Product Review: Rice-A-Roni

 

Rice-A-Roni...it was introduced in 1958, do we really need to talk about it? Yes. Yes we do. 

I remember the commercial from many years ago, it was on tv a LOT. The San Francisco Treat. Yeah.

Well, it is good. It is one of the food items I don't mind eating cold from the fridge if there are leftovers. 

I don't know how many flavors there are now, but I still like the chicken flavor the most. Second is the "pilaf," if it is still out there. All flavors are made with the pilaf method, but ok, we'll let it slide. 

I mostly want to talk about prep. How do you make yours? Do you follow the instructions on the package to a T? Years ago I started subtracting water and now I only use 1 1/2 cups instead of the recommended...what is it? 2 1/4? No, no, no. That's way too much. It gets too big and "wormy." Stick with less water. It is so much better that way. 

So try it out. I am in south central Texas, so the right amount where you are might be different, depending on the region you live in. 

It's also a good idea to use a 10" pan to make it, rather than a 2 quart pot. 

2 Tbsps. of butter, yeah, it works. You can use oil too, really, but butter kinda hits the spot. Use unsalted though, since it already has a lot of sodium. 

A homemade version of this is actually pretty good too, but you know how it is with nostalgia flavors. Sometimes you just have to have the original. 

Bring it to a rolling boil before you cover an reduce heat. A rolling boil...not a simmer, not a barely boil. A ROLLING boil. 😆 Yes, one day I will get a camera and post an example of a rolling boil. 

Then when it's done, fluff it, and tilt your lid so steam can escape & it dries out a little more. Then it's munchie-munch heaven. 

Here's another tidbit...I used to get the family size sometimes when we needed extra, but I stopped doing that long ago. The balance of the flavor packet vs. the rice is not the same. I haven't tried it again in a while, but I'm betting it's still the same way now. Just splurge and get 2 regular size. This is not the only product where this issue happens, by the way. 

So far they haven't done anything with it to change it, because why mess with perfection? Each time a company starts monkeying around with a flavor, thinking it has to be "updated" or whatever, it's no good anymore. I have to cite Coke and Wolf Brand Hot Dog Sauce as examples. 

If it's good, leave it alone! At least the Rice-A-Roni folks make different flavors instead of ruining the original one. I give them 40 thumbs up for that! 😆

Restaurant Review: Bellville Meat Market

If you haven't visited Bellville Meat Market, you should. They have a vast array of fresh meats, meats that are already smoked for your convenience, and many other great items. Cheese, jerky, dried sausage, summer sausage, regular sausage (try the double black pepper! Excellent!), and even some desserts. Butchers are on call at the meat counter to serve you in a prompt and courteous manner. 

But that is not what this blog post is about. We'll save all that wonderful stuff for another day. Today we are covering the "restaurant" portion of the meat market. BBQ plates, sandwiches, and loaded baked potatoes are on the menu.

This is our "go-to" place for brisket in Austin County. The brisket is always moist, tender, and flavorful. No sauce needed. I have never had bad brisket from Bellville Meat Market. You can order it by the pound, which is what we usually do. You can get slices that are lean, or opt for a fattier version. Just ask. 

One day we decided to get a couple of side orders with a pound of brisket. The brisket was wonderful, as always. 

The beans were okay. Could have been better though. 

The bacon Mac & cheese? No. Just no. The processed cheese completely overwhelmed the bacon and macaroni. It was like eating straight processed cheese that had texture. I know there are plenty of people who like the processed cheese (especially Velveeta.) We even use it here for dips on occasion. But it is pretty strong, so you need a good balance. Unfortunately, the Mac & cheese did not have that balance. So avoid it unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool Velveeta lover. One who could just drink the stuff with a straw.

The sauce. Well, just like everywhere else, it could use massive improvement. It's thin and sad. I never use it when we get brisket because their brisket is always so good. It's not bothersome on a sandwich either. But alone...forget it. It is not the "old timey" sauce that's in its own food group. 

Sad Sauce

If you're passing through Bellville and you have a hankerin' for some good brisket, go to Bellville Meat Market. They have tables outside for dining, or you can take it with you. 

Just look at that gorgeous, juicy brisket! I wish I had some right now. 

Restaurant Review: Spring Creek Barbeque

 

The BBQ joint that used to be better. I don't know....20 or 30 years ago? We visited Spring Creek recently because of a brisket craving, and... 

MISTAKE. MISTAKE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS. I can't hold back on this one.

Seriously...we would have had a better BBQ meal if we had gone to H.E.B. and picked up a pre-cooked brisket and sides. There definitely would have been more bang for the buck with that option.

It seems to be the bane of many BBQ restaurants these days. They make the BBQ, which may or may not be good caliber, then serve it with pre-made sides and watery BBQ sauce. If the BBQ is of good caliber, you know you can just skip the sides & order a pound or two. 

I wouldn't even recommend that here. The brisket was okay, but not "it's so freakin' good I could eat two pounds of it all by myself without anything else and be happy as a clam" caliber brisket. 

Spring Creek, 

WTH??!!  Please don't claim you represent Texas BBQ. It's an embarrassment. Nothing but BS on the website too. Yeah, I know, you can't expect it to look just like the pictures...blah blah blah...we are way beyond that. 

Potato salad soup, Anyone?

How about some canned green beans?

What is the deal with the lame rolls? 

Where is the smoke ring on the brisket? Was it smoked in an oven?

How in the world can you serve food like this and charge such insane prices and not be ashamed? 

I guess it stopped being about the BBQ long, long ago and love of $$$ took over. 

You really can serve better quality food and still make a profit. 

Instead, we get all of the bells and whistles, and ads proclaiming BBQ greatness, but it is all a lie. It's simply a restaurant skating on longevity to bring customers in. They have been around for SUCH A LONG TIME...surely they must be good, right? 

Nope. Not this time. Somewhere along the way, they lost the magic. 

The food was packed with military precision. Brisket snuggled under its blanket of foil, sides in separate containers with lids to prevent leakage. If the food was as great as the way it was packed, they'd be in great shape! 

On the other hand, that's a lot of unnecessary containers. It is BBQ, for Pete's sake! Load that plate up using the separate compartments as intended. Forget about a "space blanket" for the brisket. The only thing in danger is the bread, which needs to be protected from moisture until the food is about to be consumed. None of that other ridiculous rigamarole! BBQ is supposed to be a little bit messy. People will learn not to tilt the plate and end up with mixed food. Let them learn. It builds character. 

It always saddens me to have to apply the mango forks, but Spring Creek definitely deserves them for their BBQ scam. 

Restaurant Review: Prasek's Smokehouse

Dry ass brisket, premade potato salad, watery coleslaw mush

Prasek's (Sealy location) has many wonderful food items, but their smoked brisket isn't one of them. We had it once before, (a couple of years ago), and it was just as dry then as the second try recently. 

What didn't help? The "bbq" sauce. It tasted like cocktail sauce. Yes! Really! Looked like ketchup, tasted like cocktail sauce. I really wanted some boiled shrimp after I tasted it. 

I don't recall if they have shrimp on the menu, but I hope so, because at least that would be a good reason that we ended up with this stuff...by mistake. If not then they have a LOT of work to do on their bbq sauce. 

Seems to be a trend these days that no matter where you go, the BBQ sauce sucks. What happened to that wonderful, "old timey" sauce that is in its own food group? I would have expected Prasek's to have BBQ sauce like that. 

In case y'all missed the memo, Prasek's: Cocktail sauce & brisket is not a good combo. SMH

Okay...so...on to the side orders. Pre-made potato salad. Very sad. Also, I wanted beans but ended up with coleslaw. That would have been okay except the coleslaw was mush. Really, really watery too. It had an essence of mayo, but just looking at it, you couldn't see that it was there. Because it was so damn watery! Ugh! 

I finished the meal, but I was not a happy camper. Didn't touch that cocktail sauce after the first taste though. Everyone else who had bbq didn't eat their sauce either. 

Let's do better, Prasek's! Unfortunately, you get the mango forks for the brisket; the pre-made potato salad; the watery, mushy coleslaw; and the freakin cocktail sauce! smh

I have no complaints about anything else I have purchased there, though. They have a fabulous selection of food, whether you want something that's ready-to-eat or want fresh meats to prepare at home. 

Restaurant Review: WTH, Chuy's?

It looks promising, doesn't it? 
But it was a broken promise.

We had high hopes, because Chuy's used to be pretty good. It saddens me that this location seems to have gone down the tubes. I have to preface this with the fact that they were not busy when we went over there after the lunch hour on a Saturday. So throw that excuse out the window. 

The first issue was with tea. First of all, it was weak AF, but that was the least of it. Most places have sweet tea that's entirely too sweet, so I always get unsweetened and sweeten my own. 

Maybe I am not remembering correctly, but I could have sworn that Chuy's kept sugar & other sweeteners on each table. That wasn't the case here, so I asked for sugar packets on the side. The server that delivered the drinks didn't have them (I guess our server forgot to mention it), so I asked her for sugar packets. 

She brings me pink packets of generic sweet & low. Ummm....no. I'm sure the expression on my face must have resembled Bruce Willis's face in the 5th Element when Baby Ray threw him the billiard halls instead of the gun. 

Our original server visited next, so I asked him for some sugar packets. He brought me 3 each of every sweetener. So I had sugar, and pink, blue, and yellow sweetener packets. The next time he came by,  I just asked him to bring me more white packets. Apparently, if you need sweetener here, you must ask for the color you like. There should be a warning on the front door.

I'm still a little puzzled about that. I could understand one person not knowing sugar from faux sugar, but two on the same day at the same restaurant? Are the servers informed about sweeteners and the differences or does Chuy's just assume everyone knows what's what? Why didn't they know? Very strange. 

Next...the food. Well...the pico de Gallo was nice & fresh. The jalapeno dip wasn't as good as it used to be. Everyone remarked that it tasted like ranch dressing. I thought it used to be a little thicker too. We also had some queso which, while not spectacular, was at least passable. The refried beans & rice were good.

BUT...

Entrees...oh boy...still so disappointed about these...

I ordered chicken enchiladas with boom-boom sauce. The boom-boom sauce was so weak, it wasn't even one boom. I'd say it was about 1/4 of a boom. No good, spicy OOMPH, and the aftertaste was like Campbell's vegetable soup. 

And the chicken...omg. Slices & chunks instead of shredded, and ohhhh sooooooo pale. So, so pale. No caramelization at all. Poached? Boiled? Steamed? I don't know, but the chicken was bland AF, and the "boom-boom sauce" did not help much. No Big Bada Boom here...the fuse fizzled out on that bomb.

Just look how pale that chicken is!
Poach that bitch with some spices next time, FPS!

For comparison, I'll tell you what the previous experiences with this dish were like: So good, you could have just gobbled the whole thing down lickety-split and then ordered another. It used to be packed with flavor, not this poor rendition that was heavy on the bouillon in the boom-boom sauce and the tortillas stuffed with chicken chunks poached as pale as tourist legs on a sunny beach. 

I wasn't the only one with issues. 

Cheese enchiladas served cold, like revenge. 

Fajita Platter Flop: OMG! Just look at the picture. Real grill lines or painted? Dry AF. Does this look appetizing? HELL no. 

Maybe rename them "Faux-jitas"?

 Tacos al Carbon: Dry, dry, dry. Stiff tortillas. And get a load of those bell peppers and onions! Just like the ones on the fajita platter, no caramelization at all. Frankly, caramelized onions & bells are absolutely required for fajitas! 

He gave up and just ate the meat.

So I am here to ask, and rightfully so: What the HELL, Chuy's? What happened to the reliable Chuy's? What was this nonsense? It wasn't even worth the calories! If I'm going to consume that many calories, the food needs to have some FLAVOR! 

Taco Bell would have been a better choice. It's terribly sad to have to say such a thing, but it's true. 

This happened at the location in Katy. I hope these problems aren't company wide. But there were so many! It wasn't just one thing that was bad. That would be a different story. Either something changed with the company, or this location does not adhere to company standards. 

Fix it! You are an embarrassment to Austin, Texas at this point! 

It pains me to have to do this, but you get the mango forks for that fiasco. Fix it! Bring back the good Chuy's and usher the imposter out of the door!

Product Review: Mindy Lu's Pies

 

I have seen these around from time to time, but I was always hesitant to try them because I was afraid they were too sweet. 

Finally took the plunge, and guess what? They are not too sweet. They are just right. 

If you are addicted to sugary snacks, pass these up and leave them for the rest of us. You are looking for the pies that have filling that is cloyingly sweet, and are also drenched with a sugary coating. 

Mindy Lu's pies have just the right amount of sweetener, and the crust on these pocket pies is tender and flaky. 

Blueberry

I heard they are even better if you pop them in a toaster oven, but I never get that far. I have to consume immediately. 

Are they healthy? No. But they are fine for a treat once in a while. If you don't mind consuming about 340 calories or so in one sitting, you can always eat more. 😆

The calorie count varies slightly per pie. My last one was blueberry, and those are 340 calories each. 

These are so much better than the ones that seemed so popular many years ago. The crust was a lot harder and thicker on the pies in Long Ago Land, and they were far too sweet, as mentioned above. 

Give these a try if you stumble across them. If you're in Arlington Texas, you can go directly to Mindy Lu's pies and place an order. They also have online ordering, but it is suspended for the moment until the weather gets cooler here. Otherwise, you may find them in select grocery stores & gas station convenience stores.

Link: Mindy Lu's Pies

Product Review: Wolf Brand Chili Hot Dog Sauce

If you were a fan of the original formula, I can save you some reading. My review for this product? 

DUD.

I used to enjoy this hot dog sauce. It was my favorite canned sauce. Then Wolf discontinued it. I sent them an email expressing my disappointment, and then proceeded to look for a substitute. Nothing suitable surfaced, so I moved on to the kitchen lab. Just testing here and there, hoping for a "breakthrough." 😆 We don't eat a lot of hot dogs or chili dogs, so it wasn't an emergency. But it was still sad when a craving started coming on. 

I happened upon the chili display at a local store the other day, and there it was. It was back! Cautious excitement occurred right away, because the can was now 14 oz. instead of 10 oz. Ingredients seemed a little off. I even wondered if they just stuck regular chili in it and slapped the hot sauce label on just to shut people up. 

I'm old enough to remember the "New Coke" debacle. It was never the same after they brought the "original" back. Same with Taco Bell Enchiritos. Just a shadow of their former selves. 

But...of course we had to try the hot dog sauce. So I gathered the rest of the items for chili dogs. Fingers crossed. 

I popped open the can the next day, and right away I knew this wasn't it. Texture was all wrong. Aroma was off. 

Flavor...NO. It is WAY off. They ditched the original recipe for THIS??!! REALLY???!!! It is so f-----g bland now. 

I checked the ingredients against the old ones. Missing rolled oats. Well, that is not the reason it is so bland. They had to go and monkey around with the rest of the formula too. 

This sucks. It was so nice & spicy previously. And it was well blended. I read complaints about the previous texture from some people, but it was supposed to be chili hot dog SAUCE, not chili. 

Now it is some gray area in between. Edible, but no thrills. Thanks for nothing, Wolf.  (I should really say: Parent Company of Wolf.)

Back to the kitchen drawing board for me...to replicate the original. It will be a priority now. 

I will allow these Mango Forks express my disapproval:

Come on, Wolf. You can do better. 

Defend Your Vegetables!

 

Vegetable Vexation?

I'm here to defend my vegetables, because one day I watched a video that popped up on Facebook.  The topic was: "Why don't the vegetables you prepare at home taste as good as vegetables from a restaurant?" 

Huh? I was perplexed. I have always encountered the exact opposite. Well, with rare exceptions. The vegetables from restaurants are usually sub par -- overcooked, treated as an afterthought, etc. Unless you are dining at a "high end" restaurant or an independent "farm to table" type of establishment, that's just the way it is - (and sometimes those are questionable as well, because paying more money does not necessarily equal good food).

Anyway, this guy reveals the "big secret." Get ready....it's...BUTTER! Restaurants use more BUTTER! Vegetables are practically swimming in it. That's why it tastes better, according to the dude. 

Well, that's just ridiculous. In the first place, most restaurants don't cook vegetables to order. They either blanch & then "refresh" them per order by sautéing, or giving them a quick dip in boiling water, or they simply hold them "as is" on a steam table (and hopefully they adhere to the time limit and change them out before they turn to mush if they aren't being consumed in a timely manner). There are some restaurants that used canned veggies as well. 

Not that there is anything wrong with cooking ahead of time & "refreshing," or using a steam table. These are lifesavers for busy restaurants, and if they keep up with them, then no problemo. BUT...the veggies prepared this way are in no way superior to veggies you can prepare at home. Quite the opposite. 

So I have to call BS on that dude. I wish I could remember his name but it escapes me. Maybe he just has trouble with vegetables himself, so he assumes that it is a problem for everyone else too. No. No. No. Not at all. And you DO NOT need a pound of butter to make veggies taste good. Some don't need any at all. The simplest preparation yields the best flavor for fresh vegetables. For frozen or canned, a little more "decoration" might be necessary. 😄

As an example, see the veggies below. Fresh spinach, green beans, and Brussel's Sprouts. (There were also fresh potatoes with this meal, just peeking out up there on top.) All of these were from Costco. The green beans, unfortunately, were a mixed bag, as you can see. Different shades of green. Some of the beans were not as fresh as the others. You don't see that when you pick them fresh from your own garden, but this was earlier in the year before Spring, so Costco filled the veggie bill.  

Fresh spinach: Use a large frying pan, medium heat. Add 1-2 tsps. of light oil (avocado or extra virgin olive oil). Spread the oil around so it coats the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 of the spinach, let it wilt a bit. Repeat 2 more times. Make a small well in the center & add one clove of minced garlic (optional). Stir the garlic a bit & let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes, then mix it into the spinach. Add S&P to your taste.

 This is a short-cut method & it is very tasty. The moisture in the spinach will steam it. No need to add extra water or boil it first before sautéing. This was one of the giant containers from Costco. 16 oz., if I recall correctly. So the recipe fits for that, but it doesn't need much adjusting if you have a smaller amount. Of course, with spinach, you want to have as much as possible since it shrinks so much.  

Fresh green beans: Bring salted water to a boil & add green beans. Cook to your specifications. I like mine al dente. That part is up to the cook. Just fish one out for a test after 8-10 minutes. 

Brussel's Sprouts: Nice big bags of these at Costco, already removed from the stalk. Most of the time rinsing is all you need to do, but sometimes the bottoms need to be trimmed off a little. If they are pretty big, cut them in halves or quarters. Then place in a stainless steel bowl, drizzle with olive or avocado oil, toss in some S&P, then mix until they are coated. Roast in the oven until tender, checking them a couple of times and stirring (actually, I usually flip each one with tongs). They are spectacular with a little caramelization. I could eat the whole bag. 

The thing to remember with these is not to crowd them or you will have steamed Brussel's instead of roasted. I usually roast at 350 for 15-20 minutes. You can go higher if you are in a hurry, just keep an eye on them. 

Taters: For waxy, thin-skinned potatoes (red or yellow), no need to peel. Scrub well & place in a saucepan. Water to cover, add salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium & cook 8-10 minutes. Test with a knife, it's the best way. Then drain, add a couple of pats of butter & some black pepper, and mix. You don't need a pound to get good flavor. Sometimes I add just one pat of butter & then drizzle a little olive oil in before tossing. Yum to the max! 

(One day I will set up a camera and film some of these methods. It's a lot easier than trying to explain it in text.) 

There you have it. Four veggies, all simple prep, no pounds of butter needed. I would send this to that dude, if I could remember who he was. 😄

Defend your veggies! What have been your experiences with restaurant veggies? Share your story in the comments if you have time. We all want to know where the good restaurant veggies are! 😄

Restaurant Review: Yellow Étouffée? It's an "Etouffail"

 Take a look at the picture above. Does this look like étouffée to you? Yellow étouffée. I have never seen yellow étouffée. When they brought this dish out, my face must have fallen 1,000 miles. WTH?

This pic is from a local restaurant here. I'm not going to name it. People from around here might recognize this "etouffail." Any other inquiries can be made via email.

We decided to stop in for lunch one day. It hasn't been around that long, but forgive me because I can't recall exactly when they opened. We were a party of three. One other person besides me ordered this monstrosity. We both ate what we were served because we don't like to waste food. 

Don't get me wrong though. It was palatable. It wasn't bad. It didn't have much flavor at all, really. It tasted like white sauce with some spices (?). It didn't taste like crawfish at all, and there weren't many in there. I ordered a meal and the "étouffée" was used as a sauce over a blackened filet of unknown origin. I dodged a bullet there, because I almost ordered the standalone étouffée option. 

It was pretty hilarious...actually, hideous and hilarious at the same time. The first thing our friend said was: "What are they hiding?" Indeed. 

What are they hiding? It must be flavor because we didn't find much of that. That has the be the blandest "Cajun" meal I ever ate. Even the dirty rice was too clean. Frozen green beans. I don't mind those in a restaurant (or at home sometimes), if they are prepared the right way. These were acceptable. 

So I'm guessing they just took a powdered sauce, rehydrated it, and added some S&P, maybe some turmeric, curry, or a bit of saffron. Probably not saffron though. Or maybe it was simply a bagged powdered concoction and they added nothing extra. This is pure speculation on my part -- all I know for sure is that it wasn't true étouffée prepared from scratch. The blackened filet was okay, at least it had some flavor. It had no real heat though, unfortunately. 

But that yellow étouffée...I thought it was going to taste like mustard. Thank goodness it didn't. But...yellow? For those who have experienced the real thing: Have you ever seen yellow étouffée...ever? 

I am not an expert at Cajun cooking or Creole cooking -- I can pull off a few dishes really well and I'm always willing to try my hand at others -- but I know étouffée, and Honey, that ain't it! Justin Wilson would have had a coronary if he saw that stuff. 

I completely understand about wanting to add your own twist, but they added so many twists to this one that it spun out of existence. There wasn't even a hint of the "Holy Trinity" present. They didn't use it. 

Frankly, I was appalled; but I held my tongue. We were hungry and exhausted after a busy morning of parade duties in a neighboring town. We ate our meal and tried to drown our disappointment with copious amounts of water & iced tea. 

Cajun étouffée is one of my favorite dishes; sometimes I enjoy the Creole version too. I have had both many, many times over the years. Sometimes I make it at home, if I have time. I have eaten it in restaurants in Texas & in Louisiana. I have eaten it at potlucks. Never out of all those times, have I ever seen yellow étouffée. I did an extensive internet search and I never found any that had even a hint of freakin yellow. I don't know where they got the idea that it is yellow. 

It's pretty much a universal thing, like with other famous (or infamous) dishes. Étouffée has a certain flavor profile. People who order it are expecting that. I don't know how much of this stuff they sell, because people who have had the real thing before are only going to order that crap one time. 

I had high hopes for the restaurant itself, so it was a disappointment. We have been back since then. Once. This time we experienced woefully undercooked shrimp & some pretty terrible coleslaw. I had catfish & shrimp that day. The catfish was passable, but again, hardly any spices at all. If you're going to serve Cajun, DO IT. Especially if it is listed as Cajun. The best thing out of the second meal? French fries. 

I don't order fried food very often, so I was doubly disappointed on our second visit. And that coleslaw...UGH. We had better coleslaw at a chicken joint I worked at in my youth. (Finely shredded, fresh ingredients, good recipe.) This one...well...the salad itself was slightly discolored, but there was no bad odor, so I ate mine. The cabbage had a strange cut, and the coleslaw had a lot of the thicker leaf stems in it, which would have been fine if the cabbage had been shredded properly, but as it was...no. 

So at this point, we don't really want to go back again. They call themselves a steak & seafood joint,  but after all of that, I'm afraid to order the steak, or even a burger. 

It's too bad. They pretty much cornered the market on seafood here. Aside from them, there's a fast food seafood joint that's independently owned. Other than that, we have about 42 Tex-Mex restaurants 😆, and some other offerings unrelated to seafood. Oh yeah, and too many fast food joints. 

We'll either enjoy seafood when we go out of town or we'll prepare it at home. I am not planning to go back there again. Oh, it could happen, but it is less & less likely the more I think about it. 

Mainly because they just don't seem to care. They open this restaurant, knowing that they have an advantage opening one here. Then they serve subpar food. I'll bet a lot of it is pre-made too. It's a damn shame. 

My scathing(?) review will not affect their business. I am not an "influencer" on Instagram or on any other platforms. But I decided to speak up about it anyway. Bottom line is, don't waste your money. Unless fried food is your thing, but they even screwed that up as far as the shrimp were concerned. I can't speak about the steak, but if the seafood is any indication, then the steaks aren't much better. They might be like the ones people used to sell door to door. Yeah, I bought some of those. Once. Decades ago. 😆 I don't know if anyone does that now, but don't buy any if they do. 😄

Product Review: Costco's Kirkland Raspberry Crumble Cookies

Ah, there it is...the famous Raspberry Crumble Cookie from Costco's bakery. I have read the rave reviews about this cookie that are frequently expressed in a Costco Facebook group. We finally picked some up to try them out. $11.99 for one dozen at our usual Costco. They're a pretty good size, maybe 3" diameter or so. 

These cookies have a shortbread base and are topped with raspberry jam/preserves and posipka (a.k.a. streusel or crumble topping). The finishing touch is a dusting of powdered sugar. 

They are very good. It would be easy to eat 3 or 4 in a sitting. They are approximately 340 calories each though, so exercise some restraint! 

There's not a lot to complain about here. Well, the price could be a little lower. As far as flavor, as I mentioned above, they are very good. But...there's a slight aftertaste that isn't pleasant. It's not strong enough to deter me from eating them, but it's there. It might be because of the palm oil. To me the aftertaste is reminiscent of cookies I've eaten in the past where lard was used in the recipe. But it was probably the palm oil. Maybe it is not a common occurrence. It might have been limited to the batch we had. 

As far as the palm oil goes, we normally avoid products that use palm oil as much as possible. Thankfully, Costco is a member of RSPO - (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). Click on the link for more info. 

The only other thing that I would add would be more raspberry filling! The cookies would definitely be better with a bit more of that! 

Just FYI: I've seen some people suggest heating the cookie for a few minutes in oven or microwave. "They're even better that way!" - Costco fans have claimed. We have exactly one cookie left, so I might have to try that tip out. 

Below are two more photos, just to show you what the cookie is like inside.

It’s Egg Awareness Day

 

Just kidding! I just wanted to say something about eggs. 😆 

Unfortunately for us, we are sans chickens at the moment, so we have to buy eggs at the store or from a local who has chickens. 

But I want you to take a look at the eggs above. What do you immediately notice? (besides the cracked egg over there on the top left)

If you said: "Some of the stamps are blurry," then that's the answer I was looking for. 

You might already know this, but for those who don't, the blurry stamps are due to temperature fluctuations, because condensation will form on the outside of the eggs if they get warm. Maybe the store is having cooler issues, or maybe the eggs were abandoned somewhere in the store & were without refrigeration for a while. Who knows? (That's a big pet peeve of mine, because whoever leaves food somewhere that warms or defrosts sucks as a human. All they have to do is hand it over to the cashier if they don't want it. But no. They leave it on a shelf somewhere where it might sit for hours. Food wasters. SMH)

Anyway, watch out for that if you don't already. I had to go through about 5 cartons before I found one that had clean stamps and no broken eggs. (I ended up switching a couple of eggs out anyway.)

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR EGGS BEFORE BUYING. You never know how many might be broken or cracked in there, and it will save you time and money to do that extra little step. 

The eggs that warmed a bit and then cooled again were probably fine, but I like to get ahead of the game on that, just in case.  

It's always a good idea to check the eggs before placing them in your cart. I know not everyone does this, because I have seen people put eggs in their carts without checking them. Many times. 

I had to bring it up, because who feels like driving all the way back to the store for an exchange? Not me. 

Also, if any break or crack in transit, at least you'll know when it happened and you can salvage the eggs (depending on the damage). I'm not going to use them if I buy them without looking and they are broken, but if they break or crack in transit I'll put them in another container as first in line for use. They'll be A-OK for 2 or 3 days in a glass container with a lid that seals well. 

That's my egg tip for the day. Cheerio! 

Product Review: Juan Valdez Instant Coffee - A Game Changer

Look at those beautiful nuggets! 

 

Instant Coffee? Are You Kidding Me? 

I remember the instant coffee from the past. Sparkling little grains that promised you could get your morning jolt very quickly and still have a great tasting cup of coffee. 

Lies! 

No amount of doctoring could make the instant coffee of the past taste good. It always had either the flavor of a pot of coffee that was held too long on the burner,  or had some other unpleasant aftertaste. Nevertheless, I would drink it if there was nothing else available. Ground coffee was the "go-to" though. 

I don't recall which family member got into the bean game and got us hooked on that, but after that point, fresh ground coffee became the absolute norm. 

Some years later, Central Market opened its doors and we'd go every two weeks or so and get a different roast to bring home. Good times! Good times!  

One day I decided to stop drinking coffee for a while, just to see if I could do it and still make it through the day okay. No problem. I missed the flavor though, so I'd have a decaf every once in a while just for the flavor. That lasted, ohhhhh...about 10 years. 

Eventually I started drinking regular coffee again, but not every day. I can take it or leave it. Certain conditions have to be met: It has to be before noon, and I must have heavy cream, or it's a no-go. 

Finding Juan Valdez

One day I was in the store searching for an instant coffee that I wanted to use in a dessert recipe. There weren't very many choices in that particular store, but the Juan Valdez caught my eye. Gold font, nice. Nuggets of coffee instead of sparkly things with no promise, very nice. Glass jar instead of plastic...sold!

I wasn't planning on drinking it, but I ended up trying it out anyway. Whoa! Fabulous flavor! As a former, (yet not former) bean fiend, it was a real treat. 

There is a trick to it though. Stir, stir, stir! I just listen to the cup. Listen to the pitch as you stir (metal spoon required for this step). It gets higher and higher and finally dissipates. That's when you know it's ready to drink. 

A couple of years ago I tried a Central Market version for comparison purposes. Beautiful nuggets, but the taste was not as robust as the Juan Valdez version. Also, the CM version was packed in plastic, and the humidity ruined the last 1/4 of the bottle. Not so with Juan. I can skip for weeks and that does not happen. I haven't had a "hankering" for a least a month now, but the coffee is still A-OK, nice & dry, waiting for the next time I might want a cup. 

Try it! You won't regret it. 

Product Review: New York Bakery Breadsticks

 

I have two words for this one: Utter Disappointment. 

I don't normally buy products like this anymore, (although I used to buy their Texas Toast once every month or two in the past), because making garlic bread at home is far superior, even if you opt for "quickie" garlic bread with garlic powder instead of minced garlic). 

It was late, I worked all day, and I just wanted a little bit of garlic bread for a meal. I talked myself out of going to a fast food joint, because I knew it would give me misery and it just wasn't really appealing even though I was hungry. So I decided to pick up some fresh pasta (Rana), a salad, and some garlic bread. I already had homemade sauce at home. 

Texas Toast was rejected out of hand, I couldn't deal with the frozen slab of oil and garlic on top of the bread. It's soooo bad. Plus, no room in freezer for excess slices. So...hey, why not try these breadsticks? The breadsticks can't be as bad, right? They can't screw up breadsticks, right? 

Wrong! 

It looked like they might be okay. Not as much of the oil & garlic topping: Great! Short baking time: Good! Slap 'em on a pan, throw 'em in the oven (definitely at a lower temp than recommended), and all is well. 

And so it was. Prep time was short; good meal in about 20 minutes. Waaaaay better than going through that fast food line, which would have probably taken the same amount of time, since Whataburger,  (which is what I would have chosen), is so busy at later hours here. (Small town.) 

So what killed the possible enjoyment of the breadsticks? Sugar. ADDED sugar. Why, why, why? Bread does NOT need added sugar,(beyond the amount used to feed the yeast in the dough), unless it is the type that is supposed to be sweet (like Hawaiian Bread, etc.). 

Sweet garlic bread? Are you kidding me? In what dimension is this acceptable? 

I hate to waste food, so the next evening, I made a garlic spread with fresh garlic & real butter. Cut the remaining bread sticks in half, and spread it on. Finished with a sprinkle of Kosher salt. (Yes, they already had an abundance of sodium, but it was necessary to help kill the sweetness.) 

I popped them in the oven for a light toasting. After that, they were at least palatable. 

Breads off the shelf have more sugar these days. You really have to watch for it. Read every label. Reject breads that have added sugars (unless it is the type that is supposed to be sweet). Consumers can turn this awful trend around. 

Is it a trend? Seems to be. Remember that companies invest a lot of money in research and development to manipulate your tastebuds so you'll get hooked on the flavors and continue to buy their products. That's no secret, but not everyone is aware of it. 

New York Bakery's Bread Sticks are: 

Baked in Ohio by the T. Marzetti Company, (whose owners moved to Ohio from New York many years ago and have had a passion for bread making that allegedly stretches back 90 years, according to the box info), and is...in turn, under the umbrella of The Lancaster Colony Corporation. 

Are they baked in Ohio though? The box isn't clear. It just states "baked FOR T. Marzetti," (with the companies address). It doesn't say baked IN Ohio for T. Marzetti. So that's up in the air. They might be baked in another state. I looked for the info online, but I didn't go down that many rabbit holes to find the true source. It wasn't on their page or the Lancaster page. 

Anyway, here is my recommendation: 

DO NOT BUY. If you do, be prepared for disappointment. Unless, of course, you are a fan of SWEET garlic bread. Ugh! 

Costco Product Review: Mission Hill Bistro's Smoked Beef Brisket Burnt Ends

 

Mission Hill Bistro Smoked Beef Brisket Burnt Ends

It was inevitable. The brisket burnt ends were going to end up in the shopping cart at Costco sooner or later. They made it in during the last trip. 

Here's a shot of the back of the package...

 Burnt Ends Blues

First I have to address what's on the package. Take note of the label on the bottom left. $9.59 a pound, 1.52 pounds in this package. The total price is $14.58. 

Okay, so this is something that gave me pause right away, because there is sauce included in this package, but it is not weighed separately. There are 4 servings in this package, according to the line under "Nutrition Facts." 4 servings at 1 cup each. 

Burnt ends at $9.59 per pound...not a bad deal really, since the burnt ends are one of the best parts of a brisket after you've smoked it. Right? Not something you would want to eat on a daily basis, obviously, but once in a while is okay. 

I weighed the burnt ends and the sauce packets separately to see if it was indeed a "good deal." The package of burnt ends came in at just a shade over 1 lb., 1 oz. The sauce packet weighed 8.3 oz. What?! Yes, 8.3 oz. So that's approximately $4.98 for the packet of sauce. That is ridiculous. Definitely not a good deal on the sauce. 

My first question for Mission Hill Bistro is: Why is sauce included with the burnt ends in the first place? Burnt ends never require sauce. They are eaten just as they are because they taste great. I have never had a burnt end in my life that I had to put sauce on. Of course, those were fresh from the smoker, but still...

So I have a big issue with this sauce packet. Just to be a good sport, I decided to try the sauce with the burnt ends. Okay..."hell to the no" on that! The sauce is sickeningly sweet. I suppose they thought eating it with the burnt ends might balance things out. Well...NO! It doesn't. It's still too sweet. Too bad, too, because if it wasn't so sweet, it would actually be pretty good. It has a nice "afterburn." Still not worth $4.98 though. No way. Now we are stuck with leftover sauce that is too sweet to eat. I will have to modify it for use in another recipe because I hate to waste food.  

The burnt ends themselves weren't that bad. If you crisp them up a bit, you can "fool" yourself into believing they were fresh out of the smoker. Well...almost. The kitchen certainly had that lingering odor of smokiness that occurs when you prepare a brisket at home. 

The bottom line is: The burnt ends are okay. Nothing to write home about, but certainly edible. They taste much better without the sauce, as burnt ends should. They are NOT a good deal, though, because they are packaged along with the sauce. If the packet was only 4 ounces or so, I could let that slide. But not this 8.3 ounces of sauce. No way. Too much $$$ for what's basically BBQ "syrup." 

If you have money to burn, though, go for it! I think it would be cool to get the Mission Hill Bistro Sliced Beef Brisket (read my review here), along with the burnt ends so you could have the best of both brisket worlds at the same time. Party down! It would be a good idea to make your own sauce though, (for the regular brisket, not the burnt ends, of course). 

I have to rate this one, reluctantly, three chicken legs. It would have been two, but they get a freebie just for having the gumption to offer brisket burnt ends to the public. This means they are paying attention. The sauce though? 🙄 Cost ya' two legs, Mission Hill Bistro! 

🍗🍗🍗

Now, here is a visual presentation of the burnt ends and the progression from the removal from the package to the final form before consumption: 

Opened Package...

Where's the beef? 😆

Here's that &%#@*%&$!! sauce packet. 😡

Big lump in the pan with a bit of oil.

Breaking up lumps

Breaking them up some more

Added a shot of water. Just a small shot.

Hmmm...

 Looking better...maybe?

Final Form