Panna Cotta Gelato + Marcona Almonds

Rating: 6.5/10

Panna cotta gelato topped with Spanish Marcona almonds. Neither really amazing by themselves, so I decided to have them join forces hoping for a better taste experience. Success! And what an interesting taste experience it was. Don't come across too many foods that are both spicy and frozen. While I still don't love this as a whole, it was an inspired taste smash. The spicy, crunchy, roasted almonds definitely adds a kick to the somewhat bland gelato, and the creamy, sweet gelato smooths out the monotonously pungent almond. Wouldn't recommend eating one without the other. They sort of balance each other out in a way.

Nutrition:

• panna cotta gelato (small cup) = 180 Calories, 1g fiber, 20g sugar
• 2 spoonfuls of Mitica Spicy Marcona Almonds = 190 Calories, 240mg Potassium, 3.5g fiber, 28% of daily Vitamin E, 14% of daily Phosphorous

Total Calories = 370
Cool Vitamin E, don't get that from too many places. Skin happy. Not sure what good Phosphorus serves but got some of that too.

Pigs-in-a-Blanket + Salsa

Rating: 7/10

Fresh baked pigs-in-a-blanket dipped in spicy salsa. Ideal companion to a night of beer pong. The spicy, sour, salty, juicy salsa added the perfect kick to the flaky, buttery, chewy, savory, hot mini dogs wrapped in croissant. Me likey, and not even a wee bit drunk 'cause me playz to winz.

Nutrition:

• Tostitos Hot Salsa (4 tbsp) = 20 Calories, 2g fiber, 500mg Sodium, 20% of daily Vitamin C, 15% of daily Vitamin A
• 4 pigs-in-a-blanket = 280 Calories, 1g fiber, 430mg Sodium, 10% of daily Vitamin A, 10% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 300
Not bad, some fiber and vitamins, go figure.

Lingonberry Preserve + Crueller + Arugula

Rating: 8/10

Man, I ate so many random combinations of food this morning, I can't even narrow it down to one. But I guess I'll start with all lingonberry related stuff. Cruellers dipped in lingonberry jam eaten with arugula. So much divergent flavors here my mouth was genuinely confused but in a good way, I think. The lingonberry really gave the crispy, chewy, mildly sweet crueller a hit of tarty sweetness. Then, the punch in the mouth that was arugula was like whoah where did that come from? Taste buds slightly shell shocked.

Popcorn Chicken + Sauerkraut + Relish

Rating: 6/10

Popcorn chicken topped with sauerkraut and relish. Why not? I was debating between the chicken and a hotdog with the works before I realized the only reason I wanted hotdog was for the toppings, so best of both worlds here. The juicy-stringy, sour and sweet sauerkraut plus relish combo added an extra pow of flavor to the salty, crunchy, chewy chicken. The strength of taste was a bit overwhelming without something creamy to lighten it like maybe mashed potatoes or alfredo pasta. But it was interesting and I don't mind this outcome much. I'll take it over hotdog any day.

Mint Chocolate + Spicy Crab Risotto

Rating: 9/10

Dark chocolate mint pieces eaten with some spicy crab risotto. This turned out unexpectedly good. And I don't even like mint. Just thought what the heck it was in front of me so I might as well combine it with other foods. Such a pleasant surprise that the sweet, chocolatey mint chunks actually worked with the salty, spicy, soft rice dish. In a way, the spicy and minty sort of canceled each other out yet still leaving some semblance of the two characteristics in my mouth. It was a bit surreal and kind of awesome. Yay another one of those happy accidents in life. More please! And the chocolates are shaped like little Santas, which adds to the creepy-cool factor depending on which end of the spectrum you fall.

Buffalo Chicken Roller + Half Baked Ice Cream

Rating: 7.5/10

This was like a midnight snack except eaten at about 10 PM and as dinner. Result of a late night trip to 7-Eleven in a strange town for toilet paper that turned out rather unnecessary. I totally thought the rollers were some kind of taquito-like wrap, but no just fried chicken in stick form. Anyway, the strongly salty, spicy, chewy, crispy chicken was nicely complimented by the lighter touch of the sweet, creamy, chunky ice cream. Worth a nighttime redo.

Nutrition:

• 7-Eleven Buffalo Chicken Roller = 190 Calories, 880mg Sodium, 1g fiber, 10% of daily Calcium
• 1/4 Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream = 270 Calories, 27g sugar, 10% of daily Calcium, 10% of daily Vitamin A

Total Calories = 460
Not great but fairly harmless.

Fennel Arugula + Breaded Chicken + Cherry Garcia

Rating: 10/10

Salad, dessert, and entree all in one. This is what a complete meal is all about. Really, why wait when you can combine for the maximum taste trip? Breaded chicken seasoned with cumin and Italian herbs goes perfectly well eaten with the fennel arugula salad as it does covered in Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. The salty, savory, herby kick of the chicken is the center point of the meal with the ice cream and salad as alternating sides. I have to say stir fried fennel and raw arugula make the best salad combo: the anise crunch of the fennel and the punch of whatever it is you call the taste of arugula. I'd be happy to eat it just on its own. Same with the ice cream. But the chicken is naked without its sides.

Spicy Fried Chicken + Pinkberry Hazelnut

Rating: 8/10

Deep fried chicken wings lined with hot sauce dipped in Pinkberry chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt with toppings. Hitting all the taste receptors with this one. Not only do we have the hot and cold temperature combo of fried with frozen but also salty, spicy, savory, crispy, and chewy from the wings plus sweet, sour, juicy, and whatever awesome texture frozen yogurt is from the yogurt/toppings. Yes, my mouth feels sufficiently stimulated. Me likey!

Pierogies + Fried Pickles + Chipotle Dip

 
Rating: 7/10

Courtesy of food trucks, potato pierogies cooked with onions and deep fried pickles, both dipped in chipotle sauce. Mouth full of pow from both the fried pickles' zing of salty and sour as well as the chipotle dip's jab of spicy and savory. But somewhat calmed by the pierogies' mild savoriness. As for texture, you've got your crispy and juicy from the pickles, creamy from the dip, and chewy from the pierogies. I'd say that's a pretty tough combo to beat (if I liked pickles just a smidge more this would be so perfect). Taste buds still tingly and ready for battle. Arg, I feel like a Polish pirate right now.