Create-A-Chip...creativity in demand!!

I found this post on Cooking Club of America...thought it would be of interest!
Be a Flavor Artist
Walking through the chip aisle at your local store, you stop and sigh. Sour cream and onion? Been there, done that. Smokin' jalapeño? All bark, no bite. Mesquite BBQ? The thrill of the grill is gone for you. If only you could find a snack with some personality. Stop searching and start shaking. With the Create-A-Chip Kit from Kettle Brand Potato Chips, you're free to come up with your own fab flavors. The kit gives you a blank slate (four bags of unseasoned chips) and seven all-natural seasoning blends to kick-start your thinking. It's up to your imagination—and the contents of your pantry—to provide the rest. Think you've come up with a killer recipe? Share it online. You could win a year's supply of Kettle Brand chips. You've finally bagged the prefect snack. Look for the Create-A-Chip Kit in grocery stores or purchase online at http://links.namgclubs.net/ctt?kn=24&m=4171671&r=MzY0NTU5NDIyMQS2&b=0&j=MTI2NTE5Njc3S0&mt=1&rt=0.

Corn and Bean Salsa...and check out a giveaway!

Are you looking for something different to serve your guests? This is a super easy and good salsa. My friend brought this to a party last Sunday and we were chowing down on it like it was our job! I got to thinking what else I could do with this and I came up with making it into a veggie burrito or loading a baked potato and fat free sour cream for a healthy meatless meal. However you choose, this is inexpensive and delicious. It is packed with fiber and good for you nutrients like potassium. Before adding your canned items, make sure you rinse them under cold water to get rid of some of the additional salt that is used in the canning process.

Corn and Bean Salsa
1 can shoepeg corn, rinsed
1 can black eyed peas, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can Old El Paso chopped green chiles
1 stalk celery, diced
1small jar chopped pimentos
1 red onion, diced


3/4 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar


Mix the first set of ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl. Heat the sugar, oil and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the bean mixture. Put covered in refrigerator overnight to marinate. The next day, drain the salsa and put into a bowl for serving. Frito-Lay Scoops are great for this as they help pick up all the great goodness! Ole'!!

Click here Harried Mom of Four for a really cool giveaway!

Blueberries pack a punch...or a popsicle!

Having my grandsons around for the week means that they are always looking for something sweet to eat. Let's face it, no matter how hard you try, they are going to sneak in some unhealthy snacks. Aidan is "addicted" to chocolate. He's 2 and he pronounces every syllable as Cho-co-lat...who knew he was practicing French!! But he is a good eater and likes everything. Carter, the 6 year old, on the other hand thinks Italian toast with butter is a food group. His protein to date has consisted of eggs, cheese and peanut butter...and protein shakes. We finally got him to try hot dogs over the weekend and he now likes those. Better than nothing. What they both agree on is berries and popsicles. Ellie Krieger has a recipe for a blueberry punch so I thought I would make it and freeze some as pops for the boys. What a hit! These are so much better than the sugar and water pop ice that they want. And these are fun because they helped me make them. Here is Ellie's recipe for the punch. It is refreshing just as it is or do what I did..... pour into a popsicle maker and dole out the fun a few hours later.
Blueberry Punch
Dissolve 2 Tbsp of honey in 1/4 cup boiling water.
Puree 1 cup thawed frozen blueberries and 1/2 cup cold water in a blender.
Pour the blueberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.
Add up to 3-1/2 cups cold water and the dissolved honey to the pitcher and serve.

Refreshing Watermelon Salad

In the latest issue of Food Network Magazine, there are some wonderful salad recipes. I tried the one in this post and it has a lot of flavors going on in your mouth! I already had the watermelon, red onion and olives and my oregano is growing nicely in the herb garden. So I picked up some arugula and feta on the way home to give this a whirl. Being a lover of fruit and greens together, I was interested in how all of these favors were going to fit together....sweet, juicy watermelon, pungent and sweet red onion, salty feta and olives and peppery arugula. All I can say is that this is an explosion for your taste buds! These all paired up and complimented each other so well. It is also colorful and happy looking. There are 50 salad ideas in this issue so I have several more that I would like to try. I will keep you all posted!

Watermelon-Feta Salad

Whisk 1 part white wine vinegar with 3 parts olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with baby arugula, red onion slices, watermelon cubes, crumbled feta, nicoise olives and fresh oregano.

That's it! How easy and healthy and gets you done in a flash!! Pair this with a nice semolina bread, glass of crisp Sauvignon Rose wine and you have a light summer supper!!

Everybody walk the Dinosaur...Beans

We have had a busy several days with our grandsons in the house. It is hard to get to the computer for recreation and during the day I am working my full time job! Our daughter has been a big help though getting some things done in the house for me, but she really has her hands full taking care of those little guys. They are just so fun! Anyway, here is the bean recipe that I talked about in the post a couple of days ago. These are awesome. The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant in Syracuse, NY (with a sister restaurant in Rochester, NY) was started in 1983 by a few Harley bikers, with the intention of feeding their hungry friends. They traveled around to rallies feeding their friends and having fun. In 1987, they set up shop in downtown Syracuse in a former tavern and the rest is history. This place is really eclectic. You will see lawyers and bikers at tables next to one another. Their pulled pork sandwiches are the best!! They have a great story and it is a fun and interesting restaurant. You can find their cookbooks on line and even order their sauce on line if they aren't in your market. Their recipe for Drunken Spicy Shameless Shrimp is a favorite of our kids, and is also in the book.

For the following recipe, I mixed everything together and put it into a baking dish. About an hour before dinner I put the dish, covered, in a 400 degree oven and got them bubbling hot. Oh YUM!!

Dinosaur-Style Bar-B-Que Beans

(Dinosaur Bar-B-Que An American Roadhouse Cookbook)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

Pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

8 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casing

2 cans (28 oz. each) Bush's baked beans

3/4 cup Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sauce

1 Tbsp Zatarain's Creole mustard (or spicy brown mustard)

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp Creole seasoning (recipe follows)

1 Tbsp molasses

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook til soft, adding a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Crumble the sausage into the veggies and cook, chopping to break the meat into small pieces. Cook til the pink disappears. Drain off some of the bean liquid in each can so that it's at the same height of the beans; then mix the contents of both cans into the cooked veggies and sausage. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately, or cool and reheat before serving.

(Letting the flavors blend awhile never hurts.) Feeds 10-12.

CREOLE SEASONING

This makes a great rub for meat, a sprinkle for your veggies or added as seasoning to casseroles or coatings.

1/2 cup paprika

1/2 cup granulated garlic

1/4 cup granulated onion

3 Tbsp black pepper

2 tsp white pepper

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup dried oregano

1/4 cup dried thyme

2 tsp ground cumin

2 Tbsp sugar

Combine everything in a bowl and mix it up real well. Store in a plastic or glass container with a lid. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Finger Lickin' Good Bar-B-Que

We had our family cook-out on Sunday for the holiday. We had family and some friends and it was a fabulous food fest. Our son (super cook in his own right) was in charge of the meat and the barbecue grill. His worthy contribution was ribs and chicken. Wow...............

He rubbed the ribs with McCormick Pork Dry Rub and poured about 1/2 can of beer in each pan. He wrapped them tightly and put them into a 250 degree oven for 4 hours. They cooled for awhile and then he put them in the fridge over night. When he put them on the grill, they were smothered with Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sauce.

For the chicken, he used half chickens. In the bottom of a broiler pan, he poured a can of beer, squeezed a lemon, cut it into wedges and tossed in the pan, sprinkled in some peppercorns and some of that dry rub. He then rubbed down the chickens and placed them on the rack. He covered the whole thing tightly and put it in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours. This steamed the chicken and worked somewhat like the beer can idea for a whole chicken. He then tossed it on the grill with more Bar-B-Que Sauce.

All I can say was that our dinner was finger lickin' good. And to watch our 2-year old grandson eat a rib was priceless! All of the meat was tender, juicy and succulent. So what did the rest of us do? I made Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Beans. These are awesome. I am going to post the recipe tomorrow, along with a little background on Dinosaur Bar-B-Que! I also made a chick pea salad and my daughter made cauliflower salad. My mom brought strawberry rhubarb pies. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday!

Mini Banana Zucchini Muffins

My daughter has used this recipe for a few years now to get her sons to get their "sweet" tooth satisfied, without giving in to requests for the really bad stuff! These have gone to day care, parties, etc. and they get to think they are getting something good. Now that Carter is 6, he has caught on! LOL But Aidan still considers them big time "cupcakes" and loves them right out of the freezer! Go figure! I made these for our granddaughter in Atlanta and she loved them too. The amazing thing about these is that they use no eggs! If you are looking for a great treat for a kid's party or afternoon snacks, these are great! It is also one more recipe to use when you have a bumper crop of zucchini!
Have a Happy 4th of July everyone!

Mini Banana Zucchini Muffins
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups mashed banana
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk with a splash of vinegar
1/2 small zucchini, grated (I used a microplane grater for this step)

Mix all ingredients together and bake in mini muffin tins sprayed with PAM at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool a couple minutes and turn out from pan. These freeze well.
This will make about 48 mini muffins.