Snack Review: Medora’s Corners

A few evenings ago, I arrived home to find a UPS notice adorning my mailbox. Apparently, somewhere in the course of the day, a mysterious package had come for me. My first reaction was confusion, followed by fear. As my 25th birthday nears, I fear presents from my family almost as much as I long for them - after all, I’ve not been the most dutiful relative. My current situation, combined with general economic anxiety and my natural extreme frugality, do not allow me to purchase extravagant gifts for anyone. I appreciate the gifts, but I feel guilty about the possibility of never being able to reciprocate.

That being the case, I was fairly relieved the next morning to discover my package’s origin lay not with a relative or relatively-wealthy friend, but with Medora Snacks. Since reviewing some of their other products last fall, I’d found myself craving Medora’s tasty and wholesome snacks. Medora’s Pogos, Pucci and Sotos left me, both literally and figuratively, with a wonderful taste in my mouth. I wondered with the small, upstate New York-based company had sent me this time.

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Snack Review: New Combos in Zesty Salsa and Jalapeño Cheddar Tortilla

In honor of their Ultimate ManCation Sweepstakes promotion, the good people at Combos decided to send me a few samples of their merchandise. Saturday morning, a FedEx man arrived with a decently large package which turned out to contain four bags of the beloved cheese and cracker/pretzel rolls. Three were family-sized (6.3-oz.) packs, with six (supposed) servings apiece, and the other was single-serve (1.5 oz.)

Two of the larger bags were reserved for the popular snack’s first and most beloved flavors, Cheddar and Nacho Cheese. The final large bag contained the newest variety of Combos to be released (Zesty Salsa-Tortilla). The single-serve bag held another new flavor, Cheddar-Jalapeno Tortilla. Until I searched for an image of the bag, and came up empty-handed, I had no idea how new. As it turns out, this variety of Combo hasn’t been released yet, so shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!

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Snack Review: Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips

When a label reads “certified organic” I know I’m in for an expensive snack, but one that’s bound to taste fresh and satisfying. These low-fat, low-calorie chips lived up the the guiltless moniker, and the only guilt I felt was in spending close to the price of a gallon of gas for a 7 oz. bag. The generous serving size of 18 chips is twice that of regular tortilla chips, while fat content is half of other chips, and there are no saturated or trans fats. Guiltless indeed, but watch out - these chips contain nearly double the sodium of standard ‘guilt-full’ chips. Oh well, everything’s a trade-off. Moderation, my friends, right?

I admit they are delicious, but the oven-baked crunch is a bit overwhelming. Apparently, some of the stone-ground corn had not been completely ground and I found myself crunching hard grains of corn between my front teeth long after finishing the chips. For those of you with dental work or “iffy” crowns, I would advise cautious chewing.

The natural lime flavoring was subtle with just enough of a citrus essence to be noticeable and not overbearing or artificial-tasting (hence the “natural” label). The chili pepper was a touch heavy-handed and too salty, but spicy enough to tweak the tongue while dissipating within two minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend these for your everyday tortilla chip needs, but if you’re looking for something different or want to impress your friends at your next South-of-the-Border-themed party (even though these chips are manufactured in Secaucus, New Jersey), the Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime tortilla chips are a delightful alternative. Ole!

Guiltless Gourmet

Buy Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips Online:

• at Amazon.com