Steven Helmer Publications

  I went to the grocery store this evening with no real idea about what to have for dinner. My wife had suggested bratwurst so, with no better plan, I decided to get a pack (along with a pack of hotdogs for our daughters). As luck would have it, Piggly Wiggly happened to have Sheboygan Sausage Company Bratwurst on sale, a pack of 10 for $7.99.  I had heard of this brand but had never tried it until tonight. After finally doing so, I have to admit it was pretty good. As a life-long Wisconsinite, I can tell you there is a difference between bratwurst brands. This includes quite a few that are not much more than a bunch of fat shoved into a casing. This is one of the better brands from a quality standpoint, with plenty of meat. This made them more filling and a lot less greasy than some of the lower-priced brands we've purchased. The outer casing was decent as well. Some casings are very tough to bite into and chew. This brand wasn't one of them. I was able to enjoy the brats wit...

  I went to the grocery store without any idea in mind about what I wanted to make for dinner. My wife was doing some stuff at her sewing studio, and we had a small bag of ravioli that I could make for the girls so I focused on finding something I could make as a late dinner for two. I ended up purchasing Rana Chicken Alfredo Lasagna because it was on sale for a little less than $12. It was my first time trying this product and I wasn't sure what to expect but after making it last night, it is a product I wouldn't mind purchasing again. As far as meal prep goes, I couldn't ask for easier. I followed the microwave instructions, and the lasagna was ready to eat less than 10 minutes later. This was ideal because, with us already eating later than usual, I wouldn't have been a fan of anything that took a long time to make or dirtied a ton of dishes. Taste-wise, this exceeded my expectations. The sauce had a good flavor and there was quite a bit of chicken. This, in turn, al...

  I went to the store early this morning, before it got crowded with people who were stocking up before the winter weather hits later. Since I was there, I figured I'd pick up something easy for breakfast. I saw Dutch Farms Breakfast Bowls for less than $3 each and, figuring it was a low enough price, decided to give the Meat Lovers variety a try. Overall, I have to say it was OK. To be honest, it wasn't anything overly special, at least when compared to the other breakfast bowls that are out there. However, that was one of the things that I thought was a bonus because while it wasn't anything that stood out, it also wasn't anything that was noticeably lower quality either. I have had that with other cheaper brands in the past, buying one that promised plenty of protein from meat and egg only to be mostly potatoes. That wasn't a problem with this bowl, which had plenty of the two.  Taste wise, I thought it also was good. The breakfast sausage wasn't spicy but ha...

  I rarely manage to eat breakfast before heading into the office in the morning, so I always try to keep something in my mini fridge/freezer to fill that void. I picked up a box of Jones Dairy Farm All-Natural Pork Sausage last week for this purpose, primarily choosing this brand, despite it being slightly more expensive, because it was made in near-by Fort Atkinson and I try to support Wisconsin businesses whenever I can. Overall, I have to say this ended up being a good choice. I've made a few of the sausage links in the microwave to go with a bowl of oatmeal and it has proven to be a good complement. The sausage has a good flavor, not too spicy but seasoned, and is filling. One thing I found I liked about this brand is it doesn't seem to get as dry/tough when microwaved as some other frozen sausage links. I can cut through them with a plastic fork while so many other brands end up requiring a knife if I want to cut them into smaller pieces. I am always going to like that co...

  I would have preferred to make a homecooked dinner tonight but had a bunch of errands to run this evening and just didn't have time (I will tomorrow though). Needing something simple, I picked up Marie Callender's Swedish Meatballs & Pasta for my wife and me.  While it wasn't the best Swedish meatballs I've ever had, they weren't terrible and even exceeded my expectations. Preparation of the dinner was easy enough. It was just a matter of putting it in my microwave for about 13 minutes, stirring halfway through. I didn't need to follow a bunch of separate steps (as is the case with some frozen dinners) and this was done in a timely fashion. As far as taste goes, there was no doubt it was a frozen dinner. However, the flavor was OK and, unlike what I had expected based on past experiences with products like this, it wasn't super salty. Plus, there were plenty of meatballs. Many more than I thought there'd be. There was just the right amount of food ...

  According to my doctor last week, I really need to get back on my diet. However, it's been unusually stressful the past few days, so I ended up stopping by Kwik Trip for a breakfast sandwich this morning. While there, I found myself in the snack aisle, looking for an afternoon pick-me-up and saw Bobo's PB&Js for $1.79. Figuring the 17 grams of whole grains would be slightly healthier than a candy bar, I picked one up. Overall, I have to say it wasn't bad. Truth be told, I didn't taste the grape jelly all that much when eating this cookie. The peanut butter and oat crust were a little too strong for that to stand out. That said, I did find myself enjoying the flavor. The oats themselves had a surprisingly sweet taste to them (probably because of the added sugar) which I thought paired nicely with the peanut butter flavor even without the hint of jelly. At minimum, it wasn't as dry as I would have expected a cookie like this to taste. It was also very filling. I...

  We are expecting a snowstorm tomorrow, so I went to the grocery store for some necessities (AKA cat food) just in case we got snowed in. While there, I figured I'd pick up something for lunch so we could save Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and decided to finally give Ragu Frozen Pizza a try since it was on sale for $5.99. Overall, I'd say the pizza exceeded my expectations, though it did fall a bit short of being one of my favorite frozen pizza choices. We made it this afternoon as planned, and my wife and I were both impressed with the taste. The sauce had a good flavor while the pepperoni and sausage added a bit of spice without being too spicy.  I also liked the crust, which was the perfect balance of not being too thin while also not being too thick. This resulted in it having just the right amount of crispiness when making it with our pizza oven. My only real complaint about the pizza was the lack of toppings, both quantity and variety. Normally, if I hear the descri...

  I spotted Lucia's Morning Melts Breakfast Pizzas a few weeks ago but decided not to get them because I thought they were a bit too expensive. However, I saw they were on sale yesterday and picked up a couple to give them a try, including the Americano Breakfast Pizza I made this morning. Unfortunately, even on sale for $4.99 each, I don't think they were worth the money. One thing I did like about this product was the ability to make it in the microwave rather than needing to dig out my pizza oven or preheat my kitchen oven. And, unlike some other microwaveable pizzas, this one did come out of the microwave with a crunchy crust. The biggest complaint I had (and my wife shared this) was all I could taste was the crust. The toppings were a bit lacking, and I didn't think it had a whole lot of flavor.  At best, even at my most generous, I couldn't say this was any better than any other frozen breakfast pizza I've purchased. In fact, there were two brands in the same ...

  Everyone had Friday off from work and school, so we took a family trip down to Madison and on the way back, stopped by Costco. I saw Rana Southwest-Style Linguine near their meat section and thought it looked interesting enough to give it a try. Overall, I wasn't disappointed. Fortunately, my kids decided they wanted something else because there really wasn't enough in the packaging to make much more than a meal for two.  However, as far as convenience goes, it was one of the easier meals for two I've ever made. All I had to do was open the package, combine the ingredients in the container provided and cook in the microwave for eight minutes. I started this after my wife got out of the shower and it was done by the time she got dressed. I thought the linguine had a unique flavor. The andouille sausage gave it a bold taste without being too spicy and certain filled the kitchen with its aroma as I was cooking it. There was also plenty of chicken and vegetables to go with th...

  I had to go up the street to Walgreen's this morning for a couple items and while waiting in the checkout line, saw Reese's PB&J Big Cups for $2.49 per pack. They looked intriguing enough for me to pick up two, one for my wife (strawberry) and one for me (grape).  I had mine this afternoon and while it wasn't terrible, it also wasn't quite as unique as I was expecting it to be. When I think peanut butter and jelly, I naturally immediately think of the sandwich. So, when I saw these, I thought it would be something similar, only better because it had chocolate.  The main difference, however, is while PB&J sandwiches have a relatively equal amount of those two ingredients, these candy cups don't. There is quite a bit more peanut butter than jelly and as a result of that, all I could taste was the PB and not the J. If it weren't for the wrapper and the purple color, I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell these apart from a regular peanut butter cu...

  I was in the mood to make some sort of pasta dish for dinner a couple evenings ago but knew my wife was getting a bit burned out on marinara and Alfredo sauces. Fortunately, I remembered seeing Prego Cheesy Bacon Cheese Sauce at one of our grocery stores and ended up picking that up as an alternative. After trying it, I have to say it was a good choice. I wound up using this as part of a fancy macaroni and cheese meal, complete with some hamburger and green peppers. The sauce gave the dinner exactly what I was hoping it would, a cheesy taste with just enough bacon to make it noticeable. Along those same lines, I appreciated having a cheese sauce that tasted like cheese and not like salt (as has been a problem in the past). The thicker sauce was also better than I would have gotten had I simply picked up a cheap box of macaroni and cheese then doctored it up while, at the same time, being less expensive (with a separate box of pasta included in this statement) than picking up a ...

  One of our local grocery stores has had Chef Boyardee skillet meals in their freezer section for several weeks and while I've been tempted to buy them on more than one occasion, I usually passed because of the $11.79 price (I can buy the ingredients and make them from scratch cheaper). However, I wasn't really in the mood to do a whole lot of cooking last night, so I finally decided to give the Chicken Alfredo dinner a try. Overall, I have to say this exceeded my expectations. I think my youngest daughter described this best when she said it wasn't as good as homemade or from a restaurant but was considerably better than a normal frozen dinner version. While I personally would have liked to see this have a little more to it, such as maybe some broccoli to go with the pasta and chicken, it had a decent flavor all four of us enjoyed. Preparing the meal was easy as well. You just empty the contents (including four sauce packets) into a pan, add some water and cook until it i...

We spent Christmas with family and after driving home for three hours in a thick fog yesterday, I ended up keeping dinner simple and just picked up a couple frozen pizzas when I went to the store to get cat food. After reviewing a couple choices, I decided to give Lippers Deluxe Pizza a try, both because it was on sale for $5.99 each and because it was made in Wisconsin. I didn't regret the decision. I won't say it is the best frozen pizza I've ever purchased but for a lower-priced brand, it turned out to be pretty good. There were a reasonable number of toppings and plenty of cheese. While I'm not normally a thin crust fan, I did like how the crust on this pizza came out crispy without being hard to the point I was afraid of breaking my teeth. The sauce on this pizza was also decent as well. It had plenty of seasoning and, just as important, there was the right quantity. The pizza wasn't dry, but it also wasn't overflowing with it (something that can make pizza...

  I decided on frozen pizza a couple nights ago, mostly because I wasn't in the mood to wash dishes. After checking out a variety of options, I settled on the 5 Meat Pizza from Village Pub, mostly because it is a company out of nearby Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It ended up being an OK choice, at least as far as frozen pizzas are concerned. One thing that I was impressed with was the number of toppings on the pizza. I've had plenty of other pizzas that promised multiple meats and I could, at most pick out only a couple of them. This was reasonably loaded for the $5.99 price I paid for it  I thought the pizza had a decent amount of seasoning on it as well. There was enough to give it some flavor without going overboard. Believe me, I've had plenty of pizzas that tasted like someone dumped a full container of pepper on them while others barely had taste at all. This fit nicely in between. I had some mixed opinions about the crust. I'm not usually a thin crust fan to begin with an...

  I went into the grocery store yesterday evening with the mission of picking up something for dinner but also with very little idea about what I actually wanted for dinner. After placing multiple items in my cart only to return them to the shelf a short while later, I finally gave in and went to the freezer section for something simple. Lasagna sounded good and I hadn't tried the Simek's Italian Sausage yet, so I picked one up. This was a bit more expensive than the brand I originally considered. However, I was intrigued by the promise of freshly made pasta and no preservatives. Plus, according to the back of the box, they donate one meal for every one purchased. After making it in the microwave and giving it a try, I even decided it wasn't too bad. The lasagna clearly was a pre-made frozen product and there would be no way to mistake this from something homemade or even prepared at a restaurant. I'd even go as far as to say the frozen nature of the final product also...

  I came across Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Cheese Curds at one of our local grocery stores a couple weeks ago. They were on sale for $2.50 per pack, so I picked up some to give a try. Overall, it wasn't a bad purchase. These weren't as fresh as some other cheese curds I've purchased. I mean, they didn't taste old or anything like that, but you can tell by the lack of a squeak when eating them.  That said, I thought the curds had a good flavor to them. A lot of times, you'll buy a brand of curds and all you'll taste is salt rather than cheese. That was not the case with this brand though. The curds had a mild cheddar flavor, and I couldn't taste much, if any, salt when eating them. They also proved to be filling. At first, I thought I'd end up eating the whole bag in one sitting. However, it took me about three tries to get through it, adding even more value for the lower price. Another thing I found intriguing about this brand was the wide range of ...

  I had another evening where I really didn't feel like cooking and, since I also didn't want to spend the money at a restaurant, went to the grocery store to look for something simple for dinner. I came across Screamin' Sicilian Stromboli in the freezer section and since it was on sale for $4.99 each, I picked up a couple of them for my wife and me. While I had some doubts, it turned out to be a good purchase. We ended up making these in the microwave rather than the oven. This proved to be an OK choice. The cooking tray made the outer crust crispy without it being hard and the stromboli was ready in about 7 minutes (both cooking and giving it a couple minutes after the cooking time was done).  Another thing that impressed me was how full the strombolis were. I've purchased way too many products like this that weren't much more than crust and a bunch of sauce. These had plenty of cheese, meat and vegetables. Not only did those things give these a good flavor, but ...

My wife and I both had long days, and our oldest daughter had to work last night so I decided to keep things simple by just picking up some frozen dinners. I wound up choosing the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Turkey Lasagna Bowl mostly because I'm supposed to be watching my salt intake, and it had the lowest amount of sodium of all the dinners I looked at. After having it, my opinion was mixed. I always have lowered expectations when it comes to frozen dinners and honestly wasn't really expecting all that much as a result. In that regard, I feel like this did end up what I had pretty much thought it would be. It was an OK dinner but didn't offer much in terms of pizazz.  One thing I did like about it was it was easy to make. Frozen dinners are supposed to be convenient and a surprisingly large number of them aren't. This one only needed to be popped in the microwave for a few minutes. There was no need to stir and heat it longer at a lower temperature or cook parts of ...

  My wife was in the mood for burgers last night and, since I really didn't have the energy to make them from scratch but also didn't want to spend a fortune at a restaurant, I stopped by the store for some frozen patties.  I ended up picking out the Silver T Brand Beef Chuck Patties primarily because they were on sale for $12.95, slightly less than the brand I'd normally buy. They proved to be an OK purchase. I made these on the grill , both because it was a nice day out and I've found frying patties in the house tends to lead to a lot of unwanted smoke. Since they were chuck patties, I hoped they wouldn't be as greasy as some of the other frozen brands we've purchased. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case and, as has happened on more than one occasion, I found myself contending with uncontrollable flames from the dripping grease. As far as taste goes, I had no complaints. There is always going to be a difference between frozen and fresh but, ...

  My wife had planned on making dinner last night but got distracted by a cleaning project, so I tagged in at the last minute. After wandering the store for longer than normal and unable to make up my mind about what to make, I decided to just keep things simple by grabbing a box of spaghetti pasta and sauce.  My original plan was to brown up some ground beef to go into the sauce but saw Our Family Italian Style Flame Broiled Meatballs were on sale for $5.99 per bag of 40 and because it was both more convenient and slightly less expensive, I picked them up. Overall, I think it was a good choice. A couple things I noticed about this product. First, the beef and pork meatballs weren't as greasy as some other frozen brands I've picked up at the store. This is appreciated, especially when I'm adding them to sauce because if I wanted to drain grease, I would have just gotten the ground beef. The other thing I noticed/liked about these meatballs was the taste. They were seasoned...