Steven Helmer Publications

  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 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...

  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...

  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 ...

  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...

  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 went to the grocery store last night looking for something simple for dinner. I had other things on my agenda yesterday evening and didn't want anything that would take long to make. As I entered the meat section, I decided on ring bologna and wound up buying the Kewaskum brand. My decision to purchase this particular brand came down to size. At first, the $7.99 price seemed a bit high, especially since I figured I would need to purchase two of them if I wanted leftovers for lunch. However, when I looked at other brands, I found the price was comparable to those and the bologna from this brand was quite a bit larger, giving me more for my money. As far as quality goes, I had no complaints. I thought the ring bologna had a good flavor to it, plenty of garlic without it being overpowering and was, at minimum, as good as better-known brands. My wife and daughters said they thought the skin was a bit on the tough side. I, however, did not think it was any tougher than I would norma...

  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...

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 ...

  My wife wasn't feeling well on Sunday, so I decided to keep dinner simple with soup and sandwiches. I picked out Campbell's Chunky Smoked Turkey with White & Wild Rice for me, mostly because it was a variety I hadn't tried before, and it looked like it would be something I'd enjoy. Well, I had that half right. I didn't end up making this Sunday because my sandwich was much more filling than expected. Instead, I brought it with me to the office for lunch the following day and when I finally gave it a try, I wasn't overly impressed. My biggest problem with this product, other than a sodium content that blew up my DASH diet with one meal, was it didn't have any sort of "wow" factor to it. Don't get me wrong, it's a canned soup and I wasn't exactly expecting something that was restaurant quality. However, I was expecting, well, more. The soup, other than the salt, was kind of bland in my opinion. I didn't really taste the smoked...