Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix - 25% Less Sodium

I usually make my own taco seasoning (or enchilada seasoning, as the case may be). However, sometimes occasion calls for a packet. This is the one I grew up with, so I know it is safe, even though I suspect the Spices contain cumin (which is marginal :p). I only use 1 tbsp/1lb of meat, but that's plenty. It smells great. Is it straight MSG? According to the ingredos, no, but it tastes like it (which is a compliment). Actually, this makes my lips a little itchy, but it might just be the salt+spice of its neighbors (cheese and a million assorted hot peppers). I guess that's why I usually stray from packet life. Ah well. If you don't have allergy issues, this is so good. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10 

San Giorgio Cavatappi

This has always been a favored shape of mine! I went with SG over DC because of the price, but the allergy label is actually great (may contains listed!) and the taste was too, so now I'm like, hmm, time to switch my pasta allegiance? Cava tappi is Italian for "extract corks", if you were wondering (thus the corkscrew shape). But yeah, the vibe is like an extra fun big elbow. Plump, not starchy, strong, whimsical. A top tier iteration of a top tier shape! Plus each individual pasto is so large, which is its own reward. Bigger than the Knorr cavatappiti by like, 500%. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10 

Lofthouse Spring Sugar Cookies

Do other people feel like sugar is the only thing that helps with migraine nausea or am I just deluding myself? I hope they cover this issue on The Pitt. Anyway, these cookies are great, way better than the supersweet puffy circles with gobs of frosting on top (which have their place too, let's be real). They kind of remind me of a homemade holiday cookie - buttery, bendy/soft, tender, but not flakey or crunchy or stale (yet). Very shortbread-heavy. Very wholesome. And nut free! Plus 100 calos isn't TERRIBLE for a cookie. And it IS spring, which has really plummeted in my season rankings since ~2020, but at least it's light out at night now (good for driving). 

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [6$... humbug]
Taste: 8/10

Pepperidge Farm Peppermint Cocoa Cookies

These are a true delight. They're so good. Buttery, crispy, light mint chip but not crazy strong, gentle cocoa vibe. IDK why the picture is small. Here, have a bigger one.

These are even better than the Snoopys, although I will say, they aren't as cute. But they are delicious. I ate 3 servings all at once, cried a little, and then drove home without killing anyone. 'Tis the season! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10 

Goldfish Peppermint Cocoa

Wow I love this. Like it was engineered in a lab just for me (just like the Dunkin goldfish). The package is beautiful. Everyone loves snoopy, the green color is so nice, the snow, snoopy has a big coat on, charlie brown is nowhere in sight. Winter wonderland. Take me there. Also, mint choco is my favorite flavor and I'm always lamenting that it's not in more things. Goldfish are often savory so it seems weird, and honestly the taste is not THAT good, but it's right up my alley and not artificial at all. 

The pieces are firmer than normal; not hollow or soft. They are shaped like fish, snoopy head, and pawprint. (Furries, this is for you too). The taste is mainly chocolate goldfish (similar to the choco annie's bunnies, or teddy grahams), which is fine, but there's also mint seasoning where salt would be, and that's fun. The more you eat, the better it is (as with many things). A serving is 34 pieces which seems just right. And it's accessible because it's a major brand! I hope you return every year, snoopy goldfish!!!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

YORK THiNS Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties Miniatures

My dad worked at Hershey for his entire postgrad career (and therefore my entire childhood), which if you think about it, is pretty rare nowadays. Anyway, the smell of these reminds me of the smell of his office building. I thought they were just another junior mint/andes dupe, but they really are their own thing (even though it is a member of that genre no doubt). Dad's job is another reason why I feel so confident about Hershey's allergy labelling, even though there is no "may contain" or "nut free" label here and obviously Hershey makes a ton of nut candies. They are good labellers and good cleaners, and you'll notice that they haven't had any allergy recalls (unlike every other major company). Don't prove me wrong in the future, Hershey('s)! Also, they have many flaws as a company, of course, as do most companies. But this is an allergy blog, not an ethics blog. Could you imagine me pivoting into ethics? Ha. Good thing I have allergies, I guess.  

So these are individually wrapped, which I didn't expect, but which I am glad for because as usual, my house is 8 million degrees and these are quite melty and would surely have glommed together into a delicious monstrosity. They're also "thins" -- sorry, THiNS -- which means the ratio is like the inverse of a double stuf Oreo and you get mostly squishy dark choco and just a little peppermint goop. That's good because the peppermint goop, while a delight, can be too much (and therefore toothpastey) awful quick. Taste and texturewise I find these better than the thIcks (or Regulars). I don't know if my grandma liked mint, but I could imagine her eating one of these for dessert because it is tiny and not particularly decadent. But still great and refreshing. I'm glad I got these even though the typography is dumb as hell.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [6$]
Taste: 8/10 

Quaker Avena Instantanea - Canela

Who knew that switching from a morning bagel to morning oatmeal would eventually lead me to this stressful, exciting, nearly expired cinnamon oat experience from the DR? Scary because: the Dominican Republic is one of like, 8 countries that has literally no allergy labelling law. (Those poor allergy kiddos.) But this has only oats, cinnamon, and sugar, and it has a contiene trazas de trigo, leche, soja disclaimer! Notably, no nuts there. So, even though I'm not super familiar with the ~labelling landscape~, a quaker product with a non-obligatory label seems like a safe enough bet. More mysteriously, although these are supposedly instantanea, the cooking time is 4-6 minutes (whereas the US instant oats has a cook time of 1 (un) minute). Accordingly it also suggests twice as much water(!!) as the US version, which is already way too much. I never use the full amount of water, so I did my usual 2:1 ratio here. And that was a huge mistake. Lol. It was the most extreme shinkydink pasty crust you ever saw. It also tasted so good. Like burnt applesauce, but oats. Like grits but not gritty. The kiddos who don't die from allergies must be living on cloud nine with this stuff. An oatmeal that doesn't feel like a chore? Maybe it was just the slight fear-based adrenaline making me jolly, but I don't think so. These nearly expired Dominican oats are fire. Now how on earth am I gonna get them up here??! 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Hershey's Kisses

These seem like they'd be gross, but they're actually pretty good. Not milk choco (or even white choco if we're being real), but the essence of cinnamon toast crunch milk in a kiss shape. Cinnamony, milky, and with little hard "cereal" pieces in the middle. Like a less cloying, more cerealy dulce de leche kiss. The texture is good and interesting. The taste is like cereal, which is not really "delicious", but is tasty. They also have a buttery inside for some reason (a "cookie finish"), which elevates things. No allergy concerns, no migraine concerns, just the usual "junk food probably bad for your health hehe" concerns.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [6$, also limited edition so probably unbuyable now]
Taste: 8/10

Orange Chocolate Milano

As a creature of habit, having run out of white chocolate milanos to sample, I went for the original milk choco this week (or dark choco? I actually am not sure. Maybe dark choco). For now, no regrets. These are a top-tier cookie. They taste like a (now-may-contain-nuts) Terry's Chocolate Orange; that is to say: they taste like happiness. Like soft, unfettered innocence. Like a winter festival. Good.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

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.

A La Mode Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream

It's September! Soon it will have been 4 whole months since my brain turned into Wild Wooly. To celebrate, I had this absurdly expensive nut-free ice cream. It's pretty great. The taste is caramelly throughout (not particularly salty, but I guess there's a little saltiness to it), and there are a few swirled pockets of concentrated caramel to add excitement to the proceedings. Of course it's kind of plain for my preference (I yearn for mix-ins, textural shifts, choco, etc), but otherwise still very good. Hooray, sugary treats!

Overall
Cost: 2/10 (~14$)
Taste: 8/10

Fancypants Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies! Chocolate chip cookies! One of my pile o' doctors has recently suggested that I abstain from chocolate, caffeine, cheese, and alc (otherwise known as my "CORE FOUR"), which is much more disruptive of a task than it has any right to be. But it makes my memory of these cookies all the sweeter! O cookies! How I yearn for you! 

Like the oatmeal raisin ones, these are small, cronchy, and very buttery. Unlike the oatmeal raisin ones, those are sensible notes for a chocolate chip cookie, so it was good. Was it as good as a fresh homemade chewy cookie? Of course not. But was it better than any other bagged chocolate chip cookie? Might just be. Will I ever eat a cookie again? Almost definitely. Should I switch to reviewing medicines instead of food? Probably not, but stay tuned!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Peeps Delights S’mores Graham Cracker Flavored Marshmallow Chicks

Peeps are so gosh darn cute!! In general they are delights. This flavoring (graham) doesn't do much for me, though. I kinda wish they were just regular peeps. I love their little shape, and the choco bottom is nice, and the marshmallow inside is fun, but the (subtle) s'more flavor here is mostly "a weird smell". It's very light so it's not too bad, the taste is decent, but it's not adding anything regular peeps don't have (except the choco bottom).

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Skinny Pop Harry Potter Butterbeer

Surprise surprise, this stuff tastes great, just like the butterbeer goldfish and the kisses. Like those, I did not buy this myself, and like those, I resent what JKR did for the world's ability to enjoy their childhood fandom and related snacks!!! My donations continue apace. Anyway, this isn't very sweet, but it is nut free and vaguely cinnamon-gingery. I could eat the whole bag in one sitting easily. It's like a butter-lite version of butter popcorn, but sugar. No artificiality. I love it :(

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2.70$]
Taste: 8/10

Harry Potter Butterbeer Goldfish

Gosh darn it, just like the stupid butterbeer kisses, these are way better than they have any right to be. I didn't buy these either, got 'em free in the mail, and I left a one star review in protest. But alas, the truth is, they taste like slightly salty sweet graham crackers, with a caramelly (butterscotchy?) smell that's super appealing. I ate them all in one sitting!!!

Here's hoping Goldfish will release a non-Harry Potter branded "caramel goldfish" equivalent so I can buy these in the future without compromising my morals. Bla.

Overall
Moral cost: 1/10
Taste: 8/10

KIT KAT THiNS Milk Chocolate Candy Bars

These are nut free! Bless you Hersheys. I am so grateful for the Normal Chocolates of my youth. (Although my kingdom for a safe Twix, always and forever.) Now I've had two safe kit kat types: these and "kit kat minis". These are, well, thinner. They're in two squares per piece, which is weird. They're also individually wrapped which is good for portion control but honestly a little annoying. They taste mostly like Kit Kat. I had two of them that were only chocolate, which was fun and I think I extra liked those ones, which is kinda weird. Anyway, these are safe and tasty and I love them. I think I love the minis more though!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Firefly Farms - Bloomy Breeze

I bought this thinking "oh, it's like brie!" and then I bit into it and thought "oh, no it's not -- it's like a babybel cheddar", but THEN I accidentally ate some rind (I was avoiding it due to allergy fear of mold, which is dumb) and I realised, oh, it IS brie! This is some good rind and the rind+inside combo is lovely. I cut this into 4 wedges and 1/4 cheese is a pleasant serving size. I wish it were a teeny bit more creamy inside, but the taste is very good and worth the price (cheese is expensive :(). 

Overall
Cost: 3/10 [9$]
Taste: 8/10

Goldfish Crisps - Cheddar

I support PepFarm in whatever they wanna do, but these didn't thrill me. I guess because there are already tons of chips. But these aren't really chips, are they? They're like very seasoned crackers. Way more flavor than a regular goldfish. I like that, and I like the shape, even if the seasoning is a little mysterious. Like, what is it? It isn't really cheddar. It's almost ranch!? Or chicken in a biscuit?! On second thought, I think I love it. The airy inside is great. I will try the other flavors. Thank you, goldfish.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3.50 on sale]
Taste: 8/10

utz Honey Wheat Twists Pretzels

Can't believe I didn't review these yet! I feel like crap and my room smells, but these are still good. Tasty, filling, a lil sweet and salty but also savory, and they are explicit about being nut free! I've enjoyed these for a long time now and I'm glad they still exist.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Sargento Fiesta Pepper Jack

All cheeses are good cheeses, but I'm particularly a fan of Pepper Jack. And this was on sale, woo hoo. It was tasty and it was spicy. Thanks, Pepper Jack! 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10