TRYING BOAR'S HEAD APPLE PIE HUMMUS

Fall flavors are officially hitting the grocery store shelves which means it’s pumpkin spice and apple galore everywhere! Y’all already know both fall + trying out new snackies are two of my favorite things. After finding out Boar’s Head makes both an Apple Pie and Pumpkin Spice Hummus, I was curious to try one out. Now I'll be honest- I am NOT a hummus person. I tried it once or twice a long time ago and wasn't a fan. It’s just never been something I was won over by. I also feel like the whole idea of hummus is a little strange if you're picky like me... I don't know if it's the texture, the chickpeas or what. It kind of freaks me out? It's definitely a polarizing food, lol. Normally I'd pass but throw in some fall and some sugar and you have my attention. I also love Boar's Head + healthier dessert options. I read elsewhere that it tastes just like apple pie filling so I had to find out! 

Alright, let's do this. Obviously I had to make a whole charcutes vibe so I grabbed an apple, cinnamon sugar pita chips & pretzel thins to try it with. Moment of truth from a skeptical, non-hummus-eating gal... it's decent. I have some thoughts though. First off, I actually don't mind the texture. This one is super smooth and similar to any other kind of dip. I like it, especially chilled. The taste is sweet, has a little bit of spice and a very subtle apple flavor. I also like that. I wouldn't go so far to say it's exactly like eating an apple pie but it has those fall vibes we love. Not too artificial or overpowering, just warm and sweet. 

One thing I don't like is that it has a slight after taste. I'm pretty sure it's the chickpea flavor coming through? I'm inexperienced here but I also tried out the Dark Chocolate flavor + noticed a similar effect. This obviously sounds stupid because it's HUMMUS but if you're someone who isn't a huge fan like myself, you get it right? It's very subtle and not bad by any means, just different for me. I only really taste it by itself, too. Paired with the crisps or apple, you don't notice it as much. I also thought it was really good paired with the pita chips. That was my favorite combination out of the three- the smooth texture works really well with the crunchier pita + overall flavor. 

All in all, it was a fun experience trying something new and going a little outside of my comfort zone. I think if you're a hummus fan, you would love it. I can't say I'll be rushing out to buy more anytime soon, however if it was being served at a party, I'd munch on some. 

What are your thoughts on hummus- yay or nay?

TASTE TESTING LESSER EVIL'S PUMPKIN SPICE POPCORN

When I discovered a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavored popcorn from Lesser Evil at Fresh Market last week, I couldn’t not try it. I’m a new fan of their regular Pink Himalayan popcorn which is seriously SO good and made with clean, organic ingredients. It's one of my new favorites and a major win when it comes to a snack that’s healthy and actually tastes good. I’ve been having a lot of fun with these pumpkin taste testings on the blog this season so keep reading if you want to know the 411 on pumpkin spice popcorn!

First off, love the packaging. They zhuzhed up the everyday bag with a brightly colored orange + pumpkin printed design. Very festive and cute! Also on the topic of orange, I was surprised to see some in the bag! Upon opening, the popcorn looks identical to the regular but with an added cinnamony-spice-like dusting on top and some orange coated pieces thrown in. 

The taste is also spot on to how it looks- exactly like the regular Pink Himalayan (savory, pink Himalayan salt + coconut oil) with a hint of cinnamony spice on top. I checked the ingredients and they use pumpkin pie spice (no actual pumpkin), so it’s very subtle and doesn't have a typical pumpkiny flavor. Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg + allspice so that makes a lot of sense! The orange pieces had a slightly sweeter, candy coated taste. 

I was definitely expecting something a little bit more on the sweet pumpkin side, however I can't really fault them when the flavor is called "Pumpkin Spice." That's exactly what it is-- popcorn with a dusting of pumpkin pie spice flavor. Since I’m not a fan of strong, super spicy pumpkin foods, I like that the spice is subtle. Because I was also expecting it to be more candied/sugary, I wouldn’t mind a little extra sweetness + pumpkin flavor! I think a slightly sweeter, more kettle corn vibe with a pumpkin glaze or drizzle on top would be amazing and bring out a little more pumpkin flavor! I'm happy planning on devouring my bag... maybe with some candy corn thrown in! I also still appreciate that it's cleaner + has better ingredients.

What are your thoughts... would you try it out?

Also read: Taste Testing Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream // Taste Testing Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread + Muffin Mix

DUCK DONUTS REVIEW + TASTE TEST

On our way back from Chattanooga this weekend, we came across a Duck Donuts! I've seen them all over Tik-Tok so ya'll know my sugar addiction couldn’t resist trying them out. We ordered a dozen and taste tested them all!

Honestly it was a dream come true getting to bite into ten different donuts all at once (two of the flavors we ordered two of). I had major sugar overload (that I paid for later) but it was totally worth it! 

All of the donuts are made to order which is different + unique from any other donut shops I’ve been to. They have a ton of flavors combinations to choose from or you can create your own from the different glazes, toppings & drizzles. I was too overwhelmed with their choices to even think about making my own, lol. Here's what we picked:

DONUT FLAVORS

 Coffee Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Crumble, French Toast, The Boardwalk x2 (oreo crumble, powder sugar + vanilla drizzle), Maple Bacon, Sunrise Lemon Icing w/ Raspberry Drizzle, Smore’s x2, The Flip-Flop (chocolate w/ vanilla drizzle) and Cinnamon Bun

The donuts are a vanilla cake base that have a sweet, crispy texture. They remind me of a blend between a funnel cake and a crueler. I love how they all turned out decorated + they were also served warm which is always a win.

Every single one was delish, however there were definitely some that stood out above the others. My boyfriend and I both agreed our top three favorites were the French Toast, Blueberry Crumble & The Boardwalk. To us those three had a little bit of something extra to them. I was blown away by the French Toast because it actually tasted identical to French toast- syrup flavor and all. The funny thing is that it wasn’t even one of the first ones we picked, I added it on to make twelve towards the end 🤪

Some flavors like the Cinnamon Bun and the Flip-Flop reminded me of classic donuts which were good, just not as unique or outstanding as the others. I love the classics, however I think the novelty here (at least for me) is ordering more specialty flavors. The Maple Bacon donut was also a first for both of us. It’s definitely an interesting one... I love bacon but I'm not sure I'm behind the hype on this one. I've always been curious on what one would taste like though so I'm glad we tried it!

Overall, I loved trying them all and I think it's a very cool experience. If you’ve had Duck Donuts before, what’s your favorite one? I will definitely be going back the next time I'm near another one!