The Last Caesar's Pasta and You're Coming to the Writing Conference, right?

With a heavy heart, I pulled out my last free sample from Caesar's Pasta today.  After nearly two weeks of being sick and deadlined, we finally got down to some cooking!

This was the Wheat Free & Gluten Free Gnocchi. :)

If you read my review for the spinach version, there really isn't much difference.  It's a high quality, fast cooking gnocchi that went great with the dinner I planned (leftover prosciutto end, figs, kale, apples, sweet onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar).

As with the other products, the bag has excellent instructions.  I also have to say, after sitting in my freezer for well over a month by now, still the same quality.

I definitely recommend this brand and would price it with mid- to high-end frozen Italian meals.  I have not seen it in any of my grocery stores, unfortunately, but I have heard it might be found in Whole Foods.

If I come across it, I'll let people know.

xx

Also, are you coming to the WPI Women Writer's conference this Saturday?  It is open to men and women.  You've get to choose two different morning writing workshops and then, in the afternoon, I'll be joining several cool people and discussing how to get published.  

Ok, in reality, I'll very likely be the cynic up there saying what several potential routes of publication are and trying to convince many dewy-eyed folk that, no, it's not easy, it's not guaranteed, and don't buy into any scams that want to vacuum out your life savings.  While self-publication is an option, you'll be doing a ton of work and people like Amanda Hocking are not "overnight sensations."  Just read their blogs.

I'll also be reminding people to keep accounting ledgers and records, learn how to handle money or put aside funds to hire someone who will.

I won't be entirely cruel, though.  There's always excellent support out there, like Broad Universe - or many other professional writing organizations.

Or, I may end up doing something completely different.  After all, I'm not the only one on the panel.

You'll just have to come to find out!

Caesar's Pasta: Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Manicotti

Mmm!  Did I mention how much I love reviewing food?  Well… good food.

So, there were more packages of pasta from the samples I received from Caesar's Pasta, and now I get to share with you!

(If you missed my review of their Organic Lasagna and Gluten Free Spinach Gnocchi, you can look back here.)

With Monday, I need a quick meal again, so I yanked out the Manicotti.  Like the other entrees I tried, I enjoyed this one.  The pasta was a good consistency; I wouldn't know the difference in texture or flavor.  I liked the sauce in this better than I did the shells, but I still think the vegetable lasagna had the richer flavored marinara.  (It's probably the same marinara, but affected by the vegetables and seasonings.)  The ricotta also had a great texture: firm enough to stand up in the shells and get cut by the fork but still creamy in my mouth. 

An added benefit was that despite all the cheese, it didn't bother me.  I used to be severely lactose intolerant, but with the latest age-body-changeover, it's become much less sensitive.  I can still get set off by really poor quality cheese and ice-cream, but none of the cheesy meals here bothered me at all, which speaks to good quality… and perhaps a sensible amount of cheese as both filling and topping.

Like all of the food I've eaten by this company, I also am extremely pleased by their cooking instructions - particularly for frozen entrees.  It was uniformly cooked with no burned corners, no cold spots, and a tender cut throughout. 

Calories were 390 with 160 coming from fat (18 g fat).  Sodium was at 640 mg, which is higher than the lasagna, but lower than the shells.  So, statwise, pretty decent.

I did find out from a previous comment (Thanks _rm_!) that Caesar's Pasta is available at many Whole Foods stores.  I haven't been to the grocery store (sorry: #reviewfail!) to check myself, but I'll get there. 

In the mean time, bon apetite!

Foodie Friday: Gluten Free Stuffed Shells by Caesar's

One of the perks of being a food writer is, well, food!

After I did my article on gluten-free dining in the Worcester area, I was contacted by Caesar's Pasta, a company that specializes in gluten free pasta dinners.  Their food sounded interesting, so I was happy to find out more about them.

Yesterday started with a special delivery of dry ice protecting a lovely box of frozen dinners!

As I was on my own for dinner tonight (H-of-A and I had to be in two different locations at much of the same time), I opened the first of the set to try: Stuffed Shells with Cheese in Marinara Sauce.

Now, for disclosure's sake, yep, these were free samples.  There was no agreement that I would review them, just that I'd be interested in finding out more.  That said, I'm a reviewer and I get a lot of stuff free.  I'll tell you whether I like it or not (just ask my editor), and I did like these so far.

As far as frozen dinners go, they are definitely good.  They have a lot of the same drawbacks of any frozen dinner, things which I have yet to see ANY exception from.  The sauce was a bit bland, the cheese slightly grainy, but I'm pretty sure there are basic chemistry reasons for that, which food scientists have yet to crack.  Besides that, though, the texture of the pasta was a perfect al dente, and I couldn't tell it was gluten free from the texture.  Flavorwise, the shells themselves, did not taste like frozen food; they could have been any shells baked.  Also, the flavor of the cheese was good, especially the Romano cheese topping it.

Some other positive points I want to make is that the cooking directions on the box are spot on.  It was seven minutes in the microwave on high, then let sit for two minutes.  Everything was evenly hot, and there were no burnt ends anywhere.  This is important because I've tried too many frozen foods that are out of touch with their cooking times and temperatures.  I also liked how, on the box, it gave what the internal temperature should be before eating. 

I didn’t get a price listing and, sadly, the website is being updated, so I can't talk about the value.  Portionwise, it was just right.  It was 370 calories, 18g fat, and 660 mg sodium.  Calorie-wise, it was lower than a lot of equal sized (and equally filling) portions, and it's about equivalent to the fat and salt content.  If I were grocery shopping and I bound by my diet, I could see paying between $5.99-$7.99 for the meal.  I wouldn't argue with someone who was willing to pay a little more, though.

If you see it in the freezer at a price you find reasonable, definitely give it a try. 

I'll keep you posted on further adventures with my samples!