PC The Decadent Molten Chocolate Cakes & PC White Cheddar & Rosemary Flavoured Mini Cheese Crackers

The President’s Choice line is responsible for some very yummy things however, every now and then it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Recently, I came across two PC products that I will not be picking up again.

The first is the PC The Decadent Molten Chocolate Cakes. According to the reviews on this page, people love these things but personally, I found them bland and rather disappointing. The chocolate ganache centre is tasty, I’ll give them that, but it’s not enough to make up for the dry cake that surrounds it and there isn’t enough chocolate to saturate the cake into something I want to eat.

President's Choice Chipotle & Cheese Baked Crisps

The review on this product’s PresidentsChoice.ca’s webpage sums up my thoughts on these crackers perfectly: “Please please please DO NOT EVER get rid of these!!”

Like the person who wrote that review, I love these baked crisps (the fancy way to say “crackers”).  Made aged Cheddar and Asiago cheeses, this product combines two of my favourite flavours, cheese and chipotle, into a crispy, tasty cracker.

The chipotle flavour isn’t overly strong but it’s definitely there, giving these crackers a smoky-spicy flavour that works amazingly well with the cheese flavours.

President Choice’s Blue Menu Sirloin Lean Beef Burgers vs. Backyard Beef Burgers

This is a bit of an odd review because it’s for two items that I didn’t personally try: President Choice’s Blue Menu Sirloin Lean Beef Burgers and Backyard Beef Burgers.

I don’t eat beef so that’s why I didn’t try them. However, my husband and several guests recently tried both of those burgers and there was such clear winner that I figured that I might as well write up a quick entry about them.

We recently had a BBQ and for some reason, decided to offer two different types of burgers. I assumed that since they were both PC products and were both all-beef, both burgers types would be quite similar. Turns out I was wrong.

Charras Tostada Chipotle & President’s Choice Pepperoni Wood-fired Thin Crust Pizza

One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of the stuff I liked and didn’t like, so that I wouldn’t re-buy the same disappointing crap. This entry is going to the perfect example of this.

Something I Liked: Charras Tostada Chipotle 

A friend introduced me to these corn tostadas a couple years ago however, it was only this weekend that I found out their exact name (she brought me some in a bag and thanks to this blog entry, I’m going to remember that name).

That bag also says things like “Original Traditional” and “The Real Mexican Flavor”. I have no idea if these tostadas are actually “authentic” (though they are made in Mexico) but I do know that they are very tasty and make for a great snack.

They’re quite thin and very crunchy, with a chipotle bite that’s not too strong for my white girl mouth.

President's Choice Belgian Chocolate Square Baking Mix

Need to bring a baked good to an upcoming family gathering/office potluck/lazy friend’s party but can’t really bake? Then I suggest checking out President’s Choice Belgian Chocolate Square Baking Mix.

This product is super easy to make (in addition to the mix, you need water, oil and two eggs) but looks more impressive than your typical brownie mix because you get to drizzle it in melted-at-home dark chocolate. Besides looking fancy, this is a very tasty touch.

President’s Choice Cranberry & Pomegranate Temptations

I never would have picked President’s Choice Cranberry & Pomegranate Temptations cookies off the grocery store shelf. While I enjoy both of those fruit flavours it never would have occurred to me that they could be combined into an amazing, sweet-and-buttery cookie.

Thankfully my co-worker Bev, who also runs My Daily Bread food blog, brought a box into the office and shared the yumminess that is these cookies.

I’m generally not one for fruit-flavoured cookies and I’m particularly wary of those that contain “jelly” (these cookies are really two butter cookies, one with a fruit-and-sugar jelly center, stuck together with a flavoured cream) but I love these. For whatever reason, the cranberry and pomegranate flavours combine wonderfully with the rich, buttery cookie part and just really, really work.

They work so while that if you have a holiday party to go to, I say toss a box of these into a festival tin and then prepare to watch them be devoured.

Sadly, these cookies are only available for a limited time (I’m guessing just for the holidays) so I guess I’m going to have stock up on them before they’re gone.

Would I buy this again: Yes
Should you buy it: Yes

Two New Dinner Items

The other day at the grocery store we picked up a couple new items that we tried out last night for dinner: PC’s Splendido Risotto Quarttro Formaggo and Maple Leaf Prime Prime Chicken Tenderloins in sweet thai chili.

Yes, that’s an odd pairing and one I probably wouldn’t repeat but I would definitely buy both of these products again.

Let’s start the chicken. I generally enjoy Maple Leaf’s Prime line and while I know it’s not the cheapest way to buy chicken, I don’t really care because it’s tasty and easy to prepare. The chicken tenderloins continued that tradition of being yummy, juicy and quick and easy to cook.

This version came with a “tangy sweet finishing sauce” that both Shawn and I liked, meaning that you’ll probably like it to since Shawn and I generally have different sauce tastes. It does have a touch of spiciness but I certainly wouldn’t say that this is a “spicy sauce”.

The only downside to this product is that while there was enough chicken and sauce for two two-person meals, the sauce isn’t in a re-sealable bag. I guess this meal was intended for a family of four.

The PC risotto was also intended to serve four people as a side but Shawn and I some how managed to eat all of it. It was creamy, appropriately textured and even though it contained my most hated food, the onion, it was still tasty.

OK, if you know how to cook and make risotto from scratch, you probably won’t be amazed by this item but if you’re a lazy cook like me, you'll likely enjoy it.

Would I buy this again: Yes

Should you buy it: Yes

President’s Choice Emilia-Romagna Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli

Tonight for supper we had what I call “the good pasta”, better known as President’s Choice’s Emilia-Romagna Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli.  

I love this stuff but I don’t always see it on sale in my local Loblaws; perhaps it’s always selling out because it’s so yummy?

This product is made in Italy, I suspect by a team of Italian grandmothers who know all the secrets on how to make a grocery store “fresh” pasta that tastes better than most restaurant fresh pastas. The pasta part is delicate and appropriately “eggy” while the stuffing is rich, creamy and very favourful, but without being overwhelming.

The only downside to this product is that each package contains a mere 250 grams of pasta, not quite enough to satisfy two pasta-loving people. 

And though this is a President Choice’s product, the price (between $4-$5) is comparable to a similar name brand product but really, it’s $5 for the best fresh pasta you’re going to find in a Loblaws.

Would I buy this again: Yep
Should you buy it: Yes!