Pumpkin Spice 2014

IT'S TIME TO UNLEASH THE PUMPKIN KRAKEN.

Well to be honest, it's been unleashed for quite a bit of time now. But now is the time where I actually start posting about it. First, I would like to talk about this.

Starbucks decided to have a cute puzzle/secret password for those who absolutely couldn't wait to have their pumpkin spice latte (even though it was still 80+ degrees out). The idea was that you crack the code and show this screen to someone (the cashier?) at your local Starbucks, thus unlocking the long-waited PSL for everyone to enjoy early. Cute idea, but I was one of those who could wait. I wanted to take in my Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade as much as possible. (Speaking of which, is this a permanent item now? I hope so.) The tumblr page, therealpsl, is super duper cute and really gets me into the fall mood. WOO.

Now, for actual products. The first thing I spotted was this tea at Bed Bath and Beyond, which I encountered in the middle of August. Smooth. I'm looking at this picture now wondering why I didn't pick a box up. I vaguely recall enjoying the apple spice flavor from the same line, but then I remembered how improbable that was because I DON'T LIKE CHAI. ...If the temptations are strong, I still might pick this up. I know, I'm weak and I never learn from my mistakes. I've failed as a human being. Forgive me, pumpkin gods.

(Left: Pumpkin Spice Frappucino and Right: Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte)

Obligatory Starbucks PSL. There needs no explanation.

Mini review.
Iced Pumpkin Coffee: Really sweet, but actually tastes like pumpkin! Surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Medium is way too big for me.
Pumpkin Donut: Orange on the inside. No noticeable pumpkin flavor. However, cake donuts never fail to please.
Can you tell by the border and the filter that I already put this on Instagram?

Just some of the many pumpkin spice stuff I spotted at Target. I WANT ALL OF THEM.

I got the Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies, which I'm 75% certain I had them last year too. Must not have been too memorable if I have to wonder if I've bought these before. They're definitely not bad, but don't remind me a lot of pumpkin. Or cheesecake.

My friend also got the Nestle Pumpkin Spice morsels to make cookies with. I contemplated getting then, but was at a loss of ideas for what to make with them. Luckily, I was able to sample a few chips off of her. They're really intense in flavor - the spices are evident and I am clearly reminded of a pumpkin. The texture isn't a smooth as a chocolate chip, differentiating it from a white chocolate chip with cinnamon. I can imagine these easily spicing up any cookie or blondie.

I swear they change the packaging dor these every year. Still the same mix though. And by "limited edition" they mean seasonal.

I want to say I was finally able to hunt them down at so-and-so supermarket, but I totally cheated because I got it at the Chobani store we have in SoHo (bless that store). I heard about these (and the other limited batch flavor) from Chobani's instagram.

I apologize for the severely subpar picture of the actual yogurt - it was the morning and I was tired. When I first licked some of it, it seemed to taste like plain greek yogurt, but eventually the cinnamon and other spices kick in and the following bites retain the flavors from the last bite (am i even making any sense?). Also, I had these with Cheerios for some crunch.

I finally found these Oreos!!! Surprisingly, I  spotted them at my local Pathmark, which rarely has new releases until months later. I thought these were decent, but not impeccable; my expectations for thesewere low as I predicted they'd just be a sugar rush. Upon first bite, the cookie tastes mildly like a pumpkin pie. As I chewed, the flavor dissolved and turned into a regular Golden Oreo. I'd say to try them if you're curious; otherwise, pass them.

Introducing, one of my favorite pumpkin spice food items of all: pumpkin spice cream cheese. I grabbed one the second I saw it, and I never regret it. Delicious with warm toast, this cream cheese is sweet and spice-y enough to keep the fall season real.

I saw these a few months ago, but I'm glad I waited for these to go on sale. That's not to say I don't like them - they're fine, just not mind-blowing. It feels like your standard Milano with an extra layer of chocolate, except that extra layer is where the pumpkin spice is. The orange-colored chocolate reminded me a lot of the pumpkin spice flavored Wilton candy melts.

Another thing I spotted but didn't pick up was this Pumpkin Spice Monster Trail Mix. It consists of pumpkin spice peanuts, pumpkin spice M&M's, and raisins. I haven't been feeling trail mix lately, so if you tried these, let me know!

Anyway, I'm missing some stuff that I didn't really care too much for (Keurig cups, air fresheners) and if you want to see all the products from last year that are back, you can find them on my post #thehuntforpumpkin

I'll try (no promises) to add the stuff that I missed from last year, and obviously add stuff to this year's post. You can also keep up to date on my Instagram or under the hashtag #thehuntforpumpkin, which is also on Instagram.

Happy Pumpkin Spice Season, Everybody!!

February in New York

It's time for another "let's see what kitty did recently" post! 

I thoroughly enjoyed my mid-winter vacation break a few weeks back, but if you're not a teacher or a student, you most likely didn't have a vacation that week. I, however, relished every second of it, and accomplished the task of going to new food places.

On Thursday before break, this monstrosity happened.

And I went to school. Yippee. Not relevant to food, but I thought I would share. We can talk about how terrible that terrible experience if you had to go out that day too.

Also a little irrelevant, but on Friday I went to the Samsung Galaxy Studio with my friends, and the employees were so nice ;v; I made myself a Benedict Cumberbatch compact, and got some food items. Above is a spinach and feta pastry, and a juice (that I can't remember the name of, but it had ginger and it was interesting. Sweet greens, a green juice, was good too.).

Later that day, my group and I stopped by The Tea Shoppe so my friend (hi Kaity) could pick up some tea leaves for her friend. 

So many tea options!

After we got the goods, we went to:

Woah fancy crêpes.

Here are all the crêpes my posse and I got. Not going to go too into details because I might make a separate post about it. They were delish.

Some other day, I went to Umami Burger. Again, not going to go too into detail because this also might be an upcoming post.

And after that, I wanted to knock another place off my list, so we went to Mille-Feuille bakery. Their almond chocolate croissants are popular, so I wanted in on the goodness.

Quick aside, but not really because it's what I did over the break. So I've been replaying the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, and I can't even. Do any of you play it? If you don't, you should.

Back to that day. Afterwards, we headed to the Samsung Galaxy Studio again. This was the cosmetic bag that I customized, and this also shows how that (gay) lawyer game has taken over my life.

Another cool thing this studio has is it its 3D printer.

Right by the studio is the Chobani Store! Once again, I might have a separate review on this. This blueberry walnut yogurt was very good (even if you can't see it).

They handed out this bracelet too! I always forgot to wear it though :(

And now for some random food bits.

Have you tried these new Chips Ahoy cookies? They're pretty good, although I had low expectations for them. If you want an actual review on this, I recommend this blog. Great for junk food reviews.

From my favorite muffin cart, which I've yet to review, a cranberry muffin.

And lastly, I finally found these chips... From months ago. Good thing these have an eternal shelf life. They weren't amazing, and kind of tasted like spicy ketchup chips. I don't think you're missing anything if you didn't find these.

Welp, that wraps it up! Are you looking forward to March? Saint Patrick's Day? Pi Day? Just spring in general? Tell me in the comments what you yearn for! Happy March!!

Cookie Bars - A Recipe Post!

Wait a second, this isn't a food review! I know we don't usually, or ever, as a matter of fact, post recipes, but I thought it would be nice having something different; try something new, you know? The blog isn't changing; we're sticking with food reviews. The recipes will be a new addition to the blog.

For this post, I'm going to show you how to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Maybe I should have started with a different type of recipe, but I had a soon-to-be-expired box of cake mix and an eagerness to write recipe posts since I have so many to share with you.

DISCLAIMER: These type of posts are probably going to be mostly baking/dessert recipes.

REAL DISCLAIMER: Most of these recipes are not mine. Because I hope to not be a recipe thief, I will link [if applicable] and properly source them. If this recipe is yours and the source is incorrect, please contact me at kylestowell107@yahoo.com. Also, I am going to apologize in advanced because I am probably going to reply late if you do email me.

As you heard me briefly mention, I had an almost expired box of cake mix. "But Kitty," you begin, "I thought we were making Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!" We are! The cake mix is our "secret ingredient" and no, I am not a producer of Chopped or Iron Chef America, and I am not obsessed with secret ingredients. I was considering naming this post "Recipes Using Cake Mixes", so I could be just like yoyomax12, but I decided against it.

After closer analysis of the recipe, I discovered that the recipe is simply a regular chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, omitting the flour, baking powder/soda and salt with cake mix. I suppose the extra agents of the cake mix give the bars a fluffy texture rather than a dense one. Clever, very clever.

Okay, time for the recipe!

Let's begin with the things you will need.

 Here I have brown sugar, white cake mix [with pudding], butter [softened], eggs, water [in the orange cup] and a giant bag of chocolate chips, which is tilted sideways. For exact measurements, see down below.