H. T. Traders Basmati Brown and Wild Rice Blend With Wheat and Rye Berries

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

Now and then one of my food testers will bring me a product to try and to create a recipe for.  She always leaves it on my patio along with any dishes she might have accumulated from sampling.  This time she left me about a cup of rice mix that her sister had given to her.  I love the flavor of Basmati Rice.  I love the texture that comes with Brown Rice.  I love the taste and texture of Wild Rice, as well as the coloring it adds to a dish.  But I had never tried Wheat and Rye Berries so this would be a 1st for me.

That evening I had planned on making what I named my Tex-Mex Ground Beef Casserole.  The recipe that this dish came from called for macaroni since I was making ingredient changes I decided to use rice.  I followed the directions on the package which is simply combine water, salt, butter and rice blend.  Bring it to a boil.  Turn it down to low.  Add a tight lid and let it sit for 45 minutes.  When the time was up I decided to take a bite to make sure it was done.  Well, that bite became another and then another and another.  It was so good that I almost didn't want to add it to the casserole... but I did.  It was so good!

The blend of the different rices with the wheat and rye berries combined with the flavor that comes from the basmati has become something I can't begin to describe.  This is one you really need to try.

Aidells All Natural Chicken Meatballs

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

While at the grocery store I noticed a lady passing out samples of this product and since I'm a sucker to try just about anything new I had to stop and give it a try.  It was really delicious!  The meatballs are made from chicken, are gluten free, have no nitrites and no added hormones.  These Italian Style meatballs are fully cooked and even have mozzarella cheese in them.  The package gave a couple of serving suggestions but I put mine away in the freezer and knew that sooner or later I would come across with the perfect recipe that would allow me to include them.  And that recipe came from an old cookbook dated 1971.  The original recipe was for a Quiche type dish that I found came out more like a custard so I titled my new dish Meatball Custard.  

I've never been a fan of ground chicken in any form.  The taste has never been quite right.  I don't know what this company has done to change that but if I had not know these meatballs were made from chicken, I would have never guessed it.  This is the 1st time I've tried products from this company and am looking forward to trying more.  They have a Caramelized Onion Meatball made with chicken that I can't wait to try.

Sensible Portions Apple Straws Cinnamon

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

I spotted these little goodies on the grocery store shelf a few days ago and decided to give them a try.  I read the package and found that you are allowed 1 oz. which came to 130 calories, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 trans fats, 0 cholesterol, 100 mg. sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar and 1 g protein.  Sounded pretty good to me, especially when I saw that 1 oz. was about 38 straws!  Well, I not only like them I love them.  I use them as my dessert after my evening meal.  But I have never been able to eat all 38 straws.  I'm usually satisfied after about 15-20.

The texture is crisp.  It's slightly sweet with just a hint of cinnamon.  They are hollow in the center making it look like you're eating more than you really are.  I simply love these enough that when was back at the grocery story I picked up 2 more packs just to have on hand when needed.

They also come in Garden Veggie which I intend to try.  If they are as good as the Apple I'll be using them instead of chips.

(I don't know why but my bag is green where the bag shown on the internet is the one above - red.  I don't find any differences in the product ingredients of either package.)

Funley's All Natural Super Crackers

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

When I first saw these crackers and noticed that there was a dog imprinted on largest cracker pictured on the box cover I thought they were for dogs.  Wrong!  These are people crackers that are so good that my dog does like them too.  They are all natural and even have a little spinach hidden in them.  And each pack has only 90 calories.  The Ranch dressing taste is so perfect that you don't need anything else to go along with them.  No cheese, dip, nothing.  I liked the fact that they have no trans fats, preservatives nor anything artificial.  And the size of each pack is perfect.  You will be surprised when you see how many little crackers are packed in that little package.  It's enough to fill me up when I want a snack.

Now that I know how good the Ranch N' Stuff flavor is I can't wait to try a few more of their flavors.  They have Cheddar, Pizza and even one called Cornbread N' Stuff.  That one I really do want to try.