Snack Review: Barry’s Bakery California Almond French Twists

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that, if you’re reading Snackerrific, you’re probably pop-culture savvy enough to have heard “Seasons of Love,” the finale from a little-known musical called “Rent.” (For those of you who aren’t musical theater dorks, “Seasons of Love” is the song that your gay nephew sang at his high school talent show last month. With me now? Super.)

As you’ll recall, “Seasons” asks us to measure our lives in love, rather than hours, minutes, or “cups of coffee.” And while recently blasting this song out my car speakers listening to it on iPod Shuffle, I realized something profound: I could measure my life in pastry.

Awesome, right? Each chapter of my epic suburban existence has been marked by a significant pastry event. For instance, when I was 11, my dad dropped his job as an environmental chemist and moved us across the country to open a Cinnamonster shop. Hauling ass from Colorado to Massachusetts was a massive, life-changing journey – and it was all done for the love of pastry.

Four years later I landed a job at our local bakery, Cakewalk, where I worked throughout high school in order to scrape up some gas money. Couple this doughy employment with my Cinnamonster saga, and you’ve got a girl who knows her baked goods.

So believe me when I tell you that Barry Bakery’s “French Twists” are the real deal. Having spent the better part of my youth spreading butter over croissant dough, I recognize a well-made layer pastry when I see one. To achieve such fluffly, melts-in-your-mouth deliciousness, the dough of these Twists must’ve been folded over many, many times. My biceps ache just thinking about it.

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Snack Review: Sahale Snacks Nut Blends

Growing up, travel and exploration were some of my greatest pleasures. As an adult, it frustrates me that the trappings of a halfway-conventional life (work, bills, family, etc.) along with exorbitant gas prices, make getaways of any distance darned near impossible. In lieu of letting the vagabond within go mad, I sate my wanderlust as a jet-setting armchair traveler, continent-hopping via the Travel Channel and the local Borders. When possible, I also like to send my taste-buds around the globe.

Ready to send my palate on a new journey, I was thrilled to find Sahale Snacks Nut Blends at my local Ralph’s. Colorful photos on the front of each $3.99, 5-ounce bag resembled upscale trail mix. As a fan of trail mixes - upscale or not - I was intrigued. I was further convinced by equally colorful descriptions of the snacks on the packages’ backsides, which promised to transport snackers to all corners of the culinary world. Only four out of six blends were in stock, but I reasoned that was a varied-enough itinerary. You’re probably all curious about how my trip went, so here goes!

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