Whenever I visit the deli at my local market and Carol is behind the counter, if I ask for something like smoked turkey Carol will say “You want Boar’s Head? Hands down, Boars Head is the best!”
If I ask for sliced cheese, I’ll get “Hands down Land o’ Lakes American Italian is the best!”
Everything is hands down!
I’m not making fun of her, but her expression seems to have stuck in my craw. I can’t seem to go to the market now without thinking “Hands down, this is the best ice cream/peanut butter/orange juice I’ve had”. So.. I thought I’d share a few here while they’re being consumed.
FYI, no one is paying me to endorse these products… but I wouldn’t object!
1. Hands down, this is the best sloppy joe sauce I’ve ever had
A couple months ago, my market had MANWICH Sloppy Joe Sauce on special, 3 cans for 99 cents. Even though I haven’t eaten Manwich in 30 years, I snapped 3 right up.
Big mistake, it was bland, tasteless & watery. After that first can I put the other 2 on the ‘Free Table’ in my apt building’s package room.
GIA RUSSA Sloppy Joe Sauce is the best. ADD 1 TBLSP BROWN SUGAR & 1 TBLSP MINCED GREEN PEPPER. Hands down it makes the best sloppy joes I’ve ever had.
2. Hands down, these are my favorite french fries—better than most restaurants even
I HATE FROZEN FRENCH FRIES. Ore-Ida, McCain, crinkle-cut, shoestring, zesties… I’ve tried them all. They always taste like heated up frozen french fries.
And then a few months ago I was in frozen foods, and a man was putting a bag of these Red Robin steak fries into his cart. His wife (well, the woman he was with) said “We already have two bags of those at home” and he said “Yeah but the store’s only got two bags left!” He saw me looking and said “I’m obsessed with these fries.”
I decided to grab the remaining bag and am so glad I did. THESE ARE SO GOOD!! Crispy on the outside, smooth & creamy within; they’re lightly seasoned with a mild red-peppery heat.
I’m obsessed with these fries.
3. Hands down, this is the best breakfast cereal on the shelves
I’m not a big breakfast cereal person. My favorite thing to eat in the morning is one egg over easy, toast and some sliced tomatoes.
Still, variety is the spice of life and every once in awhile I like a bowl of cereal splashed with too much milk. For the longest time my go-to was Life cereal—and then a couple months ago I gave this a try. THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S SPECIAL K.
Sweet but not too sweet, love the cinammon & there’s lots of pecans (one of only two nuts I can chew with my TMJ). These don’t get soggy either!
4. Hands down, these are the best potato chips out there—for more than one reason too
I know potato chips aren’t the healthiest thing on the planet, but I was forced to give them up a couple years ago after developing severe TMJD.
Even after my jaw mostly healed, any food that’s too salty can cause very painful inflammation that lasts 2-3 days. (Of course, foods with high sodium content wreaks havoc with my high blood pressure too.)
I didn’t even know these EXISTED until 2 months ago. They’re delicious and I’m in saturated potato chip heaven.
I’ve since found & tried a couple other low-sodium brand chips, but they don’t compare to Wise. It’s these or nothing.
5. Hands down, this is my favorite condiment right now
Grab a couple slices of bread, a wedge of lettuce and a couple hunks of roast turkey.
Now spread on a dollop of Duke’s Mayonnaise with Bacon & Tomato. THAT’S ALL YOU NEED FOR A GREAT TURKEY BLT.
And it’s not just me—the manager at my market says he can’t keep this flavored mayo in stock.
Do you have any personal favorites? Let me know.