail mix and Target's offering wasn't bad at all. I just wasn't vibing with it back then for some reason.

But this stuff? This stuff is as addicting as it gets. I think it's the sweet element that really keeps me coming back for more. And I think I enjoy the cajun spices a little more than the southwest spices in the Tex Mex.

This mix could use some more nuts and maybe fewer sesame sticks, but other than that I don't really have any complaints. Both this and the original Tex Mex trail mixes have spicy peanuts as one of the primary ingredients. This one also contains butter toffee peanuts.

They both have sesame sticks, too, although the ones here are both "cajun" and "honey roasted." While Tex Mex trail mix has almonds and pepitas, neither of which are present here, there are roasted salted corn kernels which add an extra bit of crunch and nuttiness.

The overall effect is sweet, spicy, and salty—in that order, by my estimation. I've plowed through the bag every time we've purchased it, which has been at least three times now.

As an aside: I can't detect any rhyme or reason why some of these Target brand foods are still Good & Gather and others have moved on to become Favorite Day. As far as I can tell they aren't changing recipes or suppliers, they're just changing the name. I hope this one sticks around anyway. Favorite Day Sweet Cajun Trail Mix, I'll be waiting for you...

I give this trail mix 9 out of 10 stars.

Favorite Day Orange Crème Trail Mix

What is this new devilry? Favorite Day? We just got used to "Good & Gather," and really I would say we're just tolerating GAG, rather than embracing it. Are you trying to confuse us, Target? If so, mission accomplished.

/rant

Honestly, I like "Favorite Day" better than most of those homespun Targety brand names. It's happy. "What day is today, Piglet?" "The day we eat some orange creme trail mix from Target, Pooh." "My favorite day!" Yep. A.A. Milne would approve.

I've never had orange creme trail mix ever before from this brand or any other. It sounds delicious. Let's dig in.

First impressions: one of the best tasting trail mixes I've ever had from Target or anywhere else. Absolutely dessert-tastic.

Let's go in order of the ingredients' prevalence in the mix. First, there are lots and lots of dried cranberries and dried mango pieces. Fruit is always good in a trail mix. They taste sweet and tangy and are fairly high quality by my estimation. I've had a lot of dried fruit in my day, so you can trust my semi-expert opinion.

Next, I'd say the next most ubiquitous element in the bag are the white chocolate chips. They provide a vanilla creme-esque element to the mix. They're sweet and creamy and will melt rapidly if the ambient temperature reaches the mid-80's. 

Likewise, the orange candy cups will smear gobs of pastel goo all over your fingers, hands, and mouth if it's hot and you're not careful. Be prepared to do some finger-lickin', because they're not only uber-melty in the summer heat, but they're also really, really tasty. 

The cashews are cashews. I didn't notice much seasoning. Nor could I conceive of a seasoning that might go well with cashews and orange creme. Who cares? They're mostly good whole cashews.

Finally the vanilla creme almonds—they're the scarcest commodity in the bunch. They also might be the best. This product might have received our first perfect score in a long, long time had there been plentiful quantities of these vanilla creme almonds. They're sweet, crunchy, nutty, and delicious. I think there are about five in the whole bag. Boo.

Still, even considering the obvious dearth of vanilla creme almonds, this is a must-purchase if you like orange creme, orange creamsicles, orange dreamsicles, or 50/50 bars, or just things flavored like desserty orange. I hope we see more of this Favorite Day line of foods and I hope it's all this good.

I give this trail mix 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Maple & Peanut Trail Mix

Almost exactly two years ago, I looked at Archer Farms Maple Trail Mix. No, this isn't simply a re-packaging and re-naming of the exact same product. There are different ingredients here, and both the wifey and I like this version better than the original. Let's take a look.

Where the original had stale Chex-esque cereal squares and boring, dog-treat-like "cookies," this iteration has maple-flavored confectionery coated pretzel balls and maple-glazed almonds. Both of those ingredients boast a candy sweetness, but they also let some real maple flavor through, with the almonds containing some actual maple syrup.

The original maple trail mix had raisins, while this version has craisins, or "dried, sweetened cranberries" if you prefer. I've always liked craisins more than raisins, so that's a good change, as well. Then there are honey roasted peanuts. They're scrumptious. I mean, I love any honey roasted peanuts, but these taste quite fresh and have just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness.

Finally, there are pumpkin seeds, AKA pepitas. These are the weakest element in my opinion—not because I don't like pepitas, but because I don't really feel like they belong in this mix. That is, they don't really add anything to the flavor. 

Even before the pumpkin seeds, there's already plenty of saltiness and nuttiness present. Furthermore, the vast majority of them settle at the bottom of the bag, making the last dozen handfuls or so essentially entirely pumpkin seeds, with maybe a few shreds of cranberry here and there.

All things considered, this is one of the best Archer Farms trail mixes I've tried in a long time. It's got a great combination of flavors, it's uniquely mapley and fall-ish, and it's very filling, too. My wife agrees. I'd call this "Awesome Autumn Trail Mix" or something like that since they already have a "Maple Trail Mix."

I would definitely repurchase. I hope they keep it around, even if they slap the GAG label on it. $3.69 for an 8.5oz bag.

I give this trail mix 9 out of 10 stars.

Good & Gather Panang Curry Simmer Sauce

Whether you're scared of the virus or not, dining out in 2020 is significantly less practical than it was in the carefree days of yesteryear. I'm not saying the wife and I don't go out anymore at all, but I'm saying we eat out somewhat less, as is likely the case with most of you.

So, logically, it behooves us to find tasty, gourmet-ish alternatives to our favorite sit-down restaurants. Sonia and I looove us some good Indian and Thai food, so curry is something we like to have on hand at home. We love all the curries: red curry, yellow curry, green curry, Tim Curry—and we both prefer his Pennywise to Bill Skarsgard's. Sorry, Millennials.

But in all seriousness, I was under the impression that most curries were Indian rather than Thai, so I was a little surprised to find out that this Panang stuff is actually not Indian. Technically, it's not Thai either, although you'll often find Panang dishes in Thai restaurants. Penang is an island right off the coast of Malaysia. But Malaysia and Thailand are neighbors, so...close enough, right? Also, there just aren't enough Malaysian restaurants in this country.

Anyway, my wife and I loved this stuff. It's mildly spicy. The base is coconut milk, cream, and peanut butter. It's thick and rich. The flavors here are so complex, yet so easy to appreciate. The notes of garlic, onion, and chili peppers come through, but don't overwhelm the sweet, creamy foundation of the condiment.

It says there are three servings in the container. We managed to finish it in two. This bottle was just enough for a single meal for both of us. We had it with tilapia and sliced bell peppers, served on white rice, and it was amazing. White fish is neutral enough to let the curry shine and be the centerpiece of the meal. We'd love to try it with veggies, shrimp, or chicken next.

This will absolutely be a repeat purchase for us. We're anxious to try the Pad Thai and Butter Chicken sauces in this Good & Gather line. Not sure if anything like this was available under the old Simply Balanced or Archer Farms monikers, but it gets a big thumbs up from me. I think this is the first thing we've tried from Good & Gather that really wowed us. The quality is top-notch and the flavor is restaurant-caliber all the way.

I give this simmer sauce 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Raspberry Truffle Cookies

Just in case some of us survive the coronavirus, there will be the matter of celebrating Easter next month.

It's just about three weeks away. We probably won't be able to wear good suits, dresses, and bonnets and show them off at church or attend big Easter egg hunting events, since we'll all still most likely either be drowning in our own lung fluids or at least self-quarantining and social distancing and all that, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little Easter celebration right at home with the immediate fam.

I'm not saying these are specifically a type of Easter candy, but they could be. They were in a section of other more Easterrific treats like Peeps and bunny-themed snacks, one of which we might look at here before Resurrection Sunday. Anyway, the packaging has kind of a lavender-purpley color, and I'd make the argument that the zig-zaggy lines on the box are inspired by Easter egg designs. Fancy.

The product within is even more impressive. Each cookie is a sweet white biscuit—that's one of my wife's nicknames for me, incidentally—with a layer of milk chocolate on top. But the truly unique element is a thin glaze of raspberry jelly in between the other two layers. The balance of flavors is epic.

The wifey and I both agree the raspberry jelly absolutely sets these sweet treats way above most sandwich cookies. Just imagine eating a Nilla Wafer with a milk chocolate coin and a dollop of sweet red raspberry jam all in one bite. Delicious. Not sure why this type of cookie isn't more common. I've never heard of anything like it before. I'm also surprised there's not more of a buzz about them on social media.

Just the two of us plowed through the box in short order. I found they went down even better with a glass of cold milk. This is exactly the kind of food product that makes me fat. Fortunately, they'll be sold out of these (and most other food items, most likely) on my next Target run. My only complaints: they should make them with white chocolate. Also, they should try to formulate a soft and chewy variety.

I give these cookies 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Mocha Cold Brew Coffee

I always have to preface coffee reviews with the disclaimer that I'm not really a "coffee guy." How unAmerican, right? I know.

I'm not saying I've never had coffee. I've had plenty of it. I just don't really like it as much as other people seem to—at least in most instances. I've been a coffee-drinker out of necessity from time to time. I've had to wake up at ridiculous hours to be at work by 6am, I've braved the cheap stuff in the office coffee pot while trying to shake myself out of that post-lunch food coma, and I've had it in place of an energy drink just to change things up.

But I'm not a "true coffee-lover" by a true coffee-lover's standards. However...

If all coffee tasted like this, I might be a little more inclined to drink it every day. There's a genuine coffee flavor, but it's already lightly sweetened, and it tastes like mocha—not a sticky sweet candy chocolate mocha, either. It's a subtle dark, earthy chocolate that blends perfectly with the cold brew coffee flavor. It's thin and chuggable, and even I didn't feel the need to add any extra sugar or creamer.

I can't imagine this flavor working quite as well hot, but maybe that's because the heat index here in South Jersey is well over a hundred degrees today. Cold is the only way to consume coffee in this weather. I've generally gravitated toward cold beverages my whole life. I'll do an ice cold Rockstar in January, but a piping hot cuppa in August? Not so much. And lucky for me, cold brew coffee was meant to be consumed chilled.

The wife—a certified coffee fan—loved this flavor as much as I did. We'll be checking out the other AF cold brew offerings in the near future. Stay tuned.

I give this coffee 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix

If you've never tried Mexican hot chocolate, please go do so immediately. It's worth checking out. One brand to look for would be Abuelita, available pretty universally in the US nowadays. I think it's even available at Target stores.

I mean, this offering is pretty close flavor-wise, but it's less spicy and more sweet. That combo might appeal to many of you, but I'm partial to the original—although this stuff is nothing to complain about.

This is one of the few hot chocolates that actually tell you to "add milk." I mean, we always use milk or almond milk anyway, but the instructions generally say "just add water" as if milk is too fattening or expensive or scarce that most people simply don't have any on hand. I appreciate the honesty here. What kind of person adds water to his hot chocolate?

But milk is perfect here. It yields a creamy, flavorful mix, with a detectable amount of cinnamon. It's not overly or unpleasantly sweet, but I'd say it's nearer the sweet end of the hot chocolate spectrum. It's definitely not a "dark chocolate" type flavor here, and that's just fine with me.

The wifey grew up on Mexican hot chocolate, and she'll still take Abuelita over Archer Farms brand in most cases, but she thoroughly enjoyed this product as well. It's a great Valentine's treat—or perfect for keeping warm on a cold winter day. We both just wish it had a bit more kick from cinnamon and spice.

$3.99 for eight packets. Fifty cents a cup, plus the cost of milk isn't too bad at all.

I think this product is worthy of 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Fire-Roasted Pepper & Habanero Salsa

"Salsa is now the number one condiment in America."

"Do you know why?...Because people like to say SALSA. Excuse me, do you have any SALSA? We need more SALSA. Where is the SALSA? No SALSA?"

That zany Seinfeld. I loved that salsa scene back in the day, and likewise, I LOVE this salsa from Archer Farms. It says "extra hot" on the label, and it actually IS extra hot. It's not super duper painful spicy, but it's got by far the most kick of any salsa I've tried from Archer Farms, and possibly the most kick from any store brand salsa anywhere. Potent stuff.

And not only is it spicy, but it's flavorful, too. It tastes just like pepper and habanero. It's not just heat for the sake of heat. If a sauce is going to be hot, it's imperative that it flaunt intense flavor, not just searing pain. This product delivers.

The chunks of pepper aren't big, but this salsa has got some body to it, for sure. It goes best with tortilla chips, but it also paired well with those Parmesan Garlic Potato Chips that I bought at the same time. Parmesan cheese, garlic, habanero, and fire-roasted pepper...now that was a taste-tacular party in my mouth.

I still prefer it with tortilla chips since they allow the flavor of the salsa to dominate a little bit more. Also I prefer the texture of corn tortilla chips with thick and chunky salsas over that of kettle-cooked potato chips.

I do wish the jar were a little bigger, but a quality salsa like this is well worth $2.99. Low in calories, too.

This is my first salsa review in quite a while. Check out this link to read some Archer Farms brand salsa reviews from the archives.

I give this salsa 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Apple Cinnamon Trail Mix

Even after hearing a number of rave reviews of this trail mix on social media, I was still skeptical. Not that it didn't sound good. I guess I just tend to have my own opinions about food products, and when I hear nothing but unanimous praise about a particular item, I don't want to get my hopes up too high since they've been let down so many times in the past. I mean, let's face it: being slightly let down by the taste of any fall-themed food product is very much a first-world problem, and not one that I'm proud about even having to mention.

However, when a random, unassuming trail mix from the shelves of the local Target store not only lives up to the buzz about it, but exceeds my expectations in almost every way, I have to admit, it puts a little extra spring in my step and a twinkle in my eye. That's what this stuff did. It's friggin' awesome.

Little perfectly-seasoned and sweetened dried apple squares? Check. Cinnamon pretzel balls? Check. Sweet craisin things? Check. And I mean, not only are these things there, but they're all on point. Delicious. They blend together so well, it's hard to describe. Last but not least, "apple pie-flavored pecans." Before I actually had any of the trail mix, I chuckled at that. As if there's such a thing as apple-pie flavored pecans. Ridiculous, right? Wrong. I could seriously see someone trying these in a blind taste test and going, "Yum! It's a pecan...that tastes just like...apple pie!"

@Jesse_NER added #TastesLikeFall to his tweet about this trail mix. And that about sums it up.

I have this foggy memory of being in a candle shop with my parents at autumn-time long ago. There was a lovely blend of potpourri wafting through the air. It smelled so sweet, cinnamony, and crisp. I thought to myself, "Someday, there will be a food that tastes just like this potpourri smells. But not in a gross way. In a really yummy way." Well, friends, that day has finally arrived. $2.99 for a bag. Not bad for a quality trail mix.

I give this snack 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bites

Finally! Something that's been spotted on shelves recently and apparently pretty buzzworthy showed up at one of my local Target stores. And for that, I'm quite grateful, because these things are delicious.

A few years back, I looked at Archer Farms Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream—a close relative of these ice cream bites. To put it bluntly, I was underwhelmed with the quality of that ice cream. But this time, Archer Farms set the bar a little higher in terms of taste and quality.

This product is a peanut-lover's dream. The chocolate shell isn't bad either, but peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter swirl, and dry roasted peanut bits steal the show here. The ice cream is rich and smooth, and would make a great dessert all by itself. The peanut bits in the shell add some crunchiness and complexity to the texture of the product, as do the peanut butter ribbons—although I wish there were more of them. In fact, that's my biggest complaint: I'd ask for thicker swaths of peanut butter in the core of these tasty bites.

I'd also aim for a smaller size. I'm not sure who's taking the "bites" here, but he or she obviously has a huge mouth. Each piece is somewhere between the size of an ice cream bonbon and a Klondike Bar. They wound up being 3-4 bites each for me.

Also, I'm not sure if it was entirely necessary to individually wrap each bite, but it might have helped a bit in the portion control department—important when you're looking at 6g of saturated fat in a single piece. I know, I know, it's a dessert. You've got to live every once in a while. But still. Also wasn't particularly happy to see carrageenan on the ingredients list—a substance I've become wary of lately.

All things considered, these are worth a purchase, particularly if you love peanut butter like I do. There are a few other flavors of these ice cream bites popping up on Target's shelves. I'll try to take a look at those soon, too. Leave a comment if you've tried any of them.

I give these ice cream bites 9 out of 10 stars.

Simply Balanced Organic Mango Lemonade

This isn't really a winter item, but it's definitely worthy of a review. I could see it being a huge hit in the summer time since it's incredibly refreshing, as most lemonades are.

It's not super sugary, syrupy sweet, but it's sweet enough that it will hit the spot if you're craving something at that end of the spectrum. It's got the sweet and sourness of normal lemonade, but also the mango puree adds a bit of extra tartness.

The balance of mango flavor and lemonade flavor is pretty spot-on here. If you absolutely hate mango or mango juice, this probably isn't the product for you. But by that same token, the mango flavor isn't overwhelming either. Whenever I see "puree" in ingredients lists, there's a little red flag that raises in my mind, and I worry that the product will be full of sediment that collects on the bottom of the bottle. A little shaking normally solves the problem, but not always. Thankfully, this beverage was thin and smooth, just the way I like it.

In addition to being organic, the ingredients list is short and simple. I'm not the most health-conscious consumer in the world, but I'm always happy to see that I'm not eating unpronounceable weirdness. The Simply Balanced line is usually pretty good at keeping things...well, simple. This product is no exception. Even that bright orange color comes from beta carotene, the naturally-occurring pigment in carrots.

In general, I'm a big fan of juices and sweet beverages, but I've certainly seen my share of sub-par drinks from Archer Farms. This isn't one of them. This is exactly what a mango lemonade should be.

I give this drink 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Blueberry Streusel Breakfast Bread

My wife and I must have checked half a dozen Targets, but for some reason, the areas we've lived in and traveled through never seemed to have this or any of the other Archer Farms loaves of bread. In fact, one Target told us that they had completely stopped carrying Archer Farms bread products. At the time they told us this, we assumed they meant that Target had completely discontinued these products. We looked online, and it certainly appeared that other regions still had Archer Farms brand bread and dessert products like this one. So we never gave up hope. We kept up the search. Every Target we set foot in for a year or two, we'd check the food section just to see if they had any breads or streusels.

Finally, our long search has paid off. In a Target near Sonia's workplace in Moorestown, NJ, she discovered this Blueberry Streusel Breakfast Bread hiding on the shelf. And man, I tell you, it was almost worth the wait.

It's like really good cinnamon raisin bread, but with blueberries instead of raisins, and streusel instead of cinnamon. It goes great with butter or cream cheese, and one slice fits perfectly in a toaster. It's shaped exactly like traditional sliced bread. Sonia LOVED it. I was definitely a fan, but Sonia wouldn't stop talking about it. Even after the entire loaf was consumed, she kept saying she wanted more.

I don't blamer her. It's sweet, soft, satisfying, and full of pieces of actual blueberries. It definitely wasn't just for breakfast in our house. It's a perfect, convenient snack food, if perhaps a bit heavy and indulgent. I think we finished the whole loaf in two days.

It's better when toasted, but it's certainly not bad when eaten straight out of the bag, sans toppings. We're both huge fans. We'll be trying the other flavors (apple fritter and cinnamon raisin) as soon as we get the chance.

I give this bread 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffee

Ah, it's fall! And the delicious smell of pumpkin spices fills the air once again. This has become one of my favorite times of the year—in large part because of all the pumpkin-flavored things everywhere. I'm definitely a fan of the pumpkin spice phenomenon, but my wife, Sonia, is an even bigger pumpkin aficionado. No, she's not a Basic White Girl, but she does have some BWG tendencies.

This Archer Farms Pumpkin Spice coffee is one of them. But I must admit, it's pretty tasty. We still haven't had much luck finding pumpkin stuff in our local Targets—just some Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal and some Pumpkin Salsa, of all things, both of which are decent but not stellar.

I'd rank this coffee in front of all AF pumpkin stuff at this point. It's a really mild coffee, light roast, and it has a great blend of subtle pumpkin pie type spices. It's not at all bitter. For some reason, coffee always tastes better to me when made in a French press. So that's how we made ours. A touch of cream and sugar certainly helps with this brew, but you don't really need much, which is good.

Sonia raves about this coffee. She's an even bigger fan than I am. And as it stands, I'm gonna give it 9 out of 10 stars on my deliciousness scale. As I've mentioned before, I am not a coffee connoisseur, so take my opinion with a grain of salt—but if you want my bottom line as an amateur: as far as mild coffees with pumpkin spices go, this one's among the first I'd check out.

This coffee gets 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Coconut Macaroon Granola

I'm glad Target spells "macaroon" the American way. When I've reviewed "macarons," it just feels wrong each time I type the word. Not only did Archer Farms get the spelling right, but they got the taste right, too. There's definitely a coconutty sweetness about this cereal, and maybe even a hint of macaroonishness as well.

Of all the exotic cereals I've tried from AF, I think this one might take the cake, er...take the macaroon? I've reviewed eight of them now, I think. To find them all, just click on the "Breakfast" label in the side bar and scroll down through the reviews or just type "cereal" in the search bar near the top of the page.

There are actual bits of coconut in this cereal, and it's perfectly sweet. Nice and dessert-ish, but not over-the-top, rot-your-teeth-out, death-wish kind of sweet. You definitely won't have to add any extra sugar, but you won't feel sick after eating it, either.

It's a "drink-the-sugary-milk-out-of-the-bowl" sort of experience, but somehow there's a sophisticated twist. I'm thinking this stuff would be a hit with adults or kids. It's a definite winner. And if you're new to this blog and you think I'm some kind of undercover Target employee or Archer Farms marketing guru, just read my review of the Ribs Chips or the Bacon Carbonara Lunch Bowl. Maybe I'm just biased towards cereal. I've always loved cereal. Lots of great memories waking up on a Saturday morning and watching Smurfs with a great big bowl of some sweet milk and grains...

I give this cereal 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Honey Dijon Potato Chips

Truth be told, the bag in the pic to the left is just about empty. I blew air into it and resealed it quickly to make it look full-ish. Did I fool you? I simply forgot to take a picture before I ate most of the bag. Silly me.

These chips are a pretty decent approximation of Kettle Chips' Honey Dijon flavor. I've always been a huge fan of the Kettle Chips version. They're quite possibly my favorite potato chips of all time. Archer Farms' offering isn't too far behind.

But there's still something about the Kettle Chips that makes them a little better. It's at least partially the texture. There's just something about the crispness of those chips that I can't put my finger on. Both chips are crunchy and get plenty of sticky yellow mess all over your fingers, but the Kettle

Chips are just a bit more syrupy. There's like an actual glaze of honey and mustard or something. The Archer Farms chips were coated and glazed as well, but perhaps with a bit less of the honey mustard.

But at $2.99 a bag, I'm not complaining. The differences between the two types of chips are subtle and hardly noticeable. Plus, Archer Farms version has the resealable bag, just in case you aren't gluttonous enough to eat the whole thing in one sitting. You'll be tempted to, but if I can resist the urge, I'm sure you can, too. My wife liked these as well. If you're a fan of the Kettle Chips, AF brand is well worth a purchase, IMHO.

I think this product is worthy of 9 out of 10 stars.

Simply Balanced Sparkling Grapefruit Juice Beverage

Ever had Wink, Squirt, or Fresca? This stuff is just like any of those, but better for you and, in my humble opinion, better tasting.

It sparkles like a soda, and it has a citrus fruit flavor, but it tastes like they dumped an extra half cup of grapefruit juice into a can of one of the aforementioned citrus-flavored beverages. They also infused it with apple juice, so the resulting product is not only more tart, but also sweeter.

I had a nasty soda addiction for a good part of my life. I always had to have one with any meal. I think all the high fructose corn syrup did irreparable damage to my digestive system. I still have a soda from time to time, and I often have an energy drink for breakfast, but I'm always on the lookout for sweet beverage options that won't kill me as quickly as Coke or Pepsi.

I think they're trying to market these Simply Balanced beverages as semi-healthy soda alternatives. They were on sale, two for $5. I hope that doesn't mean they're having a hard time selling them, and thus, that they may be in danger of being discontinued, because these things are excellent. They had four flavors. I tried this one and one other, and enjoyed both.

Four little mini-cans come in each box. I'm not a huge fan of the smaller can size, because I always want more. But I get the whole "portion control" thing. And I guess on at least one occasion, I stopped at one little baby can, which prevented me from putting 90 more unnecessary calories into my body, which I suppose, in the end is a good thing.

I give this drink 9 out of 10 stars.

Simply Balanced Tuscan Herb Multigrain Crisps

Akin to other whole grain snacks like Multigrain Wheat Thins, these Tuscan herb-flavored crisps are head and shoulders above the recently reviewed Sun-Dried Tomato Popcorn Chips. These crisps are firmer, they have more flavor, and they're more filling, yet the nutrition information of both products is virtually identical.

Just a week or so ago, my wife discovered a delicious Tuscan-themed snack in the vending machine in our building. The same chips popped up at our local grocery store, too. The brand was Good Natured, and we both fell in love with them quickly. But I've gotta say these Simply Balanced crisps give the Good Natured brand a run for its money.

They're full of crunchy whole grains, and as I mentioned before, they're much more flavorful than popcorn chips. There's even a little heat from the Italian spices. It's certainly not enough to "burn" your mouth, but it does give the product an unexpected kick.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing these chips would go great with virtually any cheese dip or salsa, and I can also see them going well with salads and soups. I could absolutely feature myself buying these on a regular basis. In my opinion, chips don't get much more impressive than this.

I give this product 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Tiramisu Gelato

You're going to want to try this.

It's a no-brainer. I was skeptical at first, but this is tied for the best-tasting tiramisu I've ever had. And it's not even really tiramisu. It's gelato.

The first time I ever had tiramisu was in Los Angeles, about eight years ago. I was with a couple of friends, and one of them brought along this crazy French photographer guy I had never met before. He discovered that one other person in our group and I had both never tried real tiramisu, so he took us to this expensive Italian restaurant on Melrose. I insisted that I didn't want any, but he bought all of us dishes of the dessert anyway. It was like $10 for three small bites. It was ridiculous. But so good, it was almost worth the price tag.

Since then, I've tried it at a couple of less-swanky restaurants, and it has been sub-par every time. Until now.

As I mentioned before, the flavor of this gelato is excellent. The top layer tastes like the most rich coffee...it's almost chocolatey. And the ice cream itself is buttery, creamy, sweet and vanilla-ish. Delicious.

There are a few swirls of the dark coffee goodness throughout the gelato, too. It's mixed-in at a pretty good ratio. There's a lot more of the plain golden ice cream, but the dark stuff is so rich, you don't need a lot of it.

The one weakness of this amazing dessert is a slight lack of texture. The creaminess of the ice cream is great, and the softness of the top layer is good...but real tiramisu is made with cookies. Ladyfingers.

If they had added ladyfinger cookies, or even just cookie bits soaked in coffee throughout the ice cream, they could have created the ultimate dessert. Also, there's carrageenan in it, which is bad for you. But it's so low on the ingredients list that we all could have overlooked that.

But seriously, if version 2.0 has little ladyfinger cookie bits all through it, you can bet I'll have heaps of this stuff stocked in my freezer all the time. Even as it stands, this is one killer gelato.

I give the tiramisu gelato 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Crème Cake & Berry Swirl Gelato

It's hot again here in Philadelphia. And that means it's time for a barrage of reviews on frozen treats from my local Target's freezer.

Compared to the other Archer Farms gelato flavor that I checked out on this blog, this one's definitely a bit tastier. It's got oval-shaped bits of sponge cake all through it, which add a welcome element of complexity to the product's texture. They taste pretty good, too. They're lightly sweet and bready. The gelato's also sweetened with various fruit juices, as well as sugar, so it's got some quality ingredients. It's not just a tub of cheap high fructose corn syrup.

The fruit gel swirled throughout the product tastes vaguely of berry, although considering there's plenty of actual fruit juice in the product, the reddish jelly part of it doesn't necessarily taste that way. I think it might be a simple matter of blending too many different berry juices together, so that it doesn't taste like any one fruit in particular. But that's not a dealbreaker—not by any means.

This product also lacks the nasty aftertaste present in the Cherry Amaretto version, so that's another plus. The vanilla part of the product is creamy and rich, and its quality falls juuust shy of gelatos I've had from actual gelato parlors—places where one tiny dish of ice cream costs as much as this entire tub.

So all in all, this is a big thumbs up. I could hardly keep myself from eating the whole container in one sitting.

I give this product 9 out of 10 stars.