HemisFares™ Dry Pasta Review

HemisFares^™ Dry Pasta Facts

All of the HemisFares^™ dry pastas are made by local, artisanal producers in Italy using traditional Gragnano style methods — the highest quality production process for pasta. The machines they use cannot produce more than a few hundred pounds of pasta an hour (compared to tons of pasta at industrial companies). The pasta is then dried for 12–14 hours (compared to 4–6 hours) at a lower temperature to preserve the authentic flavor and natural nutritional value of the wheat used. Each of the imported dry pastas from the NEW HemisFares^™ line are as follows:

• Fusilli Bucati Lunghi - 16 oz. for $3.99 - From Campania, Italy, this long pasta was first made by twisting a pasta thread around a fuse or a spindle.
• Orecchiette - 12 oz. for $2.99 - The distinctive rounded shape of this imported pasta was inspired by the roofs of ancient Apulian houses, called trulli. It comes from the Puglia region and its name is translated as “little ear.”
• Rigatoni - 12 oz. for $2.99 - Hailing from the Lazio region of Italy, this tubular pasta comes from the Italian word “rigati,” which means ridged.
• Tagliatelle - 9 oz. for $3.99 - From the Marché region, this egg-based pasta was originally crafted by generations of local women from Campofilone (and is produced there to this day!). It’s made from durum wheat and over 35% eggs, then worked by hand without the addition of any water.
• Anelli Giganti - 12 oz. for $2.99 - This authentic pasta shape originated in Southern Italy; it’s produced with the highest quality ingredients before being bronze cut, leaving it with rough, porous edges to better catch and hold sauces.
• Chifferini - 12 oz. for $2.99 - Originally from the southern island of Sicily, this half-moon-shaped, ridged pasta has a very long drying process — resulting in a strong color and a rich, hearty flavor.

My Review

My Instagram

In my BzzKit that I received from BzzAgent contained a package of Fusilli Bucati Lunghi from the HemisFares™ Dry Pasta line from Kroger. I had never heard of this type of pasta before receiving this package but I'm happy I got to try it!

My Instagram

At first, before I received the package, I was skeptical. It's just dry pasta to be honest, I wasn't ready to be this surprised. First off, I loved the packaging, it looks like something very expensive and like something you would see in a fancy gift basket. Luckily, the price for this pasta is NOT expensive. Check out those prices above! Not to mention, I also received coupons to share with friends, $1.50 off a package.


The pasta itself was quite unique too; look at these long curly noodles! The noodles are folded in the middle as if they came right off a drying rack.And the flavor was like fresh, homemade noodles too!

The noodles are hollow too which wasn't expected so be careful with hot (temperature) sauces. I burned my mouth trying to slurp the noodles up because some of the sauce I made came up through the noodle.

My Instagram

I have made pasta at home with my father before and it's delicious but VERY time consuming. It's a weekend project that could be skipped in my opinion. This pasta tasted just as good as homemade without all the labor necessary. This pasta is great for a weekday meal without the work of making the pasta at home.

This specific pasta was difficult to remove from the bag without using the whole package as it doesn't easily reseal. We wound up using the whole package and leaving more than half as leftovers. I loved everything about this pasta line other than that the package doesn't reseal.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using BzzAgent.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  

Kroger Fuel "How Low Can You Go?"

I want to educate my readers about the Kroger Fuel Points program so you can save money on your groceries and your fuel! I want to start by telling you the basic information that you will want to know about the Kroger Fuel Points program. First, you can get up to $1 off per gallon when you redeem 1000 Fuel Points* and there are five ways to accrue fuel points at the stores every single day:

1. Collect 1 Fuel Point for every $1 you spend on groceries*
2. Receive 2 Fuel Points for every $1 you spend on eligible gift cards*
3. Receive 2 Fuel Points for every $1 you spend on no-contract phone and airtime card purchases
4. Earn 50 Fuel Points for every qualifying prescription you fill at your store’s pharmacy**
5. Earn 50 Fuel Points when you complete a customer survey at the bottom of your receipt***

Also be sure to keep an eye out for rotating offers, like the chance to earn 4 times Fuel Points on gift cards! With gas prices this low and the opportunity to earn Fuel Points on all your Kroger purchases, I have heard of people filling up for less than $1 per gallon when they redeem their points!

You can redeem points at Kroger Fuel Centers and Kroger-owned convenience stores such as Turkey Hill and at participating Shell Stations!

At Kroger Fuel Centers and Kroger-owned convenience stores, scan your Plus Card at the pump and follow the instructions to apply your discount to a fill-up of up to 35 gallons. You can redeem your points in 100-point (or 10¢) increments — use up to 1,000 Fuel Points on a single fill-up to get $1 off per gallon! You can also save some points for later.

At Shell Stations, follow the screen prompts to initiate the discount before you pay, then do one of the following:

• Insert your full-size store loyalty card
• Manually enter your alternate ID or your loyalty card number

Track Your Points

Your Fuel Points total for the current month is listed at the bottom of every receipt from your local store. You can also track your points online at Kroger.com or through their mobile app — just register your loyalty card there! Look under the Savings tab for your fuel points summary.

Use the Store Locator at Kroger.com to find a participating Fuel Center or Shell Station near you!

Reader BONUS!!! I have a digital offer for you! Visit this link: http://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/code/?origin=wh0130PA&assettag=whbz013015&filtertag=whbz013015PA and log into your Kroger card account. Use the coupon code FUEL and you'll get 200 Bonus Fuel Points (or 20¢ off every gallon at their next fill-up*) with a grocery purchase of $25 or more at The Kroger Co. Family of Stores!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using BzzAgent.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

Barilla Collezione BzzKit

Wow! I finally received my first BzzAgent Campaign! I cannot wait to share with you guys all about Barilla Collezione pasta!

I have decided to welcome the world (or maybe just my followers :)) into my kitchen. But first I'll let you know what I received in my BzzKit and a bit of the back story on the type of pasta included therein.

Included in my BzzKit:

• 1 box of Barilla Collezione pasta
• 1 jar pink peppercorns
• 1 Barilla pepper grinder

History of the pasta I received:
          Casarecce (kah-sa-REH-che)
          Region: Sicily
          Shape: short, wide strip of pasta loosely rolled like a scroll
          Pairings: pesto, eggplant, ricotta and basil
          Recipe: Casarecce Siciliane with Pesto alla Trapanese

My Review

My Instagram

Barilla Collezione is absolutely fantastic, and SO hearty! It tastes amazing and has that thick pasta feel of gnocchi without being quite as thick. Plus it only has 200 calories per serving (which is about  1/6 of the box) allowing me to stay on track for my weight loss goals and still eat delicious pasta.

The ingredients in this pasta are extremely simple too:

• Wheat
• Wheat flour
• Niacin
• Iron

Barilla pasta is also made in the USA which is something important to me for most of the products I use. I think because of the authenticity of this new pasta line I would rather see that it was made in Italy though. But, I'm not complaining it's still delicious!

My Instagram

The peppercorns add a delicious flavor to any pasta. I used the Casarecce noodles and added grilled chicken, and Alfredo sauce. I love pepper but my boyfriend isn't such a fan, I left he pepper light in the dish then added all the pink peppercorn I wanted at the table! I was hoping to have more left over but once Kyle starts eating something he likes it's hard to get him to stop.

This pasta was really easy to cook and even though it is a bit different than other pastas the process is the same. Boil water. Add pasta. Of course there's the extra work of grilling and dicing the chicken and making the Alfredo sauce -- or just opening the can, that can be tough too.

One of the best parts of BzzAgent campaigns is that you also receive coupons for the product you're trying to pass on to your friends and family. These coupons for the Barilla pasta are for $1.00 off a package of Barilla Collezione pasta, how awesome! I sent one coupon to a friend in a care package so she can try it too all the way in Florida.

I have enjoyed this BzzKit so much and cannot wait to continue to share my opinion on products like these! I loved everything about this hearty pasta and don't think it would be possible to go wrong with any sauce, veggie, or meat combination. Delicious!


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using BzzAgent.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.