We all know how much the ELTW household loves the president, right? No, no, not THAT President – President’s Choice Products. And so do a lot of our friends, as you can see from our annual party post from last December!
As PC products are one of the few packaged brands I get really excited about, I was thrilled when my blogging buddy Suzie the Foodie put me in touch with the kind folks at Hill and Knowlton Canada who sent me a wonderful package of products from the latest Insider’s Report, featuring many products just ripe for BBQ season.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that about 30 seconds after this was discovered on our front porch, Neil was digging into the Thick-Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Chips:
These were “strangely good”. A hint of meat, a little bit of bacon and pickle – they were dangerously more-sish. Nice and thick – a treat for every now and then. Products like this are why I generally don’t buy chips (because we eat the whole package in one go!)
I was thrilled to see a coupon for the Mini Angus Beef Sliders:
I LOVE burgers but generally speaking they are too big. These are PERFECT at 45g each and served with the Mini Slider Buns, a couple of these are a perfect sized meal (for me!).
It’s my new favourite “go-to” dinner!!!
In the package there was also a coupon to try out one of the new Ice Cream Shop Flavours. We chose Mint Chocolate, simply because it’s a favourite and many of the others looked a little sweet for my liking (Rainbow? Marshmallow Chocolate Swirl, Cotton Candy? No thanks, I like my ice cream flavours simple!). I enjoyed this – it was creamy and flavourful without being overly sweet though it was VERY green!! I will be buying this again.
Neil and I and our neighbour enjoyed the Sparkling Orange Tangerine Fruit Juice. We rarely buy soda/ pop/ soft drinks in our house and when we do, we prefer non-diet drinks. This was refreshing and tasty but at over $3 for four 250ml servings, it’s a little on the pricey side.
I will probably buy this from time to time but mostly in the summer I make my own version of this with whatever fruit juice we have on hand and sparkling water. No, it doesn’t come in a pretty can but it tastes good too!
The Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies pretty much held my hand through report card writing week. 😉
Much as I love homemade baked goods, I am a sucker for store bought cookies and am already a big fan of the President’s Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie (which, again, I cannot buy because I eat them all way too fast! – are we seeing a theme here???). I can see these becoming a firm favourite in the staff room next fall!! You can’t eat just one!
It being BBQ season, there were some great products to help out with your grilling:
This Grilling and Roasting Seasoning was really great on a steak…
With sea salt, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, onion granules, dehydrated green bell peppers, dehydrated red bell peppers, garlic granules, chili pepper flakes, this provided a lot of flavour in just a few grinds. A little bit of kick from the chili pepper flakes = perfect!
This Maple Bacon Marinade actually contains visible pieces of bacon!
It was perfect for a quick marinade to jazz up some chicken breasts and, as I work full time and am enrolled in two part time courses, I say that every now and then, the convenience of having a pre-mixed marinade on hand is ok. Everything in moderation, I say and it was really tasty!
The Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena was one of my favourites…
I can see a lot of uses for this, but so far my favourite is to fry up some mushrooms and drizzle the glaze over them just before serving.
Perfect on their own or served over a steak or some chicken. The glaze was tangy and rich tasting and I can see it coming in handy for a quick marinade, glaze or drizzle to liven up a dull dish!
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the quality of all products we tried (there is still an olive oil we haven’t cracked open). PC are reliable, dependable products that, for the most part, offer great value for money. When we actually physically go shopping in supermarkets carrying the PC line, I tend to go a bit crazy because everything looks so good. This is why Neil and I generally have our groceries and organic boxes delivered – to avoid the temptation!
Thanks President’s Choice and Hill and Knowlton for the chance to get the “inside scoop” on these new products – a delicious task!
President’s Choice wrap up Canada’s Biggest BBQ Tour on Canada Day, July 1, in Ottawa, but you can enjoy these products all through the summer ( and probably beyond!)
Chips, juice and cookie photos courtesy Suzie Ridler, because they were gobbled up before I thought about the post – eating BEFORE blogging/ photographing? Now those must be good products!!!
Totally jealous about this post. The Insiders Report is my fave! I went to Loblaws at lunch, saw the new products display and got suckered (by myself) into buying a bunch of stuff.
If you like Key Lime pie try the key lime pie cookies. They are like a fruit creme but with key lime instead of strawberry.
::drool::
Yes, I have my eye on those key lime cookies!!!
I Love PC products! Shamefully,the Blue Menu stuff suckers me in especially. The frozen chicken breasts in various seasonings and sauces are so quick and easy to throw on the ‘Cue, and the Herb and Spice Chicken Burgers and Tuna Burgers are GREAT alternatives to beef if you’re a red-meat-phobe like me.
I am a big fan of the Blue Menu stuff too!
maple bacon marinade! I wish for that!! YUM
Right up your alley Penny!
Everything looks so delicious- It makes me want to move to Canada! Maple and Bacon make the perfect pairing if you ask me.. I just made Maple Bacon Scones last weekend (check it out if you get a chance!)
Maple Bacon scones sounds amazing!
steve and i were so disappointed when our local grocery store stopped carrying the president’s choice brand. while we never had the range of products your stores offer, we did have a very good selection of tasty, well-priced items. looks like i’ll have to start making a pc shopping list for our visit next month . . .
Oh I see a LONG shopping list and a large cooler in your future!
I agree, those chips were “strangely good” weren’t they? I love those sliders, I will be buying them regularly too. I agree, the more natural flavours of ice cream were the best. Rainbow was horrid! Mint was a much better choice. I’m glad I am not along thinking the sparkling fruit juice was crazy over-priced. I wish I could send you my maple bacon marinade, I don’t know what to do with it since we don’t eat bacon! I have been using that glaze every other night, I LOVE it! Glad I could help out with getting you the products and the photos. I had to go out and buy more of the sparkling water because we drank it all before I had a chance to photograph it too!
Thanks for your help Suzie 🙂
Those little sliders are cool. Interesting that they make such a variety….
i’m Loblaws biggest fan! PC stuff rocks and even NoName is really good. For some things, like salad dressing, I prefer it to the name brand stuff. The PC Cheesecake cookies (cr cheese filling) are good too.
Oooh – need to look out for those 😉
What a beautiful review, Mardi. Very different than the one I did for them a couple of months ago (received the identical package as a member of Blogger Aide: changing the Face of Famine, and one of their reviewers. Valli, from More Than Burnt Toast gave a gorgeous review. After the farmer’s markets, and out local and well loved independent Italian Center Shop, Superstore is my megastore – for sure.
:)Valerie
Good news! Foodista is inviting you to attend this year’s International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle on August 27-29! There also are sponsorships offered that you can take advantage of! For more information, check this page out.
Hope to see you there! Keep on blogging. 🙂
Oh I will be there alright!
President’s Choice was a part of my childhood. I still relish reading the Insider’s Report.
Me too – I get SO excited when it arrives!
I know exactly what you mean RE: sparkling juice. In the States, I found Izze, but here in Germany, they do what you do – take some juice, add mineral water, and there you go. They even have a name for this lovely beverage, a ‘saft schorle’ (As in ‘apfelsaftshorle’, or ‘orangensaftshorle’) I think it’s the German equivalent for “juice spritzer.”
Oooh I have NO IDEA how to pronounce those lovely looking German words but they certainly look fun!
Good call on the ice cream flavour choice. We had the Cotton Candy one a while ago (I think Patrick picked it out) and it was a bit strange.
Yes the cotton candy flavour did not call my name at all… 😉
Oooh lucky you! Who doesn’t like gift goodies but these are great! What fun!
why don’t you just marry the president 😉
That could be dangerous for my waistline!
Fun stuff…love the sparkling juice:)
Interesting and fun products… Unfortunately we don’t have President’s Choice here. I wonder if they would let you take photographs in the store? 😉
LOL!!