Ok, Junk Food Nation, let’s get right to it.  Tonight is the first official game of the NFL Season, and you know what that means: fantasy leagues (of which I belong to two), survivor leagues (of which I belong to three), and countless pick’em leagues (none for me this year) kick off tonight when the Cowboys travel to the Giants for Opening Night.  It’s time, then, for my picks for this season, with some small commentary (or just skip ahead to the review!). The order listed is the order I think they’ll finish in the division.

AFC EAST

Patriots: still the upper crust of division
Bills: the improved defense and one more year for the offense should pay dividends
Jets: disaster of an offense, but still better than Miami
Dolphins: have you been watching Hard Knocks? I have. Yikes.

AFC WEST

Broncos: I do believe in Peyton
Oakland: if Run DMC and Palmer stays healthy all year, could easily take top spot
Chargers: Sorry, with Ryan Matthews already hurt, and no VJax, Norv suffers even more
Chiefs: Great googly moogly, they are bad. I could see a three win season

AFC NORTH

Steelers: I actually think the Ravens are a better team, and have better players, but Steelers schedule is a cupcake
Ravens: Birds will shine, but I bumped them down because of sched
Bengals: AJ Green is a megastar. Mark it down.
Browns: You wanna talk awful teams? This is one.

AFC SOUTH

Texans: Houston’s schedule is EASY and they’ve got firepower. Could challenge Pats for best of AFC
Titans: Locker’s shaky, but I think he’s good enough to push Tenn to #2
Colts: Luck brings luck, Colts don’t finish last!
Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert is a sissy

NFC EAST

Giants: This is a BRUTAL division, but I think they, of all 4 teams, are the most stable
Cowboys: If Romo stays healthy, I think they can scrape to the 2^nd spot
Redskins: RGIII = 6 Redskin wins.  I think this is good enough for #3. Honestly Eagles and Skins will be fighting for bottom.
Eagles: They have Vick and Shady McCoy, but a DICEY schedule.  Sorry, Iggles.

NFC WEST

Niners: Still a cupcake schedule, and they have a defense that can’t be beat.
Seahawks: Brutalizing defense, and if the QB situation holds, #2 is a piece of cake
Rams: Only slightly better than doo-doo, I think Bradford bounces back.
Cardinals: Doo doo

NFC NORTH:

Packers: easy
Bears: I was SO tempted to take the Bears #1, because I think they are more balanced than the Pack
Lions: Passing game takes a slight step back unless LeShoure is a BEAST and opens things up
Vikings: Love Adrian Peterson. Hate that he’s the only player worth paying on the team.

NFC SOUTH:

Saints: They’re pissed off and will come out firing.
Falcons: Easier schedule and plenty of firepower themselves
Carolina: Will Cam Newton repeat? Meh…I suspect regression.
Bucs: They might win vs. Rams in Week 16.

AFC Wildcards: Ravens and MY BILLS.

NFC Wildcards: Liking the Bears and Falcons (but wouldn’t be surprised if Lions snuck in)

NFL MVP: It’s a QB league, and Aaron Rodgers wins it again.

AFC Championship: Houston over Patriots. Texans take that step forward this year.

NFC Championship: Bears over Saints.  I know, I’m crazy. But Forte can stay healthy, I think Cutler and this defense is going places.

Super Bowl: Houston over Bears

Super Bowl MVP: Arian Foster

I can’t believe I got to the end of this and have the Texans winning it all.  Bizarre.  But there you have it! Today’s junk food: Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies!

Yesterday in my review of Pepperidge Farm’s pumpkin cheesecake cookies, a reader commented that PF also have caramel apple cookies.  I am one step ahead of you, since when I was strolling through Walmart, these Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies were RIGHT next to the pumpkin cheesecake ones.  So my little jig I did down the aisle? I was holding two bags of cookies, not just one.

Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies not only have the golden leaf fall colors, but also some shadows of apples.  I really like how this bag looks – definitely makes me wanna eat it.  Er….the cookies, not the bag.

I like the look of these Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies, but the picture of a slice of apple just doused in caramel cracks me up.  Such an unnatural shot, and why wouldn’t the picture be of, oh, I dunno, an APPLE PIE covered in caramel?

Before apples are listed in the ingredients for these Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies, “caramel bits” are listed.  For me, that’s a +1.

Unlike their Pumpkin Cheesecake counterparts, these Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies didn’t smell like much in the bag.  Mostly just a general faint apple smell…but I had to get my nose right up in there.  Faint cinnamon.  Smelled like apple pie, but only barely.

Ok, first things first before I really deconstruct this: Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies TASTED really good.  But I was sort of confused as I was eating this.

First, the texture of the soft cookie, while appetizing, was more like an oatmeal cookie.  Some slight apple cinnamon flavor pushed it more towards an apple-muffin-type flavor, but it did NOT resemble pie crust to me, at all.  So while the cookie ended up tasting pretty good, it wasn’t what I was expecting, or hoping, for.

The apple bits in these Pepperidge Farm Limited Edition Caramel Apple Pie Soft Dessert Cookies were REALLY SMALL, like bits of minced garlic – sprinkled throughout to give decent apple flavor, but not really noticeable in the chew at all.  Instead, those big chunks you see are actually the “caramel bits.’  They were nice and chewy and had great caramel flavor.  They had the same consistency as chocolate chips, to be honest.

The whole thing tasted like a apple cinnamon oatmeal cookie, not unlike the Quaker Soft Baked Apple Cinnamon Cookie.  I did like the way these tasted, but it didn’t scream apple pie to me at all.

Between the Pumpkin Cheesecake and the Apple Pie cookies, definitely go for the Pumpkin Cheesecake.  These cookies were definitely good, just not great in my book.

PURCHASED AT: Walmart

COST: $2.68

Thoughts? Please comment below (I always reply) or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy