Peter Stromquist

Category: Heat and Eat

  • Giacobbinos Take Bake Pizza Review

    Giacobbinos Take Bake Pizza Review Although I have seen these in Chicagoland groceries for some time, I’ve been reluctant to try Giacobbinos, at $13 I thought that was a little spendy for a take and bake pie. At last, the local Jewel-Osco chain had a BOGO on them last week, so greedy pizza monster that […]

  • Laughing Larrys Lunchroom Review – Tomah Wisconsin

    Laughing Larrys Lunchroom Review Talking about Laughing Larrys Lunchroom Review. frequently look for “offbeat” places when I travel, always in search of a great “undiscovered” meal.  Found one at a truckwash outside of Tomah, WI, just off I-94 and I-90, and right before the “I divides.” Laughing Larry does two things well (that I know […]

  • Van de Kamp Crispy Haddock Filets Review

    Van de Kamp Crispy Haddock Filets Review “TV dinners” (frozen, pre-cooked, heat and eat meals) have been around for more than 70 years.  In all that time, very few manufacturers seems to have mastered having fried food emerge from the oven or microwave with any semblance of “crispiness.”  Why is that? Van de Kamp’s brand […]

  • Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review

      Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review My Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review – they are pre-cooked and run about $6 for 28.  That’s very competitive pricing. They are pretty flavorful for a mass-market product.  Maybe Johnsonville could come up with a “sweet” and “hot” version like Italian sausage?  I heated them in my own sauce and served […]

  • Curlys Pulled Pork Review

    Curlys Pulled Pork Review Curlys is one of the brands of (now Chinese owned) Smithfield, the world’s largest pork processor.  They slaughter about 50,000 hogs a day to keep up with your demand for Nathans wieners, Kretschmar deli meats, Cooks hams, and many other product lines. Curlys makes seven different BBQ products: pulled pork, beef, […]

  • Rex Italian Foods Review – Norridge, IL

    Rex Italian Foods Review – Norridge, IL Couple of years ago, I was driving down one of the major north/south surface streets in Chicago, Harlem Avenue.  It’s one of the streets chock-a-block full of ethnic eating and grocery establishments, primarily Polish, but more than a couple of old-timey Italian joints.  I stopped at one, Nottoli’s, […]

  • Buona Beef Meatballs Review

    Buona Beef Meatballs Review Buona Beef is a local Chicago restaurant chain, started about thirty years ago. They have been on an expansion tear recently, and it seems like they are popping up on a regular basis. As well, they have a few of their products in the grocery stores now. The chain specializes in […]

  • Devanco Gyro Sandwich Kit Review

    Devanco Gyro Sandwich Kit Review As ubiquitous in Chicago as hot dogs or pizza, the gyro (however you choose to pronounce it, ”yero’, ‘jy-ro’, ‘geer-o’) is a sandwich of Greek origin consisting of vertically spit-roasted meat, cucumber sauce, onion, and tomato on a split or folded pita. The name comes from the Greek word which […]

  • Lloyds Barbecue Company Review

      Lloyds Barbecue Company Review Lloyds Barbecue products are part of the line of Austin, MN based Hormel Foods.  I can’t say whether they started it organically or acquired it, just haven’t found that info.  The product is made and distributed out of a modern facility across the Missississippi River from the Minneapolis St Paul […]

  • Gortons Shrimp Bowl Meal Review – With Black Garlic and Wine Risotto

    I personally think that the sudden glut of frozen heat and eat meals at the grocery is due to the success of the “meal kit” business. Those deals where they send you portion cut ingredients and a recipe and it’s supposed to be so easy to create a gourmet meal with no fuss.  ( I […]