Cereal Dreaming

I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast recently, and using cereal as more of a snack food.  Usually I just use Frosted Mini-Wheat bites, but have been branching out to do Honeycombs sometimes and Life cereal.

Growing up, every time any of us kids had life cereal for breakfast, my dad would just look at us with a big grin on his face and say "Well, that's life!".  This was extremely funny, likely because we were teenagers who were getting up at 5AM to attend early morning seminary.  The memory still puts a big grin on my face.

I was excited when I went shopping at Walmart this weekend because they finally stocked Berry Berry Kix, one of my favorites (and Gluten-Free).  They advertise a new look, and unfortunately it came with a new, blander taste.  *pout*  I HATE when they change the cereals.  I still haven't forgiven Rice Krispies for taking away my Rice Krispies with mini-marshmallows (that were hard - yum!) back in the late 80's and my poor mother has to search for Christmas Crunch (Cap'n Crunch) for me every year (I think it's been 10 years since there was any).  I'm a Bowen.  I take my cereal seriously.

Anyone else have a discontinued cereal that they still miss?

Note:  In searching for images on Google, this Christmas Crunch was out in 2009!  JEALOUS!

Root Beer Review: Olde Brooklyn

Sweet, mild smell.  Taste nothing like root beer - more vanilla and a bad mix of spices.  Threw out after 3 sips.
Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Natural & Artificial Flavor and Citric Acid.  Grade:  F

Root Beer Review: Pearson Bros.

Look at my pretty liquid color!

Ugh.  Another cardboard smell.  Almost tasteless.  Tastes like someone took a root beer flavored dum dum and dissolved it in water.  Ingredients.  Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Potassium Bonzoate (as a preservative), Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors and Gum Acacia.  Grade:  F.

Root Beer Review: Faygo

Smells yummy.  Unfortunately, that was the best part of the beer.  Very little taste, all carbonation.  towards the bottom of the bottle was a bit of cream soda flavor.  Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Potassium Benzoate (as Preservative), Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Gum Acacia.  Grade:  D

Root Beer Review: Empire

Sugary smell with a hint of mint.  Definitely a mint flavor - doesn't taste like root beer at all.  Nice carbonation though.  Ended up throwing most of it out. Ingredients:  Natural Artesian Spring Water, Made with 100% Cane Sugar, Natural and/or Artificial Flavor Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative).  Grade:  D

SNOW!

I haven't gone outside yet, but I'm told it's 8 inches.  Several friends took hours to get home last night (like NINE  hours).  Craziness!

Root Beer Review: Henry Weinhard's

Gourmet Soda, with Draught Style Head.  No idea what that means.  More cream soda flavor than root beer, but very tasty.  Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Vanilla Extract, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Honey Essence, Acacia Sassafras Extract.  Root Beer Grade:  B, Cream Soda Grade: A

I'm an auntie again!

Yay Jana & Steve!  I look forward to finding out baby Siana's middle name!  My vote is for Rose.

Root Beer Review: Cap'n Eli's

Why must half these root beer's smell like cardboard?  First sip changed that - it had that horrible medicinal/mouthwash flavor.  It lessened after the first taste, but not that great.  Too many odd spices in this one.
Ingredients:  Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Coloring, Natural & Artificial Flavors including Wintergreen oil, Anise, Vanilla, Spices, Herbs, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate as a preservative.  Grade:  C-.

The Zombie Survival Guide

Had to share this from by Zombie Survival Guide Calendar from yesterday:

1281 A.D., China
The explorer Marco Polo wrote in his journal that during on e visit to the emperor's summer palace of Xanadu, Kublai Kahn displayed a severed zombie head preserved in a jar of clear alcoholic fluid.  This head, the Khan stated, had been taken by his grandfather, Genghis, when he returned from his conquests in the West.  Polo wrote that the head was aware of their presence.  It even watched them with nearly decomposed eyes.  When he reached out to touch it, the head snapped at his fingers.  Polo states that the head remained "alive" throughout his stay in China.  No one knows the fate of this relic.

CREEPY!

Root Beer Review: Filbert's

Smells like cardboard.  Almost tasteless.  Just carbonation burn.  Ingredients:  Carbonated water, sugar and/or corn sweetener, caramel color, natural & artificial flavors, sodium benzoate (as a preservative).  Grade: D

Root Beer Review: Gale's

I should really read the bottle before trying a drink - then I wouldn't have been as surprised I was here.  This root beer has a very nice vanilla smell to it, and didn't taste much like root beer at all, but a cream soda with some odd spices.  Reading the bottle would have warned me that this was a flavored beer - Cinnamon Ginger Vanilla Flavored developed by a English Chef.  It's almost unfair to grade against other root beers - the only thing it had in common is a bit of a cardboard taste mid-bottle.  A neat flavor experience.  Ingredients:  Carbonate water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural and artificial flavoring, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, phosphoric acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate added as preservatives.  Root Beer Grade:  C,  Flavored Root Beer Grade: B.

Root Beer Review: AJ Stephans

Almost no scent (should I be saying head?  Isn't that what they call it at wine tastings) so I expected a cardboard flavor, but was happily surprised by a rich root beer taste with a hint of some spice in the aftertaste (almost a nutmeg - it's not listed in the ingredients - but there is an ingredient just called "Flavor" - is that even legal?).  The carbonation is very mild, but pleasant.  The label on the bottle says it's New England's Best Tonic.  Was root beer ever used medically?   Ingredients:  Pure Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Flavor, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate as a preservative. Grade:  B.

Happy Birthday Mom!

The sweetest "grrr" face I've ever seen!

Chill-axing

She makes the greatest faces sometimes.

Finally!  I'm warm!

Mother daughter love

Lasik Surgery Today!

Scary excited!

Root Beer Review: Jack Black's Dead Red Root Beer

Hmm...you would think the liquid would be red - I didn't even notice that it was supposed to be red until the very end.  Considered a "scary soda."  I'm fascinated by this brand.  The root beer was pretty good as well.  Very light carbonation, a slight licorice undertone.  Flavor gets stronger the more you drink.  Much stronger at the bottom.  Only drawback is there is a hint of mouthwash flavor at times.  Ingredients:Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Caffeine, Brazilian Guarana, Sodium Benzoate (to preserve freshness), Citric Acid, Nautal and Artificial Flavors, Red #40.  Grade: B

Root Beer Review: Iron Horse

By the way, I didn't drink all these root beers in one day - just catching up on my reviews.
Iron Horse was very smooth - the flavor is exactly what I think of when I think of root beer.  Again, similar to A&W, but smoother.  The carbonation just flows over tongue.  If it had a little more "bite" it would be perfect.
Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (as a preservative) and Natural and Artificial Flavor.  Grade:  A-.

Name Origin story from the bottle:  In 1869, Central Pacific's steam engine, the Jupiter, nicknamed IRON HORSE, met Union Pacific's #119 at Promontory Peak Utah, uniting Atlantic coast with the Pacific.  Today, IRON HORSE Root Beer reaches the summit of refreshment.  It unites the highest in cool taste and rich flavor.  Get on board.  Ride IRON HORSE to the top.

Root Beer Review: Berghoff

Founded 1898 - this root beer sounds familiar, but I may be thinking of Bergdorfs (which I think is the fake department store from Mad Men.  Berghoff's has a flavor very similar to A&W, though not as creamy.  It is more sweet.  My theory about cardboard flavoring going with no scent goes down the drain with this one.  Plus, there is no aftertaste to this.  Refreshing.  Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, Sugar, Caramel Color, Natural Flavoring, Yucca Extract, Gum Arabic, Ethyl Alcohol (?!), Propylne Glycol Alginate, and Triethyl Citrate, Preserved with Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate.  What an odd assortment of ingredients.  If I followed the "Don't Eat Anything with Ingredients You Can't Pronounce" diet.  Grade:  B+

Root Beer Review: Goose Island

Who knew there was a Chicago Style Root Beer?  Another one with a cardboard flavoring.  Luckily, the taste was overall mild.  I think the hint to upcoming cardboard taste is the lack of scent.  Also had a nice fizz of carbonation (same as Cool Mountain).  However, you could taste the sugar more in this one.  Ingredients:  Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (as Preservatives) and Citric Acid.  Grade:  D+

Root Beer Review: Cool Mountain

Can I just say I LOVE the clear bottles?  Seems classier for some reason.  Just fun to look at.  This root beer had almost no smell and almost no flavor.  However, what flavor there is was tasty.  The carbonation was perfect - it just simmered across the tongue.  Had a weird after-feeling (what do you call that?).  Felt like the liquid stuck on the tongue afterwards.  Toward the bottom of the bottle, the flavor got a cardboard overtone.  Ingredients:  Filtered water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural and Artificial flavor, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate as a preservative.  Grade:  D+.