Awesome food find.....Whole Foods Pineapple, Mango & Jicama Salsa

LOVE THIS STUFF!!!! It's so light and refreshing...great for summer barbecue's...and as a topper for grilled pork, chicken or fish. And there is nothing to it...all that's in it is - pineapple, mango, jicama, red bell pepper, scallions and sea salt. What could be better?


Footnotes - Whole Foods Fresh Guacamole gets an honorable mention also...as a guacamole fanatic, they do have the best one I have tasted!

Awesome food find No.2......BBQ Ketchup

I bought this over the summer because it looked interesting. I am a big sauce person and I love ketchup. I put it on everything...especially potato chips. This version is a blend of Kansas City barbecue sauce and regular tomato ketchup. We finally tasted it over the weekend when I made pigs in a blanket for Billy & I while we were watching football. LOVED IT!! It is the perfect combination of barbecue sauce and ketchup. Try it meatloaf or as a dipping sauce for just about anything.

Awesome food find No. 1.....Mac & Cheese Starter

I have tried a few of the starters from Williams-Sonoma, and this is by far my favorite one. Don't be alarmed when you open the jar and it doesn't smell like cheese because its not a cheese sauce. The starter is a blend of milk, flour and spices that you add cheese to.
I used cavatappi pasta (corkscrews) and used shredded mild cheddar and shredded mac and cheese blend cheeses. Instead of bread crumbs, I topped it with crushed Ritz crackers and a few little pieces of butter. I also added onion powder and about a tablespoon of chopped onion. It was phenomenal! I think next time I will try either buffalo chicken or bacon and scallions.

Williams-Sonoma
around $14.00

Awesome food find.....Garlic-Chili Pepper BBQ Sauce

Williams-Sonoma Garlic-Chili Pepper Barbecue Sauce isn't really a traditional barbecue sauce. It is more of a regular chili sauce. To be honest..I was a little hesitant to use it because I thought it was a barbecue sauce. Was I wrong! We used it last night on grilled chicken thighs. It was an amazing combination of sweet with just a touch of spicy...not too over-whelming. Definitely a must try!!!!

Awesome food find......Buffalo Chicken Rub!!

So, we were in Williams-Sonoma (big shock there!) and we came across yet another grilling rub. As everyone knows, I love grilling rubs and I love spicy food. BINGO....this is like a match made in heaven. The rub itself isn't like traditional buffalo wing sauce meaning, it has a little heat but not so spicy that your mouth is on fire for like 3 days. We used it on boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Following the instructions, we rubbed a decent amount on the chicken then mixed 4 tablespoons of melted butter with 2 tablespoons of the rub to brush on the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking. The result......OMG!!! The chicken was juicy with a little buttery-spicy kick to it. We served it with super-sweet corn on the cob and light sour cream for dipping. It was fantastic!


Give it a try!!
$10.00 for 3 oz. container
Williams-Sonoma

Another awesome food find....Artichoke Garlic Pizza Sauce

Oh Williams-Sonoma...how do I love thee?
So this is my newest awesome food find from...you guessed it - Williams-Sonoma! Anyone who knows me knows that I am not crazy about pizza, especially New Jersey pizza (Hey..I grew up in New York!!). I think it's because I am very picky about tomato sauce which is why I like this so much. It is amazing on grilled pizza with fresh mozzarella. You can also spread it on sandwiches or toss with hot pasta.
It's a little on the expensive side at $11.50 a jar but you can get 3 pizzas out of 1 jar. Give it a whirl....you won't be disappointed!

Heaven on a cracker, pretzle stick, broccoli floret......

My friend Joan and I went to a craft fair back in October. There was a company there called Gourmet Creations selling dip mixes. Well...one taste and I was hooked! They have an awesome assortment of vegetable dips, oil dips and dessert dips. Some of my favorites are - Cheddar & Ale (my ABSOLUTE favorite), Creamy Cucumber, Garlic Galore and Heavenly Horseradish which tastes fantastic on grilled steak! Check them out!!

http://gourmetcreations.net/

Why, oh why...do onions make us cry?

As silly as these look (trust me, you look even sillier wearing them), they really do work! My brother got them for me a few years back for Christmas. Every time I cut an onion, I wear them.


Why do onions make us cry?

When onions are cut, an enzyme called sulfoxide lyase and sulfuric compounds are released from the broken cells. When exposed to air, they react with one another to form a vapor called thiopropanal sulfoxide. As this vapor evaporates, it irritates our eyes and causes us to cry. Kitchen folklore remedies such as burning candles or matches, slicing onions under water and freezing the onions before cutting are comical at best. The two methods proven most effective in preventing onion-cutting tears are wearing goggles or contact lenses.

Jams by Kim

I met Kim Osterhoudt at a craft fair over the summer. Kim is the owner of Jams by Kim. She makes the best homemade jams I have ever tasted. My favorites are Roasted Garlic and Sweet Onion (tastes awesome poured over a block of cream cheese and served with club crackers), Bartlett Pear and Blueberry Lemon.

Check out her website - www.jamsbykim.com

My new favorite thing.......

Williams-Sonoma Jalapeno Roaster

Grilling Rubs

Summer is here! Time to get out of the kitchen and get grilling. Now..I am all for barbecue sauce but rubs are definitely the way to go if you want to get awesome flavor and juicy meats.

Kansas City Rib Rub -
This also works well on chicken

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne

Memphis Style Rib Rub -
Finish off with a good barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne

Carolina BBQ Rub -
For beef, chicken, lamb and pork

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
tablespoons brown sugar
tablespoons ground cumin
tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup paprika

Three Pepper Rub
For flank or flat-iron steak

1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Cocoa Rub
For chicken, steaks and ribs

1/4 cup sea salt
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper

You don't have to run out and spend a massive amount of money on spices. You can find great rubs at the supermarket. A few that we love are -

Williams-Sonoma Buttermilk Ranch Rub. We use this on chicken but it is also great on pork, potatoes, popcorn and mixed in sour cream for dips. You can also find Chili-Lime Rub, Smokehouse Rub and Spicy Chipotle. The rubs go for about $10.00 each for a 3oz bag.

Char-Crust Spicy Smoky Southwest Rub. I love the flavor of this rub. It is smoky, sweet and spicy all in one. The great thing about these rubs is that they can be used on any meat and come in a great assortment of flavors - Original Hickory Grilled, Roasted Garlic Peppercorn, All-American Barbecue, Ginger Teriyaki, Amazin' Cajun, Sun-Dried Tomato & Garlic, Hickory & Molasses and Roto Roast. They all go for about $5.00 - $6.00 for a 4oz. bag.