FARGO - I'll admit it: I like "kid food." Juice boxes, Goldfish Crackers, Kraft Mac & Cheese, hot dogs with ketchup ... I like it all.
I've even been known to bring Lunchables to work for lunch, so I was excited to see Hillshire Snacking's Small Plates - basically "adult Lunchables" - in the deli meat section at Target.
Like Lunchables, Small Plates are comprised of meat, cheese and crackers in similar packaging.
They come in four varieties: Genoa Salame With Natural White Cheddar Cheese, Italian Dry Salame With Natural Gouda Cheese, Wine-Infused Salame With Natural White Cheddar Cheese and Hot Calabrese Salame With Natural Gouda.
I passed on the Wine-Infused and Hot and bought the Genoa and the Italian Dry for $3.14 each. I think they'd go great with a glass of wine, but I don't know how I feel about wine right IN the salami, and I don't like spicy meats.
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I liked both varieties I tried, but prefered the Genoa Salame With Natural White Cheddar Cheese over the Italian Dry Salame With Natural Gouda Cheese, mainly because I prefer cheddar over Gouda, and the crackers in the Genoa package were a little saltier.
If I were eating a package at home, I might add a few elements to make it more like a cheese plate (which I love!) than a Lunchable. Think: Dijon mustard, grapes, nuts and caper pods.
Bottom line: At work or at home, as is or dressed up, Hillshire Snacking's Small Plates are a tasty grown-up version of a kid-food classic.
