Beef brisket is one of my favorites and this smokey entree is testament to some of the best. The brisket comes thickly sliced with a beautiful pink smoke ring around … Continue reading Famous Dave’s Beef Brisket
Tag: Dinner
Private Selection Natural Hardwood Smoked All-Beef Hot Dogs
Another product from the @kroger private label. The hot dogs come five to a pack, are skinless, and smell like a typical all beef frank. After trying one it seems … Continue reading Private Selection Natural Hardwood Smoked All-Beef Hot Dogs
Campbell’s Sauces Oven Classic Roasted Chicken
I prepared this about one week ago, but wanted to wait and see if my opinion would change over time (and eating the leftovers). I wish that time had changed my mind. I really did.
The meal is relatively easy to prepare. Carrots and potatoes into a roasting pan. Add chicken, cover with the sauce, and bake.
Besides peeling the carrots this meal goes together quickly and could easily feed a family of four. If you are planning to have this for dinner, make sure you put the salt and pepper on the dining room table. This is one of the blandest sauces I have ever tasted. I found myself checking the package to see if there was any sodium in it. Despite the label stating there are 710mg of sodium per serving, there is very little flavor to this sauce.
I used chicken thighs because I like the flavor. I can not imagine how tasteless it would have been had I used chicken breasts.
Over the week that followed I ate the leftover chicken, carrots, and potatoes (the latter two items being the most flavorful things in the meal) and regretted buying this sauce every time I sat down with it.
The sauce is gelatinous and does not reheat well. I found myself adding water to it (wether microwaved or reheated in a pan) to try and achieve a gravy-like state. I did not succeed.
I almost purchased some other sauces and now am glad I didn’t.
Save your money. Roast the carrots, potatoes and chicken together with some salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. After the chicken is ready make a roux with the chicken fat and an equal amount of flour. Let the roux color slightly and add some chicken stock to make a gravy. It will be a hundred times better and you will have saved about $4.00. I can not recommend this to anyone.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe, White Cheddar and Bacon
When I think back on my childhood and about Macaroni and Cheese, the first thing that comes to mind is the orange powder packet in Kraft Mac n Cheese. That … Continue reading Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Deluxe, White Cheddar and Bacon
Pesto Ravioli with Spicy Italian Sausage
I want to enjoy myself while eating, not have to hunt around to see if everything was included with my meal.
Chicken Margherita with Balsamic
Pictures lie. There, the truth is out. I know, you are shocked by this revelation. Ok. Enough of the sarcasm. To say I was let down by the difference between … Continue reading Chicken Margherita with Balsamic
Beef Merlot
One of the best Cafe Steamers from Healthy Choice that I have eaten so far. A very nice mix of vegetables to meat and sauce. This dinner and some freshly … Continue reading Beef Merlot
General Tso’s Spicy Chicken
The third offering that I have tried from Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, General Tso’s Spicy Chicken is tasty, but nothing like the dish you would purchase from a Chinese restaurant. … Continue reading General Tso’s Spicy Chicken
Chicken Linguini with Red Pepper Alfredo
With limited time after work, I have begun trying various frozen dinners that can be prepared quickly. On a recent outing to Pick ‘n Save I ran across a selection of Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers.
The photo on the box is very nice, giving you the impression of equal parts broccoli spears and grilled chicken on a bed of linguini noodles that are covered with a creamy red pepper alfredo sauce. Like what it says on the box.
The sauce is separated from the rest of the ingredients by the packaging and, as you can tell by the second picture, some creative license was taken by the folks at Healthy Choice. The ratio of chicken to broccoli is not equal.
The meal heats up in a matter of minutes and when you peel the plastic film back you have a pile of broccoli and noodles, some chicken and sauce.
The broccoli is good, still crisp and flavorful. The chicken is ok, kind of bland for something with 520mg of sodium. The sauce is thin andalso bland, having chunks of red pepper but no hint of parmesan like you would expect in an alfredo sauce.
As far as meals go, this one is ok if you are looking for a broccoli dish. I ended up grating some parmesan over the meal to give it some flavor.
In the future, I will pass on this frozen dinner. Although filling, it is watery and lacks flavor.
