Friendly's Ice Cream Cake Sundae Cup

These little Friendly's ice creams are so good for portion control! I think they're ultimately cheaper than a pint, too, which is great. Anyway, the flavor is good - like a little ice cream cake in a cup, almost! It has chocolate and vanilla ice cream, confetti sprinkles on top, and a significant layer of those chocolate crumbly bits (like cookies 'n cream oreo pieces, but all jammed together, which is better than interspersed thru ice cream). I do wish there was more of an icing/frosting flavor component, which is my favorite part of ice cream cake, but otherwise I really like this.


Overall
Cost: 8/10 (1$)
Taste: 8/10

Ciderboys La Vida Sangria

Another sangria flavored cider that doesn't actually contain any wine or grape bits at all! Then again, Ciderboys did the service of actually listing the ingredients on the bottle, so I can't be mad at them. The bottle art isn't as stylin' as the Angry Orchard take on Sangr-ider, and the color of the drink isn't as pretty, but I actually think I slightly prefer this one to Angry O's. It basically tastes like juice, or a nice apple cider, but better than a default hard apple cider. Less "ow this hurts my teeth" feeling, more "is this Kool Aid? Am I drunk now?" feeling.





Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

Q says: Tastes like fruit punch, 7/10

P.F. Chang's

Chinese restaurant? On THIS blog? It's more likely than you think! I love Chinese food, and I've tried pretty much every frozen option I can, most of which are gross. Sadly that includes the PF Chang frozen meals. But I've heard from various allergy blogs and websites that P.F. Changs the resto is actually good about nut allergies, keeps the nuts segregated and only puts on at the end, and will use separate pans and stuff. So I found my lil courage and went to check it out (Epi-Pen in hand of course). It was true: I led with my allergies, and the waiter gave me a print out of everything without tree nuts & peanuts in it (which was a decently big selection). I'm not sure how much he told the chef or if that info is automatically transferred to the order, but I felt pretty safe. Also they have a big drink menu and I got a drink to calm me down, hehe. So, we ordered a few things:

Sangria: This was the drink, it was small and quite alcoholic, but with a cherry and strawberry and orange slice and it was good. 8/10

Sweet and Sour Chicken: This was OK, I don't LOVE breaded chicken but I wanted to mix it up. The sauce was good, the chicken itself was good, the pineapple and peppers were OK. 7/10

White rice: a normal side of white rice. Good to have. 6/10

Beef and Broccoli: I'd rather have chicken and broc, but this was better than I thought it would be. The beef tasted almost like BBQ spare ribs, it was a little sweet/spicy and the texture was nice and tender. Broc was fine. 8/10

Pork fried rice: Really nice, although not quite like my platonic ideal of fried rice. There was egg in it, which was cool, and the pork bits were big but good. Also a strong ginger taste, some carrot and some bean sprouts. Overall nice. 7/10

I will definitely go back if I find a willing partner! I love Chinese food and I know this isn't "authentic" (and it definitely isn't as good as my little girlhood chinese takeout past) but it was really great to have those flavors in a restaurant setting. I hope I can get some carrot/mushroom/bamboo/baby corn/sauce type entree and maybe lo mein with no peas in the future. :)

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (Pricy but not CRAZY)
Taste: 8/10
Fear factor: 6/10

Q says: It was pretty good, 7/10

Not Your Father's Mountain Ale - Citrus Brew

I haven't tried much new food lately, so I figured I'd enjoy this refreshing alcoholic beverage. Bad news! It's not refreshing! I like Mountain Dew and I like alcohol (who doesn't!) but I somehow think that mixing vodka + the dew would taste better than this, and be less sugary too. Do I just hate non-coffee sweet drinks? Maybe. But this is really sweet and I don't like it. It also has what I suppose is a citrus-y tang, but it's not a pleasant fresh lime flavor, more of an old processed lemon scented cleanser flavor. My boyf likes this but maybe he has a tongue injury. Just get some Mike's Hard Lemonade if you don't want a beer.




Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 4/10

Terra Blues

I like Terra's spicy sweet potato chips, and the color of these makes them pretty  badass for a chip - but to be honest, I don't think I like blue potatoes, even though the color is very cool. They taste more like dirt and less like oily salt, which is what I truly want in a chip (even though these do have salt on them). They have a good crunch and of course clean ingredients, but the taste just isn't there for me. They were almost vaguely reminiscent of beet chips (of which I am NOT a fan!). If you love the "root" in "root vegetable", you might love these.




Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Wise Cheez Doodles - Extra Cheesy

I have a bit of a bias against Wise snacks, simply because they are always very cheap in my grocery store. It shouldn't be true that cheap=bad, but it often IS true, so I was anxious. Actually these were quite good, though. Definitely better than Cheetos, and maybe even better than, like, an Utz cheese curl. The texture is good, and there's a lot of very orange powder, which is actually "extra cheesy" and not just cheesy! I liked it, it was a classic "snack" food and the packaging is actually appealing if I get over my cheapness bias. Yum.




Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10

Aunt Jemima's Original Lite Syrup

Can't have waffles without syrup! This was good. You know, I always debate getting actual maple syrup, which tastes way better but also costs like 11$ for the smallest container. I can never rationalize it to myself so I always end up with Auntie J's or Mrs. B's and I think I'll hate it, but then I realise that I grew up with this stuff and I like it just fine (even though it gets really sticky and I feel like a big sticky garbage can afterwards). It was quite sweet, but that's to be expected in a syrup. It did the job. We can't complain.





Overall
Cost: 6/10 (About 3.50$)
Taste: 6/10

Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle mix

Today was a big day, so I kinda just wanted to chill with some waffles. Enter Aunt Jemima, the only waffle mix without nuts in it at my store. Not sure how I feel about the branding, but it is what it is. I mixed these up as directed, with just water and oil, and popped it in the waffle maker. Unfortunately I haven't yet mastered the art of the waffle maker, and they came out pretty limp and wet. I don't THINK this is the fault of the mix, but I can't be sure. Assuming it isn't, the taste was fine, just like any other AJ product, frozen or not. Not hotel quality (woe) but fine, especially with syrup.



Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

Angry Orchard Hard Cider - Rosé

Hmmm. This has the ingredients listed on it, which I appreciate so much! However, now that I've read them, I see there are no grapes in here. So why is it rosé? The answer turns out to be the color, since this is just hard cider, water, sugar, and some coloring from apples/radishes/hibiscus. I do like the color, it's more fun than regular angryO, but tastes like a more watered down version (still very sweet though). I don't love it, mainly because I already find ciders generally too sweet (they hurt my wee head and my wee teeth), even though I cut my wee teeth on Woodchuck. But Angry O never did it for me, it's the Coke to Woodchuck's Pepsi. Anyway, don't be mislead by the rose craze, this is just pink colored cider. But still a little better than regular cider for that. Also, listing ingredients in alcohol is amazing and I want to encourage it, no matter how dumb the ingredients are.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Enjoy Life ricemilk bar

Technically, this is a 'chocolate flavored confectionary bar', I guess because the first ingredient is sugar. And it is very sweet, but honestly, I enjoyed this - more than I thought I would! It tasted like a like milk chocolate bar. Maybe could have used a bit more creaminess, but given the dairy-free angle I can't be too picky. Mine actually melted and reformed several times (I don't have AC and it's like 100 in here) but it didn't have any bloom and even though the shape was kind of funky, it didn't seem to affect the taste. I would get these for allergen-free kiddos in a heartbeat!



Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

Swiss Miss - Peppermint Hot Cocoa K-Cup Pods

I didn't realise K-Cups could actually produce good-tasting drinks! What a game-changer. I got these from Best Buy on super sale because they expire soon, ha ha, but now the prospect of pounding 32 winter hot cocoas in July isn't so unrealistic. There's real milk and sugar (and coconut oil = sat fat) in here in addition to whatever powdery cocoa bits are in regular k-cups. I know this because they actually printed the ingredients, which is super rare for coffee/alc and I appreciate it very much. (No nuts). This tastes a little bit gritty at the bottom, as is natural, but otherwise it's nice and creamy and sweet and chocolatey, and minty but not overwhelmingly so. Basically like a peppermint latte (is that what they're called?) from starbucks, though there's no coffee in here, which I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Anyway, this isn't good for you, but it tastes good, is convenient, and in the winter is probably quite nice!

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (6$ for 16 Kcups - on sale)
Taste: 7/10

Goya Sazonador Total Complete Seasoning

This smells just like the Coriander Lime seasoning I got a little while ago! The commonalities are really just coriander and cumin, so I guess I know what gives off those indian curry vibes. I do like the smell, but ultimately that seasoning didn't pay the taste dividends it could have, so I'm less pumped going into this one. It is a huge container though, and it led me to research MSG as an ingredient, which is apparently not associated with any health problems after all.

I had this on some garden-fresh zucchini, which is not the most delicious possibility (i.e. not tacos or meat), but with a generous amount and a bit of olive oil, actually turned out really well. I should have stopped there, but I added 2 eggs and some pepper to half of it, to make a frittata-esque scramble, and the seasoning didn't mesh well with egg. I ate it, but it was way better with just the veg. So I'm guessing this is good on straight meat, straight veg, and maybe both, but not egg/pasta/cream type things (you probably don't need me to tell you this, but know you know for sure! :D)

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (3-4$ for a generous tube)
Taste: 7/10

Herr's Potato Chips

About the company of Herr's, I'm conflicted: they're local, and I drive past the factory on the way to my parents' and boyf's house, and they put up awesome Christmas lights in the winter that always make me smile. But their slogan is "Make Herr's yours", which always made me uncomfortable, because it's a play on either taking things from a woman or taking a woman -- right??? Anyway, mixed feelings on the company.

These chips are so standard, and I just don't care for plain potato chips (or fries, or bagels, or donuts, etc). Not Herr's fault, they are crunchy and just a little salty and that's all fine. I know I like some of their other flavors (ketchup, jalepeno, dill, BBQ) but these are just a waste of calories, in my opinion. I got them with a sandwich at Pat's, though, so I didn't want them to go to waste!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

Martin's Whole Wheat Potato Bread

Since I had the terrible "I'm allergic to Sara Lee even though they don't post allergens on the actual product" discovery, I need a new go-to bread. It's surprisingly hard to find a safe alternative, since all the "healthy" breads have nuts or seeds in them that I can't eat. And the Ballpark/Wonderbread white options are really gross. This is a nice middle ground, I guess - it's wheat bread, so it has a bit of fiber, but there's no seeds or nuts and it's soft and tastes like regular bread. I would rather have a bit more texture, but you gotta take what you can get in this life. Overall it's good, definitely potato bread, but not a strong flavor and works well soft or toasted. Holds up to soggy egg, too. It was much pricier than I'm used to paying, but that's OK - it does last a while, anyway.



Overall
Cost: 5/10 (About 3.75$)
Taste: 7/10

Oscar Mayer - Cracked Black Pepper Turkey Breast

This was better than I remembered - I thought it would be super gross, but really it just tastes like deli turkey with a little bit of black pepper. Not at all smokey (this is good) or honey-y (also good). A little too wet for my tastes, but that's deli meat for you. I'm not really into deli meat at all anymore, but that's the way it goes when you're eating subs all day e'ry day, right? So this is fine. I use maybe 3-4 slices per sandwich, which is plenty of turkey flavor, and not too calorie intense, and you get about 5-6 sandwiches from a package, which is all I could really manage to eat in the week this stays good for anyway. It's alright.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 3.50)
Taste: 6/10

Sir Kensington's Chipotle Mayonnaise

Maybe Sir Kensington's just isn't for me! I made a turkey sandwich with this (and turkey is a mayo/miracle whip type sandwich in my book) but I immediately thought I would have rather had the sandwich dry. Not a ringing endorsement - though to be fair, I don't really like mayo that much, I'm a full on Miracle Whip girl. But this has got too much mayo in it and not enough other stuff. It IS spicy, a little bit, but it also tastes somehow warm even when refrigerated, and too -- eggy? Oily? Whatever makes mayo mayo, it's too that. Makes me feel like I'm about to suffer serious food poisoning. You know?! The bottle is cute and I like the color. I'm going to try this with maybe some egg salad or something else where the flavor might be more hidden, we'll see how it goes. Also this is very fatty, which is fine for mayo except what's the point when it tastes bad?

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Burger King

I think Burger King is my favorite traditional national fast food chain, don't tell anyone. It's very unhealthy though, so I only get it when someone else brings it up. But their burgers are so good! And so cheap! Yum! I went to one today on the way back from a car wash; nice, nice. Just for a snack though. And I love that long chicken sandwich. Mmm.

Iced Coffee: Super sweet and creamy obviously, but tasted good and fresh and not too watery like McDo's. Plus they have it. So that's good. 6/10

Onion Rings: Everyone loves a good onion ring. The perfect side. 7/10

Cheeseburger: This was only one dollar and very good. I love burger, yum yum. 8/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 8/10
Shame: 10/10

Classico Vodka Sauce

Jarred alfredo sauces aren't very good, so I was anxious about cream-containing vodka sauce. Plus my boyf gets some really fancy 12$ sauce which is only OK, so who knows how this on-sale 2$ sauce would be. But it was actually good! It's not too light colored, which is a good sign, and only 90 cals per serving (i.e. not too creamy). The flavor is like a basic vodka cream/blush sauce, it's tomatoey but a little creamy or cheesy or whatever goes into that pink sauce. There are small tomato chunks but for the most part it's a smooth sauce. You probably don't want to overdo it on the sauce amount, I think the specified serving size works well. I could see myself getting tired of this after a few days in a row, maybe more than tomato sauce, but for now I'm into it.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (2$ on sale)
Taste: 7/10

Pringles - Sour Cream & Onion

These make me laugh because of Prongles. Otherwise, they come in a fun can, are a nice thin chip, and are very cheap. No nuts. Cool. But they aren't that good taste-wise, and the reason is that, just like Lay's chips, they have a weird aftertaste/undernote which is like cat litter to me. It's just terrible. I don't know how Ruffles/Utz/every other company avoids this, but they do. Anyway, the seasoning is good, typical sour cream/onion powdery stuff, and that helps to cover up the weird chip flavor. So I'll still eat a can of these if left unattended. But I'd rather eat a can of any other (non-Lay) chip. Weirdly, Pringles and Lay's have no other common thread, so I just don't get it. A mystery for the food scientists out there, I guess.



Overall
Cost: 9/10 (1.25$)
Taste: 6/10

Campbell's Chicken with Rice

This is great to have on hand when you're sick and every food hurts you. However, I had one on hand and ate it when not sick, because I was very hungry and lazy. It was not very good in that circumstance. The rice is a little buttery, which is nice, but of course it's mostly (bland) broth and tiny tiny pieces of soft carrot/chicken/celery. Just really tasteless and not much content. Which is, again, good if you're sick, but really disappointing if you actually have an appetite and taste buds. So future-me will now know better and will save this for sick-futurer-me.




Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

MadeGood Granola Minis (Strawberry)

I really like this company, and I was a big fan of the mixed berry flavor of these. But sadly this package wasn't as good as the mixed berry ones -- these were much harder; not soft or chewy at all. The flavor was "OK" but overall too dry to enjoy and therefore much less delicious. Maybe the heat got to them, or maybe that's just how it goes with strawberry.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Chomps Original Turkey Snack Stick

Not a big fan of this one. Sure, for 70 calories it is nice and filling, but the taste is not great. Way too mild and also tastes like chicken noodle soup smells. I guess it's the celery+mild salt and pepper? This could either use less watery celery filler, or otherwise the addition of a lot more spice/red pepper/hot pepper/something to cover up the flavor. Too bad, because I've had tasty meat sticks before, but this one doesn't fit the bill (even though it's like, organic or whatever).





Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10