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 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 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...

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 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 honestly didn't even know Muenster cheese curds were a thing until I happened to notice them while at the grocery store last night. I was intrigued, mostly because this one of my favorite types of cheese, and picked up a bag ($3.49). I gave them a try last night and was glad I made the purchase. One thing that really stood out for me when it came to these cheese curds is they weren't as salty as some others I've purchased. The curds had a nice mild flavor that made them enjoyable to eat and, because they weren't salty, I didn't feel like I needed to have something to drink immediately after. In fact, I liked the flavor so much, I had to force myself to put them back in the fridge because I was afraid I would wind up accidentally finishing the bag in one sitting (I still wound up sneaking a few more before getting ready for bed). I also liked how these cheese curds were cut in cubes. It's something relatively simple but it makes the product more attractive fo...

  This was another one of my purchases when I stopped at the grocery store last night. I was in the mood for some string cheese as a work snack and, since I didn't want to raid my wife's supply, figured I would try this brand. I did have some concerns about this product when I purchased it ($5.99), mostly in regards to how salty it was. I have had other string cheeses that were way too salty for me and didn't know if this particular brand would fall into that category or not. As it turns out, however, it was a decent purchase. Yes, the cheese does have a bit of a salty flavor to it, as I think I would normally expect to be the case. However, unlike the other brands I've tried, it wasn't anything that was overpowering. In other words, I could taste the salt, but I could also still taste the cheese flavor. In fact, as far as string cheese goes, I thought this was a good product overall. The sticks are larger than some other brands, making them a more-filling snack, an...

  I first noticed this item at one of our local grocery stores a couple months ago, near the dairy section. It looked interesting but I always found an excuse not to give them a try. However, I was waiting for someone to pick out a gallon of milk yesterday evening (something that apparently required some serious thought on their behalf) and, since these were only 79 cents, I picked up a couple packs of them. I decided to try the Wisconsin Cheddar variety as a snack last night and, as much as I wanted to like this item, I found I really didn't. I will admit, it is an intriguing idea and the whole "low carb" thing would be appealing to several people I know. It's just I didn't enjoy the flavor as much as I thought I would. I could taste the Wisconsin cheddar, as promised, but the snacks left a dry aftertaste in my mouth, leaving me feeling more thirsty than satisfied. To be fair, this might have just been a matter of personal preference. Cheddar cheese tends to have...