New Things, Food Things

Private Selection

2011-11-29T11:45:00.001-06:00

Sarah and I were asked through BzzAgent to review the Private Selection brand of frozen appetizers, pizza and deserts. We were given coupons loaded on our Kroger card for a free pizza, dessert and appetizer.

Going into this Sarah and I were already trying different brands of ready made, pop in the oven appetizers. Not everyone has the time during the holidays to make from scratch appetizers for every holiday gathering. The Private Selection appetizer we chose was the Mediterranean Inspired Hors D'Oeuvres Collection. I placed the 9 pieces on a baking stone and placed them in the oven. In 12 minutes they were ready. The pastry was the flakiest we encountered among all the selections we tried. All were tasty. Sarah's favorite was the feta-sun-dried tomato phyllo roll. Mine I have to say was the spinach pesto puff. Each selection tasted as though I had made them fresh that day. Private Selection wins with a grand prize in the freshest tasting frozen appetizer section. The bonus with the Private Selection brand is it is at cost point about 20%-35% lower than competitors.

Our pizza choice to try was the Margherita. Now to be realistic I was comparing this to my favorite California Pizza Kitchen and my other favorite Newman's Own. Both of these other lines carry the Margherita style pizza. Sarah felt the Private Selection brand was not as good as the California Pizza brand, but at a price point of 30% cheaper she agreed it was comparable. I felt it beat out both the California Pizza and Newman's Own in the crust department, but was not a fan of the halved tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes. Overall I gave it a thumbs up as did Sarah. Just a reminder to Mom's out there, these pizzas are "adult pizzas" in my opinion as the flavors and combinations are a little mature for the under 15 set.

Sarah and I could not decide on a a dessert so we got two. We purchased the Private Selections Chocolate Ganache ice cream and the Private Selection Cream Puffs. I have to say that I asked myself several times while eating both of these why I was paying so much more for brands that were NOT superior. The ice cream was smooth and creamy. Sarah is an ice cream connoisseur and she fell in love with the Chocolate Ganache. Her exact words were, "This is chocolate heaven!" I love the cream puffs. The pastry was fresh tasting and the cream mixture was sweet with a hint of vanilla. These two will remain on our shopping list.

Over all, I have to say that I now will try more of the Private Selection Brand foods. With our taste test we found that Private Selection was fresh tasting, quality made and at a much lower price point making it a good buy in our opinion. Do you want to try them for yourself? I have five (5) $2.00 off coupons that I will mail out to the first five who comment on this blog!

Cha-Ching with Jingit

2011-11-16T12:39:00.001-06:00

Sarah and I have a policy of endorsing only what we know works for us. So when I found Jingit I was skeptical to say the least about it really working. Basically you watch commercials or short videos and earn cash. You can receive a check, or get the Jingit Visa debit card for $2.00 and have all your earnings placed on it. It works like most debit cards. No monthly fee, but there are fees for withdrawing through an ATM etc. I have been earning for three weeks. Got my Visa debit card and have had my earnings placed on the debit card. Other than the $2.00 for the card, I have encountered no additional fees and have used the card at Target, restaurants and online. I love the "cha-ching" sound it makes each time you earn money. The enrollment for this program is limited. So if your ready to start earning some cash, you can click on this link and sign up.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jingit.com%2F%3Fref_id%3D6375%26invite_type%3DDYNAMIC&h=NAQGUuPSQAQH4buOiD4CVG3n-Iuq9O-tsYR6McxWxo9_UWQ

I expect soon we will hear that happy "cha-ching" sound all over in the coming weeks. Have fun!

I no longer eat that!

2011-11-04T10:22:00.001-06:00

"I no longer eat that." This has been a comment from Sarah Beth on more than one occasion lately. It is not, "I don't like that," but that she just no longer eats a particular food. When I ask her why, her response has been, "I'm just tired of it." It started me thinking about how often I choose the same foods over and over again, never venturing away from traditional classics. Part of starting this blog was to expand our palate as a family and get the kids to try different things.

Out of four children I have only had one picky eater. He was afraid of condiments, vegetables and meat that was not steak or hamburger. He eventually went away to college, met a girl and she has expanded his palate. He is still pretty picky but he has ventured to other meats and will include peas in a meal. The others have been pretty adventurous, willing to try anything once. So why have I become the resistant one?

I think it has been laziness not from lack of wanting to try new things. Am I the only one who has gotten into this rut? Do all my friends who I assume have wonderful meals planned each and every meal really just fall into the same food gutter that I do?

I start this day determined to get out of the food gutter and scale to food utopia. So I am going to kick the same old same, old habit and start making a new choice at one meal each day. Today I am picking a new casserole recipe. Any suggestions?

Appetizers for the Holidays

2011-11-02T10:18:00.000-06:00

This is the first post about our appetizer test trial. Yesterday our package from Dean and Deluca arrived. We ordered the Dean and Deluca Comfort Appetizers Package ($56.25 for 48 pieces) which consists of Mashed Potato Toast, Mini Shrimp Newburg Pot Pie, Monte Cristo Sandwich and Welsh Rarebit Tomato Tart.

We ordered this product anonymously, paying for it ourselves since we want this taste test to be completely genuine. Now this package is quite pricey for a football get together, but reasonably priced for a nice holiday get together. Dean and Deluca is well known for having top notch mail order food so I was waiting in anticipation for the package arrival.

First we tried the Mashed Potato Toast. Sarah was not a fan. I was not that impressed thinking it was quit bland and if you are considering cost, this might be one you might want to skip. The Mini Shrimp Newburg Pot Pie, however, was to die for and Sarah Beth and I both loved it. This alone is worth the cost. We had guests over and everyone agreed that this was the best part of the entire package. Too bad these are not sold separately. The Monte Cristo Sandwich was equally tasty and a guest favorite. I thought it was messy since when you bake them the recommended time and temperature the cheese oozes out everywhere. The Welsh Rarebit Tomato Tart was nice but guests commented it was a bit bitter and did not taste fresh.

Overall for the cost, I was not impressed. I think for a company such as Dean and Deluca I expected more. My guests comments were varied, but most agreed over all they would have preferred to have something homemade even if it was not as glamorous. Later this week we will be trying Private Selections Appetizers from Kroger. How will they compare to more expensive and well known brands?

What to do with that cooked chicken

2011-11-01T09:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I cooked a chicken straight from the farm. I was undecided what I was going to do with the chicken but knew it was going to involve more than one project. I let the chicken cool overnight in the refrigerator still in the pot I cooked it in. I have found this process allows me to get the best tasting stock. For those of you who do not know, we buy all our meat from a local ranch, Livestock First Ranch. Taylor is the most humble and genuine person I have ever met. I feel good buying my meat from him. Check out his website http://livestockfirstranch.squarespace.com/ You can catch Taylor at the Coppell Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Back to this chicken. Sarah Beth is not a fan of chicken and dumplings, however myself and all my friends are. Sarah Beth wanted chicken soup and made her request as she ran out the door to catch the school bus. So the solution was to divide the chicken and stock into two pots; one for chicken soup and one for chicken and dumplings. Sarah and I had picked up fresh corn, celery, carrots, mushrooms and turmeric from the Coppell Farmers Market. If you are local to the DFW area, you should really check out this farmers market. You can find them here: http://www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/ Both are on the stove cooking as I write this. I have made homemade egg noodles and biscuits for the dumplings. They are sitting patiently by waiting to be dumped into this wonderful smelling stock.

Now you may be thinking this whole project seems like it has taken hours upon hours of my time. However, Sarah and I decided to time the actual steps to making these two great meals. My actual time including prep time was less than 30 minutes. I did not include the time the pots actually sit on the stove since I am able to turn it down low and complete many other tasks. Not a lot of time to devote to making a fresh home cooked meal for your family. My costs? $4.50 for the soup and $4.90 for the chicken and dumplings. Both will serve 6-8 people. You won't find that kind of deal at McDonald's. The most important benefit of this wonderful meal is not only am I feeding my family a healthy meal but my house smells so good right now that the neighbor dogs are lined up outside waiting for scraps. I too can't wait for dinner. Now what to cook for dessert. Any ideas? Post them below.

I know this is not about food, but.....

2011-11-01T09:01:00.000-06:00

I saw this deal and needed to pass it along. Looking to get Christmas gift this season for some ladies in your life? Victoria Secret has a great deal. Starting today till 11/30/11 spend $10 at Victoria Secret (in store or online) and receive a Rewards card good for $10, $50, $100 or $500 for future purchase. Store rewards redeemed 12-1 through 12-21 http://www.victoriassecret.com/secret-rewards#/secret_rewards

$50 Amazon Gift Card!

2011-10-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

A $50 Amazon gift card will be given away on November 10th to one of our lucky blog followers. Comment below what you are going to spend it on to be eligible!

Refreshments Please

2011-10-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

Okay soon we are going to be trying an experiment prior to the holidays. Everyone loves those little hors d'oeuvres and other snack food at holiday parties. However, many people do not have time to make them from scratch or the money for top brands. So Sarah Beth and I have set out to find some store brands that meet the high expectations you and your family set. Maybe we can save you a little money this holiday season and still get some good food. Do you have a recommendation for us to try? Post in comments!

It's a Prickly Little Thing

2010-06-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

Michele: We went to HEB Central Market today and found an interesting fruit....rambutan. It looks like the Lychee fruit and is in the same botanical family. Sarah Beth picked this one out and will be the one to describe it today.

Sarah Beth: Hi everyone. I hope you are trying new fruits and vegetables. I was the first one to try the rambutan . We cut the rambutan in half with a knife. There is a seed in the middle. You can peel off the outer brown prickly part and easily squeeze out the seed. It looks like eye balls to me as you can see from the picture. The white flesh taste like coconut and pear mixed together. It is very sweet. It feels like a boiled on the inside, which is kind of weird. I do not think I would eat it again, but it was not bad.

Michele: Okay I tried it. The texture is very different. I thought it was like a gummy bear in my mouth. It is very sweet, but I did not think there was a dominate coconut flavor, but more of a really sweet pear soaked in coconut milk. I thought it was good and I would eat it again, but not sure I would keep it on my grocery list because it takes time to peel enough to get a good serving.

Nutrition: This rambutan came from Puerto Rico ( more brown than red) and the nutritional value ranges by where it is grown. This fruit is usually high in calcium and magnesium for a fruit and it also has a high sugar content. I would consider it a valuable contributor to daily nutritional needs.

2010-05-05T10:32:00.001-05:00

Bcis Test

Pepino Melon or Pepito Melon

2010-03-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

This was my choice for our new fruit. It is great to go to Central Market and see so many different fruits and vegetables. Mom keeps insisting on trying the purple carrots..I am just not there yet. So this was interesting..the pepito or pepino melon. I was told by the Central Market produce guy that it is called both. He said I would love it, so I convinced my Mom to buy this $2.50 small fruit. I was glad she agreed. Better than a cantaloupe, the pepito melon was sweet but had more of a honey taste. I took the produce guy's advice and picked one with dark purple stripes since this is a sign of ripeness. Mom unfortunately did not have the same high opinion that I did. However, you should note Mom HATES cantaloupe and honeydew melon. I think we might try it with a spinach salad. I give the pepino melon a B+!

Star Fruit When Your Sick

2010-03-16T19:57:00.000-06:00

Sarah Beth has a cold....look how pitiful she looks.

We bought a star fruit the other day at Central Market and Sarah needed the vitamin C so we decided to cut it open.

Star fruit comes from Florida, Hawaii, South America, Southeast Asia, Thailand, and Australia. Sarah needed a jolt of vitamin C so she was ready to try it. The verdict?

Sarah Beth: Juicy, Juicy and more Juicy! This is one of the best fruits I have tried. I am glad we bought two and waited until one turned yellow to try because we tried one that was a little green first and it was sour. It was fun to see it cut since it was in star shapes on the plate. I think it made me feel better instantly!

Michele: Sarah is right, it was very juicy. Also make sure it is yellow with a few little brown spots along the edges because the green one was was very sour. I give the star fruit a A+ and will add it next time we make a fruit salad.

Colored Cauliflower..Yes it is Orange!

2010-03-03T19:30:00.000-06:00

Sarah Beth and I were walking through Central Market and found an interesting object today. Cauliflower in green, orange and white. We wondered if the colored varieties would taste different from the original white version. I had found a recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes that Sarah Beth was willing to try. Orange mashed potatoes sounded fun. The verdict?

Sarah Beth: If I closed my eyes, I couldn't tell the difference between real mashed potatoes and the orange cauliflower mashed potatoes. I liked the way it looked on my plate next to the green beans. The cauliflower was very buttery. I voted "Yes" we should add the colored cauliflower to our regular meals.

Michele: I agree with SB. The orange cauliflower was very buttery and I added no additional butter. The key to making them taste like mashed potatoes was whipping them with the mixer. This will be added on a regular basis to our meals. This is a better choice than regular mashed potatoes.

Horned Melon

2010-02-24T18:00:00.000-06:00

Horned Melon.

Sarah Beth here ready to tell you about our fruit of the week, the horned melon. My Mom and I were searching Central Market for something different.

We found that the horned melon was quite interesting to look at. The horned melon originally came from Africa but is now grown in California, New Zealand, and Chile as well. Some people call this the blowfish fruit, and I can see why.

We were very excited to cut it open and see what it contained and what it taste like. I guessed it would be sweet and taste like honeydew melon. Mom guessed it would taste like sweet tarts. Yes she is weird. We cut it open and it looks like a cucumber with larger seeds. It also taste like a cucumber. Maybe that is why they sometimes call it an African Horned Cucumber. All in all I was not that impressed with the Horned Melon. Mom said cucumbers are cheaper and easier to cut so we will probably stick with actual cucumbers to get the cucumber taste.