Non-Homemade You Love

I buy some heat-it-up soup now and again and a nuke-a-whatever for a quick bite once in a while on the way home after work. It takes me far too long to choose something. I'm always comparing labels for ingredients, sodium content, etc.

With that in mind, here's what I just "dined" on along with a glass of Shiraz/Cabernet blend from our friends in Oz. Gia Russa's a brand that I've been impressed with since its inception, and it's local to me. IMHO great stuff in general, and no affiliation on my part.

This is the "Italian Style Vegetable Soup" which looks a whole lot like typical canned pasta sauce when opened and spooned/poured out. But, boy was it good. Nice little heat kick from the crushed red pepper, too. Very fresh tasting as the label so subtly states. Comes in a mason jar type package.

Their entire line impresses. They even have a culinary center where cooking classes are held for the public with legitimate cooking. Not just "here's how to use our stuff" marketing bs.

You don't much see ingredient labels like this. Gotta love it. Do you have any favorite brands/products available somewhere besides Trader Joe's, Costco or WFM?

ingredients.JPG

The most common food off the grocers' shelf we use is canned beans from a Maine producer. We can get yellow eye, soldier, Jacop's cattle, etc. We usually still "doctor" them with a little more molasses and mustard. Not as good as "scratch" but much, much easier.

Fred, it's funny you should bring this up because I was just thinking about this very thing and got too lazy to start a thread.

Here's my list. Okay to mention brands? I swear I'm not a stock-holder in any.

1) Cipriani Pasta (have only been able to find at Fresh Market and online) - It's the pasta they serve at Harry's Bar in Venice. Amazing.
2) Raincoast Crisps - Crackers with neat ingredients. The package I'm currently enjoying has Cranberry and Hazelnuts. They go wonderfully with soft cheeses.
3) La Brea Bakery Italian bread (round loaf). Makes great toast after a day or two.

I'm sure I will think of others after I hit "submit."

How very nice to see no mention of any sugars on the label!!!

[Robin Garr]

I like Red Gold canned tomatoes, which are produced in the major tomato belt of Northeastern Indiana and Northwestern Ohio and distributed throughout the region. I've found them of very high quality - not for slicing on salads, of course - but fine for cooking during the season when local farm and garden tomatoes aren't happening. I prefer them to Muir Glen, and they certainly have a smaller carbon footprint.

[Jenise]

Major confession: canned tamales. Classy? No. Gourmet? No. A substitute for the real thing? No. Healthy? Hell no. But I grew up on them (for breakfast, no less) and love them all the same, especially if I have a hangover. Fortunately for me, I have now moved out of distribution range of the brand I love, Gebhardts, so they're a nonevent any more but if things were different there would always be a can in the pantry.

Raincoast Crisps - Crackers with neat ingredients. The package I'm currently enjoying has Cranberry and Hazelnuts. They go wonderfully with soft cheeses.

I'll second that! I am currently enjoying Salty Date and Almond. Mmmmm!

Well... gotta look for Raincoast Crisps, they sound great! And I'm always a sucker for some good cheese. Wish I had both right now.

Red Gold tomatoes - I've heard of those before but never seen them. I went to the Red Gold website and I see that Redpack is also their brand. I do buy Redpack tomatoes, I imagine it's the same thing. Good stuff. Apparently they also do a lot of private label store brands too.

Canned tamales, hmmm. I don't think I've ever even HAD a tamale but they've always sounded good. Didn't I read somewhere not long ago that our fearless leader was munching them in a photo opp still in the wrapper? That must have been real good...

Major confession: canned tamales. Classy? No. Gourmet? No. A substitute for the real thing? No. Healthy? Hell no. But I grew up on them (for breakfast, no less) and love them all the same, especially if I have a hangover. Fortunately for me, I have now moved out of distribution range of the brand I love, Gebhardts, so they're a nonevent any more but if things were different there would always be a can in the pantry.

Jenise, I think you can buy Gebhardts tamales online. I used to love a brand of Tamale Pie, IXL, loved it when traveling in the RV with the kids or just to have for lunch when it was just me at home. Now a local grocery store makes them fresh and I love theirs, as well.
There are many non-homemade products I buy, canned tomatoes, beans, mainly pantry staples. As far as commercial prepared foods, only one thing comes to mind. Years ago when we'd come home from trips, we would stop at Safeway in an adjoining town and pick up a large box of Banquet Fried Chicken with a box of Macaroni and Cheese (brand unknown) I love both, and so did the tired kids. I'd make a green salad to relieve my guilty mind of giving them junk food. Harrison Ranch has some decent meats prepared in boxes, but they all taste the same. I've use those for RV trips, as well. Sometimes it is pouring rain, and I really don't want Gene out grilling.
I have really not found any prepared, commercial, ready to eat, meal that I love, in a few years.

How very nice to see no mention of any sugars on the label!!!

And no sodium benzoate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, red dye no. gazillion, partially hydrogenated motor oil, yada, yada yada.

Harrison Ranch has some decent meats prepared in boxes, but they all taste the same. I've use those for RV trips, as well. Sometimes it is pouring rain, and I really don't want Gene out grilling.

Before we go on an RV trip, which coincidentally we are on one now--on our way back to CA (Hooray!), I usually go to Costco and stock up on some of their pre-prepared dinners-in-a-box. All of them have been quite edible...stuffed peppers, Mexican style chicken casserole, etc., but we did have one that we particularly enjoyed. It was a spinach and turkey lasagna made by Huxtable that I would absolutely go out of my way to buy again. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find it again.

Harrison Ranch has some decent meats prepared in boxes, but they all taste the same. I've use those for RV trips, as well. Sometimes it is pouring rain, and I really don't want Gene out grilling.

Before we go on an RV trip, which coincidentally we are on one now--on our way back to CA (Hooray!), I usually go to Costco and stock up on some of their pre-prepared dinners-in-a-box. All of them have been quite edible...stuffed peppers, Mexican style chicken casserole, etc., but we did have one that we particularly enjoyed. It was a spinach and turkey lasagna made by Huxtable that I would absolutely go out of my way to buy again. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find it again.

I'm still working on finding some we would buy again Carrie. I get tired spending the money for prepared foods and not liking them. I've made note of the ones you suggested. I hear good things about Costco's products, and have tried some of the appetizers...I did not care for them. I did have a very good quiche from Costco at a meeting once, so the next time I was at Costco, I looked up the nutrition info and the calorie count was awful. Same with their frozen meatballs, one recommended type was 150 calories for four small meatballs.

Jenise, I grew up eating canned tamales -- my Dad had grown up in Denver, and after I was born we were at the Army Air Force base in Roswell New Mexico. So both of my parents had a taste for Tex Mex and passed it on to me.

When my son was young he loved them too.

Recently, what with Mexican immigration to NJ followed by Mercados -- I bought some Masa Harina and when I smelled it, started dreaming about making my own tamales. You know what is in tamales besides masa? Lots and lots of LARD.

I have seen you writing in other topics about not eating cheese, etc. I wonder how obvious it is from the nutritional information on those canned tamales how much lard there is in them???

Not meaning to rain on your parade. You've reminded me how much I love those things (which I have not had in years) and probably I'm gonna be having them some time in the next week or two.