I received a manufacturer’s coupon from Peanut Butter & Co. for a free jar of any flavor. This is no ordinary peanut butter; the company makes specialty flavors including White Chocolate Wonderful, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, and Dark Chocolate Dreams. I think I spent 20 minutes in the aisle reviewing all the flavors available before making my choice.

Bertolli kindly sent me some samples a while back, and I finally got a chance to try the Four Cheese Rosa Sauce. I decided to pair it with a mix of whole wheat pasta and steamed asparagus. The dish was good, but nothing special. There are other jarred sauces I like, but this one had a certain artificial taste. It’s also fairly high in calories and fat (110 kcal and 10g fat per 1/4 cup). I am glad I got the chance to try it, but I would not purchase it myself.

This sauce was provided to me as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. I was not compensated in any other manner for this product review.

During my recent trip to Florida, I visited the Sarasota Farmer’s Market. It was so crowded, and very difficult to take pictures! But I did pick up a few things, including this No Sugar Added Cherry Jam from Wienke’s. You might wonder why a Wisconsin based company is selling products at a farmer’s market in Florida. Maybe they were on spring break too, I didn’t think to ask.

The jam has a great texture, and I like that you can see the cherries. But it definitely has a tart flavor, and since I expect jam to be at least somewhat sweet, I haven’t quite gotten used to it. I might try mixing it into some yogurt next!

Where has this product been all my life!? I was complaining one day about how I hated opening up a can of tomato paste when I needed just a tablespoon or two for a recipe, and you guys told me to look for it in a tube. About a month ago, I found it at the grocery store when I needed just a bit of tomato paste for the Mushroom Bourguignon. And it came in really handy last week when I was whipping up the dressing for the Pepperoni Pizza Salad. There are no added ingredients, just tomato paste and salt. You can easily squeeze it right from the tube into a measuring spoon and there’s no mess. I highly recommend this product – there will always be a tube in my refrigerator from now on.

Note: I purchased this product at retail value, and was not compensated in any way to try this product or write a review.

Many food bloggers rave about Barney Butter, and I finally got a sample so I could try it myself. The samples I received were actually the single serving packets, which were very convenient, both for portability and portion control.

But it’s really what’s inside the package that counts, right? The almond butter is very smooth and creamy, and I liked the flavor. It was a nice addition to a weekend pancake. As far as nut butters go, I think I am loyal to peanut, but the almond butter was a good change. However, the packets weren’t as convenient as I thought; it took some kneading and squeezing to really get the product out, so I would be more likely to buy a jar.

I like to keep a brownie mix around the house, you know, just in case there is a baking emergency. Of course, these emergencies almost never happen, and then I spy the box on the top shelf of the cabinet and decide my chocolate craving qualifies as an emergency.

It’s been a while since I highlighted something new from the produce market, but this week I picked up a Cara Cara Navel Orange. It promised to be pink, and I figured that would definitely brighten up a long winter week. Although the sections looked like pink grapefruit, the taste was all orange. It was a fine orange, but nothing special. Although, it did make me think about sometime very soon when I can visit an actual orange grove…..

I bought this bag of Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf a while ago. In fact, I can’t even remember if I bought it at a conventional grocery store, or a specialty store. I was enticed by the convenience; 60-90 seconds in the microwave. I was saving it for a ‘rainy day’ when I needed a quick whole grain side dish, and didn’t have time to boil water. So, between work and finals and the holidays, the rainy day arrived and I happily reached for the pilaf in my cabinet.

I put the contents in a glass bowl, added a splash of water, and popped it in the microwave. And there you have it, 7 grain pilaf! I loved the nutty texture, but it did taste very plain. So the next night I added some Parmesan cheese, which definitely helped. This would have been great with some chopped veggies to make a quick grain salad.

But when I searched for the product on Kashi’s site to create a link, I couldn’t find it! Amazon says the plain pilaf in the bag is discontinued, although there are 2 other flavored varieties. So I had a product review for a product which was no longer available! I decided to share this anyway, because it is a great concept, and the perfect type of food to keep in your pantry for those crazy days.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for reviewing this product. I purchased this product at retail value.