Kellogg's Special K - Strawberry Cheesecake

There's so many cereals that are all basically the same concept. I can't keep up! These have shellac in the ingredients, which I was nervous about, but apparently it's the same as "confectioner's glaze", which I've definitely had before, so woohoo! Anyway, this smells good, just like cheesecake, but the taste doesn't live up to the smell. It's pretty tasteness, and also very mushy. Vague strawberry, vague milky-coated flakes, and the milk is vaguely pink. It's fine, but not quite as good as the strawberry milkshake frosted flakes AND I think this has more calories. Hmph.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars Raspberry Lemonade

This is a new flavor to me! That's fun. It doesn't taste that different from the others, though, even though it's decent. Mostly a lemon vibe with a bit of apple, and not much raspberry (which makes sense given the ingredients!). Tasty enough, but very small, too small to be a real snack for Insatiable Me. (or most humans I'd guess)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Pillsbury Funfetti Popcorn

Today in things that are extremely weird: this popcorn. It looks tasty: wide, plump kernals and a glaze on top. Plus sprinkles. It tastes freakin' weird. Like funfetti sugar cookies or cake, sure, but not at all like popcorn. Confusing. And then, there's a bad artificial aftertaste (which sometimes happens with sprinkles, it's true -- kind of plasticcy?). This popcorn is definitely not for me. I wish it were just caramel corn or even plain popcorn instead, because the base seems solid, but you can't taste it at all through the very disconcerting Funfetti glaze.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Tropicana Orange Juice

Ahh, I didn't realise that this isn't the brand of small orange juice I usually get! This is my "i'm sick" OJ, and not my "yum" OK! This one is more thick and tart than the Simply version -- and I don't like that. Alas. It's still OJ, of course, and I still drank it sad and alone because I was too scared to eat hotel breakfast on my personal hotel vacation that I went on because my real vacation was a bust and my house is 91.6 degrees inside!!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
Woes: 5/10

spindrift raspberry lime

I read a lot of "Spindrift Flavors Ranked" lists (that's my brand after all, lists and rankings) and most of them ranked this #1. I am happy to report that I agree with the rankings! This flavor is really good, definitely my favorite of the ones I've tried so far. It tastes like actual raspberry puree, which is a lovely flavor, and it's only 5 calories! Very impressive.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing IPA

This can makes me lol: Imperial IPA? What other kinds are there?? Anyway, 9% is no joke, so this is more like an Imperial Sleep Aid. It does taste heavy, but with a good little tang to it. Not too lemongrassy, thank god. Your girl likes an IPA.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

spindrift - mango orange

This smells bad! Like rotting fruit. I guess maybe mangos can smell like that too, so it's legit. But that doesn't matter, because it tastes good! Definitely the sweetest flavor yet, and thick like mango. I don't get much orange, but that's quite alright.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Golden Grahams Go Box

Whew. I must admit, I was scared to eat this, because not only are granola box type snacks usually nutty, but they acually make a peanut butter cheerio go box. too! Fear!! But I trust general mills and I need to live my life. Also I just saw pics from the vacation I couldn't go on and got very depressed, lol. Anyway, this is just a lot of golden grahams (meh), dried cherries (decent, tart), and little granola cakes (good. but the most scary!). Cute but too cereal-heavy for someone who doesn't ever eat dry cereal.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Dole Fruit Bowls - Cherry Mixed Fruit in 100% Juice

I got this because I'm sick and can't go to the store. I tried hard to find the least weird fruit cup, but this one still has acerola (seems to be OK) and carmine (I'm terrified I'm allergic to this). I didn't eat the cherries since I was scared I'd die, but the rest was weirdly sweet, more than the fruit cocktails of my youth. So it tastes good I guess, but not worth the fear so I won't buy again. Also made in Thailand, never a good sign for nut allergy gals.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats - Golden Honey

They sure make a lot of cereals these days!! This iteration didn't have a super strong honey flavor -- they're quite similar to the plain frosted mini wheats, which is to say, pleasant and sweet. I like the frosting especially. However, whatever honey vibe is there is I think actually a detriment for me: I prefer the plain ones! It's not doing anything for me. Filling and fine though, just made me miss the fruit filled ones really.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Frosted Lemon Cheerios

The reviews for these are quite positive, and for once, I agree with the masses! They are pleasant, lemony indeed, and have the same sweet vibe as the regular frosted cheerios. The lemon vibes does recall Trix, but not in a gross way. I even had a terrible toothache when I tried these but I still enjoyed them!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Spindrift Grapefruit

Wow, 17 calories! This flavor has substance. The hibiscus for color made me nervous at first, but turns out I've had it before in cider, ha. Tastes pretty good -- kind of like a citrus beer, actually. A little too fizzy in my throat, but otherwise, fine.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing

Another little thing! Cute. Not cute enough to cheer me up about missing vacation, but still cute. This one tastes like straight up radler or oranger soda -- my mom would like it! I want a little more "beer" taste myself (I do like an IPA), or like, sour hazyness, but it's tasty enough.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Spindrift Lemon

Cute can! I thought this was fine, though I drank it fast because I had come in from mowing (back when I thought I was leaving for vacation instead of just staying home in my hot house forever and ever). So that was stressful and chest painy. Basically it tastes like lemon water, which, I guess that's what it is. Probably destroying my teeth, but it's pleasant enough otherwise (though not particularly refreshing for a hot thirsty time). 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

katz toaster pastries - strawberry

OK, the bottom of the box says "Version 1", and so apparently they're just beta tasting these, which makes me lol. Like many gluten free products, these are odd ducks. First of all, there's 4 in a box, and I mean 4, not 4 packs of two. A package has just a single solitary pastry. Pastry is a good name for these, since they are quite soft and flaky and floury. I kind of like that, but the filling is too sweet by half, so I don't love the vibe. It's not at all a good Pop Tart dupe (sorry gluten free kiddos), but Pop Tarts aren't very good anyway, and these are kind of a fun floury snack in their own right. Maybe. I'm curious about Version 2!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Canvas Pinot Grigio

 This is the "hotel house wine" for Hyatt, which apparently is "Developed exclusively for Hyatt by the Michael Mondavi family"! I had a, like, 5 minute wait to check into my room at the hotel, so they gave me a free wine at the bar. Pretty nice -- am I going to turn from a Hilton girl to a Hyatt girl? Anyway, this was surprisingly sweet and crisp -- it was cold, and I enjoyed it quite a bit even though I was awkwardly and sweatily drinking this alone like the anxious weirdo that I am. But I would order it again for pay! For pay! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (7$, I think)
Taste: 7/10

Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Fruit Fusion Raspberry Strawberry

I work at a Quaker school, so I ought to have positive vibes towards this oatmeal. I don't really, though, because they make nutty stuff and their website says they will label but I don't know if I believe them! I guess I believe them enough. This is a tasty flavor, in any case, although I forgot which is the good way to make these -- add hot water or heat water and oatmeal together? After adding hot water, I can now confirm that that is not the way to do it. Gotta microwave, else the texture will be way off. That said, the berry vibes still came through, and I like that. The hot pink color is a little disconcerting, but it's good for Barbie week anyway.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

amc Theatres Lightly Salted Microwave Popcorn

A hot new popcorn maker is on the scene! Man, I haven't been to the movies in ages. Maybe I should go! Anyhow, this was tasty! It was basically like a lite butter type of microwave popcorn, but with the benefit of not tasting too airy or burnt or fake or anything like you can sometimes get in a microwave popcorn. The texture is good too. I bet the butter flavors are like, really tasty!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Roth Creamy Havarti Cheese

This was great, really. Creamy, light, smooth, perfect for melting. I may hate my life at the mo', but I love Roth cheeses!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Tim Horton's Dark Roast K-Cup

I want to like Timmy's as it's Canadian, but alas, it was impossible to find any allergy/ingredient info for this, and since I got it as a free sample, I can't even read the box! Anyway, it tasted very "hotel coffee" to me, which I guess I associate with kinda strong/dark roasts. It's OK, but a little too scary and a little bit grainy, too! Only Dunkin' for me, thanks.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Sour Patch Kids - Lemonade Fest

Very fun! I always like a sour patch kid, even though I ate too many of these and had a sore tongue for a few days. Here are the four flavors ranked from best to worst:

Cherry Lime: This is more lime than cherry! But it's quite accurate in the sense that it tastes like a cherry limeade. Pretty good. 7/10

Strawberry Lemonade: Accurate taste! But very sour also, and hurts my wee teeth. 7/10.

Lemonade: So boring! JK. This is like a very sour yellow chuckle, which I like, but would like even better if it weren't sour. Better to suck rather than chew (lol). 7/10

Blue: This is not a type of lemonade that I recognize. It tastes like a blue freezer pop, so that's less good. 6/10

In general these impressed me because they do taste like their drinks (except blue). Very sour and sweet, so if you're craving that, it'd be great.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

French Fries & Ketchup Pringles

These are quite accurate! I guess I shouldn't be too impressed, since it's all potato, but the "and ketchup" really does come across as well. They did a good job, but it's still just a pringle in the end. Fine, but I'd rather have the real thing, and I don't even particularly love fries (though they are also fine). 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Primo Taglio Prosciutto

This tastes like prosciutto alright! Quite salty, generally tasty, if you fry it up a bit it turns a cheesy noodle into a carbonara tasting dish. So I like that. A little goes a long way though! These are surprisingly low-cal for the punch they pack. (Also expensive!)

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

Cheetos Flamin' Hot Sweet Carolina Reaper

I guess I was in a spicy mood when I tried this, as they impressed me quite a bit. (Less so now that my tongue is sore from pounding too many sour patch kids the other day). Anyway, these actually are quite hot! And, unlike the other flamin' hot cheetos, there's no odd limey citrus taste here. Mine were a bit stale, even though they weren't expired or open, but after a few hot ones I no longer noticed. Quite intense, but once I knew I wasn't allergic and/or dying, I do really enjoy a spicy food.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Dunkin' Blueberry Muffin K-Cups

Oh Dunkin. You keep burning me! Actually, when I first sipped this, I was pleasantly surprised -- it just tasted like the blueberry shot from the resto, which I sometimes get in a latte and which is pleasant enough. But a weird sweet/artificial/trash-like aftertaste soon followed. Why, Dunkin, why!? I gotta stop buying any flavored Dunkin products, because I hate 'em all (except pumpkin spice which is just OK). :(

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

YumEarth Tropical Fruit Snacks

Ooh, tropical. I do like the little pineapple fruit snack design. So these have the classic firm texture that I like from YumEarth, although the taste of tropical is less good for me than regular fruit, even as it's still fine. Basically tastes like the juice from Dole tropical fruit cans. Also, there were a few firm little bits throughout and I'm not sure why. Still a solid snack though.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

a la mode Vanilla ice cream - pint

This is lovely! I bought it to go with desserts (brownies, pies, et al) but it was so hot yesterday that I just had some plain, and it was better than I expected. A classic creamy vanilla flavor, specks of bean and all. Solid stuff! Good job, ALM!

Overall
Cost: 3/10
Taste: 8/10

Dunkin' Cold Caramel k-cups

Dunkin' I love you, but you're bringing me down

I should have known these would be bad after the bad caramel instant cofe and the bad plain cold cofe. Indeed, they were bad. The exact same BITTER horrible "caramel" flavoring that even sugar didn't cover, so I needed to deploy the horrible milky starbucks can frapp again. Sigh. No more flavored dunkies for me!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Dunkin' Cold Powdered Coffee - Caramel

Yikes! Compared to the unflavored version, this is insanely bitter, even with tons of ice and a little milk. I guess this is made for people who use creamer and sugar, because it's undrinkable otherwise. Luckily I have a lot of too-sweet starbucks cans so I can mix those in, but I'll never buy this again. No bueno.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

O Organics Baby Spinach

Reviewing fresh spinach? This is a new low! But I'm through my review queue, so what's a girl to do? Plus, I was pretty impressed with this, because it was washed and ready to eat/cook, and it wasn't too wet/soft/expired. So, it did the job nicely. Would consume again.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Waterloo Blackberry Lemonade

Cute can! Nut free! The flavor on this is pretty accurate, so for a 0 calorie seltzer, I'm a fan. Not sure I love the genre, spindrift is slightly nicer, but it'll do in a pinch.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Dunkin' Cold Powdered Coffee Packs

This is a product that I very much like the idea of -- coffee for those of us without Keurigs! But I've had bad luck with the Dunkin Cold line, in that it tastes a bit funky, so I was worried. These are super easy, just add to water and stir (and then add ice etc). The taste is: fine. It doesn't have the cold weirdness, but it doesn't taste like Dunkin iced coffee either -- it tastes a little like cold brew and a little like those carob-y instant coffees, a little bit notes of carob/choco instead of a coffee flavor (though the ingredients are only coffee, plus a weirdly long list of (non-nut) may-contains). I love that this exists for travel etc, but as an at-home coffee, it doesn't beat out k-cups or cold brew for me. I'm a bit scared to try the caramel one, but I will try it soon!

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10

Sargento Off The Block Extra Sharp Cheddar

About this cheese, I have no complaints. I used it for burgers and possibly pasta and it behaved like cheese will do. Thanks, cheese!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

2021 Ambicion Malbec

Ah, wine. This bad boy was very smooth, grapey, made me tingly at first. Better cold, I think, but even then, it did some weird stuff to my throat (or it was a coincidence, whatever). Therefore, not my absolute fav, but it was fine.

 I made the paired Harissa-Lamb Skillet Lasagna, except I'm allergic to harissa and my store didn't have lamb, so I used spicy marinara and turkey instead. Those subs actually seemed fine, but the noodles didn't cook super well because there just wasn't enough room in the pan! It tasted good, but not as good as a skillet lasagna could (shout out to my mom on that front).

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 6/10

Maggio Premium Whole Milk Ricotta

This looks most like a classic ricotta, so I picked it over a similar looking tub. It did the job (lasagna), although nothing matches the tasty pizza ricotta from Margs. Honestly, it was so rich I would have been happy with less-than-whole milk, or maybe I should have just used less. Anyway, solid stuff, but it goes bad too fast to finish the tub (and it says DO NOT FREEZE, sniff).

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Hellman's Light Mayonnaise

Well, it's no Miracle Whip, but I do like the squeezy bottle. I thought this was perfectly serviceable on a sandwich if you want to add some generic moisture. Works for sweet bologna, anyway.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Partake - Pumpkin Spice Muffin Mix

Good news: I'm still alive! I did find weird plastic in the Dolly Brownies though. But no walnuts, I guess. 

For those of you who aren't chronological readers of this blog, what are you doing?! Just kidding. I apologise. This is a nice baking mix because it's super nut free! It's also everything free, but happily, you can't really tell from the taste. And as a bonus, these are super easy to make -- just add oil and plop in muffin liners. Makes 12 muffins, which is a reasonable number -- I froze a bunch of them anyway, though, so we'll see how those hold up. They actually are pretty good muffins, spicy and smooth, and not too sticky.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Duncan Hines Dolly Parton's Fabulously Fudgy Brownie Mix

I like brownies, and I like Dolly Parton, so I thought I'd go for it with these. The trouble is, Duncan Hines has a bad rep among the ~nut allergy community~. They don't really label for shared lines, and some people have had reactions (apparently; you never can fully trust some of the reports). Betty Crocker and Pillsbury are seen as much safer bets. But, this label reads as safe, and I figured the only other nut brownie they have is walnuts and I'd notice a walnut. Well, I feel like a bit of a fool, because after baking these (which was easy enough), there were little white flecks in my brownies. Probably just unmixed mix, BUT, what if it's WALNUT? So that freaked me out. I ate one and am still alive (for now), but if I never update again, blog, it was a walnut. Assuming I'm just being a paranoid moron, though, the taste itself was fine -- pretty standard fudgy brownie imo. I'd rather a more buttery one, like the chocolate chip hybrid version, but it's fine. The texture is almost disconcertingly wet, but I think they're cooked through (but I can't be sure). They also completely fell apart when I cut them, although I didn't use exactly the right size pan, so I may bear some of the blame. Basically, I'm too neurotic for these brownies, but they're fine otherwise. Like 200+ calories each (and there's 15-16 of them), so they'll last hopefully: 2 weeks, probably: 2 days :P

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10