I had a great time testing all the recipes for the Saucy Mama Recipe contest and a very tough time choosing a winner.  Now that the crunch of getting all the recipes tested is over I am going back and making the favorites for my staff.  Today we did Parmesan Garlic Pasta from www.imperrfections.blogspot.com.  After lunch everyone was very satisfied and we had a unanimous “I am going to make this at home”.  Here is the recipe from Megan’s very entertaining blog.

PARMESAN GARLIC PASTA

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Ingredients:
(Serves 4-6)

2 zucchini, sliced in half and cut into 3/4 in wide pieces
1 red onion, sliced in half and cut into 3/4 in wide pieces
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1/3 C Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade sprinkle of salt & fresh cracked black pepper

6 slices Oscar Meyer thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (or 1/2 C bacon
bits)
12 oz rotini pasta (3/4 of a 1lb box), cooked al dente
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
2 TBS Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl toss together the vegetables with the marinade, salt, and pepper, making sure to coat evenly.
Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. If using fresh bacon instead of bacon bits, line another baking sheet with foil, spread out 6 slices of bacon, and bake until crisp at the same time as the vegetables (about 25-30 minutes).

Cook the pasta, drain, and throw into a large bowl. When the vegetables are done and the bacon is cooked, drained on paper towels and crumbled, add it all to the pasta along with the parmesan cheese, marinade, and fresh basil.

Toss everything together and serve warm. Excellent

When I made the pasta for my staff I deglazed the pan I roasted the vegetables in with a little chicken broth, scraping up all the brown bits and tossed that in with everything else.  I then served it with coarsely grated Parmesan on top since I do live by the theory that you cannot have too much Parmesan.

Whenever I have to open a new box of any kind of broth and need only a little I pour the remaining portion into an ice cube tray and freeze.  I then place the frozen broth in a dated zip lock bag and toss it back in the freezer. I then always have it on hand for deglazing pans or whatever else requires a small amount of broth.

Thanksgiving came and went so fast!  Actually planning was pretty darn easy now that Irene and Chris have it at their house in Tualatin.  I love of having adult children.  Irene is wonderful; she is a just great at putting a party together while handling being a Mom with ease.  Actually Irene and Chris are a great team and it is fun watching them work together.  All I had to bring was an opening act cocktail, along with an appetizer.  For the main course I made Cranberry Whiskey Mustard Sauce to go along with Irene’s turkey.  For desert I made Grandma Winkie’s Pumpkin Pies.  Grandma Winkie is Jan’s mother and got that name when the boys were very small and she read them a favorite children’s book whose main character just happened to be Grandma Winkie.   The name stuck.

I have a new favorite Whiskey “Snake River Stampede.”  It comes from the folks at Indio Spirits in Cottage Grove, Oregon.   www.indiospirits.com .  The taste is very smooth with notes of caramel.  I also have a favorite author of cocktail books and that is A.J. Rathbun.  A.J. has a new book out “Dark Spirits” and I decided to use a recipe from that book for a cocktail called WOW made from whiskey, orange juice and water.  It was perfect for our Thanksgiving, and I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic for Christmas.  Before I give you the recipe for WOW I want to highly recommend A.J.’s books, the cocktail recipes are terrific and the books are just plain fun to read.  A.J is a very entertaining fellow.  If you want to check out his blog it is www.ajrathbun.com .  You can order A.J.’s books from our website.

WOW

2 ounces Snake River Stampede Whiskey

1 ½ ounces freshly squeezed orange juice

1 ounce simple syrup (recipe follows)

2 ½ ounces hot water

Orange twist for garnish

Add the whiskey, orange juice and simple syrup to a large mug

Heat the water to almost boiling (this is where an instahot really comes in handy

Pour water into mug, and stir briefly.  Twist the orange twist over the top and drop it in.  As A.J. says, “WOW indeed.”

A variation for the young ones and non-imbibers in the group:  Take the whiskey out of the equation; up the orange juice by 1 ounce; the simple syrup by ½ ounce and the water by1/2 ounce; and add ¼ teaspoon ground cloves to the mug.

I am going to make a pitcher of the orange juice, whiskey, simple syrup mixture and have another insulated pitcher of hot water so that the guests can make their own drinks.

I am going to stop by my local grocery store deli for my appetizer.  Anyone who has read this blog knows that when in a rush the olive bar and cheese counter are my best friend.  I’ll pick up a nice crusty baguette, cut it into thin slices, arrange it on a platter with sliced hard salami and wedges of cheese, put out bowls of olives and marinated vegetables and I’m done.  Of course I will put out Saucy Mama Mustard to compliment everything.

I’ll make the cranberry sauce a couple of days before Thanksgiving and bring it to Portland with me.

Whiskey Mustard Cranberry Sauce

¾ cup Snake River Stampede Whiskey

¼ Harlequin Orange Liqueur (or whatever orange liqueur you happen to have laying around)

1 cup sugar

1 – 12 ounce package fresh cranberries

¼ cup Willamette Valley Sweet Hot Stone Ground Mustard

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Bring whiskey, orange liqueur, and sugar to a boil in a heavy medium sized saucepan stirring to dissolve sugar.  Add cranberries and mustard, return to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in orange peel. Allow to cool to room temperature.  If not using immediately refrigerate until ready to use.  Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

This was exciting stuff … We didn’t expect bonus write-ups about our Cocktail Onions.  But we’re so grateful to A.J. Rathbun, who shared this wonderful review of our cocktail onions on his blog.

Oh - and speaking of exciting stuff, we have to send a special thanks to those of you who left us a comment on our blog last week.  So we’re going to extend our thanks by sending a six-pack of treats to ALL of you who left us comments.  (Look in your email for a note from us!) Please make sure to stay tuned, because we’re going to host other giveaways soon and often!

Yesterday, Mark from our office, said that he had gotten and e-mail from one of the trucking companies we deal with for a great sounding sandwich using our Aviator Brown Ale Mustard.  I am always up for a good sandwich, so I had Mark forward the e-mail. It was from Annette Morris at YRC Trucking’s Yakima Office and wow it did sound really good. She calls it Morris’s ABC Sandwich.
The ABC in the sandwich were apple, bacon and Cheddar.   I made the sandwich just as Annette instructed and it was delicious, but I am never able to just leave a recipe alone so I decided to do the whole thing as a panini.  Man, that gooey melted cheese with the cool, crisp apple and sweet, smokey bacon was dynamite!  Thank you Annette.

And don’t forget, I’m still giving away THREE 6-bottle condiment packages to three random posters who leave me a comment on my blog this week!  Tell me about your favorite condiment flavor right now, and on Friday I’ll select three people at random who will receive a hearty collection of my Saucy Mama condiments!

Morris’ ABC Sandwich

1/2 Sweet Crisp Apple (The Fuji Apples looked great at the store so that’s what I used)
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook Extra-sharp and it was
terrific)
2 slices bacon (crisp cooked)
Aviator Brown Ale Mustard

Spread a thin layer of mustard on both slices of bread.  Layer in cheese, bacon and apple slices.  Enjoy.

My variation….Assemble the sandwich leaving out the apple layer. Butter the outside of the bread.  Place the sandwich in a heated panini press or in a heated skillet and weight the top (I use another heavy skillet).  Cook until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.  Open the sandwich and put in the apple layer.

Now that the weather has turned colder I am turning to one pan dinners made in the oven. Not only do they bring on a personal warm and cozy feeling, the house also smells great while they are cooking.  Roast chicken is a favorite at our house and the recipe submitted by Megan at www.imperrfections.blogspot.com just fits the bill.  Jan will love it.

And since I’ve been offline for a bit, I think it’s time to shake things up with a giveaway!  Please leave me a comment below telling me about your favorite condiment flavor right now, and I’ll select three people at random who will receive a six-pack sampling of Saucy Mama condiments, including the Chipotle Mustard used in this recipe! Talk to me!

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, chopped
1 1/2 onions, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

1 tsp salt

Fresh ground black pepper (10 grinds)

1 (3 lb) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 C Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground black pepper (10 grinds)
2 celery stalk, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
splash of white wine (I use Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix oil, mustard, salt, and pepper from the first list of ingredients in small bowl. Place potatoes, carrots, and onions in a 9×13 baking dish and pour the mustard/oil mixture over vegetables. Toss to make sure everything is coated evenly.

In another small bowl, mix together the butter, mustard, salt and pepper from the second group of ingredients. Thoroughly rinse chicken inside and out, pat dry with paper towels, and use a sharp knife to create a pocket under the skin for the rub. Use 1/2 - 3/4 of the butter/mustard rub underneath the skin of the chicken breast and drumsticks and use the last bit to rub on the top and bottom of the outside of the skin.

Stuff the cavity with 1 Tbsp butter and celery pieces. Place chicken on top of the vegetables in the baking dish and pour a few splashes of wine over all of it.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the chickens internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Halfway through baking, add a few more splashes of wine. When the chicken is done, remove from the baking pan and set aside on a serving platter. Test the vegetables and if they’re not finished yet, stick back in the oven for 20-30 more minutes while you allow the chicken to rest.
Now serve it all up on a platter and dig in!

In our small town of Pendleton there are so many get-togethers where everyone pitches in with food and even decorating, so  a great time can be had without host and/or hostess stress.  It also makes getting ready for a party as much fun as the party.  I have to bring an appetizer to one of those parties and leave for out of town early the next morning.  I am thinking really easy to make, really tasty, and really appetizing to look at.  Savory Smoked Salmon Spread fits the bill and I will still have lots of time to pack.

Savory Smoked Salmon Spread

2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked (reserve about 2 tablespoons for garnish)
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Horseradish
2 tablespoon minced chives (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
1 teaspoon Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients except for garnish and blend thoroughly.  At this point you can place the spread in a serving bowl or form into ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Either way chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day.  Place on serving platter topped with the reserved flaked salmon and minced chives, and surrounded with a sliced baguette or crackers.

I love to have this left over smeared on my morning whole wheat bagel and topped with thinly sliced sweet onion.

We just celebrated Mike’s birthday.  His three sons Luke, 8 years, Ian, 6 years and Ben, 3 years, got to plan the party.  I got to be the driver, for shopping, and assistant in the kitchen.  The boys decided what their Dad liked doing best was playing games with them, so the perfect gift was SORRY! Sliders.  I do believe from Dad’s reaction that they made a good choice.
Dinner couldn’t have been easier.  We had rib steaks, that I had marinated for about 6 hours in Saucy Mama Cracked Pepper Marinade and then barbecued and topped with blue cheese.  Along with the steaks we had roasted carrots, and French fries.  I did all the prep before I went to pick up the boys after school, so we could spend lots of time browsing the store, picking out the perfect gift and birthday cards.  My Waring Pro Deep Fryer really helps the easy factor on meals like this.  It heats a gallon of canola oil to 325 in under 10 minutes and doesn’t drop a great deal in temperature when the potatoes are added for perfect crispy fries.

DAD’S CRACKED PEPPER STEAKS

4-1 inch thick rib steaks
Saucy Mama Cracked Pepper Marinade
Crumbled Blue Cheese

Place 2 steaks each in 1 gallon zip lock bags along with enough marinade to thoroughly coat.  Marinate for at least 1 hour up to 24 hours.  Allow steaks to sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling.

Place steaks over medium-high heat for a minute or two, you just want to get good grill marks.  Turn steaks and repeat on other side.  If using a gas grill reduce temperature to medium, if over coals move the steaks away from hottest part of grill and cook for about 7 minutes more for medium rare.

Remove steaks from grill, top with crumbled blue cheese and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ROASTED CARROTS

2 pounds carrots cut into 3 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch strips Food and Wine Three Herb Spice Marinade

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place carrots on a rimmed baking sheet toss with enough marinade to coat.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tender and golden.
Keep warm in oven until ready to serve.

FRENCH FRIES

4 Russet Potatoes into 1/4 inch sticks
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt to taste

Rinse potato sticks in cold water until the water runs clear.  Place potatoes in large bowl of ice water and let stand at least 1 hour.  This can be done a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

If not using a deep fat fryer pour 3 inches of oil into a deep, heavy cast iron skillet.  If using a deep fat fryer follow fryer instructions.

Bring oil to a temperature of 325 degrees

While oil is heating drain potatoes and thoroughly dry.  I keep a large bath towel that is only used in the kitchen for this purpose.

Fry potatoes in small batches.  Cook for about 3 minutes,  remove and drain on layers of paper towels.

When all of the potatoes have gone through their first cooking increase temperature of the oil to 375 degrees.

In small batches, again, fry the potatoes to a golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Drain on paper towels and season with kosher salt.

The kids did help with this recipe, but I did keep myself between the deep fat fryer and them.  You also have to be careful that they don’t sneak all the fries off the serving plate before they get to the table.  Those little guys are really good at stealthily opening the warming drawer.

If there is a time pinch you can fry the potatoes only once.  Bring the temperature of the oil to 365 degrees and cook the potatoes until golden, about 7 minutes.

Yippee!!  ‘Beyond the Bull’ The Round-Up Centennial Cookbook is finally finished and hot off the presses.  We got the books just in time for Round-up, our annual rodeo here in Pendleton www.pendletonroundup.com and the sales are going great.  We were even able to get Reba McEntire to do our forward.  I and my good friends and fellow cookbook planners Mary Alice and Raphael were able to present Reba with a cookbook at the Oregon State Fair.
We had so much fun meeting her.  She is very charming and just plain gorgeous in person.  If anyone out there would like to order a cookbook they can contact me and I will make sure they get one.  I do believe we really captured the flavor and personality of The Pendleton Round-up.  The price is
$28.95 plus $6.05 shipping and handling.  All the proceeds go to renovating the plaza and entrance to our historic rodeo in time for it’s 100th year.

We are almost jittery with excitement from the absolutely overwhelming creativity we’ve discovered, thanks to our first (and most definitely NOT our last) recipe contest.   We have been honored by the 25 fabulous bloggers who participated in this event, and are blown away by the beautiful, accessible, and obviously delicious recipes that have emerged from their kitchens.

The contest itself wraps up today; however, the next two weeks we’ll be in the enviable (yet challenging) position of testing, tasting, and selecting the winners.  While we’re at it, though, we’ll load up our blog with samples of these incredible recipes, and the talented chefs who submitted them.

Please let us know if you try out any of these Saucy Mama recipes, and let us know what you think! If you’re looking to buy some of your own Saucy Mama condiments, make sure to visit our website at www.barhyte.com, or look for us in specialty food and gourmet stores near you.

Make every meal extraordinary!

Summery Chicken Tostadas

submitted by:   Bella Eats (www.bellaeats.com)

serves 4 for a light dinner

Ingredients:

• 3 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade, to marinate chicken in and also to drizzle on top of tostadas
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 poblano pepper, seeds removed and sliced into strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced into strips
• 2 ears of fresh corn, corn removed from husk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt + pepper
• 4 oz chevre (goat cheese), crumbled
• 4 whole wheat pitas (8″), brushed with olive oil and toasted in oven

Method:

1. First, turn your oven on to 350*.  Coat chicken breasts with marinade and let sit in small glass dish for 10 minutes.
2. As the oven preheats and the chicken marinates, chop up your veggies and toss in a 9×13 glass dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in oven and set timer to 30 minutes.
3. When oven timer has 20 minutes remaining, pour excess marinade out of chicken dish.  Bake chicken for remaining 20 minutes at 350*.
4. Pull chicken from oven and bump oven temperature up to 400*.  Stir veggies and let roast for an additional 5 minutes, while chicken cools slightly.  Place pitas directly on rack to toast, turning halfway through 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, shred chicken with a fork.  Pull pitas and veggies from oven.  Place one pita on each plate and top with shredded chicken, roasted veggies and crumbles of chevre.  Drizzle Lime Chipotle Marinade over top of tostada, to taste.

This is a hugely exciting week for us, because our first major contest is live and underway.  A little less than a month ago, we posted a few Tweets and sent out a few emails asking food bloggers to enter our contest - to test out our new Saucy Mama collection, and to post their recipes online.  Well, the packages went out and most of our 25 fabulous contestants are now working furiously to showcase their cooking skills.

At stake: an Amazon Kindle, Amazon gift cards, some AudioVox under-counter DVD players, plus bragging rights with the winning recipe to appear on Saucy Mama packages!

Make sure to follow our blog, as we’ll be linking to many of these great recipes.  Such as THIS one, from Andrea at www.BellaEats.com …

Don’t forget - if you like the recipes you see and want to re-create them for yourself, Saucy Mama products can be purchased directly through the Barhyte Specialty Foods web site anytime!

Stay tuned (or better yet, sign up for our FeedBurner delivery, so you don’t miss one great recipe) and we’ll share more with you as the contest rolls on!

Happy Days!!