Suntastic Beefsteak Tomatoes

My tomatoes were not so red as these! But they're called Suntastic. But they're from a farm in Canada. But also the address of the farm is in Florida. I really have no idea how this qualifies as "local produce", but it was in my local veg box, so, OK. The website on the package (http://www.visitourgarden.com/) does not seem to exist. It's like a prank on me, Billy Tomato Fan. 

But I am a tomato fan. These are great for pasta and also rice. They taste like tomato, lasted a whole week, and were solid even though the outsides didn't look super pretty. In general, tomatoes are good, but for me the bigger they are they more I like them (Big Bois > Romas > Grape > Cherry). So these are pretty large and also pretty good.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
Transparency in Origin: 2/10

McCormick Turmeric Ground

From the cinnamon ground to the turmeric ground. It's been probably 10 years since I learned about the spelling of turmeric, but it's still surprising to me. I guess the spelling critical period sets in around age 16 or so. Anyway, turmeric isn't my favorite spice. It's bright yellow. I do like that. But the taste is very "savory soup". I do like soup, but not as a spice. That might be my fault for only using turmeric in non-savory drinks. The image on the container makes me realise that this stuff is in the ginger family, often paired with ginger, and yet (to me) tastes very little like ginger. Anyway, I'm not allergic to it, so I'll probably keep using it because it is a common ingredient. Did you know there's a massive mustard recall in the UK because there's peanut contamination in the mustard supply? McCormick would never. That is why they are my trusted brand. (Don't make me look foolish for saying this, McCormick!!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Stauffer's Animal Cookies - Iced

After the delightful Stauffer's Ginger Snaps, I went to my store to restock, but they were not available! They had only these Animal Cookies. Now when I was a kiddo, pre-allergy-labels, I definitely ate and liked some animal cookies, but I don't think it was these, I think it was a more delicious frosted one with sprinkles. I probably tried these once and thought "ew". Well, the good news for product purists is, I don't think these have changed a bit in 25 years. I'm also much more desperate for cookies and sweets now, so I don't hate these, but I can recognize that they aren't particularly delicious. The cookie bit is fine -- tastes like a shortbread -- but the icing is thin, and serves only to contribute a vague "chalky" vibe. However, they are kinda cute, and I will totally eat them while I wait for better things. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Martinelli's Apple Juice

I'm the type of person who is extremely susceptible to marketing, which is probably part of why I get compelled to try all of the flavors of {oreo, toaster strudel, dunkin...} unless something veers me off course. So, here I am to sample a non cider Martinell. It's fine. It tastes like apple juice tastes. The upshot is: the ingredients are very clean, the bottle is glass and stylin', and I have an affection for the company (I'm also the type of person who has affection for companies, which I recognize is a flaw, but nevertheless). Lasts for five days, makes a good mixer, a little too sweet for my taste but at the same time, good if there are no other sweet drink options!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Kerrygold Unsalted Butter

I buy this brand for baking because of their explicit nut-free-ness (online) and their good reputation (among bakers everywhere). It tastes like butter and is suitable for my butter needs (which are not excessive). It lasts a long time and is easy to cut. One downside, which I find with many butters, is that the labelled tables(poons) are askew on the wrapper and so you have to use your brainpower to cut an appropriate amount, which I am not great at.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

McCormick Cinnamon

Some of my best friends are Cinnamon Ground! This is a weird word order on the label. But the product is good. I recognize reviewing cinnamon is somewhat strange, but it's made up a much larger amount of my diet in recent months than ever before. You can put this on oatmeal, sweet potatoes, in weird wellness drinks, you name it. It's got a nice sweet, distinct, pleasant flavor, I'm not allergic to it, and it's a pretty big container. It's also appropriate for the season. I am happy to sleep on the cinnamon ground for the time being.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Eggo Homestyle Waffles

I'm currently at a high level of emotional despair, which I feel is reflected in my horrible waffle selection here. These have no flavor! Why bother!? I couldn't endure a totally plain waffle, so I added syrup and then they were good because I was eating hot syrup. But like, what are any of us doing here? I guess I don't want this to be my last tragic blog entry, so they serve a small motivational purpose. Good work, extremely boring waffles.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$]
Taste: 6/10

DeLallo Whole-Wheat Pasta Shells

I never thought this would happen, but I'm getting weary of pasta. All these little shapes! And yet! So shells are an inferior shape, as discussed, here in a superior whole-wheat format health-wise -- but inferior taste-wise, although shells are so heavy and chewy that it's almost negligible. Maybe I should come back to all these reviews with a fresh eye at a time when I am cheerier. (What time will that be, you ask? Listen, possibility is the great good &c.) Regardless of the reason(s), eating these was something of a slog, and that should never be the case for pasta! They were very filling though.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

PictSweet Vegetables for Roasting - Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes & Halved Brussels Sprouts

This is fine. It's only 250 calos but makes a decent (single) portion. I like all of these vegetables, and I certainly like roasting, but even with oil and seasonings these weren't especially flavorful. The sweet potatoes weren't even sweet, which is rare! In fact, the tastiest veg were the cauliflower, which is unheard of. That was also the predominant veg of the trio. Makes me wonder if I undercooked it or something (although I didn't! the veg were browned!). This was on sale, but it is deffo not worth the full price. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Signature Select Broccoli Florets

Floret is a fun word. I got these because my usual cheapo frozen veggie mix ("winter mix") was out of stock, hopefully temporarily. In non-riced form, brocco is actually superior to cauliflower, so I liked this better -- but I feel I ought to consume as much veggie diversity as I am able. These brocco pieces are also huge compared to the wee ones (floret-ettes?) in the winter mix. One serving is like, 3 brocco stalkos. Kind of a fun change of pace, but not particularly practical for my usual mix-in purposes. Tastes fine (that is to say, tastes like brocco).

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Riced Veggies - Cauliflower Risotto Medley

Is this risotto? No, it is cauliflower with little bits of asparagus and mushroom in. But I can still like that thing for what it is (veg). I had this with some chicken and tomatoes and it was just fine. The asparagus bits are very starchy, which many reviewers complained about. And they are right to complain. But I didn't really mind it: textural difference makes it more interesting to consume! Because it's unseasoned, it's a great vessel for any sauce, seasoning, veggie, or fat you want to mix in. If these were a dollar I would eat them for every meal. Riced cauliflower is better than riced brocco, also.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [sadly, 3$]
Taste: 6/10

Kellogg's Eggo Strawberry Waffles

Dang -- the last new Eggo flavor I tried was 5 whole months ago, when I noted that something was really wrong with my brain. And I was right! Time flies. Anyway, I toasted these for two cycles and that was just perfect. They smell like homemade pancakes (very eggy/oily) but they tasted like nothing. Eggy buttermilk dough I guess. The strawberry swirl isn't very prominent; you only get a few bites of mild strawberry flavor. But I do like these as a handy hand snack, plus they make me think about how far I've come (EMOTIONALLY) since my last wafflin'. I guess with syrup these would be a lot better, but that sounds like a lot of (sticky) work. Hand waffles are the way of the future.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$ on sale]
Taste: 7/10

Utz Dipper Stix Pretzels

I have nothing in which to dipper these stix, but they're still solid. Nice and thick, not too firm, salty and malty but not overwhelmingly so. Plus the classic "nut free" label prose we love to see. These aren't particularly delicious, but within the genre of "plain hard pretzel", they are top tier. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Spindrift Peach Strawberry

A little over halfway into my 4-month brain diet experiment and I've already tried a wee choco in a cookie, nearly died of vommin', and a week later thought "well, maybe we can introduce something else though?". All of my other beloved vices are even more closed off to me, so in the spirit of harm reduction(??) I am letting citric acid back into the game (of consumption). So far so good! And allowing citric acid opens up so many more drinks and sweets, two lovely categories of substance. I have a lot of good memories enjoying spindrifts with friends (etc) in the summer of '23. I never tried this (citrus-and-raspberry free!) flavor, though -- perhaps it is new? It tastes a lot like the mango one, although it is peach and not mango. A mildly sweet, mildly dank fruit puree. I like it a lot. I will drink these much more than the joyless peppermint teas I have been recently treating like the nectar of the gods due to lack of options.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [6$ for an 8 pack]
Taste: 7/10

Foxy Strawberries

Strawberries are a tasty and versatile fruit. I don't quite have berry money on the reg, but since I've been going out not at all, I feel I can splurge on berries every now and again.

These particular strawberries were solid. I think I only lost 2-3 to mold and/or badness, and they taste like strawberries do. I worked up to trying the rest of my leftover cottage cheese with these and it was so, so awful, but that wasn't the strawberries' fault. I just don't like cottage cheese.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [4.50$]
Taste: 7/10

Stauffer's Ginger Snaps

Ginger snaps! Of course! They're a delicious cookie without chocolate or raisins, and ginger is theoretically good for nausea (in practice it seems to have no impact on me, but hey, any excuse to eat cookies). I grew up in Stauffer's territory, but I remember at least the animal crackers having a nut warning. However, things have changed: according to their website* they are nut free since 2021! They're also owned by Meiji USA, which means Hello Panda is back on the table (teenage me would be very excited about this).

These taste great, but then again I've always been a ginger enthusiast. Good spice level, feels "not enough" at first but builds to a pleasant warm afterglow. Mainly clove and ginger forward, but the red pepper and cinnamon are definitely noticeable. There is nothing I would change about the taste, but the texture is just "eh" for me. They're firm, crunchy, but there is no "snap". I either want a fun bendy cookie or a fun snappy cookie, and this is just a rigid dry biscuit. That's OK though, texture is hardly the most important element of food (for me). They smell good and look nice, to round out the sensory repertoire. My dad's dad's mom had an excellent ginger cookie recipe which tasted very similar to these and I now have a renewed interest in tracking it down. (See? Sweets stave off depression!!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

*Their website FAQ is very charming, as it references other local St(o)uffer's and says kind things about them even as they clarify they are a different entity.

Signature Care Unflavored Electrolyte Solution

Well, this is awful. I'm not sure what I expected from a store brand unflavored electrolyte drink, though. It probably tastes like how you'd think it would taste (if you had taken time to think about how it would taste, self). But I've been vommin' and all the flavored electrolyte drinks have either artificial sweeteners or citrus (both forbidden by brain experts, and currently, me). It says "tastes best cold!" which worries me about how it tastes warm. Here we have a very salty water (so far so good), but it's also a little sweet. Oh no. I'm a little worried this will increase my vommin' more than it increases my electrolytes. But now we know!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 3/10

DeLallo Shells

You'd think I would like shells as a shape: they look nice (objectively??) and are a reasonable middling size. But they eat troublingly. Even with plenty of extra cook time, wet wet spinach accompaniment, and a pregame meditation, I find them dry, sticky, and far too noodle-forward. In their defense, a thick cheese sauce (imagine!) or tomato/cream sauce might obviate those concerns. But those sauces are not a part of my wee universe at this time, and even if they were, I still think there are more pleasing pastas, especially for the (supposed) 11 minute cook time. Plus I'm confused about what a serving size is meant to be. I've gone with two fistfuls for a hearty portion, since I live alone and can scandalously measure things in fistfuls without being a contaminator. I think a fistful is about 3/8 cup, but again, this is an annoying serving size.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Daisy Cottage Cheese

I'm not sure why cottage cheese is OK but yogurt isn't. Also, I'm not sure that it's really OK, because I'm lactose intolerant and have always found cottage cheesers pretty gross (I mean, what is that texture). But I used this blended with egg to make some veggie egg bites. They were fine. It does add a creaminess and is easy to work with. At the same time, I have absolutely no idea what to do with the non-egg rest of it. I guess I could try to eat it on its own sometime. But for now I am way too nauseous to consider that possibility, so stay tuned maybe.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10