Gorton's Classic Grilled Salmon Fish Fillets. $2.99 per 6.3-ounce box containing two fillets.
Bonnie: Having once caught and eaten fresh wild king salmon off the coast of Juneau, Alaska, I cringed when I saw these rectangular blocks of salmon. I knew it could be no match. It isn't, but it is pink salmon from the icy waters of the northern Pacific.
Gorton's has added grill marks and seasoned it, which is better than the more typical battering and frying. Less pleasing is the way they've cut the fish into something that looks like a deck of cards. Although it's a more realistic portion size than most Americans are used to, it's not appetizing at all.
Most important is that this salmon, like all salmon, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers, and are critical for brain development of the fetus in the last few months of pregnancy. If you don't have access to fresh salmon, this is a convenient way to get omega-3 fatty acids into your weekly dinner schedule.
Carolyn: Nowadays it's not that hard (or expensive) to find and prepare a salmon fillet. To grill one takes a lot more time and trouble. It's the intense grilled smell and taste (rare in frozen prepared foods) that makes Gorton's new Grilled Salmon Fillets worth buying (I certainly am not recommending them on the basis of their fake-looking, perfectly rectangular shape!). In fact, these fillets taste more smoky than salmony. That's good mainly if you like grilled foods as much, if not more, than fish.
Kellogg's Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat Cereal and Pop-Tarts. $2.49 per 11-ounce box of cereal and $2.79 per 22-ounce box of 12 Pop-Tarts toaster pastries.
Bonnie: Seeing the funny big white cat with his red-and-white stovepipe hat on these packages conjured up warm images of my now-grown kids sitting on my lap reading Dr. Seuss' bedtime stories. I wondered whether this champion of children's literacy would be pleased at Kellogg's using his Cat in the Hat concept to sell cereal and Pop-Tarts.
After testing these, I think Theodor Seuss Geisel (yes, there really was a Dr. Seuss, although he was not an official doctor) would not be thoroughly pleased. In fact he might turn over in his grave if he tried these sugary, artificially colored and flavored toaster pastries topped with miniature red or white candy hats and filled with a gooey red-and-white striped filling.
I don't think he'd be as upset with the cute red-and-white striped corn and oat hat-shaped cereal. At least it's modest in sugars, compared to other sweet cereals. I'd give a bowlful along with milk to youngsters as a nutritious bedtime snack while reading them one of Dr. Seuss' many wonderful books.
Carolyn: I sat there with Bonnie.
We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish we had something to do!"
We could have been writing. But we just weren't in the mood.
So we decided to try this new limited edition Cat in the Hat-themed food.
The Pop-Tarts are strawberry Pop-Tarts, decorated with little red-and-white candy hats.
In other words, they're hardly any different from Pop-Tarts with no cat.
The cereal is striped hats of puffed corn and oats as cute as can be.
They just have a mild hint of strawbe-r-r-y.
Neither could be mistaken for any kind of health food.
But the cat was so naughty — shouldn't the food be naughty, too?
So these Cat in the Hat foods are tasty, if not true eating gems.
Certainly they're a lot better than the movie that inspired them.
Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips. $2.49 per 10-ounce bag.
Bonnie: Nestle's Mint-Chocolate Morsels were an important ingredient in my Chocolate Mint Mania Bars (my name for my decadent mint brownies). When Nestle stopped making this product a couple of years ago, I had to revise my recipe to include its regular chocolate morsels and pure peppermint extract. I wondered if these new Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips might be another solution.
These worked OK, but yielded an artificial flavor. That's why I still pine for the Nestle product, made without artificial colors and with real cocoa butter. To make my transportive Chocolate Mint Mania Bars, melt 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate and 1 1/2 sticks butter. Stir in 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs (one at a time), 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Mix in 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips. Bake in a greased 9-by-13 pan in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Carolyn: Mint is one of very few food flavors I don't like. How much do I dislike it? So much that not even a pairing with chocolate — one of my favorite foods — will make me like it. Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips is a rare exception. I'm guessing it's because of the delicious dark chocolate and the fact that these are highly snackable cut-up pieces of layered peppermint candy rather than some made-up baking chip (like the cinnamon and peanut butter ones).
I certainly was not attracted by the way these chips look: moldy from the green food coloring that I don't usually see because of the way I eat Andes' regular candy (i.e., all in one bite).
© Universal Press Syndicate