Free Food! ...yes, I admit it.

I wonder if there is a statute of limitations on how long it should take to review a product sent to you to sample? Surely I've crossed that line. The holidays completely threw me for a loop this year and all logic flew up the chimney (see vanished in a puff of smoke). The sad thing is, when I received my !disclaimer! free products to sample from Fischer & Wieser, I got busy using them almost immediately. It's my posting prowess that is in question, I suppose. And you know these companies...the ones that have far too many delicious sounding products...they practice torture. You know, making you CHOOSE which products you'd like to sample. Um, like a foodie in a kitchen store. Me with my pen poised over my notepad...scribbling down choices and haphazardly crossing them out when I find a "better" sounding product. I finally closed my eyes and pointed decided on a few I really wanted to try.Just for spits & giggles...I'm gonna start with my personal favorite of the 4 products I tried. Mom's Garlic & Basil Spaghetti Sauce...or should I say Summer in a Jar!!! Popping the lid on this sauce, I could feel the sun beating down on my shoulders and the warm earth under my bare feet! I knew I wanted to go old school and simply toss it with some pasta...so I could close my eyes and block out the leafless tree branches outside my window...and feel summer in my mouth. Chunks of juicy tomato, the peppery zip of fresh basil and my old friend garlic...fresh, mouthwatering garlic.So I made some pasta al dente, then poured on the summer to heat it through. A little freshly grated Parmesan and I had a simple meal that I wished would never end. So yeah, I really REALLY loved this sauce.The next goodie I dug into was the Red Hot Jalapeño Jelly! I'm gonna say...paired with some homemade cream cheese...this is one of my new favorite and almost embarrassingly easy party offerings. You can heat some of the jelly up to make it loose, and simply pour it over cream cheese...or you can mix it in. Either way, the heat and tang of the jelly paired with the cool, creaminess of the cheese is an addictive little minx...beckoning your crackers to dive in!Next up is the Brat Haus Beer Mustard. Are you a mustard fan? I love complex mustards...ones that dare you to dip and spread another time. This one was excellent simply spread on a sandwich or used as a dip for hard or soft pretzels. But equally as intriguing slathered on a grilled brat with caramelized onions...I'm actually salivating just remembering that combo. And the crazy thing about this mustard is...it actually kinda tastes like sausage. I was eating it on a pretzel and I felt like I had a bite of summer sausage spread with some mustard. Intriguing, indeed. Without me voicing this observation, my daughter took a bite and commented..."this tastes like hotdogs." She likes hotdogs.Last, but not least...the one I was initially the most excited to try...Citrus, Herb & Truffle Oil Vinaigrette Dressing. Maybe it was the anticipation that killed it, but sadly...it wasn't what I was hoping for. It wasn't bad. It just didn't taste like truffles. At all. Boo Hoo says the truffle lover. It's edible...but don't psych yourself up for a truffle-tastic meal...or you'll be left disappointed. I decided to slice up some red cabbage thinly and then toss it with the vinaigrette.In the meantime, I par baked a pizza crust...then added the cabbage to it and baked for another 15 minutes or so. I must admit, it looks pretty...just not much flavor there. This is an excellent application to use with actual truffle oil and a bit of salt & pepper...but not with this dressing. I did use it tossed with some greens to make up a bed under some grilled white fish. It was good...but I still felt it lacked something. Not sure what...and it may have all been in my head. Decent, but I wouldn't go looking for it.That said, I WOULD go looking for Mom's Garlic & Basil Spaghetti Sauce, Red Hot Jalapeño Jelly and the Brat Haus Beer Mustard!!! Thanks so much to Anne from Fischer & Wieser for allowing me to sample just a smidgen of their fabulous-sounding products...even though I was severely lacking in the timely manner department!