We Tried It! Campbell's Soup Kit

Friends of mine know just how much I love soup. I could eat it breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days on end without complaint. From creamy chowder, to chunky veggie delights, to ethnic wonders like Pho or borscht, I've yet to meet a soup I didn't like.  Having soup out of a can is fine for lunch, but a dinner meal seems to call for a big bubbling pot. I've tried to pull out the old slow cooker every now and again, but I'm not a morning person. I would rather make something tasty on the fly then try to pull together even a few extra brain cells before 9am. 

When I first saw the campy ads for this new product, I had my doubts. How could a pre-made product be as good as that soup that took her 4 hours? Not likely... Dried soup mix is often my last choice too, because of the salt content and the lack of real substance I feel often results. In fact, I passed over this exact product several times before putting it in my cart for this and two more reasons; the price was often listed at $4.29, which is a tad high, and it clearly states that the product requires not only the package, but also broth and fresh ingredients. If you aren't into meal planning, you could very easily use the ingredients meant to go with your package separately, and never have them handy when you actually wanted soup.

This week during our grocery shop, it just so happened that the store had these kits on sale for $.99, and vegetable broth for $1.25 - a steep discount on each. I noticed that it also called for zucchini, which was already in my basket, so I decided to give it a shot. The instructions claimed the bag served 4-6, so at under $.75 a serving, the value definitely seemed to be there.

After having opened the package and the broth, I realized that the soup also called for sweet potato. It's something I have in the house on occasion, but didn't today. I decided to cut up an equivalent amount of regular PEI's and add a little on to the cooking time to account for the swap out. 

I have to say, the first waft of aroma wasn't at all what I was expecting. There was a highly spiced, almost curry like smell that made me think the flavour was going to be very strong. I mean, the package said "Spiced," but the zucchini led me to expect something more Mediterranean for some reason. It also had that distinct packaged soup mix quality. The concerning freeze-dried texture that makes you wonder if it will take forever to soften or turn immediately to mush.

At the half hour mark, the soup was perfectly cooked and ready to taste. It was good, but my Eastern flavour profile expectation was dead on. Curry is not something I'm always in the mood for, but it worked out tonight. My son was not at all interested, however. The bean mix was nicely softened, and but not convincingly "fresh." Zucchini, sweet potato, and lemon juice are not enough to make it shine. I'm not sure if fresh spinach or plain yoghurt might add something that it's lacking.

Having served my husband and I each one large bowl, there wasn't much left in the pot. A lunch serving at best. I have no idea how they thought 6 people could possibly share... as a small appetizer, I suppose? For dinner, with some crackers or a roll, 4 is a stretch.  Overall, as something to keep in your cupboard (if you're willing to be flexible on the fresh additions the packaging recommends), it's not bad. It was totally worth the money I invested, but I'm not sure a price tag of over $3 will keep it on the shelves. I image it will be discontinued, so look for it in a clearance bin near you!

We Tried It! Pillsbury Ready-Made Sugar Cookie Dough

I love sweets, but I have exactly zero willpower. A box of cookies is a very dangerous thing to have on hand, so I don't often put one in the cart as a safety precaution. I also love baking, within reason... I have so little time on my hands with a toddler that a multi-step, chill, roll-cut-repeat sugar cookie just seemed out of the question. Or is it? I've seen tubes of oh so tempting chocolate chip cookie dough in the grocery store refrigerator before, but this week I saw something new - pre-made sugar cookie dough, ready to slice and bake, or cut and decorate with your brood. I love this idea, especially for this time before a helper with patient measuring is an option, so I'm trying it out!

I paid $3.49 for my roll of dough. This article is not sponsored, and this is a true reflection of how I felt baking cookies while my toddler slept and my husband played video games.

I decided to try both styles of preparation to see what worked better. Slice and go seemed straight forward, but the dough is a little crumbly, and maintaining an equal cut wasn't exactly easy. I'm not sure if a bigger knife would have made a difference. Or heating the knife, like you would a spoon for ice cream? I don't know...

I also rolled out half with flour as suggested and cut out shapes with my one Christmasy cutter, a tree shape. This was way harder. The fat component (vegetable oil, I assume) made the dough very greasy when left unchilled for too long. You really need to work quickly - something that would be hard with young children. It also stuck terribly to the counter, so moving the shapes was kinda tricky despite the flour. If you were the kind of baker that had a Silpat baking mat this probably wouldn't be an issue. Then again, if you have a Silpat, you're not often making Pillsbury.

I was a little worried that my well-intentioned sugar ovals would bake inconsistently, but they rounded out nicely and cooked evenly.  Then again, the package really didn't explain how much these babies would expand. I spaced my 24 cookies over 3 baking sheets and they still puffed up to probably 3 times their size. I would suggest a smaller cookie cutter could yield double the cookies with great results.

While the first cookies baked, I decided to create a side experiment; I wondered whether it would be easier to decorate the cookies before or after the baked. Then I realized, I had very little decorating "stuff." I always have chocolate chips in the house (who doesn't?), so I brought those out. Then I remembered I had some gel icing writers and sprinkles left from my son's first birthday cake. Blue and brown aren't exactly "holiday" colours, I suppose, but why not?

The baked-in decorations worked really well and would be better for decorating with really young kids. A small assortment of chocolate, sprinkles, or candies just to give the cookies a bit of personality. It's just beige dough after all. I had more fun with the after cookies though, and I think older kids would too. Making fun icing shapes and intricate patterns. The gel pens worked great for this and with some patience you could get some great detail. A fun idea for a teacher gift, maybe?

Taste-wise, they were pretty darn good. They are not a chewy cookie by any means if that's your thing, not that they are meant to be, and they have a bit of a "store bought" quality to them. I don't think you could fool anyone in to thinking you baked these from scratch, but that's okay. Ironically, I liked them more than my toddler, so I don't know what that says. Largely kids are excited about any kind of cookie. Overall, considering the fun of the Christmas cookie "experience," I think it's pretty great. Quick to the point, fun for a cold afternoon indoors after tobogganing or making a snowman. I give it 4 out of 5.

Have you tried this product before? What do you think? 

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