Tub O' Mac

You remember the darnedest things from your childhood.  We didn't buy it for our home, but I remember Shedd's Country Crock butter margarine.  I know friends who used it at their house, but why the brown tub stuck with me is a mystery.  Country Crock was heavily advertised and quite popular when I was growing up.  The brown tub and the butter churn were staples on TV and in grocery stores.  I don't know when I stopped noticing that brown plastic tub on the shelves of my grocers, but I was quite surprised to see that Country Crock had made a bit of a reprieve by adding side dishes to their lineup.  I'm not 100% sure why Unleaver (parent mega food corp who own Country Crock) has teamed up with Hormel for these sides, it doesn't really matter in the long run, because the fact there is an mac to review is what really matters.



The Review

Brand:
Country Crock Elbow Macaroni & Cheese

Packaging when purchased in the fall of 2012

New packaging as of January 2013

Not Just Country Gravy

A few years back I went out to Ohio to visit some friends.  While there we discovered a chain of restaurants that seemed to be in every town. This restaurant was a mix of a number of other restaurants, Cracker Barrel, IHOP and Denny's all put together into a single place.  Bob Evans is a restaurant chain that focuses on the down home cooking and big meals.  We ate breakfast when we were there (they had some wicked biscuits and gravy among other tasty things!) and while this was before I was pondering bringing this blog to light, I didn't think about the possibility of mac and cheese.

During the summer (yes this review has been in 'limbo' for a few months) I was at our local Safeway, I was in the meats department grabbing some hamburger and other things for dinners when lo and behold, I saw a bunch of Bob Evans side dishes .  There were a number of potato options and our favorite staple  mac n' cheese.  It came home with the plan on it being a side dish for one of the meats I had just bought.


Brand:
Bob Evans Everyday Classics Macaroni & Cheese / Bob Evans Tasteful Sides Macaroni & Cheese

Picture of a farm seals proves farm fresh goodness.

The new packaging as of Nov 2012.  Also, these are still kept in the meats section for whatever reason...

Mac Street, U.S.A.

The focus on almost every post that I have made here on Mac N' Steve has been about macaroni and cheese meals as the entree.  I seem to be experiencing this because I am often eating these as a lunch at work and because most of these meals are heavy enough (either weight, or calorically) that they don't need something else to go along with it.

I've neglected to mention that our beloved mac n' cheese is often served as a side dish on our nightly dinner tables.  The many grocery stores that have hot foods available for purchase (like rotisserie chickens) also tend to have a small open case refrigeration unit nearby loaded with side dishes that would go well with those hot foods.  A while back I swung by one of our local grocery stores for a chicken and I walked through that strategically placed fridge full of sides.  I discovered (and rediscovered in a few instances) a whole new part of the store that had meals that I had somehow completely neglected for the blog.  Just heat sides. 

While these are often made in the microwave like the countless frozen meals are.  These aren't sold frozen, have a much shorter shelf life (we're talking 30 days, vs. the a year or more frozen options have) and are much larger than the typical one person sized dishes. 

I had the chicken, I wonder how this mac will take it's role as a rhythm instrument rather than the lead on the dinner plate. 

Brand:
Reser's Fine Foods: Main St. Bistro Contemporary Comfort Classics Baked Sides : Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Longest. Name. Ever.