Cookie, Candy and Sugary Snack Food Based Cereals Seem to Be Trending

In a recent visit to the local Walmart Neighborhood Market, I walked down the cereal aisle and noticed what appears to be a new trend…numerous cereals based on other products…cookies, candy and other snack foods. While we generally don’t buy sugary cereals, the sighting of these cereals kind of brought me back to my youth and my days of Cocoa Pebbles.

And speaking of Cocoa Pebbles, I Wikipedia’d (I’m assuming Wikipedia can be used as a verb, like Google) it and learned that Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles, introduced in 1971 and based on The Flintstones, is the oldest surviving cereal based on characters from a TV series or movie. And there you have it.

Oreo O’s were originally launched in 1997 and discontinued in 2007. They were re-launched by Post Cereals in June 2017.

Nilla Cereal is based on Nilla Waters, with the flavor of banana pudding. This was launched in 2018, along with Golden Oreo O’s Cereal.

The iconic Chips Ahoy cookies were brought to market in 1963.. Chips Ahoy Cookie Cereal came to Walmart in early 2018, along with Nutter Butter Cereal.

And here is an example of another icon product turned cereal. Walmart started exclusively carrying both Frosted Strawberry and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts Cereal in January 2019, fully 55 years after Pop Tarts toaster pastries were launched.

Reese’s Puffs Cereal is made with “real Reese’s peanut butter” it says on the box. These have been around awhile though, having launched in 1994.

Here’s a family size box of Dippin’ Dots Cereal. Launched in 2018, 30 years, if you can believe it, after Dippin’ Dots was invented.

And last but note least for this compilation is Hostess Donettes Cereal. Why one would prefer donut shaped cereal to an actual donut with milk is beyond me, but to each his own. Hostess Donettes Cereal as well as Hostess Honey Bun Cereal were launched in late 2018.

Rolling Pin Donuts in Camarillo Captured in Oil Painting by Local Artist

Rolling Pin Donuts in Camarillo (Artist: Linda Dark)

Long-time Camarillo resident and artist Linda Dark enjoys capturing local scenes in oil paint. Rolling Pin Donuts has operated at 2153 Las Posas Road since 1992 and has quite a loyal following at this stand-alone location. Dark has lived in Camarillo since 1978 and recalls it was previously called Donna Lee Donuts.

Have a donut craving? Rolling Pin is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. You'll want to stop by for sure after checking out their creations at www.facebook.com/RollingPinCamarillo.

Rolling Pin Donuts on Rainy Day (Artist: Linda Dark)

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers Share Their Favorite Desserts at Local Eateries

As part of a one day ticket drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, we asked folks to tell us their favorite desserts at any restaurant in the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas. Boy oh boy did we get the best compilation of great sounding desserts EVER! 

We are going to share these comments with you but be sure to keep in mind, eat desserts only after finishing your dinner. To quote a Pink Floyd lyric "If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!" ("Another Brick in the Wall" 1979)

And here they are, in no particular order:

• Pastries from Champagne Bakery
• Strawberry Shortcake at Boccali's in Ojai
• Butter cake at Mastro's Steakhouse Thousand Oaks (mentioned 27 times)
• Pizookie at BJ's Restaurant in Thousand Oaks (mentioned 44 times)
• Cinnamon Puffs from Pizza Nosh in Agoura Hills
• Creme Brulee at Aroha Restaurant in Westlake Village
• Richie's Magic Bar at Pearl District (mentioned 2 times)
• Warm peach cobbler at Lazy Dog Restaurant
• Cheesecake Factory (mentioned 42 times - banana, Oreo, strawberry, chocolate fudge, key lime, tiramisu, Limoncello, banana cream, red velvet, Snickers, peanut butter, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Linda's Fudge Cake, Dulce de Leche Caramel, Godiva, Peanut Butter)
• Apple fritters at Best Donuts
• Chocolate cake at Bandits' BBQ
• Banana cream pudding in Mason jar at Public School 805
• Carrot cake at Boney Mountain Tavern (mentioned 2 times)
• White chocolate pretzel cheesecake at Lazy Dog Restaurant
• Creme brulee or cobbler at Blue Stove in The Oaks Mall (mentioned 2 times)
• Donuts and cupcakes at Karma Baker (mentioned 3 times)
• Carmelized almond bowl with white chocolate laced chantilly cream and fresh berries at Mediterraneo in Westlake Village
• Creme brulee at Lazy Dog Restaurant (mentioned 2 times)
• Cheesecake with blueberries at Stonefire Grill 
• Creme brulee or pecan pie at Mastro's
• Cannoli at Roma Deli in Newbury Park (mentioned 2 times)
• Blackberry crumble at Lure Fish House
• Salted chocolate chip cookie at Urbane Cafe
• Banana cream pie at Paul Martin's (mentioned 3 times)
• Sprinkles Cupcakes (mentioned 4 times)
• Fudge brownie sundae at Bandits BBQ
• Key lime pie at Mastro's
• Green tea ice cream at Kabuki
• The Wonderbar at Pearl District (mentioned 2 times)
• Apple strudel at Jeanette's Edelweiss in Newbury Park (mentioned 2 times)
• Mountain High Mud Pie at Red Robin
• Chocolate fondue at The Melting Pot (mentioned 7 times)
• Ice cream sundae at Stacked
• S'Mores at Holdren's in Newbury Park
• Menchies Frozen Yogurt
• Kona Pie at Islands
• Butter cake with vanilla ice cream at California Pizza Kitchen (mentioned 3 times)
• Fried cheesecake at Sutter's Mill in Simi Valley
• Tiramisu at Marcello Ristorante in Thousand Oaks
• Brownie ice cream sundae at Pickles Deli in Newbury Park
• Brownie at Stonefire Grill (mentioned 3 times)
• Bread pudding at Twenty88 in Camarillo
• Donuts at Dunkin' Donuts
• Deep fried ice cream at Cisco's
• Chocolate Dome at PF Chang's
• Caramel apples from Newberry Candies in Thousand Oaks
• The gooey center of a Cinnabon
• Black and white cookie at Brent's Deli (mentioned 2 times)
• Chocolatine French Cafe
• Salted caramel cheesecake at Blue Stove
• The Melting Pot - any dessert
• Sweet quinoa cake from Grabbagreen in Thousand Oaks
• Cinnamon chips at Snapper Jack's Taco Shack in Camarillo
• Ice cream at Lure Fish House
• Dessert sampler at Holdren's in Newbury Park
• Chocolate cake at Brent's Deli (mentioned 2 times)
• Apple pie at Stella's in Newbury Park
• Banana spring rolls at PF Chang's
• Baklava at Mama's Hummus
• Spotted dick at Crown and Anchor in Thousand Oaks
• Pavlova at Aroha Cuisine
• Shave It (mentioned 4 times)
• Gelato at Urban Pizza
• Banana pudding bread at Cafe Firenze in Moorpark
• Carrot cake at Stonefire Grill (mentioned 6 times)
• Shakes at In-N-Out Burger
• Apple fritters at Rolling Pin Donuts in Camarillo
• Little Calf Creamery in Thousand Oaks (mentioned 26 times)
• McDonald's strawberry and cream pies
• Molten chocolate cake at Lure Fish House
• Lava cake at Chili's in Newbury Park (mentioned 2 times)
• Macaroons from Lemonade
• Ice cream at Rite Aid (mentioned 2 times)
• Creme Brulee at Tuscany in Westlake Village (mentioned 2 times)
• Cotton candy at Zin Bistro in Westlake Village
• Fried ice cream at Yolanda's in Camarillo (mentioned 2 times)
• Molten Chocolate Cake at Marmalade Cafe in Westlake Village
• Salted caramel pudding from California Pizza Kitchen
• Fruit cobbler at Lazy Dog Cafe
• Chocolate mousse cake at Blue Stove (mentioned 2 times)
• Eclairs at Brent's Deli
• Carrot cake at Old New York Deli in Newbury Park
• Mud Pie at Holdren's
• Ice cream sandwiches at Stacked
• Raised chocolate donut at Foster's Donuts
• Nutella and Biscotti Semifreddo at Cafe Firenze
• Frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti
• Nutella cheesecake at Lemonade in Westlake Village
• Chocolate chip brownie sundae at Lazy Dog Cafe (mentioned 2 times)
• Chocolate cake at Paul Martin's
• Chocolate souffle at Mastro's
• Berry cobbler at Lure Fish House
• Chocolate lasagna at Olive Garden
• Brownie sundae from Sunset Terrace
• Florentine art dessert at Mediterraneo
• Churros (Nutella filled) at Sabor (mentioned 2 times)
• Baskin Robbins (mentioned 10 times)
• Cannoli at Italia Deli & Bakery
• Baklava at Baba's Kitchen
• Nothing Bundt Cakes (mentioned 14 times)
• Black Forest Cake at Paul Martin's
• Strawberry cake at Jeannette's Edelweiss
• Sticky rice at Sawadee Thai in Camarillo
• Neapolitan Shake from In N Out Burger
• Pastries and tiramisu at Al Mulino Eataliano
• Hot fudge sundae at McDonald's
• Sticky coconut rice and mango at Bangkok Avenue
• Strawberry shortcake at Country Harvest in Newbury Park
• Pizza cookie at Topper's Pizza
• Peruvian cookies at Mouthful Eatery
• Baklava at Mediterranean Pita Grill
• Flan at Don Cucos
• Fruit tart at Viktor Benes
• Butter cake at Lazy Dog Cafe
• Ras Malai and Gulab Jamun at Anarbagh in Westlake Village
• Cold Stone Creamery (mentioned 3 times)
• Wild Cherry Yogurt
• Carrera's Bakery (mentioned 15 times for items like triolgia, fritelle, gelato, cannoli)
• Tifa Gelato (mentioned 6 times)
• Sweet Arlene's (mentioned 6 times)

Bacon, Avocado and Grilled Onions Top List of Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers' Favorite Hamburger Toppings

The burger from Bandits' Grill and Bar Thousand Oaks that inspired the drawing.

Yes, this is breaking news. Very important stuff. To celebrate reaching 12,000 followers on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page, we teamed up with Bandits' Grill and Bar Thousand Oaks for a gift card drawing. To enter the six-hour drawing, we asked folks to name a favorite burger topping.

The drawing ended at 11PM and as always, when CVG Facebook followers are offered the chance to win free food, they do not hesitate to participate.

After selecting the winner, I decided to tabulate the responses to see if there was a clear-cut favorite topping.  It was not particularly surprising that bacon received 19% of total votes, making it the #1 choice.

But avocado gave bacon a clear run for its money, with 16% of the vote. As I was tabulating, midway through the count I thought avocado was actually going to pull out an upset win. But in the end, "bad fat" prevailed over "good fat," though not by much!

In a tie for third place were grilled onions and cheese, with 12% of the vote each. Rounding out the next four spots were blue cheese (this one surprised me a bit), mushrooms, onion strings/rings and BBQ sauce. Pickles, jalapenos, fresh tomato were noted several times.

Speaking of burgers and restaurants, visit THIS LINK for a rundown on local area eateries that are newly opened or soon to be opening.

New Thousand Oaks The Habit Burger Grill Continues This Burger Chain's Success Story

The Habit Burger Grill originated on November 15, 1969 at 5735 Hollister Ave, Goleta - a location that is still in operation to this day. The Habit is a fast casual restaurant concept that specializes in preparing fresh, made-to-order char-grilled burgers and sandwiches featuring USDA choice tri-tip steak, grilled chicken and sushi-grade albacore tuna cooked over an open flame. 

The chain was purchased by a private equity firm in 2007 and subsequently The Habit Restaurants, Inc. went public with an initial stock offering on November 19, 2014, 45 years after its inception.

The new location coming soon to Thousand Oaks. Ever wonder why the "b" in Habit is slightly twisted? I asked. The Habit indicates it "makes it special and light hearted."

A new location is coming to Thousand Oaks at the former Famous Dave's BBQ location at 3980 Thousand Oaks Blvd. This will mark the 4th Conejo Valley Habit Burger location, including existing locations in Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Agoura Hills. Additional Ventura County locations in Simi Valley (2), Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura (2).

The Habit trades under stock symbol HABT and currently is (as of December 20, 2016) at $17.30 per share, down 4% from its initial public offering price of $18 per share. That said, its price soared to close at nearly $40 per share that first day of trading, making it a bit of a terrible investment for those that bought after the IPO.

Stock price aside, The Habit has been quite a success story, growing to 160 restaurants in 10 states and opening new restaurants at the rate of over 30 per year. Total revenue for The Habit's fiscal year 2016 is anticipated to be in the $283 million range.

Photo courtesy of The Habit Burger. While my Habit Burger doesn't look quite this perfect, that's no big deal. It usually reaches my mouth before my eyes have much time to admire it.

But back to stock price. For a growth stock like The Habit, timing can be critical. Let's look at an example. Over the last two years ending today, had you purchased $100 in McDonald's stock (MCD), the value of that investment today would be $131, and you would have received cash dividends of close to $8, for a total return of 39%. $100 invested in HABT would now be worth about $52. 

So while The Habit Burger may have been rated #1 burger in a 2014 Consumer Reports survey (and I for thoroughly enjoy the burgers and other menu items at The Habit), you don't necessarily always want to put your money where you mouth is. Or your mouth where your money is, for that matter.

To learn more about The Habit, visit www.habitburger.com.

An Enjoyable Visit to the New Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop in Oxnard

The new Krispy Kreme Doughnut store in Oxnard opened in late September and it took me a couple months to get over there for the first time with my youngest son and his friend.

I do not consider myself to be a doughnut* connoisseur. As someone who exercises daily and tries to eat moderately healthy, donuts are an occasional extravagance. If someone brings a box of donuts to the office, for sure, I'll be one to partake. But I generally don't go out of my way for a donut.

There was a Krispy Kreme in Oxnard that closed its doors eight years ago; located on Rose Avenue, it is now a Chick-fil-A. I've tried Krispy Kreme doughnuts from time to time, but never actually stepped foot into a Krispy Kreme store.

So at 6PM on a Sunday night, we stopped by. I figured it would be quick. Drive by any donut shop in the Conejo Valley on a Sunday night, and, in the unlikely case the shop is open, there will not be many customers in there.

I was shocked. The place was bustling! There were at least 15 to 20 people in line. But we didn't mind the wait; it was actually kind of a unique experience waiting to purchase doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. Why? Because you get to see their signature glazed donuts made just a few feet away, through a full-length window. It was an impressive site that you just don't get to see at most other donut shops!

Freshly made doughnuts just a few feet away, tantalizing us.

We bought a dozen and a half doughnuts - glazed, filled and otherwise - packed to take home. The kids each ate a donut in the back seat. (Not to worry, we ate a healthy dinner at the massive Whole Foods Market at The Collection at RiverPark before the doughnut splurge.) From the back seat of the car I heard mostly "chomp, chomp, chomp" for a minute. Apparently the kids enjoyed them.

The doughnut celebration continued when we arrived home. My older son does not like donuts filled with anything...cream, jelly, etc., which is a good thing because I do enjoy such doughnuts. He opted for one of the fresh-baked glazed doughnuts. 

We're a bit partial to doughnuts filled with delicious innard like cream, custard and jelly.

You could not ask for a fresher doughnut than the glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. Whereas all the other doughnuts are stored in bins, when you order the glazed doughnuts, they retrieve them from where they were just made, literally minutes ago.

So I asked my oldest if he enjoyed the doughnut. He said he barely had to bite it, it was so soft, moist and delicious. It practically melted in his mouth. Gotta eat them while they're hot.

I did notice that Krispy Kreme doughnuts are perhaps a bit more sweet than the average donut. I was ok with that, but based upon my review of the Krispy Kreme Oxnard Yelp page, I was not alone in that observation. Not everyone is a fan.

This is also 24/7 drive-thru Krispy Kreme. Other than Starbucks and other fast food eateries, this is the only drive-thru donut place that I'm aware of in the area. The line of cars did look particularly long though, perhaps due to the fact that only one customer at a time can determine which doughnuts will be occupying their Krispy Kreme box.

Our precious cargo was contained in these fancy boxes.

So while I won't necessarily drive 20 miles (40 miles round trip) out of my way for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I would definitely take a detour off the 101 at the Vineyard offramp to indulge myself from time to time.

Krispy Kreme Oxnard is located at 220 Riverpark Boulevard (at Vineyard), next to a 24 hour McDonald's.  Store hours are 5:30am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 5:30am to midnight on Friday/Saturday and as mentioned previously, the drive-thru is open 24/7. Yes, if you're hungry and can't find anything in the Conejo Valley, do note that fresh doughnuts and McD's are available 24/7, 20 miles away in Oxnard.

* Krispy Kreme uses the more traditional spelling of "doughnut" vs the shortened spelling "donut" made more popular by Dunkin' Donuts, not to mention Winchell's Donuts, Yum Yum Donuts, Spudnuts Donuts and most every other donut shop in town! Here, we use the doughnut spelling when specifically referencing Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Why Does the Label On My Peanut Butter Say CONTAINS PEANUTS?

So the other day I was making my son, the son without peanut allergies, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of milk. I glanced at the label on the peanut butter jar and noticed "CONTAINS PEANUTS." highlighted in bold, below the ingredients, which clearly lists "dry roasted peanuts" as the main ingredient. Interesting.

Then I grabbed the bag of Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat bread, looked at the label, and saw that in addition to the multiple mentions of wheat in the ingredients, it also says CONTAINS WHEAT, MILK AND SOY. Like we didn't already know the WHEAT bread contains WHEAT!

After putting the finishing touches on the PB&J, slicing off the crusts and cutting the the sandwich in half, it was time to pour the milk. Sure enough, underneath the ingredients of this Trader Joe's milk carton that clearly indicates milk three times in the ingredients, is the statement CONTAINS MILK.

Isn't this a bit overkill!?? Does someone think I'm stupid? (Don't answer that.)

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) of 2004 initiated new food labeling requirements for eight food groups that, according to the FDA, are the source of 90% of food allergies in the U.S. Food allergies affect 2% of adults and 5% of children.

The eight foods, all proteins, are milk, eggs, fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod), Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp), tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans), peanuts, wheat and soybeans.

Source: FDA.gov: FALCPA requires food manufacturers to label food products that contain an ingredient that is or contains protein from a major food allergen in one of two ways:

The first option for food manufacturers is to include the name of the food source in parenthesis following the common or usual name of the major food allergen in the list of ingredients in instances when the name of the food source of the major allergen does not appear elsewhere in the ingredient statement.

The second option is to place the word "Contains" followed by the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived, immediately after or adjacent to the list of ingredients, in type size that is no smaller than the type size used for the list of ingredients.

I've underlined the statement that puzzles me. If the allergen appears elsewhere in the ingredient statement, it would appear the label meets FALCPA labeling requirements. Yet, the labels shown above all include the redundant "CONTAINS (PEANUTS/WHEAT/MILK)" statement anyways. Why, why, why? I suspect the manufacturers figure, why not. Maybe someone will blog about it and give us free publicity.

So later on, after the kid's belly was full, I thought, what other allergens lurk in our fridge? Ah ha! Eggs! It took me a bit longer to find the label on the egg carton, hidden on the inside cover (hey, I don't cook much). I was actually a bit disappointed to NOT find the statement "CONTAINS EGGS" on the label. Darn it, now I'm left to wonder, are these really eggs?

To learn more about FALCPA requirements, visit www.fda.gov or download an actual pdf copy of the law at www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM179394.pdf. Joking aside, it's a great law that helps food allergy sufferers more clearly identify foods that could cause them much grief.