I love Crowdtap and yes, I know, you guys have heard this a gazillion times from me but, I can't help it. Out of all of the marketing groups I do any kind of work for online, Crowdtap is one of my top 2 favorites. I've been a member for a little over 4 years and have had nothing but a wonderful experience and have been treated fair and with respect. (Yes, our opinions do matter and that, my friend, is a pretty neato feeling!)
So, this month, I was approved for 2 sample and shares, the first is, Ragu Sauces.
I received a coupon to use for my choice of Ragu Sauce, which I used at my new favorite store, Wegmans!!
I decided upon a classic sauce, (since I absolutely love to make sauces my very own by adding some herbs and spices!)
I like these newer, updated, more classy labels! I also have to mention that we are big fans of Ragu Pizza Sauce. Our little ones love making homemade pizza and Ragu is our prime choice, so, I figured their newly revised sauces would be a big hit at our house.
I planned on making something totally, "saucesome" (haha I just love this word. The card that came with our coupon said we were picked because we are, "saucesome"! Anyway, I decided to ask the kids what they want for dinner. (I knew they would say, "SPAGHETTI!!" and yes, yes, they did.
I thought I'd give this good looking jar of tasty sounding sauce a chance and just not add anything but salt, pepper and ground beef (and colored bell peppers. SHHHHHHHH! I sneak something extra in everything I make, even my husband isn't always aware of it! So, double, SHHHHHHHH!)
I just made the typical old spaghetti meal that is loved by all and allows for enough leftovers for another meal, baked spaghetti! (It's not a secret really. I just top with mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted.) But, spaghetti has a tendency to taste even better the next day. (That is about the only time you'll ever hear me say that. I am not to keen on leftovers.)
Ok, so, I browned the ground beef, added some salt and pepper, red onion and cooked up some pasta. We used those cute little fans, rather then spaghetti noodles for this dinner. (I like to keep it fun and fancy!)
When the ground beef was cooked through, I added our Ragu Sauce and some yellow and orange bell peppers for some extra veggies and cooked until the pasta was done.
My oldest daughter made, Ranch Bread once while she was still in high school and I fell in love with it ever since. Yes, of course I added that too!
Ranch Bread is a beautiful little side dish and a good way to get rid of any odds and ends you may have hanging around. I use hamburger rolls, hot dog rolls, leftover bread, tortillas, pitas, even flatbreads. I think flatbreads are definitely my top pick!
All you do is spread ranch dressing on the bread and top with cheddar or mozzarella cheese and bake until the edges are browned and the cheese melted. MMMMMM it is delightful!!
Ok, back to the skettis!
I love meals like this because you can hide veggies, you can keep them fun by not always using those boring spaghetti noodles and you have all sorts of options for sides, breads and salads.
Oh and again, it is always so quick!
Ok, here is my review!!
The price is excellent! Ragu has always had reasonably priced products and that is pretty important to any family.
I am more of a "organic" "green mom" when it comes to food, however, I'm not 100% all natural. (I do miss some things) and I happen to trust and know this brand for many years. They have been around since 1937! Of course, I am not that old lol! But, I arrived in 1974 so, I've been here for a little while...
There is just something about, Ragu, that reminds me of the good old days when I was home with my mom and dad and siblings, back when we used to walk 40 miles to school without shoes, in 4 feet of snow....I'm just kidding!! But, really, Ragu just brings back those warm, fuzzy, happy feelings and I love that about them.
That being said, no, I probably will not replace another product or homemade sauce with Ragu, but, they still won our hearts with their pizza sauce and you will always find a jar of Ragu sauce in my house for times when I like to bring back the more, "simple times" when things were not so busy and everything reminded you of a Happy Days episode. Ok, now, I'm showing my age!
Remember I said I like to make things my own and add all kinds of goodies? and remember I said I decided not to do that here since I wanted to keep it all classic? Well, this was not a win with my husband or myself since, it was fairly bland. BUT it was simple and we dig that.
I'll tell you who ate it all up, hidden veggies and all! Our 3 little ones! Yep! That made me smile ;) They are just kids and they don't always want or even need mom to prepare dinner for an extra hour, chopping garlic, tearing oregano from the herb garden, making everything full of flavor, (even though, that's my style, I love lots of different flavors!) No, they like things just the way they are and their cute, smiling faces, saying, "Mom, this is the best spaghetti ever!", always makes my heart sing.
Would I recommend this? Yes, oh yes. (and remember, I opted for the plain jane sauce. I know there are other options so, I'm certain you'll find one you will enjoy.) I plan to stick with just the traditional sauce because it isn't just an all around, simple, happy, sit down together and talk kind of sauce to use for a simple dinner, it's actually our new tradition. That is the main reason I will continue to use, Ragu sauces for my family. I think that was the most important lesson I learned with this sample and share and I think I'm going to keep it that way.
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