Pirate's Booty

A long time ago, my office used to stock "Pirate's Booty", aka, white cheddar cheese puffs.  I liked it as a snack food to munch on mid-afternoon.  Ojan REALLY liked it though.

Fast forward a few years.  I was in the grocery store and saw ... Pirate's Booty Mac and Cheese!  Now, Ojan also loves boxed mac and cheese (he's moved on from Kraft Dinner to Annie's).  I had to buy this, as it was too perfect.

So for Christmas, I gave him a Pirate's Booty themed gift: a box of the mac and cheese and a bag of the snacks.  Yes, I wrapped it.  I think I was more amused than he was.

I was also interested enough to look up Pirate's Booty products.  If they make mac and cheese ... what else do they make?  Mostly ... just a bunch of puffed corn snacks.  They make a handful of snack products, all focused around cheese coating on baked snacks: Smart Puffs, Original Tings, and the line of Pirate's Booty items.

Snacks

I've only ever had the classic Aged White Cheddar pirates booty, but they also make Fruity Booty (!?), Veggie Booty, and "Crunchy Treasures" (the same aged white cheddar as the classic Pirate's Booty, just on a different form factor - silly pirate related shapes like anchors and parrots).  The veggie one has spinach, kale, carrots, and parsley incorporated in somehow.  The Fruity Booty has berries in it, and, no cheese.

Aged White Cheddar Pirate's Booty.

"Pirates like their cheddar like they do their rum, aged to perfection. Aged White Cheddar is made from puffed rice and corn, blended with real aged white cheddar cheese and baked perfectly to pirate standards."

I really used to love the classic white cheddar Pirate's Booty.  But, when I tried it recently to review for this blog, it seemed a lot like Styrofoam packing peanuts.  Really airy, not enough crunch.  And not nearly as much cheese flavor as I like or remember.  Very boring.

Guess it is time to file these in the category of snack foods I used to like ...

Mac and Cheese

Yes, Pirate's Booty Mac & Cheese is a thing.  Fancier than your standard Kraft dinner, made with organic pasta and real cheese.  Available in 3 varieties: mild cheddar elbow mac and white cheddar shells, or, uh, anchors.

Mild White Cheddar Shells & Cheese.

I picked the shells and cheese, because shells are always more fun in my opinion.  Preparation was the same as any box mac and cheese: boil water, cooked pasta, drain, add butter, milk, and the cheese packet.

Now, to be fair, I never want this sort of mac and cheese.  But Ojan loves it, and he was feeling sick one day, and requested it.  I obliged the poor sick guy and made his mac and cheese, with a glimmer of hope that I'd like it too, since I do like the Pirate's Booty totally fake cheese flavor.

Sadly, it just didn't have much flavor.  Like, none at all.  I wanted the pasta to be coated in the cheese coating that you always lick off your fingers after devouring a bag of Pirate's Booty (or cheese puffs). Instead, it tasted very plain, quite disappointing.

But Ojan gladly finished his whole bowl.  Since then however, he's gone back to his Annie's.