Pudding marches on There are several interesting developments at Kozy Shack, maker of many kinds of refrigerated pudding. First is a new line of Coffeehouse Blends puddings. Mr. Tidbit knows there isn't lots of pudding at coffeehouses; maybe there should be. Anyway, thanks to Kozy Shack, at least now there are three kinds of coffee-flavored pudding: caffe latte, cappuccino, and caramel macchiato.
It was only when he noticed the Coffeehouse Blends that Mr. Tidbit stumbled across another Kozy Shack product. Although it isn't new (there is one new flavor), he believes it to be of even greater long-term significance for mankind: bread puddings. That's right; little tubs of refrigerated bread pudding. (Eat them cold or microwave them briefly for an unforgettable pudding experience.)
There are four flavors: cinnamon raisin, peach, apple cinnamon and new chocolate.
Medleys of oatmeal Here's yet another new product from Quaker: Real Medleys, single-serve cups of instant oatmeal plus other grains, dried fruit and, in most of them, nuts. There are four: Apple Walnut (and cranberries), Peach Almond, Cherry Pistachio (and almonds) and Summer Berry (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries). Add boiling water and let steep, or add cold water and microwave.
Besides being a single-serve product, Real Medleys differ in several ways from the envelopes of flavored instant Quaker oatmeal sold in packs of 10: The fruit named really is that fruit, not pieces of colored and flavored dried apples or figs (that's what's in the Quaker Fruit & Cream strawberry and blueberry oatmeals). And the single serving is about double that of one of the instant envelopes (around 21/2 ounces before adding water, compared with around 11/4 ounces in the 10-pack varieties). So they run 250 to 290 calories, compared with 130 in an envelope of Quaker's regular flavored oatmeals.
Thus it should be no surprise that Real Medleys cost more. But it might be a surprise that they cost much more. At one store, where Quaker 10-packs are $3.49 (so two envelopes, for the same quantity as one Real Medleys cup, would cost 70 cents), Real Medleys are $2.19.
AL SICHERMAN
