Review Bunker is a review blog where the goal is simply to review everything. Below are the latest reviews. In the About section you can read more about this blog and it's author. Comments are always appreciated, so if you've got something to say, please feel free!
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I’ll admit upfront - this is going to be a pretty lame review. The first strike against it has to be the fact that I actually bought, baked, and consumed the product months ago, and frankly, I’m not even sure that they are still sold in stores (I couldn’t find them in a product listing on the pillsbury website). Secondly, the pictures I took are barely passable, and there aren’t enough of them. I apologize for these oversights, but there really isn’t anything I can do about it, so here we go!
As I recall, these Pillsbury Mint Chocolate Brownies were delicious as brownies, but not quite minty enough. The box boasted of real Andes mint candy pieces in the batter, which is what sold me on the product - the idea of little bits of delicious candy melted into my brownies was too much, and I had to try them. Sadly, the effect of the candy pieces wasn’t really that powerful, and I remember them tasting mostly like plain brownies with a hint of mint. The included mint-chocolate drizzle was definitely minty, but wasn’t very good as a topping for the brownies - it was a bit too sticky, and didn’t seem to compliment the brownies.
Mixing up the batter was like any other brownie mix, easy and quick - all I had to do was add oil, eggs, and maybe water (I can’t quite remember), mix it around, and dump it into a baking pan - definitely easier than doing it from scratch.
If I recall, this mix was only $1.50 - another reason that I decided to try it out, and I would say that it was pretty good as far as brownie mixes go, but I might not pick it again over the cheaper non-mint mix in the future (why are brownie mixes so cheap, by the way?). I guess sometimes there’s just no reason to mess with a classic by trying to spice it up with stuff like mint. That said, these brownies weren’t disgusting by any means, and the mint flavor was slightly enhanced when eaten with a glass of cold milk - so we had no problem polishing off the whole pan. I would suggest trying them out next time you are buying brownie mix, just to see if you agree with my conclusion, and if you do, please come back and tell me if my memory from a few months ago is faulty or not. Hopefully you didn’t find this review as terrible as I prompted at the beginning, and if you get nothing else out of it, at least you should have a craving for brownies now (I know I do).
Pillsbury Mint Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix: 
2.5/5
2.5/5
Have you tried any uniquely flavored brownie recipes lately? How did they turn out? What’s your favorite brownie recipe/mix? Stay tuned for more current reviews in the near future!
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I once again have yet another Crock-pot Classics review for all of you slow cooker fans out there (what’s that? there aren’t any slow cooker fans? oh, well, I’ll have to keep this short and sweet then). Since I didn’t take a picture myself (who thinks of a picture as they are rushing to throw ingredients into a slow cooker before work?) - and there aren’t any decent stock pics out there on the internet for me to borrow, this review will sadly go picture-less. Fortunately, the Meatballs in Stroganoff Sauce didn’t really meet my expectations, so I could say that in a way, it’s review doesn’t deserve a picture.
This slow cooker meal was just as easy to prepare as the other crock-pot classics that I’ve worked with in the past, but once again the time given by the directions for cooking the noodles was not enough, and I had to cook them for another 15-20 minutes before they were edible. Even after all of the extra cook time, the noodles had a weird texture, and didn’t quite compliment the stroganoff like they should have. The sauce was decent, not the best stroganoff flavor I’ve tried, and the meatballs were pretty good. Overall, none of the flavors were impressive.
Nothing in this meal had that slow-cooker feel, it seemed like a meal that I could have heated up on the stove in a few minutes. Despite all of the lackluster ingredients the meatballs in stroganoff sauce wasn’t terrible, and I ate my serving, but I’m definitely not motivated to pull the leftovers out of the fridge to finish it off (hopefully it doesn’t become one of those forgotten dishes, pushed to the back of the fridge, that slowly becomes unrecognizably covered in mold…). I don’t think I will purchase this crock-pot meal again in the future, and instead I will use a stroganoff recipe that I know I like more.
As a possible saving grace, Crystal liked this meal a lot more than I did, and she was even willing to eat some of the leftovers. I believe she liked the meatballs the best, which is understandable, as they were the best ingredient overall.
Banquet Crock-pot Classics Meatballs in Stroganoff Sauce: 2/5
2/5
Do you have a stroganoff recipe I should try? How about an easy meatball recipe? Do you want to see more crock-pot classics reviews in the future, or have I been boring the pants off of my audience with them since I started writing this blog?
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We recently tried another of the Banquet crock-pot classics meals with our new slow cooker. This time we tried the Hearty Beef and Vegetables recipe.
Once again, the directions were almost too easy, I put in less than five minutes of preparation time in the morning, and I came home to a house that smelled like a delicious beef stew later that night. This is a dangerous product, as it is making me increasingly lazy with each meal I prepare, but it is making me feel like I accomplished a great culinary feat at the same time; a formula that doesn’t often work out. If we don’t watch out, we may very well be dependent on Banquet crock-pot meals for dinner-time sustenance for all eternity. Luckily for us, banquet has at least two crock pot meals that I personally know are tasty, and I have a hunch that the rest of the “crock-pot classics” line will follow suit (look for more reviews in the future!).
This meal had almost the exact same preparation steps as the herb chicken and rice recipe; I put water and a sauce packet in the slow cooker, followed by the bag of vegetables and meat, and left it to cook on low for 8+ hours. Once I got home from work, I added the bag of red potatoes, turned the cooker to high, and waited 35 minutes for the potatoes to cook. The only problem encountered with this meal was that after 35 minutes of cooking on high, the potatoes were pretty far from being done, and they required more cook time to lose their crunchiness. If you end up getting this meal, I would suggest cooking the potatoes for at least 50 minutes just to make sure they are done (of course, I imagine things can vary from one cooker to another).
This meal was good, but not as unique as the first “classics” recipe we tried. I found it to taste like most other beef stew style recipes I have had in the past, but that is all I was expecting. The beef chunks seemed to be quality meat, and after being cooked all day they were very tender and juicy. The vegetables all turned out well after the potatoes had their extra time, and the sauce wasn’t half bad. One of the big pluses that we’ve found with both meals we’ve tried so far is, they turn out great as left-overs. Generally my girlfriend avoids left-overs due to the decreased quality of the food after sitting in the fridge for a while, but both of these meals has reheated as a quality and easy to prepare left-over meal.
Since all of the banquet crock-pot classics meals cost the same (about $5), provide the same amount of food, and appear to be delivering quality each time I try them, I don’t see any reason to not continue to buy them. Maybe someday when I find myself dedicating more time to my meals, I can graduate beyond the pre-packaged slow cooker recipe, but for now they are working great.
Banquet Crock-pot Classics Hearty Beef and Vegetables: 4/5
4/5Anyone else slowing becoming strung-out on hearty, warm, and delicious slow cooker meals? Want to start a support group? Have a slow cooker recipe that will make banquet pre-packaged meals taste like dirt? I would like to hear from you!
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For my first slow cooker meal I decided to buy a frozen pre-made crock-pot meal, instead of coming up with a good recipe. While I enjoy cooking, and appreciate good recipes, I am also incredibly lazy at times, especially when it comes to the kitchen (just take a look at the huge pile of dishes in my kitchen sink, and you’ll know what I mean). Also, I wanted to test out the slow cooker without getting overly complicated, and I have had my eye on the Banquet Crock-pot Classics meals for a while now - it was the perfect chance to try one out. I bought the Herb Chicken and Rice meal for around $5.
I was surprised that the cook time was 8-10 hours, but I was satisfied to know that I wouldn’t be in the kitchen at all during the cook time, and instead I would be enjoying life at work. I was able to throw the ingredients in the cooker before I left for work, and it was timed perfectly to be done cooking for dinner. The preparation in the morning was very easy and took less than 5 minutes - all I had to do was empty a packet of herbs and spices into the cooker, put in some water, stir, and then add all the contents of the bag except for the rice (this included a variety of vegetables, and chicken chunks) and leave them to cook on “low.” When I got home from work I added the rice to the pot, and 35 minutes later it was a delicious and hot meal.
This meal turned out very good - the herbs and spices were perfect, the chicken was tender, and the vegetables added good variety. Even left over a few days later, this meal was very satisfying to eat. The only downsides were, the carrots seemed slightly overcooked, and I had to add a lot of salt (of course, I over-salt everything).
For $5 I think this is a very economical and easy meal to make - but I imagine if I gathered the ingredients myself, it could turn out a bit cheaper, and possibly a bit tastier, but I’m not sure it would be worth the extra effort. Basically, this is the perfect lazy-man’s meal - and it’s especially nice to be able to eat something warm and comforting during this cold and very snowy winter (does anyone know why it has to start snowing again, immediately after I finish shoveling the sidewalk?).
Since my first experience was so easy, and tasty, I imagine that I will probably continue to buy these meals periodically, and I will likely test out all of the available recipes eventually. Look for my reviews of the rest of the available recipes in the future!
Convenience: 5/5
5/5
Taste: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Overall Rating:
Think you have what it takes to make me actually put some effort into my slow cooker meals? Hit me with your best recipes, and I might decide to try one out.
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I’ve been hearing radio commercials for the Carl’s Jr. Green Burrito Taco Salad for a few weeks now, so it was only natural that while sitting at work last week, this was the first thing that popped into my head as an idea for lunch. Unfortunately, the idea popped into my head about 3 hours before lunch time, and I spent most of that three hours making myself hungry thinking about delicious mexican food. I have always enjoyed taco salads, and even though it is a fast-food burger restaurant, I figured I should give Carl’s Jr.’s rendition a try.
I know what you are probably thinking right about now, “this guy’s diet sure is unhealthy.” I’ll be the first to admit, my history of food reviews so far doesn’t paint a portrait of healthy living, and this review certainly won’t help (this taco salad comes in at nearly 1000 calories), but in the future I’ll try to come up with some healthier food reviews, just for you. For now, on to the calorie-fest…
Unfortunately, I went into this lunch plan without any idea of what this meal would cost me, and being the frugal person I am, this concerned me. Unfortunately, after thinking for the past three hours about eating a taco salad for lunch, I really didn’t have a choice. I was therefore somewhat disappointed when I ordered the taco salad, and found out that it was going to cost me $5. My ideal lunch budget doesn’t go over $3, but I guess sometimes it’s okay to splurge a little, to try something new, and get something new to review in the process; at the same time, I probably won’t order this again because of the price. Fortunately for me, when it came time to pay, the woman at the cash register rang up my order wrong and only charged me $4.02 - I offered to pay the remaining 98 cents, but she told me not to worry about it, and I got my lunch at a 20% discount.
A little cheered up by my unexpected discount, I dug into the taco salad, eager to quell my hunger that had grown so large. Thankfully, this taco salad was actually very tasty, so there was no problem in filling the void in my stomach. In fact, this was a very filling meal, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Carl’s Jr. version of a taco salad includes a crispy shell, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, hot sauce, ground beef, two types of shredded cheese, and sour cream. The “salad” part of the name is of course almost a joke, the lettuce drowned out by all of the other delicious ingredients, and I found all of the ingredients to be fresh and good. Basically, I got just what I was expecting; there wasn’t anything that made this taco salad stand out above the rest, and there wasn’t anything that made it less desirable either, but it was very satisfying. This meal was a bit messy, but well worth the extra napkins.
One thing that confuses me about this taco salad is the “Green Burrito” prefix on the name - I don’t know what burritos might have to do with a taco salad, but I am guessing that maybe “Green Burrito” is a brand name that I haven’t heard of. If you have any insight on this issue, I would be happy to hear from you.
Taste: 4/5
4/5
Price: 2/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Freshness: 5/5
Overall Rating:
Have you tried Carl’s Jr.’s Taco Salad yet? What did you think of it? Have a recommendation for a better taco salad?, leave me a comment!
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