Stouffer's Five Cheese Lasagna

I have been jonesing for lasagna in the worst way for about a week now. Sadly, the lasagna I really want is located in Georgia (and my mother does not like to make lasagna all that much). In my house lasagna was made, without exception, on Christmas and Easter. But during the rest of the year, getting it was more of a treat. And yes, I do LOOOOOVES it cold, straight from the fridge.

Believe it or not, though, I have never attempted to make my own lasagna from scratch. Honestly, it is a little too much work to go into for something that only I will eat. I am also notoriously picky about my Italian foods. I tend not to like restaurant versions. As for the one restaurant lasagna that I did like...well, while the restaurant is still there, the old lasagna is not (most of the food changed when the owners did).

So, what's a girl to do? Stouffer's was on sale...and it's pretty damn hard to turn down not only the chance for a review, but lasagna for only $1.88! And to be fair to Stouffer's, I really do like their veggie lasagna.

But how does this version stand up?



I got the all cheese/no meat lasagna. It features the layers of noodles and sauce you would expect, with a generous cheese center.

The sauce is the same sauce used by Stouffer's for their French Bread Pizzas (which I love), and, I assume, many of their other red-sauced items. It's on the sweet side, but there are actual chunks of tomatoes and visible herbs. It's not a sauce that I would want to eat by itself, but it's doable.

The noodles are thick, and like most pasta that has been frozen, a little gummy. Not gummy enough to ruin it, but it could be better. (At the same time, it could be worse.)

The cheese center is reasonably tasty. It's a little mushy but it is cheesy. I couldn't tell you what cheeses the five cheese blend actually consists of, but yeah...it's definitely cheese.



As a whole?

I have had much worse that I paid a lot more for. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. It just sort of was. But I do understand why a lot of people like it -- for a mass-marketed frozen item, it's certainly tasty enough, and of course it's easy and convenient.

I still prefer the veggie version, though.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$1.88

CALORIES:
370 per serving (1 small package).

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk and wheat.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
stouffers.com

Terry's Chocolate Orange

This is kind of a teaser for the Brit Week that we're going to do soon. Terry's Chocolate Orange was once available only in the U.K., but is now available around the world.

Each Orange is just that -- a sphere of orange-flavored chocolate that has been molded to look like the actual fruit. The sphere is broken up into segments that look like individual slices.



I have no idea how, with my love of orange-flavored chocolate, that I managed to take this long to review a Terry's Orange. Maybe it's because, until the last few years, I can only remember really seeing them around Christmas. (Granted, they could have been there year around, but they never caught my eye). Or it may also be because when I was a kid, my family didn't do the whole orange (or fruit), candy, or nuts in the stockings bit...oh sure, all those things were around; we just didn't get them from Santa.

The label says to "whack and unwrap" the candy, but I decided that I at least wanted to attempt some pretty pictures, so we simply unwrapped. (Besides, in the neighborhood where I grew up, "whack" meant something other than to slap with an open palm. And I don't know how you'd properly assassinate a hunk of chocolate in any case. And no, my surname is neither Soprano nor Corleone, though it does end in a vowel.)




Anyway, the candy is made up of milk chocolate flavored with orange oil. When the orange is unwrapped, the first thing you smell is the sugar and the orange. The slices came out cleanly, probably because after taking the initial pictures we did give it a nice whack. (Uh, I mean a slap. Yeah, that's it, slap. Go away, I dunno nothin' about it!) When you bite into a slice, the chocolate is soft. In fact, the chocolate actually bent slightly to my bite rather than just snapping off.

The first flavor that hits you is the sweetness.



This is some seriously sweet chocolate. The texture is very smooth. I was expecting it to be grainy because of the high sugar content, but it's not. There's a milky quality to it, but it's a rather synthetic milky quality: not to crib from Cybele's review, but she nailed it perfectly when she said it was more like powered milk than real milk. To put my own spin on it, it's like a milk flavor that may have come out of the Enterprise's replicator instead of a cow. (Read Cybele's review here.)



All of this may sound disappointing so far, but it really isn't. What makes the whole thing work is the orange oil. If you've ever tasted fresh orange zest, or licked your fingers after zesting, or even after simply peeling an orange -- well, that's the orange flavor here. It's very strong and pure, almost (but not quite) to the point of being bitter. And that is the magic that makes it worth eating. The sharpness of the orange oil keeps the sweet chocolate from being overwhelming (although, to be fair, my teeth did hurt a bit after eating entirely too many slices). And at the same time, the sugary chocolate keeps the orange oil from overpowering the overall flavor.

I understand why Terry's Orange has become a classic. It's comforting, and yes, it could certainly be addictive. It's almost so bad that it's good, and so good that it's bad. (Be sure to also check out Jim's review here.)

PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

Peeps: Chocolate Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Reindeer

Peeps are yet another example of classic candy that I have somehow managed not to review. For those unfamiliar, Peeps are a marshmallow candy that have a spongy interior and sort of a crusty top surface. I don't want to say "shell" or "exterior" because the candies are one solid -- for lack of a better word -- unit. The first, and still classic Peeps were shaped like small chicks and were yellow; hence the name.



But baby chickens don't exactly scream Christmas. So, in recent years the company has added different shapes. They now make a snowman, trees, and these cute little reindeer. These reindeer, in addition to being marshmallow, also have the distinction of being chocolate mousse flavored and have shocking red noses like Rudolph. No word on whether all of the other reindeer taunt them with peer pressure or let them play "reindeer games." (And I would hope that has nothing to do with the horrifyingly bad Ben Affleck movie of the same name.)



I have had the Cocoa Peeps before (although I did not review them), and they were basically a regular Peep that had been coated in cocoa powder. But they didn't really have a chocolate/cocoa taste to them at all. (And as far as I can tell from my Googling, they don't appear to have made it into the product line for 2009).

How did the Chocolate Mousse flavor compare?



The chocolate definitely stands out. It doesn't so much remind me of a chocolate mousse flavor as of a regular peep that had been marinated in chocolate syrup. It has that almost painfully sweet taste that chocolate syrup straight from the bottle can have. It's not that it tastes bad -- it's just that on top of the already sweet marshmallow of the Peep base, it's a bit much. I have a feeling that when the Peeps get a little stale (and yes, I am a member of the Stale Peeps fan club) the sweetness probably mellow (mallows?) out a little. The actual marshmallow base, in addition to being very sweet, also has a little vanilla flavor. Actually, there's just not a lot to say about them.



I also tried toasting the Peep. OK, admittedly I toasted the peep over a lighter, which left me feeling like I was freebasing candy and that the film crew from Intervention was going to be knocking on my door any minute -- but really, I did it for you guys. I did it because I care! I also did it that way because I don't own a flame barbecue, and my range top is electric.

The smell was wonderful! A rich caramelly, toasted marshmallow type smell. If you really watch as the Peep is toasting, you can "cook" it just long enough to caramelize the surface. The flavor changes completely. It sort of becomes like a s'more, minus the graham cracker.

I can't say I really liked the Peeps "raw" but I loved them "toasted."

Oh, and a cool but somewhat scary factoid from the all-knowing Peeps Wikipedia entry -- should you choose to believe it -- is that in 1999, scientists at Emory University performed various tests on Peeps to see what would and would not cause them to dissolve...and supposedly, no matter what they tried, the beady little eyes of the peeps were impervious to anything they threw at them, including sulfuric acid.

Sadly, as I have neither Dexter's lab facilities nor budget (pick whichever Dexter you prefer: the cartoon boy genius or the serial killer), I could not do much testing on my own. But during the "toasting," it was kinda creepy to note that no matter how long I held the flame directly to the eyes, they just wouldn't even bead from heat, let alone melt. Definitely freaky...



By the way: Did you ever notice that if you look at a Reindeer Peep turned upside down, it's like you're seeing the reindeer's rear end, and that the poor creature clearly suffers from very severe hemorrhoids? Just wondering.

Yeah, I actually liked these candies -- at least when toasted. I'm a freak, I know.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Trader Joe's Popovers

I am not a huge popover fan, but every now and then the urge mysteriously strikes. And while my mother is probably going to kill me for saying this, the best popovers I've ever eaten have been at the Women's City Club of Pasadena. Seriously, they have absolutely perfected the popover. They are gloriously puffy, yet crusty, slightly buttery, and not eggy. But sadly, they do not keep a 24/7 supply on hand, and I can't always make the half hour drive (and that's assuming light traffic) to Pasadena when that random popover craving hits. Hello, Trader Joe!

Trader Joe's offers a package of four frozen popovers that can either be baked or microwaved. And because I am so thorough, I tried them cooked both ways.



Microwaved: C'mon, it's instant gratification, who doesn't love it? This is like the online porn version of a popover. All the work and the build-up is taken out, and 15 to 20 seconds later things have grown to their full potential. The popovers are small, but they did rise nicely in the old nuke box. The crust looked surprisingly dark. In terms of texture, it is soft and slightly chewy. Because of the dark appearance you find yourself waiting for a crunch that never happens, which is a disappointment.



The center does completely hollow out the way a good popover should. The dough itself is airy, yet still dense, and is only a touch eggy. (I seriously hate when egg is the only thing you taste.) It is also a little salty. There does seem to be a slight frozen dough taste to it, but it's not bad at all. I'd find it hard to believe that a better microwavable version exists, even with no crunchy crust.



The baked version: If the microwaved version is the online porn take, then this is the old school print magazine version. You have to go to the store, bring the magazine home, turn the pages, and pretend to read the articles. In other words, there is more work...but roughly 5 to 7 minutes later you are on the verge.

The baked versions looks exactly like its microwaved siblings. In terms of color and size, there is no difference. Texture-wise, while the microwaved ones were spongy and soft, the baked version is crunchy and crusty. Also, and more importantly, the slight frozen dough taste in the microwaved version disappears completely. Everything that was already good in the microwaved version is even better when baked. Microwave if you must, but it is really worth it to do the oven bake.

One of Trader Joe's best offerings!



PURCHASED FROM:

Trader Joe's

York Peppermint Pattie: Snowflake Shape

York Peppermint Pattie is yet another classic candy that I was somewhat shocked to realize I'd managed not to review yet. You would think it would have snuck in somewhere among the 667-odd reviews, but no. Well, let's all thank Mint Week for finally giving me the perfect excuse to have one.

Out of all the mass-market candies out there, York Peppermint Patties are the ones that are actually the most "Christmasy" to me. In my house while growing up -- and oddly enough, in both of my parents' homes to this day -- you will still find the holiday mini-versions in the candy dishes. As a kid, Christmas was often the only time we would have them in the house. And I always loved them.

A York Peppermint Pattie, as the commercials have always told you, gives the chilling sensation of being on a frozen mountaintop -- although why anyone would ever want to be on a frozen mountaintop is beyond me. It's cold...there's no Internet...highly unlikely for any hot topless babes to be around. No, I'll just stay home on my couch with my DVR in a temperature-controlled environment, thank you very much. Anyway, in addition to being cooling, the Pattie has a thin layer of dark chocolate over a center of peppermint fondant.

Normal Peppermint Patties are round and come in single servings of 1.4 ounces. I got the holiday Snowflake version, even though it was smaller at 1.2 ounces (and cost more as well). I thought that the Snowflake itself might be nicely molded...and wouldn't that make for a pretty picture?



Well, had it been nicely molded it very well might have made for a nice picture. But as it was out of the package, it more resembled a flabby Patrick Starfish from Sponge Bob than the snowflake design I'd hoped for. (Like these -- I have never tried those candies, but that does represent what I thought the York might have tried to look like, given any effort.)

OK, it's not always about looks. Yeah, sometimes it's size that matters too -- oh wait, that's right -- not only did York make this version ugly, but they are smaller than the normal Peppermint Patties. York, you are making this hard for me...

All right, forget looks and size. All that really matters here is taste. And luckily for York, taste is the area where they really shine.



As you have probably guessed, a York Peppermint Pattie all about the peppermint. The inner fondant has the perfect texture. It's soft but kind of crumbly. The melt is smooth and fast. The flavor is like pure peppermint. It's not too sweet, there are no extra flavors getting in the way.

The dark chocolate outer shell is thin, and while you might guess by the pictures that it's too thin, somehow York has found the magic perfect balance. The dark chocolate adds just enough chocolaty goodness to complement the mint without distracting from it.

Just go get some. They are a classic for a reason. (Get the regular circular ones, as they are both larger and cheaper.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Plats du Chef Escargot in Brioche

Yes folks, Gigi does indeed not only eat snails, but she really likes to eat snails. I know many people think this is just gross. And having watched the little buggers get my front stoop all slimy with their booger trails, I totally understand that.

But much like Brussels sprouts, sometimes things that are kinda gross can be unbelievably good when properly prepared. Honestly, I have never attempted to cook escargot on my own, and I don't plan on doing it from scratch any time soon. But I assure you...when I see them on a menu, I will always order them (sadly, that happens less and less).

I found this offering from Plats du Chef in the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's, and I couldn't resist. Unlike my mostly hard-and-fast rules about frozen clams (and the rather bad results I got from that meal -- read all about it here), I have no such rule about escargot. I honestly have no idea how they come into restaurant kitchens. (For all I know they may be frozen.) And, as garlic butter is an essential part of good escargot, it looked fairly promising.



As a general rule, escargot is served in the snail shell. (You may remember the dinner scene from "Pretty Woman" where Julia Roberts flings one across the room.) Plats du Chef's version is served instead in an incredibly cute mini-brioche. If nothing else, these look really pretty on a plate. And since they are self-contained, they would make for easy party finger food.



The brioche itself is reasonably crispy. The garlic butter sauce clings to the inner sides...and who doesn't love butter and bread, especially buttery garlic bread? (The brioche on its own has no flavor beyond generic "bread.")

The butter sauce is sort of an alarming green that, in theory at least, comes from the herbs used in the sauce. Looks aside, the sauce is decent. Overly salty, perhaps, but garlicky and buttery. The duo combined made for a mini-version of your average supermarket garlic bread. Nothing wrong with it, just not special.



The snails? Meh. What I like about good escargot is that the snail seems a lot like a clam. The texture should be tender and just a little chewy. The meat tends to taste salty to me, and a little earthy. But these just tasted muddy. I understand that snails will taste like what they eat, and I do expect them to be earthy -- but there is a big leap from earthy to muddy. And in this case the texture is quite rubbery (perhaps from the freezing?).



All in all, it's not the worst thing I have ever eaten. The bread and the butter sauce were pleasant. The snails were just...yuck. No other word besides YUCK really works. To be fair, I was not expecting chef quality. It was under $3.00 and frozen, so expectations are necessarily lowered. But even with drastically lowered expectations, these snails were nasty.

If you've ever wanted to try escargot, please don't let this be your virgin attempt. Good escargot is nothing like this, and you would be tremendously missing out. If you are already a fan, this won't float your boat either. It may get you through if you simply have to have some but can't get another version.

But really, how often does that happen? All told...YUCK!!



PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's (I feel the need to stress that while I bought this item at Trader Joe's, this is not a TJ's branded product.)

Sky Bar: New Moon (Special Edition)

The Sky Bar is one of those classic candy bars that have been around since roughly the dawn of time. (Or since 1938, if you want to be all picky about it.) The classic version is a bar that has four segments, each with a different flavor filled center. The original four fillings were Fudge, Vanilla, Peanut, and Caramel.



This version is tied into the "Twilight" sequel "New Moon," and features only three different flavors: Peanut Butter, Creme, and Caramel. Yes, dear lovers of the Keeper of the Unicorn Forest, rejoice...because now you can look at your beloved sparkly vamps while eating chocolate embossed with the Cullen family crest. It's a banner day, I am sure! (You know, as someone who owns a stuffed tribble, a life-size cutout of Captain Kirk, and has actually physically drooled on the very gracious Mr. Leonard Nimoy, maybe I shouldn't taunt the Twihards as I do.)

Since I have never had a classic Sky Bar, I couldn't tell you if it is a big loss that the fudge segment is missing, nor can I tell you if the flavors that are represented are better or worse in this version. As best I can tell, on the classic version, the bar as a whole is smaller and each segment narrower.

Let's go through each segment as it's listed on the package.

But we'll talk about the chocolate first, since the same chocolate enrobes all the pieces. The milk chocolate is very sweet, but also very smooth. And I have to give points to Necco for still using real chocolate. It's cool on the tongue and has a very light vanilla note. It has a soft bite and not much snap.

And now, on to the fillings...


The first is Peanut Butter:

The generous square is embossed with a howling wolf. The peanut butter is crumbly and yet very oily. You know the kind of peanut butter found in off-brand cups? Like that. Not impressive.



The next is Creme (called Vanilla in the classic version):

The segment is molded with a heart that says Bella (awwwwwww). This is the segment I was least looking forward to because it's flavored with vanillin (i.e., synthetic vanilla) rather than real vanilla. It strikes me as odd that Necco went to all the trouble of making real chocolate, and then used fake vanilla for the filling...

Oh yeah, how does it taste? Did I mention I am more of a Trekkie myself? OK, it's sweet...in fact, it's throat-burningly sweet. And the vanilla -- whoops, vanillin -- comes off like an edible version of Vanilla Fields perfume, only less good. Not merely unimpressive, but downright nasty.



The final segment is caramel filled. This is the segment that features the Cullen family crest. Texture-wise, it was an interesting one. It's more liquidy, and it's also slightly gritty. It reminded me more of the center of a Cadbury egg rather than the thicker, more ribbony caramel I expected. Extracted from the too-sweet chocolate, I liked the caramel on its own. It's salty and buttery, and if it were paired with a Euro-style milk chocolate it would be excellent. It was by far the best part of this bar.

I have to wonder if the smaller portions of the classic bar would have done the fillings and the chocolate more justice. Maybe this was a case of bigger not being better. It's not the worst bar I have ever had. And I would still like to try the classic version (so there may be a second review in the future), but the Volturi can keep this version.

Be sure to sink your teeth into Cybele's review and Jim's review.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

Reese's Pieces

Sometimes I wake up thinking about candy. Most of the time that is fun. Sometimes it's nagging (as in: I really should review that enormous closet shelf's worth of candy before the products get discontinued), and sometimes it's just nonsensical.

Today it was a nonsensical thought. For whatever reason, I woke up today thinking about Reese's Pieces. It hit me that I have never reviewed Reese's Pieces. Now, there's a reason for that -- and the reason is that I have never really liked Reese's Pieces. I am not really sure why. I like peanut butter, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and I like most candy lentils.

So why don't I like Reese's Pieces?

I will skip the E.T./Reese's Pieces mythology. (But if you really want to know, don't fret. The reviews I will link to will fill you in.) Around the time that the movie came out, my father did his best to endear the candy to me. And, truth be told, the first time I ate them I remember being quite pissed because they were not in fact weirdly colored M&M's. The Pieces and I just never fell in love.



Here we are, many moons later, and out of the blue I wake up thinking about them. So let's give this another go.



Reese's Pieces are simply a smooth peanut butter center, covered in a crunchy candy shell. The candy shell is thin, and beyond just "sugary," it doesn't really have much flavor of its own. I like the crunch, but it was a little too sweet for me.

The peanut butter is dry, salty, and crumbly; but not in the same way that makes Reese's Peanut Butter cups so good. In this smaller portion, it just comes off a little oily and there is an aftertaste I can't place. It may be from the food coloring in the shells.

If you love peanut butter but not so much chocolate, this may be a good option for you (they are chocolate free). For me...honestly, I still don't like them, but I don't dislike them quite as much as I did back then.

For a differing take, be sure to check out Cybele's Candy Blog review here, or Jim's review here. They are both bigger fans than I am.



PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Goetze's Caramel Creams Bulls-Eyes

Bulls-eyes are one of those candies that I like based more upon fond childhood memories than upon the actual candy itself.



Back in the day -- ye gawdz, am I really old enough to say "back in the day"? -- my father would get bags of them, and they were strictly his. Unless he shared...or I snuck one while he was watching the game. I am not sure what brand he used to buy (I did ask, but he couldn't remember), but it may very well have been Goetze's. If it wasn't Goetze's it was something pretty similar.



Bulls-eyes are semisoft caramels, slightly larger than a quarter, and about an inch or so thick. And smack in the center is a dot of soft cream.

The outer caramel layer is kinda funky and chewy. If you are expecting a smooth, creamy melt, this is not the candy you're looking for. In terms of texture, it sort of reminds me of a caramel flavored Red Vine. It's thick and doughy and there is sort of a wheat-like taste when you get beyond the caramel flavor.

The caramel flavoring itself is mild. If you've ever had one of Kraft's caramel squares, the flavor is similar to that, though not quite as sweet and slightly more milky. It has none of the deep, rich, burnt-sugar notes that a really good caramel has. It's more like something that meant to be caramel flavored than a true caramel.

The cream center of the bulls-eye is my favorite part. It reminds me of Oreo cookie filling, only not as dense. There's a faint vanilla taste (or perhaps it just seems like that when compared to the caramel). It's cool and smooth on the tongue -- well, mostly smooth but with just a slight graininess. By itself it would be too sweet, but it works so well paired with the caramel that it's my favorite part.

Is this the best caramel ever? Truthfully, no. Not even close. But there is something comforting and tasty -- and dare I say nostalgic? -- about them nevertheless.

Yeah, I admit it, they made me happy.

Be sure to check out Cybele's take on them (with some truly fab pictures) HERE.



PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreen's

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

In some of my recent posts I have been extolling my love for the classic Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.

I hadn't had one this year yet because I was trying to force myself into trying some of the newer Easter candies- and I was secure in the knowledge I could head over to Wally World and stock up before they were gone. And then it happened...

I was checking out the always fab Cybele's Candy Blog when I got the shocking news: Hershey's has changed the Egg! (read Cybele's review HERE) The Egg in it's former state had Milk Chocolate both prominently on the label over the Reese's name, and it had been first on the ingredient listing. On the currant season's Egg's Milk Chocolate is no longer prominently on the front and is now second to peanuts on the ingredient list. Oh no they didn't (picture sassy head cocking and Ricki Lake audience style snapping here)


So how does this years version stack up to last years?
Appearance-wise my Egg was a duller brown then the average Reese's cup for a comparison. It also seems to be a thinner layer of chocolate then I remember- but I am willing to say that may be my memory being wonky. The chocolate seems to take an even bigger back seat then it used to- but I really am not complaining about that because I am a bigger fan of the peanut butter to the chocolate anyway.

The peanut butter is pretty much as I remember it. Soft but still grainy-- Something about peanut butter that's completely smooth in candy grosses me out--. The peanut butter also seems saltier. I know they have increased the sodium level from last years batch but I think it's the fact that there is less sweetness from the reduced chocolate level that brings it out more.

In the end even I, loving the classic Egg as I do-- barely noticed a difference between the '08 batch and the '09 variety. What really has me concerned is the possibility that Hershey's is using this change for the eventual removal of real chocolate entirely- as they have done with some of the companies other products such as Krackle, Take 5, Kissables and many more. Hershey has already paved the way in the Reese's line when they swapped the milk chocolate to mockolate in the Reese's Sticks. The Reese's Whipped bars also have mockolate coating.

Maybe I am asking or expecting too much. Maybe it is unreasonable of me to expect a CHOCOLATE company to be making actual CHOCOLATE.

Butterball Oven Roasted Turkey Deli Meat

Who doesn't love a good turkey sandwich?
Heck, even I do and I have a love/hate relationship with poultry.
Let me explain. One of my favorite meals ever is a beautifully roasted whole turkey ala Thanksgiving dinner. In my family over the years I think we tried every possible brand but we always came back to Butterball. Is there a better smell to wake up to then that roasting turkey on Thanksgiving morning?

And of course who doesn't love the sandwiches that you get to have from the left overs?- well me. Now to be clear, I love the sandwiches made within the first 14 hours or so after the bird has been cooked. After that the meat picks up something that I call "leftover turkey taste". Since I only eat the breast meat I do not know if the dark meat picks this up as well (I would assume it does) but leftover turkey taste is best described as turkey that tastes like it spent time hanging out in a vat of "turkey flavoring" that was past it's prime and too heavy on the salt, then it sat in a fridge with the smelliest leftovers possible, picks up all those flavors- And then the meat gets dry yet slimy on top of all of that.

Even beyond that, who has the time to roast a whole turkey every time you want a turkey sandwich?. There are dozens of "lunch meat" turkey options to be found at the mega mart of your choice and over the years I am sure I have tried most of them. You can go to sandwich shop of your choice and get something made for you. It's not like there are not other options out there. The problem for me has been I had yet to find a market or a fast food version of turkey that I even remotely liked. The meat always seems too salty, too slimy and pumped too full of preservatives and other magic chemicals. And what is the deal with those weird clear patches that run through some of the slices?! is that fat?, some sort of gelatin binder to hold the meat together? Whatever it is it is just gross.

I was dying for a turkey sandwich the other day and Albertson's had Butterball Oven Roasted turkey on sale in the deli. This is one of the slice to order products so I got just enough to either satisfy my craving or not make me fill guilty about wasting food and money (depending on how it turned out). Was I pleasantly surprised!

The flavor really is about as close to "real" oven roasted turkey as I have ever gotten from a deli meat. It's not overly salty and doesn't have that taste that suggests it was injected or marinaded in "turkey flavor". And while I am sure they are there, the meat doesn't taste staturated in preservatives.
Texture wise it's moist without being slimy and has none of those weird clear jelly/fat/who-knows-what patches that lunch meat tends to have- I still want to know what that stuff is (and no, I never eat it. I will tear those patches out)

Now, if you'll excuse me after talking about it so much I need to go gobble (hahaha I am SOOOOO funny) down a sandwich.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Haagen-Dazs- Banana Split

Banana splits are one of those treats I love but I rarely ever seem to actually eat.
I don't know why. No actually, I pretty much do. The vast majority of the ice cream that I eat is had at home and to be perfectly honest I next to never go through more effort then pulling the lid off the pint to eat it. Let's face it banana splits require a decent amount of prep- and ingredients I don't tend to have on hand.

So, when I got my latest craving for one I took advantage of the fact that both Ben & Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs now both offer banana split pints. What made me choose the Haagen-Dazs over the Ben & Jerry's was the fact that they're version contains walnuts and I HATE walnuts- I am however hoping Jim from Jim's Chocolate Mission will chime in with his opinion on the Ben & Jerry's version if he has tried it.

Now, the Haagen-Daz version is a base flavor that is a blend of banana flavored ice cream and whipped cream flavored ice cream. then there is a fudge swirl and pieces of strawberry and cherry.
I think the mixing of the two base flavors was perfect. The whipped cream keeps the banana from tasting too artificial and after all what is a banana split without whipped cream?
The strawberries and the cherries are both plump and sweet. There is also a generous amount of chocolate. Now I know that Haagen-Dazs called it a "fudge swirl" but if you ask me it is more like Hershey's syrup then say traditional hot fudge. Not bad but not fudge.

It's good! I ended up really liking it... I liked it enough that now I want to brave the walnuts in the Ben & Jerry's version to do a comparison- so stayed tuned!!