Tag Archives: food

McCrea’s Caramels

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World Market offers a variety of advent calendars, one of them being a caramel calendar. There are a total of twelve different caramels, twenty-four total. These are my opinions on the different flavors, rated out of five stars.

  1. Dark Roasted Mocha- It smells like coffee, is not super soft and granuley. I am not someone who enjoys coffee-flavored things, aside from actual coffee, but this isn’t a super overwhelming flavor. I still didn’t quite like it, 2 stars.
  2. Deep Chocolate- Its scent is very chocolatey (no surprise) and almost tastes like a brownie. I give it 4 stars.
  3. Ginger Fusion- This caramel has an odd smell with a bit of a kick. It tastes almost fruity and I liked it until I didn’t anymore. As a ginger-hater, I give it 2 stars.
  4. Ginger Fusion- Repeat, 2 stars.
  5. Deep Chocolate- Repeat, 4 stars.
  6. Cinnamon Clove- The scent of this caramel is more clove than cinnamon and has an almost pumpkin spice-esque taste to it. Not too bad, 3 stars.
  7. Chocolate Peppermint- This smells just like the name and tastes like a thin mint, however the mint isn’t overpowering. I quite enjoyed this one, 5 stars.
  8. Deep Chocolate- Repeat, 4 stars.
  9. Cinnamon Clove- Repeat, 3 stars.
  10. Cape Cod Sea Salt- It tastes like a traditional caramel. No extra notes, 4 stars.
  11. Cape Cod Sea Salt- Repeat, 4 stars.
  12. Anisette- I don’t quite understand this as a flavor but it is quite popular around the holidays. It smells like a tea, licorice, and flowers, while tasting like black licorice. I actually enjoyed this flavor, 4 stars.
  13. Black Lava Sea Salt- This has a good caramel flavor but I was not a fan of the chunks. The added texture brought the rating down, 2 stars.
  14. Black Lava Sea Salt- Repeat, 2 stars.
  15. Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt- It smells weird and I don’t think truffle should be in a caramel. Just the name of it turns me away, 1 star.
  16. Tapped Maple- All I know is that this flavor is not for me. No other explanation, 2 stars.
  17. Tapped Maple- Repeat, 2 stars.
  18. Chocolate Peppermint- Repeat, 5 stars.
  19. Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt- Repeat, 1 star.
  20. Classic Vanilla- A good, solid taste. You can’t go wrong with this flavor, 5 stars.
  21. Classic Vanilla- Repeat, 5 stars.
  22. Anisette- Repeat, 4 stars.
  23. Cafe Noir- This was an immediate no just from smell alone. It tastes like espresso and I do not like coffee unless it is in a mug or martini glass. This is definitely not for me, 1 star.
  24. Dark Roasted Mocha- Repeat, 2 stars.

Some may agree with my assessments on these flavors while others may have opposing views. Either way, you will never know how you feel about them unless you try them. I found this advent calendar at World Market. Let me know if you try it and what you thought of the different flavors.

Harry Potter Jelly Bean Advent

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World Market boasts many of advent calendar’s right around that time of the year. I was able to get my hands on the Harry Potter Jelly Bean calendar and try their ten different flavors. There are a total of twenty-four meaning there are some repeated flavors. Here are my opinion on the flavors.

  1. Blueberry- This flavor was delicious, I give it 4 out of 5 stars for the classic taste. What creature was Albus Dumbledore’s Patronus?
  2. Cherry- This was a typical “fake” cherry flavor and a solid 3 stars. With exceptional skills in potions, who was Head of Slytherin House?
  3. Green Apple- Green Apple isn’t a favorite of mine but this jelly bean did have a good flavor so I was say 2.5 stars. The stone of the Marvolo Gaunt’s ring was known as what legendary artifact?
  4. Tutti Fruitti- They could have named this one bubblegum as that is exactly what it tastes like to me but I did enjoy it and rate it 3 stars. Where was Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup hidden?
  5. Green Apple- Repeat, 2.5 stars. Known as the most famous Auror of all time, who sacrificed an eye during the Wizarding Wars?
  6. Cherry- Repeat, 3 stars. What was used to destroy Tom Riddle’s Diary?
  7. Cinnamon- I think that cinnamon is a great flavor and found this to be no exception as it tastes like a Hot Tamale, so I give it 5 stars. What was used to destroy Salazar Slytherin’s Locket?
  8. Watermelon- I do like a watermelon flavor but this one lost its taste pretty quickly, 3 stars. Originally belonging to Godric Gryffindor, what determined what house you belonged to?
  9. Lemon- If you don’t like lemon flavored things, this is not for you. I thought it tasted similar to a Lemon Head so I give it 4 stars. Who is the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
  10. Watermelon- Repeat, 3 stars. What are the three traits to describe a Ravenclaw?
  11. Tutti Fruitti- Repeat, 3 stars. What are the three traits to describe a Gryffindor?
  12. Blueberry- Repeat, 4 stars. Who was killed by Neville Longbottom in the Second Wizarding War with Godric Gryffindor’s Sword?
  13. Marshmellow- This jelly bean was a sweet, tasty flavor that reminded me of marshmallow fluff, 5 stars. Who was Head of Ravenclaw House and a well-known Charms Master?
  14. Banana- I am not a huge fan of banana flavored things and this tasted like the banana runt, 3 stars. Who was the Care of Magical Creatures professor and the gamekeeper of Hogwarts?
  15. Cinnamon- Repeat, 5 stars. What are the three traits to describe a Hufflepuff?
  16. Candyfloss- I am not sure what they were going for here but I thought it had a weird taste so I give it 2 stars. Who served as Head of Slytherin House and taught Tom Riddle about Horcruxes?
  17. Lemon- Repeat, 4 stars. Who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts and became a werewolf as a young child?
  18. Marshmallow- Repeat, 5 stars. What are the three traits to describe a Slytherin?
  19. Watermelon- Repeat, 3 stars. Who was a well-known Seer and Professor of Divination?
  20. Lemon- Repeat, 4 stars. Who stole Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem?
  21. Banana- Repeat, 3 stars. Since 382 B.C., who was known as the Maker of Fine Wands?
  22. Cherry- Repeat, 3 stars. Who was the HOuse-Elf that served the Malfoy family?
  23. Tutti Fruitti- Repeat, 3 stars. What creature was the first birthday present that Harry ever received?
  24. Candyfloss- Repeat, 2 stars. Who was Head of Gryffindor House and the Transfiguration Professor?

If these flavors or this advent calendar interest you, you can find it, and the answers to the trivia questions, at World Market.

Burman’s Hot Sauce Advent

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It’s that time of year again so here are my thoughts on Aldi’s hot sauce advent calendar. Keep in mind that I am not much of a hot sauce person and don’t have much of a tolerance. The bottles that the sauce came in are not full size and about as big as the mini Tabasco sauces.

  1. Sriracha hot sauce – I found this to have too much of a vinegar taste, not being very thick, and while it was hot, it was bearable. 1/5 stars
  2. Jalapeño hot sauce – This sauce tasted like banana peppers and was initially spicy but was over quickly. 4/5 stars
  3. Green hot sauce – It tasted similar to the jalapeño but wasn’t as tasty. 3/5 stars
  4. Mango Habanero hot sauce – I thought this sauce was hotter than the others and I didn’t quite like the taste. 2/5 stars
  5. Smoked Chipotle hot sauce – The name describes the way the sauce tasted. 2/5 stars
  6. Yellow hot sauce – What even is this? This was too hot I couldn’t really discern the taste. 1/5 stars
  7. Chocolate Chipotle hot sauce – GROSS. 1/2 star
  8. Garlic hot sauce – This had quite the garlic flavor. 2/5 stars
  9. Cajun hot sauce – Nope. 1/5 stars
  10. Extreme hot sauce – There is no taste, just REALLY HOT. 1/5 stars
  11. Sweet Chipotle hot sauce – I found this sauce to have a mesquite-type of flavor and it was spicy. 3/5 stars
  12. Red hot sauce – There was almost no taste and was really spicy then cools down. 2/5 stars
  13. Sweet Habanero hot sauce – This tastes almost exactly like the red hot sauce. 2/5 stars
  14. Chipotle hot sauce – This sauce tastes exactly like sweet chipotle but a hint sweeter. 3/5 stars
  15. Smoked Garlic hot sauce – I didn’t think this was spicy or hot but it did have a good flavor. 4/5 stars
  16. Red Pepper hot sauce – This was immediately spicy and didn’t have a very great flavor. 2/5 stars
  17. Garlic Herb hot sauce – It was really salty and didn’t have much of a garlic taste. 2/5 stars
  18. Ghost Pepper hot sauce – Absolutely not. 1/5 stars
  19. Green Pepper hot sauce – Not bad. 3/5 stars
  20. Habanero hot sauce – It tastes just like the other habanero hot sauce. 2/5 stars
  21. Thai Sweet Chili hot sauce – This was too hot with not enough flavor. 1/5 stars
  22. Whiskey Habanero hot sauce – This one also tastes just like the other habanero sauces. 1/5 stars
  23. Smokey Bourbon hot sauce – It smelled smokey but that didn’t transfer to the flavor. 1/5 stars
  24. Smoked Jalapeño hot sauce – I found that this tasted just like bell peppers. 3/5 stars
  25. Red Chili hot sauce – This was really hot and had no real flavor. 1/5 stars

This review is just my opinion, you may end up liking what I didn’t. This might be helpful to others like me who are curious but don’t necessarily like hot sauce.

Bonne Maman Advent Calendar

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This advent calendar features twenty-four jams. I am a novice in this area so if you are an expert in this food category, please take my opinion with a grain of salt.

  1. White Nectarine-Peach-Lemon Verbana smells like tea and tastes like a sweet black tea. It tastes decent on toast. 3/5
  2. Strawberry-Linden Blossom is sweet, almost too sweet and doesn’t really taste like strawberry. 3/5
  3. Apricot-Banana is a no-go for me. 1/5
  4. Cherry-Pink Peppercorn has absolutely no taste. You would think there would be at least a hint of the peppercorn since it is such a strong flavor. 1/5
  5. Fig-Cardamom is a NO. 0/5
  6. Grapefruit-Dragon Fruit gave me high hopes but ended up being disappointing. 1/5
  7. Raspberry-Dark Chocolate absolutely befuddled my mind. I could not seem to reconcile chocolate with raspberry jam. 2/5
  8. Peach-Jasmine Flower was just as confusing as it sounds. 1/5
  9. Honey is not my favorite and do not like it unless it is in tea. 2/5
  10. Lemon-Yuzu was almost sour but had no real defining taste. 1/5
  11. Apricot-Lavender had a subtle lavender flavor but I could not taste the apricot. 3/5
  12. Wild Blueberry-Balm Leaves is such a big name for a flavor but it didn’t really stand out like it should. 2/5
  13. Caramel-Cinnamon tastes like straight-up caramels. I didn’t really taste cinnamon but that’s okay with me. 5/5
  14. Cherry-Hibiscus Flower was a bit tart but not terrible, though I didn’t like the texture. 3/5
  15. Mirabelle Plum-Spice almost reminded me of cinnamon applesauce. 3/5
  16. Orange-Guava Lime smells like guava but I’m not a fan of the taste. 2/5
  17. Peach-Mint is a no, thank you. 1/5
  18. Pineapple-Ginger tastes like baby food. I detest ginger but this didn’t have that soapy taste to it. 1/5
  19. Strawberry-Guava reminds me of a sponge cake. 4/5
  20. Quince is a weird texture and not much of a discernible taste, just sweet. 1/5
  21. Rhubarb-Strawberry almost doesn’t taste like anything specific. 2/5
  22. Orange-Mandarin-Passion Fruit was alright though I mostly taste the mandarin and I didn’t like the texture. 2/5
  23. Mango-Raspberry-Lime has too many flavors trying to battle it out on my taste buds. 1/5
  24. Cherry-Christmas Spice is sweet then tart. 1/5

Aldi’s Cheese Advent Calendar

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I am a HUGE fan of cheese. I will try ANYTHING. I was so excited to get my hands on one of Aldi’s cheese calendars. I will say that I was a little disappointed by the size of the cheese but I also thought the price of it wasn’t too expensive.

  1. Extra Mature Cheddar- This is a white cheese, not a soft cheese (almost crumbly), and tastes like a really good sharp cheddar. 5/5
  2. Black Pepper Gouda- It has almost no taste but the occasional peppery flavor. Even still, I enjoyed this mild cheese. 3/5
  3. Smoky Cheddar (Mimolette Cheese)- This tastes like it says. It makes me think of a smoked meat. 3/5
  4. Spiced Apple Cheddar- I’m going to need to buy this in a larger size because this tastes and smells like stuffing. 5/5
  5. Aged Gouda- A very mild, but classic cheese. 4/5
  6. Cheddar with Whiskey- This cheese almost has a strawberry taste to me. It’s not quite crumbly but not totally soft either. 4/5
  7. Cheddar with Port Wine- A marbled cheese that doesn’t really have the port wine flavor but it is a decent cheddar. 4/5
  8. Goat Cheese- Not a whole lot of flavor, but what flavor there is, tastes like I’m eating a goat. 1/5
  9. Black Truffle Cheddar- A harder cheese that tastes similar to most other truffle-flavored foods. 3/5
  10. Mustard Gouda- A very interesting and delightful flavor with hints of spices while still managing to have a faint mustard taste. 4/5
  11. Sweet English Cheddar- This is exactly what it says it is and I don’t know how to explain it any better. 5/5
  12. Spiced Apple Cheddar- Repeat. 5/5
  13. Mustard Gouda- This is a repeat. 4/5
  14. Mimolette- An orange cheese that starts out smoky then turns bitter. 1/5
  15. Cheddar with Whiskey- This is a white cheese, hard and crumbly with a heavy whiskey flavor. 3/5
  16. Smoky Cheddar- Repeat. 3/5
  17. Black Pepper Gouda- Repeat. 3/5
  18. Cheddar with Port Wine- This is a repeat. 4/5
  19. Extra Mature Cheddar- Repeat. 5/5
  20. Sweet English Cheddar- Repeat. 5/5
  21. Mimolette- Repeat. 1/5
  22. Aged Gouda- This is a repeat. 4/5
  23. Goat Cheese- This is a repeat and I didn’t bother to try it again. 1/5
  24. Black Truffle Cheddar- Repeat. 3/5

As you can see, I enjoyed most of these flavors of cheese. I’m now starving for some after writing this and I simply can’t wait until this December. I hope that the next one incorporates some cheeses with fruit in them. If you have tried Aldi’s cheese advent calendar, what did you think of it?

Advent Calendars

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I know it is only the beginning of November but Advent Calendars sell out. Fast. Since I didn’t get any last year, I went earlier this year and was able to snag a few. Here are a list of some you should look out for:

  • Aldi’s Wines of the World
  • Aldi’s Cheese Advent Calendar
  • World Market McCrea’s Caramels Advent Calendar
  • World Market Bonne Maman Jam/Jelly Advent Calendar
  • World Market Harry Potter Jelly Bean Advent Calendar
  • Target Advent Calendar For Dogs
  • Target Disney Doorables Advent Calendar
  • Target 12 Days of Beauty
  • Target 12 Days of Wellness
  • Aldi’s Barissimo Coffee Advent Calendar
  • Aldi’s Burman’s Hot Sauce Advent Calendar
  • World Market Harry Potter Hot Chocolate Advent Calendar
  • World Market English Tea Shop Advent Calendar

For most of these I will be putting out a review of the products so you can get another opinion on them and maybe/maybe not help you decide if you want to try them yourself.

Speakeasy Ramen

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This cute, whole-in-the-wall style restaurant is located in Springfield, Ohio. I personally would not have known it was there if not for my friend who heard about it from another friend. Inside, it is shabby chic and has a limited seating area. I had the Thai Curry Ramen because they could make it gluten free. It can also be made vegan and vegetarian.

The ramen was soothing and delicious with a coconut milk broth, Thai spices, shrimp, soft-boiled egg, narutomaki, mushrooms, nori, corn, bok choy, scallions, and lime. There was more than enough food for one person, I could have made another meal out of it.

The employees were patient, attentive, and polite. I would most definitely go back or maybe even get it to go to enjoy on a rainy day or when I was feeling under the weather because this is comfort food.

Ocean Club

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Ocean Club is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant located in Columbus, Ohio in the Easton Mall. It offers a variety of seafood. If you do not happen to enjoy seafood, they also offer chicken, steak, and porkchops.

I was lucky enough to visit this location with my grandmother for a birthday dinner. We enjoyed a very relaxing dining experience with an attentive and knowledgeable waiter. I am also gluten free and found it did not mar the experience at all. The waiter made sure to talk with the chef and were vigilant with my food needs.

My grandmother and I started our meal with a bottle of wine and their Oysters Rockefeller which is not listed as gluten free but upon further discussion, realized it should be listed as such. Never having had oysters before, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised and then some. I damn near licked the plate, it was so delicious.

Our next course was the Ocean Roll sushi. It can be hard to find sushi that is gluten free so I tend to get it whenever I can. The tuna, salmon, hamachi, avocado, and chili garlic oil roll was tender and delicious as is most Cameron Mitchell sushi.

The Ocean Club House Salad was what we ordered next. Now, I’m a lettuce, cheese, onion, and ranch dressing kind of salad girl. Lots of ranch. So I was amazed that I enjoyed a salad that included apples, goat cheese, walnuts, and a sherry mustard vinaigrette. The sweetness from the apples and dressing melded well with the goat cheese and the walnuts added a nice crunchy texture to top it off.

We then had our main meal of Chilean Sea Bass that came with broccolini, pearl onion, potato puree, and a truffle vinaigrette. It was lovely though by this time I was getting full and wanted to save room for dessert. Dessert was a Crème Brule and a port wine. Then for an extra dessert I had an espresso martini. I thought the port wine was too sweet at first, but after sipping on it for a little while, I ended up liking it, while the martini was good but not something I would order again.

I very much enjoyed my time at the Ocean Club. I felt welcomed and I enjoyed the way the atmosphere gave off the vibe of leisurely dining. I hope to go back again soon.

Vaso

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Vaso is located on Riverside Dr. in Dublin, Ohio. It is a rooftop bar located on top of a hotel. It is a tapas style menu. As someone who is gluten-free, I found it easy to pick something to eat. The restaurant also has an interesting drink menu. I ordered several different drinks and one of them came out smoking. It was a calm atmosphere made all the more elegant with its mood lighting. One of the features Vaso is known for are their igloo’s. As seen in the photo above, they light up and provide a space for people to congregate even in the colder months.

I really enjoyed my time there and the employees were welcoming and attentive. I do hope to go back again.