Milk - Deal of the Day

There is no real expiration date for my latest Deal of the Day, Gossner's U.H.T. Shelf Stable Milk, that I retrieved not from a refrigerated cold case, but from a regular room-temperature grocery shelf. I have seen this type of milk for a while now, but I never picked up a carton - until this year when I started seeing these cardboard packages in my local Dollar Tree.

Milk is extremely perishable so I stayed away from it. But at a buck for a quart of milk I thought, why not try it now?

Hey, it's just regular milk that is heated to 282 degrees and held for several seconds, then cooled to 70 degrees in a continuous pressurized system.  Basically the milk is overheated for extra shelf life, and can be stored at room temperature until you open the box. Once opened, the milk carton should be kept in the refrigerator, like regular cold milk from a cold deli case.

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This milk has no preservatives or artificial hormones, it's just plain milk. You can read all about their treatment process by clicking here. And the dairy producers Gossner, have been around since the 1940's and specialize in Swiss cheese. Upon developing their special heating and room temperature storage process, they now supply the military with milk. As you can imagine, this type of milk travels well on family vacations. And living in Los Angeles, I would add this milk to my emergency earthquake kit, too.

But the main question is, how does this milk taste? Once the milk is chilled there is no discernible difference. I have tried Gossner's 2% and whole milk, and they taste fine and rich enough. I mainly just add it to coffee and hot oatmeal.

I like that you can get a couple of cartons at a time, one to use and one to store, so you never run out during caffeinated mornings.

So how does Gossner's U.H.T. Shelf Stable Milk rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best? It tastes as good as regular milk so I have to give it a perfect 9!

Go ahead and make the plunge next time you see this type of milk on your regular grocery shelves -- you can't beat the dollar price tag.

 

Ultimate Dessert Bar - Deal of the Day

This is quite the sweet tooth satiater. My latest Deal of the Day is just desserts made by Luxe Bakehouse (trademark of Dawn Foods.)

And what a great bargain it is. You get four chewy Salted Caramel Ultimate Dessert Bars that measure two inch square, apiece --now that's a mouthful. I'm not a big dessert eater, and seldom review sweets, but this is a Deal of the Day to divine to pass up.

I picked them up at my local 99c only Store in the frozen deli case. I'm sure they will soon sell out. These Salted Caramel Ultimate Dessert Bars are even worth full price if you find them at your local grocery store. And for 99.99 cents they are well within my price point, as a cheap$kate pâtissier.

It is a multi-layer cookie/cake topped with chocolate chips. Working your way down there is a buttery white cream frosting stripped with caramel and more chocolate. You can taste hints of salt in the topping.

Under the frosting is a slab of tan colored cookie dough - slightly soft and crumbly, tasting of brown sugar. And if that isn't enough, the bottom layer is a solid cookie of dark chocolate, similar to an Oreo cookie.

Now that's a lot of flavors to take in, and you have four bars to indulge in!

The ingredient list is a long one, loaded with sugar, flour, caramel, chocolate, sea salt, condensed milk, butter, etc.

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So, on a scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, how does Salted Caramel Ultimate Dessert Bar by Luxe Bakehouse rate? Well I gotta give this Deal of the Day an 8 !

You don't want to hoover these bars every day, so I'm glad to not run across them very often. But if you find any, I recommend having your own taste test.

Nathan's Famous Hot Dog - Deal of the Day

I'm a bit nervous reviewing the following East Coast Coney Island fast food institution, as Nathan's Famous hot dogs have been served to visiting British royalty, and was a favorite snack in the 1960's Kennedy White House, often ordered by Jacqueline during the "Camelot" days. So I could be stepping on some majordomo toes here. Hot dog fanatics can be harsh in these trolling times.

These Nathan's dogs are not made locally and instead come frozen from the deli case of my local Dollar Tree. This could be a disastrous fast food frozen find, especially when heated by microwaves.

Well it's just a hot dog and can take a bit of mishandling, just like a LA Dodger Dog that's been sitting too long, over-steaming in it's foil wrapper. Surprisingly, this version of Nathan's Famous hot dog held up quite well to microwaving, after all.

microwaving Nathan's Famous

I've found it's better to microwave hot dogs, hamburgers, and breakfast sammies, in 10 to 15 second increments so both the bun and protein heat evenly. If you microwave in one try you can get a hot spot and uneven doneness. 

These deli case versions are sold stripped down, just the bun and wiener - you don't want to heat up a hot dog with it's condiments already applied, right? I added the classic toppings of mustard and pickle relish to mine after some zapping.

The bun stayed firm and tasted like a typical white flour bun should. The bun-to-wiener ratio favors the bread, but the meaty hot dog held it's own.

The wiener was not as plump as steamed, but all the flavor was there that you expect. It had the right amount of snap to each bite; not too soft or overcooked. It is a tasty "premium beef" frank - firm and satisfying.

At 3.5 ounces, this meal will not fill you up - it will take two or three of these to do that. As usual, the ingredient list is long for processed meat, so this is not a meal to indulge in too often.

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I have my local hot dog favorites, including Carney's on the Sunset Strip and Pink's (click on the names  to read my Cheap$kate Dining reviews.) If Nathan's had a hot dog stand in LA, I would give them a few tries to fully compare with local tube steak purveyors.

So, on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give this East Coast Deal of the Day, a microwaved Nathan's Famous hot dog from the Dollar Tree deli case, a tasty 7 !

It's a better than average hot dog that I'm sure would have gained a few more points if I had eaten a grilled frank at the original Nathan's Famous in Coney Island.

Broccoli Rabe & Smoked Provolone - Deal of the Day

Broccoli rabe is more stem than what I am used to, and that's fine. Broccoli rabe has a slight bitterness compared to milder grocery-stocked large heads of broccoli.

For my latest Deal of the Day review of World Menu's Broccoli Rabe & Smoked Provolone, it's all about an Italian-style veggie side dish.

When defrosted, this broccoli rabe is tender but still a little crunchy --  not mushy like typical frozen veggies. World Menu does a good job of pre-cooking and freezing.

If you like large tender florets of broccoli then you may blanch at this type of more stringy, but supple, broccoli.

When microwaved the broccoli rabe sweats and the liquid is infused with smokey flavor. The smoked provolone cubes are small, but they give you enough flavor.

Once melted and mixed into veggies they add a delicious touch of richness. The smokiness does not overpower, which would be easy to do in the case of mild provolone cheese.

You do want to microwave in 30 second increments so you can catch it when the cheese is hot, but soft and melty - it would be easy to dry it out to a rubbery consistency with too much cooking.

Thankfully the ingredient list is short, mainly broccoli rabe, cheese and spices - and imported from Italy.

So on the Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give World Menu's Broccoli Rabe & Smoked Provolone a perfect 9. This is a delicious side that with careful reheating will make any meal shine.

Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onion & Herb - Deal of the Day

This a one rich and very creamy macaroni and cheese meal. And they pack a lot into the container, so I was full when I reached the bottom. I liked my latest Deal of the Day find: Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese with Caramelized Onion & Herb.

If you are looking for diet food, keep moving - you can see an oil slick when this meal is bubbling hot. And the cheese is not low fat either. Carbs? Yep, and plenty of gluten, too.

The taste leans towards the sharp flavors of cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Herbs are listed, but they are barely there, at least in taste.

The cooked macaroni is a little on the mushy side. I microwaved in one minute increments, so as not to overcook it, knowing that typical frozen pasta is notorious for being too well done in the factory processing stage.

While a little soggy, the mac still had a little resistance when bitten. There is a nice chewy hard band of cheese on top that usually comes with oven baking.

Now, for caramelize onion? Hmmm....not very much really. The package shows crispy brown onions on top, as you can see they are not there. When I found them, they were minuscule and mixed into the macaroni and cheese.

You could detect an under-taste of cooked onion the more you ate the meal.

I would have liked bigger bites of sweet caramelized onion - that's why I bought this frozen meal.

A microscopic piece of caramelized onion. 

The ingredient list is small for typical frozen fare and this meal is not over-processed.

Now I'm not complaining too much. While a tasty version of homemade mac and cheese, it just falls short of what's described on the package. But I would still get this frozen fare anytime. It could have scored a perfect 9 if the tease of package advertising was truthful.

So on the Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese with Caramelized Onion & Herb a hearty 7 ! Well worth the price of 99.99 cents.

 Shooting Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese with Caramelized Onion & Herb.

Pork al Pastor Bowl - Deal of the Day

Al Pastor is Middle Eastern-style fire-grilled pork served on a tortilla. Mexico has a small Middle Eastern population, so it's only natural the two cuisines would co-mingle.

For a typical al Pastor Taco, the pork is sliced thin and marinated in spices and chiles. As the fire cooks the meat, it is rotated and sliced thin and piled on a corn tortilla.

On the stack of sliced chile marinated pork is a large juicy pineapple that the cook nicks a piece from, to top each taco.

I made an al Pastor taco truck video. Leo's Taco Truck possibly makes the best al Pastor in Los Angeles, and I'm not the only one who says so - it's on every local foodies Top Ten list. Just check it out here to see what goes into an al Pastor Taco.

This latest Deal of the Day is a Pork al Pastor Bowl made by Herdez. It's a satisfying version for 99.99 cents. The chile-infused sauce is similar to a Mexican slow-cooked guisado stew.

 I've done a delish Chicken Tinga Stew video too, that is very similar, and you can check it out here to see how simply it's done.

For a small serving at 10 ounces, it's loaded with flavor. One side of the bowl is Spanish rice and the other side is a thick gravy of intense chile with real chunks of tender pork.

While the picture on the box exaggerates (of course) the size of the pork pieces, they are big enough and they are not skimpy with the total amount of meat. Of course there are no avocado slices like on the cover.

I like that the meat is not made from a processed loaf. I even tasted a couple of small chunks of sweet pineapple.

The sauce tastes like a typical bowl of chile you would get anywhere. Herdez mentions guajillo chiles, and the flavor is very similar to regular dried or fresh red chiles. There is also a mild chili heat - even if you have a low spicy tolerance, I think you can handle this Pork al Pastor Bowl.

Spanish rice is flavored with tomato sauce and studded with whole kernals of corn and green peas. The veggies were firm, not mushy as with most frozen fare.

One small flaw is the watery rice. I'm not sure if that is on purpose? The rice is not mushy, but it could have been dryer, to contrast with the saucy pork stew.

 
But overall I liked this Deal of the Day. So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Herdez Pork al Pastor Bowl a perfect 9 !

This is a great Deal of the Day that I would pay full price for, even from a regular grocery frozen case.

I had a Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez before (click here) and this is just as good. Herdez does an excellent job with their frozen meals.

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Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez - Deal of the Day

Deeply flavorful mole sauce is what it's about for my latest Deal of the Day find. The sauce is studded with chunks of tender real chicken, and a side of tender Cilantro Rice fills out the meal. It is an impressive steal at 99.99 cents for this frozen entree from Herdez called Chicken Mole Bowl.

While not as refined as what a Oaxacan restaurant would serve, this mole a rich version. It tastes a little bit bitter and a little bit sweet; it's mild, but seasoned with chiles, spices, and nuts.

A typical mole is made of more than 20 ingredients, including: ancho and pasilla peppers, cocoa, peanuts, cinnamon, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves, garlic and more -- all ground into a pungent paste. The paste is added to liquid to form a gravy, that's then added to chicken or any favorite meat, to make a stew.

I could not detect any spicy heat, so this Deal of the Day is for everyone.

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The chicken in this Deal of the Day is white and dark meat. Cheap frozen dinners usually just spare few meager tiny pieces of chicken that are most often than not cubed from a processed meat loaf. That is not the problem here; there are plenty of nice sized pieces from tender fillets. It's real chicken with real flaky texture. 

You get a lot of mole sauce to sop up the Cilantro Rice. The rice is not mushy like most frozen fare and while there are specks of the green herb cilantro, it is subtle - I would have made the cilantro flavor more pronounced. It's a minor quibble though. There is also a small amount of tomato sauce flavor. Overall, I liked the way the rice was prepared and flavored.

So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Chicken Mole Bowl by Herdez a perfect 9! I don't know if this Deal of the Day will be back at my local 99c only Store, but in the meantime, I would actually pay full price for this frozen entree from any regular grocery store I find it in.