Nachos Grande
February 3, 2011 - Written by DesireeWhether you are rooting for the Packers or Steelers you will have to agree that part of watching the Super Bowl is deciding on what food you will be serving during the game. My husband and I recently purchased a large screen television for our basement rec room. The kids use it for video games, we watch movies on it and this year, he is having the guys over to watch the Super Bowl on it.
I have already decided that I am making Diana’s Chipotle Baked Beans and Kolbasz in the crockpot for the guys to enjoy. I am also making one of our super bowl munching favorites, Nachos Grande. Nachos Grande is basically a baked nacho dip. It is messy, but oh so tasty finger food.
Ingredients:
- I bag of nacho chips
- 1 can of refried beans
- 1 bottle of salsa
- 1 container of sour cream
- 1 can sliced black olives
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese
Spray a 9×15 pan with cooking spray.
Place a generous layer of nacho chips in the pan.
Sprinkle cheese over the nacho chips.
Spread refried beans over the chips and cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 – 15 minutes …
Idaho Potato Quick and Easy Superbowl Recipes
February 2, 2010 - Written by DianaI’m trying to load all you hard working folks up with some quick and easy recipes that have funneled my way. Sometimes when there’s a big gathering of people who want to eat while sitting in front of the tube, you want something that’s not going to take all day to prepare, and maybe food that can be eaten with your fingers. Here are some from the Idaho Potato Commission.
Idaho® Potato Pesto Bites 
Recipe courtesy of Bonnie Cooper, Carrollton,GA Photo courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission
Beat mid-meal hunger with these nutritional, bite-sized snacks sure to satisfy your appetite. Yield: 8 servings Estimated Cost per Serving*: $1.15 Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 2 pounds Idaho® potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup oil-packed, sun dried …
Superbowl Game Day Suggestions
January 29, 2009 - Written by DianaFrom Hormel:
Liven up the main event with quick, filling and flavorful appetizers:
- Cheesy Bacon Dip: Combine sour cream, HORMEL® Real Bacon Bits, shredded Cheddar cheese, softened cream cheese and chopped green onions. Bake until heated through. Serve with fresh vegetables or chips.
- Pepperoni Sizzle Sticks: Top refrigerated breadsticks with HORMEL® Pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake and serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
- Buffalo Chip Dip: Microwave cream cheese until soft. Stir in HORMEL® Premium Chunk Breast of Chicken, pepper sauce and ranch dressing. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Microwave until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers, chips, carrots and celery sticks.
From Pace:
- Black Bean and Vegetable Tacos- Vegetarian tacos. I’d use smaller shells and make it more of an appetizer.
- 5 Minute Cheesy Quesadillas – Really simple and easy. It would take more time, but you can throw in some chopped chicken, peppers and onions.
- Superbowl recipes – A whole page labeled Superbowl recipes.
…
Superbowl Snacks from Taste of Home Cookbook
January 23, 2009 - Written by Diana
Taste of home is everywhere. There’s the great Taste of Home magazine that comes out every month(as well as Healthy Cooking and Simple and Delicious) , the Taste of Home website with great recipes, Cooking School demonstrations to events around the US, and the cookbook. Taste of Home is geared toward the everyday home cook, using ingredients and tools the regular home cook has in the kitchen. This is a cookbook for me and you and my college girl daughter. I could totally give this book to my daughter and she could cook with it. My son, I’m lucky if he’ll read the macaroni and cheese box before he makes that, but if I can get him past that, yeah he could use this book too. My husband, well, he still thinks mixing cans of tuna and chicken together is a good thing. Not only are there recipes, you have dividers, plus a splash guard(I like that a lot), substitution suggestions, nutritional information, and more. In fact, on the first page is a invitation to enjoy a free year of Taste of Home Magazine with the purchase of the book. Yes, a year FREE of Taste of Home Magazine.This Cookbook is so well laid out. It starts with the kitchen basics, then gives appetizers and beverages, soups and sandwiches, meats in their own separate sections, eggs, vegetables, fruit, salads and dressings, sauces and condiments, quick breads, yeast breads, pies, cakes, desserts, cookies and bars and candies. I like that the each of the different meat sections have a picture telling you where everything comes from. There’s a picture of a cow showing you where the different types of beef come from and where the most tender parts come from. The egg section has a page of beaten eggs and shows what a beaten egg is, and what soft peaks and stiff peaks look like(wait that almost sounds like food porn). The fruit section tells how to buy and store your fruit. Anyway, this is a really good book for the home cook and a beginner home cook could get some great use out of it.
Taste of Home also has a contest going on right now. America’s Best Loved Recipe Contest – The grand prize is 25,000.00 – ends March 1, 2009 .
I have some Taste of Home Superbowl recipes to help you prepare for your Steelers vs Cardinals game. These recipes are easy on the budget and simple to prepare, so you won’t be too tired out to join in on the fun.
Hot Bean Dip Prep/Total Time: 15 Min Cost $.40 per serving
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef ¼ cup chopped onion 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans 1-1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese ½ cup taco sauce Tortilla chips
Directions: In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Reduce heat. Stir in the refried beans, Monterey Jack cheese and taco sauce; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Serve warm with tortilla chips. Yield: 3-1/2 cups
Pillsbury Savorings Flaky Pastry Bites Giveaway – Savoring the Moment
November 18, 2008 - Written by Diana
I think this is the perfect time to talk about Pillsbury Savorings. When you go out to pick up the perfect easy party appetizers to go with your holiday dinner, or for a quick bite while you are sipping wine in the evening, or something small for the kids to pop in the toaster oven for a fast treat – this is what you want to look for. Pillsbury Savorings. They’re warm, flaky pastry dough wrapped around tasty fillings and come in three varieties; cheese and spinach, buffalo style chicken and mozzarella and pepperoni. They are easy to prepare (just 20 minutes in the oven or toaster oven ) and are the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine, sparkling grape juice (or sparkling cranberry, MMMM).
National Men Make Dinner Day is November 6th – HUH?!
November 6, 2008 - Written by DianaHormel sent us some recipes and tips to use on National Men Make Dinner Day – a day made possible by men who never cook. I told Deb I would print it, but first I had to make a disclaimer. We don’t think this should be a day. Why on earth would we limit our husbands or significant others to one day a year, now really? It’s not the dark ages.
If they get home first from work, let them have at it. Deb’s husband is a gourmet grill master and great cook. My husband cooks dinner when he gets home first. Just so you know, we are teaching our next generation men to be comfortable in the kitchen too. Some nights my son prepares dinner and has it ready when we get home from work. Deb’s son takes cooking lessons. Empower your husband, give them full kitchen have at it rights and let them just throw things together. They’ll learn that breakfast links don’t work the same as sweet italian sausage with spaghetti. So, let’s abolish National Men Make Dinner Day altogether and make it National Husband Cleans Up Cat Puke Night or something else I could use more.
(Deb’s note: I like the idea of National Fix the Bathroom You Gutted Six Years Ago Day or Take the Fence Panels You Bought in April Out of the Garage and Do Something with Them Day.)
Holiday Cooking: Mama Lucia’s Meatballs Italian Style Meatballs
October 28, 2008 - Written by Diana
When I’m spending days making salsa, sometimes other cooking is neglected. My poor 6’2″ son and my husband would starve if I didn’t have frozen stuff waiting in the wings. Meatballs are one of my favorite staples. They’re quick, delicious, filling and hearty. This weekend when I was up to my elbows in salsa making I knew I had to do something fast and easy, in the microwave for our dinner that wouldn’t get in the way of my work. Well, I took some leftover penne pasta and sauce, threw in some Mama Lucia meatballs and cheese and microwaved it. It was the perfect meal since we really didn’t want to stop chopping. The next morning my son woke up starving, because he went to a party and was too late for the pizza that had been served. Before I could make the eggs, he grabbed a bowl of cold leftovers from our quickly thrown together meal and ate it cold (not my favorite way, but hey it worked for him). Then later he heated up another bowl for lunch. I’m serious they love the stuff. For Thanksgiving or other big family meals, I take frozen meatballs and put it in a crockpot with onions and peppers, and sauce. People munch on it all night long. It’s such a treat and since we travel a couple of hours to visit family, it’s an easy set up. Mama Lucia’s meatballs are just perfect for any gathering.
Diana’s Famous Meatballs in a Crockpot
- 1 box of Mama Lucia’s Italian Style Meatballs
- 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce (more if you like it that way)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes with basil
- 1 sweet onion cut up into thin strips
- 2 green peppers cut up into thin strips
- Fresh Basil
- Mozzarella Cheese
Mrs. Renfro’s Salsa: A Flavor Explosion
October 12, 2008 - Written by Deb Ng
At first bite of Mrs. Renfro’s Mango Habanero Salsa, one gets a tongue pleasing sesation of fruitiness, but give it a couple of seconds and the heat hits. The perfect blend of fruit and spice. It’s not too sweet and the heat isn’t so much that it takes away from the flavor of the salsa. To say I can sit down and eat a jar of this in one sitting is an understatement. I know some people ( *cough* Diana *cough*) aren’t fans of fruity salsa. When it’s done right however, it becomes a flavor explosion. Mrs. Renfro’s does it right.
It gets better though. Mrs. Renfro’s is one of those food companys using its power for good, not evil. They’re rocking the pink lids to raise awareness for breast cancer. A portion of pink lid sales are donated to the breast cancer cause. We so approve.
Right now I have a jar of Mrs. Renfro’s Raspberry Chipotle salsa hidden in the back of my refrigerator. I hope my husband doesn’t see it. I don’t want to share.
Corn Salsa
July 21, 2008 - Written by Deb Ng
Yesterday we had a barbecue to celebrate my birthday which was July 17th and my bother in law’s whose birthday was yesterday, the 19th. Everyone brought a couple of dishes, which is always the best part of these types of gatherings. My sister in law Katharine also likes to experiment with food and recipes and didn’t disappoint. Yesterday she brought over a corn salsa that was to die for. What I loved about the corn salsa was that there was so many flavors going on – the salsa was delicious on tortilla chips or in a bowl on its own. Katharine made a huge bowl of this wonderful appetizer but it didn’t last.
Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn worth of corn Kernels
- 1 avacado – chopped
- 1/2 red onion – chopped
- Chopped cilantro to taste
- Lime juice to taste
How to Make California Rolls
July 7, 2008 - Written by Deb Ng
The first Christmas I spent with my husband’s family was such a unique experience. I was used to the traditional turkey and stuffing Christmases my family enjoyed. My then boyfriend’s mother also made turkey or ham, but she liked to include some Asian dishes as well. Instead of mashed potatoes, we have noodles or rice.
