Successful Brand-Name Foodstuffs

[RevDahlia]

Even the gourmiest among us sometimes resort to prepackaged and/or ready-made food items and components. Got a lead on something that comes in a package and is good?

I am awfully fond of Tasty Bite (http://www.tastybite.com/) brand instant Indian food, especially the Madras lentils and the Punjab eggplant. The latter is successful mixed with tomato soup, with yogurt on top. I must confess that I only eat Tasty Bite on camping trips, so it may not be as delicious in the confort of one's own home. On the road, though, it's perfect.

My hippie housemate likes Annie's Naturals brand salad dressing. I am not impressed with any of it except for the tahini Goddess Dressing, which is very unusual and good.

Safeway keeps having sales on Marie Callender's frozen dinners, worse luck. Tastewise they are by far the best TV dinners I've ever had; calorically they are packaged death. The chicken pot pies, especially, are uber-yummy and wretchedly bad for you. 450 calories per serving don't sound so heinous, until you realize that one pot pie represents 2.5 servings. Oh well.

[viscousmemories]

This is gonna be a good thread. Ever since I started cooking for myself last year I've totally lost the taste for processed food. It all just tastes like plastic ass to me. So I'm excited to get the tips you've given and more tips from others. I haven't had a pot pie in ages, and the last one I had was probably a generic or Banquet one. However, I had dinner in a Marie Callender's a couple months ago and watched my roomate wolf one of those pot pies down. It looked amazing.

I guess I'll add Newman's Own salad dressings, since you mentioned a salad dressing. Caesar and/or the Oil and Vinegar variety are both very good IMHO.

[lisarea]

Every now and again, I really like me some Nong Shim kim chee noodle bowls. It's just ramen, IN ITS OWN BOWL, with powdered flavoring and some little vegetable-bits, but it's good. I like it with rooster chile sauce. They also make another flavor with little fish and egg cakes that are impossibly fake and cute, but the kim chee is still the one I always get. Funny thing is, it's probably loaded with MSG, which usually tastes horrible to me, but it works for them, I guess.

I don't eat that often, largely because it makes me feel evil to eat anything that comes in a disposable bowl, but sometimes, I'm just really tired and hungry and stuff, and I eat disgusting crap.

Also: Kirkland brand yogurt. The only problem is that you have to buy a whole flat of it at once, and sometimes, that's too much.

[RevDahlia]

I don't eat that often, largely because it makes me feel evil to eat anything that comes in a disposable bowl, but sometimes, I'm just really tired and hungry and stuff, and I eat disgusting crap.
Although I haven't encountered the insta-kimchee I sometimes pack Annie Chun's (http://www.worldpantry.com/anniechun/home.html) instant udon noodles in my lunchbox to take to work. It's a similar deal, complete with disposable bowl. I save the bowls and use them to keep small amounts of leftovers in, so I don't feel so evil. (They fall apart after a couple of iterations, but that's better than chucking them right off the bat. I think.)

Annie's udon is pretty great. Annie's teriyaki noodles may be the vilest thing I've ever put in my mouth. Ever. Stick to the udon or you'll be sorry.

[pescifish]

I'll vouche for Annie Chun's Miso Soup (sold at Trader Joe's around here).

We served some Kirkland (i.e., Costco) Red Potato Salad at a party last weekend that really surprised me -- it was excellent!

There's a prepackaged Chinese Chicken Salad at Costco that is always a crowd pleaser, too. You get chicken, noodles, almonds, asian dressing, but you supply the greens and some assembly required.

I'm actually a little surprised that I can't come up with many items for this thread. I am definitely not a gourmet cook, but I guess I mostly eat fresh, roasted or grilled stuff.

[Goliath]

You people have access to pre-packaged Indian and Korean food?

[Homer Simpson] Stupid midwest with it's stupid bland...non-Indian food..[/Homer Simpson]

[viscousmemories]

You people have access to pre-packaged Indian and Korean food?
I haven't seen the pre-packaged stuff (or looked yet really) but I ate lunch at an Indian buffet today; one of two within a mile of my house. For some reason the fact that I can say that here in the land of oil and cattle really surprises me. Pleasantly.

[Dingfod]

If I had a million dollars, I wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner.

But, I would. ;)

[RevDahlia]

You people have access to pre-packaged Indian and Korean food?

[Homer Simpson] Stupid midwest with it's stupid bland...non-Indian food..[/Homer Simpson]
Tasty Bite is totally available via mail-order. (http://www.tastybite.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=T)

Once you get your Tasty Bite, it is your job to dose it with a liberal amount of hot sauce and serve it with raita on the side.

Raita
Finely chop one smallish clove of garlic. Acquire a scant handful of fresh mint, and chop it as finely as you can. Juice a couple of limes (remove seeds.)

Chop one extremely beautiful cucumber very fine.

Add garlic, cucumber, mint, and the merest smidge of salt to about 2.5 cups plain lowfat yogurt. There you have it.

With raita, some basmati (or regular white) rice and a handful of thawed frozen peas, your mail-order Tasty Bite will be teh yumm0rz.

[livius drusus]

It's all about the Amy's (http://www.amys.com/), imo. Great enchiladas, great mac and cheese (particularly if you add liberal amounts of salt, pepper, garlic powder), great, incredibly great, marvelous Country Vegetable Pie with huge broccoli chunks and lentils and shiitake, oh my!

I love Amy's.

[D. Scarlatti]

Usinger's brats, Frank's Polish Style Kraut, Plochman's Gourmet Dijon Mustard,* and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.

I'm sorry, but I refuse to purchase brand-name cheese.

* Squeezable, and now with California Chardonnay.

[Goliath]

Tasty Bite is totally available via mail-order. (http://www.tastybite.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=T)

Once you get your Tasty Bite, it is your job to dose it with a liberal amount of hot sauce and serve it with raita on the side.

Raita
Finely chop one smallish clove of garlic. Acquire a scant handful of fresh mint, and chop it as finely as you can. Juice a couple of limes (remove seeds.)

Chop one extremely beautiful cucumber very fine.

Add garlic, cucumber, mint, and the merest smidge of salt to about 2.5 cups plain lowfat yogurt. There you have it.

With raita, some basmati (or regular white) rice and a handful of thawed frozen peas, your mail-order Tasty Bite will be teh yumm0rz.

Excellent! Thanks, Rev. :)

[Dlanod]

If I had a million dollars, I wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner.

But, I would. ;)

Would you buy really expensive ketchup with it? Perhaps the fanciest Dijon ketchup?

- Donald