New Product Hits & Misses

As I've mentioned before, having majored graphic design, I am a sucker for product packaging and trying out new products. I've gathered 6 of the most notable ones I've either tried or was impressed with. Here they are:

Who doesn't love mac 'n cheese? I've found that I like the store brand better than the usual Kraft mac 'n cheese. Something about Kraft's m&c just doesn't taste like what I remember it tasting like. So, with that said, I have tried and prefer the m&c's that come with the, for lack of a more descriptive word, "gooshy" cheese packs inside. You know, the kind of m&c that comes with the cheese sauce, in lieu of the cheese powder. Velveeta has just come out with a new product: Cheese Sauce pouches in a box! You get three to a box and you can use them in kind of dish you want. I actually bought a package of them and some various types of macaroni and it's actually cheaper than buying the Velveeta Shells & Cheese Dinner. Very cool. PLUS I control the amount of cheese I use. Nummers! HIT

Doritos has done it again. They've come out with yet ANOTHER limited-edition flavor: Black Pepper Jack! The bag (which is a cool metallic silver color) says that they are "limited edition," so I guess it's another case of testing the water with consumers. I like them a lot. They're a helluva lot better than some of these gag reflex-inducing flavors they've been coming up with lately. They taste a lot like the Ranch flavored chips, but with a spicy aftertaste. The spiciness may not hit you initially, but if you eat a handful, you'll feel the burn. Now if they'd just bring back the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut flavors. I loved those! HIT

Having taken advantage of the "buy 1 get 1 free" sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago, I was left with a package of hot dogs that weren't getting any fresher. I used half the package to make pigs in a blanket (another chilly fall favorite), but was still left with half a package. While at the grocery store, I decided on the spur of the moment that I would make chili dogs. I decided to live life on the wild side and try a brand called Cincinnati Recipe. It was inexpensive and looked better than some of the others, so I gave it a shot. Some things that should have tipped me off that I was making a bad choice: [1] The multi-purposeness, which I should have noticed on the label: Both a chili dog sauce AND a spaghetti topping. Um, no. My cleansers should be multipurpose. Not my chili. [2] When I shook the can, it sounded more like a can of soup than a can of chili. I went ahead and cooked it up. I didn't like the smell. It was a cross between something burnt and something sweet. Kinda like nutmeg. I checked the ingredients, which were pretty straight forward: water (obviously), beef, tomato paste, onions, paprika, etc. I dunno where the sweet smell came from, but it was not a good combination. It was edible, but was much too thin and didn't have much flavor. I don't know what the "recipe" is, but somebody needs to go back to the drawing board. MISS

Minute Maid Cherry Limeade is new and found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I bought some recently because it was on sale for $1 + I love a good cherry limeade. Well, let me tell ya, I wasn't disappointed! Man! This stuff poured over crushed ice is the answer to your limeade prayers! *Make sure you shake it up first, though, or it can be kinda tart! HIT

Reese's has been really experimenting with various "limited edition" versions of their peanut butter cups: white chocolate, the Big Cup, and now the "Extra Smooth & Creamy." Feh. I wasn't impressed. It's alright, but I MUCH prefer the Big Cup, which has a better peanut butter flavor. This one tastes too "lite" if that makes any sense. MISS

Nooo. I don't eat cat food... anymore. But, when I saw these cool little cat snacks in display, I HAD to buy one. They were only like 79¢ and I though the packaging concept was a lot of fun. The snacks are called Aquari-Yums and are made by Purina. They are shaped like fish, shrimp, crab, etc. and they come in a little plastic container shaped like a fish bowl aquarium! How clever is that?! I also love the little cartoon cat on the front, all decked out in his scuba gear, swimming after fish while licking his lips. HIT

And last, but not least, as you may or may not know, I am a iMac user. Have been forever. Well, Mac just released their new iMac G5, and they've done it again, design-wise. So compact, such great design. I love it. The CPU and the CD-ROM/DVD is self-contained in the 20" flat screen. No more clutter. Just a flat screen, keyboard and a mouse. How cool is THAT!? I currently use a graphite iMac G3 and still love it. I rarely get tired of my iMacs, since I rarely have problems with them. However, my dream is to have one of the older iBooks, in "tangerine," which I call "orange." I keep telling myself the only thing standing between me writing my book is a tangerine iBook. Ah, someday. HIT