Fellow salad lovers rejoice!  I have made a discovery that you may find informative.  The Ken's Steakhouse brand of salad dressings makes an Apple Cider Vinaigrette that I simply love!  Its creamy and tangy and so different from any other dressing that I have had.  I have acid reflux, and so dressings that I enjoyed as a kid (French for example) are often too acidic for me now as someone with this condition.  But this dressing does NOT cause my heartburn to act up!  Obviously, that ay not be the case for everyone, but I thought that was worth noting as I know I am not the only person with this problem.  I think it is the creaminess that offsets the acid.

It is my go to dressing now!  I frequently have it on a spinach salad with croutons, cheese and dried cranberries.  Do be aware that it is tangy, so there is acid in it (balsamic vinegar I believe), so dressing a salad too far in advance will result in mushy greens!  I highly suggest dressing it right before serving/eating.

I first discovered this dressing because it is the default dressing for Burger King's Apple and Cranberry salad.  My first bite had me addicted!  BUT-when I went to look for it in stores it wasn't available!  My heart was broken, but I became a regular purchaser of Burger King salads to get my hands on that dressing!  It finally became available in my local Weis grocery store.

Please let me know what your favorite type of dressing is in the comments!

Went to Olive Garden this week to use my free birthday dessert coupon.  First, I want to say that the coupon terms are not simple to comply with.  To get the free dessert, you must buy two entrees.  Pizza and garden salad do not count as entrees for the purpose of the coupon.  So, I decided to try the never ending pasta bowl, and hubby got the tour of Italy.  The pasta I got was penne with alfredo, and I added the chicken frita for extra cost.  It was very good, but the problem I had was that I felt like I had to stuff myself with as much as I could eat to get my money’s worth.  So-unless you can comfortably eat a lot I don’t recommend ordering this entrée or you may find yourself overeating as well.  I ordered the Pumpkin “Cheesecake” to go as my free dessert.  I put the word cheesecake in quotes because this is nothing like any pumpkin cheesecake I have ever had.  It tasted like pumpkin pie…and not very good pumpkin pie at that!  There was no creaminess to it at all, with the exception of the thin layer of white stuff on top.  The texture was somewhat grainy as well.  As well, there was no caramel sauce on my piece as had been advertised.  I am glad I didn’t pay for this pie since I don’t think it was worth the retail price I would have been charged.  I will NOT be buying their pumpkin “cheesecake” again.

What are your favorite pumpkin flavored foods?  Tell me in the comments!

It’s fall, and that means apple cider season!  I love apple cider, however all ciders are NOT created equal.  Many have strange preservatives and/or funny aftertastes.  Often, I have had to buy cider from local places like roadside stands in order to get something decent.  Of course those are still great options-but I thought I’d try giant brand since it is easy to find.  Turns out, it was a great idea!  It has great flavor and no aftertaste!  Hubby and I demolished the half gallon that we bought in less than 48 hours.  He agrees that it was really good.  I am definitely going to be buying more!  You can find their cider in the refrigerated produce section.  Enjoy!

What experiences have you had with giant brand products (good or bad)?  Tell me in the comments!