Snapea Crisps Harvest Snaps

On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate this product a 10+

When I got my 1st little bag of these little light green colored sticks I thought "No Way!"  I read the nutritional information, which sounded pretty good - 40% less fat compared to potato chips.  Low sodium 60mg,160 mg of potassium and only 100 calories per serving.  But they are green and made from green peas!  They are baked and not fried so how bad can something this healthy taste?  I have to admit that I ate the whole bag.  It was only .75 oz. but I would loved to have had more.  They are delicious.  And they come in 3 other flavors - Caesar, Black Pepper and Wasabi Ranch.  Can't wait to try them all. 

Charlee Bear Dog Treats

On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate this product a 10+

When I look for treats for my Jessie I look for all natural, made in the USA, made with all USA ingredients and something that he will like.  Charlee Bear Dog Treats fit all 4 requirements.  They're small enough to carry in my pocket and only have 3 calories each. 

I gave Jessie the Liver flavor which is made of wheat flour and poultry liver.  USA grown poultry liver!  Can't wait to let him try some of the other flavors that I'm sure he will love.

There was a recall in November 1, 2012 where Charlee Bear Products had a voluntarily recalling of certain lots of its Protein Crunch Bar products because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.  This would normally worry me but from what I've researched since then I feel safe feeding Jessie their products.

House-Autry Broccoli & Cheddar Dinner Grits

On a scale of 1 - 10 with I rate this product a 9.

It took a while for me to find this product, which comes in 4 flavors, so when I did find them I bought all 4 flavors.  Since I'm working on my newest cookbook Think With Your Taste Buds - Chicken I decided to give the Broccoli & Cheddar a try 1st.  It did include a recipe for making it with chicken but I had already planned on trying a new recipe for what was supposed to be a crispy baked chicken so I made the actual grits and just served my chicken on top. 

I would give this a 10 but for my taste I felt it needed just a bit more cheese, which I added.  That gave it the perfect flavor for me.  You can taste the cheese and broccoli and there is a hint of garlic giving this a really delicious taste.  It is one I will buy again and maybe even play around with by adding more broccoli to make it a great side dish.  It says it serves 4 but I would place it at more like 6 to 8 since it is a dinner dish and not a breakfast dish.

Can't wait to try the other 3 flavors. 

Gevalia Caramel Macchiato

I don't drink my coffee with sugar.  I do like flavored coffees but still enjoy them without the added sugar.  When I decided to give Gevalia's Caramel Macchiato a try I had my doubts and when I read the instructions I doubted the success of this product even more. 

The instructions said to pour the "foaming" packet into my cup.  Just that dry packet into an empty cup.  No way was this going to create a foam.  Then you simply make your coffee using your Keurig as you normally would.  Well, I was wrong.  It did foam. 

Now for the taste test.  I was wrong again.  It was delicious, sweetness and all.  And the foam that I thought would never show itself lasted all the way to the last swallow.  For me as a non-sweet coffee drinker this could easily become my dessert drink.  Something that I would drink on a cold day instead of hot chocolate.  Plus it comes in, so far, 2 other flavors... Cappuccino and Mocha Latte.  Can't wait to try both.

So how do I rate this product?  On a scale of 1 - 10 I give it a 10!

Move Over Butter

On a scale of 1-10 I rate this product an 8+

I don't know if this product is new or if it's been around for a while but I've never tried it in the past.  I may not have tried it now if it had not been for the container.  Yep, the container.  I noticed it because it was square and had the neatest little cow on the front.   Apparently the container is new because when I went to find a picture of the product they were all round.

I decided to give it a try after reading its nutritional information.  It has no hydrogenated oil and no trans fats per serving.  It is made from other fats but it seems most all of them are.  A tablespoon has 50 calories and it's made with whipped sweet cream buttermilk.  When it comes to spreading, it is soft and smooth.  Then there is the taste.  It actually does taste like butter and it melts well.  I don't know if I'll use it for cooking but I will be using it to "butter" my dishes.

Land O Lakes Cocoa

On a scale of 1 - 10 I give this product a 10+

I know this has been out for some time but since I'm not a chocolate lover I've not tried it... until last week.  As I said, I don't care for chocolate but do like white chocolate so when I saw the Land O Lakes White Chocolate Cocoa I decided to give it a try.  I picked up a couple packs and that night I made my 1st cup of what I thought was white chocolate cocoa.  Turns out that the white chocolate and the French Vanilla both come in white packages and I picked up the vanilla.  While drinking I noticed the difference in taste and that's when I looked at the package to see I had made a 'mistake'.  Well far from a mistake.  It was delicious.  So I went back to the store the next day to stock up while it was on sale.  That is when I saw the Hazelnut!  I love hazelnut coffee so decided to give the cocoa a try.  It too is delicious.  The taste warms your whole body.  After drinking my 1st cup I wanted another but had only bought one just in case I didn't like it. 

I've tried hot chocolate several times before when offered by friends.  One of the reasons I didn't like it was because it always seemed to be grainy and super sweet.  I didn't find that in Land O Lakes.  It's as smooth as a cup of coffee and not overpowered with sugar.  I've only tried 2 flavors but you can bet I'll be hitting the stores to buy more.  After going on their website I found that they also have Irish Cream and Amaretto.  Those are 2 that I'll be searching for next.

Land O Lakes Saute Express

On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate this product a 10+

I've used this to sauté chicken, shrimp and have even melted it to drizzle over fish before broiling.  I've even added it to pasta dishes for added flavor.  These little squares have loads of flavor and loads of uses.  There are 5 flavors and so far I've only tried the Garlic & Herb but you can bet I'll be trying the others too.   I love this product!

Also, if you go to the Land O Lakes site you'll find recipes that are a must try using this product.

Zatarain's New Orleans Style Black Beans and Rice

This one I love!  On a scale of 1 - 10 this one is a 10+

It's quick and easy to make.  The flavors are blended perfectly.  Plus when you consider you can eat a full cup cooked and only have 220 calories and no cholesterol, that's not bad.  Sodium is a different story so this is not a dish you would want to eat too often if you're watching your salt intake. 

I did add another ingredient to this tasty dish - chicken.  I cooked 2 chicken breasts, cut it into bite size pieces and added it during the last 5 minutes of cooking.  YUM!!!  Again, I warn you about the sodium content but still have to say this is a delicious dish, with our without the chicken.

Kraft Velvetta Cheesy Casseroles Dinner Kit - Chicken Pot Pie

On a scale of 1 - 10 I give this product a 9.

It's been a while since I've had time to post on this site but hopefully with my upcoming retirement that will change.  I haven't had much time to try new dishes/products but did try one today that I wanted to share with everyone.  This one is for the New Oven Baked Kraft Velvetta Dinner Kits.  I tried the Chicken Pot Pie and have to admit that it's not your traditional Chicken Pot Pie but it is still a delicious dish as well as an easy dish to make.  It comes almost complete in ingredients with you adding the chicken, a little oil and milk.  The taste you end up with has a slight sweetness from the Velvetta cheese and it really compliments the dish.  This is one I'll continue to make.