Quaker has a line of Simple Harvest Granola Bars. One of the flavors available is Honey Roasted Nut. The package touts it as "Multigrain Chewy Granola Bar: Oat, Wheat, Barley." Some of the other ingredients are whole grained rolled oats, brown rice syrup, crisp rice, cashews, peanuts, sugar, pecans, molasses and honey. Each bar has 7 grams of sugar.
The first whiff of the Simple Harvest bar revealed a peanut scent. A Pay Day candy bar came to mind. It was not an overbearing, heavy peanut scent. The taste of the peanuts were noticeable first, followed by a touch of honey and the cashews. The pecans were not noticeable. I disliked the lingering peanut taste of the granola bar.
Over all, The Honey Roasted Nut bar tasted better than the Apple Cinnamon version. I felt the Honey Roasted Nut bars were good, but not great. I probably won't buy those again.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Quaker Cinnamon Life
I recently had an opportunity to try Quaker's Cinnamon Life cereal. I had tried the original Life cereal years ago and enjoyed the taste.
The Life cereal squares had a pleasant, wheaty taste. That flavor was ruined by the cinnamon, though. The cinnamon left a heavy, artificial, lingering aftertaste.
Let's talk about the ingredient list. In a 3/4 cup serving, this cereal has 8 grams of sugar. This is a problem, as I'm trying to avoid cereals with more than 1 gram of sugar per 1 cup serving. I was also very surprised to see yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40 and blue 1 listed. I had to look those additives up, as my knowledge of them was limited to "It's not good for you." So you can imagine I was surprised to see the phrases "coal tar", "banned in other countries" and "allergen inducer" repeatedly show up. Yuck. I'm crossing Quaker's Cinnamon Life off my shopping list : P
The Life cereal squares had a pleasant, wheaty taste. That flavor was ruined by the cinnamon, though. The cinnamon left a heavy, artificial, lingering aftertaste.
Let's talk about the ingredient list. In a 3/4 cup serving, this cereal has 8 grams of sugar. This is a problem, as I'm trying to avoid cereals with more than 1 gram of sugar per 1 cup serving. I was also very surprised to see yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40 and blue 1 listed. I had to look those additives up, as my knowledge of them was limited to "It's not good for you." So you can imagine I was surprised to see the phrases "coal tar", "banned in other countries" and "allergen inducer" repeatedly show up. Yuck. I'm crossing Quaker's Cinnamon Life off my shopping list : P
Romano's Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites
I recently purchased a box of Romano's Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites. The flavor I picked was Creamy Basil and Parmesan Chicken and Pasta. The kit came with linguine pasta, grated Parmesan and Romano blend, basil and cheese seasoning, creamy sauce and sun dried tomatoes. This product does not contain chicken. You would need to purchase that separately.
I found this meal very easy to make. It was ready in less than the 20 minutes listed on the box. The flavor was outstanding, too. The sauce was perfectly creamy.The Parmesan, basil and sun dried tomatoes played off each other magnificently. Also, I managed to get several serving out of this over 2 days, for 3 adults with big appetites. Big thumbs up for Romano's Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites !
**I have never been to Romano's Macaroni Grill. So I cannot tell you how the restaurant meal compares to the boxed product.
I found this meal very easy to make. It was ready in less than the 20 minutes listed on the box. The flavor was outstanding, too. The sauce was perfectly creamy.The Parmesan, basil and sun dried tomatoes played off each other magnificently. Also, I managed to get several serving out of this over 2 days, for 3 adults with big appetites. Big thumbs up for Romano's Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites !
**I have never been to Romano's Macaroni Grill. So I cannot tell you how the restaurant meal compares to the boxed product.
Key lime Cookies
I found this recipe in Mr. Food's cookbook Quick and Easy Diabetic Cooking. I added sliced almonds to the batter, left out the cherries and added key lime powder to the powdered sugar. This recipe was a big hit with my family!
Nicole's Cherry Bonbons
Air Date: 6/3/2008
24 servings
3 tablespoons butter, softened
5 tablespoons corn oil stick margarine, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
24 maraschino cherries, drained with 2 teaspoons liquid reserved
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, margarine, and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until creamy. Stir in the flour, milk, vanilla, and salt; mix well.
2. Shape into 24 balls. Press each ball around a cherry and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Place 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish and roll the bonbons until lightly coated.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and the 2 teaspoons reserved cherry liquid; mix well. Place in a resealable plastic storage bag. Cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the glaze over the bonbons.
5. Allow the bonbons to cool until the glaze is firm, then serve, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Nicole's Cherry Bonbons
Air Date: 6/3/2008
24 servings
3 tablespoons butter, softened
5 tablespoons corn oil stick margarine, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
24 maraschino cherries, drained with 2 teaspoons liquid reserved
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, margarine, and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until creamy. Stir in the flour, milk, vanilla, and salt; mix well.
2. Shape into 24 balls. Press each ball around a cherry and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Place 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish and roll the bonbons until lightly coated.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and the 2 teaspoons reserved cherry liquid; mix well. Place in a resealable plastic storage bag. Cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the glaze over the bonbons.
5. Allow the bonbons to cool until the glaze is firm, then serve, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Pillsbury Flaky Twists With Chocolate Icing
Last night I wanted to make a pizza. I grabbed a tube of Pillsbury Flaky Twists and rolled it out on a baking tray. I set aside the chocolate frosting that was included, intending to save it for another recipe.
I was a bit baffled when I noticed a cinnamon aroma and a brown substance sprinkled on the dough. There was no mention of cinnamon on the front of the tube. It was hidden on the bottom of the ingredient list on the back. I am puzzled why Pillsbury did that. I've seen commercials and print ads for Flaky Twists With Chocolate Icing several times; not one mentioned cinnamon. That discovery put a crimp in my pizza plans. I decided to make the best of it and just bake Chocolate Twists.
Rant aside, you're probably wondering how it tasted. Let's start with the twists. Those were slightly salty and a little bland. I was surprised the cinnamon scent did not translate to cinnamon flavor. The twists lacked the sweetness one expected.
The chocolate icing was also a disappointment. It tasted like Betty Crocker brownie batter, a far cry from the sweet and delicious icing in other Pillsbury products. The icing and the twists paired together were a sad combination.
Neither the icing or the twists added any sweetness to the finished product. I give this product a big thumbs down. I will not buy it again.
I was a bit baffled when I noticed a cinnamon aroma and a brown substance sprinkled on the dough. There was no mention of cinnamon on the front of the tube. It was hidden on the bottom of the ingredient list on the back. I am puzzled why Pillsbury did that. I've seen commercials and print ads for Flaky Twists With Chocolate Icing several times; not one mentioned cinnamon. That discovery put a crimp in my pizza plans. I decided to make the best of it and just bake Chocolate Twists.
Rant aside, you're probably wondering how it tasted. Let's start with the twists. Those were slightly salty and a little bland. I was surprised the cinnamon scent did not translate to cinnamon flavor. The twists lacked the sweetness one expected.
The chocolate icing was also a disappointment. It tasted like Betty Crocker brownie batter, a far cry from the sweet and delicious icing in other Pillsbury products. The icing and the twists paired together were a sad combination.
Neither the icing or the twists added any sweetness to the finished product. I give this product a big thumbs down. I will not buy it again.
