Ketchup, Catsup, Ketchup, Catsup?

Disaster.  OK not really.  But I must admit I was hoping for rocket ships and stars and all I got was a mouthful of sugar.  My aversion to refined sugars must be lowering my tolerance.  Last night, for instance I desperately needed some sug, however at my family style dinner at Puka Di Beppo, I couldn't order the giant tiramisu as I would have liked.  Twelve dollars is just to much for a sugar fix these days.  Instead I opted for a Soy Mocha latte at one of the many Starbucks Coffee houses (have you been yet?) in my locale. Bio-Friendly cups in hand, Mike and I wandered over to the Ralph's to pick up some non-manufactured in a facility that also uses it's machines on tree nuts Brownie mix (Audie could DIE!) to satisfy my MUST HAVE MORE SUGAR NOW urge.

About 3/4Th's through my Tall Coffee drink (to wake me up mostly as I had been drinking since noon in Malibu) I realized my sugar tolerance is lowering.  I'm glad I didn't start barfing from too high a dose.  Not only did the coffee not work (I fell asleep only two Celebrities into said game over at Audie's), I passed on the brownies too. :( They smelled amazing. I suppose I will just have to do with smells of baked chocolate goods from now on.  However, Audie, Mike and Will were so kind to surprise me today with my new frozen obsession, Yogurt Haven's Sugar Free Chocolate Frozen Yogurt with strawberries and almonds! That place kills Pinkberry. My only yummy solace in a world singing with sugar. I mixed that little bowl of heaven with some raspberries and had one amazing lunch. Yes, I ate frozen yog for lunch and yes, that defeats the purpose of my healthy new diet as even though it is devoid of sugar, it is still  full of artificiality. 

Back to the Herr's Heinz Ketchup Potato Chips.  Now one would think "What a brilliant combo!", myself included as I've long been a supporter of the salty/sweet combo.  However these were in no way salty. Just sweet and vinegary. I was never one to dip my potato chips in catsup (although I did love to do that with pickle juice...ok still do.). I left my sister Lizzy to do such things (Lizzy was a fan of watermelon + ketchup), as ketchup was always something to be enjoyed with hot foods.  Also sugar crystals that taste sort of kind of like catsup covering a beautiful Herr's Ridged chip looking like Christmas cookie sprinkles were the last thing I wanted to eat. There were actual SUGAR CUBES on this chip!!  Not only did they stain my adorable small and dainty fingers but they left me with a guilty conscience for all the refined sugar I had just indulged in.  Every bite was a struggle.  

As write this I'm indulging in my now 5Th bag of Crisp N' Tastys.  Sometimes all I need is a simple, yummy crisp.  N bells n' whistles, just pure flavor.  

Crisp n' Tasty

Yumz. Sunday morning was my breakfast of champions. The all too neglected regular flavor of Herr's, Crisp n' Tasty.  In lieu of my fancy high fiber cereal and a piece of fruit, I enjoyed a light(in texture only) snack on the sinful 1.9 mile drive to work yesterday morn.  Yes I will ride my bike tomorrow.  I impressed myself by riding around Silverlake the other night with only some wheezing up the big hills and therefore I vow to ride to work this week with sheer ease. Enough of my lazy waking up ritual 20 minutes before work!  

I feel quite guilty for eating the chips on sunday and writing about them today. Especially with the gluttonous and gratuitous weekend I just had thanks to street fair food and skinny dipping. Fuck! I just remembered I forgot to partake in a fancy funnel cake at Sunset Junction. I tried to make them at home once...a slight meltdown occurred following. Next year I suppose.

 I will just have to eat another bag right now to refresh my memers. Ah memers...

Salty, not too salty...a little greasy but just the right amount that makes you want to rip open the bag and lick the foil, searching for any tiny crumb too small for human fingers.  Oh dear it just happened.  It's the kind of thing you can't control...I'm a monster!! Crisp n' Tasty you're TOO tasty! 

Time for some boone (y'know the Vietnamese treat that puts good stuff in a bowl of cold noodles, not the character played by  Ian Somerhalder on 'Lost')  I'm positive it is not spelled that way so no corrections please! Waiting for boone all day can get really hard, especially when a case of instant gratification (in the lowest and tastiest form) sits nestled in a cupboard seemingly built for the sole purpose of housing my prized snack perishables.

I'll dream of you tonight, Crisp n' Tasty when we can meet again. You're lucky if I don't ravage your shiny teal package again this week, no, this hour. No cupboard can keep me out, even if you lock the door.  

I made Herr's mine.

They arrived on time! UPS are my collective heroes.  My case of Herr's arrived on Wednesday to my sleepy joy.  After a night of partying (WHOOOOOOOOO! ugh...) I was already slightly wired from my two venti Soy Lattes (after not drinking coffee for at least a month and giving up refined sugars) when my package arrived at my place of work. An exhausting 14 hour day later, I managed to forget my precious cargo when I dragged my haggard body home.  

So Thursday was the inaugural day.  Now I promised myself I would only eat the chips on days I would review them so it keeps me from binging, however I had some karaoke to take care of last night and so the writing had to wait until today, my day off in which I should be lounging at the beach, not still in bed with my injured Sophie-Lucie wasting life on the inter web.  

Roommate Jason (oddly I know many Jasons and therefore clarification is necessary) and I cracked into the case and enjoyed the freshest Salt and Vin offered.  I find it helpful to share with a friend as #1 It's good to share, and #2 It's a second (less educated) opinion that can sometimes shed some limited light on a flavor dispute.

The Salt and Vinegar proved to be a bit of a flavor blast, not unlike a wasabi blast.  It seems the fresher the bag, the stronger the flavor, and Herr's got it covered.  My favorite east coast Salt and Vinegar crisps were too pungent in saltiness and vinegary, but still had excellent potato crispiness. Normally I purchase the large bags from Rite Aid with a Turner's Lemon Flavored Iced T to wash them down and the flavor is always impec!  I guess the small bags are more concentrated as Roommate Jason pointed out for longer shelf life for the vending machines in which they are intended.  I have 40 more bags to go in my Herr's adventure...I might just have to let them settle since they are straight from the packaging plant and therefore too fresh for even the heavens.

Soon to be in heaven...

I did it. I went for it.  The 42 1 oz.  case from Herr's.  Getting mostly Salt and Vin and Crisp n' Tasty, but I also ordered one of each flavor offered by the Herr's Snack Company to facilitate my Chip of the Every Other Day or So Club.

As Alyssa pointed out, the Heinz Ketchup Chip by Herr's, is a different tater treat. Canadians love Ketchup flavored potato crisps, I hear. My first review when my shipment arrives at my place of work within 5-7 business days (for only $11!) will be the mighty Ketchup crunch.  American Apparel is about variety and choice of colors(flavors) so I'm sure they won't mind my cornucopia of potato bliss arriving amongst Staples orders and 20 boxes of clothing transfers that day.  Better brush up on my snack nouns...

Utz and Mad Men

Mad Men. My favorite television experience in recent history.  And now they have outdone themselves by combining my three loves: stunning production design captured by flawless cinematography, the handsome and pensive Jon Hamm, and the delicious Pennsylvania chip brand, Utz Potato Chips.

I'm trying to figure out where I can purchase Utz here in California.  I found Kosher for Passover Herr's at the Kosher Cambridge Farms grocery store by my house in my Jew-centric neighborhood, Valley Village and was a bit disappointed when I discovered that the Herr's were past their sell by date.  Now any one who knows me knows that I strictly follow these expiration dates and will also not drink any dairy product over three days old. I throw them away for fear of rotting food smells.  

I'm probably going to end up ordering a case of Herr's and a case of Utz and I will never eat any other foods ever again.

Here I Go Again

I need to find these:
Jay's Dill Pickle Potato Chips.