Jumped Through Hoops For These Froot Loops ⭕

(The title is in reference my two and a half hour commute (!!!) home from SanRemo Bakery.)

Froot Loops Donut +
Apple Fritters

You’ll notice there are only two different donuts in the box. That’s because at 3:38 pm on a Friday, that’s all that’s left. To wit, this was the second last Froot Loops donut.

(I decided not to review the Fritters because mine contained considerably fewer apple pieces than usual.)

The Froot Loops donut was one of the new items that I was dying to try. (The other was Zeppole but all the good flavours were sold out.) Along with Corn Pops, Honeycomb and Honey Nut Cheerios, Froot Loops formed the foundation of my childhood cereal consumption.

This colourful creation takes the same signature stellar SanRemo donut and garnishes it with a generous helping of Froot Loops. I went in expecting the donut to have a generic glazed icing. So it was a shock to my system to discover that it was Froot Loops flavoured!

It is also possible the shock was actually a result of the icing’s intensity because it was super sweet! Its potency was equivalent to the endmilk of a bowl of cereal comprised of 80% Froot Loops and 20% milk. In fact, it was so sweet that half a donut was more than sufficient for a single sitting.

I did enjoy how the crunchiness of the cereal pieces brought an added dimension to the donut. On a related note, I think that’s probably the source of sugar overload. Having both the cereal and the icing likely led to its loopy levels of sweetness.

So as the title of this post ponders: was it worth it?

For the Froot Loops donut alone, no.

However, when you factor in the fritters (still superb), cannoli and cookies which are not pictured (excellent and good), and the opportunity to catch up with an old friend (invaluable), then yes it was well worth the two and a half hour commute home.

Froot Loops Donut:

3.5 Added Dimensions out of 5

What's Wrong With Just Right 🤔

To commemorate National Cereal Day, I figured I would spotlight one of the most underrated cereals I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating — Just Right.

I still remember the first time I tried it. My first-year university floormate had kindly offered me some. After growing up on a steady diet of super sugary cereals, I have to admit that I was rather unimpressed by its appearance. One had to squint to see the sugared sheen on the glazed flakes. Plus, the presence of oat nuggets almost scared me off outright, as I conflated those to mean that it was “healthy.” (At that point in my life, a healthy cereal was about as appealing as an 8:30 am lecture!)

I voiced my concerns to him but he urged me to just give Just Right a shot. And am I glad I did! To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an enormous understatement. Propelled by my below-the-floor expectations (inside joke — our floor was halfway underground), it immediately shot up my list of favourite cereals.

Although Just Right did not offer the overload of sugar I was accustomed to, this was a good thing. It occupies the sweet spot on the cereal sugar spectrum: it is neither bland nor super(fluously) sugary. Here is the sugar content per 100 grams to help put it into perspective:

Cereal                Sugar/100g
Plain Cheerios                4g
Corn Flakes                  10g
JUST RIGHT                  17g
Life                              20g
Honey Nut Cheerios      31g 

In terms of texture, there is an assortment of different shapes and sizes. The crispy corn flakes are by far the largest, while there are also much smaller flakes made of rice. Then, there are little crunchy oat nuggets too. This helps ensure that every bite is different.

Mixing with milk has both benefits and drawbacks. As with many cereals, it can quickly become soggy and compromise its terrific texture. On the bright side, Just Right's aforementioned optimal sweetness helps ensure an equally enjoyable endmilk.

So since Kellogg’s got all the key aspects of this cereal Just Right 🙃, what’s wrong with it then, as the title of this blog post questions? Well, no one has ever heard of it, let alone tried it! And after doing some quick research (including consulting the preeminent voice in cereal reviews), Just Right does seem to be universally under-consumed. To wit, to this very day, my floormate and roommate are the only ones I know who have eaten it!

So now it’s my turn to do some urging. You can help right this wrong by getting Just Right!

4.5 Pleasant Surprises out of 5

(images from Kellogg's Canada)

The Cure for Ferrero Fatigue 💡

 

La Rocca-ing Around the Christmas Tree 🎄

One of my birthday gifts this year was an assortment of seasonal sweets from La Rocca Cakes. These were purchased from their Creative Kitchen retail boutique in Richmond Hill.

The phrase “too pretty to eat” gets thrown around with more force and frequency than a re-gifted present. In this case however, it is absolutely apt.

It all starts with the pristine packaging. The vibrant colours and kaleidoscopic design are extremely eye-catching.

Since we’re La Rocca-ing Around the Christmas Tree, let’s start with the Evergreen Tree:



This cake does a fantastic job of visually living up to its namesake. Pistachio mousse makes up the tree's foundation. Then, white chocolate slivers and spheres represent ribbons and ornaments. And to top it all off—a gold star!

Texturally, there was a nice contrast between the decorations and the tree. The white chocolate ornaments and ribbons provided crunchiness, while the pistachio mousse and strawberry jelly provided smoothness. Unfortunately, the strawberry jelly also stole the show for the wrong reason. It was tremendously tart, to the point where it was the dominant flavour, when the pistachio should have been the star of the show.

Christmas Comparison Verdict:
The Evergreen Tree is like when you get the Christmas gift you wished for, but turns out to be completely different than what you expected.
⭐️

Chestnut Tart

The Chestnut Tart was another appealing dessert. The candied chestnut and its connected chocolate ribbon helped give it a more memorable look.

The berries were bearable this time, enjoyable even, as they were not too tart, and slightly sweet. This was further balanced by the refreshing vanilla mousse. As for the pastry part, the surrounding tart and underlying base were buttery and flaky.

Ultimately, this Chestnut Tart suffered from a similar fate as the Evergreen Tree—the flavour with top billing failed to shine. Although it wasn't washed away by the other components, it also did not provide a punchy enough chestnut flavour to live up to its name.

Christmas Comparison Verdict: 

The Chestnut Tart is like that sweater your Aunt gifts you; it's fine, it's functional, but it doesn't possess the pizzazz to be regularly featured.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chocolate Orange Pyramid

La Rocca even managed to make a jet-black pyramid look picturesque. This is the result of the candied orange, chocolate orange sticks, hazelnuts and golden flecks garnished on top. They helped give great contrast and an added dimension to the devilishly dark dessert.

In terms of texture, the pyramid was:

✔️ Soft but not mushy
✔️ Rich but not heavy

And as the video above illustrates, it is real sturdy. It took a concerted effort to break off a piece. And it still stood strong afterwards. La Rocca definitely did the pyramid name proud!

Most importantly, in terms of taste, it was:

✔️ Sweet but not sickly
✔️ Bitter but not biting
✔️ Orangey but not overpowering

Finally, a dessert that lived up to its billing! All the elements worked together in perfect harmony.

Christmas Comparison Verdict: 

Like Santa and his Reindeer on Christmas Eve, I will be dashing through the snow this weekend to get a second helping before it flies off the counters!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Holidays and New Year! 🎉

Thank you to everyone who read the blog this year. Hoping for bigger and better things in 2019!

Speaking of which...


Hope your Holidays are merry,
And your New Year is cheery.
🎉

I wish you all the best,
In all your endeavours,
And that 2019,
Is your best year ever!
🍀


Warmest regards,
Kevin

La Crème de La Crème 🍫

 

Sportsnet Slays with Provocative Pregame Raptors Hype Video 😮

Link to the video

I commend everyone involved, their work was astounding!
The best hype video – got all of our hearts pounding!
This piece delivered pristine production all-around:
The visuals, writing, voice-over, music and sounds.  

The most notable feature was that it was so blunt,

There was a method to the madness, not just a stunt.
This was truly provocative, everyone was panned:
The media, players, coaches and even the fans.
It was all justified though, a brilliant plan.

They called out our All-Stars for leaving:
Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh,
The frankness was raw and disbelieving:
Seasoned journalists exclaimed, “Oh My Gosh!”

The video also took aim at our two most recent flames:
The Face of the Franchise, DeMar, and the Coach of the Year, Dwane.
This was copywriting at its best – amplifying the pain!


Most importantly, it also gave us hope for this season,
A great team added Kawhi Leonard; that’s the main reason.
Although he is a man shrouded in mystery,
He’s also the best player in our history!

We should believe in ourselves, our team, our city,
Instead of dwelling on supposed inferiorities.
As Masai also wisely preached, “We should move past that.”
Kawhi had the first, let’s hope he also has the last laugh.



Photos via Sportsnet