JFG Nation, before I begin, I want to give a big birthday shout-out to my friend Robert. It is because of HIM that this blog exists. Without his phone call about the 7-select S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches, we wouldn’t be where we are today. So, Happy Birthday Robert! Keep on junk foodin’.

Meanwhile, THE WORLD SERIES STARTS TONIGHT. Royals vs. Mets, like everyone predicted, right? The big questions for me: Which Johnny Cueto are you going to get? The lights out one, or the one that is capable of giving up 6 runs in 3 innings? Can Daniel Murphy keep the magic going, or will the world remember “Oh right, he’s Daniel Murphy, not David Ortiz”? All the advanced metrics have this matchup as basically even, so I dunno…for me, pitching always wins the postseason, so I give the edge to the Amazins’ there. I say the Mets eek out a split on the road, win two brutal games to go up 3-1, then KC wins another behind Cueto in Game 5 (Harvey falters). Then DeGrom seals it in Game 6 on the road. I guess I’m picking the Mets in 6.

Second meanwhile, NBA SEASON STARTS TODAY! I’ll give you my predictions after the review. I mean, I did SO WELL last year, right? Why WOULDN’T you want to fade these futures?

Third meanwhile: EPISODE 66 OF THE NOSH SHOW IS HERE!

For you new arrivals, The Nosh Show is a podcast started by Marvo from The Impulsive Buy, featuring Ryan from GrubGrade, Dubba from On Second Scoop, and, of course, me, your friendly neighborhood JFG. Today marks the release of The Nosh Show, Episode 66: Lettuce in a Trash Can.

This week, we “discuss two Wendy’s test products, new Pop-Tarts, new Oreo cookies, pickle-flavored ice pops, and much more.” You can listen embedded here:

You can subscribe to The Nosh Show using various services: iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, RSS, or, you can also download the episode.

TODAY’S JUNK FOOD: New Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe!

Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe!! I first spotted these over at The Impulsive Buy and have spent weeks trying to find these. AND I FINALLY DID!…..tucked on some random shelf in Target. Way to put yourself out there, Hershey’s. Why not hide it inside an employee’s clothes next time – THAT would have been easier to find. Crimminy.

ANYWAYS, these Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe are LARGER than normal Hershey’s Kisses (like twice the size), and feature a full-on hazelnut inside with rice crisps embedded into the outer layer. Plus, the inside of the Hershey’s chocolate shell is, apparently, a smooth chocolatey-truffle-like layer. OOOOOOO. Nosh it.

Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe come wrapped in gold foil also. So, flavor-wise, look-wise….oh I see. Hershey’s is BASICALLY trying to copy Ferrero Rocher, right? GOT IT.

These were originally released in China, where the exploded in popularity. According to the article, it reached $100 million sales, and became the go-to option for gifting, since you could buy them not just in four-packs as shown here, but all the way up to 35-packs.

Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe are 42.5 calories each…

…and may contain pecans and almonds. Oh, AND HAZELNUTS.

Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe come wrapped in really nice foil, and I have to say, I was impressed by the classiness of this. I’ve been mocking it the whole time, but the packaging, the foil, the feel of the entire product is pretty on point. I could see how these FEEL different than normal kisses. Plus, it’s about time Hershey’s released a slightly larger Hershey’s Kiss. Besides the ridiculous baseball size novelty Kisses, I had been wondering why Hershey’s didn’t expand into this space. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!

The base of each of these Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe is larger than a quarter.

I unwrapped one of these Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe, and it smelled like…well, chocolate. I could definitely get the hazelnut too. I could see immediately the bits of crisp embedded slightly below the surface. I needed to split this sucker open to REALLY see what was up. I’ll just take a knife and gently….

BAH! Well, I tried not to destroy this Hershey’s Kisses Deluxe. As you can see from the inside, there is indeed a big ass hazelnut just hanging out.

I popped the two halves back into my mouth and chewed and…WOW. I mean, I knew these were going to be good and relatively straightforward with the flavor, but these were better than expected. For one, the hazelnut was super crispy and chewed away easily – I was worried that the nut would be, I dunno, like a rock in the center. But it totally wasn’t – super crispy and crunchy without me needing to chew too hard.

The flavor was ON POINT. Super chocolatey not only because of the familiar outside layer, but the inner truffle-like chocolatey innards were SUPER LUSCIOUS – like the inside of a Lindt Truffle. REALLY creamy and smooth. The crisps helped add a little more texture to expand the crispy texture of the hazelnut.

Overall, the flavor was very much like a Ferrero Rocher truffle…but, dare I say, even MORE chocolatey. This wasn’t just an overwhelming hazelnut/Nutella-like flavor. With these, the chocolate definitely came through, loud and clear. I loved them. Excellent execution, Hershey’s.

PURCHASED AT: Target

COST: $1.39 each! Ouch.

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NBA SEASON PREDICTION TIME!

As a reminder of how the NEW NBA playoffs work – it’s the same as before: three division champs, and then next best five teams. But this year “For the upcoming season, the eight playoff teams in each conference will be seeded accordingly by their regular-season record, regardless of whether a team claimed one of the six division titles.”

Got it? Ok. Let’s do this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Cleveland. Ugh, so predictable…but if I HAVE to pick a team that will get the most wins in the East, it’s gotta be Cleveland only because everyone else I see has warts. Plus, LeBron. Duh.

2. Chicago. Ok…Derrick Rose back? Check. New coach? Check. One more year for Doug McDermott? Check. Plus, they added more toughness in Bobby Portis? Check check check.

3. WASHINGTON. The Wiz Nuts are GOING to take the three seed this year because they are GOING TO WIN THE SOUTHEAST DIVISION. you heard me. Atlanta …well, I’ll get to them. But if Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre can fill Paul Pierce’s shoes, then the Wiz can do this. BBQ PIEROGI ALERT!

4. Toronto. Added DeMarre Carroll.  Named Jerry Stackhouse assistant coach. That;s good enough for me for them to win the Atlantic Division. (Plus, Anthony Bennett comes home??? Big subplot.)

5. Atlanta.Ok, fine – they are still a very good team. But I just think everything that clicked last year for them cannot repeat itself, and losing DeMarre Carroll is gonna hurt. I don’t care that they added Splitter. Plus that front office is in turmoil and the uniforms are awful.

6. Milwaukee. I’m IN. Last year when the Bucks made the playoffs, I had to take a closer look at their stats and realized, “Huh…this is actually a REALLY good team.” AND they get Jabari Parker back? This team will improve on 41 wins. Mark it.

7. Miami. Between Miami and Indiana making the leap back to the playoffs, I went with the veterans over the team getting Paul George back…and who have no one else of note on the roster.

8. Boston. I LOVE BOSTON TO RISE UP THIS YEAR. I don’t have them higher only because they are still really young and don’t have that one guy who can take over, but they are getting there. Mega talented.

Quick notes: Sorry, Indiana, I’m not swayed by the signing of Chase Budinger.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Golden State. It’s a done deal. They basically have the same team as last year. Although Luke Walton as interim coach? Get well soon, Steve Kerr.

2. San Antonio. You know what, I WILL buy into the hype that the next great Spur can be LaMarcus Aldridge. Everyone is basically waiting for the Spurs to show cracks, but until that happens, I’ll keep betting ON them.

3. Houston. Ugh, I hate this team. Harden is uber talented and a jerk. Howard is a jerk and a jerk. But I digress – they are very talented AND added Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell. Bring on the strippers!

4. Clippers. Ugh, I hate this team. CP3 is uber talented and a j….hey wait a minute. The crazy offseason antics with DeAndre Jordan notwithstanding, I just get super annoyed by how the Clippers have become the “hip” choice in LA. My rationale is not rational. This ain’t ESPN.

5. Memphis. You know, I love how the Grizz play, but their hard-nosed physical style of play has been the same the past few years. I feel like I always pick them as being “better than people think.” Maybe the window is closing and they won’t ever win anything?

6. OKC. Ok, Kevin Durant…let’s see you stay healthy AND ignore the season long storyline of “will he or won’t he” come to my Wiz.

7. New Orleans. Will the best player in basketball named Anthony Davis and the Pelicans FINALLY do SOMETHING this year? I’m not super convinced, but every other team I’m looking at got worse! Losing Tyreke Evans ain’t helping things, though…I dunno. I sort of hate this pick.

8. Ugh….who is left? Portland is gonna be awful without LMA….Dallas has given Dirk no help…you know what? Just for the eff of it, let’s put the Lakers here. WHY NOT? Young talent – Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell. I can see it…sort of.

MY PREDICTION FOR THE 2014 NBA CHAMPION: I don’t think GS repeats, unfortunately…I could see the final coming down to Cleveland/Chicago vs. San Antonio/Houston. Ugh, I’m not a huge fan of any of those teams. I’ll say Chicago. IT’S HOIBERG TIME.

Give me your predictions in the comments below! Happy Tuesday, people. Enjoy the WS!

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Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy