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