Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Homestyle Deluxe: 4 cheese

Yes, yes, I know -- once again, it seems that Gigi is hitting the kiddie food. Well, hold on just a second! Yes, this is Mac & Cheese, but this version seems to be aimed more at adults. Its (rather annoying) ad campaign even features a cheesed off (Get it? Cheesed Off? Oh, I am so witty today!) Thomas Jefferson showing up at random peoples' homes and getting upset that Mom is taking credit for his recipe...rather than, say, over hyper kids cooing over the cartoon character du jour.

The prep steps are almost completely identical to "normal" mac and cheese: boil and drain the mac, add milk, butter, the mysterious contents of the included foil packets, stir. And in fact you can eat it at that point if you like. But this one also offers an additional option: once you have the mac & cheese made as per above, you can then add the also-included magic bread crumb topping packet (and some grated cheese, not included) and bake the cheesy crust onto the mac.



So how does it taste? Well, it tastes like normal Kraft mac & cheese, with a blandly crunchy topping. It's not bad, but honestly I can take a box of the of the Classic (or the Deluxe, if I am feeling bougie) and make a tastier topping with things already in my kitchen. Heck, if you've got cheese and panko on hand -- and I usually do -- there's really no reason to buy this stuff instead of the regular Kraft mac.



The mac & cheese is as cheesy and Middle American yummy as you could expect a Kraft Mac to be. And that, believe me, is a good thing.

As for the topping...well, it's just meh. It's not bad, but it's bland. The fact that it's crunchy is about the only thing I can really say in its favor. I love the texture that baked mac & cheese acquires -- slightly crunchy but still moist -- but I really think they could have done a much, much better job with this. In the end, the topping not only adds nothing noteworthy to the mac & cheese, but its very blandness ends up detracting from it. And that is not a good thing.

Yes, I know they're trying to keep it "safe" and "familiar." In this case they have erred on the side of caution.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$3.49

CALORIES:
280 calories per 3 ounce serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains wheat and milk.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftbrands.com

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese: Grilled Cheese Explosion

It is possible that I eat far more macaroni and cheese than any childless adult my age should. But I really love the stuff. I also really love grilled cheese (yes, as "sophisticated" as I like to deem my taste buds, sometimes my inner five-year-old just wants to get her way). And wouldn't you know it -- Kraft has managed to combine those two loves into one cheesy dinner. We're off to a good start already!

Much like Kraft's Deluxe line, this version also features a different pasta than the traditional elbows included in the classic box. This one has little tubes. I am an elbow purist as a rule, but tubes are a fun shape.



You make this version just as you do the classic; i.e., you simply boil and drain the macaroni, add milk and a little butter, then stir in the contents of the powdered cheese packet. The resulting sauce is a little thicker than the classic version -- but I like that in my Mac & Cheese, so no complaints there.

The flavor is supposed to be grilled cheese, as in grilled cheese sandwiches. Honestly, I can't say I would have put two and two together without the box telling me what it's intended to taste like. So what do I think it tastes like? I think it tastes like the classic, only sharper. The cheese is more "dry"-- and I mean that in a good way. It's like they added a really strong, hard cheese to the mix.



I think this version would be really good baked, with something nice and crusty on the top.

Overall, I really liked this. I can see kids not noticing that there's much different. But I think it would appeal to the adults who are eating it, regardless of whether it's because they like Mac & Cheese on their own, or whether they're eating it simply because the kids are.

As for me, I will definitely eat this again!



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
310 calories per 3 ounce serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk and wheat.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
kraftfoods.com

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

Bertolli Chicken alla Vodka & Farfalle

I don't do a lot of those frozen "skillet" meals that have became so popular over the last few years. That's partially because while I do eat meat, I don't eat a lot of it; and for the Italian inspired meals, I am extremely picky and tend not to like them. But the thought of one more plate of Christmas leftovers was just a little too much to bear...and my mother had thoughtfully sent this meal to me, sooo...

Bertolli Chicken alla Vodka & Farfalle consists of breast meat chicken and asparagus mixed with a creamy tomato vodka sauce. To cook the dish, all you really have to do is put it into a covered skillet and heat for about 9 minutes while stirring occasionally. Pretty easy. (Alternately, if you're having one of those horrible days when even stirring a skillet is too damned much to deal with, this meal is microwaveable. But I chose to actually cook it on the stove top.)



On the plate the sauce is a rather alarming shade of orange. Sort of like nacho cheese sauce that comes in a can. But it does cover the pasta and chicken evenly without drowning them. The taste is...well, zesty. I would almost call it "too sweet" in the way that canned/pre-made tomato products can be (but homemade never seems to). It's cheesy -- but there are no outward signs of cheese, except to say that it looks like a neon orange Alfredo sauce.

The bow tie pasta (farfalle) came out perfectly. Not gummy or mushy, just al dente. The asparagus is crisp and cut into neat bite-sized pieces. There are also little slivers of tomato, which add a little fresh quality.

The chicken is also sliced into slim bite-sized pieces, and there's not very much of it. As for what there is...it's just sort of there. It's reasonably moist and lean, but nothing special. (Not bad either, to be fair.) I do give Bertolli points for not putting those fake grill marks on the chicken. I really hate fake grill marks.



This is a perfectly serviceable meal. Nothing about it stands out as being especially good, but there's nothing particularly bad about it either. If you're not picky about your Italian food, you might love this dish. If you are picky, well...hey, it's bright orange! Everyone loves bright orange food, right?



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket (courtesy of my mother)

Campbell's Select Harvest Chicken with Egg Noodles Soup

So it's late fall. Thanksgiving is almost here, it's a nippy 62 degrees in Los Angeles (hey, that's nippy by local standards!) and it was dark by about 5:00 P.M. Sounds like a soup night to me! Well, tonight's soup is one from Campbell's Select Harvest line. I chose the Chicken with Egg Noodles.

The nice thing about the Select Harvest line is that it features 100% natural ingredients, no MSG (should you be trying to avoid it), and the meat -- chicken, in this case -- is roasted breast.

First thing that I liked is that the carrots, the celery, the noodles and the chicken chunks were huge. We're not talking about some teeny-tiny little shreds here; we are talking serious chunks. It really made the soup look homemade.



There are some other noticeable differences between this Chicken with Egg Noodles and the classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle (or even the Chunk Healthy Request Chicken Noodle).

The first is the broth. It's a little thicker. The chicken also seems leaner and more like what would be found in a homemade soup. It's a little dry...but I personally like my chicken dry, so that's perfectly fine with me.



The broth overall has a taste that I can best call "roasty." Yeah, there's some sage in there (or something that tastes like sage -- the ingredients list includes "spice," but it doesn't specify which ones). There's also a little onion. But the strongest flavor just seems to be essence of roast. In theory, roasted chicken -- but it's not a complex enough flavor that I could really say for sure. It overpowers everything to the point that "roasted" is really the only thing you can taste.

The noodles were good, perfectly tender, and there's a very generous portion of them. I am sure that egg noodles are what my bubbe would have used...if I had a bubbe, that is. (My grandmother made clam sauce, not soup!)

But while I really liked the big chunks and the quality of the ingredients, I can honestly say I prefer the taste of classic Chicken Noodle or the Chunky Healthy Request Chicken with Noodles. If you like that "roasty" flavor, you may love this one. Sadly, I really didn't care for it.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Claim Jumper Shrimp Scampi

I've had good luck with Claim Jumper frozen entrees in the past, so I thought that they had pretty good odds at making a decent Shrimp Scampi.

I also thought I would grow up to be tall.



The Claim Jumper version contains linguini in a garlic butter sauce with shrimp and summer vegetables. The copy sounds nice...the reality is slightly different. The summer veggies are small and have that weird texture frozen veggies can get where they're a confusing mix of mushy and crunchy. The veggies consist of green beans -- which are the worst in terms of texture -- along with carrots, green and red peppers, and the smallest amount of broccoli possible for there to be broccoli at all. (Two miserable pieces, each the size of my pinky nail!)

Behold half the broccoli in the whole bloody portion!



As for the pasta: the sauce was very oily -- though I think that was supposed to be the butter -- and it actually does taste like butter, but in a fake popcorn topping sort of way. (Except that even bad popcorn is still kinda good). The sauce also tastes very garlicky. But there is no actual garlic to be found, and it again seems to be on the artificial side. But believe it or not, the pasta itself was cooked perfectly! Even for frozen pasta it was good. Too bad the sauce it was drowning in wasn't.



The shrimp? Don't even ask. Small, dry, flavorless, and very tough.

How did this meal go so wrong? It would have been a decent sized portion, had it been good enough to actually finish. (I tried to, but it just wasn't happening.) But really, even frozen "scampi" can't possibly be this hard to formulate.

Altogether, just plain bad. Inedibly bad.




PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Campbell's Chunky Healthy Request Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is called a lot of things. Food for the soul. Jewish penicillin. Yellow gold. Et cetera and so forth.

And I would be lying if I told you that I haven't eaten a lot of Chicken Noodle soup over the years. I have had it made homemade by Jewish bubbes, and I have had it from delis, both world famous and strictly neighborhood. I've had Italian versions, Mexican versions, Asian versions. My own mother has attempted it. But in the end, the one the I like most to this day is the classic Campbell's version (Double Noodle, specifically). I know hardcore foodies will skewer me for saying that, but I don't care. I do love it, especially with about 9 billion crunched up saltines!

So when Campbell's contacted me and asked if I would like to review the new Healthy Request Chunky version, there was just no way I was going to refuse.



Looking at the soup in the bowl, it is indeed chunky. In fact, visually it reminded me a lot of my second favorite Campbell's soup: the long-discontinued Home Cooking version of Chicken Noodle. (Hey, Campbell's guys...any thoughts of bring it back....pretty please?)

The broth is slightly thicker than its red-canned cousin and tastes of carrot, celery and onions. There are many pieces of chopped herbs floating, which look quite nice (but honestly I couldn't tell you what it was). It's less salty than the classic Campbell's version-- which only makes sense, because the Healthy Request version indeed has 45% less sodium. And this is a good thing taste-wise as well. I think it makes it taste more home made and less like something from a can. (It is also 98% fat free, woo hoo!)

The carrots are large and tender and very plentiful. The celery was present more in taste then in actual slices; I wish there had been more and larger celery pieces. The noodles are quite large; and while cooked a little past al dente, (in fairness, that's probably unavoidable in a canned soup), they are not gummy or tough. The chicken pieces were breast meat and are bigger than those in its classic cousin. The meat is moist and there was a decent amount in the can.

One can made a very generous bowl that I was even kind enough to share. This soup is a very tasty option, and one that is more suited to grown-up tastes than my usual choice...but that's just fine. Since it's getting to be soup season this is definitely one to check out!


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese: Sharp Cheddar

Sometimes after a long and hard day (well, night in this case) at work you just want to get home and treat yourself.

Maybe it's a foot rub, maybe it's a glass of wine. In my case tonight, it was having Mac & Cheese for dinner. But not just any old Mac & Cheese. NOOOO! I had DELUXE Mac & Cheese (I am just a baller like that).



The only kind of boxed Mac & Cheese I like is Kraft (yes, I know homemade is like 10000 times better...but at 1:00 A.M. I have no desire to make it). In terms of prep, the deluxe version skips the alchemy stages of mixing milk and butter with an oh-so-unnatural packet of dried orange cheese and tossing it all with the cooked pasta. Instead, it replaces those steps by providing one single packet of oh-so-unnatural orange quasi-liquid cheese and mixing that onto the cooked pasta. (A step I should have taken a photo of but didn't...and we are just going to have to learn to live with that.)

The Deluxe version also replaces the thin hollow tubelike noodles of the classic Kraft Mac with a more grown-up elbow rigati (a fancy word that means the pasta was ribbed for my pleasure).

I have to admit that the some-what liquidy cheese had me nervous because it reminded me a lot of the Velveeta Shells and cheese...and I HATE the Velveeta Shells & Cheese. (My friend Sam, however, could live on it-- but she hates the Kraft version, so figure that one out)

My worries faded away on the first bite. The Cheddar cheese made the Mac taste closer to homemade (well, my homemade anyway). It had a really nice, sharp tang to it. The texture was rich and creamy, but it didn't taste as milky as the classic version. The ridges in the pasta helped the sauce cling better. I bet this version would be passable for homemade if baked and topped with something crunchy.

I never thought I would say this, because I love the classic version...but I actually liked this one even more!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini

Given how much I loved the Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, I thought I should give the tortellini a try.

Once again, my family was too lazy to bother with homemade tortellini, so I have no pre-conceived notion of how tortellini "should" taste. I had some of my own sauce on hand, but chose to eat my tortellini tossed with nothing but a little olive oil -- because I was also having a beautiful steamed artichoke with it, and I wanted to keep things simple.



The Buitoni tortellini are pretty big by tortellini standards. For the most part the pasta shells remained tight, guarding their inner cheesy goodness. The main problem the size causes is that there is a whole lot of pasta and very little filling. Now, I know that tortellini won't have the generous belly of filling that a ravioli has. It's just that normally the proportions are a little better.



The pasta is just a little too much. It's fresh and soft, but at the same time it's a little gummy.

The cheese filling -- a mix of Ricotta, Romano and Parmesan -- is fantastic. The texture is just a little course. It's tangy from the sharp cheeses. There is a nice roasted garlic element. Overall, really good. The fatal flaw is that there's very, very little of it.

Honestly, in its current pasta-to-filling proportions, I wouldn't buy this again. If they were to tweak them so there was less pasta, I would look into it. If they were just a little smaller, they'd be killer. But sadly, Buitoni's tortellini do not fare nearly as well as their Wild Mushroom Agnolotti.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

If you have read this site for any length of time you probably have noticed I don't review a heck of a lot of Italian products.
Clearly, it's not for lack of new things to try- it's just that I am incredibly picky about Italian food (being Italian) and because of that I don't feel like I can give a very fair shake to some products. That being said one of the perks of being a member of Food Buzz is that every so often they send me out new products. This time I was sent out the new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti from Buitoni. I like mushrooms, I like ravioli and my family was too lazy to make there own so I have no predisposed feeling on ready made.


I followed the instructions of tossing them with a little olive oil but because I had none of my own sauce on hand (I am a sauce snob) I ate them "bare".

I have to admit they are not the most attractive thing I have ever eaten but damned if they were good!
The pasta skins are fresh and they actually came out al dente! One of the things about frozen ravioli is that it can be rubbery but there was no such problem here (probably because they are "fresh" rather then frozen). The mushroom filled center (made with cremini and portobello's) is earthy and meaty. The roasted garlic actually tastes sweet and caramelized. The cheese add's a nice sharp tang and adds a thicker texture to the filling.

I liked these enough that I will definitely buy them for myself. There were the inevitable couple of ravioli that "exploded" but I have never been able to avoid that happening so I am prone to thinking it is something that I do rather then a problem with the pasta it's self.

I may have to give the Buitoni tortellini a try!

Rating:



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Food Buzz

Marie Callender's Fettuccini Alfredo with Garlic Bread

I haven't been to an actual Marie Callender's restaurant in years but I do like they're frozen offerings.
The Fettuccini Alfredo has long been a favorite of mine. The sauce is thick and creamy. It's definitely on the basic side- don't be looking for complex flavors, multiple cheeses or pepper. But for comfort food it's pretty good.
The pasta is surprisingly al dente for frozen pasta. This version also comes with mixed veg- which translates into broccoli and carrots. The vegetables are well... frozen, not bad but nothing special. The garlic bread is just bad. The flavor is ok, it's buttery, it's garlicky. The microwave is just not it's friend. Some parts were rock hard, others were soggy.

A good meal for those times you just don't want to think about it.


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Bertolli Shrimp Scampi & Linguini

Is there ever a bad time to have shrimp scampi?
No, I am pretty sure the answer to that is no- but some times you want scampi and you don't have a whole lot of time. Enter Bertolli Classic Dinner Shrimp Scampi with Linguini. Everything you need for dinner is in the bag and it can be on your table in 10 minutes.

The pasta is done in a creamy garlic sauce and features slices of bell pepper, large pieces of garlic and of course shrimp. The pasta is done perfectly- nice and al dente, for frozen pasta quite impressive.

The sauce. Surprisingly strong on the garlic (which I consider to be a very good thing) creamy, but not cloying or "cheesy" my only complaint with the sauce is that the pepper is the strongest flavor. It's not necessarily a bad thing- it is just not my favorite.

The shrimp are top notch, yes they are frozen (well duh) but they are plump and sweet and again happily are perfectly cooked.

All in all for a heat and eat dinner with shrimp it is hard to get much better then this. Paired with a loaf of crusty bread and a salad this made for an easy and tasty dinner.

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company