Steven Helmer Publications

  I decided to keep things simple tonight and just make some Hamburger Helper for dinner. As I dug through my freezer for ground beef, I was reminded of the Honeysuckle White All-Natural Ground Turkey I purchased at Costco last month and decided to get a pack of that out instead. Even though I've heard ground turkey is supposed to be better for me, I've been reluctant to buy it after the last pack I purchased ended up having a lot of bones in it. After using this brand however, I am more willing to use it more often. One of the first things I noticed with this brand was there wasn't much grease. I cooked this up like I would with ground beef and had almost nothing that needed to be drained. The turkey did give the Hamburger Helper a different look because it came out gray in the frying pan rather than brown. However, I admittedly didn't notice any real difference in taste once it was seasoning. If I wasn't the one making dinner, I probably wouldn't have even not...

  My wife and I decided on frozen pizza for dinner last night and, while at the store, I decided to give Motor City Pizza Co. Supreme Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza a try. I've seen this product before but was turned off by the $11.99 price. However, since none of the other pizzas happened to be on sale, it wasn't much more expensive than the alternatives. As it turns out, it is now one of our favorites. There were a couple things that really stood out about this frozen pizza brand. The main one was the crust. It was thick and, thanks to the pan you bake it in, came out crispy without being too hard, just the way my wife and I like pizza. I was also surprised by the number of toppings on the pizza. A lot of other brands tend to skimp on those, but this one had a decent quantity. It both added flavor to the pizza (along with the well-seasoned sauce) and made it filling. We even have leftovers, something that is rare with frozen brands. Final Opinion: It's not a brand I'm...

  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 ...

  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...

  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 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...

Everyone else was sleeping in on this Sunday and, even though it was my birthday, I wound up getting out of bed early. Rather than pace the house, I went to the grocery store to find something for breakfast. I came across Totino's Breakfast Snack Bites in the freezer section for $8.25. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that kind of money when there were less expensive options, but I ended up giving them a try. Overall, it ended up being an OK choice. I think the thing that surprised me about these is the sausage wasn't overly spicy. I don't normally mind spicy foods but did appreciate not having that early in the morning. In fact, when combined with the cheese, it was a good flavor overall. Preparation was convenient. There are a number of ways you can prepare something like this, but I chose the fastest route, the microwave . As a result, the snack bites were ready in less than three minutes, something that can come in handy when in a hurry on a workday morning. The b...

  After slipping a bit, I've been trying to get back to being on my DASH diet . This is both because I have a physical in a couple months and because my wife's blood pressure has been a bit on the high side lately as well. As part of this, when I decided to make my skillet lasagna for dinner last night, I looked for a pasta sauce with less salt and decided to purchase a jar of Prego Lower Sodium Traditional Pasta Sauce , despite it being slightly more expensive ($2.99) than my normal brand, because the 350 mg of sodium was by far the lowest I could find on that shelf. Overall, it ended up being a decent choice. One of my biggest concerns when it comes to "heart healthy" foods is taste. In many cases, the salt that is being cut from the product was the only flavor that product had. That, however, didn't turn out to be the case with this brand. While I always doctor up jarred/canned sauces, I took the time to taste this first and it wasn't bad.  In fact, by the ...

I'm a big fan of cheese curds, mostly because I am somewhat lactose intolerant, and curds tend to be one of the few dairy products I can eat in a reasonable quantity without getting an upset stomach. I've tried quite a few brands, and Malcore's is easily one of my favorites. The first time I saw curds from this Appleton, Wisconsin-based company, I was admittedly a bit curious. Normally, you find a product like this in the grocery store's refrigerated dairy section. These, however, were displayed prominently on a table nowhere near the refrigerator. They were also a bit warm. As it turns out, that isn't the only thing different about these. For one, they are some of the freshest curds I have ever purchased. I can tell because they squeak when you eat them. Even in the dairy state, that's not always a given. In fact, I'd say the majority I've purchased over the years, even those made right here in Wisconsin, didn't squeak. Another thing I like about th...

I came across Bellatoria's Sweetee-Pies a couple weeks ago while I was picking up a couple frozen pizzas for a quick dinner. They looked interesting and were on sale for $4.99 so I picked up the cinnamon streusel variety to give a try. It ended up staying in our freezer until last night, when I finally got around to making it and discovered it was pretty good. The product is as easy to make as a frozen pizza. You just pop it in the oven for about 12 minutes, let it cool for about 90 seconds then add the frosting. I whipped this up for my wife and me after dinner and it was ready to be eaten by the time she was done taking care of a few things before we sat down to watch TV. Taste wise, I had no complaints. There is plenty of cinnamon on the streusel, giving it a cinnamon-sugar taste that was sweet without being too sweet and the frosting just added to that. The streusel was also crisp without being too hard to chew, something I know my teeth preferred. These are somewhat small, but...

I was in the mood for bacon on Saturday morning and since I needed to go to the store anyway, picked some up. I hadn't tried the Smithfield Fully Cooked Bacon before, but it was less expensive than my normal brand by about 50 cents, so I gave it a try. I wasn't disappointed. I think the thing that surprised me most about this brand was, unlike many other pre-cooked bacon products that are out there, it didn't taste overly salty. Obviously, being bacon, there is going to be some salt in it but not to the point that was all I could taste. The bacon also came out crisp in the microwave when I heated it up, something that isn't always the case with products like this and only adds to the experience, at least in my opinion. Of course, it also helps that the bacon is somewhat crisp right out of the package too, which I enjoy because sometimes I just don't want to heat it up. As is also normally the case with bacon, this was a bit greasy when cooked. However, it wasn't...

  I've seen these both at the store and advertised on TV and was interested in giving them a try. I finally did that this weekend, when I found them on sale at one of our local grocery stores for $1.50. They exceeded my expectations. The first thing I noticed about these was they were very easy to prepare. It was as simple as removing the plastic from the package, microwaving the omelets for a minute and letting it sit for two minutes. Compared to plenty of other pre-packaged breakfast items, I thought that was very convenient, something that would make these a great option if I'm in a hurry. Taste-wise, I have no complaints, other than they could have maybe used a little more cheese. The egg itself had a good flavor and the three-meat stuffing was delicious with the just right amount of seasoning to give it taste without being too spicy. The omelets also proved to be surprisingly filling. They didn't look like much, and I thought I'd still be hungry. However, that wasn...

  My wife was craving Chinese food this past weekend and, since I didn't want to drive across town and pay a fortune for takeout, I ended up in the grocery store freezer section instead. In the end, I spent slightly less than I would have at the restaurant and sacrificed some quality. This was an example of that. I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt because it was relatively affordable at $6.99 and did provide enough for my wife and me. Unfortunately, there just wasn't anything about this product that didn't scream "frozen dinner" when we ate it. First, it could have used more meat. I was able to find the pork, but there wasn't much in terms of quantity (at least not at the level shown on the box) and, when I did find a piece, it was usually kind of chewy. The peas (which did have quantity) were kind of hard and the eggs tasted like they were pre-processed and came out of a freezer. In other words, there was no way any body was going to mistake this f...

  I've had this brand in the past, but it's been at least five or six years since I last purchased it because I'm a guy who likes to shop for value and can usually find a better deal with other brands. However, I was at the store yesterday evening and discovered the No Name patties happened to be the most affordable choice and picked up a box. I made these on the grill and the first thing I noticed about them is they weren't as greasy as many of the other beef patty brands I've purchased. Yes, there was still some grease and a few flames as a result of that grease. However, the flame ups were much more sporadic, and I didn't end up with an out-of-control grease fire, as has happened multiple times before. Another thing I noticed about these burgers while grilling them is they didn't shrink nearly as much as other patties. They were still smaller than they were when I put them on the grill but were large enough to fit the bun perfectly. In comparison, I'v...

I picked these up a couple days ago because I was looking for something I could keep in my office for breakfast that was both simple and filling. The fact the bag cost less than $6 was a plus as well. After having these, I have to say they exceeded my expectations. Since the price did seem a little low compared to other brands, I was expecting a big drop off in terms of quality. However, I didn't notice any real difference between this pork sausage and a more expensive brand. I also thought the sausage had a decent amount of seasoning in it. It had flavor without being overpowering or too spicy, something I'm not a big fan of first thing in the morning. And, as I had hoped, the sausage does fill me up. Two or three patties are more than enough to last me until lunch, meaning I can get about four breakfasts out of this bag for considerably less than buying breakfast sandwiches at the convenience store up the street from my office. Final Opinion: I had lowered expectations about...

Kwik Trip was running a special on Pothole Pizzas last week, buy two and get a 25 cent/gallon discount on gasoline. Since I knew we would likely need something simple for dinner this past weekend (my oldest daughter graduated high school), I took advantage of the offer. Worst case was the pizza would just stay in our freezer for another day. I ended up picking out the Kitchen Sink pizza because of the variety of toppings on it, ranging from sausage and pepperoni to various vegetables. Overall, it ended up being a good choice. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of thin crust pizzas because I rarely feel as though I got my money's worth. That was not the case with this brand. Unlike most other thin crust frozen pizzas, this one was filling, to the point I was feeling full after only two slices rather than my usual four. A big part of the reason for this was the generous amounts of toppings on this pizza. This was especially true of the sausage, both because of the quantity and the siz...