Getting into the Christmas Spirit

How do you get into the Christmas Spirit? This December, we've had plenty of ways to help us get into the holiday mood! 

Why not start out with Peppermint Milkshakes from Chick-fil-A! You can even get a Chocolate Peppermint Milkshake which is better!

Dannon Light + Fit REMIX yogurt taste test

Wandering around Meijer in Michigan, Theresa found a new yogurt offering from Dannon. It's called Light + Fit REMIX and it consists of Fat Free yogurt, but to add a little pizzazz you get some tasty mixins! 
We've done something similar when we tried the Chobani Flips. How will these compare? 

Chobani had over 20 different flavors of Flips. Checking the Dannon website it looks like there's just 3 flavors of Light + Fit REMIX. Is that right? Just 3? Well I guess we're tasting them all today! 

We have Strawberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, and Brownie Sundae. 

Pineapple Infinite Swirl Mountain Dew taste test - Jupiña Pineapple soda taste test

Time for more Mountain Dew! And it's flavored with my favorite flavor! Pineapple! Not to be confused with Maui Burst Mountain Dew, Baja Flash Mountain Dew, or Tropical Sunrise Mountain Dew, which are all also flavored with Pineapple. This particular version is called Infinite Swirl Mountain Dew and is flavored with Pineapple Berry Flavor. 

Infinite Swirl Mountain Dew is also exclusive to 7-11 and I had no luck finding it at the stores I visited. Luckily Patrick was able to pick something up at the 7-11 near him!

(gotta wear the proper shorts for a taste test like this!)

And since we've already got one pineapple flavored soda, why not try out a few more? 

We've previously had Pineapple Pepsi from Little Caesars, but this year, they're selling them in bottles! 

And finally, there's Jupiña pineapple soda that we found in the international section of the grocery store. 

Holiday Toasted Peanut M&Ms taste test comparison

It's time for another special holiday treat, this time from M&M.

They change their regular candy bags to Red and Green M&Ms for the holiday, but keep the flavors the same. To go along with the Plain and Peanut M&Ms, this year they have released a Toasty Holiday Peanut flavor! 

Instead of the usual Red and Green for the holidays, the Toasty Holiday Peanut M&Ms have added Yellow to the mix. I like how they've dressed up Yellow for the holiday, both as a nut vendor and having him tangled in Christmas lights. 

KFC Original Recipe Chicken Ruffles potato chips - Taste Test Comparison

Is it a little bit of a stretch to call this a holiday treat? I'm going to say no because back in the 1970s, KFC started marketing their Fried Chicken as a traditional Christmas Dinner to Japan. It caught on and now, eating KFC Chicken for Christmas is widely popular all over Japan!

And so, today, we're going to be having some of the colonel's Original Recipe Famous Fried Chicken along with another special treat I picked up.  

While traveling in Canada, I came across a bag of Ruffles Potato Chips that are flavored like the KFC Original Recipe Chicken! Definitely have to try this one!

Reese's Sugar Cookie Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures - Taste Test Comparison

It's the time of the year for lots of tasty holiday treats! Grandma's spiced tea, gingerbread, and Christmas cookies! 

This year, Reese's has got a new offering, filling their beloved peanut butter cups with sugar cookie bits! 

With it be a holiday classic for all time, or will it soon become a ghost of Christmas past? Let's taste them and find out! 

Celebrating our Michigan Christmas at Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving, but since we're here with family and we're all together, let's celebrate Christmas too!

After cleaning up the Thanksgiving meal, and relaxing for just a few minutes, we all came together in the living room. 

Six Flags Georgia Holidays - 2024/11/17

It's been a fun weekend here in Georgia. We've done lots of fun things like visiting Truett's Luau, hiking with friends, and seeing the Callaway Garden lights while riding through them on a bicycle. Seeing how it's Sunday we could be driving the 8 hours to Orlando today or... let's just go back on Monday and spend today at Six Flags with friends! 

Our Georgia friends Jessica, Camille, and Cambridge are here today too, all set to have some fun! 

Happy Thanksgiving 2024

Happy Thanksgiving 2024! This year, we're headed to Michigan! 
We parked the RV in storage and headed to the airport!

Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights Bike Night - 2024/11/16

Continuing our trip to Atlanta. We've already been to Truett's Luau, which was wonderful. Met with RV friends at Chattahoochee Bend and had a lot of fun hiking. But the main reason for coming up to Atlanta was this, Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights!

Our friends from Atlanta, Ryan, Jessica, Camille, and Cambridge, were visiting Orlando and Theresa and Jessica got to talking about their favorite Christmas Lights. Jessica told Theresa about this great garden they have in Atlanta that decorates their grounds with millions of lights. During most nights, this is a drive-through exhibit, but at the very start of the season, there are two nights where it's a bike ride instead! Sounds perfect! 

Chattahoochee Bend State Park and hanging out with Gayle and Danny - 2024/11/15

Continuing our visit to Atlanta, after our morning lunch at Truett's Luau, we hopped in the car and headed South West to Chattahoochee Bend State Park! There, we get to meet up with our friends Danny and Gayle! We first met them in Minnesota a couple summers back when we were both RV road tripping and happened to be staying at the same Boondockers Welcome. 

We've since stayed with them at their place called Sunset Holler in Alabama, but they're making an hour drive to come meet us at the State Park!  

Visiting Truett's Luau - A Hawaiian Chick-fil-A Experience - 2024/11/15

Theresa, the kids, and I are big Chick-fil-A fans. Last year, right around this time, it was such a fun opportunity to get to visit the very first Chick-fil-A ever in Hapeville Georgia. The Chick-fil-A Dwarf House! I was telling someone at our local Chick-fil-A about it and they asked me if we'd ever gone to Truett's Luau. Truett's Luau? Yes, a Hawaiian themed Chick-fil-A restaurant! I've never been, but now I want to!

And so, we planned a fun weekend in Georgia! There's lots of things going on this weekend, but our first stop is Truett's Luau! 

2024 Summer Trip - Rhode Island - 2024/08/04

Jumping back to our summer of travel, it's time to continue on! We got all packed up and left our friends the Coutures, and headed out. 

2024 Fall Foliage Trip - Apple Cider Donuts, Six Flags Lake George - 2024/10/04

Let's continue our visit up to New York and our time checking out the fall foliage and all the other offerings! 

Pringles Mingles - A New Offering from Pringles - Taste Test

Something new from Pringles? How can they do something new?

Usually it's just new Potato Crisp flavors from Pringles, but today I found something that is all together different than their usual chips. 

Pringles Mingles! 

Pringles Mingles are a puffed corn snack, versus a potato, and it's seasoned with two different flavors! 

The colors are throwing me off a little bit. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dessert Taco Shells taste test

It's Taco Tuesday! A very exciting day! But what's this? Never did I ever think that I might be combining one of our many Cinnamon Toast Crunch taste tests along with Taco Tuesday. But, as I was wandering around Walmart, I noticed these next to the regular taco shells. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dessert Taco Shells! I mean, obviously we've got to give them a try. 

The box says that they've partnered with Old El Paso, who already make really good taco shells. These shells are blasted with Cinnadust to give them a Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor. Let's try them! 

Lays Canadian Salt and Pepper Chips Taste Test Comparison

During our visit to Canada, I picked up a lot of different treats to try. One of those was these Lay's Sea Salt and Pepper chips. Now, I've seen Salt and Pepper chips before, but only in the Kettle Cooked style. How different will these regular Lay's be? Let's find out? 

And to compare them, of course I grabbed a bag of the Kettle Cooked Salt and Pepper chips. Actually make that Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper flavored chips. 

Dot's Pretzel Taste Test Addendum

Earlier this year, I had a big Dot's Pretzel taste test with every pretzel that Dot's made! Original, Southwest, Honey Mustard, and Cinnamon Sugar! So, of course, imagine my surprise when shortly after having that taste test, Dot's announced a brand new flavor! Parmesan Garlic! Oh yeah, we have to try that one too!

So, I picked up a bag and held onto it until I could get the original crew back together! Will this be a new favorite? 

Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. Parmesan Garlic Seasoned Pretzel Twists. Rich 'n Savory. 

I like the green bag. It goes well with the rest of the line-up's Blue, Red, Yellow, and Purple. 

2024 Neighborhood Trick or Treating

After handing out candy to Disney cast members all morning and afternoon, it was time to do some trick-or-treating of our own! 

Our RV park already did a Trunk or Treat a few days before, so we weren't expecting much to go on there. Instead, our friends Nicole and Alfredo invited us to come visit their neighborhood for trick or treating on Halloween night!

The kids would have worn their big Pikachu costumes tonight but someone (oops) forgot they weren't in the bed of the truck anymore and by the time we arrived at our friends' house it was too late. Good thing the clothes they were wearing still count for costumes! Ian is Pikachu, while Alli has her Nightmare Before Christmas Sally dress on.  

2024 Reverse Trick-or-Treating at Disney World! Giving out 350+ bags of candy to Disney Cast Members!

Happy Halloween! It's time for one of our favorite annual traditions! Reverse Trick or Treating at Disney World! We look forward to this every year and I make reservations as soon as they open up to make sure we can get into the park on October 31st! 

Random Halloween Pictures

As we get closer to Halloween, we've found ourselves doing more and more Halloween events! Here's a look at everything we've had going on! 

The kids school is doing a Trunk or Treat over a week before Halloween with candy, games, dancing, and food. We were there too, with a few decorations on the back of Beast and a whole bunch of candy to hand out. 

2024 Pumpkin Carving

It's Halloween so it's time to carve pumpkins! 

We've been carving pumpkins for a long long time. I have photos going back on the blog from 2009, but we did it even before that. And I have pictures of us carving pumpkins with Jacob from 2012, though even that goes back even further! 

So, on this beautiful sunny morning in Florida, the five of us are outside (though in the shade) and ready to get our pumpkin on! 

Ghost Toast Kit Kat - Cinnamon Toast flavored - Taste Test Comparison

It's nearly Halloween which means there's all sorts of new treats coming around for the season. We already tried Mountain Dew VooDEW and today, another classic brand that we like to try has brought out a special flavor just for the season. 

Introducing KitKat Ghost Toast! 

Ghost Toast? What flavor is ghost toast? 

According to the packaging, these are Crisp Wafers in a Cinnamon Toast flavored Creme. 

Gotcha. Well, if we're going to try these, we must have some cinnamon toast to go along with it! I was just planning to make buttered toast with cinnamon sugar on it, but Jacob mentioned that it was a Cinnamon Toast Creme. Because of that, he grabbed some Cream Cheese frosting too!

Lay's Hot 'n' Sweet Chilli potato chip Taste Test Comparison

While visiting Canada earlier this year, I picked up a few different items that were unique to the country. Treats that I thought could make for an interesting taste test once we got home. Here's the first of a what will be a few different chip taste tests! 

Lay's Hot 'n' Sweet Chilli chips! Inspired by flavors, or should I say flavours, of India, these chips are made in Canada. I couldn't just taste these chips by themselves though. We always try something to go with them and compare them to. And so, I've brought 3 different sweet and spicy chilli sauces to try along with them! 

2024 Fall Foliage Trip to New York- Driving to Indian Lake - 2024/10/03

We're in New York! We've already been to an apple orchard and seen some other things, but now it's time to see what we flew all the way up here for. Leaves changing colors! We're all piled into the car and ready to go! 

Little Caesars Pineapple Pepsi Taste Test Comparison

You've heard the endless debate about whether or not Pineapple belongs on pizza. Some say it's delicious, while others call it an abomination. That debate will continue to go on, but today we have a different question to answer. 

Does Pineapple belong in Pepsi? 

And who has brought us this question to ponder? It's Little Caesars! They've partnered with Pepsi for a Little Caesars exclusive drink! 

Today, we'll give that a try, along with regular Pepsi and pineapple juice to see if this is something we like and can make ourselves! 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Yogurt Taste Test Comparison

In our quest to try everything that is Cinnamon Toast Crunch (seriously, check it out), I came upon yet another new item. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Yogurt! Will this be as delicious as the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream? Or a bit of a dud like the CTC Treat Bars? Let's give it a taste and find out! 

This yogurt is made by Yoplait and promises to be Cinnamon Vanilla flavored. Yum! That sounds like it could be good! 

Twix Cookie Dough and Milky Way Cookie Dough Taste Test Comparison

One of the special treats in life is getting to enjoy things you really shouldn't eat. I think Cookie Dough tops the list of my favorite treats that you're really not supposed to eat raw, given that it has eggs and uncooked flour in it. But it's just so good that it's hard to resist! 

So, when some of our favorite candy bars came out with a special Cookie Dough flavor that you're actually allowed to eat, of course we've got to give this a try! And we always like to compare it with the real thing. In this case, the cookie dough from Pillsbury is safe to eat raw! Let's go! 

Today we will be trying Twix Cookie Dough, Milky Way Cookie Dough, and comparing them to Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. 

2024 Fall Foliage Trip to New York - Bowman Orchards - 2024/10/02

It's Fall and Jacob and the Flowers' family have all headed up to New York to celebrate the fall foliage! One way to get into the fall spirit is to go to an apple orchard! There's one along the way and we've actually been to it before during our first year of RVing! We parked the RV in their lot, as they were a Harvest Host. It's Bowman Orchards! 

2024 Fall Foliage Trip to New York - 2024/10/01

Fall is here and there's a chill in there air! At least that's what we hear. We're from Florida and it's still 85F and obnoxious humidity. So if we're going to get that "fall feeling" we're definitely going to need to head North! 

Theresa really been looking forward to fall foliage this year, along with all the things that go along with it. Apple orchards, picking apples, tasty snacks, and a few other surprises along the way. And we've got a friend coming along too! Jacob is joining us on our big fall adventure! 

2024 Mountain Dew VooDEW Taste Test

It's nearing Halloween which means it's time once again for the annual Mountain Dew Mystery VooDEW flavor to come out! Since 2019, we've been treated to a new surprise flavor every October! What will it be this year? (Thank you Jacob for finding it in stores!)

In 2019, we had Candy Corn flavor VooDEW. 

2020 brought us Skittles flavor VooDEW2. 

VooDEW3 in 2021 was Starburst flavored soda. 

Then in 2022 we got Sour Patch Kids VooDEW4. 

Last year, 2023 we had AirHeads Candy VooDEW5! 

Alli - That tasted like Chapstick.

What will this year bring us? 

2024 Summer Trip - Vermont and Enticement Alley - 2024/08/03

Our Summer Travels have taken us to Vermont where we're visiting our friends with a maple farm. But, just an hour south of their home in a town called Waterbury is a strip of road called Enticement Alley. All around this area you're sure to find lots of tasty treats. Let's go for a visit! 

Cheddar Garlic Biscuit taste test and comparison - Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Red Lobster, and Homemade!

It's time for another yummy taste test! 
I sometimes get asked where I come up with my different taste test ideas. Taste test ideas can come from pretty much anywhere. Friends, advertisements, or just walking down the aisles of the grocery store. This particular one came as a result of NOT being able to find something that I was always used to buying. 

Every once in a while, I like to make a night-time snack of garlic cheddar biscuits. I'm used to seeing the $1 bag of Betty Crocker drop biscuit mix, but for some reason, couldn't find it in the grocery store. Instead I was seeing this new Pillsbury bag. And then another more expensive option of Red Lobster biscuits. Hmm. 

And so, during my summer travels, I was always keeping an eye out for the Betty Crocker biscuit mix. It looks like it's a regional thing because I finally found them while in California. I gathered everything I found over the summer and then when I got back to Colorado decided we'd figure out once and for all which one is better! 

And, because I like making things myself at home too, I decided to see if I could also throw something together quickly with ingredients I had at home that could compete with the national brands.