International Delight Cold Foam Creamer - Caramel Macchiato

Ah, blog. I dutifully bought this, the only other flavor of cold foam at my store, because I really like (regular!!) cold foam. But this is still not that. And unlike the vanilla one, this melted instantly when I added it to my hot coffee. Maybe I failed to shake properly? But it was so limp and hidden! The taste was also equally artificial to the vanilla, but with more smoke flavor in place of vanilla flavor. Alas, this is not for me. Even worse, I'm still semi-blind and dumb, and I read some people saying that coffee creamer gave them migraines and now I'm like "what if I have an endless migraine because of International Delight Cold Foam Creamer"? But I probably don't because I took like 2 weeks off in the middle of my haze. But that's not helping its case, I'm just saying.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Deep River Sour Cream & Onion Chips

Ooh, crinkles! These are very firm. Fun to eat, but the flavor is just so-so. Whatever green spice is on these (green onion? chive? parsley? idk because it just says "spices"!!) is much more prominent and in bigger chunks than you usually get in chips, which is fun but I wish I knew what it was. I like a chip and this is a nice, safe chip, but I do have the feeling it could be better (softer and different/more flavor) nevertheless. Also, I'm basically blind so who knows what I'm even saying.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

DeCecco Rigatoni

These are big tubes! I got them because I couldn't find the tortiglioni requested by this recipe, which I also left the peas out of (obviously). It was just fine, and the noodles were fun to eat with a fork. The problem is that because each noodle is so big, you end up eating a lot fewer total noodles per serving, so if you like to eat lots of something, these aren't that. But otherwise I did enjoy them despite my ongoing neurological breakdown!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Haribo Unicorn-i-licious

This is cute because it reminds me of Nicole on Big Brother. As I fall into total menty b territory, at least I have cute nut-free unicorn gummies! These are new but the "new" bit is more the flavors than the shape. The shape is cute but very large, and because these are so dang chewy, it's worse than the lil bears I think. The flavors are fun though:

Banana - not often you get a banana gummy, so the rareness is fun. It's a little weird, but nostalgia for runts overrides that.

Cotton Candy - no real flavor to this one, just pleasantly sweet. Better than I feared a cotton candy flavor would be.

Purple ("berry punch") - The flavor is a vague berry, which is about right. Fun and a little like a skittle.

Green Apple - Like a less sweet green jolly rancher. Also a rare gummy flavor. A bit of a weird note along with this one, but maybe because I ate chips before.

Tangerine - Decent, like a sour orange flavor. I like it!

Blue Raspberry - Now this one tastes a bit like cotton candy! A very "this is a candy flavor" flavor. Kinda artificial, like bubblegum. Just OK.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Hatfield Hardwood Smoked Ham Steak

I'm surprised I didn't have this flavor ("plain") yet, but I guess it is indeed less tasty than the honey or sugar flavors. It was for a pasta recipe with cream sauce, though, so I thought plain was the right call. This is already cooked so it's convenient for use as an ingredient. It's a half pound which is also good for that. No complaints, just not particularly delicious like a Christmas ham :P

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Eggo Cinnamon Churro Waffles

The longer it goes on, the more clear it is that something is really wrong with my brain. I'm having cognitive and also motor issues! But there's no issues with these waffles. They are fine. They aren't really exciting or novel, since they just taste mainly of "waffle", but I can eat them as hand fruits with no sauce and that's good to do at this time in life (which is a bottom tier time, one of the worst actually). The cook time is hard to get right. I think one cycle is enough but it's not quite enough. The taste is mild cinnamon and major waffle. I hope I make it to a time where I can try a superior flavor and have good brain about it. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Chocolatey Chip Pancake Pop Tarts

Well, my long medical nightmare continues -- in fact, it's so dire I'm at my parents' place so that I don't die alone (lol). But all I bought with me food-wise was this unopened box of a new pop tart flavor! Big gamble! What they don't explicitly tell you is that these are SYRUP COVERED pancakes in flavor world, so the main note is actually maple syrup, which is not my favorite note. The flavor is OK -- it really does taste like maple and chocolate chip pancakes (or chocolatey, 'cause it's not Real Chocolate), but I'd much rather just eat pancakes proper than a pop tart. Still filling and unique and decent (and crucially, portable), but I also really don't love maple flavor and don't think I'd ever rebuy these. At least they're much better than the cursed Apple Jacks flavor. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Kellogg's Frosted Bran

I didn't have very high of hopes for this Plain Bran cereal, but actually it was decent. I mean, quite boring, don't get me wrong, but maybe less so than Rice Krispies. It's sweet bran. I wish there were raisins. And maybe vitamins like in the "complete bran"(??). But it's solid and some fiber. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Dunkin' Donuts Original Iced Coffee Beverage

Hi Dunkin fans! Apparently this is newly back on the market after being away for a while, so maybe I actually had it before. It certainly tastes familiar. But the familiar taste is kind of like the Starbucks nitro cold brew cans, actually! It's sweetened, but there's an unsweetened version I think I might prefer -- I got this for students but they didn't drink it, lol. The coffee-chocolate-chemical blend is kind of strong, and therefore is kinda bad without a lot of ice or creamer or something. I do like that it's not the usual milky fare you get from a store bought cofee drink, though! I also have what I think is a migraine(?) and am very dizzy and vommy and blurry, so my healthy mileage may vary. But it was OK.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Annie's Deluxe Rich & Creamy Shells Classic Cheddar Cup

There sure are a lot of iterations of easy macs! This is a good one though. It is indeed rich and creamy, and I like the shell shape. It doesn't give me a particular tummy ache. The biggest downside is the goop pack (lol) is super hard to open and you need scissors for it or a ton of luck. For a convenience meal, this is annoying!! It's also probably like, super bad for you or whatever. But it's comforting and quick. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Prego Roasted Garlic & Herb (2024)

This had a very savory/dark smell. I guess it's just the garlic! So it smells like the name. It has sugar in, and also GMOs, but supposedly nothing I'm allergic to. Huzzah! The taste was a little nostalgic, because my parents always get Prego, but it's also really sweet and not texturally interesting. Like a pureed tomato soup! It's sweet garlicy tomato, and I enjoyed it in a small portion, but I don't know that this would ever be my go-to sauce. Better than I thought it might be, though. Also lol I apparently already reviewed this in college, and I guess I got Less Picky over time. But the label art is also nicer now, so there!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

DeLallo Shellbows

 

OK, the shape isn't really doing it for me, but the name is top-tier. I'd say these are more akin to shells than elbows -- they feel big and kinda cumbersome. But I guess it's true that they would be great in a thick sauce, it's just that I tend to have sauceless pastas. Anyway, a pretty long cook time but they taste good and are definitely unique!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Taco Bell Original Taco Seasoning Mix

This came inside the crunchwrap kit, but since it seems they sell the seasoning 'a la carte', I'll review it on its own merits. It's good! Definitely more "mild" than the usual one I use (old el paso, I think?) and a darker color as well. But no stated cumin or anything else sus, plus I already eat taco bell taco meat, so I felt very allergy-safe with it. And it's good, and covered up any "turkey" flavor in my turkey. I was gonna make tacos for my seminar students who are coming over 'til I found one was veg, so I endorse it for your friends and loved ones!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Shady Brook Farms Ground Turkey 93/7

This is really good. Their website reassures there's no nuts or soy etc in the ground turkey, it's just turkey. It cooks easily and tastes good. There's a little fat, but not very much (though weirdly less dry than the 85/15 which is why I bothered to review this separately). This one also has way higher reviews online, so it's not just me! This is the king of ground meats! I got worried because it puffed up in the freezer, but apparently that's normal and due to the packaging or whatever. Also, defrosting it was a total fail, but it cooked from half-frozen just fine so all was well.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Cravings Kit

Oh Taco Bell. These kits are so silly! This one is just two types of taco shell (hard and soft), taco seasoning, and a velveeta cheese pack. And it's 8$!! And you gotta spend like 20$ counting the meat/lettuce/tomato/sour cream! But you're paying for the experience of Taco Bell, and that's fair enough. What wasn't fair enough is that the big tortillas were super stale and hard and so I couldn't fold my crunchwraps and they looked disastrous. But, they tasted pretty good. All in all I enjoyed it, even though 2 days later I'm scared I'm getting flu and I blame my crappy diet. But I still enjoyed it.

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

International Delight Cold Foam Creamer

Wah! I was so excited for my store to finally carry a type of cold foam, but it's WEIRD :( Nothing like the coffee shop foam. Maybe it's the flavor, and if they had a non-vanilla one it would be different. But this has a weird chemical/artificial flavor that pervades the entire coffee. So if it had a nice flavor of cream, then it'd be awesome. The can and texture are fine. The taste is weird and moderately bad. Will try on an iced coffee next but I expect the same result. Woe. (My store only has this and caramel, no other flavors or brands. Woe woe.)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Haribo Berry Clouds

Haribo! I always complain about them being too firm (which they ARE) and yet these softer clouds were, how can I put this, too soft. I'm a fool. But they're still fun. And the even better news is, I emailed them to ask if the "vegetable juice" was peas or beans and they said it's not (mostly beets and carrots, although that mostly is doing some work). So, I feel very safe. There is sorbitol in these, though, which I do not like or really understand since there's also regular sugar, and plenty of it. Whatever, I'm still a haribo-stan. The flavors are:

Blueberry: These are so soft and so weird for haribo. They are like the blue dolphin gummies I coveted in 2nd grade. 7/10

Wildberry: Is this....grape? Not as good as blue. 5/10

Strawberry: Medium good. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10