Doritos Ultimate Garlic Parm Snack Chips

I am not entirely sure what Ultimate Garlic Parm flavoring has to do with America's 250th Birthday, but okay. Unfortunately, these were pretty bland and tasted more like regular Doritos than anything. Happy Hour taste testers were equally unimpressed. I don't even think the group of us finished off the tiny, impulse purchase bag. – Dan Taylor

REVIEW: ALDI Fremont Fish Market Sweet & Spicy Crispy Battered Shrimp

It's an ALDI Thing: I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with ALDI shrimp products. Sometimes they're great, like the Tempura Shrimp, Shrimp Skewers and the Wild Caught Argentine Red Shrimp. Sometimes they're not, like the Boom Boom Shrimp, Dynamite Shrimp, Popcorn Shrimp, and Creamy Wonton Stuffed Crispy Shrimp. I could go on.

So, when my daughter and I swung into ALDI to grab brownie ingredients, something for dinner, and a quick appetizer for that evening's neighborhood happy hour, these caught my eye. They're not even on the ALDI website yet, so I think my store might have been a little premature in putting them out in the case. (It wouldn't be the first time. They jumped the gun a couple weeks ago and had the faux Filet-O-Fish patties out a few days ahead of time.)

Anyway, I knew I was risking my Happy Hour Appetizer Guy reputation by bringing something that I hadn't tried or read any reviews of, but I wasn't bringing the stuffed clams (might as well just make some Stove Top), the Reuben Bites scared me a little, and while the Chicken Momos were excellent, they would have required too much work.

Turns out the Fremont Fish Market Sweet & Spicy Crispy Battered Shrimp were far easier to make than to say. (What a mouthful!) I bought two boxes, preheated the oven while I cracked a beer, and saved half a box since my wife wasn't going to make it to happy hour. (After I have a few random bags of leftover uncooked apps in the freezer, I'll throw them all on a pan for an appetizer assortment.)

After ten minutes in the oven I turned the shrimp over, warmed up the sauce packets (two per box), and got my serving tray ready. 10 minutes later the resulting shrimp were definitely crispy and battered, but hidden inside were plump, tasty shrimp and the chile dipping sauce gave them the promised sweet and spicy kick. So, in retrospect, I guess the product needed all those words in the name after all.

Verdict: The Fremont Fish Market Sweet & Spicy Crispy Battered Shrimp (whew) were a big hit and were quickly devoured by our Happy Hour Crew. Even the most judgmental attendees gave them a raised eyebrow, appreciative nod, and a return visit to the tray. Leftover sauce was also used for dunking whatever else was around the table. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet (new issue out now!) and his Happy Hour Appetizer Guy reputation remains intact.

REVIEW: ALDI Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos

IT'S AN ALDI THING: Bought these Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos on a whim yesterday while picking stuff up for dinner. We love dumplings, pot stickers, etc., so I figured these would be right up our alley. 

Turns out I was correct! I didn't feel like pan frying them or hauling out the air fryer, so I ended up steaming these (half a bag at a time) for the recommended 12 minutes. 

The resulting momos were tender and delicious, and they are as packed with ingredients as the packaging suggests. Also, it's super fun to say "momo". 

Naturally, these are an ALDI Find so grab them while you can. They're also available in a vegetable version and they come with a sesame dipping sauce. 

$6.50 for a bag of 12 with dipping sauce. 

Momo. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet. Get your copy of our latest issue at our store!

Review: ALDI Buffalo Mozzarella & Spinch Pizza and BBQ Chicken Thin Crust Pizza

Thanks to ALDI, I have become the de facto pizza/flatbread provider for our Friday night neighborhood happy hours. Oh sure, I might go crazy and bring Tempura Shrimp or Everything Pigs in a Blanket, but most weeks I’ll swing by ALDI after our round of golf and select some options for that evening. 

This week, we sampled the Buffalo Mozzarella & Spinach Pizza alongside the BBQ Chicken Thin Crust Pizza. Both items were in the freezer case and though cooking temps were slightly different, I put them in the oven together (I don’t recall what temperature I settled on) and cooked for about 12 minutes. Some folks had remarked that the crème fraiche sauce on the Spinach Pizza could be watery, but we did not have that issue. 

After cooking and cooling slightly, both pizzas were sliced into smaller portion slices than advertised and hustled across the street to my neighbor’s garage where the crew was ready. Based on the empty platter, the BBQ Chicken Pizza (which featured white meat chicken, red onion, cheese and a tangy BBQ sauce) was the winner as it was almost gone before I could grab a slice. The Buffalo Mozzarella was a slightly slower mover (maybe not everyone loves spinach as much as me?) and I ended up bringing a few pieces home, which my wife and daughter scooped up for lunch the next day. I would definitely purchase both again (the $5 price points are hard to resist) but in typical ALDI fashion I believe both are already out of the rotation. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet and a quarter-carrying ALDI Evangelist. You can find him at one of his local ALDI outlets on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. And the occasional Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on his way home from work.

#ALDI #aldifinds #itsanaldithing #aldipizza #foodie #foodblogger #foodreview #hungovergourmet

Flatbread Friday: Smoked Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and Buffalo Cauliflower Ranch

FLATBREAD FRIDAY: Tonight's happy hour flatbreads from ALDI USA. We've had the Pulled Pork before and it flew off the table. The Buffalo Cauliflower Ranch is a new one, so we'll see how the crowd reacts. Click picture for full-size image. 

#aldi #happyhour #appetizers #FlatbreadFriday