Sunday, December 8, 2013

Spread the Possibilities: A Hershey's Sampling

What is not to love about this sample and share. We are talking about CHOCOLATE and not just any chocolate, we are talking about a classic....Hershey's!! I was already a fan of chocolate and hazlenut spreads so I knew this would be a fun sample and share.

When my sample arrived a week ago the word share completely slipped my mind and I started digging into the pantry for some bread and other things to dip in this chocolate wonderfulness. I found some whole grain bread and stale tortilla chips and went to town. I waited patiently for my bread to toast and then spread the chocolate all over it and took my first bite. Oh yeah....that was YUMMY!!



The chips were not quite as good since they were a bit stale but that really did not stop me from eatin them and enjoying more of that chocolately, creamy goodness.



It would be a couple days before I would be ready to share my new favorite food with anyone else but in the meantime I came up with another fun way to use the spread. I added a spoonful to my oatmeal.....AMAZING!!






Now it is time to share!!


What better way to share the Hershey's Spread the Pairing Possibilities than a sweet party platter!! Check mine out....



I picked out my favorite items to dip in chocolate (bananas, strawberries, and apples), picked up some salty pretzels for something fun, and got a bit daring with the broccoli. I bet Hershey's spread will make even broccoli delicious! I put the platter out for my husband and brother to enjoy but unfortunately they are a bit camera shy. I, on the other hand, have no trouble taking lots of pictures of myself. Here are some pictures of me enjoying my awesome spread.....even the broccoli!!













The top row is the strawberry and that was really good. I decided to go for it and try the broccoli next. My face pretty much says it all.....not too bad! I would not eat it all the time or maybe not ever again but it was not as horrible as you might think. I tasted chocolate more than anything but the texture of the raw broccoli made it a bit tough to swallow. My favorite was the banana slices which you see on the bottom row. This was a unanimous winner for all 3 of us (my husband is taking pictures and my brother is hiding).

Favorite Spread Pairings

1. Spread on Toast – This was honestly the first thing I tried when my box arrived! Why wait for friends or family! I toasted a slice of whole grain bread, spread that wonderful chocolate with almond spread, and I was in heaven. This is definitely the #1 pairing and the way I will use the spread the most in the future

2. Spread with bananas - I don't know why this combination is so wonderful but it is YUMMY! The bananas were the first thing to go on my sample platter so I am obviously not alone in loving this combo!

3. Spread with strawberries - another winner! Sweet plus sweet! The creaminess of the spread is a great combo for the sweetness of the fruit.

4. Spread with apples - you can probably see a trend that I like my sweets!! Apples were another great pairing idea and the spread just added to the great sweet flavor of the fruit.

5. Spread with pretzels - This is one I was most excited about mixing salty and sweet and it was definitely a yummy treat!! I don't think it beats the sweet combinations with banana and strawberry but will definitely be a regular dipping/spreading pairing in my house.

A Daring Pairing

Broccoli - I got inspired by the insert in the sample and share to go for broke and spread onto a vegetable. I figured broccoli might be fun so I included it on my sharing platter. I was the only one to try it (of course) but it was not as horrible as I thought. I don't think this will go onto my favorites list but glad I tried it.

Oatmeal – I was preparing my morning oatmeal the day after I received my sample and figured why not add some delicious spread! I don’t know if this is as daring as pickles or other vegetables suggested in the challenge pamphlet but it was not something I have seen done before and it turned out GREAT! That spread melted quickly into my oatmeal and gave a great creamy chocolate flavor. It complimented the pecans and cranberries perfectly!! This is definitely a pairing and will be having again….and again!

Greek Yogurt - For some of of us that are a bit more health conscious, dipping into hershey's is a bit more calories and fat that we want on a regular basis. I honestly consider these type of spreads a rare treat for that reason. However, I came up with the bright idea to mix some of the spread with greek yogurt for a creamy low cal chocolately treat.....SUCCESS!!

I mixed approximately 1 cup of 0% fat vanilla greek yogurt with 1 Tablespoon of the spread which equals approximately 300 calories for the entire thing. Compare this to 200 calories for only 2 Tablespoons of the spread by itself (which I could eat 2-3 servings of very easily). I enjoyed the chocolate yogurt dip over the next several days with my cut up fruit so I probably averaged only 100-150 calories per snack. I think it is a great way to fulfill the chocolate craving without completely blowing your calories for the day.


 With all said and done I am really glad I was chosen to be part of this sample and share and look forward to seeing Hershey's chocolate spreads in stores soon!!

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