Product Review: Fresh Gourmet Salad Toppings and Croutons

I like a little crunch in my salad.. or to be more exact… on top of my salad. I discovered Fresh Gourmet Salad Toppings and Croutons a while ago… I found them to be really good… and they stayed fresh far longer than other products. … I thought they were very tasty and added great flavor to the salad.

And no… I’m not getting anything to say this… just thought I’d pass my two cents along to you.

Try them… you’ll like them!

Product Review: La Mexicana Salsa

I’m usually a “make it from scratch” kinda gal… but about two years ago we discovered La Mexicana Salsa in our local grocery store (Publix). It’s a fresh salsa and you can find it in the produce section of the grocery store.

It comes in three heats… mild, medium and hot...we’re hooked on the medium heat. Their salsa is always fresh tasting and totally delicious. It tastes like I just made it myself… you can taste the freshness of all the ingredients.

Best of all… it wasn’t expensive…. you would think it would be far more expensive to buy it already made than to make it yourself…. Not so… I priced the ingredients and I have to say… the cost is about equal… sometimes even cheaper than making it myself… depending on the time of year.

And before you even ask… nope… I’m not getting anything to say good things about this salsa…. I’m just a satisfied customer that wants to share how terrific this salsa is.

Check their website for more information about their products.

Try this terrific salsa.. and any of their other products....you won’t be disappointed!

Product Review: Tia Maria

If you haven’t had Tia Maria… you are definitely missing something. Tia Maria is a dark, full-bodied coffee liqueur made In Jamaica from a blend of cane spirit, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, vanilla and sugar. Cane spirit is made by distilling fermented sugar and water…. in the same way rum is made.

The more familiar Kahlua liqueur is also a coffee liqueur…. however …it is made in Mexico and also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean.

The two liqueurs are very similar… the slight difference in taste due to the difference in coffee beans and formula.

I fell in love with Tia Maria when I was dating my husband… he introduced me to it with his “Tia Maria and coffee”… and I was hooked… the flavor is so smooth and pleasing…. you just have to try it.

Product Review: Vacu Vin Garlic Press

Several weeks ago I was sent this Garlic Press from Vacu Vin to review. Initially I thought it was similar to my own garlic press that I’ve been using which is a good quality…. but after using the Vac Vin Garlic Press I realized that this press goes above and beyond. My garlic press can be a pain scraping the pressed garlic from the bottom of the press…. the Vacu Vin has a nifty feature… a lever that scrapes the garlic from the raster. It’s design is definitely unique and very handy.

The press is made of a heavier gauge metal, it’s easy to use and clean. I would definitely recommend this garlic press over the others found in stores. While it is a little more expensive than some other garlic presses around…. It will definitely out last and out perform its competitors.

In fact, a word about Vacu Vin products…. I recently was in need of a couple of different gadgets and went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and lo and behold there were Vacu Vin products, so we decided to try them since we’ve been so impressed with what I have reviewed…. I must say we have been more than satisfied with their superior quality. They’re well made and durable. So when choosing kitchen gadgets, look to Vacu Vin and compare…. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

The Garlic Press is available at Amazon.

Product Review: Jar Opener from Vacu Vin

I was sent a jar opener from Vacu Vin to try to see what I think…. I love it!

This is one terrific little gadget. How many times are you standing there… in the kitchen straining to open a vacuum sealed jar…. and of course there’s no one around to help you when you need it…. well… Vacu Vin has solved the problem.

It’s easy to use design takes the ummmpf out of opening those jars. This small handy tool just slips under the lid to release the pressure so the jar opens quickly and easily. It works on most size jars.

The Vacu Vin Jar Opener is far better than those flimsy grip pads that are out there…. and is one tool you’ll use over and over…. a definite must have.

This product gets the “thumbs up” from me. I hope you try it.

The Vacu Vin Jar Opener is a great value at $19.99 (US) and you can find it at JellyRivers

Product Review: Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast

I have always liked Fleischmann’s yeast… but I recently used their Rapid Rise yeast…. I had used it in the past and simply forgot about it…. (its been around since 1984)....it is terrific…. cuts the time the dough needs to rise by about 50%... I highly recommend it. I honestly don't know why anyone would use the slower acting yeast... but to each his own.

According to the official Fleischmann’s website… you can add it directly into the dry ingredients… I didn’t… I did it the old fashioned way by adding it to warm water first… either way… it cuts the time you have to wait to use your dough in your recipe…. and who doesn’t like that?

You can also use it in bread machines.

Product Review: Country Bob’s All-Purpose Sauce

I was sent a couple of bottles of Country Bob’s All-Purpose Sauce to try and review. The sauce is Country Bob Edson’s original recipe….. a great sauce for steaks, hamburgers, chicken, fries and barbecue. Best of all you can use it in recipes…..

We tried his sauce and liked it a lot…. I don’t usually use steak sauce on steak… but I will use it on hamburgers and chicken… his sauce has a really tangy flavor that’s a perfect addition. You won’t use ketchup on your burger again. You really need to try it.

Country Bob’s sauces… All-Purpose Sauce, Spicy All-Purpose Sauce, Seasoning Salt and Barbecue Sauce can be found all over the country (US)… if you need to see if there is a location near you, just go to their website and plug in your location and they’ll tell you where to find it… with a map even! …but have no fear for those of you not close to a location… you can buy it directly from Country Bob and they’ll ship it right to your door.

The sauce is terrific… you will become a devotee for sure! So order from Country Bob today and tell ‘em Linda sent ya!

Product Review: Fresh Express Salads

Fresh Express salads are absolutely terrific! I find they're perfect when I purchase them and they stay fresh longer than other brands. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pitch a bag of the other brand in the garbage because the leaves were discolored and sometimes even slimy the very next day after I purchased it.

Another beef I have with other brands is that I seem to always end up with an inordinate amount of the hard white core of iceberg lettuce in a bag…. not so with Fresh Express, their bagged lettuce has a reasonable mix of lettuce in the bag and its crisp! Their spinach is perfect... I swear every leaf was perfect... and I used it three days after we purchased it....

Last year I traveled each week with my consulting job to Providence, Rhode Island. Traveling as much as I did, waiting for planes and chatting with other people waiting, and meeting the people that by chance were sitting next to me on planes, gave me a unique peek into a vast variety of people, their jobs and their lives. Many of those people were business travelers, consultants, like me, or salespeople for everything from computer software to lettuce.

I had the unique opportunity to chat with a woman who was particularly friendly. When the talk got around to work… I asked what she did…. her answer?.... lettuce. We both giggled a bit at her odd answer, she then explained she had a very large regional territory for her company, Fresh Express. The conversation turned to why their salad products are so fresh. She was passionate about her company and its products and their commitment to making sure the consumer gets the freshest possible product… a refreshing attitude… I had to try their products and I'm glad I did.

According to their website, “they have a lightning fast “harvest to cooler” process that ensures that their products retain their just-picked flavor and nutritional goodness”…. They have stringent standards, regulations and internal audits to ensure you get a quality product….. I can tell you from personal experience… their salads are the best.

Check out the Fresh Express website and definitely try their products next time you have salad on your shopping list…. you won’t be disappointed.