All posts by Our Family

Flavor classics founded in 2009 by a family of food lovers. We are connoisseurs of all things food and drink inspired by every day life!

Halloween flavors

Halloween comes along every year, and with it all the flavors and tastes of the season. So, what are the traditional flavors of Halloween? Well, there is indeed more than just pumpkin, although that is certainly one of the classic favorites!

1. Pumpkin – Pumpkin is a traditional, typical, halloween flavor…and yes, that is thanks in part to the fact that pumpkins are everywhere decorated with faces and candles! So, what do you do with all that pumpkin goodness once you’ve taken it out of the gourd shell? You eat it in all kinds of delightful halloween treats! Things made with pumpkin that bring to mind halloween include pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, and things flavored with “pumpkin spice” – for example Blue Bell’s Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream is a popular halloween hit!

2. Caramel – Caramel is another traditional halloween flavor, mainly because it is a sweet covering that can go on top of almost anything to make it better and “candify” it for halloween! Caramel-covered goodies you’ll see around halloween include caramel covered apples, caramel cookies, and caramel-covered popcorn! Even the mere smell of caramel evokes images of halloween!

3. Butternut Squash – I know, I know, who likes to eat squash? But butternut squash is indeed comfy flavor of October 31. Traditionally, you’ll see butternut squash soup. Probably one thing that makes it so popular is that the butternut squash is a winter squash – just like the pumpkin!

4. Apple – This might surprise you , but yes, apple is a traditional halloween flavor! People eat caramel covered apples, they bob for apples, and eat apple fritters! Apple pie itself tends to show up more around Thanksgiving, but you start to see people eat it around halloween time!

5. Maple – Maple is another favorite that reminds everyone of halloween. Maple covered pancakes show up on the breakfast table and maple custards are on the dinner table!

Happy Halloween!

McCormick Extract Flavors

extract flavorsMcCormick is a company which specializes in spices.  In particular, they have a line of Extract Flavors which you can find in supermarkets and convenience stores.  These extracts are used in baking and cooking to enhance the food and to help add the subtle flavor of an extra ingredient that you may or may not have in your recipe. Their line includes both “imitation” and “Pure” extracts and are priced accordingly. Many cooks will only use the “pure” variety, citing the fact that the imitations are not as strong, rich nor as flavorful. There are others however that have found that the imitation line is quite good. The general concensus however is when in doubt, for the best flavor, go with the “pure” extract.

Flavors in their line include:

Raspberry Extract
Root Beer Concentrate
Pure Anise Extract
Pure Almond Extract
Pure Coffee Extract
Pure Lemon Extract
Pure Orange Extract
Pure Mint Extract
Pure Peppermint Extract
Pure Vanilla Extract
Imitation Maple
Imitation Rum
Imitation Strawberry
Imitation Vanilla Butter & Nut
Baker’s Imitation Vanilla
Cinnamon Extract
Imitation Almond Extract
Imitation Banana Extract
Imitation Butter
Imitation Coconut Extract
Imitation Hazelnut

Stevia Flavors

Stevia is a plant that is well known for the natural sweetness of its leaves. It is often used as a substitute for sugar in anything that requires sugar since the extract can have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar and does not have the negative effects sugar has – fewer calories and is more healthy!

This natural sugar alternative is becoming more and more popular, and you can even find bags of stevia in some supermarkets. You can also find Liquid Stevia drops that you can purchase. While Stevia is very good in its own natural state, you can find a variety of flavors to choose from. Here’s a listing of some of the different varieties available:

liquid-stevia-dropsLiquid Stevia Flavors

  • Chocolate Raspberry
  • Berry
  • Chocolate
  • Cinnamon
  • Apricot Nextar
  • English Toffee
  • Grape
  • Hazelnut
  • Lemon Drop
  • Root Beer
  • Vanilla Cream
  • Valencia Orange

Sweetleaf Sweet Drops Flavors

  • Berry
  • Chocolate
  • Chocolate Raspberry
  • Coconut
  • Cola
  • Cinnamon
  • Grape
  • Lemon Drop
  • Hazelnut
  • Apricot Nectar
  • English Toffee
  • Peppermint
  • Root Beer
  • Valencia Orange
  • Watermelon
  • Vanilla Creme

Stevia Facts

  • Also goes b the names: sweetleaf and sugar leaf
  • Natual Sweetner
  • Plant is native to Mexico, South America, and Central America
  • Few calories

How to Grow Stevia

Many gardners will tell you the best way to grow stevia is to purchase the plant already grown – you can purchase young stevia plants from nurseries. Typically nurseries will only stock them at the appropriate time in the spring.

You can also purchase stevia seeds from many online seed or gardner stores. Many people claim that stevia is notoriously difficult to grow from seed as germination is slow and sporadic and the plants are very sensitive. The important thing is to find a seed supply store with quality stevia seeds. The seeds will be very tiny.

Seeds should be sprinkled on top of moist soil with a thin layer of soil on top. Since the seeds are so finicky, it is recommended to grow them in a controlled environment vs. out in the open ground. Many gardners recommend starting them under grow lights to get the best result. After approximately 10 – 14 days, the seeds will germinate – they will be very tiny. You’ll want to keep them moist, however not too moist, as these tiny seedlings can be easily dampened out.

Good luck!

Water flavors

water flavorsEvery now and then everybody gets tired of drinking just plain water, and for those of you that do, there is a solution! Water Flavorings! While there are many natural ways to flavor water (lime, lemon, grapefruit, even stevia!), there are also companies that have been working on products that will enhance or flavor water for you. The idea is that when you are out jogging, at work, or at play, and you don’t have access to natural ingredients to flavor your water, a liquid or tab enhancer can be quickly put into your water.

The number of these types of products has been increasing recently as people have sought healthier options to sugar-laden sodas.

Here are some of the choices when it comes to flavoring water…

1. MiO Liquid Water Enhancer
– This product, from Kraft Foods was introduced in 2011 and comes in 6 flavors including sweet tea, peach tea, and strawberry watermelon. It is said to have no calories and no caffeine, and is sweetened with artifical sweetener acesulfame potassium and sucralose.

2. Dasani Drops
– This product, from Coca Cola, is due out in October of 2012, and is meant to compete with MiO. It will come in four flavors – Pink Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi, Pineapple Coconut, and Mixed Berry. Dasani Drops are liquid flavor drops meant to be put into your water . Each bottle allows for 32 servings and are said to have zero calories.

3. Nuun Active Hydration
– Nuun is said to be an electrolyte enhanced drink tab. It comes in eleven flavors including Tri-Berry, Grape, Citrus Fruit, and Banana. It claims to have no sugar or carbs.

K Cup Flavor List

coffee-kcupOne of the newest trends on the coffee market are K Cups – K Cups are individual serving sizes of coffee. One of the things that makes these treats so special is that they come in every flavor imaginable! How they do this is by using all different coffee brands – whether or not you prefer Starbucks, Newman’s Own, Coffee People, or Green Mountain Coffee, chances are you’ll find it in the K-Cup as they carry all these brands! By carrying all these brands, you guessed it, they have plenty of choices to choose from when it comes to making a morning wake-up drinking decision!

Gone are the days of standard boring coffee – your taste buds have a choice of many different tastes – in fact, with a selection of over 200 flavors you won’t get tired!

Here is a list of some of the varieties of K Cups available to you on the market:

Black Tiger Extra Bold Coffee
Donut House Decaf Coffee
Our Blend Coffee
French Vanilla Coffee
Jamaica Me Crazy Coffee
French Roast Extra Bold Coffee
Big Easy Bold Coffee
Breakfast in Bed Coffee
Butter Toffee Coffee
Hazelnut Coffee
Dark Magic Decaf Extra Bold Coffee
Double Black Diamond Extra Bold Coffee
WIld Mountain Blueberry Coffee
Original Donut Blend Coffee
Breakfast Blend Coffee
Italian Roast Extra Bold Coffee
Vermont Country Blend Coffee
Chai Latte Speciality
Island Cocoa Coffee
Sumatran Reserve Extra Bold Coffee
Breakfast Blend Decaf Coffee
Caramel Vanilla Cream Coffee
The Original Donut Shop Extra Blend Coffee
Breakfast Blend Coffee
Dark Magic Extra Bold Coffee
Nantucket Blend Coffee
Newman’s Special Blend Extra Bold Coffee
Columbian Fair Trade Select Coffee
Caribou Blend Coffee
Donut House Coffee
Half Caff Coffee
Daybreak Morning Blend Coffee
French Roast Coffee
Colombian Decaf Coffee
Kahlua Original Coffee
Sumatra Coffee
The Original Donut Shop Decaf Extra Bold Coffee
Pike Place Roast Coffee
Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Coffee
Foglifter Coffee
Italian Roast Coffee
French Roast Decaf Extra Bold Coffee
Hawaiian Hazelnut Coffee
German Chocolate Cake Coffee
Southern Pecan Coffee
English Breakfast Black Tea
Cinnamon Pastry Coffee
Cafe Mocha Specialty
Jet Fuel Extra Bold Coffee