Kroger Private Selections Great American Summer Campaign

This was a big campaign! I got to try so many products made by Kroger's Private Selection line for free. I got coupons for these full-size products from my local Kroger:

• Panko Bread Crumbs (I selected Parmesan Herb flavor)
• all natural preserves (I chose Oregon Red Raspberry)
• dry rub (Got the cracked peppercorn seasoning)
• Dark Amber Maple Syrup (I chose the biggest size, which would have been almost $8!)
• Artisan bread (Whole clove garlic loaf, and also bought the sesame just to try)
• $3 off $10 of meat

What I really liked about this BzzCampaign was that instead of receiving all of these full-size products in flavors pre-selected for me, I got the coupons so I could just pick them out myself when I went grocery shopping. There were so many flavors to choose from, I don't remember them all, but I particularly thought the dry rub seasonings had a delicious selection.

I first brought both of the artisan bread loafs with me to a family get-together. I got positive reviews on both flavors. The only negative comment I received was from my 10-year-old nephew who said the bread seemed stale. My sister said she thinks that is how artisan bread is supposed to be- the slightly hardened outer crust and the softer middle. I enjoyed the bread, but didn't think they were anything special.. I've had better. They were also difficult to slice.

Here's an awesome recipe that I just tried last night using the Cracked Peppercorn dry rub. I purchased "steak for marinating" from Kroger , seasoned with the dry rub after tenderizing the meat, and placed into the crock pot with mushroom gravy on "low" for about 4.5 hours.  The result was de-lish! The steak had great flavor, and most importantly, it was husband approved!  He loved it and asked for seconds, which is the biggest compliment. I served it with homemade mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.. a fantastic home-cooked meal that filled us to the brim.

I also tried a recipe last week using the Parmesan Herb Panko bread crumbs. The recipe is right on the back of the box and it did not take long at all. I first coated the chicken breasts in flour, dredged in milk, rolled in the bread crumbs, and placed into a pan to fry just long enough to brown the outside to give it a crispy outside. Then you bake at 400 for 15 minutes and it's done! Here's a picture of the little assembly line I made for the chicken:

Next time I'd like to try this paired with spaghetti, I think the mixture with a hearty marinara sauce would make it much better. When we tried the chicken, I was expecting a little more flavor and seasoning to be in the mixture. Unfortunately there really wasn't much flavor to it. Next time I will know to add some seasoning into the bread crumb mix. The outside of the chicken did have a nice, crispy texture to it though, so I will give it another shot.

I also tried the Oregon Red Raspberry preserves, which taste amazing. I put a little bit into my bowl of Berry Parfait frozen yogurt and it was great!! I'd love to try another flavor.

Remember- I am not in any way selling or endorsing these products. My job is simply to provide honest feedback, tell others what I think, get others' opinions, and submit it to BzzAgent in exchange for receiving this product for free. So I am not going to sugarcoat anything or make commission if you decide to try one for yourself ;-)

So here's my honest, hype-free "Bzz" Review: I enjoyed all of these products, however, I think the Private Selections brand is a little overpriced. It is a store brand.. it's specifically Kroger's line of products. But since they try and push it as being a gourmet line of products, they're a little more expensive. They have "premium" ingredients and cost more than many of the other products around them on the shelf. So although I enjoyed these, I am not sure I would actually purchase the products during my regular grocery shopping trip. The dry rub I might make an exception for- I would love to try those other flavors.