Pepperidge Farm Maggie's Apple Pie Cookies

The reviews for these are weirdly bimodal; some people think they're perfect (idiots!) and some people think they're disgusting (dramatic!). As always, I can tell you the honest truth: they are mid. Which is disappointing, because I love a cookie and apple is my favorite pie. My hopes were simply too high, as is often the case. These are cute, and not Bad, but they are way more sugary than buttery (or appley). Kind of like a good nutrigrain bar or something. Some kind of boxed breakfast treat, anyway. Sorry, Maggie. They also made my mouth a little burny, which doesn't seem great. (My parents tried them and also concluded "meh", and my dad asked if there was "a lot of cinnamon" in the ingredients -- which there's not, it's listed way at the bottom and I didn't taste cinnamon at all, but, maybe his mouth was burning too!! (I didn't ask any followups because I'm a bad food reviewer, sorry blog fans.))

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Dunkin' Double Salted Caramel Iced Espresso Can

Well, it's better than the "original" flavor, I'll give them that. Still tastes like milky sugar canned coffee crap, but with salted caramel flavor, which slightly reduces the can of it all. Only slightly, though. Would never rebuy. At least it's a tall boy. 140mgs caffeine. 

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10 

Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts Peeps

Sure, why not make some [[Pop Tarts] Peeps]!? They're nut free, in any case. And they're little cuties. Unfortunately the ones I got from some guy on the internet are apparently from 1902, or else they all just are weirdly firm and not at all the normal peep texture. Rubbery. The taste is also artificial, strawberry, plastic, soap, all in one. At the same time, I went through the 5-pack in a matter of minutes, so it's hard to say how I really feel. I wouldn't buy them again, though, that's for sure. But they are little cuties, I stand by that. Kind of wug-ish even. 

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [I don't remember, but it was too much]
Taste: 6/10? 

Simply Limeade - Cherry

I ended up with this due to the confluence of many things: (1) the recent pom-apple heavy shirley temple spindrift (2) dunkin's summer line of limeades (3) thinking about how when I was a kid juice came from frozen cans and yet the limeade was extremely good. 

Luckily, this is all that I hoped it would be. It is extremely sweet (like, full day of sugar sweet) but such is the nature of bottled drink. It tastes like lime and like cherry, and that's because (other than sugar) those are the only ingredients. Truth in advertising! Add a bunch of ice and you've got the perfect summer drink. My ancestors would love this :')

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2.50]
Taste: 7/10 

Birds Eye Meal Starters - Broccoli Alfredo

This was the only veg in sight at my parents' house, which is funny 'cause it's the kind of crap I would buy (source: this blog). Imagine, if you will, Hamburger helper, but frozen, smaller, and more expensive. Also more likely to give your girl a major tummyache (it lived up to this). Of course the 'meal starter' became the meal finisher because there was no chicken added, but I did throw in a few fresh camparis in the cooking phase, and it was pretty good. The leftovers didn't even cause me agony (yes I ate the leftovers because it was still the only veg in sight)! This didn't make it south of Rt 30 yet, but I would consider buying another 'Meal Starter' in future if the price is right.

Overall
Cost: ?/10
Taste: 6/10 

Spindrift Soda - Shirley Temple

Anything for a cold drink in these times... even if this one purports to be a Shirley Temple yet contains more pomegranate and apple juice than cherry and lime juice. I want more cherry and less g-dang pom! Anyway, it's kind of a strange gingery cherry pommo flavor. I don't hate it, of course, especially given the bountiful 51 calos and 10 sugars (it's almost electrolytic, if you squint), but like... it could be so much better (see: raspberry lime spindrift, which isn't even a soda but is 5x more delicious). So, boo. At least there is a bit of a lime aftertaste, and it is a nice drink in a can. I'll feel better once my house is under 100 degrees. 

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10 

BelGioioso Burrata Minis

On balance, I'm glad I live alone right now (for both allergy and noise reasons), but there are a few major downsides, and one of those is burrata. This is a set of 4 "mini" balls (each being a 2 serving 2-ouncer, so not actually that mini at all), and as the packaging warns you, you better eat it within one (1) day or you will suffer the most horrible agony. One of these is great on pesto pasta, or with olive oil and tomatoes, or whatever you have going along those lines. Two is a little much, but maybe doable if that's all you're eating that day. That leaves 2 burrataballs that solo-you simply cannot eat or you will suffer intense agony, either from overeating fatty cheese (a lesson I've learned a few too many times) or eating very smelly expired milk product (a lesson I only needed to learn once). You can't freeze it, either. The only choice is to waste food or to never buy it. Or, I guess, to have friends?? 

Anyway, as I said, it's very good. Mozz outside, wet mozz-goo inside. Good temperature contrast to hot food. Fun. Makes me think of Alyssa always getting burrata at trivia and me being jealous and also scared because it came with walnuts. And it is for those reasons that I made the sad choice to buy it...  just this once. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10