Ants prefer Rudi's to Udi's 10000:1.
I never had ants attack my Udi's bread. This morning I found a swarm of ants all over the inside of my bag of Rudi's. Yuck. Glad I got it on sale with a coupon to boot.
Never had ants in my Udi's bread. Must be that evaporated cane juice. Does Udi's have that? I know Udi's isn't SWEET at any rate. Still, I was disappointed to throw out most of a loaf, especially since it's such a pain in the ass to find the stuff.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Rudi & Udi: Why You Got the Same Name?
I've been a pretty dedicated Udi-eater these past few months. Safeway recently started selling their bread for a good price, so I was going there to get my bread rather than the few other shops that have it on hand most of the time (Vim & Vigor, Kokua, and Whole Foods generally have it in stock). Paying $5.50 was way way WAY better than the $7+ the other shops charged. It made me feel like a human being again. Almost.
Then they printed off a coupon for me to use. The coupons I got were, oddly, not for anything I'd actually bought but for KINDS of the things I had bought. So there I was with Sargento cheese and Udi's gf bread, and I had coupons for Kraft cheese and Rudi's gf bread. Since the coupon was for $2 off, I thought it might be worth it to try out Rudi and see if he (or she, I guess) was any better than Udi.
Then they printed off a coupon for me to use. The coupons I got were, oddly, not for anything I'd actually bought but for KINDS of the things I had bought. So there I was with Sargento cheese and Udi's gf bread, and I had coupons for Kraft cheese and Rudi's gf bread. Since the coupon was for $2 off, I thought it might be worth it to try out Rudi and see if he (or she, I guess) was any better than Udi.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Conte's Frozen Pizza: Florentine and Margherita
http://www.contespasta.com/specialty.htm#
Frozen pizza is something I enjoy eating sometimes. I do make a lot of pizzas, but I don't like always having cheese and sauce and toppings on hand. Sometimes I just want to pop a pizza in the oven and enjoy.
I tried Amy's frozen cheese pizza. The cheese was all right, though there wasn't much of it, but the crust was too gritty and slightly bitter, like brown rice.
I tried Glutino and it was "okay," but not super. Kind of like a really cheap frozen pizza, except it cost $8.
I went to Whole Foods and spied a different variety of pizza that looked actually delicious. Conte's makes some pasta items that also look interesting, but with my limited kitchen resources, I haven't been able to try them.
The first pizza I took home was the Mushroom Florentine. It was $11 and as one person I ate it in two servings, which means $5.50 apiece. Not bad. The size isn't huge, but probably comparable to Amy's. I would guess 10" since it fits in my 11" skillet.
I don't think I let this one cook enough, because it had almost no flavor. It's hard to cook in a little skillet, so the crust wasn't singed enough. When I re-heated the other half, keeping it on the bottom of the skillet rather than on the rack, it tasted much better. But what I think was still lacking in this case was a clear ... sauce. If it had had sauce in it, I think I would have liked it more. There was just nothing salty or flavorful enough to pop out and enhance the flavors. I'm not sure what it "needs," but the somewhat flavorless crust and cheese and mushrooms together just kind of melded into one big ball of bland.
Given that, I thought the Margherita flavor would be better.
It cost the same and was the same size as the Florentine pizza. Margherita is a traditional flavor of pizza, with tomato and basil. (It's supposed to be like the Italian flag.) The picture shows giant tomato bits on top that almost could mislead you into thinking that the pizza has pepperoni on it. Actually, when I opened the pizza I expected to see tomato. No, it was just cheese.
This time I let it cook more than I did the last time. It definitely made the crust tastier. It needs to brown/singe just a tad on the bottom, in my opinion. Basil is just an interesting flavor, and the pizza is quite basil-y. This one was, in my opinion, better tasting than the other just because it had enough "different" flavors for them to stand out.
You'll also be glad to know that these pizzas do NOT have an overabundance of sauce (something traditional frozen pizzas often have) and have plenty of cheese.
My big, giant complaint about these pizzas is ... the box. When I was trying to pick one out, the boxes all felt weak and encased in ice, I picked one that didn't have any ice on it, but by the time I got home (about 30 minutes) the box had basically ... melted. It was soaked and torn and misshapen. The same thing happened with the next pizza. I feel like for all that the pizzas are pretty good, the packaging is made out of ... paper. I buy a lot of frozen foods and sometimes wait 40 or 50 minutes or even an hour to get home. I don't have a freezer and store everything in the coldest part of my mini fridge, or cook it as soon as I get home, so the thawing isn't a huge deal. But oftentimes I get home 40 minutes later or whatever, and the food is STILL TOTALLY FROZEN. And the boxes are holding up fine.
So I don't understand why the boxes in this case just disintegrate. It's peculiar.
Frozen pizza is something I enjoy eating sometimes. I do make a lot of pizzas, but I don't like always having cheese and sauce and toppings on hand. Sometimes I just want to pop a pizza in the oven and enjoy.
I tried Amy's frozen cheese pizza. The cheese was all right, though there wasn't much of it, but the crust was too gritty and slightly bitter, like brown rice.
I tried Glutino and it was "okay," but not super. Kind of like a really cheap frozen pizza, except it cost $8.
I went to Whole Foods and spied a different variety of pizza that looked actually delicious. Conte's makes some pasta items that also look interesting, but with my limited kitchen resources, I haven't been able to try them.
The first pizza I took home was the Mushroom Florentine. It was $11 and as one person I ate it in two servings, which means $5.50 apiece. Not bad. The size isn't huge, but probably comparable to Amy's. I would guess 10" since it fits in my 11" skillet.
I don't think I let this one cook enough, because it had almost no flavor. It's hard to cook in a little skillet, so the crust wasn't singed enough. When I re-heated the other half, keeping it on the bottom of the skillet rather than on the rack, it tasted much better. But what I think was still lacking in this case was a clear ... sauce. If it had had sauce in it, I think I would have liked it more. There was just nothing salty or flavorful enough to pop out and enhance the flavors. I'm not sure what it "needs," but the somewhat flavorless crust and cheese and mushrooms together just kind of melded into one big ball of bland.
Given that, I thought the Margherita flavor would be better.
It cost the same and was the same size as the Florentine pizza. Margherita is a traditional flavor of pizza, with tomato and basil. (It's supposed to be like the Italian flag.) The picture shows giant tomato bits on top that almost could mislead you into thinking that the pizza has pepperoni on it. Actually, when I opened the pizza I expected to see tomato. No, it was just cheese.
This time I let it cook more than I did the last time. It definitely made the crust tastier. It needs to brown/singe just a tad on the bottom, in my opinion. Basil is just an interesting flavor, and the pizza is quite basil-y. This one was, in my opinion, better tasting than the other just because it had enough "different" flavors for them to stand out.
You'll also be glad to know that these pizzas do NOT have an overabundance of sauce (something traditional frozen pizzas often have) and have plenty of cheese.
My big, giant complaint about these pizzas is ... the box. When I was trying to pick one out, the boxes all felt weak and encased in ice, I picked one that didn't have any ice on it, but by the time I got home (about 30 minutes) the box had basically ... melted. It was soaked and torn and misshapen. The same thing happened with the next pizza. I feel like for all that the pizzas are pretty good, the packaging is made out of ... paper. I buy a lot of frozen foods and sometimes wait 40 or 50 minutes or even an hour to get home. I don't have a freezer and store everything in the coldest part of my mini fridge, or cook it as soon as I get home, so the thawing isn't a huge deal. But oftentimes I get home 40 minutes later or whatever, and the food is STILL TOTALLY FROZEN. And the boxes are holding up fine.
So I don't understand why the boxes in this case just disintegrate. It's peculiar.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Food For Life English Muffins
One thing I wish I could still eat is the simple and tasty Egg McMuffin. Think about it: Of all the fast foods you can buy, an Egg McMuffin is probably the healthiest and most real items you can get at a mainstream fast food restaurant. You know what's in it. You can't hide much. It's an English muffin, a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg, and cheese. Fake cheese, okay. But cheese.
I have tried to mimic this with some success. I had some rice buns in Japan that were good enough for mimicking English muffins. I could use one of those microwave egg poachers and then ordinary sliced ham to make a replica that was delicious enough. But what I really wished I had was an actual English muffin. *sigh*
I saw these in the store long ago but had no desire to buy them. I finally bought a pack ($6.09) with the hope that I could make some attempt at mcmuffining.
The first time I ate one of these muffins, I actually opted for jam and butter. They are already somewhat split and need to be cut the rest of the way and toasted. I was apprehensive because the muffin literally felt like drying cement as I was putting the knife through it. It was dense and heavy, and I worried that it wouldn't turn out very well.
But actually, after two rounds of toasting (real English muffins are also persnickety like this) it was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, somewhat dense, and tasted ... like an English muffin.
I later tried it as a sandwich, and it worked quite well. Sometimes the muffins aren't split in a very symmetrical fashion, so you end up with a tiny lid and a big, heavy bottom. This is sort of a problem, but not a huge one. Overall I think they satisfy a need that we all have for living a normal life, including enjoying the various types of breads we enjoyed before and make a very good substitute.
I have tried to mimic this with some success. I had some rice buns in Japan that were good enough for mimicking English muffins. I could use one of those microwave egg poachers and then ordinary sliced ham to make a replica that was delicious enough. But what I really wished I had was an actual English muffin. *sigh*
I saw these in the store long ago but had no desire to buy them. I finally bought a pack ($6.09) with the hope that I could make some attempt at mcmuffining.
The first time I ate one of these muffins, I actually opted for jam and butter. They are already somewhat split and need to be cut the rest of the way and toasted. I was apprehensive because the muffin literally felt like drying cement as I was putting the knife through it. It was dense and heavy, and I worried that it wouldn't turn out very well.
But actually, after two rounds of toasting (real English muffins are also persnickety like this) it was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, somewhat dense, and tasted ... like an English muffin.
I later tried it as a sandwich, and it worked quite well. Sometimes the muffins aren't split in a very symmetrical fashion, so you end up with a tiny lid and a big, heavy bottom. This is sort of a problem, but not a huge one. Overall I think they satisfy a need that we all have for living a normal life, including enjoying the various types of breads we enjoyed before and make a very good substitute.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Fast Food: Whole Foods Cheddar Biscuits
I tried once to make the gf version of the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. Ohhhh fail. Fail fail fail. It was cheddar starch soup. I couldn't get xanthan gum in Japan and thought if I just put a bit more starch in there it would be nice and firm. It ended up being a pretty tasty cracker at first, then I put it in a brownie pan and made some kind of cheesy cornbread.
I wondered if the cheddar biscuits at Whole Foods would be anything like the Red Lobster biscuits of my dreams.
Well ... not quite. They're undoubtedly good. I put it in the oven for 10 minutes and it browned a little bit and was quite good in the texture department (except right in the center). However, I couldn't get over the feeling that it tasted like ... soup. It's a cheddar biscuit full of chives! Chives! Like soup! So mostly I tasted bread and chives and not enough cheddar or anything else.
Pretty good. $10 worth of good for 8 biscuits? Well ... I don't know about that. But pretty good.
I wondered if the cheddar biscuits at Whole Foods would be anything like the Red Lobster biscuits of my dreams.
Well ... not quite. They're undoubtedly good. I put it in the oven for 10 minutes and it browned a little bit and was quite good in the texture department (except right in the center). However, I couldn't get over the feeling that it tasted like ... soup. It's a cheddar biscuit full of chives! Chives! Like soup! So mostly I tasted bread and chives and not enough cheddar or anything else.
Pretty good. $10 worth of good for 8 biscuits? Well ... I don't know about that. But pretty good.
Evol Fire Grilled Steak Bowl
http://evolfoods.com/bowls/
Today at Whole Foods I spied these bowls, and despite the $6 pricetag I picked up the fire grilled steak. I've been needing beef lately. NEEDING.
Anyway, I prepared it in the oven and mixed it all up when it was finished. It contains corn, peppers, beans, rice, steak, and some mixture of lime and cilantro. There's also some cheese on top.
The first thing I thought when I saw the contents all mixed up was, "Wow! There's a lot of steak in this!" I had thought the three or four pieces I saw on top were IT, but there was literally enough that you could have a piece of steak in every bite.
The flavor was good, and nothing tasted off or unnatural. The cilantro and lime flavor was reminiscent of the grilled steak tacos at Taco Bell, which I miss immensely.
If I had to make a complaint about it, it's that it's a bit small. I couldn't imagine eating JUST that for a meal. It could stand to be ... I don't know ... 1/3 larger, or maybe have more beans or something filling. That said, it's really tasty, beefy, balanced (protein, starch, veggies, and cheese!) and I wouldn't mind trying one of the other varieties in the store ... whenever I win the lottery. (Why can't any mainstream dinners be truly gf?? I can't afford $6-7 per meal.)
Today at Whole Foods I spied these bowls, and despite the $6 pricetag I picked up the fire grilled steak. I've been needing beef lately. NEEDING.
Anyway, I prepared it in the oven and mixed it all up when it was finished. It contains corn, peppers, beans, rice, steak, and some mixture of lime and cilantro. There's also some cheese on top.
The first thing I thought when I saw the contents all mixed up was, "Wow! There's a lot of steak in this!" I had thought the three or four pieces I saw on top were IT, but there was literally enough that you could have a piece of steak in every bite.
The flavor was good, and nothing tasted off or unnatural. The cilantro and lime flavor was reminiscent of the grilled steak tacos at Taco Bell, which I miss immensely.
If I had to make a complaint about it, it's that it's a bit small. I couldn't imagine eating JUST that for a meal. It could stand to be ... I don't know ... 1/3 larger, or maybe have more beans or something filling. That said, it's really tasty, beefy, balanced (protein, starch, veggies, and cheese!) and I wouldn't mind trying one of the other varieties in the store ... whenever I win the lottery. (Why can't any mainstream dinners be truly gf?? I can't afford $6-7 per meal.)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Amy's Rice Mac & Cheese
I often think about how much I used to enjoy the rich, creamy taste of Stouffer's macaroni and cheese. I think by far, their mac and cheese is the absolute best. It's cheddary and fantastic, with extra flavor added by the parts that get slightly burned in the oven. Yum.
Yes, I think about it and dream, for I can never have it again. And I wondered, "Isn't there a gluten free mac and cheese that is comparable to Stouffer's??"
There is. Almost.
I bought Amy's Rice Mac for $5.50 at the store (ouch, seriously, ouch) and took it home to eat it almost immediately. It didn't burn quite as I had hoped it would (a little brown on top is always pretty tasty), but it was bubbly and cheesy, and I stirred it up well before taking a first bite.
The pasta was firm, not mushy. After my experience with Glutino's pasta falling apart in the cooking process, it was kind of surprising. (Although I did bake this and microwaved Glutino.) The cheese was almost like Stouffer's. It was somewhere between that and Swanson. (Those two would be my absolute favorites.)
At first I thought there wasn't enough food in the tray, but as I got to the last few bites, I realized it was pretty much a perfect amount, as long as you don't inhale it all at once. One package is 400 calories, so it's a pretty good size for a meal.
Amy's also makes a version with ordinary pasta and a version with soy "cheese." I can't speak for soy, but I imagine if you are not on the gluten-free pathway, you could enjoy the regular variety very easily. Or heck, enjoy the rice version, although I think it costs at least a dollar or two more than the other variety, and that totally sucks. As a poor college student I really hate looking at two products (one gf, one not) and seeing that the gf one costs twice as much. Makes me wonder if it REALLY does or if the stores are screwing with me because they think gf is some kind of wacky health fad.
(Yes, there are people who think it's a wacky health fad.)
Yes, I think about it and dream, for I can never have it again. And I wondered, "Isn't there a gluten free mac and cheese that is comparable to Stouffer's??"
There is. Almost.
I bought Amy's Rice Mac for $5.50 at the store (ouch, seriously, ouch) and took it home to eat it almost immediately. It didn't burn quite as I had hoped it would (a little brown on top is always pretty tasty), but it was bubbly and cheesy, and I stirred it up well before taking a first bite.
The pasta was firm, not mushy. After my experience with Glutino's pasta falling apart in the cooking process, it was kind of surprising. (Although I did bake this and microwaved Glutino.) The cheese was almost like Stouffer's. It was somewhere between that and Swanson. (Those two would be my absolute favorites.)
At first I thought there wasn't enough food in the tray, but as I got to the last few bites, I realized it was pretty much a perfect amount, as long as you don't inhale it all at once. One package is 400 calories, so it's a pretty good size for a meal.
Amy's also makes a version with ordinary pasta and a version with soy "cheese." I can't speak for soy, but I imagine if you are not on the gluten-free pathway, you could enjoy the regular variety very easily. Or heck, enjoy the rice version, although I think it costs at least a dollar or two more than the other variety, and that totally sucks. As a poor college student I really hate looking at two products (one gf, one not) and seeing that the gf one costs twice as much. Makes me wonder if it REALLY does or if the stores are screwing with me because they think gf is some kind of wacky health fad.
(Yes, there are people who think it's a wacky health fad.)
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