Toasted Marshmallow Flavour?

I've said it before on this site a few times, but I'm not a huge marshmallow fan. There are a few exceptions to this rule, I often enjoy them when their an ingredient in a dessert, I've tasted a few handmade marshmallows that are pretty good, and I love them toasted. In the last few years I've seen a trend where toasted marshmallow has become a flavour, rather than a way to eat a marshmallow. I've sampled treats and ice cream that claims to taste like a slightly roasted marshmallow and weirdly enough, it works. I'm not really sure what gives these treats a toasty flavour, but it often actually tastes like a toasted marshmallow. It's not often that this kind of flavour trickery works for me, but toasted marshmallow seems to work almost all of the time.

Check out my latest toasted marshmallow review, with s'more added flavours as well.

10 Second Kitchen - Ribfest Ottawa

 Slathering on some barbecue sauce and showing off their ribs at the Ottawa Ribfest in Canada.

Blue Orchid!

 A teenage girl. A strange new world. Countless monsters standing in her way.

Blue Orchid is my manga-inspired comic series about a young South East Asian girl who must face incredible creatures, dangerous challenges, and the adventures that come with discovering her own path.

You can read every issue now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

What Is Mint?

This is not the first time I've ever mentioned this, but I have a real fascination with the difference between mint flavoured candies and real mint. It's probably one of the most perplexing of fake flavours because it's actually not that far off from the original. I would even bet that many fake mint flavoured treats contain some real mint. The main difference I find between fake and real mint is an earthy flavour, which makes sense since it's actually an herb. Are there any people out there who like fake mint over the real thing, or the other way around?

Check out my latest minty review that caused me to think about this problem again.

KD Ramen

This is a quick meal that at first glance seems like it might be weird or at the very least unique, but if you dig down a bit it's actually kind of logical. Don't get me wrong, that's not my review of this treat, I'll put that at the end, but don't expect super high praise.

KD (Kraft Dinner for Americans) is a brand that's well known for their macaroni and cheese. Most people know about it because of the sheer bright colour of the orange powder that you use to make this mac and cheese. It has a certain reputation as being for kids, or for people who don't eat healthy foods. I can't really say anything about that since I'm not a dietitian, or any kind of health expert. I can tell you that I do enjoy a boxed mac and cheese now and again, and I also enjoy the fact that there's been a trend over the last few years of making strange versions of this popular meal.

This is where the KD Ramen comes in. If you're to judge the social media and marketing around this product, one would assume that this is just a gimmick, a weird food for the sake of being a weird food (I'm looking at you cotton candy KD). My argument however is that this actually isn't that weird at all, in fact I would argue that it's not even original. A quick Google search lead me to at least 3 different Thai (I believe) brands of ramen that have cheese flavouring.

Also, if you think about it, ramen is a noodle based dish, so just adding cheese to different noodles isn't that strange... kind of. The difference here is that they didn't just add their classic KD cheese sauce to ramen noodles. Instead what you have is a cheese flavoured ramen soup with noodles. It even offers two flavour packets, one with classic ramen flavouring, and one with the bright orange cheese sauce. So this is a little different than just KD with ramen noodles.

The real question is, does it work. The answer is that it works well enough, but I don't think I have to try it again. The big problem is the lack of creamy texture or flavour. What you end up with is a watery soup that kind of tastes like cheese. The ramen flavour package could have also been a little more complimentary to the cheese sauce. It just felt like they repackage a ramen soup and added their cheese powder. It wasn't horrible, but my guess is it isn't going to turn into a staple either.

Quick List - Best Looking Gummy Treats

 Here's a quick list featuring the best looking gummy treats I've ever seen... or eaten.

Snack Facts!

 Love treats? Love learning random facts?

Snack Facts combines both in a fun, illustrated adventure! Join Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they explore the stories behind your favourite snacks and treats.

Available now at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon.