Review of Extra Large Mama Cozzi’s Mega Meat Pizza

This was not my first take and bake pizza review,  nor will it be my last. First of all, I have tried Mama Cozzi brand pizza’s before and this will be my first review of the Mega Meat variety.  We typically purchase the mama cozy four cheese pizza and improvise adding our own additional  toppings such as bacon, sliced mushrooms, garlic, etc. As much  of my Sunday got away from due to chores, I was left with few options  for dinner  so I went to Aldi to pick up a take and bake. The “Cheese only” pizzas were picked clean leaving only the Mega Meat and the Supreme options. I chose the all meat since my kids usually like pepperoni  and  sausage.

This extra large 16 inch pizza is a thin crust. The meat toppings include Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, beef pizza topping and bacon. I am not sure what the “beef pizza topping” really is, but I am assuming it is ground beef.Aside from the meat, there appears to be plenty of sauce and cheese.

The preparation is no more difficult than preheating oven and baking on center rack for 15 minutes.

The pizza is thin crust and I would say to expect to feed a family of five will require a second pizza if it is a hungry group. A smaller group will get by with this pizza. Next time I will buy a second pizza. (I did serve salad with this pizza which helped satisfy everyone’s hunger).

At $5.99 for this 16 inch pizza, I will rate this Aldi Mama Cozzi mega meat pizza a strong buy. I am still preferential to the all cheese variety, but this one works too.

Low Prices on Caramel Apples at Aldi

During autumn season, just about anyone that enjoys apples really enjoys gets pumped up to see stores carrying caramel apples. One of the most well known brands of caramel apples sold in the grocery stores are those produced by Affy Tapple. This company has been selling the treats since 1948. This brand of caramel apple is pretty much the only commercially made caramel apples sold at your local grocery stores. All others caramel apple options can sometimes be found at a local confectioner. Those higher end apples are usually much larger and very delicious, but with a hefty price tag.  I have to shop for a family of five so I continue down the path of the Affy Tapple brand label. I have been eating these Affy Tapple caramel apples every year since I was about three.

On that note, I was really happy to see Aldi has the package of three Affy Tapple caramel apples ( 12 ounces) for only $1.29! How is that for a low price? The current sale price at Meijer had them for $1.99 which is also not a bad price. Aldi is the store to go this week to stock up on Affy Tapples.  

Review of Arizona Iced Tea with Natural Lemon Flavor

So I recently picked up the twenty three ounce tall can of Arizona Iced tea with natural lemon flavor. The enticement of paying a buck for almost a double sized portion beverage made this an easy choice.

Here is my quick breakdown on this beverage:

Positives:

•  The price. At ninety nine cents this is a steal of price that can be beat by other beverages. Even a twenty ounce soda is more expensive.
•   Less heavy than soda. This is a sweetened beverage but has only slightly fewer calories than a soda. The tea comes off lighter due to the absence of carbonation and thus is more refreshing.
•   Quantity – This tall can will easily pour over two to three glasses of ice and serve more than one person. While it is a large can, it still magically fits in my car cup holder.

Negatives

• Too much citrus flavor. Though the first ingredient is tea, I felt like the strongest element of this beverage was lemon flavor. I really only refer to this as iced tea because that is what the label shows.
•  Corn syrup is the sweetener. Arizona does not hold back on its use of corn syrup in this drink. I would have preferred cane sugar for a lighter finish. I wish more beverage companies would resort to using cane sugar instead of syrups.
•  Calories – Though this drink is only slightly lighter than calories of a coca cola or sprite, I still think the calories are way too high for an iced tea beverage.

Overall

The return on one dollar spent is good considering you get almost three servings in this tall can. The quality leaves a bit to be desired since I really enjoy true iced tea, and the tea flavor is definitely lacking here. This drink could be more passable with more tea flavor and less lemon and syrup. Still I would consider this 23 ounce drink much more refreshing up against a soda. A Lipton Pure leaf or Snapple tea beverage has Arizona beat in flavor, but they are also way more expensive. I would consider this drink an average buy at best.  

Review of L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

For years I have been a huge fan of the King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls as they were a huge hit when it comes time to get a side kick for fried chicken dinner or a great bread accompaniment to the Thanksgiving meal. These little sweet bread rolls also are fantastic for making miniature sandwiches or “Sliders” as we refer to them.  Our most common uses of Hawaiian rolls include using ham and swiss sliders and occasional sweet, savory stuffing.

For years, Kings bakery has had a monopoly on this sweet type of dinner roll as no lower cost competition existed anywhere, that is until my last trip to Aldi. I found these gems immediately tucked away to the side of the bread case in their tropical floral packaging. I could not believe with my own eyes I found a substitute. The packaging is outlined in turquoise and orange that includes the transparent “window” in the middle showing the actual rolls much like that of the rolls sold by Kings.

These Aldi rolls are sold a dozen to a package for $1.99 compared to $3.25 price of King. That is serious savings, but does the quality measure up?

Absolutely! Not sure I could tell the difference if I was given a blind taste test. We recently used the L’oven fresh rolls to make four dozen sliders last weekend for a party and they were delicious; at more than $1.25 savings per package!

I am already considering working these into holiday menus in some way. This is a definite recommended purchase.

Review of Benton’s Fudge Mint Cookies

Aldi does a pretty good job of offering their brand of knock offs of most popular style cookies and the girl scouts thin mint cookies are no exception. My last trip down the entry aisle at Aldi revealed that this great store carried fudge mint cookies. I felt it was a calling to try this one out and see if they even came close the name brand treat sold by the scouts.

Appearance

The cookies are sold in a glossy green plastic package with a plastic tray holding two rows of thin mints. There is approximately 10 ounces of cookies in one package. The packaging hypes up the fact that these are “minty” and made with “real cocoa”.

Taste

The first sample of the thin mint was tried at room temperature.  I like to point that out, because I prefer my Girl Scout thin mints in a frozen state, but wanted to taste at least one cookie before subjected them all to the freezer. I think sometimes some chocolate coatings lose their flavor when frozen. (This actually happens with Keebler grasshoppers). So the first taste of the Aldi thin mint revealed decent hints of chocolate and mint flavor but a very bland lifeless cookie at the base. Was that really a cookie or a tasteless cracker hidden in there? The cookie layer also lacked the firmness that one is accustomed to when eating a thin mint or grasshopper. The frozen state sampler was no better and probably worse as the chocolate flavor sort of went away, though I could still taste the cool mint. The mint was really the only strong performer.

Price

The price of a package of Benton’s Fudge mint cookies is only $1.29. Much lower than $3.00 grasshoppers or the $2.00 Meijer fudge treasures mint cookie.

Overall Result

Though this is a heck of a lot cheaper than other brands, the flavor is meh and the texture or crunchy bite is severely lacking. This cookie is lifeless. Spend at least a little more and go with the Meijer brand or better yet help out your local Girl Scout troop and buy a box of thin mints from them.