Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Naturals Popcorn, Garlic Butter and Sea Salt

This popcorn sounded so appealing! You know I love popcorn. I also like garlic. Plus, I really dig the bag that turns into a bowl. Unfortunately, the flavor is a solid Meh. The taste is garlic-ish, but doesn't seem authentic.

I've made garlic popcorn before - air popped corn, butter, garlic, salt.  It is really good.

The ingredients in the Orville Redenbacher's popcorn are - popping corn, palm oil, sea salt, "natural flavor" (including milk) and mixed tocopherols.

The word Garlic doesn't appear, specifically. This seems suspicious. If they used garlic, why not say so? It doesn't taste like real garlic was used. It isn't gross or anything, but it certainly isn't proper garlic popcorn.

Eating this left me with a mouthful of regret that can't be washed away by Pinot Grigio.
I still like the bag-bowl.

Sutter Home White Merlot

Look at this mini bottle that caught my eye at the grocery store:

http://www.sutterhome.com/wine/white-merlot#

"When you're craving a red, but your barometer is screaming white, our White Merlot wine comes to the rescue. This lighter, friskier Merlot has juicy cherry notes that mingle with fresh raspberries, leading to a crisp finish. Enjoy it chilled as an aperitif or pair with barbecue, seafood, and food with a little extra kick to it."

For $1.00, I'm game.  The bottle is 187 ml in size, which amounts to about 1.25 servings if you're being proper about it.

White Merlot is made from the same grapes as regular Merlot, but once crushed the juice is separated from the skins quickly, resulting in a Barbie-doll pink rather than a deep red.

That is a reusable plastic strawberry-shaped ice cube in the glass. I'm classy like that. Seriously though, it is a fast way to cool a single glass of wine without diluting your drink or ruining a bottle by over chilling. Besides, no one is around to judge when you're drinking all alone. *sobs* At least I didn't use a bendy straw in the bottle. I considered it.

It is sweet, but there is some weight behind it, and it lingers pleasantly for just a moment. This would make a good picnic wine on a warm day in the same way that mimosas great with breakfast crepes.  It isn't too sweet for red wine drinkers and not too heavy for white wine lovers. It's not complicated or special, but what do you expect for $1? Sutter Home has 12 varieties in mini bottles, so I'm picturing a cooler full of them to share with friends while we play Cards Against Humanity.

P.S. It pairs nicely with tater tots.

Tootsie Pops and the Indian Wrapper

I don't eat a lot of non-chocolate candy, but a raspberry Tootsie Pop was given to me recently and I gave in to nostalgia. It is still pretty fantastic! I noticed that my wrapper had that legendary Indian (meaning a child dressed up as a Native American) on the wrapper.

When I was a kid, a popular myth that we all took for truth had to do with that picture. Word on the street (and in back yards, parks, school hallways) was that when you got a wrapper with an Indian shooting a star, it could be traded in for a free Tootsie Pop.

This childhood 'fact' was perpetuated for many years in my small town because the owner of a local corner store allowed it. Any kid that wandered into the store and presented the clerk with an Indian wrapper was given a free Tootsie Pop. The practice was not endorsed or promoted by the Tootsie Pop company, but was simply the choice of the nice owner who paid for this candy from his own pocket. This went on until that little shop was replaced by a chain convenience store.

I now live in an area roughly 10 times the population size of my hometown. I asked my kids if the wrapper meant anything to them but they had never heard of the free candy rumor.

If anyone wants to trade a Tootsie Pop for my wrapper, I like cherry, grape and chocolate too.  ;-)

Learn more about Tootsie Pop wrapper legends:
Shooting Star
A Tootsie Pop Mystery
Rumors for Tootsie Pops

The Legend of the Indian Wrapper

Winking Owl Wine - White Zinfandel

I had previously tried the other five offerings in the Winking Owl line from Aldi, intentionally leaving out the White Zinfandel because I usually refer to white zin as the training wheels of wine drinking.  It's too sweet, too weak, too...pink.  The problem is that I felt compelled to be a completest and try this sixth option.

White Zinfandel - "Cranberry and watermelon flavors with notes of fresh strawberry and cherry." Light, dry.

Right after I took a photo of the bottle, I tossed it it right into the refrigerator. Let's not even pretend that white zin can't live in the fridge.

After my husband went to work and the kids left for the pool, I uncorked the wine and got a whiff of something like Elmer's glue dissolving in apple cider vinegar, which isn't unpleasant to me. Make of that what you will.

The secretaries at my kid's school gave me this 16 oz tumbler as a gift, so I poured half of the bottle into it.

No, not really, but I could totally get away with it since it looks like juice or watery Kool-Aid.

Despite my snark towards white zinfandel, I was really hoping to be surprised by this one. I liked the Winking Owl Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.

Noooooope.  It tastes like someone went strolling through a berry patch in sock-feet, then put those socks in a bottle, topped it off with water and the tears of a unicorn, left it in a prison basement for a year, the tossed it unceremoniously into a refrigerator.

Oh, that last one was me. I forgot.

It doesn't taste like it has gone bad; I think this is how it is supposed to be. There are cloying under-tastes that I can't identify and they are hard to swallow away. It's almost like it it started out sour and had a ton of sugar dumped into it. I swear I'm picking up the flavor of glue too. Don't ask how I know what glue tastes like.

It made my eyes burn and my face sweat. That's not pretty. I couldn't finish the partial glass I poured.

In my prior review I made the assumption that fans of white zin would probably love this. I retract that statement. I wouldn't give this to anyone that I liked. Leave this one on the shelf and go buy Oak Leaf at Walmart with your $2.89. They have nine to choose from...that could keep me busy for awhile. *hic*

DIY Rx Bottle Money & Key Holder

When you're lacking pockets this can help keep your cash handy and dry-ish. Water resistance varies depending on the type of bottle you use. Applying a thin layer of silicone under the cap can help.

You can enlarge the photos by clicking.

You will need:

• An empty prescription bottle, label removed
• Awl, drill, or other means of making a small hole in the cap.
• Durable string or cord. I used a soft synthetic yarn.
• Hot glue, waterproof craft glue, or silicone caulk.

Poke a hole in the center of the cap. Keep it small so it can be sealed up.

Cut your string long enough to fit over your head easily. For women, I suggest aiming for cleavage-length so you can tuck it in. Double the string and thread it through the hole. A piece of tape wrapped around the ends will help. Knot the ends inside the cap.

Apply a blob of glue at the hole then pull the knot tight to it.

When the glue is set/dry, trim the excess string inside the cap.

A 3" prescription bottle can hold a roll of bills, coins up to the size of silver/gold dollars, and standard keys.

Good for older kids that don't need much supervision, but a strangulation hazard for the littles.