Spanakopita - Plats du Chef, Inc.

On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate this product a 20!

I have to tell my introduction to this product for you to see just how much I love it.  Our condo complex had an after Thanksgiving lunch where everyone brought a dish.  One of my neighbors brought 2 trays of what she called Spanakopita.  I could tell it was some form of spinach (which I'm not a big fan of) wrapped in Phyllo Pastry (which I love).  Being nice I decided to try a wedge and being hungry I decided to take a bit as I was walking back to my seat.  That first bite delayed me from putting my plate down because I stood there eating this delicious little triangle.  Then it hit me.  There are a lot of people here and there are only 24 of those little bites.  I went back to the serving line and got another.  Apparently most of the people who knew spinach was a major ingredient didn't opt to give them a try, but that was ok with me.  When the meal was over there were 6 triangles left.  I had brought desserts and had 1/2 a pecan pie left over to take home.  I made a deal with our HOA president who is a friend and also loves the Spanakopita almost as much as I did.  She could have the pecan pie (which is another favorite of mine) if I could have the last 6 Spanakopitas.  She thought about it for a minute and agreed.  Needless to say, they didn't make it through the night.

The neighbor who introduced these goodies to us said she didn't make them.  She goes to Costco where she buys them in boxes of 4 trays with 12 in each tray.  I'm not a Costco member but she is kind enough to pick up a box for me when needed.  I did spot a Greek store in our neighborhood that carries Spanakopita and bought a box. Not the same!  Their's had an overpowering dill flavor.  These have the perfect blend of spinach, feta cheese and spices (no dill) giving them the perfect flavor.

I'm still not a big spinach lover but I do have to control myself.  They come in their own little baking tray that you simply put in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, let them stand for 5 minutes (and that's hard to do without taking a bite while waiting) and enjoy.  I do have one problem with these tasty bites.  I tell myself that I'll only eat 6 at the most but unless I bag up the other six and put them in the refrigerator quickly I'll eat them all.  I even find myself getting up at night, when there are leftovers, grabbing one from it's container and eating it cold.  Yes they are that good.  So spinach lover or not, give these a try and I think it will change your mind too.

All Natural Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Chips

On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate this product a 15+!!!

While at my local health food store I ran across a bowl of cookies.  I took one and started eating it as I was walking away.  The more I ate the more my taste buds perked up.  I found that I had to go back and get a second cookie.  Same routine, I'm walking through the store eating this simply delicious cookie and found myself right back at the cookie bowl.  This time I picked up the bag to see how something this delicious could be healthy.  This is what I found.

No Trans Fats; No Preservatives; No GMOs; No Artificial Flavors or Colors; 130 calories per serving of 6 cookies!  Of course I had to buy a bag.  Then I read the actual description of the cookie.  'We start by adding a hint of cinnamon to our Original Cookie Chip dough, then we hand dust them with pure cinnamon and cane sugar for the ultimate cinnamony crunch experience.  We use only whole ingredients, just like you would if you baked them at home.'

These cookies are the best!  They come in other flavors like Chocolate Chip and Sea Salted Peanut Butter which I will be trying very soon.  If you can't find these at your local health food store, try their website www.hannahmaxsnacks.com

Hunt's Dinner Starter Lasagna

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

This is a product I will continue to buy but I'll adjust my recipes when using.  I love the ingredients, one of which is Spinach and I love the flavor but the dish is a bit salty which can be corrected by adjusting the salt added to the rest of the dish.  It is a little thick but again, that can be taken care of by adding just a little liquid.  The one thing that I'm not crazy about is the color.  It's very dark making the dish a little less appealing to the eye.  I'm sure the spinach has a lot to do with that and I wouldn't want them to remove that one ingredient just to lighten the color.  So, the salt, thickness and color are the only things that kept me form giving this dish a 10.  Taste wise it is a 10.  I'm looking forward to trying their Beef Stew starter.

Pot-Sized Spaghetti

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

I love this spaghetti.  It fits in a small sauce pan making it convenient to cook for 1 or 2.  Yes, I know that I can always break up my own spaghetti but it never seems to be quite even.  I end up with small pieces, long pieces and some that actually go down the sink when I drain.  Also, I can take out a handful and put it all in the water at once.  When breaking my own to size, I break some, put it in the pot, break some more, put it in the pot, and usually end up with more than I planned on.  All-in-all this is just convenient to use.

Pillsbury Limited Edition Red Velvet Cookies

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

If you like Red Velvet Cake, you'll love these cookies.  At least I do and I think I like them better than the cake.  I enjoy the slight crisp that the cookies have that the cake doesn't and the cream cheese flavored chips make it almost perfect.  I made mine into Woopies by mixing a little cream cheese with a little powdered sugar and a sprinkle of finely chopped nuts.  So good!

Progresso Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce - Cheese

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

A couple months ago I bought a can of Progresso's Cheese Sauce and finally decided to give it a try.  On the package I found a recipe for Bacon Mac and Cheese which was easy to make and sounded pretty tasty.  I didn't follow the recipe completely, making several changes along the way but I was still able to determine the advantages of this product.

It is an extremely convenient product that can be bought on sale and used much later.  With our busy world today it shortens the time that would be required if you made your own fresh sauce.  As for flavor, it's really good.  Actually it's good enough that I'm looking forward to trying some of the other flavors.  I've already bought a can of Progresso's Recipe Starters Creamy Portabella Mushroom sauce which I plan on using in the very near future.

Why a 9 and not a 10?  Fresh made is always just a little bit better in taste but this one is still pretty good.