Friday, April 8, 2016

PSA: New Mikesell's Puffcorn Flavors!

Eaters, are you like me - still occasionally daydreaming about the last new snack flavor you found and wondering when the next will come along?  Okay, I'm relieved I'm not alone in that bone-deep need for new flavors of everything all the time. Sometimes, the FvF family even finds ourselves at Big Lots, scouting for discontinued, limited-edition flavors we can't find anymore.

Mikesell's launched new flavors in spring of '13 and late summer of '14 - which means southern Ohians were ready for something new. Now that the public expects it and competition gets thicker every year - they know they have to stay leveled up. In all sincerity, this company has yet to make anything I don't like. While all of their flavors aren't my jam (I'm a sucky baby about heat), they're all well developed, balanced flavors. They haven't tried to be too trendy, either. Enter Salted Caramel Puffcorn.

Of course it was free! My opinion, however, can't be bought. 

I know a lot of you are thinking, "Yeah, but isn't salted caramel sorta trendy?" Depending on who you ask, sure. But, salting sweets is not simply a trend or a new thing. Chefs and home cooks have been doing this for years. I don't remember how, where or when, but about a decade ago - I was traveling and got a taste of something filled with salted caramel and I, the girl who has long salted her brownies, went bonkers for the stuff. I started seeking it out everywhere, but it hadn't really gained momentum.

Is it like their Caramel Puffcorn Delites? Surprisingly, not really. I never really got into the caramel ones, because they were too sweet for me. Again, I like a little balance - a salt tooth, if you will. The flavor on the salted caramel is akin to if you were to make salted caramel at home - very rich, buttery,  and decadent. If you can make something taste buttery, I am ALL in, friends. Even people who haven't been fans of salty sweets in the past just might dig this. The flavor is mellow, but rich. Plus, no hulls and kernels - so you can feed it to babies. What are you waiting for?! Go find a baby and feed it some Mikesell's Puffcorn!!


Thursday, April 7, 2016

Misadventures in Employment - A Love Story

I'll try to make this simple, eaters - I've missed you, and I plan on coming back full-force, like a boss. In October I left my career of 10 years and made a field change - got licensed and took an offer from a new employer. Terrible idea, terrible company. It was suggested I tender my resignation without a working notice - which I happily obliged, though I had no real plan. My only plan was to not be miserable anymore. Luckily, a friend's business kept me in work for a couple of months over the holidays (nothing like losing your job 10 days before Christmas, huh?) - then I landed what appears to be my dream job, short of getting paid to eat. 

The short: this gig is less stressful, normal hours and I'm on the road all over Ohio, getting to try new foods almost every day. Just my week in Westlake at their HQ is enough to produce at least five blog entries, and another 10-20 since between Columbus & Cincinnati areas. Hell, there are still places in Dayton I haven't tried. I'm looking forward to sharing with all of you again, and I hope my absence hasn't lost me too many eaters. And with that...