Parchment Bake by Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's

As a part of the Tastemaker Program through Foodbuzz, I opted in to try out Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's new product Parchment Bake.  They use 100% whole-fillet Tilapia in a sauce and seal the natural flavors and moisture in a parchment bag, similar to the technique used in restaurants.

Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's was even kind enough to send a link
http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?1ewPyjLjOcybAJuQ/26add8deb3f8abc5/8f19c1755c06d3a9/kraucoin1@charter.net so my readers could get a Buy One, Get One Free coupon for this product.

The Parchment Bake is offered in three flavors at my local grocer:  Garlic Butter, Roasted Garlic and Classic Teriyaki.  Each fillet has only 80 calories.  So what's not to like? 

A.J. and I enjoy fish, the homegirlz not so much.  They happened to have other plans last Friday night, so I fired up the toaster oven and decided to give these puppies a try.

After reading the directions, I knew this would be a snap.  Place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for approximately 18 minutes/We decided to try the Garlic Butter flavor first.

They came out of the oven all puffed up with steam and I knew the fish would be chocked full of flavor and would be incredibly moist too!

They were so photogenic.  After all we eat with our eyes first, don't we?

Look at all that dreamy, creamy sauce!

Ok, here's the skinny, BIG thumbs down.  Sorry folks, I'm not going to lie.  We both felt the sauce had very little flavor and the fish did not taste fresh at all.  It had a very fishy taste which neither of us care for.  

This completely took the wind out of my sails.

Have a wonderful beginning of Spring weekend!


Pin It

The Better Chip...Really? Oh Yeah Baby, REALLY!

I've done a few product reviews and have never steered you wrong and won't start now.  Sean from The Better Chip contacted me and asked me to try a couple of samples of The Better Chip.  After trying all three flavors of these chips, he can certainly back up the name, The Better Chip!

Let me start off by telling you, these chips are all natural, low fat, gluten free, cholesterol free and low in sodium.  Now let me tell you about the best part, these chips taste fantastic!  In reading the literature Sean sent along with his product, I found that these chips are all made with 40% fresh produce.  Now what salty snack food can boast that much freshness?  The freshness comes through in the taste!  One other item that really intrigues me is the low sodium content, 6% per serving, but these chips remarkably have a wonderful salty flavor that I've come to expect in a chip.

Run, don't walk to The Better Chip website and find out how you can get your hands on a bag of your won, because baby, they are The Better Chip.

Pin It

Southwest Cheese Crackers and Blogger Party News!!!

A.J.  and I have been working the past several weekends and evenings getting my mother's condo cleared out.  she had stacks and stacks of recipes that she had either written down or have received from friends.  Talk about a task going through them to see what I wanted to try.  I found this recipe for Southwest Cheese Crackers and remember her making it years ago as a munchie before dinner.  I have no idea where she got this recipe, but it was meant to be found!  

Makes about 3 dozen



2 sticks of butter, softened

2 cups of grated white cheddar cheese
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 can of Ro-Tel, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the cheese and butter together. Add the flour, salt, cayenne and tomatoes and stir until it becomes a ball.

For cookies, roll a teaspoon of dough into a little ball.  Use the back of a spoon to press it out into a little cracker.

To make the straws, Take about 2 teaspoons of dough and roll it between the palms of your hands to make little plump straws about 2 inches long. Poke a couple of holes with a fork on the top side of the straws.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 to 20 minutes.

Now about our 2012 Blogger Party.  I am so excited about this!  If you haven't attended our what has become an annual event, you need to make plans now to attend.  We have had so much fun the past two years, so Chris Grove, Larry Doolittle and I are pleased that we will be able to host a blogger party again this year.

Save the date... Sunday, May 27! This is Memorial Day weekend so now you have an extra day to travel, spend some time with your blogging buddies and enjoy beautiful East Tennessee!  No excuses, start making plans to your get eat on.


Bev and Larry are so gracious to once again hold our get together at their home near Greenback, TN and the menu will be a crawfish and shrimp boil – if you’re not a shellfish eater, come anyway bring what you like to eat and we’ll grill it for you.

Unlike previous times, we’ll be asking for a donation to help with the cost of the seafood.

We’ll send out more details in early April but wanted to get on your calendar now. We’ll be asking for an RSVP later, but so we can start our planning, please let Larry know now if you think you might join us – email grandpop1@yahoo.com.

Also please feel free to publicize this on your blog to reach more potential attendees, the more, the merrier.

We hope you can join us.

Pin It