Category: Taste Tests

Reviews of ready-made food products.

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Taste Tests

Taste Test: Four Dancing Deer Cookies

Dancing Deer Cookies

Dancing Deer CookiesA little while ago, I went on one of my last shopping sprees at Fresh & Easy. They were closing, so prices were greatly slashed and I stocked up on a cornucopia of my favorite products. One of those was a box of Dancing Deer Vanilla Shortbread cookies. I was so disappointed when I opened the box and they reeked of plastic. They even tasted of plastic.

I couldn’t return them because with the store closing out, all sales were final. So contacted Dancing Deer to see if they could do anything. I only expected to get a coupon to buy some more cookies elsewhere. What I got was a lesson in customer service excellence.

They shipped me not one, not two, but four packages of cookies in four wonderful flavors! I got more than my money’s worth and a deeper sense of warm-fuzzy feeling toward Dancing Deer Baking company.

First, I’ve always been happy with the quality of their cookies. The vanilla shortbread cookies have, up until that last purchase, always been da bomb! And these four new flavors (to me) did not disappoint.

Four Dancing Deer Cookie Flavor Experiences

Sugar Cane Lime Cookies

These are your traditional sugar cookie with a twist … of lime that is. They are light and not too heavy on the lime. They would be perfect for a light spring or summer snack or dessert. In fact, a part of me would love to try making a cookie crumb crust for a citrus pie.

If you like sugar cookies and you like lemon/lime flavor, these cookies will delight you.

Molasses Clove Cookies

When I was growing up, one of the cookies I used to make were old-fashioned molasses cookies. This Dancing Deer version gives is a punch with a nice dose of cloves. They are strongly spicy and would go well with some pumpkin egg nog. I snarffed them up in no time!

Snicker Doodle Cookies

Another childhood favorite was the simple snicker doodle … basically a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar. No snicker doodle I’ve ever had in my life holds a candle to these Dancing Deer creations. They were light and chewy with a just-right amount of cinnamon goodness. I had to fight my fiancé for these!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Normally, these would be my favorite. However, I found them to pale in comparison to the three cookies I’ve already mentioned. They were crispy on the outside, while a tad chewy on the inside … not my favorite texture combination. But you might like them.

Would I buy Dancing Deer cookies again. Yes. Would I go out of my way to find them … after these samples, I’m thinking I just might start keeping an eye out for them.


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Taste Tests

Product Review: Hi Mountain Seasonings Wine-Based Finishing Sauce

Hi Mountain Seasonins Wine-Based Finishing Sauces

Hi Mountain Seasonings recently introduced four new wine-based Finishing Sauces in Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. I was fortunate enough to score samples and tried one out last night.

I chose the Chardonnay Finishing Sauce, which “showcases the classic French pairing of chardonnay with the delicious flavor of Portobello mushrooms and beef stock,” according to the press release I received. I served it over sautéed chicken with onion and garlic over white rice and paired with Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Romanesco Basilic.

finishing-sauce-plate

The sauce added a nice tang to the chicken, lifting the simple meal up a notch or two. In addition, it was quick and easy to prepare — simply mix with cold water, heat until it thickens, and then stir in some butter. If you need to keep it warming on the stove, like I did because the meal was finished before everyone was home to eat it, don’t worry. The sauce tasted just as good when it was “old” as when it was “fresh.”

I look forward to tasting the other three sauces, as well: Merlot Finishing Sauce, which blends merlot, beef stock, rosemary and garlic; Pinot Gris Finishing Sauce, which combines pinot gris with cranberries, citrus and herbs; and Pinot Noir Finishing Sauce, which blends pinot noir with beef stock, garlic and honey.

Founded in 1991, Hi Mountain’s entire line of products, cooking tips, instructional videos, and recipes are available at www.himtnjerky.com.


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Taste Tests

Taste Test: Goat Milk Caramels

goat-milk-caramelsWhat happens if you love caramel chews but discover that you can’t digest cow’s milk? A typical recipe for soft caramel chews includes milk, cream or both.

Well, since many people who can’t consume cow’s milk without discomfort can consume goat’s milk just fine, Goat Milk Stuff may have a solution for you. The family owned business, which has been marketing natural goat milk soaps and lotions around the USA and world, has now entered the food market with a line of Caramel Candy made with farm-fresh goat milk.

Product Overview:

  • Cow’s dairy free
  • Gluten free
  • Farm made
  • Individually wrapped
  • Three available flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon and Sea Salt
  • Available in an assortment of package sizes: 10-pack for $10, organza sack of 100 pieces for $90 and the 20-Piece Caramel Candy Gift Box for $27.

CaramelCandy

Overall Thoughts
Before writing this post, I wanted to make sure that the product was good, so I asked for samples. I received some Cinnamon and Sea Salt samples a couple days ago and I have to say they are da bomb!

Now, for context, I need to tell you that I’m not much of a caramel fan. I find most caramels to be far too sweet for my tastes, plus many are so tough you spend all your time chewing and chewing. I have a bad jaw, so I don’t like that either.

However, these Goat Milk Caramels from Goat Milk Stuff are soft and practically melt in your mouth. They are not overly sweet, either. There is a freshness to their taste that reminds me of the salt-water taffy you can get freshly made in Bodega Bay (or your local fair). The Sea Salt variety is good, but the Cinnamon is fantastic. The subtle tones of cinnamon balance out the sweetness of the caramel very nicely. I’ve never thought of melding those two flavors before, but I will now!

Product Background
Jonas_familyThe line of Goat Milk Caramels are made by PJ and Jim Jonas and their 8 children (8 to 18) on the family’s Indiana farm.

“As our first entry into food products, the Caramel Candy reflects our family’s continuing commitment to offer natural products of the highest quality,” says PJ Jonas, founder of Goat Milk Stuff. “Our pasture-fed Alpine goats provide milk rich in vitamin A and gives Goat Milk Stuff Carmel Candy a rich, creamy, delightfully chewy extra-tasty melt-in-your-mouth homemade-deliciousness that is perfect for family enjoyment or to give as holiday gifts.” In addition, “Our Caramel Candy is made with healthy organic ingredients and does not contain any genetically-modified additives or GMOs.”

PJ and Jim homeschool their children, and use Goat Milk Stuff as a teaching tool as the children develop an understanding of how business works. From daughter Brett, at 18, to sisters Jade and Indigo, 8 and 9, and with boys Colter, Emery, Fletcher, Greyden and Hewitt between them, all help mom and dad as they do daily chores and get real-world business experience to complement their homeschooling subjects from math and science to history, literature, Bible study and more.

Based in Scottsburg, Indiana, the Jonas family maintains an active social media presence with a growing following at www.Facebook.com/GoatMilkStuff, YouTube.com/GoatMilkStuff and at Twitter.com/GoatMilkStuff. You can purchase their caramels and other products at www.GoatMilkStuff.com.

[one_half] salted-ingredients [/one_half][one_half_last] cinamon-ingredients [/one_half_last]

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Taste Tests

Product Review: Newman’s Complete Skillet Meal for Two

Newman's Own pasta
Newman's Own Chicken Parmigian & Penne with a side salad
Newman's Own pasta
Newman’s Own Chicken Parmigiana & Penne with a side salad

A few weeks ago I received some coupons for various Newman’s Own products in the RedPlumb weekly flyer, so I decided to give the products a try.

newmans-own2On Monday, I tried out the Supreme Thin & Crispy pizza. I was dubious about it because I prefer my pizza crusts to be thick and bread-y. To be honest, the crust wasn’t too bad, it was just crispier than I prefer. But what lost it for me was the spiciness of the pepperoni — I went to bed with an upset stomach. I’ve never tasted pepperoni so hot!

newmans-own1Then, last night my boyfriend and I tried out the Complete Skillet Meal for Two in the Chicken Parmigiana & Penne flavor. You’ll see how I served it with a side salad and Parmesan cheese above.

World of difference! I would totally recommend this product. It took all of 10 minutes to prepare. The chicken was tasty. The penne was just the right amount of al dente. And the sauce was perfection — and I’m not crazy about tomato-based sauces!

This is a perfect meal for two if you get creative and add on a side or two. I chose to serve it with salad (recipe below) and top it with a mix of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheeses. My boyfriend was surprised at how quickly I pulled together a delicious and elegant meal. Thanks Newman’s Own!

== Carma’s Quick Salad ==

1 bag of butter lettuce
1/4 chopped red onion
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4-1/2 cup Ranch dressing

In a large container with a lid — a Rubbermaid or Tupperware works (I use a recycled, large lunch meat container) — add in the lettuce, onion and cheese. Close the lid and shake well.

Open the container and add in the salad dressing. Close and shake until well mixed.

Serve in bowls.

Optional garnishes: Parmesan cheese, cilantro or diced green onion.

You can find a good container for mixing salads on Amazon.com. See suggestions here:

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Taste Tests

Taste Test: Nutiva O’Coconut

Click on image to view larger

Click on image to view larger
Click on image to view larger
Nutiva, a brand of coconut, chia, hemp and red palm organic superfoods, recently launched bite-sized snacks called O’CoconutTM. Because I love coconut, I gratefully accepted a free sample to review for this site.

They arrived while I was on vacation, so I’m not sure how long they sat at my front door, but when I opened the package, everything looked fine … just slightly flattened.

What I liked about O’Coconut:
These snacks are made from organic, fair trade coconut and have only 60 calories per snack. They are lightly sweet, so they don’t overpower your palate.

I was sent samples of both the Classic and Hemp & Chia snacks. The classic was just that — it tasted like a less-sweet macaroon. The Hemp & Chia is where the flavor got interesting. The press material described the flavor as “nutty” — but my experience was closer to blue cheese.

I know, weird, huh? I checked the ingredients … nothing in there that should taste like cheese, blue or otherwise. So take that comment with a grain of salt.

I enjoyed both of them and was happy they sent be two of each!

What I didn’t like about O’Coconut:
They’re so small! They truly are bite sized! I wonder if they’d consider making a larger, say 100-calorie, version?

My recommendation:
I enjoyed them. They both had a slightly unconventional flavor that I appreciated. I also like that they are made with organic ingredients, which is important for many consumers, and that the coconut is fair trade, which means that the coconut is grown sustainably with an eye toward being better stewards of the land. Fair trade also means that standards are in place to protect human rights and deal fairly with workers and their families. All good in my book.

So, yes, I’d recommend these handy little snacks. You can find them at Whole Foods Market locations, as well as at Nutiva.com and Amazon.com.

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Taste Tests

Review: Pillsbury Pumpkin Caramel Delight

Pillsbury Pumpkin Caramel Delight mix

Pillsbury Pumpkin Caramel Delight mixI’ve had my eye on this mix for awhile. I never purchased it because I really didn’t have a reason to, other than curiosity. But, this weekend I found it on sale and curiosity won.

The instructions are easy to follow and the cake was simple to make and assemble.

Although you bake the cake in a 13 x 9 pan, because you cut the cake into thirds, you end up with a small layered cake that is approximately 4 x 9 in size.

The cake is just what I expected … a spice cake with a hint of pumpkin. The almonds and caramel drizzle make it look lovely … it is perfect for bringing to a pot luck.

The one down side is that the cream cheese frosting is so sweet, it tastes more like sugar than cream cheese. If you don’t have that much of a sweet tooth, it might be worth getting some cream cheese and beating it into one of the cream cheese pouches (the filling is separated into two pouches, making assembly almost a no-brainer!).


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Food Fiction & Essays Taste Tests

Simple Pleasures Are the Best

Carma eating a pumpkin pecan pancake

Carma eating a pumpkin pecan pancakeI never shopped at Fresh & Easy until I moved to Long Beach. And then only because it was the closest grocery store. And I’m sorry it turned out that way because I’ve had a “Where have you been all my life?” experience since I started shopping there.

First, the one I go to is tiny, but it still stocks an amazing array of gourmet and unusual items. Case in point, they sell creme fraiche! I’ve never seen that in a store before!

Anyway, awhile back I tried their Greek Style Yogurt and am now hooked. I’ve tried other brands and was unimpressed, but the Fresh & Easy brand is so smooth and creamy and has just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. I eat the Honey flavor like it was ice cream … slowly, savoring every delectable moment.

I bring this up because this morning I tried another of their store brand products, Pumpkin Pecan Pancake and Waffle Mix (that’s me chomping on one in the picture above). Unlike me, I decided to follow the instructions to the letter, including melting butter instead of using oil.

The pancakes were just this side of sweet … enough that I didn’t need maple syrup at all, but not so much as to make it taste like a cake or cookie. The spice was light … I couldn’t identify one or the other, like I can with so many other pumpkin flavored mix products. The balance of the pumpkin with the spice with the pecans was deftly done, leaving me with an overall “autumn” flavor, nothing overpowering the other.

I was pleasantly surprised. This is two store brand products that have wowed me … I’m going to have to try some more!

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