Review: Nature’s Hand Granola

Crunchy, sweet, nutty…granola!  I love it!  It’s a satisfying breakfast in a bowl covered in milk or topping a creamy yogurt.  It’s a great snack on it’s own or mixed up in a great smoothie.  There are so many wonderful ways to eat it!

Nature’s Hand has been baking up their granola for forty years, but enhanced their product with “an improved texture and more clustered blend” and new colorful  and resealable packaging.  I think every package should be resealable! 

I had never tried their original product, but the “improved” version is very good!  We tried both the Cranberry Delight and the Cinnamon Apple (I’m partial to fruity granola flavors).  Both flavors were simple and nutty with lots of oats, some sunflower seeds, and nice pieces of dried fruit.  The texture was crunchy and chewy with some small clusters; actually they were just the right size.  Some granolas have clusters that are too large to reasonably eat as a cereal or sprinkle on yogurt or ice cream.  These were perfect. 

Nature’s Hand granolas come in six flavors.  In addition to the two we sampled, there are also Vanilla Almond (Original & French), Wild Blueberry, Raisin Hazelnut, & Maple Pecan.  Don’t they all sound delicious?  Each one features roasted oats, wheat, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, & honey.  I can actually pronounce every ingredient on the package; there are not artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, sodium, cholesterol, or trans fats.  A thirteen-ounce package retails for $4.99 and is available at stores across the country including Whole Foods and may also be purchased from their online store.  Nature’s Hand can also be found on Facebook.

Cinnamon Apple Average Fork Rating:  4 Mrs. Diner:  4 Amazing Diner:  4 Sweet Diner:  4

Cranberry Delight Average Fork Rating:  4.7 Mrs. Diner:  4 Amazing Diner:  5 Sweet Diner:  5

Nature’s Hand provided complimentary granola for our review, however all opinions are our own honest review.  Photos used with permission.

Eat Out Review: Christopher’s Steak House & Grill

Mr. Diner loves steak; I love seafood.  So when we’re going out for a nice dinner date, a steak house often fills the bill of serving both our favorites.  We decided to go to an extra-nice (read:  expensive) steak house for our anniversary and saw a Groupon for Christopher’s Steak House, so we snatched it up to save on our splurge.  Love Groupon, don’t you?

We made reservations through OpenTable (I only wish more Utah Valley restaurants used this awesome & convenient system) and arrived at the Draper location.  It is actually in a strip mall, which I found odd for a higher priced restaurant.  The interior featured many tables white linen table cloths, some curved booths, and separate rooms for large parties.  However, the dining room we ate in felt a little odd.  There were several groups seated in the room, but it was so quiet (no ambiance music) that I felt I needed to whisper or everyone in the room would hear our conversation. 

Our server told us about the specials and favorites on the menu.  We started with their unique Lobster Corn Dogs ($14).  I really couldn’t imagine a lobster corn dog (can you?), but I have a love for lobster, so we gave it a shot.  They basically skewer a piece of lobster meat, batter it, & fry it.  Two small lobster corn dogs are served with a side of spicy apricot mustard sauce.  They were crispy and nicely prepared with not too much batter, and the apricot mustard was excellent.  However, the delicate flavor of the lobster is virtually lost.

Delicious hot rolls with an amazing balsamic butter were delivered to our table.  We loved the unique sweetness of the butter on the rolls.  I wished I could take the butter home with me and decided I must try to make my own version at home.

Mr. Diner and I both ordered one of the specials, a filet mignon topped with a lobster tail and served over garlic parmesan mashed potatoes with asparagus spears on the side (around $40).  They were served with a choice of salad.  Mr. Diner chose the house green salad, while I had the wedge salad. 

The house salad was pretty standard with dark greens, carrots, cucumber, & croutons.  The wedge salad was excellent and had bleu cheese, bacon, red onion, & tomato.  I’m not a huge iceberg lettuce fan, but in a wedge salad, it’s perfect!

We were really excited for the entrées since we enjoyed the dishes leading up to it.  The entrées were beautifully arranged.  The lobster was good, as were the mashed potatoes and asparagus.  However, the star of the show, the filet mignon, was a major disappointment.  Both were ordered cooked medium, but Mr. Diner’s was delivered well-done and mine was medium-well.  They were both on the tougher side, which is sad since you expect a filet to be really tender.

Overall, felt like we could have gone to Outback and spent less money and had a steak that was just as good, if not better. 

Entrée Price:  $$$$
Average Fork Rating:  3
Mr. Diner:  3
Mrs. Diner:  3

Giveaway: Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals Juice

Have you ever seen a cranberry bog?  I was fascinated by the one that was set up at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival last year.  It was beautiful to see the red berries floating in that water and so interesting to watch the people working in the bog.  I’d love to see a “real” one in person!

Old Orchard sent us two bottles of their new Cranberry Naturals Classic Cranberry juice cocktail to try.  It is 30% juice with 70 calories and 17 grams of sugar per serving.  It is sweetened by a combination of sugar and Truvia (from the stevia plant) and contains no artifical colors, flavors, or preservatives. 

I have to say that I love cranberries and cranberry juice blends (cran-apple, etc.), but I am not a huge fan of straight cranberry juice.  We tried this one and my kids were hooked; they wanted it all the time.  We didn’t even noticed that stevia flavor.  I was pretty surprised.  I tried it straight and thought it was better than most straight cranberry juices, but still a little strong for me do drink a lot of it straight.  That’s why we had some extra fun with it! 

We mixed it into Sprite….yummy as a bubbly drink!  We also developed our own Double Chocolate Cranberry Bread, which I’m delighted to share with you.  I didn’t glaze it this time…but next time I will and update the pictures!

Double Chocolate Cranberry Bread
3/4 c. cranberry juice
3/4 c. dried cranberries, chopped
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. cocoa powder
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Glaze (optional):
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
3 T. cranberry juice (or as needed)

1. Heat  3/4 c. cranberry juice.  Remove from heat & soak dried cranberries for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & cocoa powder in a medium bowl with a whisk.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add all three eggs, one at a time, mixing each in until incorporated.  Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until combined.
5. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Do not overmix! 
6. Drain cranberries.  Fold in soaked cranberries and white chocolate chips.
7. Spread batter in a greased & floured 9x5 bread pan.  Bake for 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes in the pan.  Remove & cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Prepare glaze by whisking juice into sugar. Add additional juice 1 T at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over tops of cooled loaves, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Average Fork Rating:  3.8
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner: 3
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  4

Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals come in six flavors (I can’t wait to try the Cranberry Grape).  It retails for $2.99 for a 64-ounce bottle and can be found at many retailers including Wal-Mart.  You can even get coupons to use toward your purchase when you register on their website. 

Guess who’s sponsoring a giveaway?  Yep, Old Orchard is offering two readers five coupons for free 64-oz bottles of Cranberry Naturals (you get to choose your own flavors)!  Winners must be at least 18 years old and have a US address.

To Enter: Go check out the flavors of Cranberry Naturals on Old Orchard’s website and then comment on this post about which flavor sounds the best to you. Additional entries are available for liking Rate the Plate Utah on Facebook & subscribing to Rate the Plate Utah via email or RSS. Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, January 30, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address to enter. Good luck!

Eat In Recipe: French Breakfast Muffins

Oh, yum!  These muffins were just fantastic…especially warm!  They are a fairly light muffin with a slight touch of nutmeg in the batter and then coated in butter, cinnamon, & sugar.  Yeah, I wouldn’t say this is a “light” recipe for those of you who made a dieting resolution a few weeks ago, but at least it doesn’t make that many muffins.  I got 11 regular-sized muffins out of one batch.  I think next time I’d double the recipe ‘cause I love to share with my neighbors! 

I coated the whole thing in the butter, cinnamon, & sugar, but you can also just do the top.  I liked the slightly crunchy, sugary coating on the whole thing, but it would be really good (and less messy) with just the top coated.  It really reminded me of cinnamon toast, but whatever you call it, it’s good!

French Breakfast Muffins from Velvet Lava Café
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg (preferably at room temperature)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping (may cut in half & just coat the tops):
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients & stir until combined, but still a little lumpy (I recommend stirring by hand).  Don’t overmix. 
3. Scoop batter into greased muffin tins (you don’t want to put these in paper cups).  Using a large ice cream scoop, distribute the batter into cups. 
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges.
5. For the topping, mix sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl.  Place melted butter in another small bowl.  Dip the warm muffins in melted butter (you can dip just the top if you prefer), then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar. 

Notes:  You can probably get 8-12 out of this recipe, depending on how large you like to make them.

Average Fork Rating:  4.2
Mr. Diner:  5
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  5 
Sweet Diner:  3
Little Diner:  4

Eat In Recipe: Buttermilk Syrup

Have you discovered the heaven that is buttermilk syrup yet?  (Utah locals:  think Magleby’s.)  There is something about its rich, buttery sweetness that just gets me excited even thinking about it!  A friend shared this recipe with me years ago and we knew it would become a favorite the first time we tried it!  It has been a Christmas morning tradition.  We love it served with waffles, but really, it’s good with anything!  And if you put it in the fridge and let it get all thick & gooey, it makes a caramelly fruit dip, too!  So, what are you waiting for?  Print this out or pin it to Pinterest and put it on your menu!

Buttermilk Syrup
1 c. butter
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. sugar
2 T. corn syrup (i.e., Karo)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Put butter, buttermilk, sugar, & corn syrup in a large pot (I use a 3 qt. or larger).  Bring to a boil & boil for 3-5 minutes.  Add vanilla & baking soda (it will foam up).  Stir with a wire whisk.  Serve.

Average Fork Rating:  4.4
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  5
Amazing Diner:  4 
Sweet Diner:  5
Little Diner:  4

Eat Out Walt Disney World Review: Kouzzina

Some of you may be wondering what that word that starts with a “k” is in my title…it’s the Greek word for kitchen and it is also Cat Cora’s restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk Resort.  Kouzzina (pronounced “koo-zee-nah”) opened in 2009 with recipes from chef Cat Cora.  The recipes are Mediterranean-inspired with a little Southern style thrown in, too.

Kouzzina was one of those restaurants that we read mixed reviews about, so we weren’t exactly sure what we’d be getting when we arrived.  We had advance dining reservations, but finished with our previous activity early and headed over to the resort about an hour early.  We checked in with the hostess, to our surprise, she said she thought they’d be able accommodate our party of seven early.  Within about 15 minutes, we were seated in spacious, but warm and inviting dining room.  It is decorated with a lot of dark woods, gold tones, and granite and is open to the kitchen, even giving diners a view of the “action” and the wood-fired grill and ovens! 

Our server was quite friendly and had good recommendations.  My husband was disappointed that there wasn’t an assortment of olives available as an appetizer, however, the server assured him he would get plenty of olives.  Diners receive a complimentary bread basket with two types of olive oil (one fruity; one peppery) and an assortment of olives.  All were excellent (and we received refills as needed…especially of the olives).

Ordering entrees was difficult because so many sounded delicious.  Mr. Diner and I both ended up ordering the Wood-Fired Rib-Eye Steak with Broccolini & Kouzzina Potatoes ($33.99).  The steak was excellently prepared and very flavorful from being prepared over a wood-burning flame.  The broccolini was tender and the potatoes were nicely roasted fingerling potatoes.  For dessert, we ordered the greek donuts, which were very fresh and served with raspberry & chocolate dipping sauces ($6.99).  Other desserts included a Baklava, a molten chocolate cake, and more.  It was an excellent meal!

Kouzzina offers some decent kids’ menu choices ($8.99) which include grilled fish, grilled chicken, grilled hot dog, macaroni & cheese, and greek lasagna with healthier sides and delicious desserts.  One of them chose the Ice Cream Sundae for dessert, and the other chose the creative Build-Your-Own Cupcake.  The cupcake is really cute and comes with fun toppings.

We loved dining at Kouzzina!  It’s a little off the beaten path if you’re not staying the the surrounding resorts, but well-worth a visit.  Plus you can enjoy the boardwalk atmosphere with shops, the water (we had fun watching the turtles & ducks), and the street entertainers.  We will definitely be back…I’d love to try the Fisherman’s Stew, Cinnamon-Stewed Chicken, & Oak-Fired Pork Tenderloin.  In fact, someone else at our table ordered the Pork Tenderloin (see below) and it was one of the most flavorful and tender pork dishes I’ve ever tried. 

Entrée Price:  $$$
Average Fork Rating:  4.8
Mr. Diner:  5
Mrs. Diner:  5
Amazing Diner:  5
Sweet Diner:  5
Little Diner:  4

Giveaway: Zevia All Natural Soda

Soda pop is more of a treat around our house.  We all like it (I’m a root beer fan, myself), but we don’t have it around all the time.  So everyone was excited when a six-pack of Zevia soda arrived in the mail. 

Zevia is an all natural soda that is sweetened with Stevia, a natural, plant-based sweetener.  It has zero calories, has very little or no sodium (some have 20 mg; others have 0 mg), and comes in a dozen flavors, so chances are your favorite soda flavor is available.

We popped open a can of the Grapefruit Citrus flavor in it’s lovely pink can (each flavor is its own nice shade of the rainbow).  The citrus flavor was good; comparable to other grapefruit sodas.  However, there was also that discernable Stevia flavor.  If you haven’t had anything with Stevia, you don’t know what I’m talking about.  It is sweet, it is just a different sweetness than sugar, so it takes a little getting used to. 

We enjoyed the Grapefruit Citrus flavor (my kids couldn’t keep away from it!) and would love to try additional varieties.  If you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet (and shouldn’t we all?), this is a great alternative to sugary sodas or artificially-sweetened diet sodas. 

Zevia retails for about $5.99 for a six-pack and is available in select retail stores (find a store near you with this locator) and from Amazon.  Don’t forget to print your $1.00 off coupon (US & Canada only) before you leave home!

Average Fork Rating:  3.6
Mr. Diner:  3
Mrs. Diner:  3
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  4
Little Diner:  4

Anyone want to try all twelve flavors for free?  I knew you did!  Zevia has offered a Rainbow Case (24 cans – two of each flavor) for a lucky reader to win.  Winner must be at least 18 years old and have a US address.

To Enter: Go to Zevia's website and then comment on this post about which flavor sounds the best to you. Additional entries are available for liking Zevia on Facebook & subscribing to Rate the Plate Utah via email or RSS.  Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:01 am EST on Monday, January 23, 2012. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address to enter. Good luck!

Eat Out Review: PF Chang’s

We’ve eaten at PF Chang’s quite a few times.  I love their food and frequently crave their Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  The first time I tried them, I knew I would be ordering them every time.  I don’t love the noisy dining area, small tables (it’s hard to fit dishes on the table for family-style dining), & higher prices.  There are other good Chinese restaurants that don’t charge quite so much (and have bigger servings).  However, we still love PF Chang’s, and occasionally go there and indulge in a great meal.  It is Mr. Diner’s favorite Chinese restaurant.

In fact, we decided to have dinner there for a recent date night.  We went early so we wouldn’t have to wait (prime dinner time on the weekends is busy).  Sometimes we make a reservation….I love it when places will take reservations.

We looked over the menu and decided to do something new and order the Four-Course Meal for Two ($39.95).  The four-course dinner includes a cup of soup for each person, one appetizer, two entrees, & two mini desserts or one larger dessert to share.

For our soups, Mr. Diner chose the Egg Drop Soup and I had the Hot & Sour Soup.  The Egg Drop was much more flavorful than many egg drop soups while the Hot & Sour was good also, but not anything special.  I wish their wonton soup was an option since that is my favorite. 

Can anyone guess which appetizer we chose?  There were nine choices, which I’m sure I would love if I ever ventured from my favorite Chicken Lettuce Wraps, but this is one menu item I just can never pass up!  They were fantastic, as always.  I love the combination of the sweet-spicy meat with the crunchy rice sticks and the fresh, crisp lettuce:  perfection! The servers are generally good about keeping the crisp lettuce cups coming, but why do they start you off with just about four?  There is much more filling than will fit in just four wraps!  Start out with twice that many!  I think I need to start requesting two plates of lettuce up front. 

The choice of two entrees is not an easy one.  PF Chang’s has given their diners plenty of options here with twenty-three entrée choices in their four-course dinner!  We chose a favorite, Salt & Pepper Prawns, and something new, Crispy Honey Chicken.  We just love the slightly spicy seasoned prawns that are fried and served with a spicy mustard sauce!  The Crispy Honey Chicken is a battered chicken in a honey-sweet sauce served over rice sticks.  It was good, but I thought it seemed like a milder version of their Chang’s Spicy Chicken. 

By the time dessert rolled around, we were stuffed (and had leftovers to take home, too)!  But since our meal included dessert, we chose The Great Wall of Chocolate and had it boxed up to enjoy at home.  Can’t go wrong with a six-layer chocolate cake served with berries & raspberry sauce (yum!).  It was fantastic (although I do love Utah’s local Magleby’s chocolate cake even more) and we stretched it out by eating just one layer at a time. 

I don’t think I’d splurge on the Four-Course Dinner again because we just don’t usually order that much food for two of us, but we enjoyed it. 

Entrée Price:  $$
Average Fork Rating:  4
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4

Eat In Recipe: Larry’s Original Chili

I grew up in a family of adventurous eaters.  My parents are both willing to try most anything and generally like most foods.  My mother is a great cook and did most of the cooking while I was growing up, but my dad is great in the kitchen, too.  He loves to create his own recipes and recreate great dishes he’s tried away from home. 

One of his “specialties” is chili.  This is what I consider his “original” chili recipe, the one I remember smelling through the house as it simmered.  This chili has a great hamburger base with beans, tomatoes, chilies, & a fabulously spiced beef broth.  Mr. Diner & I have always loved it, but my kids have just recently come around to loving this family favorite.  (Thanks Dad!) 

Larry’s Original Chili
1 lb. lean ground beef
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cans small red beans
1 can beef consommé
2 cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 T. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin powder or seed
1 (4 oz.) can diced chiles

1. In a large pot, brown ground beef.  Drain off fat.  Add garlic & onion.  Sauté till onion is translucent.
2. Add remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook over low heat for one hour or more.  Salt to taste.

Notes:  If you can’t find small red beans, use regular red beans or kidney beans.  I like to chop my tomatoes into smaller pieces.  I love to sauté the beef, garlic, & onion in a pan; then put everything into the crockpot on low for a several hours…fabulous on a cold, wintery day!

Average Fork Rating:  3.8
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  3
Sweet Diner:  5
Little Diner:  3

Eat Out Walt Disney World Review: Tusker House Breakfast

Photo by monroet21.

We love to splurge on a fun character meal at least once on each of our trips to Disney.  For this most recent trip we chose a breakfast at Tusker House, a restaurant we hadn’t had to pleasure of dining at before, but one we had heard good things about. 

As is recommended for most table service meals (especially character ones), we made reservations well in advance, then arrived at our scheduled time.  The hostess checked us in and ushered us to meet Donald in his safari gear and get our photograph taken with him.  Unfortunately, the cost of the photograph is not included in the price of the character meal.  This is the only time to see Donald during the experience, as he is not one of the characters who visits during the meal.

Tusker House serves a a delicious combination of orange, passion fruit, & guava juices they call “Jungle Juice”.  Other juices and drinks are available, of course, but give this one a try! 

Photo by monroet21.

Tusker House is a buffet that serves amazing and varied foods in a beautiful bazaar-like atmosphere with cart-like stations.  There are all the typical American breakfast staples (eggs, bacon, Mickey waffles, pastries, etc.), but also the addition of tasty African dishes like beef bobotie, banana bread pudding, and mealie pap.  The food is delicious, and I found the ethnic selections to be my favorites while my kids loved the doughnuts!  (Sorry, folks, I forgot to take pictures of the food…you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself!)

The hardest part of the meal was breaking away from the excitement of the characters long enough to grab our food since as soon as we were seated, one character after another come around for a visit.  There are decent breaks so you can eat your food, but the timing of our seating was such that we didn’t have one for awhile.  Our children were thrilled, however, to visit with Goofy, Mickey, & Daisy.  Goofy led the children in a delightful parade which included plenty of rhythmic instruments! 

We had a wonderful breakfast, which fulfilled all my requirements for a great character meal for this trip:  good food, great character interaction, and classic characters!

Entrée Price:  $$$$
Average Fork Rating:  4.2
Mr. Diner:  4
Mrs. Diner:  4
Amazing Diner:  4
Sweet Diner:  5
Little Diner:  4