Green Giant Restaurant Style Veggie Sides: Tri-Color Roasting Potatoes

Ah yes... restaurant style. As opposed to peasant home-chef style, I guess. Restaurant style seems here to mean "covered in butter and seasoning", which I guess I do like. Or maybe it's the tri-color of it all (aesthetically pleasing). Why did I buy this if I'm such a hater (and neutral on potato)? It was on sale, my friends. Also, I do like purple potatoes and also butter. The package recommends cooking in an air fryer, which I do not have, so I ovened it -- hardly restaurant style -- but the texture ended up just fine (vaguely crispy outside, smooshy innards). You can't really taste the butter though, which is sad - they're very dry. And the spice is only vaguely noticeable, feels like light pepper/rosemary/salt(?)/oregano(??). Anyway, I ended up resorting to ketchup as if they were a humble french fried potato, and that was better. Potatoes, man, they just aren't that good. No wonder I never got in to Lord of The Rings. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$ normally]
Taste: 6/10 

Hillandale Farms - Extra Large Eggs

More Hillandale eggs... how many variants are there?! These are Extra Large, which is the size I've grown accustomed to (although really I'd probably be better off with medium, since I don't love eggs). They really do come in this blue foam packaging, which I hate. Maybe it's to prevent breakage, but I still lost 1-2 eggs. They are also possibly glued to the container?? Or else so broken that the yolk glued them. They also don't tout any cage-free/free-range/humane adjectives, which I don't feel great about. What is my veg box (which refuses to sell meat, but sells a ton of vegan beanmeat and nut milk (much to my chagrin)) doin?! Maybe I'll have to Consider store eggs (or no eggs) if they keep sending these foamers. [britta voice] I can excuse eating animal products, but I draw the line at factory farming. 

Anyway, they taste fine. The color is definitely way whiter than Sauder's, and the yolk is less firm and plump (a true grade A, I guess) but in the end it's all egg. No major issues on the consumption front. 

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1.50]
Taste: 5/10 

2022 Navarro López Mañana Garnacha

This wine is so obscure I had to take my own picture (and for that I apologise). Doesn't inspire much confidence, even though I usually like Garnachas pretty well. The label even looks janky, though the cork was one of those fun new age recyclable foam deals. There's a strong tart cherry flavor - sweet - but also very very acidic. No saddle notes, though. After a day it's muted all around; less acidic but also less fruit-forward and more "Franzia". Never again the franzia times. 

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [if it existed, it'd be cheap]
Taste: 6/10 

Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix - 25% Less Sodium

I usually make my own taco seasoning (or enchilada seasoning, as the case may be). However, sometimes occasion calls for a packet. This is the one I grew up with, so I know it is safe, even though I suspect the Spices contain cumin (which is marginal :p). I only use 1 tbsp/1lb of meat, but that's plenty. It smells great. Is it straight MSG? According to the ingredos, no, but it tastes like it (which is a compliment). Actually, this makes my lips a little itchy, but it might just be the salt+spice of its neighbors (cheese and a million assorted hot peppers). I guess that's why I usually stray from packet life. Ah well. If you don't have allergy issues, this is so good. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10 

Old El Paso Red Enchilada Sauce - Mild

Ooh, now my store has a mild version of this sauce in addition to the medium! I'm usually a medium-preferrer, but I had to try all the options of course. This tastes very similar to the medium one, as it happens, but is a little less spicy. Shocking! Actually, I might switch to mild due to the limitations of my physical form, so it's nice that this is an option. The decaf of red sauce. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10 

Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat

Something very good (and certainly better than wines and poptarts) is Toast. I had this bread before in its thin-sliced guise, and I liked it, but more of a good thing is perhaps even better (or I got a fresher loaf). This is the canonical size and shape of bread, it has a good heft, it's got a good stat profile, and it's nut/seed/legume-free. Hooray! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10 

Pop Tarts Star-Spangled Blueberry

A punishment for us all is to gaze upon these pop-tarts. The box picture doesn't even do them justice: they look absolutely radioactive in real life. Like play-doh but somehow less appetizing than that. I'm pretty sure these are just the same as the regular blueberry flavor (which I've already reviewed), but the USA-ified appearance really takes the customer to a new level of horror. The filling is blueberry, grape, and apple, which is not bad as poptartfilling goes. The color is Red 40 and Blues 1-100 (approximately), which is extremely bad as everything goes. I can imagine some self-described radicals at the Pop-Tart factory thinking "maybe if we make these it'll be the tipping point that leads to a revolution!!", but instead it is only leading to a minor reduction in self-respect and/or lifespan. Olé, olé, olé.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2.79$]
Taste: 6/10 
Unnaturality: 10/10