Deleting the naughty...with some love from Germany

I have this fabulous cousin who is spending time (or years) in Germany. For Christmas we received a box full of German candy bars, chocolates and such.  In order for me to do a well thought out, prepared review, I need to brew a K-Cup of coffee, and chose Wide Awake Company's Colombian (I will be reviewing these a little later). Let's go on a taste adventure!

 

















Duplos:
These are like KitKat's, crispy waffle strips covered in chocolate, and mixed with what I gather are a picture of hazelnuts. Those Germans like their hazelnuts.

Milka:
The first bar is Trauben-Nuss (which I believe is hazelnut raisin) and taste's like those Chunky bars only better. The second bar in my selection was Luflee, which is a milk chocolate bar with air bubbles in it, very similar to Hershey's Air Delights.

Ferrero Giotto:
We got two flavors of these. The dark brown is Cacao (dark chocolate), the light tan is Haselnuss (hazelnut). This candy reminds me of ferrero roche in that it is a crisp wafer ball covered with chocolate and crumbs with a flavored cream filling. Yum!




Buenos:
I did get to sample one of these at my parents, but no picture. They are chocolate covered crispy waffles with vanilla filling.


Hanutas:
Crunchy waffles with chocolate filling and hazelnut pieces. I have no real way of describing these other than they remind me of the chocolate wafer cookies, you know, the ones that came in yellow, pink and brown, and my Grandma always had them in her kitchen.

Kinder Country:
Picture Honey Smacks without the honey (just puffed oats) with a cream filling covered in chocolate. 'Nuff said.










Ferrero Rafaellos:
More little wafer balls covered with white chocolate and coconut flakes filled with coconut and a whole hazelnut in the middle. Divine. I normally don't eat a ton of coconut candies, but these were good. Not in your face coconut, just the right amount.



The only thing I didn't get to try that my sister got was Schogetten, in Tiramisu flavor, which would have been tasty I am sure.

So, thank you Melissa, I know you read this. The treats were amazing. I hope my review does them justice. I am looking forward to my next "subscription box". Maybe a "German Jerky Box" or German Salty Treats". I am game, just not game for game. Throwing some ideas out there for you. Just let me know where I need to send the check. :)



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Deleting the naughty...with Love With Food January

January's Love With Food was the first box of the month to arrive.

I signed up for this one with a year subscription, which is working nicely for me. This box didn't have a packing slip or list this time. It was printed on both sides with the same art. But...one of the products is blank, and another has no information on what it's contents are. I will do my best to figure out what these products are!

David Rio San Francisco Tiger Spice Chai:
All you need to do is add water or milk for "a rich and creamy mixture of black tea and exotic spices." I am looking forward to trying it this weekend. I love chai, and we are supposed to get a big snow storm. This will go perfect with breakfast Friday morning or mid-morning snack on Saturday...I will update you.

GoGo Squeeze Applesauce on the Go:
Containing nothing but fruit, I got Apple Strawberry. This will be good, I know the kids will LOVE it. My only complaint? I wish we had gotten two because the kids are going to fight over who got more.

Turbana Plantain Chips:
A single serving sized bag of sliced plantain chips in Lightly Salted. A good source of fiber, the chips pack 8% of your daily allowance, no cholesterol and 5g of fat. They weren't bad, although, because they are a little sweet, I would have preferred them in a Lightly Sweetened flavor like honey or cinnamon. But, they will not go wasted, the kids liked them and I enjoyed a handful. I don't know that I would buy them in this flavor in the future.

Kyotofu Modern Japanese Desserts:
These were little flower shaped cookies in three different flavors, none of which I actually know because they weren't labeled other than the title above. I went to the website but it wouldn't load. So, there you go. Am I still game to try? You bet. The first one was green, crisp and sweet, and from what I could tell was either almond or pistachio flavored. The second was grayish, and it's almost like coffee, but maybe some other spice and pepper, sesame? The third is orange, yellow and I have no idea what the flavor is. In fact, they could all have been the same flavor and just colored differently, haha...who knows.  But, they were good and I liked them!

Biscotti di Suzy Almond Anise Biscotti:
This is the no label, no description item, but I found info for it on Love With Food's shopping page. I took a bite and it is good...but it is going to be better with the chai later. :)  It is pretty standard in taste. Good though, and not stale or "pre-packaged" tasting.

Chuao Chocolatier, Firecracker Chocopod:
Kudos to the inventor. What a weird candy, I loved it! I think a tray of these for a Fourth of July or New Year's party would be perfect. These little pods were a mixture of dark chocolate, chipotle and popping candy (poprocks!) and when you bite into them your mouth sizzles from the pops and the pepper, leaving a little burn in your mouth. Definitely worth trying.

NewTree Speculoos:
This is a tiny piece of chocolate in dark chocolate with Belgian biscuits and flax seeds. Tiny as it is, it packs a flavor punch. The dark chocolate is richly dark and the Belgian biscuit adds a bit of crunch. Loved it.

New Tree Cannelle:
This piece was milk chocolate with cinnamon and lime blossom extract. I do not know how to describe the flavors that mingle together...it is such a different experience, one to be savored, truly. It was really good, and would be perfect with a rich, dark coffee. These chocolates intrigue me, so I searched and found their website Newtree, and found lots of sexy flavors to broaden my chocolate horizons.


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Deleting the naughty...with Uh-oh! Another box!

The news is out, Yuzen, my favorite box, has gone quarterly. NOOOOOO! Oh, I'm devastated! Good news? This has opened a window of opportunity to try out another box on my radar. Enter Seasonsbox.  This is a new monthly focusing on pampering items and has a Yuzen/PopSugar feel to it. But different.  I am excited to try this. This box has options to skip, options for several different subscriptions, and also reveals the contents of the box on the home page, if you are the type that has to know. So beware, it's right there if you don't want to know.


It is a little spendy, but I dropped Conscious Box and am thinking I will drop beautybox 5, and contemplating birchbox. Why, you ask? Because let's face it...I am no beauty maven. I wear as little makeup as possible, but focus on skin care and am avoiding growing old. So, thus far, these boxes haven't done anything for low maintenance and wrinkle-free skin, even though I've filled out profiles. I have enjoyed new products, but I don't wear a lot of cosmetics, and don't have time to perfect the smoky eye.

I do, however, enjoy what are called "lifestyle" boxes, which have a little something for different aspects of life...beauty, food, home and style.  I am excited, and can't wait.

They are offering up a special right now until January 31 and it is a heck of a deal, adding up to almost $170 off the month to month with a 12 month commitment. It seems like a lot, but in the scheme of things, it is a great savings and because of the lifestyle promise, I am willing to give them a shot.

If you are too, I'd love it if you used my referral link below:
http://curebit.com/x/HSay8

UPDATE: OUT OF BUSINESS
 
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Deleting the naughty...with Goodies Co. December

Finally! December's Goodies Co. box arrived. So far, I am really enjoying what Walmart Labs has to offer. While I have seen many of the products that have come in two months already at the store, I don't always try them, so this has been fun.

Again, this box is $7/month and so far has been the best value for a food box out there. I think I like this box better than Love With Food, though I much more appreciate what LWF stands for by donating a meal per box purchased.

This month's theme is Naughty or Nice? It was made up of six samples; three of healthy choices and three of naughty indulgences. It's focus was trying to be healthy but allowing ourselves to let loose and indulge once in a while.

On to the contents:

Barefruit Cinnamon Apple Chips

Nice: I will admit, I wasn't too sure about these, but ended up pleasantly surprised. 100% natural, the only ingredients listed on the bag were apples and cinnamon. That's it! No added sugar or preservatives and fat, cholesterol and gluten free. And, the serving size guarantees one whole apple per bag. The chips are really, really good, and have a great crunch to them, still have the peeling on the slices and are super sweet. I would definitely buy these and am willing to try other chip flavors if they came out with them...can you imagine peach chips or pineapple chips?  Yum!

Effie's Homemade Oatcakes:
Naughty: Very naughty. These small little cakes, all buttery, crispy and flaky at the same time contained 9 grams of fat, lots of cholesterol and sugars. But, oh my...so amazingly delicious. They tasted like my mom's homemade Christmas cookies. I don't think I will ever enjoy some plain old oatmeal health bar ever again. I am going to chalk these up at sort of healthy...I mean...they contain wheat flour and rolled oats, right?

EatSmart by Snyder's of Hanover Naturals Garden Veggie Chips:
Nice: A single serving bag was packed full of a trio of chips made from potato, tomato and spinach. I liked this snack, it was satisfying when I got that craving for something salty...but I wish they were just a little saltier. I can get away with a little more sodium - no blood pressure problems here - so that would have put them higher on my list. I have bought these before, but it was veggies straws and my kids ate them up.

Rocky Mountain Popcorn in Cinnamon Sugar:
Nice: Natural air-popped popcorn dusted with real ingredients: cinnamon sugar and popcorn. Cotaining 10 grams of whole grains per serving this products pacts a whopping 10 grams of fat, but is still a better choice than a bag of microwaved movie theater butter popcorn. The popcorn itself was fluffy...slightly stale, but not much, because it was still melt in your mouth fresh. There was plenty of the dusting of the cinnamon sugar, and was really tasty. They reminded me of those county fair cinnamon sugar mini donuts, so if you are looking for something really naughty like those, this would actually be a good substitute to curb that craving.

World Table Chocolate Mint Cookie Thins:
Naughty: I have tried the lemon thins by this brand before, and loved them, so I was looking forward to trying these. I received a full size package, containing two packets of 14 cookies. Peanut said they were "Yummy!" I concur. The buttery, crispy cookie meshed perfectly with the layer of not too sweet chocolate mint on the bottom of the cookie. These were really quite delicious. All I need now is a hot cup of coffee to enjoy them with.

Sun Cups Sunflower Butter Milk Chocolate:
Naughty: Basically, a nut free take on the classic peanut butter cup. Personally, this was my least favorite product in the box.  I gave it a try, but sunflower butter is not my favorite flavor. So, with that said, I will comment on the positives: smooth - no graininess of real peanut butter cups; and the chocolate was really good. Sunflower butter just has a weird aftertaste to me, like something that got old and stale. But, if you have peanut allergies, you can still enjoy a spin on those delectable Reese's :)

Sun Cups Dark Chocolate Mint Cup:
Naughty: I ended up with one extra product, a mint cup. Even though I didn't like the sunflower cup, I was still game for the mint one. I am not sure what this one was filled with. I know it was peppermint, but it wasn't white and it was grainy, but I am guessing it was made with sunflower butter and peppermint flavoring. It tasted good, though. Not as yummy as a classic York Peppermint Patty, but still enjoyable. I give these a B+.  Since I received the extra naughty product, I must have been nice this year!

FUN Holiday box!!


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Deleting the naughty...with a brand new year.

As we rang in the new year last night, I couldn't help but think about all the changes we face in 2013.

2012 started out like a normal year, with no inkling how the year would end. Really, life was just beginning to stabilize. Our kids were all transitioning to the year's changes in their lives...Monkey growing up into such a fine, young boy starting Kindergarten. Peanut leaving toddlerhood behind and becoming a little lady and in Preschool. My husband and I not facing any health challenges or work challenges. Really, it was looking up.

October came and it seems like everything has been a whirlwind since then. Husband has taken a new position with his company and we are moving to a new state. A new community. A new experience.

It has been 22 years since I left home to attend college in a new town, where I ended up graduating, staying, working, marrying and started a family. I am unprepared. I swore when I graduated that I was going to go South, where it was warm, where there was a beach.  But I didn't as an opportunity came my way and it was important to take it. Then as the years went by, and boyfriends came and went, jobs changed, I got restless again.  So, at 30, the search for the South began again. A job interview popped up and I flew to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to seek a new life. When I came home from that, an Email from a co-worker in another department popped up. That Email changed the course of my life forever. Little did I know, it was from my future husband.

Now, as I reflect on all the coulda woulda shoulda's, I though about how one decision made differently would have changed my path completely. It makes me grateful. So, after thinking hard, I decided to take the risk my husband was asking of me, and follow the new path in front of me. Scary? Yes. Defining? Absolutely.

My wanderlust has kicked back in, my love of travel and new adventures is in high gear. I am searching for schools, homes, experiences, a new church, a new set of friends to make. It's certainly enough for one to do, let alone do it with the kids in tow and the husband already relocated.

I am going to miss him terribly while we work on selling our home, finishing the school year and our activity commitments. But, I know that he only has our little family's best interests at heart and we will make 2013 our year.

It will all work out and next New Year's Eve, we will be toasting again, but hopefully not another move. Cheers to you and yours, and thanks for taking the time to read my stories.

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