foodDuchess of Denver: food

Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Monday, January 29, 2018

Unboxing Surprise Sweets: Christmas

I recently gave in and finally purchased an Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets Dash Button and let me tell you...I'm hooked. This new series will be about what's inside my treat boxes I order, and how delicious each goodie tastes. The boxes are $18 each, but you get a $5 credit off your first box for ordering the Dash button. You get 4-5 treats that are handpicked from artisan shops across the country. To make sure I don't overdue it (which I could easily do), I am only going to order these boxes on special occasions i.e. holidays and my birthday. Stay tuned to see what treats I've unwrapped!

LOL I am super late as usual. Will I ever prepare these blog posts to publish within a reasonable time period? Probably not. Anyway, I'm actually SUPER bummed because I was notified by Amazon that they are discontinuing the Surprise Sweets Box! My waistline is thankful, but the rest of me is so sad. I thought this was a great idea to try new goodies, but I guess I'll just have to get a donut from Krispy Kreme like a normal 24 year-old girl.

Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets Unboxing: Christmas Box

For this box I splurged and spent $4 more to get two more treats (big spender, I know). Since it was Christmas I was happy that I could share these with my family if I didn't like them...see below for details!

Snappers Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownie Pretzel- These are great but I feel like after every bite I needed an emergency dentist trip. These were SO sticky that if I had fillings they probably would have been sucked out. Despite all that, the taste was delicious and I'm a sucker for anything that mixes salty and sweet. Retail value: $3.99

Kukuruza Gingerbread Cookie Popcorn- This was hands-down my favorite item in the box. Gingerbread is my number one holiday flavor, and with chunks of an actual cookie this popcorn did not disappoint. Imagine caramel corn but with a hint of spices. So. Good. Retail value: $4.95

Country Fresh Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge- I LOVE FUDGE! Fudge is the perfect after dinner dessert when you need a little something sweet to tide you over. You can never eat too much fudge, which is why I love it so much...and I learned my lesson at Disney World in 2000. Estimated retail value: $3.25

Chocolate Chocolate Peppermint Bark Chocolate- This was my second favorite item in the box. I loooooove chocolate and peppermint, and this was the perfect mix of both. I think the white chocolate iss the perfect balancing agent to the strong flavors of dark chocolate and peppermint. Retail value: $4.99

Theo Hazelnut Crunch Bar- Chocolate and hazelnut...need I say more? I'm a sucker for artisan chocolate bars and this is the perfect bar to break a few pieces off of when you need a chocolate fix. I want to try more of the flavors! Retail value: $2.99

G Mommas Suuthern Style Bite Size Cookies in Chocolate Chip with Pecan- These were basically Famous Amos cookies. They were good, but I think instead of forking over the money for these you're better off getting a bulk pack of Famous Amos from Costco. Retail value: $4.99

Grey Ghost Bakery Chocolate Mint Cookies- Least favorite in the box. They had a weird texture and there was just too much minty flavor. Not worth the price AT ALL and I don't get why they included two sample packs...I would have preferred something else instead! Retail value: $9

TOTAL VALUE OF BOX: $34.16

I still have plenty of this box leftover so don't mind me while I munch away....

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Unboxing Surprise Sweets: Halloween

I recently gave in and finally purchased an Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets Dash Button and let me tell you...I'm hooked. This new series will be about what's inside my treat boxes I order, and how delicious each goodie tastes. The boxes are $18 each, but you get a $5 credit off your first box for ordering the Dash button. You get 4-5 treats that are handpicked from artisan shops across the country. To make sure I don't overdue it (which I could easily do), I am only going to order these boxes on special occasions i.e. holidays and my birthday. Stay tuned to see what treats I've unwrapped!

My first box came right before Halloween and to my surprise was Halloween-themed! It was thankfully cold in Colorado so my treats didn't melt, but I'm making a mental note to check the weather when I order my next box. This box came with four treats, not necessarily matching the Halloween theme, but it got pretty close! PS- I know Halloween was a few weeks ago but I've been in a candy coma since then so please forgive me.

Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets Unboxing: Halloween

Mrs. Prindables Triple Covered Chocolate Petite Caramel Apple- I'm a sucker for a caramel apple and at any time am willing to drop $10 at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for one. This apple was pretty good, with a mix of white, milk, and dark chocolate. I especially liked the caramel, very buttery and thick for such a small apple. Despite not having overnight shipping, the apple was crisp and fresh. I definitely liked this one! Retail value: $9.75

Brandini Toffee Chocolate Almond Toffee Popcorn- I'm not a huge popcorn fan, but I can appreciate a quick, crunchy snack you can mindlessly munch on. The one thing I really did not like about this popcorn was the almonds. I'd grab a handful and it was majority almonds, a huge contrast to the sweet popcorn. I want chocolate and toffee, not salty nuts! This was probably my least favorite snack in the box. Retail value: $6.99

Megpies Cinnamon Brown Sugar Tart- I. Love. PopTarts. This was the BEST poptart I've ever had in my life. The crust was so buttery and delicious, and the filling was the perfect amount of sweet. I will probably buy a box of these on their own -- that's how good they are. If you are looking for a nice pastry to pair with your coffee, I'd go with these. Worth every calorie! Retail value: $3.25

CB Stuffer Cookie Monstah Peanut Butter Cup- This peanut butter cup is HUGE! I'm talking four times the size of a Reese's. Now, the peanut butter itself could have used some work, but the fact that there were Oreos and a chocolate chip cookie mixed in made it AMAZING. The chocolate used for the shell was milky and smooth, a perfect compliment to the rich filling. I probably should have shared this with my brother...oh well, maybe next time! Retail value: $5.95

TOTAL VALUE OF BOX: $26

Do you subscribe to the Surprise Sweets box? What's the best item you've received? Let me know in the comments below!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings

Is there anything better than gathering around the table with your family eating delicious home-cooking? Yes: wine. I pulled together a little something-something to help you pair your favorite comfort foods with the most important beverage of the day. This year I am thankful for Niall Horan's snapchat account. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings

Beaujolais and Turkey

Okay maybe I have a sweet spot in my heart for Beaujolais (it was practically all I drank in France) but there's a reason this wine is widely sold this time of year. The light Gamay grape is not as harsh on the palette paired with the signature holiday bird. You might as well just buy 12 bottles while they're in stores.

Zinfandel and Cranberry Sauce

I know what you're thinking: "two spicey things, Lexi?" YAS GIRL HAVE SOME ADVENTURE! The spice-notes in a nice, bold Napa Zin will pair excellently with the clove and nutmeg of your mom's cranberry sauce. Why be boring?

Gewürztraminer and Apple Pie

Mainly I just wanted an excuse to say Gewürztraminer. But a sweet white paired with the warm apple-cinnamony goodness of American apple pie sounds like my kind of Thursday night. Make it à la mode and I'll be at your place in 5.

Chardonnay and Mashed Potatoes

Would it be weird if I said this was my dinner every night I don't have plans? The chardonnay will bring out the creaminess of the potatoes and leave you in this absolute bliss. Ooh and you can be bold and add some roasted garlic to your mashed potatoes...your mouth and wine will thank me.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Wine and Cupcake Pairings

We all know I'm sommelier of sorts (not) and one of my favorite things to do in my spare time is try and pair my favorite wines with my favorite foods. It can be tricky at times (does ANYTHING pair well with sushi?) but most of the time something clicks and the result is amazing. In this post I want to share with you some of my top pairings with my favorite dessert EVER -- cupcakes! Picture credit will be given at the bottom of each photo because I am no professional photographer when it comes to dessert. Happy tasting!