Would You Do Us A Flavor And Try These? Momma Told Me To Take A Bite

Momma Told Me: Just taste it!

There has long been a debate in our family as to whether 'tricking' someone into eating something (usually on the premise that it is 'healthy' for them) is an acceptable practice. Last Summer, I went out to eat with my cousin, who has kids of a varied age, and watched as she told her youngest (4 and 9) that calamari (squid) was 'chicken.' Both kids happily gobbled up the pieces of fried squid slathered in marinara sauce, but their father was not too pleased. He argued that honesty should be a policy, even from parents to kids, and, himself, refused to try the new food. I am telling you this because I was raised the way my cousin chooses, but with a little less courtesy.

When I would ask what was for dinner, I would be told 'food,' and if I questioned an ingredient or flavor I would be asked if I liked how it tasted- if I said yes, the answer was almost always "then it doesn't matter!" And, when our Vietnamese and Chinese neighbors would bring over pungent smelling dishes from across the street, or next door, I was most often the guinea pig. Before too long I was asking to try new flavors and food on my own- that is how I came to sample the famous Shark Fin Soup; which should be known as '1000 bristle soup' for the hundreds of small cartilage bristles it is brined in.

And that is precisely where my curiosity of food and flavors came to be. I'll try most anything once- though I often prefer not to know what I'm trying until after (I'm still human and can be biased.) And, when it comes to mainstream foods, I am fascinated by the flavors brands attempt to recreate when selling the same old product with a face-taste? lift. Of course, we know just about any aromatic or flavor can be created artificially and put into just about anything. While, in America, we are currently transfixed by the myriad of Oreo cream flavors that rotate across shelves, International demographics have been pairing savory and obscure flavors with mainstream snacks for decades. In fact, the potato chip is perhaps the most violated snack in this matter.

In England Ketchup crisps are quite popular, while Japan has been enjoying Shrimp flavored chips on shelves for generations. So it should come as no surprise that the Lay's Do Us A Flavor 'competition' was around for quite a while before it hit the U.S. a few years ago. You may recall I did a post trying to push my Honey Sriracha Chicken Tenders as the next big flavor. While that didn't make the cut, this year's finalists are compelling, to say the least; Wavy Mango Salsa, Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger, Cheddar Bacon Mac And Cheese, and Cappuccino. Naturally, I had to try all 4 as soon as they hit shelves off national production. Cheers to Lay's for making them available in the smaller bag sizes for those of us who are simply curious, only one flavor really met with my approval this year...

While the Kettle Cooked Wasabi and Ginger had a great flavor, without being 'spicy' or overwhelming, the chips themselves were often much too thick for me. I suppose, if you like the Kettle Cooked, it is worth a try, but I prefer a lighter chip when snacking. The Mango Salsa had the most flavor, but was much too bold on the sweet versus savory scale and overwhelmed my taste buds. Ironically, Cappuccino was perhaps the dulled, with almost no flavor at all, and I'm sure would lend itself well as a dessert flavor, but not worth the calories otherwise in my opinion. This leaves us with the predictable Cheddar Bacon Mac And Cheese Lay's chips, which had more of a cheddar flavor than anything but satisfied as a snack, overall.

Have you tried any of this year's Do Us A Flavor chip winners? If not, which would you most like to try?

What Daughter Says: Modern brands are making it easier and easier to explore new flavors with mainstream snacks. Why not be bold and take a bite?

Lay's Do Us A Flavor Wants To Know, What's Your Favorite Dish? #Sponsored #MC

I participated in an Ambassador Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lay’s. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Momma Told Me: Let the ingredients guide you.

When it comes to food, some of my favorite dishes aren't made in fast food corporate meetings, or family dining restaurants. They often don't have official recipes, relying on a pinch of this and a handful of that, and were more often than not stumbled upon by sheer accident. Two styles of dishes especially known for this format are those labeled as 'meatloaf' or 'casserole.' By nature, these two dishes are literally defined by the almost haphazard collection of leftover or on hand ingredients. That's precisely how 'Momma's Casserole' was defined at my childhood dining table. The ingredients were always changing, but, somehow, it still had that signature flavor, and hint of love, that made it so special.

When I was 14, my parents got divorced and I took it upon myself to prepare dinner for my father, after school, several days a week. Since I did not do the grocery shopping, and I had limited kitchen skills, this often meant melting down my favorite ingredients into what my father called a 'goulash.' A favorite Friday night version included cream cheese, a dash of Sriracha, and a helping portion of peanut butter simmered over thin slices of chicken breast. Momma would have never let this recipe fly as 'healthy' cooking in her kitchen, but it was just the comfort food needed for a teenage daughter and father living on their own. With several warm memories of this 'Peanut Chicken,' I have since developed the recipe with more of a Thai twist over coconut milk rice, for my own family.

Of course, recipe or not, one of my favorite things about cooking is actually being in the kitchen with the ingredients. Like many, when I find a tried and true recipe, I often work to add my own twist to favorite dishes over time. Some of my favorite recipes have, naturally, been featured here on the blog. There's no shortness of sweets with dishes like Lemon Meringue Pie with Blackberry Compote, Red Velvet Cheesecake, and Potato Chip Brownies (taken from my Potato Chip Recipe Series.) More recently I used a crispy chicken helper to coat some chicken strips and re-invent traditional Sushi in my Crispy Chili Lime Chicken Sushi! For even more of my favorite recipes, and savory photos, check out Momma's Recipes Tab, above!

Of course, surprisingly good flavor inspiration can come from a variety of places, and nobody knows this like Lay's. With their Original, Wavy, and Kettle Cooked chip varieties sold worldwide in dozens of mouthwatering flavors, they're once again on the hunt for the next best thing in a foil bag. Their fan favorite Do Us A Flavor contest challenges fans to submit their unique 'must have' chip flavor, for a chance to see it made into a real chip. Last year's three American finalists, Chicken and Waffles, Sriracha, and Cheesy Garlic Bread saw their flavors made into real distributed chips, and this year the competition is back with a $1 Million grand prize (See Rules). The grand prize winner from last year is enjoying their crunchy success with a permanent addition to the Lay's lineup- Cheesy Garlic Bread, sold nationwide!

 So, Lay's and I want to know- What's your most flavorful dish? Maybe it's your grandma's recipe for Coffee Strudel; hey, sweet and salty works for chips too! Perhaps you have a sorority pizza combination from your college days you'd love to share with the world. No flavor is too big, no recipe too obscure for the Do Us A Flavor competition. So now through April 5, 2014, be sure to log on to the Do Us A Flavor platform and submit your nominations for the next great chip flavor; Lay's just might decide to make your snacking dreams come true. Feeling a little uninspired? Browse the gallery of submitted flavors and vote on them in the Flavor Showdown; just don't do it hungry, you've been warned!

Do you have a favorite accidental recipe?

 What Daughter Says: Great ingredients inspire great flavors, sometimes all you need is a little inspiration to create a new favorite recipe.

Chicken + Waffles Chips, Recipe Coming Soon!

Momma Told Me: Finger licking good!

It will come as no surprise that the woman who covered Candy Corn Oreos, and Carrot Cake M&M's is dredging up the recent Lay's 'Do Us a Flavor' collection. In fact, I've heard some of my readers have actually been wondering when these fan submitted potato chip flavors would show up here on Momma Told Me. The truth is, I've had all 3 of these whimsical salty snacks (Sriracha, Chicken and Waffles, and Cheesy Garlic Bread) on hand for months. I had made it a personal mission to hunt them down when they first hit shelves back in April, but supplies were so scarce locally I held onto my bags for months, waiting for the right social occasions to pull out these culinary talking points. For those unaware, the chips that have taken over social media the past several months were fan suggested flavors; the result of a Lay's nationwide quest for the next big chip flavor. As it turns out, Cheesy Garlic Bread received the most consumer votes, and will make it's way into permanent production. Personally, this was the dullest of the 3 flavors for me- but I also noticed the flavor expression was lacking in all 3.

I'll admit, I've only eaten 'Chicken and Waffles,' together, twice before. However, I love the thought of syrup smothered waffles, with their playful little pockets of mounding syrup, and I don't turn down a properly battered piece of fried chicken; so reasoning stands I would love them together. Unfortunately for Lay's, it seems they downplayed the flavor notes in all 3 of their Do Us A Flavor creations. My initial Chicken and Waffles Lay's experience was a bit of a let down. The chips had the classic, light, crisp of a Lay's Original chip, but the flavor was not as intense as I would have liked. I expected more flavor (chicken grease?) , more sweet and spice. Perhaps a stronger maple flavor with a hint of cinnamon and pepper to create the classic pairing on my palette. The bag, itself, smelled delectable, but the little potato wafers failed to live up to the mouth-watering graphics on the bag.

So what is to become of Chicken and Waffles potato chips? Well, was we've discussed before, curious flavor combinations such as this are quite popular overseas, and brands such as Dortitos have been producing snack time oddities such as this for sale in Asia for years. As shocking as it may sound, the average American consumer palette is actually quite tame; even with the snack cakes and gallons of fizzy soda. While Chicken and Waffles chips did not make the cut here in the US, you can rest assured they will ride the wave overseas where curious foreigners will have a laugh at our country's expense. Because, after all, these three flavors are what America chose, and surely must represent our country's delicacy preferences, right? Oh, Lay's, this was a bit of a disappointment- don't promise golden, syrupy, chicken goodness and put out a bland piece of crisped potato. If you're going to be bold, be bold!

So, for those keeping count, on the Chicken and Waffles product battles that's Torani Chicken and Waffles Syrup: 1, Lays Chicken and Waffles Potato Chips: 0. If you're a fan of this Southern dish, do yourself a flavor, pun intended, and pick of a bottle of the Torani syrup instead. Then, stay tuned for a special Chicken and Waffles inspired recipe on our site. Perhaps all hope for these chips is not lost after all.

Did you try any of the Lay's Do Us A Flavor chips? What did you think?

What Daughter Says: It's foodie faux-pas like this that inspire me to get into the kitchen and whip up something truly exciting.