Fudge Jumbles

Back in the 1980s, Pillsbury had a variety of boxed dessert mixes called Fudge Jumbles. Each box contained a mix for three-layer dessert bars, all of which contained fudge. I think they all contained oats as well, but I'm not sure.

Fudge Jumbles were quick and easy to prepare. I've seen quite a few recipes, such as this one, that attempt to recreate the magic.

The person who posted the aforementioned recipe decided to try a peanut butter version. I really don't know whether there was a peanut butter version of Fudge Jumbles. I don't think there was, because it's definitely something I would have tried if I'd seen it. In any case, this recipe looks incredible!

Citra

I can't believe I'm doing another post about a soft drink so soon after the last one.

Well, maybe I can. After all, I did drink a lot of them in the past.

I have a feeling most people haven't heard of Citra, but it existed. Here's a picture of a can of Citra.

I never actually had a can of Citra. I only had it from a 2-liter bottle. Citra was a grapefruit-flavored carbonated drink that was around in the 1990s. The fact that I liked it is strange, because I don't like grapefruit, and I never liked any of the other grapefruit soft drinks I tried before this product came along.

Of course, it's gone now. I've heard that Fanta Citrus is identical to it, but I really don't know. Without having tried it or even seen it anywhere, I suspect that something is different--probably the sweetener.

Betty Crocker Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Mix

I found Betty Crocker Sour Cream Chocolate Cake mix many years ago, and it made me really curious. I don't normally like products containing sour cream, but something about this mix was calling to me. I had to try it.

I can say without reservation that this was the best chocolate cake mix I have ever had. Even though I don't like sour cream, this product was delicious. I topped it with Betty Crocker Sour Cream white icing, and the combination was outstanding. I bought these products several times over the years.

Then, one day, I wanted to buy a box of Betty Crocker Sour Cream Chocolate Cake mix, and they were all gone. I couldn't believe it! Betty Crocker got rid of the very best cake mix they ever had!

I did find a copycat recipe for this outstanding cake mix, but I haven't tried it yet. I haven't tried this one either. Even Betty Crocker has a recipe for sour cream chocolate cupcakes.

Someday, when I have time, I'll try these three recipes--just not on the same day.

Apple Slice

There used to be several flavors of Slice soft drinks. They all contained real fruit juice. It wasn't much--only 10 percent--but it was more than any other fizzy soft drinks had. I liked the mandarin orange, but my favorite flavor was apple. That's probably why it didn't last long.

Apple Slice was available briefly in the 1980s (late '80s, if I remember correctly). It was discontinued before the rest of the product line went away. It might have even been the first to go.

I haven't tried any other apple-flavored carbonated drinks. There are apparently a few still around, but I haven't seen them. If I ever do, I'll probably have to give them a try. Then again, maybe not. It just wouldn't be the same.

Blogging From A to Z April Challenge

After having to neglect all my blogs for several months, I've joined the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011.

On Mondays through Saturdays in April, I'll be posting on anywhere from one blog to all five of them.

I'm hoping this will help me get back in the swing of things.

Dewey Stevens Wine Coolers

Am I the only one who remembers Dewey Stevens wine coolers?

These were around back when Seagrams and Bartles & Jaymes still made wine coolers, as opposed to the flavored malt beverages they mostly make now. Even though people still refer to them as "wine coolers," most of the ones made today don't contain wine.

Anyway, Dewey Stevens wine coolers were good. I'm pretty sure that the flavor was passionfruit, but I can't find any proof of that. In fact, I can't find much information about them at all.

Made by Anheuser-Busch, these coolers were billed as a lighter alternative to traditional wine coolers, and they had 1/3 fewer calories. The commercial even depicted women working out at the gym.

I thought Dewey Stevens wine coolers were great. They were sweet, but not overly so--very refreshing. As I recall, they weren't around long.

Port Charles

On October 3, 2003, the final episode of Port Charles aired on ABC. After that, SOAPnet aired reruns of the arcs, which had begun in December 2000, but there were never any new episodes.

Port Charles is my favorite soap opera of all time. I didn't intend to get into it, nor did I watch it from the beginning. I wasn't interested in General Hospital, so why would I watch a spin-off?

I'm so glad I did. By the time I tuned in, most references to the other show had stopped. GH was simply the hospital where several of the characters worked. Sure, some of the characters had started out on General Hospital, but there was no need to keep up with both shows if you didn't want to.

Port Charles was special. It was a little show that was packed with talent, adventure, drama, comic relief, and so much more. I loved the supernatural aspect, especially the introduction of Caleb Morley, PC's hottest vampire.

Port Charles has been gone for seven years now. I still miss it.

Quiznos Smoked Turkey

I like to get smoked turkey from the deli as long as the quality is good. The first time I went to Quiznos, I was pleasantly surprised to see that hickory-smoked turkey was on the menu board, and it seemed to be a good quality. I tried it, and it was delicious. It was especially good prepared the Quiznos way, toasted with cheddar cheese and herbs.

One day, I was stunned to find out that Quiznos no longer offered smoked turkey. Roast turkey was still on the menu, but smoked turkey was gone.

Since then, I've tried to find out whether it happened everywhere or just locally. I still see smoked turkey on the menu when I do online searches, but it's possible that these are just old menus. My guess is that it was a company-wide decision.