JeanC Reviews...

The hubby and I like to shop at Grocery Outlet where we can find quite a deals. Unfortunately, those deals don't always stick around. The stores are outlets for a reason, that being other places needing to get rid of stock. So you won't always be able to find items you love again.   When we first saw the Snapdragon Pho , we grabbed a couple to give them a try as they were gluten-free. The first flavor was the mushroom, which had a very nice flavor. The hubby tried one and he liked it also. So the next time we went in we bought more. In fact, the next several times we went we kept buying it. Eventually, we bought them out of all the flavors they had.  Snapdragon Vietnamese beef-flavored pho (photo by author) Each bowl has a packet of dried veggies, a flavor packet, and flavoring oil. The oil ranges from mild to hot, depending on your pho flavor. The look of the Vietnamese pho packets has changed recently. They are a lot more whimsical and fun. photo by author Making the pho is ...

A couple of years back I decided to invest in a good v-slicer. I'd been using some cheap ones, but they only sliced one thickness and I wanted more flexibility. So I picked up an OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer and have been very happy with it ever since. The slicer comes with 3 different blades that change in and out easily. You can make straight cuts, crinkle cuts or julienne and the slicer can adjust to 1.5mm, 3mm, 4.5mm and 6mm thicknesses, so you could make potato chips thick or thin. I like to make scalloped potatoes and used to slice the potatoes by hand. I would end up with slices of various degrees of thickness and a cramp in my hand from holding the knife. The slicer makes quick work of the potatoes. The food holder is comfortable in my hand and the only time I have ever sliced my self of the VERY sharp blades was when I wasn't paying attention while dismantling it for cleaning. There usually is a small bit left on the holder when done that needs to...

So, we got one of our tax returns back and decided to splurge on a gadget for the kitchen. I have been looking at the Instant Pots for a while now, a lot of my online friends and fellow foodies have been getting them. I had originally looked at the DUO60 when it was on sale, but we didn't have the money at the time. Seriously glad we waited. Hubby was going to surprise me, but realized he wasn't sure which pot I wanted, so had to ask.  Like I said, looked at the DUO60, but it wasn't on sale, but the IP-LUX50 was and I had decided the LUX was just what I needed (no intention of doing yogurt and such, so don't really need the low pressure setting). The I noticed there was a new model that not only had everything I wanted, but some new extra setting AND was a 6 qt, rather than the 5 qt. And only $1 more in cost. So went for that one. Am so glad I did. The cooker came with a very nice quick reference guide, a manual and a recipe book to get you started: I do RTF...

I have been finding I prefer the spicier flavors in chips and such, so when I saw these on special, decided to give them a try. They are a much hardier chip, thicker and should stand up to thicker dips better than regular Doritos. First bite the flavor of the hot wings comes thru strong. As I nibbled tho I could barely taste any ranch flavor. It was there, but more of a hint then something dipped in ranch. As with any of the snack chips and such with lots of seasoning on them, you will end up with red fingers and stains on your clothes, so be careful. I liked them tho, a different heat than some of the other hot and spicy munchies I have tried. I will get them again when the mood strikes, but will also grab some sour cream and make a ranch dip to go with them.

I am always on the look out for pasta that I can eat. I have one brand of brown rice pasta that I love, but it is a bit on the pricey side for our budget, so I usually only buy the spaghetti for special occasions. So I was happy to see that the Grocery Outlet we shop at in Lewiston ID has started carrying more gluten free products and in specific brown rice spaghetti. So I grabbed a couple of packages. I decided that I had to do spaghetti for dinner that weekend, so I started my sauce and when it was close to dinner time, broke out my favorite pasta pot. Filled it with water, tossed in some salt and set it to boil. Once boiling I added the spaghetti and set my timer for 7 minutes (instructions were for 7-10 minutes). At 7 minutes it was getting there and was pretty much at the right texture by 10 minutes. I drained the pasta and then set to plating and topping with it with sauce and cheese and it was dinner time. The flavor of the pasta was good, hubby actually prefers bro...

Last month I was in Vancouver WA and wandered into the Grocery Outlet there on the advice of a friend who said they carried gluten free pastas and picked up a few packages of various types the above tube pasta, shell pasta, fusilli, spaghetti and fettuccine. I haven't tried the long pastas yet, opting for the shell pasta to start as I wanted to do a pasta salad on a recent hot weekend. I read the instructions and grabbed my favorite pasta pot and set to work. At 9 minutes I found the pasta to be still very crunchy, so kept it cooking. I also found the water thickened quite a bit and that my favorite pasta pot was much too small to cook a whole package (it works with regular wheat pastas) and even cooking it longer couldn't get it to the texture that would be acceptable for both hubby and I (I prefer al dente, he prefers softer and I can usually come up with a compromise). I drained the pasta and rinsed it and let it cool down and then proceeded to make a pasta salad with ...

I do love going to the dollar store, you can find all sorts of things that are good (and a few that aren't, but that will be another review. On one of my most recent trips I found a corned beef hash I'd never heard of: The one problem with dollar stores tho is you can't always get the same brand of something you like. I've been haunting their food aisle for a while since they used to carry another brand of corned beef hash I loved, but haven't stocked it in a while. So I picked up the can to check the ingredients list and saw the lovely words "contains no allergens". YAY! Gluten-free! Food manufacturers manage to sneak gluten products into some of the oddest items, so it was nice to see I could eat it safely. My favorite way to have corned beef hash is fried, topped with an egg or two, sunny side up. Alas, since I decided these were for lunches at work I had to settle for heated up in the microwave. Corned beef hash is naturally greasy, esp th...