seven cheese tortorlini with butternut squash sauce.

seven cheese tortorlini with butternut squash sauce.
Originally uploaded by evan brom

Butternut squash as a sauce? I guess this solidifies butter nut squash as a current flavor fad.

As a sauce t brings a bright sweetness to a overall savory flavor profile. I do wonder if the creamy luxurious mouth feel is coming from the squash or some amount of cream or other fat.

The bold taste of this sauce did over power the subtleties of the cheese in the tortellini.

Parmesan spinach dip on pie crust sample at costco.

Parmesan spinach dip on pie crust sample at costco.
Originally uploaded by evan brom

Is pie crust meant to be used this way? Aside from a few applications like pot pie I do not think of pie crust as savory. This is my loss as it makes an amazing pastry cracker substitute. Granted the high levels of fat make it an unhealthy option.

In the sample CDS was placing one of my favorites on the pie crust. A Parmesan spinach dip. This dip is quite dense consisting mostly of Parmesan and not milky cream that lesser dips dill the void with.

Overall I think this unique paring was a success!

costco sample of omega 3 orange flavored supplement

costco sample of omega 3 orange flavored supplement
Originally uploaded by evan brom

Does a fish bleed orange? Probably not, but in this costco sample they manged to make fish oil orange in both taste and color. I have found that orange is used in many cases to disguise the true flavor of an item. This sample tasted like a greasy tang mix, I guess it is healthy so why not give it a try.

ling ling veggie spring roll sample at costco

ling ling veggie spring roll sample at costco
Originally uploaded by evan brom

Proper cooking can greatly enhance a food. Conversely improper cooking can greatly detract from a food's appeal. This sample at costco falls into the latter category, Spring rolls should be crisp with frying as the usual cooking method. In this case it was microwaved or under baked as it lacked the crispness I would like to see in a spring roll.

frozen berries and milk smoothie sample at costco

frozen berries and milk smoothie sample at costco
Originally uploaded by evan brom

This sample at costco raises a interesting debate. Should they demo what something can be, or what something is? This was a sample of frozen berries, but rather than being resented in their sold form they were blended with milk to make a smoothie. I like the serving suggestion but is it right to augment a sample?

rice and nut snack mix sample at costco

rice and nut snack mix sample at costco
Originally uploaded by evan brom

I must go on a small rant about this item and sample at costco.

I enjoy nuts, I enjoy rice snacks, I LOVE sesame sticks, mix them together and it is not a good result.

Nuts are soft and fatty, rice snacks are crisp and clean tasting. The oily sesame stick also is a major texture and mouth feel contrast that should be enjoyed alone.

I am glad that costco provides samples of items like this o prevent me from making a 1-2lb mistake.

Ben Clement

Ben Clement
Originally uploaded by evan brom

He encouraged me to start this saga of costco samples. Ben along with the entire Clement family also enjoy costco and the samples there.