I tried 14 of Aldi's holiday food items, and I'd buy at least half of them again

I was excited to see the Park Street Deli charcuterie board in Aldi's cooler aisle.

The package seemed to contain everything you'd need for a basic board: Calabrese and nugget salami, pitted Greek olives, white cheddar, sesame crackers, and even dark-chocolate-covered almonds.

I thought the Calabrese salami, olives, cheese, crackers, and chocolate tasted fine. They paired well together and could certainly be building blocks for a fun holiday tray.

But they weren't standouts, and the portions were only large enough for a small charcuterie board.

To me, the nugget salami was bland. If I wasn't trying it for a taste test, I would've tossed it.

In this case, I think you'd be better off purchasing à la carte items and building your own board.

The Specially Selected crackers seemed like a great size and looked sturdy enough to hold up to holiday snacking.

I'm a huge fan of rosemary, so I was excited to see how these crackers tasted.

I hoped to use them to snazz up my holiday charcuterie boards.

For me, these crackers were a perfect, crisp base and had a great snap.

They had a subtle rosemary flavor, but certainly not enough to interfere with whatever meat, cheese, dip, or jam you choose to serve them with.

The crackers had just enough salt, and I could eat them straight out of the package sans topping.

The Specially Selected cheese-pairing spread set caught my eye.

Each petite jam jar held a different flavor: pear and cinnamon, apricot and cumin, fig and honey, and cherry and rosemary.

Each jar was designed to pair well with a certain type of cheese, which was labeled on the packaging.

Per the package's recommendation, I tried the apricot-cumin spread with some hard cheddar. The unique combination had an earthy heat, which I found to be a winning combo.

As for the fig-honey spread, I thought the sweetness of the fruit balanced the tang of the plain goat cheese.

The cherry-rosemary compote contrasted the saltiness of blue cheese and made for a delicious bite.

But the pear-cinnamon spread, which was supposed to be served with Brie, tasted a bit too much like applesauce for my liking.

I usually like the Emporium Selection goat cheeses but thought the gingerbread flavor was a bit of a stretch.

But hey, it's the holidays.

The gingerbread log was smooth and crumbled the way you'd expect goat cheese to.

It was dense and creamy and tasted more like a spiced cheesecake than anything else.

I'd use it in mini tarts but would struggle to place it on a savory holiday charcuterie tray.

You'd definitely have to warn your guests that it's on the sweeter side.

I love having a jar or two of lemon curd on hand, so I was interested to see how I'd like this version from Berryhill.

The Berryhill spread was nicely tart and not too sweet, with no artifical lemon flavor.

I'd happily serve this to my family and guests.

The Barissimo mocha-mint coffee's green packaging and reindeer caught my eye.

I measured enough ground coffee for my reusable K-cup and topped the finished beverage with a bit of cream.

I suppose I was expecting the coffee to taste like Thin Mints, but I could barely discern a sweet smell.

When I took a sip, I got no chocolate or mint flavor.

It was a fine cup of Joe, but I'd go with some hazelnut ground coffee next time.

Stuffing is one of those once-a-year treats I look forward to, but making stuffing from scratch can take a while.

The Specially Selected version uses brioche cubes, and according to its packaging, takes only five minutes to cook.

To make the stuffing, I brought melted butter and water to a boil, added the seasoned bread cubes, covered the pot, and removed it from the heat.

Five minutes later, the dish was ready.

The stuffing was a little salty, but both the rosemary and garlic notes came through nicely.

Though I found it to be a bit gummy, I think it would do for an at-home holiday meal in a pinch.

To me, Benton's fudge-covered peppermint-creme cookies looked like souped-up Oreos.

The chocolate-sandwich cookies dunked in fudge and topped with candy-cane sprinkles sounded amazing.

These were so incredible, I'd serve them alongside my home-baked holiday cookies.

They were crunchy, chocolaty, and delicious.

Don't hesitate to add Benton's peppermint cremes to your cart.

I thought the Choceur Belgian chocolate hot-cocoa bombs sounded like a fun food to try.

The box included three marshmallow-filled bombs in dark, milk, and white chocolate.

When I poured hot almond milk over the chocolate bombs, they melted a bit unevenly. However, I wasn't too surprised or concerned.

They tasted delicious, and I thought the little pink marshmallows inside were a nice addition.

Just be sure to use a large mug to accommodate all the chocolate-bomb goodness.

I know what good mulled wine should taste like, as I've had my fair share of authentic German glühwein.

Aldi usually does a great job with international products, so I had high hopes for the Winterliebe cherry mulled wine.

I followed the heat-and-serve directions, carefully bringing some of the wine to a simmer on my stovetop.

As I heated it, I got whiffs of what I thought was an unpleasant, artificial smell.

When I poured it into a mug and took a sip, I thought it tasted like cherry cough syrup. I definitely wouldn't buy it again.

I was expecting the Bolthouse Farms holiday nog to be similar to the rich and creamy eggnog beverages I've had before.

Notably, eggnog must be at least 6% butterfat by weight, compared to holiday nog's 2% minimum.

The holiday nog tasted creamy, and I thought it could be a decent, lighter substitute for eggnog.

That being said, if you're expecting the rich and creamy flavor of the holiday classic, this is far from real eggnog.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays can make a no-fuss meal all the more appealing, and Mama Cozzi's star-shaped pizza seemed like it would be good in a pinch.

I usually love a take-and-bake flatbread, especially with mozzarella pearls.

It also looked like it had a decent amount of colorful veggie toppings.

The pizza wasn't terrible, but the crust was somewhere between thin and regular. It didn't crisp up or have a good chew, leaving it in a strange middle ground.

The tomato sauce tasted bland, the shredded cheddar and mozzarella pearls didn't work well together, and the green and red bell peppers seemed to be an afterthought.

In my opinion, the pizza might be fine for toddlers, but not for those with more discerning palates.

December is prime time for hot cocoa, and I was looking forward to seeing how the drink translated into Sundae Shoppe's frozen dessert.

Per the label, the carton contains chocolate ice cream, a whipped-cream swirl, and milk-chocolate flakes.

In my opinion, the texture of the ice cream was gritty, as if the candy flakes had been crushed down to tiny granules.

The whipped cream also took away from the punch of the chocolate. I wouldn't buy this again.

I found the Choceur chocolate-covered almonds with crushed candy cane in the seasonal aisle.

Although I love almonds, I thought the white-and-dark-chocolate coatings and crushed candy canes might make for an odd combination.

The chocolate-covered almonds with crushed candy cane were delicious.

They reminded me of Ghirardelli peppermint-bark squares, except with an almond in the middle. They were crunchy, nutty, and sweet.

Out of all the holiday items I tried, these were my favorite. They're so good I'm going to have to hide them from everyone else in my family.