From time to time, I'm asked to review products. Here are a few things I've tried recently:

Chick-fil-A grilled chicken

Last week I was invited to taste the new grilled chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A. I was happy to oblige and invited my cousin Nancy to go with me.
Nancy and I both love Chick-fil-A and have fond memories of begging our daddies to take us to the Chick-fil-A in Crabtree when we were girls.
Christy Proctor, local owner/ operator, talked to the dozen or so people gathered for the premiere, telling us about the new sandwich, which went through 1,000 recipes before this one was put on the menu recently.
The sandwich we tried was the grilled club that includes Colby Jack cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato. The sandwich is served with a piece of paper wrapped around it; it's so juicy, you need the wrapper to keep it from dripping! I made the mistake of taking off the paper for my first bite, but I put it back on after the juice started dripping.
This sandwich is very good. I loved the fresh, multi-grain roll, and the grilled chicken has a better taste than the previous grilled sandwich. An entirely new grill was developed to cook it, Christy told us. The cheese on the sandwich adds a nice flavor and texture surprise.
I ate every bite of the sandwich, which is a little unusual for me. But it was so good that I didn't want to leave any behind. I looked around me and saw that most people finished theirs as well.
Our sandwiches were served with a bottle of water and a fruit cup. Chick-fil-A has also revamped its fresh fruit cup to include apples, blueberries, strawberries and mandarin oranges.
Our meal had just under 500 calories.
Before we left, Christy brought out a tray of the new grilled chicken nugget for us to sample. They are also better than the previous grilled product.
I have thought about the grilled chicken club sandwich several times since eating it last week and really want to try it again!
The grilled club sandwich is $5.49.

Welch's Fruit Snacks

I got a sample box of the Easter fruit snacks from Welch's in the mail recently. I often buy fruit snacks for my granddaughter and knew she would like these.
I was right! Not only did she like the taste, but she was excited to see the different shapes, including a chick, eggs, a flower and a bunny. I've had a few of the pouches myself and liked the flavor.
The box includes 28 pouches. Each pouch is 45 calories and contains 100 percent of the RDA of Vitamin C. The fruit bites are also fat-free and gluten-free.
The small pouches would work great in Easter baskets or as a classroom treat.
Cost for the box of 28 pouches is around $4.99.

Fuze Sweet Tea Concentrate

This product was not sent to me, but I have to share it because it's so good! My family and I have enjoyed it so much.
I recently purchased my second cartoon of Fuze iced tea concentrate from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It couldn't be easier to make!
You follow carton instructions for mixing the concentrate and water to make two gallons. It only takes a few minutes. There are also instructions for making single servings.
I've only tried the half-tea, half-lemonade concentrate, but it also comes in sweetened iced tea, unsweetened ice tea and raspberry-flavored iced tea.
The carton costs under $4.

lisa@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7810

Time for tea

Before you head out for Black Friday shopping or even when you return — which could be in the middle of the night — wouldn’t it be nice to have a hot cup of tea?

I really enjoy hot tea, especially this time of year.

My favorite is chai latte, but I also enjoy teas I prepare at home.

For years I’ve made Johnny Appleseed tea in my slow cooker because my entire family enjoys it so much. It’s soothed many colds and sore throats at my house.

Now I have a new fruited tea to add to my recipe collection. I saw a recipe for marmalade tea in Debbi Baker Covington’s “Dining Under The Carolina Moon” a few weeks back. I was intrigued with the idea of mixing a jar of marmalade into a batch of tea. I’ve said before, I love experiments, and this sounded like a fun one.

I changed around several things in Debbie’s original recipe, including substituting brown sugar instead of white, just as I do in the Johnny Appleseed tea. I also didn’t have a lemon, so I used fresh orange juice, and I added a stick of cinnamon to my steaming tea mixture to add a festive flavor to my tea.

The marmalade immediately starts to dissolve when it hits the hot tea, and the little pieces of orange peel float round as you stir. Debbi mentions the tea can be strained; we didn’t mind the orange pieces.

After I had a cup of tea, I poured what was left in a favorite glass tea pitcher and left the tea in the refrigerator for more than a week. Anytime I wanted hot tea, I just poured a cup and let it warm in the microwave. If you are fixing this for a crowd, I suggest pouring the hot tea into a slow cooker and leaving the setting on warm.

I’d still love to receive Christmas goody recipes from my readers to share in this column. Send to the email address below or to Lisa Batts, The Wilson Times, P.O. Box 2447, Wilson, NC 27894.


Johnny Appleseed Tea

• 2 quarts water, divided
• 6 tea bags or 3 family size tea bags
• 1 (6-ounce) can frozen apple juice concentrate, undiluted*
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

Bring 1 quart water to a boil; add tea bags. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags.

Pour remaining quart of water and remaining ingredients into slow cook, mix in steeped tea. Set slow cooker to low or warm. Yield: 9 cups.

*I can no longer find the small can of juice. I buy the larger can and use at least half. I try to get most of the concentrated syrupy liquid that’s at the bottom of the can.


Marmalade Tea

• 10 cups water
• 3 family size tea bag (I use decaffeinated)
• 12 oz. jar orange marmalade
• 3 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• Juice of one orange
• Cinnamon stick

Bring 10 cups of water to boil. Remove from heat and steep tea bags for 7-8 minutes. Stir in marmalade, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon until marmalade is melted and well mixed. Strain tea if deserved before serving.

Serves 10.

Adapted from “Dining Under the Carolina Moon” by Debi Baker Covington