I love to cook, but there are days when I just seem to run out of time before I can get supper ready. For example, on any day that my stepdaughter has a softball game, we have to be out of the house by about 5:15 in order to be at the softball field by 5:45 so that she can warm up for her 6:15 game. Needless to say, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for supper.
Yet even in those circumstances, I really don’t want to feed my family a bunch of unhealthy convenience food every time we have an extra-curricular activity to attend. So when I learned about Dempster’s Chef John Placko’s newest cooking trend, semi-scratch, I was intrigued.
Basically, semi-scratch is the act of taking freshly prepared food and combining it with quick and easy convenience food that have the same taste and nutritional benefits as homemade products. Preservative-free Dempster’s OvenFresh Baguettes are the perfect example of a semi-scratch staple and I was lucky enough to be able to try a package of the new Roasted Garlic variety of baguettes for myself.
Dempster’s OvenFresh Baguettes come partially cooked and bake up fresh and hot in only eight minutes. What really struck me about this product when it arrived was the ingenious packaging. Thanks to an exclusive vacuum-sealed bag, the baguettes stay fresh and ready to bake for up to 45 days with no refrigeration or freezing!
On one of our next pressed-for-time supper days, I decided to incorporate the baguettes into our meal plan. I prepared a fresh garden salad with grilled chicken and popped the baguette in the over to serve on the side. The baguette smelled absolutely fantastic when I took it out of the oven. I cut it into slices and buttered it and then placed it on the table with the salad to see how my family liked it.
Zackary was a little bit hesitant about the garlic at first, but once I convinced him to try a slice, he couldn’t get enough of the soft and flavourful baguette. The rest of the family was just as enthusiastic and the slightly nutty garlic flavour of the baguette was the perfect compliment to the vegetables and grilled chicken. The baguette had a slightly crispy crust with a nice soft interior and was a huge hit overall.
The baguettes come in packages of two and I saved the other baguette for a night when my husband and I were sharing a bottle of wine. We decided to indulge in a variety of cheeses with our wine and I baked the baguette to serve with the cheese. The roasted garlic was the perfect choice to serve with cheese and in just eight minutes I was able to add a delicious special touch to our evening that made a spontaneous snack seem date-night romantic.
Dempster’s OvenFresh Baguettes come in four different varieties and retail for approximately $3.49 for a package of two. They are a great convenience food to have on hand for any meal or snack that could use a special quick-to-prepare extra touch. And if you’re looking for more great tips and tricks that can help get a delicious and healthy dinner on the table a little quicker, visit Dempster’s Facebook page to check out exclusive how-to videos, share your own time-saving tips and enter to win great prizes!
As parents, we simply aren’t always going to have time to prepare a full-course homemade meal. But with great products like Dempster’s OvenFresh Baguettes, even a quickly prepared meal can be a little more special. Why not give them a try?
Buy It: To purchase Dempster’s OvenFresh Baguettes, check your local grocery store’s bakery department
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