Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Brookside Crunchy Clusters

I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite chocolate snack.  Brookside Crunchy Clusters. 

I had never heard of Brookside before I got this product to sample from Crowdtap. I don't know where they have been hiding my whole life, but I have found them now and will never lose them again. 

I am usually not a big fan of dark chocolate because it tends to taste a little bitter to me. This is not the case with Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunch Clusters. The magical fruit flavors put inside the chocolate balance out the dark chocolate and make it delicious. How delicious? Well, lets just say this poor little bag only lasted about 2 days. In fact, my husband went and found them at our local Walmart and bought me another bag. Such a good husband. He also brought me home the Brookside Acai & Blueberry flavor to try. That is greatness as well. 

I call this product a chocolate snack because to call it candy is mean. It tastes so much better than candy. Move over M&M's, I've found a new chocolate to call my own. :)

I highly recommend this product to everyone that loves chocolate. Give it a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.



*I received this product for free from Crowdtap to sample and review. All opinions in this post are mine and mine alone.*

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Campbell's Tasters Sample and Share

Ah, first blog post of the year and it is for a great sample and share that I got from Crowdtap and Campbell's. I was sent tons of full size Campbell's products to use and share with others. This campaign was a blast. I had so much creating some very yummy dishes with these products.


Let's start with the simple products, the soups. 

The SpaghettiO's Micros was just what you would expect from spaghettio's. Only difference is it came in a microwavable container. I would actually prefer just buying it in a can and heating it in a bowl because I had difficulties removing the plastic covering. Otherwise, this is still a great product, just different packaging.

The Slow Kettle Style Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup was pretty very tasty. I like chicken soup and this was a good version of it. Great for a warm day. There is however quite a bit of sodium in it which I don't like, but I have come to expect that with prepared soups. Based on the sodium content I would probably not buy this again.

The only great thing I can say about Campbell's Chunky Soup in the Beer-n-Cheese with Beef & Bacon flavor is that I didn't spend any money on it. An overwhelming smell of beer hit me when I opened the can. That almost turned me off from trying it. But I heated it up and tried it anyway. The name definitely fits the soup. I'm not even really sure what the rest of the flavors tasted like because all I really tasted was beer and a cheese like flavor. Not only did the taste put me off but the amount of sodium in this soup is ridiculous. 790 mg of sodium per serving. FYI, there are two servings in this can.  This is definitely NOT a soup I will be buying in the future.

Now on to the fun products. I love to cook so I had a good time using this products.

First up is the Skillet Sauces Creamy Parmesan Chicken.  This was tasty. Not exactly blow my socks off good, but for a packaged sauce it was decent. If you don't know how to make your own creamy sauces, than this is a good product to buy.



I actually know how to make alfredo sauce from scratch so I don't buy it in a jar. But if you don't know how to make it, Prego's Light Homestyle Alfredo is the alfredo sauce you want to buy. It was delicious for a jarred sauce. My husband doesn't eat alfredo so I actually made two meals with this sauce. I made just plain ole chicken alfredo. I also made pasta with the alfredo sauce and baked pork chops. Man it was yummy.
  

This next product surprised me.  Campbell's Condensed Creamy Poblano & Queso Soup.  I decided to make the Creamy Poblano Mac and Cheese recipe that came in my little recipe booklet with the food. I left out quite a few of the ingredients because I didn't have them on hand but the basics were there...cheese, milk, pasta.  I didn't think my husband was going to like it so I even made some boxed stuffing for him.  Surprisingly the stuffing wasn't touched. The macaroni was delicious. Definitely a repeat dish.



And lastly on my Campbell's sample tour is the Swanson Traditional Cream Starter. This is perhaps my favorite product of all that I tried. From the moment I got this product I knew what it was going to make...Potato Soup. What is better than Potato soup on a rainy day? The answer is more potato soup. Once again I kind of followed the recipe in the booklet. I used garlic and onion powder instead of fresh and no green onions where to be found in my kitchen. I also topped my soup with some sour cream. It was amazing.  My only disappointment was that the soup vanished far too quickly. I bought two more boxes of the cream starter when I went shopping so I can make more. This product is awesome. It is convenient and works great.


I was also sent a Campbell's Soups for Easy Cooking in Savory Portobello Mushroom flavor and a coupon for one V8 Vegetable Juice Cocktail. Neither my husband nor I are fond of mushrooms so I am going to share that product with my mom. And I forgot to buy the Vegetable Juice Cocktail. So no reviews on them.

All in all, this was the best sample share I have ever participated in. The products were great,easy to use, and filled my belly. :) Thanks Campbell's and Crowdtap!!!

*I received these products for free from Crowdtap. I was not paid for these reviews and all opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone*