Cookie Review: Mint Chocolate Chip - Chips Ahoy! Ice Cream Creations

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great taste; nice and moist

Cons: Could use a bit more mint overall

The Bottom Line:

Chocolate and mint

Chocolate does overwhelm

Still delicious treat

Almost Perfection with Chips Ahoy! Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

My curiosity about the Chips Ahoy! Ice Cream Creations cookies lead me to buy three of them when I first saw them in the stores.  Of those, the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies met my expectations the most.  Not saying there isn't room for improvement, but from looking at the package, I got just what I expected.

These are soft (chewy in Chips Ahoy! speak) chocolate cookies.  Inside, they come with chocolate chips and mint pieces.  The result is a flavor that is very close to mint chocolate chip ice cream, which is obviously what they were going for.

I saw very close because the chocolate tends to overwhelm the mint.  I'm not saying you can't taste it because it is definitely there.  I'm just saying that I wish it were stronger.  It is stronger in the better mint chocolate chip ice creams out there.  And yes, I know I'm complaining about abundance of chocolate flavor in something.  Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate.  I just wish there were more mint here.

Two cookies provide you with 140 calories, 50 of which are from fat.  There's nothing nutritious about them.  (I know that was a news flash to me.)  The ingredients are the standard wheat, butter, oil, and chocolate you'd expect.

So, naturally, these should not be part of your normal diet.  (I really eat too much junk food.)  But the Chips Ahoy! Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are absolutely something I will be buying again.

April 5th's Weekly TV Thoughts

The Amazing Race - It's not that I want the country girls gone, but I don't expect them to last too much longer.  As a result, I'm not sure how I feel about the non-elimination leg.  That car challenge was just amazing to watch.  How could anyone stay sane while doing it?

Dancing with the Stars - Okay, I've made no secret of the fact that I thought Billy Dee should go because he's a poor dancer.  However, I'm sorry to see him go because of an injury.  Looking ahead, I'm glad the switch up is for only one week.  I thought it was going to be permanent.  It will be interesting to watch.

Melissa & Joey - Mel's hair was great; just so funny.  I'm glad they ended things with Stella on a better note.  Not that I expected her to stay around for long, but I really did like her character.  (I know, I know - I'm repeating myself).

Arrow - WOW!  Best episode of the season.  So what will happen with Laurel's dad now that they are trying to arrest Slade again?  And since Laurel knows the truth….  Speaking of which, I love how they played on our expectations with him.  He told Thia one thing and Laurel another, both of which were not what we were expecting.  Plus with the Queens now being out of their company….  Do we really have to wait two weeks for the next installment?

Survivor - This isn't the first time we've seen the "deciding vote" be the one to go.  When you lord your power over others, you make yourself a target.  I actually saw that one coming pretty early on.

The Big Bang Theory - Hilarious.  Poor Amy dealing with Sheldon trying to make that decision.  Although my favorite moment was the gag at the end of the episode.  Couldn't stop laughing.

Suits - Even before I saw the preview for next week, I knew Mike should have gotten out.  Yes, he has a job and co-workers he loves.  But he also needs to take a great thing when he sees it, and that job offer was a great thing.

The Crazy Ones - Zach's stories aren't always my favorites, but this time it was pretty funny.  Saw a couple twists coming early, but the solution was genious.

Ornament Review: Sally's Spring Bouquet - Happiness is Peanuts All Year Long #10 - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Makes you think of Spring

Cons: Sally's pose seems a little off to me

The Bottom Line:

Collecting flowers

Blooming with pretty colors

A sure sign of Spring

There Must Have Been Some Good April Showers to Bring Sally These May Flowers

I have a love hate relationship with Spring.  I love the warmer weather (hey, those lower 60's days can get downright cold here in Southern California), but my allergies go crazy with all the pollen.  Still, I do enjoy flowers, which is why I like Sally's Spring Bouquet.

This is the May entry (released in April) for Hallmark's Happiness is Peanuts All Year Long ornament series.  It features Sally in her first and only appearance in the series.  She's wearing her trademark pink with red polka dotted dress, and in her arms, she is holding a huge collection of flowers.  These flowers are a dark lavender (maybe purple?) with a yellow center to them.  Sally is obviously pleased with her flowers since she is smiling so wide her eyes are closed.  She's also almost but not quite standing on one foot, so I guess she's walking forward.

And that is really the only complaint I have with this ornament.  Sally's pose looks odd to me.  Between her eyes closed and standing on one foot, she looks like she is about to fall over.  If she were standing up straight, I think I'd love this ornament.

Fortunately, falling is only in her appearance.  The base of the ornament is once again green grass, and the oval of it under Sally is nice and flat.  You can set this on any surface without fear of it falling over.  And those looking for the series marker will find the 10 in a Christmas tree on the bottom as well.

Likewise, the ornament is perfectly balanced for hanging.  The grass base is parallel to the ground when you slip a hanger through the loop on the top of Sally's head.

Speaking of that loop, Hallmark must have corrected the production issues they had with the early ornaments in the series, because this one again is positions perfectly for the stand for the series (sold separately).  The background for this month is a flowery meadow, and it is very pretty back behind Sally.  Woodstock is even flying on the right hand side of the scene.

While the pose may be off, I do still like Sally's Spring Bouquet overall.  I'll gladly display it as the pollen from real flowers drives up my allergies.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Happiness is Peanuts All Year Long series.

Original Price: $12.95

April 4ths' Book Beginnings and Friday 56

It's Friday, and you know what that means.  Yep, time for Book Beginnings and Friday 56.

This week, I'm reading Clammed Up by Barbara Ross.

This is the first in a mystery series that centers around a family owned clam bake company in Maine.  They host clam bakes as a tourist attraction during the summer.  Naturally, a murder has taken place right at the start to tourist season.

And here's how it begins:

She hadn't seemed like a Bridezilla.  Not in the least.  Most brides who would celebrate their wedding with a clambake on an island in Maine were pretty relaxed.

And from page 56:

"I think this murder will finally bankrupt the Snowden Family Clambake," I said.  "And the worst part is, there is not one thing I can do about it."

Is she right?  Will it bankrupts the business?  Can she do anything about it?  Honestly, I don't know myself yet, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you.  You have to read the book yourself to find out.

TV Recap: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland 1-13 - And They Lived...

I got word on something this week I thought was a spoiler for tonight's series finale of Wonderland.  Well, it is, but I thought it meant I knew the fate of two characters.  I was wrong on that front, but I am thrilled to be so.

More on that later.

For now, shall we get to the climax of this 13 episode story?  No flashback tonight.  It's all taking place in our current storyline, which isn't surprising since we need to resolve everything.

We start where the last episode ended as Jafar and Amara complete the spell that will allow them to rewrite the rules of magic.  With it completed, Amara goes to revive the dead Cyrus.  However, Jafar isn't happy sharing his powers.  He plans to kill a distracted Amara. Before he does, his father comes in.

Book Review: Inherit the Word by Daryl Wood Gerber (Cookbook Nook Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun characters and setting and a confusing mystery

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Grilling a murder

In this twisty, complex plot

I'm hungry for more

Who Grilled the Front Runner?

I don't normally read the teasers at the back of books.  After all, if I'm already planning to read the next in the series, what's the point?  However, for some reason I did at the end of the first Cookbook Nook Mystery, so you can imagine my surprise when I sat down to read Inherit the Word and discovered that the first chapter ended differently.  I quickly set that disappointment aside and got hooked on the story author Daryl Wood Gerber decided to tell, which was quite good.

The Cookbook Nook has the honor of hosting Crystal Cove's annual Grill Fest.  This year, the theme is grilled cheese, so Jenna Hart has laid in a collection of grilled cheese cookbooks to sell to customers who attend the competition.  The presumed winner this year is Natalie Mumford.  After all, she's won the last eight years in a row.

However, before the first round even gets under way, Natalie is found behind The Cookbook Nook dead.  The murder weapon was a panini grill.  Whispers in the small town quickly turn to Lola, Jenna's friend Bailey's mother.  After all, Lola had just made a similar threat to Natalie last week.  But when Jenna starts trying to come up with other suspects, she finds plenty and more motives then she can keep straight.  Who really killed Natalie?

As I said, this was a very strong mystery.  Every few chapters, it seemed we had a new clue or a new suspect and certainly a new motive.  Yet these were never thrown at us blindly.  Everything is laid out so that it makes perfect sense - that is until the next clue sends Jenna (and us) off in another direction.  I didn't have things figured out until Jenna revealed the killer, but it all made perfect sense in the end.  Meanwhile, there's a subplot that weaves through the book with a very personal connection to Jenna.

That subplot really helped me get to know Jenna better.  In fact, I felt we got to know all the characters better in this story, especially her friends Bailey and Katie.  The entire cast are people I enjoyed spending time with, and I look forward to many more outings with them.  The suspects are just as strong as the main characters, making it hard to zero in on anyone but making us care about the outcome at the same time.

There are seven recipes in the back of the book to try later.  Naturally, several of them are for grilled cheese sandwiches, but you will also find an ice cream and a cookie recipe back there.

Plus I love the setting.  Crystal Cove is a small Central California resort town, and I would love to visit it - between murders, of course.  Unfortunately, it is fictitious, so I'll have to settle for visiting with Jenna and company when a murder happens.

Fortunately, the third book in the series is coming in October, so we don't have long to wait.  In the mean time, be sure to read Inherit the Word.  It will leave you hungry for your next visit.

Enjoy this book?  You'll want to read the rest of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries in order.

Monthly Reading Summary - March 2014

Here's my monthly reading summary for March.  As always, the links take you to my full review here on the blog if you are interested in learning more about the books.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (O'Hare and Fox #2) - 4

FBI Agent O'Hare and wanted criminal Fox must team up to recover a stolen Chinese artifact and return it unnoticed before an international incident occurs.

The plot was quite fun and twisted in some unexpected ways.  Plenty of tense moments hoping our heroes could pull off the impossible.  The characters are still on the shallow side, but this book is fun, fun, fun!

NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DUMMY OF A GHOST by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Ghost of Granny Apples #3.67) - 5

This e-novella once again focuses on Emma's daughter Kelly, who is home for Spring Break reconnecting with her high school friends.  When she sees a ghost who tells her one friend is in some unknown danger, she teams up with Granny and Emma to find out what is happening.

The characters are strong and the plot is great.  This may be a novella, but everything is perfectly developed.  The virtual pages flew by, and I can't wait until the next novel comes out next month.

NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

AN APPETITE FOR MURDER by Lucy Burdette (Key West Food Critic Mysteries #1) - 4

Hayley is trying to get a job at the new magazine in Key West as a food critic.  This is despite the fact that she found the magazine's owner in bed with Hayley's boyfriend.  But when the owner is killed, Hayley finds herself the chief suspect in the murder.

Since I liked the most recent one when I read it a couple months ago, I thought I'd go back and start at the beginning.  Hayley seems to have more flaws here than in the later book, although I still loved her.  The story was a little slow to get going as well, but I got hooked in the second half.  A good start to a fun series.

NOTE: I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

COLD-CASE CHRISTIANITY by J. Warner Wallace - 4

A former cold case investigator puts the skills he learned on his job to looking at the evidence for the New Testament.

It's an interesting take on things, and his logic provides some good insights at times.  However, I also felt it was a little shallow at times.  A good introduction if you aren't familiar with the subject, and the notes in the back provide more detail if you want to examine it further.

BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen #17) - 4

It's been four months since Hannah last found a dead body, and the only thing on her mind is getting her mother to settle on something for her wedding.  That is until a sever summer storm forces Hannah to lose control of her car and hit a man, killing him.  But no one recognizes him.  Who is he?  And what was he doing in Lake Eden?

There is little that changes in the lives of the characters, but I still enjoyed visiting them again since I found them their normal charming selves.  The cliffhanger at the end definitely made me want the next book out soon.  Can't believe I have to wait a year to find out what happens next.

LET THE STORM BREAK by Shannon Messenger (Sky Fall #2) - 5

Vane is covering for Audra's absence, and he's dealing with horrible nightmares any time he sleeps.  Meanwhile, Audra isn't sure what she is looking for, but she finds more danger than she bargained for.  Meanwhile, the villain is plotting to capture both of them.

Another spellbinding book that had me turning pages as quickly as I could.  The characters are great, too.  Anyone looking for a great YA fantasy book will love this one.

I EVEN FUNNIER by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (I Funny #2) - 4

As Jamie Grimm prepares for the regionals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Contest, he must continue to deal with typical middle school problems like figuring out girls and relationships, his friend's problems, and tutoring his cousin who also happens to be the class bully.

I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series, possibly because I saw the more slice of life nature of the book.  Some stories start and end early while others for running threads that last longer.  Holding it all together is the comic contest.  The fun illustrations help make this book a very fast read.

April 2nd's Waiting on Wednesday

I've waited a long time for this book.

And what book is this?  This is Poached by Stuart Gibbs.  He is finally going back and giving us a sequel to his first middle grade mystery, Belly Up.  Not that he's been slacking in that time.  He's published 5 other books, including a complete trilogy.  I've loved them, too.  But I was always hoping for a sequel to that first book.

As I said, this series is a middle grade mystery set at FunJungle.  Think of a zoo as done by Disney with lots of animals and lots of attractions as well.  I don't know anything about the book outside of the cover and title, but I still can't wait to read it.  Not that I have long to wait since it comes out on April 8th

And that's this week's Waiting on Wednesday.

TV Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1-16 - End of the Beginning

Wow, things are definitely getting interesting.  We're building toward a climax of the season in typical Joss Whedon fashion.  Everything from here on out in important.

And yet, I feel like tonight's episode can be summed up rather quickly.  We'll see if I'm right or not.

A big development - Skye became an official part of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Everyone on the team is happy and proud of her.

And she needed it, too.  Coulson's new idea was to send out teams of two to various suspects who could be the Clairvoyant.  He wanted Skye to research these suspects and then randomly assign people to the teams - something she does with ease.

TV Show Review: psych - Season 8

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Some good episodes, including the finale

Cons: Too much over the top antics; "A Nightmare on State Street"

The Bottom Line:

Shawn's final visions

Some good; some over the top

Ending is perfect

Bit Over the Top, but Ultimately Satisfying End to psych

All good things must come to an end.  The trick for a TV series if figuring out when that end should be.  For psych, that end came with the shortened eighth season.  And while some of us fans definitely think the show went on a little too long, it went out on a high note.

When last we saw our heroes, life in Santa Barbara was changing, and not for the better.  Chief Vick (Kirsten Nelson) had been replaced as chief of police and head detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) had been demoted to beat cop.  The only person the changes had helped was Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) who was now head detective.  And our heroes?  There was no place for consultants and especially psychics, so fake psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend Gus (Dule Hill) were definitely out on their own.

But don't count them out so fast.  Shawn and Gus manage to worm their way into a case when Lassiter gets great news that turns him into a coward.  And when coroner Woody (Kurt Fuller) gets taken hostage, Shawn and Gus are again in the thick of things.  Before the season is out, a new chief of police is named, we meet up with a recurring character in England, Shawn's dad Henry (Corbin Bernsen) sells the house where Shawn grew up, and everyone flashes back to the 1960's to solve the murder of the mayor's uncle.  In one of the best episodes of the season, Shawn and Gus go undercover to find out who killed their favorite food truck owner.  Trust me, this one was hilarious.

The season was mostly enjoyable, but was a bit over the top.  Looking back on the show, the writers have been letting Shawn and Gus's antics get crazier and crazier as the series has progressed.  They are certainly funny, and I enjoy watching them, however, they need to be reigned in at times.  Many of these episodes would improve if they just didn't let the characters get quite so out of hand.

In an interesting choice, one of the first season episodes is remade.  Yes, it is even set back in 2006.  I watched both episodes back to back, and frankly, I'm not sure what the point was.  Again, there were more antics (not necessarily a good thing, although some were amusing), and it was interesting to watch them spin things with a different killer.  A few of the in jokes and stabs at remakes were certainly fun, however.

Another issue the season had was the cast.  I'm not talking about the acting, which was always good.  But Maggie Lawson was just some of the episodes because she had taken a job on Back in the Game on ABC.  Frankly, that hurt because her character often provides some of the much needed grounding of the show.  Likewise, Kristen Nelson's Chief Vick wasn't in enough episodes.

But honestly, to get a good glimpse at this season, you need to take a look at the final two episodes.  The penultimate episode was "A Nightmare on State Street."  I was expecting one of their horror movie spoofs with Bruce Campbell as a guest star.  This episode involved zombies and a mystery that made no sense at all.  Between the dreams and the reality, it was almost impossible to follow any semblance of a story.

Then there's "The Breakup."  The series ender was perfect.  There was a good mystery to solve as everything was brought to a close.  There were some great shout outs to the fans and plenty of good moments between the characters.  The final scene was possibly one of the funniest of the series.  I couldn't have been happier with how it ended.

And honestly, with how this season was structured, I'm surprised it took everyone so long to officially announce this as the final season of the show.  With fewer episodes than normal and an actual story arc to the season, I saw this coming months ago and felt certain of it as the season progressed.  It would have been very hard to keep the series running even if they had cut out the final episode and saved it for another time.  I do think they made the right call.  While I enjoyed most of the season, it is time to say goodbye, and as I said, the finale was perfect.

The season includes all 10 episodes on 3 discs in their native wide screen and surround sound.  Extras include some deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a podcast with various members of the cast and crew on almost every episode.  The biggest surprise to me was the inclusion of the wonderful musical episode that aired back in December.  It was filmed as part of season seven but held until December and then released on DVD by itself.  I'm glad I waited so I can get it as part of this set.  Finally, there's a behind the scenes on the musical and a goodbye featurette.

The over the top antics of Shawn and Gus were a bit too much during the final season of psych.  Still, the loyal fans will be happy with these episodes and happy with how the show ends.  I will definitely be rewatching several of them over the years and will gladly welcome season eight to my DVD collection.

Season Eight Episodes:

1. Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels, and Burton Guster's Goblet of Fire

2. S.I.E.Z.E. the Day

3. Remake AKA Cloudy…With a Chance of Improvement

4. Someone's Got a Woody

5. Cog Blocked

6. 1967: A psych Odyssey

7. Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up

8. A Touch of Sweevil

9. A Nightmare on State Street

10. The Breakup

Bonus: psych - The Musical