Feeling Ritzy
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Ritz Crackerfuls. It's also your chance to win a $100 gift card!
Ever since we got new patio furniture in March, Simon has been inviting anyone and everyone to come over and try it out. "You do sit, don't you?" he asks the friend/acquaintance/stranger. "Legs bend and all?"*
Now, this unbridled hospitality is all fine and good, except that you can't invite people over for a sit and then just...sit. You also have to "entertain" them, and I mean that not in the Gypsy Rose Lee sense (usually) but in the Martha Stewart sense. (See also every single buyer on House Hunters, who can't just say, "I need a big kitchen because I like to have parties" because no, when you are old enough to have a house, you are too mature and sophisticated to have "parties"--you must entertain. La. Dee. Dah.)
Anyway, guess who freaks out about preparing for guests because, OMG, there are floors to sweep and bathrooms to scrub and lemons to squeeze and snacks to purchase and then prepare and then arrange artfully on a platter in a casually elegant manner? Yes, that would be me. I tend to freak out so much about the food, in fact, that nine times out of ten Simon orders me to go huddle in a corner and breathe into a paper bag while he takes care of everything himself. He's a saint, that one. (And also not too shabby when it comes to artfully arranging slices of rustic bread in a napkin-lined basket.)
So it was with one such event fresh in my mind that I volunteered to review the new Ritz Crackerfuls for BlogHer. My main criteria was "Will this make it easier for me to entertain the often spur-of-the-moment company that my more social half likes to bring home?" Let's see how they did, shall we?
Pro: They're delicious. All the buttery goodness of Ritz you've always loved.
Con: The filling has real cheese in it, but it looks and feels a bit like the stuff that comes in an aerosol can (which is also delicious albeit not to everyone's tastes).
Pro: Each Crackerful is individually sealed, which means no more half-empty boxes of crackers going stale in our pantry, which, as you can see, is a MAJOR problem.
Con: All that extra packaging means a whole lot of extra garbage. :(
Pro: Because the cheese and crackers are already assembled, Crackerfuls are a good one-handed snack, which is especially handy (ha!) if you have to wrestle an infant while also entertaining your friends (who are wrestling their infant).
Con: They're kind of crumbly and messy, especially if you're trying to eat them with one hand.
Pro: The cats love hoovering the crumbs off the floor--they've also always loved the buttery goodness of Ritz--so that's a win-win for the entire family!
Overall, Simon doesn't think he'd use Crackerfuls specifically for guests, but we both agreed that they make a fine every-now-and-then snack. (Perhaps that's why they come in boxes of six, individually wrapped, instead of boxes of fifty, dump-into-a-bowl-able?) Right now there's one in my purse as an emergency treat (never leave home without one), and I'm taking another to hide in my desk at work.
So, although Crackerfuls didn't really pass my "entertaining" test, they do pass the most important one: They're yummy. Case in point, I'd intended to take a photo of the unopened boxes for use in this post, but before I knew it both boxes were open and half gone. Simon tried blaming the cats, but there's no way they could have unwrapped each individual cracker without the aid of opposable thumbs, so...Busted!
***
Hey, want to win a $100 gift card? Leave me a comment telling me what time of day you totally crash and need a quick snacky pick-me-up. (For me, it's always at about 10 a.m. And then 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.)
To enter, you can comment here, leave a link to your own blog post about this contest, leave a link to your Tweet (Twittering?) about this contest, or do all three. (No duplicate comments, though.) You can also check out what other BlogHer reviewers have said about Crackerfuls and leave comments on their entries. The contest runs from July 21 at 9 a.m. PST through August 20 at 5 p.m. PST and is open to all US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected at random and will be notified by email, so leave a valid address if you want to win. See official rules here.
For more information on Ritz Crackerfuls, visit the official site.
*Fifty gold stars for anyone who knows this reference!
2pm.... for sure
I usually need a mid-morning snack, and another at around 2:30 to keep me going. These look like they'd be great to keep in my desk!
joshandjoanna at gmail
I crash at 3pm pretty reliably.
Have fun in Chicago!
2:30 is my dead zone. I am horribly unproductive around then, for need of a nap or a snack!
I'm always crashing around 3-4 PM. Always. It's like my body knows I want to make it to the gym afterwork so calls in sick. I always fall for it, too, and end up skipping the gym.
Hey here's an idea, maybe I wouldn't be so tired if I exercised? hahaha....
My time that I start craving a snack is actually a really really bad time to snack, around 11 at night. Good thing I don't tend to go to bed until around 3am I guess...
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aliengurl4004/status/2783306784
For me, it's the too-early-for-dinner-but-a-long-way-from-lunch stretch between four and five or so. Cheese and crackers are a favorite option!
Every day at 4:30 like clockwork I either need a snack or a nap. I'm so predictable it's sad.
3 pm, no doubt.
Ah, for me, the witching hour is 3 pm. Must. Dine. On. Whatever. Is. In. Sight. And apparently right after dinner, whatever time that is, is also rife for crashing. Strange. Thank you for your honest Ritz Review!
FOUR PM!!! I'm a totally ravenous beast at 4pm and I have a terrible habit of caving and destroying my dinner appetite... oops.
Thanks for the great contest!
About three in the afternoon is when I sometimes need a snack.
I crash and burn around 3pm - thus that is "snack time" at work. Thanks for another great contest Leah!
About 3 in the afternoon is when I'm most prone to snacking, but I've been known to eat crackers at 8 am, and of course 10 pm.
Without a doubt, my crash time is always between 2pm and 4pm. Every. Damn. Day. Even if it's the weekend. I love me some crackers with PB on them! YUM! Have a great time at BlogHer!
I like to snack several times a day but it's usually around 4ish.
I don't leave home without a snack as well. I'd hate to have to purchase some unhealthy fast food because I got a snack craving.
Right before bedtime. I don't know why but thats when I want a snack.
I get my hungry low-sugar time when I've been at work all day with nothing for lunch but a handful of almonds, and then get home at 4:30.
3:00 p.m. is my "nodding off I can't possibly stay awake another minute and what are they pumping into the air ducts in my office to make me so sleepy" time!
I start falling asleep and drooling at my desk at about 3 pm on a daily basis. NEED CRACKERS STAT, clearly.
I usually end up having a snack attack right before dinner. I know...I'm cooking a good meal and then I eat something else? Also, right before bed...I always want to eat something - popcorn, ice cream, chocolate....whatever I'm craving!
For me, crash time is around 4 pm...
2-3PM is a terrible time for me when I'm working. Lately, since I've spent the last nine weeks at home with Sophia, I find it's mid-morning and early evening, usually around 4PM. Or any time after she's done nursing. Which lately, seems to be every five minutes.
The time of day where I need a snack to perk up is around 3pm. I get tired and if I don't eat something, I get sleepy.
tweeted http://twitter.com/carogonza/status/2847903535
I blogged: http://theartofrandomwillynillyness.blogspot.com/2009/07/puttin-on-ritz.html
At around 2 pm everyday I just have to have something--and its usually something junk food! These look really good! I'll be trying them out! Thanks
hondaray6 at hotmail dot com
I tweeted~http://twitter.com/hondaray6/status/2854557531
I usually really crash around 4, which is when I'm leaving for night classes and I usually wind up stopping for fast food : (
Having these in the car would be great to stop me from going to Taco Bell and KFC all the time!
I wish I could make my own snacks, but I usually resort to pre packaged. Can't wait to try these ! thx and ck me out at www.icoulduseadeal.blogspot.com jtrophy at aol dot com
tweeted too
http://twitter.com/jtrophy/status/2861859031
I have a couple of coupons for Ritz Crackerfuls and have been wanting to try them, but alas, they've yet to show up at my supermarket! Anyway, thank you for the review and the chance to win! :)
Ooops. Forgot to mention: 2:00 is crash time for me!
I always crash around 3 and then again around 9 and need a snack!
http://twitter.com/mom2nji/status/2862346159 I tweeted!
The time of day that I crash is around 5pm which is not close enough to dinner time and not early enough to actually snack... I usually try to busy myself with something. However I have been known to grab some crackers.
nateandjakesmom at gmail dot ocm
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/kariellen/statuses/2866075370
nateandjakesmom at gmail dot com
Usually about 4pm I wonder if I'm going to make it to dinner! Usually I can tell myself I can start cooking in an hour and a half and "taste" as I do - so just hang on! These sound like a perfect thing to keep in my desk though.
Nancy
I definitely need a 4 pm snack.
These look so yummy! I'm a big fan of cheese and crackers, so I'm sure these would be fab. I usually need a snack between lunch and dinner, and I love healthy choices that aren't full of sugar, so these would be awesome. Thanks!!
I tend to crash at the after school hour - right when the kids get off the bus. I like for us to have an after school snack right away and talk about their day - I will have 4 kids in school this year!!!! I want to hear all and get ready for homework. I tend to be low blood sugar so snacks are so important to me - we have a lot of Ritz products here. These look tasty!! Blessings
tweeted id keepsakebaby
http://twitter.com/keepsakebaby/status/2894692356
thanks!!
I crash at 3:30 and sometimes midmorning too. These look like a great way to keep going. Thanks for your review. I'm glad they came to blogher for some help trying these out!
I'm a late-night snacker. When I get home from work around midnight is the witching hour for me. That's when I'm grabbing potato chip handfuls, cereal bars and that lone ice cream bar I hid in the freezer behind the bag of peas so the kids don't eat it.
Blogged it:
http://auntiethesis.blogspot.com/2009/07/giveaway-goodies-around-blogosphere.html
Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/2905430432
I crash at 5 and need a snack before dinner
http://twitter.com/mamabear123/status/2905486845 TGweeted it
A very informative review!
tweet! http://twitter.com/pestkaj/status/2905644085
Of course I had to comment, because you referenced the Pirates of Penzance! Kevin Kline! Linda Ronstadt!
I need my elevensies and then get munchish again around 3-4.
the hardest time of the day is when I first come home from work. I have a bit of a commute and I always know I have so much more work waiting for me once I open the door. I love a little snack like cheese or peanut butter on a ritz cracker because it doesn't spike my blood sugar
teechbiz at gmail dot com
3pm, on the dot, daily. Which is why I keep a bag of trail mix in my top-most drawer.
11 is too early for lunch but I always seem to bottom out and need something. Cheese sticks are great snack when driving or at work. At home the crackers come out.
tweeted
http://twitter.com/bettycd/status/3062980289
My Bewitching hour is 4 pm! I become a ravenous BEAST and I have to eat something or I turn into a hairy Warewolf!!! Just kidding, but I really do become starving and have to eat at 4pm or I am a nasty beast and no one wants to be around me...
A little String cheese goes a long way towards Good will at that point! hahah
Thanks for a GREAT Giveaway!!!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
http://leslielovesveggies.blogspot.com/
LeslieVeg left a Tweet
http://twitter.com/LeslieVeg/status/3117993259
Leslie
Crash? Which time? I usually need a snack between 10 and 11 am, one around 2 or 3pm, and then a little something to tide me over when I get home (5:30ish) until dinner...which generally doesn't happen until after 8pm.
If I wake up earlier than 8, it's usually about 10...in the afternoon, 2 or 3 it normally hits me again too.
-Lauren
These crackers sound like the perfect snack to pick-me-up when I'm craving something to munch on in the afternoon, usually around 2:30-3:00 pm.
These crackers sound like the perfect snack to pick-me-up when I'm craving something to munch on in the afternoon, usually around 2:30-3:00 pm.
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I have the hardest time between the end of the school day (which is the work day for me) and dinner time. If I can go straight home, I can usually eat a piece of cheese or ham, but if we have a meeting afternoon, I don't always make such wise choices!
I crash about 4:30, just before it's time to drive home. So I stop at a fast food joint and buy a cheap hamburger and throw the bread away. Good ol' protein!!
My worst time of day is around 3:30 to 4:00 and I really want something to snack on quick. But it's just a few hours until dinner so do I eat now and not be so hungry later or just wait??? NO! I grab a snack and I'll probably still eat all of my dinner too!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I'm with you on the morning crashes. Unwisely, I usually skip breakfast and by 10 AM I am starving! Having something easy and ready to grab that isn't potato chips would really be great!
I'm always excited about a new way to entertain. Thank you Ritz
I usually need a snack right before bed... it's the one time that I just crave one. During the day, I graze but more out of boredom than anything else!
I go for prepackaged foods when i want to snack, around 3pm...like crackers or pretzels...or an apple if i have one around
mjf926 at gmail dot com
i always crash around 3 pm
Usually right around 4. It's not dinnertime yet but I'm already starving. Something light like crackers is good then....
I always seem to need a snack in the evening after dinner. That ice cream in the freezer seems to be calling my name.
Blog entry... http://galaxycoff.blogspot.com/2009/07/plugged.html
Tweet! http://twitter.com/galaxycoff/status/3391243341
I usually crash around 2 p.m. and I eat something healthy to get me going again. Carrots are my fave.
generally late afternoon, but CAN snack any time of day!
I nearly always need a quickie snack at around 11 pm.
For me, probably after dinner sometime. I try to grab something diety, but sometimes the best fix is some low-cal hot cocoa!
Around 10am and 2pm.
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