Coleslaw with Ramen Noodles

1 lb. bag shredded cabbage

1 bag Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodles

1/2 c sunflower seeds

Mix:

3 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar

Salt and pepper

1/2 c. oil

Ramen seasoning packet

Brown:

4 tbsp. sesame seeds

Toss together 1/2 hour before serving with 4 chopped green onions.

NOTES: An oldie, but a goodie. The toasted sesame seeds are a major flavor, so don't skip it. I toasted them in a non-stick pan, medium/high heat, no oil.

The original recipe had 1 cup of almonds toasted with the sesame seeds. I didn't have any so I substituted the sunflower seeds.

Apple Pancakes

2 cups flour

5 tsp. baking powder (yes, five)

2 tsp. salt

3 tbls. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups milk

6 tbls. oil (1/3 cup)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped, unpeeled apples

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Fold in apples.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen 4-5" pancakes.

NOTE: I used to make this recipe all the time when the kids were younger. It was good to remember it. :-)

Source: Farm Journal Cookbook

Aldi Triscuits

Yum! These Triscuit wannabees have about the same texture with less salt and a fairly pronounced rosemary flavor. (The first flavor to hit my tongue is also a slight sweetness.)

Very good and half the price. Two thumbs up! I wonder if they have other flavors?

Aldi Cheetos

So it looks like we only bought junk food from Aldi, but really there was fruit too!

This time, I'm reviewing Cheese Curls, which, as you can see, are already gone. It's a good thing Nick mentioned it before eating the last one, or he would've had to write for me here.

These were cheap and crunchy and had that orangy fake cheese flavor that I would expect. Real Cheetos are better, but these were fine (and less salty).

We'd buy them again.

Price Comparison: Aldi vs. Meijer

I had some spare time yesterday, so I did a direct comparison of a few items to see how Aldi compares to Meijer.

Whole Chicken

Meijer: $0.89/lb

Aldi: $0.85/lb

Chicken Breast, frozen

Meijer: $2.50/lb

Aldi: $1.83/lb

Ground Beef (90/10)

Meijer: $4.89/lb

Aldi: $3.39/lb

Ground Turkey

Meijer: $4.99/lb

Aldi: $2.49/19 oz

Onions

Meijer: $2.29/3 lb

Aldi: $1.49/ 3 lb

Butter

Meijer: $3.29/lb (I got it on sale for $2.50)

Aldi: $2.69/lb

Aldi Cornbread Crackers

Emily recommended these with chili (if I recall correctly), so when we saw them Holly grabbed a box. Fortunately, it was at the beginning of the first aisle or it wouldn't have made the can-we-carry-it cut on the no quarter/no cart day when we bought 2 watermelon and 16 pints of blueberries, among other things.

They're light and slightly sweet and have just a bit of corn meal texture. I don't think they'd stand up to dips because of the tender texture, but they would certainly support a piece of sharp cheddar and they're good on their own. We give them two thumbs up.

Aldi Reviews

This post inaugurates a new category, Aldi Reviews. Thanks to lots of tips from Molly, encouragement from Emily, and interest from Holly (not to mention the fact that I don't need to carry cash anymore to pay there), I actually shopped at Aldi twice last week.

I didn't have a quarter and forgot bags, but we found some great bargains including fresh blueberries for $1.29/pint! When I think of it from time to time, I hope to post opinions on various Aldi-specific purchases and encourage you other Bear Country Kitchen writers to do the same. I'd love to do the same with Trader Joe's, but it's too far away from me to be on my regular shopping beat and I'm way closer than you others are.

Anyway, chips. I got these at the same time as regular Sun Chips thinking we'd do a side-by-side comparison. That didn't happen, but these chips can stand up on their own merits. They're lighter than Sun Chips and, in my opinion, taste exactly like Bugles. These have a multi-grain texture, but in a nice way. I'd definitely buy them again.