Haul: Traffic Hassles and Asian Market

Sometimes traffic is such a nightmare your just better off getting off the road.  Recently, I had just that situation and I decided to make the best of it by checking out an Asian Market that had been recommended to me.  Here's a video of the haul that resulted:

Until next time, Ciao!

Casual Enteraining: Ice Cream Sandwiches

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July holiday!  My family spent the whole weekend at our house so we had a house full and I feel like we did nothing but cook, eat, clean up and start all over again.  It's not entirely true, but not too far off the mark either.

These Ice Cream Sandwiches really hit the spot.  You can't beat ice cream for cooling you off in the summer!  They were small enough to be perfect for those who wanted a small bite of sweet after a full meal, but also small enough that you didn't feel guilty if you ate more than one (not that any of us would do such a thing!).

The key to these lovely treats is finding the perfect cookie.  One that is thin and crunchy, but not too delicate.  You can bake your own or save time, like we did, and use store-bought.  There are a couple of brands I really like for these - Marie is at the top of my list, followed closely by Nabisco Famous Wafers (which, sadly, I haven't been able to find lately), there are some other really great "biscuit" style cookies that work for these too, but I'm sorry to say the brand names aren't coming to mind right now.  For our 4th of July treats, we used Marie and Nyakers (these were Ginger Snaps) - both of which I happened to purchase at Cost Plus World Market on one of my Hauls.



This is the first time I've dressed them up around the edges with ice cream toppings.  I used salted, roasted peanuts that I chopped and miniature chocolate chips.  I especially enjoyed the addition of the nuts, they provided a nice balance with the sweet, creamy ice cream, the crunchy, slightly sweet cookies and that lovely, salty touch of nuts!

I shot some video when I made them - hope you enjoy it!

Do you have any treats you like to cool off with during the summer?  I'd love to hear about them!

Until next time - Ciao!

Cost Plus Haul #2 and Tasting

I couldn't resist, I went back to Cost Plus World Market and picked up a bunch more goodies to try. This time around, I decide to combine the Haul with a Tasting video too.  I hope you enjoy it!

Please do let me know which stores you find irresistible - whether it's for new snacks and new foods to try, favorite beverages, or great stuff for your kitchen (or home), I'd love to hear about it!

Tasting: Japanese Snack Pack

I have made no secret of the fact that I have been absolutely inspired by the YouTube Channel "EmmymadeinJapan" - and I submit as evidence, Article One Recipe Review: Gyoza.  This post and companion video must then be submitted as Article Two, I suppose.

Not long after viewing Emmy's Gyoza video, I watched Emmy Eats a Japanese Snack Pack.  Emmy has since made a least one additional Japanese Snack Pack Video.  This video really made me curious and excited to try some Japanese snacks and one day when I was placing an order for some cookie cutters I decided to throw in one of these packs to try for myself.

Here is the particular pack I purchased:





The fact that almost all of the labeling is in Japanese characters and that what little I could read in English was still unrecognizable to me added to the fun and adventure in trying these products out.  I was so excited when it all arrived!

There were 6 snacks inside...



This Big Katsu bar was the first snack I tried.  I realize now, that I should have made the connection to Chicken Katsu - apparently Katsu refers to the breading.



This next snack had a really interesting texture - now that I think about it post video, I guess I would describe it as being a sugary toast-like snack.  It definitely had a flavor and texture of lightly toasted bread...



My favorites in the whole pack were these rice crackers...



and these tube shaped, cheesy snacks...



I won't list all each individual snack here, you can watch the video to learn more about it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.  Have you ever tried a snack pack?  What do you like to snack on?  Do you know what any of these are and where I can get more of my favorites?  Also, please do let me know if you like these types of posts and videos by leaving a comment, liking the video and subscribing or following the Channel or this Blog.

Thanks and Ciao!