Kobe Beef Sliders From...A Catalogue?

It's that time of year again; when your mailbox gets stuffed to the brim with catalogues for everything. Decorations, gifts, furniture, food and much, much more.

I have to admit, when you're flipping through Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Mackenzie Limited and other food-based catalogues, every appetizer, entree and dessert looks amazing. Personally, I've never ordered any holiday food from a catalogue, but last week, my grandma did. She ordered a full Christmas dinner with a stuffed turkey, green bean casserole, praline yam casserole, a yule log and coconut cake. But the one item I want to talk about is Mackenzie's Kobe Beef Sliders. My grandma ordered them as an appetizer and when we opened the box, they were ADORABLE. To me, anyway. To anyone else they were just tiny little frozen burgers. But really, how can you not consider itty-bitty burgers topped with bacon and cheese to be irresistible?

Here's what they looked like when they came out of the box:

And after 10 minutes in a convection, here's the finished product:

So were they worth it? Well, it depends. First, on how strapped for time you are. If you've got time to make your own sliders, I say do it. But if you're strapped for time but perhaps not for cash, then give these a try. They come 18 to a box, have a great flavor and are great to look at. Our only complaint was that the bun was too crunchy from the oven, almost like a cracker rather than a soft, warm burger bun.

So, for the first catalogue Christmas order, it wasn't bad. Would I rather make it myself and save some dough? Of course. But for anyone with an extra $44.95 to spend and a hankering to have 18 bacon and cheese sliders on hand just in case company stops by, I say go for it. You can't go wrong with bacon.