Snyder's Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks

Honestly? These were kinda neat. They're very different from regular gluteny pretzels, and they kind of taste like a corn puffed snack or a potato flake, but still in pretzel shape so it would serve for dipping or whatever you use pretzels for. Sour cream dip would be good; mustard maybe not so much. The taste on its own might actually be better than regular pretzels! But definitely different, not a great "dupe". Less salty also maybe? And there's a lot in 1 100 calorie bag. Kind of cool to try these, definitely better than I'd expected.

 

 

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 6/10

2018 Bois de la Croix Bordeaux

A lot of wine lately, but don't worry, I don't have any more lined up right now.  This one was typical. Actually, it gave me really bad heartburn, so it's not my favorite, even though that might theoretically be chalkable to external factors. I find that generally reds are A LOT when I first crack into them (maybe the cold masks their flavor just enough for me), but on days 2/3 they are a lot more get-into-able. So I like that, but nothing really stood out for me with this one, even though it was fresh and fancy!

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (17$)
Taste: 5/10

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish - Cheddar

Here's our jingle for goldfish: yummy little goldfish. I like these and they're very convenient when you want a lil snack with no prep. They had a flavor that read to me as "surprisingly burnt", which made my peanut butter tingly sense go off, but apparently goldfish crackers are always made on nut free lines (unlike Pep Farm cookies, which I also eat, lol), so they are pretty safe. Thus they are a nice, cheesy, salty snack with a cute fish shape. I wish they had more "heft" and less hollowness, but they are still good.

 

 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

2018 Tin City Red Blend

At first sip, I thought that this had a really strong flavor, but also a pleasant fruitiness: plums, cherry, dare I say grape. Best in small sips, and got more intense on day 2 if possible (less on day 3 though). I gave up on the idea of food pairings, but this is supposed to go with lamb. Um, OK rich wine fans.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish - Cheddar Colors

Goldfish! I like the theme song for Goldfish, it's super catchy and takes me back to childhood. I never really ate these as a kid, but they seem very cute and I like other pepperidge farm things. They're fun to eat because of the adorable fish shape, and they have a light powdering that tastes more like salt than cheese dust but is still satisfying. The colors are cool because they actually taste subtly different -- for instance, the red ones really tasted like beet to me! I'm not sure what the green color is from ("huito") but I'm not allergic to it, apparently. Goldfish crackers seem fairly safe nut-wise: no PB goldfish, which is a blessing, and pepperidge farm is generally safe from peanuts and I ate many of their cookies in the past so their tree nut cleaning must be OK. Good stuff.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 6/10

Mutti Simply Sugo Sauce - Grilled Vegetables

I only know Mutti from Tomato Paste, so it's no surprise that this sauce tastes a little bit like tomato paste! But, in a good(ish) way -- deep tomato flavor, almost bitterness. Definitely unique among pasta sauces. It's not especially sweet even though sugar is an added ingredient, and there are nice chunks of zucchini and eggplant in there that you can actually taste (therefore I count this as a veg!). I think this is decent, and I like the savory vibe and small jar size. I wish there weren't sugar in it, and the taste isn't exactly what I like, but it's solid and I'd get it again if offered. BTW, "sugo" is Italian for sauce, but I can only read it as "simply sugoi!" which makes me giggle.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

La Molisana Elbows

OK, I'm not actually sure if these are officially called "elbows", but that's what they look like. Except they're much smaller than what I'm used to! But I guess that makes them fancier, and easier to fit more noodle per square inch, such that 1/2 cup is actually a reasonable serving and 1 cup is like, the maximum amount. They also seem quite posh for noodles. But they taste like "noodle" which is good for me! No complaints or particular raves, would eat again. Seems safe allergy-wise since they make a "may contain egg" warning on the package.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (About 3$)
Taste: 6/10

Tostitos Bite Size Chips

Tortilla chips are, in essence, tortilla chips, so I buy what there is to buy. These I bought at Walgreens after getting my flu shot, so unlike all my shipped groceries, they weren't all broken into tiny pieces, which was pretty cool. Otherwise, compared to the large white corn triangles, I thought these tasted a little bit less good - more like a frito and less like a restaurant chip. But they were easier to eat and dip, which is something of a positive. A solid queso vessel, but "meh" on their own.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 4$)
Taste: 6/10

Giant Brand Turkey Gravy

I love the turkey-stuffing-gravy-potato-biscuit-corn-cranberry kinda meal. And gravy is so crucial to making the turkey and potatoes taste good. Sadly, besides meat (which I don't have) and potatoes (which I could get, I suppose), there's not much use for gravy in this time. However, this is a very good gravy. It has no soy, which is clutch, and it's also easy to cook and fast. And it tastes like nice turkey gravy. You don't even need to wait super long for it to thicken, maybe only a few minutes. I like this, and I wish I had a Giant by me instead of an Acme (even though I haven't been to Acme in over 6 months!!!)! 

 

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Allergy Smart Snickerdoodle cookies

These were good! I admit I had pretty low expectations based on the packaging and my experience with top-8 free cookies. But no, these were actually good! They had a nice oily/crumbly texture, and the taste was actually really similar to these "cinnamon log" cookies my recently passed-away grandma used to make at Christmas time. So that's to say, they don't take like allergy cookies! These are a nice find! Also, my grandma was awesome. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Organic Valley Muenster Cheese Slices

Mmkay, so, even though I have heard sketchy things about Organic Valley's nut allergy contaminations, I also saw that apart from bleu and cream cheese, all their cheese is actually safe. So that's a relief because I love cheese. Mu(e)nster is in my top cheeses, especially in slice form. I mainly used these in pasta, which is a weird usage since they don't sauce particularly well, but it was still good (and I don't have bread right now so what else am I gonna do?). I also made a quesadilla with 1 slice of this heated for like 10 seconds with hot sauce and it was honestly amazing. So I was very happy to have this. I ate them in exactly 5 days, and the package says good for 3-5 days and I didn't die, so that's a success as well. Woo!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Betty Crocker Triple Berry Muffin Mix

These aren't that good. However, consider the following:

1. This cost 99 cents.

2. This is nut-free from a trusted labeller.

3. All you need to add is water! No egg, no milk, no butter.

4. It makes 6 muffins, which is great amount for a single girl like me.

So, with all those upsides, I would probably get this again, or try any other flavors BC has for me. The convenience is excellent and it's nice to have a "baked good" even if it's a baked mediocre. The only real bad part of these is the horrible fake berry pieces, which are obviously just coloring and cornstarch. They don't even taste like berry! But the muffin texture is nice and soft/crumbly, they smell good in the oven, and are a generally fun treat. If I could somehow get real berries in there (or a different flavor, like pumpkin?) it'd be lit.

Overall

Cost: 9/10

Taste: 7/10

Barilla Farfalle

Ah, farfalle. Or as the commoners call 'em, bow ties. I always thought this to be an overrated pasta shape. Not aesthetically pleasing (to me), and not convenient to eat/scoop/stab. But you know, I thought these were pretty good. I made them with cheese and hot peppers, but the part I liked was the the inside maintained some "bite" to it, while the wings(?) were more tender. Is that why everyone likes bow ties?! I didn't consider this, but it's not bad. Plus, noodles are tasty. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Classico Spicy Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

This sauce was adequate. Tastes like a typical jar sauce, which is better than some of the weird stuff I've tried in recent months. My first impression was that it had a little heat to it, which I do like. It's also not overly sugary, which is good, and there are a few chunks of red pepper in there, which is also a plus for me. Not too oniony either. However, the texture is really watery! I like a thicker sauce myself. Made a good 4 servings in 4 days, so the price is right, but it's no Signature Select (if that's what the Acme sauce is called).

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Gina Italian Village Large Round Cheese Ravioli

Goodbye, sweet ravioli. Actually, these aren't THAT good -- I think I prefer the small ones and if not small, the square ones. But these are super convenient and really elevate red sauce to a tasty and filling meal. There aren't too too many in a package, so even if you eat it all (and I always do), it's not catastrophic. The speed of cooking is Fast. The taste is just OK though. They're kinda tasteless for noodles with cheese innards, but that's still better than Bad, and they're still super fun to eat and cut into little pieces and enjoy with some sauce. Too bad they're frozen and therefore I won't have them again for a looooong time!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Gushers - Tropical

I don't think I've had a Gusher since elementary school, but you know what, they hold up pretty well. Nut free as far as I know, and nice little packages of about 9 gushers, each chewy and sweet and fruity with distinct flavors. Who doesn't like Gushers? The only reason I don't get them more often is because they really have no nutritional value, but if I have 'em, I'll enjoy 'em.

Overall

Cost: 6/10

Taste: 7/10

Lemon Oreos

These do have a nice lemon flavor! Kinda crazy all the flavors of Oreos they make. These taste just like those Homefree lemon cookies, which is a really nice, bright refreshing lemony mild sweet. In some ways a waste of a super unhealthy oreo, because these seem like they could have the same flavor but be way "lighter". Anyway, that's all moot because although I ate these and have eaten many Oreos, it's a pandemic and the only confirmed nut-free Oreo lines are regular + double stuf. So I think this flavor is not worth the fear, since I can just buy regular oreos and homefree cookies instead. However, I got these for free and was with other people so I ate 'em! No ragrets!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Ritz Cheese Crispers - Cheddar

Ritz Cheese Crispers, eh? These are new! But you coulda fooled me, since there's about 10 different Ritz cracker/chip hybrid products in the market. And if I'm being honest, I avoid most of them personally because Ritz makes peanut butter cracker sandwiches (and maybe other scary stuff), and one time they mislabeled the packaging of a PB cracker as cheese, which is terrifying. But these had no allergy warning and just looked like regular crackers, so I dived and/or dove in. And they taste exactly like those cheddar 'Whisps'! Except less greasy, which is good thing. The texture is also more like a crackerchip than a whisp. But the taste is very close, a savory cheese flavor that feels very salty but I guess is just what the essence of cheese tastes like (the sodium on these isn't that high -- like 7%). I like it as a food although I might be a little scared to buy.

Overall

Cost: 6/10

Taste: 8/10

2018 Areyna Torrontes

Ah, wine. My friend and my enemy! For some reason I have a bunch of Areyna wines, but I don't have a strong brand characterization for them yet. I like the screw top. I don't think I've had a Torrontes before, but it didn't leave a strong impression either. White wine is usually pretty drinkable, which this was, and fairly refreshing, but I didn't get any "notes" -- no fruitiness or sweetness or fizz, just your baseline white wine flavor. Kind of like the perfume Not a Perfume which is just "parfum" and no other ingredients, you know? Otherwise it was decent. Not very different warm or cold, either.

 

 

Overall

Cost: 5/10

Taste: 6/10

Original Gourmet Lollipops

Original Gourmet Lollopops sound either super fancy or super janky. Luckily I think they're more fancy than janky, even though they're pretty cheap. Most importantly, they're nut free (just may contain coconut). They're also really big and pretty to look at, so I'm a fan overall. The size is actually a little much, so you're not about to have more than one lolly a day, but I like that there are so many (safe) flavors!

Blue Raspberry: Sadly this one didn't live up to my expectation, it was less flavorful than I thought it should be. Just kind of a mild, moist sweet orb. Pretty blue though, but missing that classic BR sweetness. 6/10 

Wild Cherry: Damn, I don't love the flavor of this one either. It's got that instant cherry medicine flavor, which I hate. After a while you get used to it, but I wish it tasted like something else. Luckily it is kind of weak so it's not too terrible. 5/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 55 cents each in bulk)

Taste: 7/10

Twizzlers Rainbow Twists

Aw heck. Twizzlers are nut free and sometimes pretty tasty, but this rainbow version is pretty bad. They're thicker and dryer than the normal red twists or nibs. The flavors are different for each of the 6 colors, which are separate ropes, but none of the flavors are especially strong. They are unique though (blue raspberry, lemonade, grape), and pretty to look at, but the texture is just super tough and not good at all. Jerky but in a twizzler. They give me vibes/smells kind of like plastic beach toys, which is nostalgic but also kind of messed up. Especially the purple one! 

Overall
Cost: 6/10

Taste: 5/10