Awesome Product Alert - Sahale Snacks, Part 2

A while back, I wrote about Sahale Snacks Sing Buri cashews (yum!). Soon thereafter, I was contacted by a lady from the company, who wanted to know if I was interested in trying their new line of products. Remembering the deliciousness past, I immediately said Yes, please!

Today my box of goodies arrived! There are three varieties, Almonds with Cranberries, Honey & Sea Salt, Cashews with Pomegranate & Vanilla, and Almond PB&J with Peanuts & Berries.

First up, the Almond PB&J. Nicely nutty (duh), tart berry flavor, not just from the dried berries themselves, but also from concentrated strawberry juice. There's also a hint of vanilla, and a bit of salt. My kind of snack.




















Next I tried the Cashews. The pomegranate flavor isn't too pronounced, but it's definitely there, along with dried apples, vanilla, and again, a hint of salt. Very nice. (And we won't talk about my stupid cashew allergy.)




















Lastly, the Almonds with Cranberries, Honey & Sea Salt. Wow! Sweet, salty, and there's sesame seeds! I could eat the whole bag. Definitely my favorite.




















If you haven't tried these, you really need to go out and get a bag (or 3 or 4)!

Awesome Product Alert - Roasted Gorgonzola Flavored Oven Crisp Crackers

Geez what a name. But accurate. Sort of.

These salty cheesy crispy crackers from Trader Joe's are truly awesome, tastewise. Reading the ingredients, the gorgonzola flavor comes from cheddar cheese, sprouted wheat powder, sugar, yeast, soy sauce, onion and garlic powder, mustard flour (which apparently is mustard powder), and the usual preservatives. So, not really gorgonzola. But it doesn't matter. They're good. Addictive. More-ish.

Especially with a bit of salami and some Bleu D'Auvergne. And a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, also from TJ's, Tommolo by Chiusa Grande, imported by D'Aquino. Not a bad Montepulciano for $5. And the grapes are organic, for what that's worth.

Two Product Alerts

First, an Awesome Product Alert:

Trader Joe's Hatch Chili Bread. Chewy crust, good crumb, a little spice. Perfect for topping with, well, anything.

Second, a Not-So-Awesome Product Alert:

The San Diego Soap Company Honey and Blackberry Hand Soap. It's a good soap with a good fragrance, but given the name, I was expecting something locally produced. Upon further inspection, I see it's distributed by Universal Products in Clinton Township MI, and made in China. Local fail.

Awesome Product Alert - Sahale Snacks

I picked up a bag of Sahale Snacks Sing Buri cashews today. Flavored with pineapple, lemongrass, soy sauce, sesame seeds and Chinese chili, these cashews (interspersed with peanuts) are mighty tasty. Whenever I try to make spiced nuts, they always lose a lot of their crunch - not so with these! They're salty, spicy, nutty (duh), a little sweet, and a little bit of heat. My kind of snack.




















I can't wait to try some of their other flavors - the Ksar pistachios with pepitas, figs, honey and harissa sound delightful, as do the Soledad almonds with flax seeds, dates, balsamic vinegar and cayenne.

At $4.59 for a 5-oz bag - worth it!

Awesome Product Alert - Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue

So it turns out I'm now allergic to blue cheese. I bought a beautiful wedge of Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue, and had a bit on a cracker.




















Instant itchiness all over my mouth. And, get this, I'm not allergic to penicillin.

But, like with avocado, I'm still going to eat blue cheese, in moderation. Especially this Roth Käse, because it's tangy, creamy, and utterly delicious - and only $11/lb at my local grocery store. (You can buy a whole 6lb wheel direct from the manufacturer for $7.43/lb. A 50% markup for a small cut isn't bad!)

Awesome Product Alert - Hollandse Chevre

My local favorite market had Hollandse Chèvre cheese on sale, so I picked up a small wedge for $1.26. Goaty, nutty, tangy, with crunchy little salt crystals. Yum.













Picture taken from the manufacturer's site.

Awesome Product Alert - Nut Thins

I saw a display of Blue Diamond Nut Thins on my most recent shopping trip, on sale for $2 a box, and figured, why not? And it turns out that I'm glad I picked them up!

First taste is vaguely styrofoamy, which makes sense because they're basically a nut-flavored rice cracker. But immediately after that is a wonderful nuttiness. I want to put some goat cheese and a piece of apple on top.

I picked up the plain almond ones, but they also have the almond thins in Country Ranch, Cheddar Cheese and Smokehouse flavors, and there are hazelnut and pecan varieties too. I can't vouch for any of them other than the one I bought, but if the other flavors are as good as the almond, you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking these up.

(The above is completely unpaid, unsolicited and uncompensated.)

Awesome Product Alert - Danish Blue Cheese

I picked up a chunk of Castello Blue Cheese from Trader Joe's today. It's made by Arla Foods, northern Europe's largest dairy product producer.

Here's a picture, which isn't what mine looked like (the chunk I got was just wrapped in plastic).















If you find this, buy it. It's triple cream, which means it's really bad for you, and tastes really good. Little bit of cheese on a Ritz cracker or a piece of baguette, and you'll be in heaven.