Uncle Ben's Country Inn Broccoli Rice au Gratin

On a scale of 1 - 10 I give this product a 10.  I've used Uncle Ben's rice for years and have even cooked this specific product flavor but I have never gotten creative with it until now.  The cooking directions are simple - combine rice, contents of seasoning packet, 2 1/4 cups water and 1 Tbsp. butter into a med. saucepan.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Simple enough and you have a nice side dish to serve with just about any meat.  BUT what if you make 2 simple additions and make it into a really nice side dish?  I did this by simply adding about a cup of frozen, chopped broccoli.  Followed the cooking directions on the box and just before serving I stirred in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.  These 2 additions gave me a dish that really tasted like it was homemade and not from a box. 

Ball Park Burgers

On a scale of 1 - 10 this products gets a 20! 

One thing I love about going to Sams around lunch time is that you can go in hungry and come out full.  I also like that it allow you to try new products.  Some I like and buy, some I don't and pass on.  When the little guy cooking up the new Ball Park Burgers made up a burger and handed me a 1/4 I just knew it would be like all the other pre-cooked patties but took it anyway.  After the 2nd bite I was just about begging him for another sample. 

These burgers come frozen.  You simply wrap them in a paper towel and microwave for about 2 minutes.  Its a large patty to begin with and I really expected it to shrink some due to cooking.  Wrong!  There is no shrinkage, the burgers are moist and if you didn't know that it just came out of the freezer you would swear that it just came off a charcoal grill.  It even has the grill marks. 

I can't say enough about these burgers.  I do know that since trying that sample in Sams, my freezer stays stock with Ball Park Burgers.  I even take them to work for my lunch. 

Slice of Heaven

On a scale of 1 - 10 this products rates a 15 for me! 

I had the pleasure of sampling several breads that are made fresh and sold by Slices of Heaven.  Each bread is made using no preservatives and can be ordered for shipping.  Orders, which are baked daily, are carefully packed by hand, checked for quality, and boxed and packaged for shipping throughout the U.S., Canada, Hawaii, and overseas to the troops.  Breads remain fresh in the refrigerator for more than a week, or in the freezer for months. “When people eat our bread, they experience a hearth-to-home ambiance and warm, old-fashioned goodness.”

I had the pleasure of trying their Sweet Potato which has a light touch of nutmeg and their Hummingbird which has a combination of pineapple, coconut and walnuts.  They were both beyond delicious. 

So, where can you find your own 'slice of heaven?'  Simply go to the Slice of Heaven website to find locations that serve and sell their breads.  You can also order online and have them shipped straight to your door.  Believe me - you won't be disappointed!

belVita Breakfast Biscuits

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

While in WalMart I spotted a lady passing out samples of a new product by Nabisco called belVita Breakfast Biscuits.  I read the nutritional information and found that each serving of 4 biscuits (cookies) had 2 grams of whole grain and 230 calories.  The carbs are 36g  with 8g of fat and no cholesteral.  But do they taste good.  I sampled all 3 flavors - Apple Cinnamon, Golden Oat and Blueberry.  They were all 3 very tasty with my favorite being the Golden Oat.

Now are they satisifying?  I substituted a package in place of my morning oatmeal.  By the time I finished my 4th cookie and drank my cup of coffee, I was full and stayed full until lunch.  So yes they are satisifying as well as filling.

Slawsa

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

I'm from the south so chowchow is a staple in my home.  I put it on just about any kind of shelled bean or pea.  It's has a great combination of sweet as well as sour making it perfect and I can't wait every year to find someone that has just made some of this homemade goodness.

I now have another product that is equally as good for my beans and peas and it's Slawsa.  Slawsa is a gourmet topping for everything!  It's basically chowchow but a bit thicker with a slightly different taste.  It's sweet but not quite as sour with a couple of ingredients added that I've not found in chowchow before.  It's got just a slight 'kick' of heat that makes it perfect for not only my peas but also my hotdogs and hamburgers.  It even makes a delicious tartar sauce for fish.  Simply mix to your own taste with mayo and you're good to go.  Delicious!

So, where can you find Slawsa?  Simple - just click here Slawsa

Minute Ready to Serve Multi-Grain Medley

On a scale of 1 - 10 this definitely receives a 10.

I've told you about the brown and wild rice in this product, now I'm telling you about the Multi-Grain Medley.  This little single serving cup is filled with brown rice, wheat, quinoa, rye, barley and oats.  It's fully cooked and all you have to do is heat in for 60 seconds in the microwave and it's ready.  I've eaten this with several dishes such as beef and gravy as well as by itself.  It's simply wonderful no matter how you serve or eat.  Tonight I'm having my Medley with scallops, drizzled with a white wine sauce.  Yum Yum!

Go to the Minute Ready to Serve site to find recipes.  While there check out all of their other flavors such as Chicken, Pilaf and even Spanish.

Mrs. Paul's Parchment Bake

On a scale of 1 - 10 this product gets a 20!

I'm always a bit leary of frozen fish. More often than not the fish is soft and mushy. I've learned the hard way that buying frozen fish just isn't worth it. But when Foodbuzz's Tastemakers offered to send me some free coupons just to try Mrs. Paul's newest fish Parchment Bake I decided what the heck.

The fish is enclosed in a sealed parchment bag. It bakes in the oven for a total of about 25 minutes. I will admit that when I saw this wasn't a dish I could microwave I almost lost interest but then I realized this was all I had taken with me for lunch giving me no choice but to wait the 25 minutes. So I sat down and read while my fish cooked - in the oven.

You won't believe this! It has to be some of the best frozen fish I've ever eaten! It's flaky yet firm. The one I chose to try 1st was the Classic Grilled Tilapia which I expected to be sweet and not really appealing. Again I was wrong. It had just a slight taste of sauce, not sweet but with a touch of heat - but not too much. The one flavor that I really picked up on was the taste of grilling. This fish is the best! And to top it all off - It has 80 calories and .5 g of fat! Can't beat that. Now I can't wait to try the other flavors. Next will be Garlic Butter Tilapia, and then the Roasted Garlic and then I get Lemon Pepper. Yum!