Steven Helmer Publications

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...

Our church had outdoor services in the park last weekend and, as part of that, we were all asked to bring a dish to pass. Since we were stopping by Costco the day before anyway, I decided to just pick up something there (both more convenient and, in most cases, cheaper than making something from scratch). Originally, I had planned on getting a tray of pre-made sandwiches. However, as we were passing the refrigerated section, we ended up picking up a container of Country Maid Country Classic Potato Salad. Our decision to do this was based solely on price. The potato salad was just $5.99 (compared to $12.99 for the salads) and the container was large enough for multiple people to have some. As it turns out, however, it wasn't as good of a purchase as we originally thought it would be. I, personally, don't like any kind of potato salad (definitely not my favorite). But, my wife loves it. So, when she doesn't like a particular variety of it, I take her at her word. And...

My wife came across this product in the refrigerator section of Wal-mart while doing some other shopping there. She thought it would be something I could make/eat while at the office and picked one up so I could try it. I had some doubts about this product when I first saw it, mostly because I figured it would be like the frozen Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls I've purchased before (edible but not overly great). As it turns out, it exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. I brought it to the office this morning and made it before starting my day. The instructions were very easy to follow. All I had to do was remove the lid, open the container containing the egg and the package with the potatoes meat then combine them. After that, the only thing left to do was microwave the contents (stirring on occasion) until they were cooked. Other than the fact it took about 30 seconds longer than the instructions said it would (it's a smaller microwave and, since the eggs were still runny...