Tag Archives: Coca-Cola

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Coke with Lemon, Lemon with Lemon, Lemon with Peppermint…fun with Giambri’s porous candy sticks – HaliPawz

I love social media when used in the right way.  I saw a story on Facebook a few weeks ago about a Baltimore, Maryland treat consisting of a lemon and a peppermint stick.  I had never heard of this!  It sounded interesting.  A social media win, telling us about a local treat I might not have heard of had it not been for Facebook.  I began a search to explore more about this delicious sounding treat.  It seemed pretty simple.  You take a lemon, slice off about a 1/3 from the top, put an x in the center of it, and insert a porous peppermint stick.  Of course, the most difficult thing about the instructions is finding the porous peppermint stick.  This isn’t the same as a candy cane, as they are made differently.

I went back to Facebook for a minute and a suggested page (based on my search of the lemon stick)  was for Giambri’s Quality Sweets.  I had never heard of them, so I went to look at their page.  They sold the porous peppermint sticks, but in addition to that, they were featuring their porous lemon sticks.  They advertised putting these sticks in a lemon, just like the peppermint sticks, or in iced tea or your favorite summer drink.  It started me thinking…..I LOVE LOVE LOVE a nice cold glass of Coca-Cola with a lemon wedge, I started drinking it this way when I visited Germany and it’s how I’ve ordered it in a restaurant ever since….how would the porous lemon stick taste in the glass of coke?

I emailed Giambri’s and asked them if they would consider sending me a couple lemon sticks as well as a couple of peppermint sticks for me to try and then write about.  I was thrilled when they emailed me back stating they would! After giving them my address, I patiently waited for them to arrive. I liked that Giambri’s uses natural flavors.  It appears to be a candy that works for people allergic to other candies.

The first thing I noticed was how well packaged the product was. The black paper with their company sticker is a nice touch.  It’s like a present waiting to be opened!  In addition, the sticks are wrapped in bubble wrap, packing peanuts fill the box, and there is an single use cooler pack at the bottom to keep them in premium quality condition until they arrive at their destination.  I’m sure it also helps cushion the sticks.

Candy, dry ice

Giambri’s Quality Sweets packaging with label

porous candy

Giambri’s Peppermint and Lemon Stick

The sticks themselves were a little shorter than I envisioned.  The description says they are about 4″ long, but until you see them, you don’t quite know how long that is!  The color on them is vibrant. They looked fun!  I was excited to try them!

The first thing I wanted to try was a glass of Coke with the lemon stick.  As I am at my mom’s house right now, I went on the search for the perfect glass.  I didn’t take the size of the stick into account because I ended up getting a glass too tall.  I think, if I was to have them in the future, I would maybe use a wine glass or champagne glass.  I think it would work better.

Glass of Coca Cola with Giambri's Lemon Stick for a straw

Glass of Coca Cola with Giambri’s Lemon Stick for a straw

When I took the first sip, it was a little difficult to get a sip through.  As I sipped slowly, I noticed the cola started flowing through the stick easier and I could taste the lemon more.  The lemon flavor was very rich, without being overpowering.  As you can see, the glass is tall, so the stick fell down into the soda after a few minutes.  When I pulled it back out to continue using, the stick was pretty sticky!  Since I was at home, I didn’t care; I just re-positioned it, washed my hands, and kept using it.  It made a great straw.  I decided to let it sit in the coke for a few minutes to see what happened.  The stick started to break down.  It broke in my lips when I went to take a sip again.  I ate that part and just pulled the stick up to keep using.  Within minutes, the stick broke up and I wasn’t able to use it anymore.  While the flavor was great and it was a fun way to get my lemon flavor with my coke, I think the acidity in the coke was too much for the candy straw.  Would I do it again?  Yes.  Would I try different beverages?  Of course!  I could imagine using the stick to drink lemonade, pink lemonade, even my favorite alcoholic beverage; Kinky Vodka and Lemonade would taste great with the stick.  I could see using them as straws when hosting a fun, adult summer party.

Next try was the Lemon with the Peppermint stick, also known as “Lemon Sticks”

Giambri

Lemon Stick; Lemon with Peppermint Stick

As I mentioned earlier, it’s pretty easy.  You cut the top 1/3 of the lemon off.  I rolled the lemon on the counter with my palm before cutting, to make the lemon a little juicier.  I cut a small slit in the top of the lemon, right in the middle, then inserted the peppermint stick into the lemon.  I squeezed the lemon just a little bit as I sipped on the stick. Wow was I not ready for that taste!  I am sure glad there was no one with a camera near me.  I tasted the sweetness of the peppermint stick and the tartness of the lemon….but I did not think they blended well at all!  OK, surely I did something wrong. I double checked all of the sources and nope, I did it exactly like it said.  My mom asked me how I liked it and I handed it to her to try.  The face she made said it all!  Perhaps our Midwest palettes are not meant for this famous treat.  I was through the lemon pretty quickly so I decided to try another one.  Maybe it was just the lemon.  Ummm, nope, not the lemon.  It was not good in my opinion.  The funny thing is, I kept trying it!  My mom tried the second lemon and she felt the same way.  They were messy.  The peppermint stick got extremely sticky.  The lemon juice fell down the side.  I had a couple of napkins under it, but I just didn’t feel like it was a fun, tasty treat.

My mom had the great idea to try to add just a little sugar to the lemon.  What did it hurt?  I went and took a teaspoon of sugar and placed it around the peppermint stick, letting it fall down into the lemon.  It was actually better!  Is it still a treat I would seek out and pay for?  No.  It just didn’t work for me like it does for so many others.

Next I’m on to the Lemon Stick with the Lemon.  I’m pretty sure I’ll have to try it first without sugar and then with sugar because I’m anticipating a similar reaction.

Lemon with the Lemon Stick 

I was prepared for this one.  I had a few ideas and some trepidation.  I wanted to love it because of how much I love lemonade, especially carnival style lemonade, but I was concerned I wouldn’t be overwhelmed.  I had my lemon ready, preparing it the same way, for maximum juiciness, cut the slit, inserted the lemon stick, and prepared to drink.  It was good.  Not the “dance around the room” good, but the two tastes mixed ok. Adding my Plan B, I had another lemon with just a drizzle of sugar over it ready and waiting.  I inserted the stick in that one one really liked the flavor.  It was the best of all the worlds.  It had the grittiness of the carnival lemonade, the tartness from the lemon, and the sweetness from the candy stick.  

Lemon with Lemon Stick

  I was very happy with the result as far as taste but, again, it was messy.  It was difficult to get the juice out. If you squeezed it slightly, then the juice ran all down your hand. The stick doesn’t stay in place after a while or you find yourself swishing it around like a straw to get more juice, which results in a sticky mess or breakage. 

Once I was frustrated with the running lemon juice and the sticky candy, I quickly made a glass of carnival style lemonade with ice, sugar, water, and the two lemons I had been trying to drink, put the candy stick in it, and drank it that way. YUM!!! If only those sticks were a little longer, I could have had a nice tall glass of lemonade using it as a straw! Instead, I used a wine glass. It worked! 

Now, to talk about the candy separate from the lemons. My favorite, by far, was the lemon stick.  It has such a rich lemony flavor that is authentic.  Too many lemon candies leave you feeling like you are eating candy. With Giambri’s Lemon Stick, you get a smooth lemon flavor; how is that even possible??? It is! I can honestly say I will order these again just to have as candy and probably more Coca Cola straws! I just wish they were longer for that! 

The peppermint stick is good.  It we hadn’t been in such a crazy heat wave here in Missouri I probably would have made a cup of hot chocolate and sipped it through the stick. I love peppermint hot chocolate.  I have not jumped on the iced hot chocolate bandwagon so I may purchase some peppermint sticks in the winter to try.  The peppermint flavor was bold. It was a nice flavor. I was disappointed I didn’t like it with the lemon, but it’s not for everyone.  I’m not a peppermint alone type person too much, so I don’t know if I would go out of my way to purchase them. If you like peppermint candies, I highly recommend trying these. 

My favorite, between the two, is clearly the lemon. What I can say based on my experience with them and the quality I tasted is they ARE quality! I would guess any flavor purchased would be true to the flavor, would hold up well, and would be a fun treat for all ages. 

I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on their experience with Giambri’s or the lemon stick phenomenon. Leave me a comment. 

Thank you again to Giambri’s for letting me try your delicious candies! I will be ordering more lemon ones soon! 

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

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Texas Roadhouse Restaurant; Port Huron, MI – HaliPawz

After taking Bella and Zipper to the beach, I decided it was time to get something to eat. Mom had been eating crackers, so I took that as a sign she was getting hungry.  We had to stop at Wal-Mart for a few things so I wanted to stay in the north end.  Since we had the dogs, we had to eat, then go grocery shopping.  Trying to do it in reverse would be pointless, the dogs would destroy everything.    Cheap Charlie’s had disappointed me the last couple of times so it was time to find another go to when I am home visiting.  I am sure I will give them another chance because I love their CC sticks.  I knew the last time I was home, they were building a Texas Roadhouse, but my mom didn’t think it was open yet.  I decided to drive by to check it out anyway.  The number of cars indicated they were open, and appeared to be pretty busy. We pulled in and found a handicapped location right in front of the door.  Because my mom walks with a walker, it is always easier when we can get close to the door.  After getting the dogs settled, we headed in to try Port Huron’s newest restaurant; Texas Roadhouse.

Once in, there was a small amount of people sitting around waiting for a table.  I asked how long and was told 5-15 minutes.  Not bad, considering the number of people.  I sometimes forget about the difference between Port Huron and Kansas City in regards to the number of people!  We ended up waiting about 15 minutes, which isn’t bad.  We started to be seated in about ten minutes, but they noticed mom had a walker so they asked me if I wanted to wait a few more minutes for a table that would be better for her.  She wouldn’t have to walk as far and they thought it would be easier for her to sit at.  I truly appreciate when businesses give thought like that to the situation!  I thanked them and said we would gladly wait a few more minute.

You could tell it was relatively new, everything still had that nice, “polished” look about it.  The staff all seemed to be working efficiently.  I asked the one seating us when they had opened and she said April 6th.  For only being open about a month, they seemed to be doing well.

The music was a little loud, even by Texas Roadhouse standards.  I have been in a few and I don’t remember it being difficult to talk over the music.  I didn’t mind it, but with my mom being older and wearing hearing aids, I was concerned it might be a little too loud for her.  They served the warm rolls and cinnamon honey butter right when we sat down.  I didn’t even want to wait for a drink because they looked so good.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls and honey butter

Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Cinnamon Honey Butter

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long! Rachel, our waitress, appeared right away to take our drink order.  I have been trying to drink more water, but I ordered my Coke with lemon that night because I knew I was having steak and a cold Coca Cola with a lemon wedge just goes better with steak!  While I was waiting for our drinks, I bit into a roll.  It was as good as it looked!  I honestly don’t think I have ever had a bad roll from a Texas Roadhouse though so this location continued the trend.

She brought our drinks and as my mom was ordering her food, I took a sip.  Ugh!!!  It was Diet Coke!  I HATE the taste of diet coke.  When it was time to place my order, I politely told her I thought, perhaps, she had grabbed diet instead of regular, then proceeded to place my order.   She immediately brought me another one, which I took a sip of, and said it seemed better, but then, after taking a couple more sips, I was sure it wasn’t regular Coke, but diet again.  She said she had made sure she grabbed it from the regular Coke when she brought it to me.

I proceeded to eat my salad, which, was DELICIOUS!  Honestly, it was one of the freshest restaurant salads I have had in a long time.  There was just enough of everything, the dressing, blue cheese, had a nice flavor to it.  I was impressed.  If only the drink situation could be resolved!

Rachel came back and I asked her what other beverages they had, I just couldn’t drink this Coke anymore.  It wasn’t right.  She told me, but none of them sounded appealing.  I know it sounds silly, but for me, a bad beverage can really make a difference.  I was about to switch to water with lemon, because I knew it would taste OK, when she offered to go and get me a Coke from a different unit.  Honestly, at that moment, I so appreciated her!  She could have just brought me water with lemon and thought I was some crazy restaurant goer, but she went above and beyond to try to resolve the problem.  She brought me the new drink and I took a sip…… HALLELUJAH….we have regular Coke!  It was delicious too!   I’m sure I had a happy smile on my face, because she said she was going to look into it.  I didn’t expect anything more from it because they were busy and again, I figured she chalked me up to just a crazy person, I know I probably would!

Our meals came and I was impressed by the way they looked.

Starting with my mom’s meal, she had ordered a loaded baked potato.  The potato was, indeed, loaded, but more than that, you could tell how warm it was because the butter was melting down the side of it!   It made me almost regret getting steak fries it looked so good!

butter melting bacon sour cream

Texas Roadhouse Loaded Baked Potato

My steak and fries looked perfect.  I had ordered mine medium rare, which can be a crap-shoot at some restaurants, so I was hoping I would not be disappointed today. So far, other than the beverage, the food was spot on.  I ordered the bone in ribeye.  As you can see, it came out looking wonderful!  Bone-in Ribeye, Steak Fries, and a Coca-Cola, a winning combination!

Texas Roadhouse Bone-In Ribeye, Steak Fries, and Coca-Cola

The first thing I noticed was how well it cut.  It sliced through so easily I almost thought I missed the steak at first!  It was prepared perfectly.  The medium rare was visible, not too rare (which usually happens).  I bit into it and it was so full of flavor as well!  Perfect temperature, just enough flavor.  i was happy.  I would like to rave about the steak fries as well, but they were, well, just steak fries.  They weren’t bad, they were good, but compared to the steak and the look of my mom’s baked potato, I have to say, they were just good.

Funny story to go along with the meal, Rachel came back after serving the steaks to tell me a manager had gone to check the fountain and discovered someone had accidentally hooked up the Diet Coke syrup to the Coke! I had been redeemed!  I was not just a crazy person!  The manager was with her when they told me and we all laughed about it.  Mistakes happen, I’m just glad they followed through and actually checked it rather than just letting it go.  I wonder how many others were given the wrong drink and just didn’t say anything about it?

My mom said hers was really good as well.  She didn’t finish her whole steak and there was a roll  left over, so we took it home and I made her a steak and cheese slider with the roll the next day for lunch.  She was pretty happy with it!

Overall, a very nice experience.  There have been times in the past when Port Huron would get a restaurant and the quality or service wouldn’t be what you had come to expect from other locations, so I was pleased to see this Texas Roadhouse not only MET my expectations, but, honestly, superseded them!  Something you don’t expect with a chain restaurant.  I would highly recommend stopping in there if you live there or if you’re passing through on your way to Canada or just in the area.

Just remember, if the Coca-Cola doesn’t taste right, SAY SOMETHING!  Don’t suffer in silence!  🙂

If you like this and want to stay up to date with my posts, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

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My review of McDonald’s New Sirloin Third Pound Burgers – HaliPawz

Today had turned into a long day.  I ate lunch earlier in the day and with it being 9pm already, I was debating about running through a drive-thru restaurant or just wait until I arrived home to fix something.  I have been cooking at home a lot lately so I didn’t feel guilty about thinking about fast food.  I was pretty thirsty and decided to run through McDonald’s for a $1 large coke and maybe a chicken snack wrap.  As I was in the drive through, I noticed they had new burgers being advertised.  Their New Sirloin Third Pound Burgers.  Since I still had money on an Arch card I had won during a Coca-Cola twitter contest, I decided to give one a try.

The new burgers come in three styles.

The Lettuce and Tomato

Comes with third pound sirloin patty, white cheddar, leaf lettuce,

tomato, red onion, pickles, mustard, and mayo

The Bacon and Cheese

This is a third-pound sirloin beef patty, thick-cut bacon, white cheddar,

red onion, pickle, ketchup, and mustard

The Steakhouse

This is a third-pound sirloin beef patty, new creamy peppercorn sauce,

grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and white cheddar

As I am not a fan of tomatoes, onions, or mayonnaise, I always ask what is on a new burger before I order it.  I appreciated the team-member’s honest answer telling me it was new to them that day, so she wasn’t familiar with it, but she would have an answer for me in just a minute.  She came back to tell me but was clearly telling me the wrong one because I had asked about the Cheddar and Bacon and she said mushrooms at first.  Once we had it figured out, she went over it again.  I ordered it without the three items I don’t like and a large Coke.

After some issues with my order in general, I finally received it.  As I pulled away, I took a minute to take the burger out and take a look at it.  The first thing I noticed was the box.  It was very colorful.  McDonald’s spared no expense in making sure you felt like you were getting a quality product.  Upon opening it, I was reminded of Hardee’s.  The burger was wrapped on one end in paper so you could hold it without everything leaking onto your fingers.  I’m sure some people appreciate this, but I always feel like it is a waste of paper and a little bit of overkill.

I want to make it clear I am not usually a fan of McDonald’s burgers.  I think they always taste too much like salt.  For this reason, if I do order a burger, I usually go cheap and just get a double cheeseburger or the chicken snack wrap (their hidden gem in my opinion).  I put this disclaimer in because I was surprised by the lettuce on the sandwich.  It was really tasty.  You could taste the lettuce.  It was crisp, fresh tasting, and noticeable.  I’m not sure if they use this same lettuce in other sandwiches, but I was impressed.

As you can tell from the breakdown of items, they are using white cheddar as the cheese.  I like white cheddar, but I feel like it is a much milder cheese, so the seasonings and toppings really need to bring out the flavor of the burger.

Another difference you may notice in this burger is the pickles.  They are slightly different than the ones used on the double cheeseburger.  They seem to be a little milder.  I liked them so no complaints there.

I WISH I could comment on the bacon, but sadly, they FORGOT the bacon!!!!  At $5 for the burger, it is disappointing but that is something I will have to address with McDonald’s.

Now, on to the real question, how was the sirloin patty.  One pro, if you aren’t a fan of the “salty” taste of McDonald’s other burgers, you will like this burger.  I was looking forward to biting into the burger, hoping I would have a new favorite McDonald’s burger.  While I could still taste the salt slightly (which I don’t taste in other companies’ burgers) it was not overbearing like I find in their other patty’s.  It definitely had a slightly better taste than other patties purchased there.  I was disappointed with how dry the burger was.  For some reason, they continue to overcook their burgers and cook all of the juice right out of it.  The flavor didn’t pop either.  As I mentioned earlier, the lettuce flavor overpowered the flavor of the actual burger.  I wish I could have tasted it with the bacon and if I decide to splurge and get it again, I will update my review.

Overall, with a $5 price point, I will not be making this my new burger of choice at McDonald’s.  It is, once again, a little disappointing with the competition continuing to come out with better burgers all the time, I would think McDonald’s would be working towards a better, juicer, tastier burger.

If you try it and like it, please put it in the comments.  I’d love to hear your thoughts…..or share your favorite fast food burger.

If you liked this and want to stay up to date with me, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz