Junk food Nation, I have a random clothing question – how long do you keep around a belt?  That is to say, how worn does it have to be before you replace it?  I own a variety of belts, and recently just throw a bunch out.  I had the gamut: I had ones from when I was heavier so that now if I put it on I would have to punch new holes in it and deal with the foot of extra leather sticking out from my side. I have ones that were smaller and as I got heavier the holes were streeeeeeeeeeettttttttttched until they looked like oblong button holes.  I had belts there were reversible, so the turning mechanism is all jacked up right now from spinning the belt head too many times.  I have belts where the notch I usually use is accompanied but HUGE CRACKS in the leather.

For the longest time I wouldn’t throw a belt away until it basically broke, but sometimes I’m like, “Hey this is a nice suit! Why am I wearing something that looks like I chewed on it around my waist?” But belts are NOT cheap – even if you get them at, say, TJ Maxx, they can still be $15 a pop.  That’s like 2.5 Chipotle burritos.  I’ll keep the cracked belt and have another carnitas with extra guac, thanks. Priorities people.

But seriously, what does everyone else do out there when it comes to belts? Replace them every three months?  Own enough so that each one only gets worn once a month?  Do women have this same problem?  I have no idea.  Please, give me your belt knowledge in the comments below.

Today’s junk food: Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli!

Oh Wegmans. How do I love thee? Growing up in Upstate New York, I’ve been eating from this amazing grocery store chain for decades.  Now, having spread downwards into the DC/MD/VA area, I’ve been able to continue to consume their excellent products for the past several years. Like the reputation Trader Joe’s has, I believe Wegmans-branded products are always legit.  So when I saw this Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli, my immediate thought was YES – get in my cart.

Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli just makes sense to me – just like a normal cheese ravioli, but you fill it with ricotta, cheddar, and American cheese to replicate that mac & cheese familiar sort-of-fake cheese flavor.  I’ve had completely homemade mac & cheese before, with several cheeses and bread crumbs and the like, and it was awesome.  But with this, I just wanted something to be better than Kraft powdered mac & cheese.

Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli were each the size of a large postage stamp.  Empty the bag into a pot of boiling salty water…

…boil for 4-5 minutes until all of them are floating and BAM!  DONE.

I’m a glutton for cheese, so on top of this Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli I added a little shredded pepperjack.

The ravioli carried heat well, so the shredded cheese, just on the top, melted right away.

OOOOOOOOO lovely, isn’t it?  Yes it is.  Yes you are, Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli. Super simple to make, and how did it taste?

Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli tasted PRETTY DAMN AWESOME, is how it tasted. There wasn’t enough pepperjack to distract, so I was able to taste the ravioli pretty clearly.  The pasta itself, having been pre-cooked, was standard – soft, springy, and nicely chew-able after only 4-5 mins of boiling.  None of the ravioli broke and leaked all over, which was nice.

Cutting into the ravioli, I was also pleased to see there weren’t huge pockets of water, which is usually the problem with ANY ravioli – was there any seepage, etc.  Nope, none here.  Instead, just a gooey pocket of orange colored cheese filling.

The flavor of the orange filling was pretty straightforward – salty cheddar & American cheese mix. Nice and gooey.  LOTS of cheesy flavor – there was just the right amount of cheese in there where eat ravioli I chewed felt like I was eating the right ratio of pasta to cheese in regular mac & cheese.  Best of all, it didn’t taste too greasy – it’s not like the inside felt like a big glob of oil.  The mouth feel was just a nice portion of gooey flavorful cheese.  I’m sure the ricotta was in there somewhere to help provide the more solid texture. All of the raviolis, even with only 4-5 min of heating, had nice hot centers – none were a lukewarm ice cube.

All in all, I think this Wegmans Mac & Cheese Ravioli set out to accomplish its goal – to perfectly replicate mac & cheese flavor in a different form.  The benefits, to me, of this form of mac & cheese is the ability to make it in such a short amount of time without needing to mess with powders and half cups of milk, etc.  It’s just a solid taste without much mess – not going to say that it BLEW MY MIND, but I was pleased with the execution of the product.

I liked this a LOT.  Have bought it again twice.  You need to try this.

PURCHASED AT: Wegmans, Germantown, MD

COST: $3.49

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy