Erik HOMEMADE Coffee Break eZine

Aunt Nee's Salsa Mix review

How great can a salsa mix that claims "just add 1 can of tomatoes" be? Really, how much zip could it have? Or "pop in the mouth" mexican goodness? Aunt Nee can sure keep her promises!

We found this unassuming little packet of spice mix at our local market, near the gourmet tortilla chips...and thought it was too good to be true! Who could resist? After all, we could make this anytime...simple enough...just add a can of tomatoes (or fresh ones,if you like)! And ready in 30 seconds or less!

We set out to put the packet and Aunt Nee to the test!

The instructions said that the rendered salsa is best served cold, and suggested keeping the can of tomatoes in the refrigerator so the salsa would be cold right off! Since we wanted the BEST experience, we used a cold can! It was wonderfully easy to dump the can of diced tomatoes into a mixing bowl and mash in the spice packet! The resulting aroma was only a hint at the taste...warm, rounded, with a bit of lime! 10, 2o, bearly 30, seconds to yummy! That was all it took! And who can't mash...or simply stir for that matter!

The salsa was ready in 30 seconds!! But we must admit, it was even better after an overnight stay in the refrigerator...the next day our mild blend had mellowed and truly become the salsa we dreamed of! The hint of lime just pushed us over the top!

We even mixed the salsa with some sour cream...to make a creamy salsa...just another 5-10 seconds to more deliciousness! How great this would be on scrambled eggs ...ham...more tortilla chips...a sandwich, nachos...the tummy boggles...next for us to try: the hotter mix! Oh, and a note to Aunt Nee to tell her we are hooked! It was that easy, that fast, and that good!

If you would like to read more about Aunt Nee products or the heart-warming story behind Aunt Nee salsa mixes click here.

In the Mix Pumpkin Poundcake Mix review

Around here, we know how much friends an family appreciate a homemade treat for the Holidays, but time can be tight and even with the best laid plans, all-out baking can be a bit terrying! There is help! This time of year gourmet mixes for all sorts of tempting tasties abound! We saw the Pumpkin Poundcake Mix by In the Mix at our local market...and it shouted out for a try! 

The mix is easy--one poundcake per box, needing only fresh ingredients: milk, butter, and eggs; a little more, if you add the cream cheese glaze. We LOVE poundcake so we decided to simply make the mix as directed...start to finish. We pre-heated our oven, and greased and floured our 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, and were off and running! Straight out of the box, the cake had the most wonderful smell! Cinnamon and pumpkin! Who could miss? Milk...butter...eggs...stir...yum! Into the hot oven...the smell was even better! Out the oven, onto the cooling rack; heavenly smells! Once cool, it was time to frost. Melted butter, wisked with milk and the glaze mix...drizzled atop. And we were ready to taste!!

The poundcake was everything we hoped for and more! Heavy, moist, and full of mellow spice flavor! What a treat! We tested our cake with a toothpick (as directed on the package) after 50 minutes, and thought it needed more time; not surprizing though, our oven runs a bit slow. This poundcake was delicious!

Wind & Willow Tiramisu Mix review

 

If you have ever seen the Wind and Willow display at a specialty shop or local market, you can imagine what we went through when trying to choose a cheeseball mix for our dollhouse miniature club meeting! How can you choose with such mouth-watering flavors as Tuscan Olive or BLT? Or for the sweet tooth, Key Lime Pie or Creme Brulee. Since this was going to be "officially tasted" by our group, we decided on something a tad more impressive: Tiramisu, a mysterious treat usually reserved for a fanastic-little-Italian-restaurant dessert. 

For the simple, straight-forward, cheeseball recipe on the back of the box, the mix requires cream cheese and butter or magarine (at room temperature). We were definately going to try to impress the group, so we decided to give the intriguing recipe for "Quick and Classic Tiramisu" right below the cheeseball recipe a try. After all, it said "quick and classic"!