Exciting stuff for us today - we finally get to reveal details about our new relationship with Chef Paul Sturkey.   He’s the BEST - and we’ve loved getting to work with him and his wonderful wife, Pam!  I thought I’d share with you the release we sent out today:

BARHYTE TO CREATE NATURAL DRESSINGS FOR CHEF PAUL STURKEY

Cincinnati ’s Famed Mesh Restaurateur Teams with Barhyte to Release Expanded Collection

of Award-Winning Condiments

PENDLETON, Ore. (October 30, 2008) - Working side-by-side, Cincinnati Chef Paul Sturkey and Barhyte Specialty Foods‘ “Saucy Mama” Suzie Barhyte have crafted an improved, natural formulation of the restaurateurs’ hugely popular Sturkey’s House Dressing.  This new and natural version of Chef Sturkey’s Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette (both original and lite flavors) will begin shipping through Barhyte distribution channels in November 2008.

Chef Sturkey, along with his wife Pastry Chef Pam, both of Cincinnati’s famed Mesh Restaurant, hit the culinary circuit in 1988 when Paul worked as executive chef for The Phoenix - a restaurant which that year topped Esquire Magazine’s “Top Ten Restaurants in America.” The local celebrity chef and his dressing have been dubbed “the Cincinnati equivalent of Paul Newman and Newman’s Own” by Cincinnati Business Magazine. He is a frequent guest on Cincinnati area radio and television programs and has made guest appearances on “Good Morning America,” and the Food Network; Sturkey also serves as a culinary expert for the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network.

Sturkey initiated the Barhyte relationship earlier this year to create naturally clean, shelf-stable versions the chef’s signature original and lite dressings.  When they began working together in the Barhyte kitchen, Paul Sturkey and Suzie Barhyte found undeniable synergies that inspired even more creations.  As they played with ingredients, they devised additional formulations for dressings and created a full line extension to release under the Sturkey brand.  In addition to original and lite Sturkey’s House Dressings, the companies also are introducing Natural Sturkey’s Herb Ranch Dressing and Sturkey’s Creamy Caesar Dressing.

“The Barhyte family saw my vision for taking our dressings to a more natural stage, and then built on it,” explains Chef Paul Sturkey. “We have a wonderful working relationship with the Barhyte’s; Suzie and I understand each other and I admire her companies’ dedication to working with local farmers to secure fresh, organic ingredients.”

The Sturkey’s House Dressing is a creamy sweet balsamic vinaigrette that doubles as a rich marinade and glaze.  “One of the huge things about our House Dressing is that kids love it, especially as a vegetable dip,” says Sturkey. “My own kids eat it on pasta and parents love it because their kids are eating healthy.  It’s a great value condiment with widespread appeal.”

Barhyte Specialty Foods will release Sturkey’s signature dressings beginning this at gourmet food and specialty stores nationwide.  Each dressing will be available in 12-oz. bottles for $4.99 (MSRP).

For more information about these or other Barhyte / Sturkey creations, please visit www.barhyte.com.

We’re inspired.  How can we not be? As huge Oregon State Beaver fans, we’re still recovering from one of the greatest games in our football history.  OSU’s defeat over USC was headline news all weekend!

Needless to say, everyone at Barhyte is starting to warm up for the next game: OSU vs. Utah on Thursday, October 2.  So since we’ll be watching this game at home, we thought we’d put together a tailgate-at-home menu to keep the energy high.  Here’s what we’ve got in mind:

Rogue Dead Guy Ale (hey, it’s almost Halloween - seems like a good choice!)

Jalapeno Poppers

Mom Barhyte’s Hot Flash Chicken Wedge (see below)

Pineapple Coleslaw

Garlic Breadsticks

Mom Barhyte’s Hot Flash Chicken Wedge Recipe:

Prep Time: Approx. 15 minutes (plus time for marinating)

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into chunks

1/3 bottle (approx. 4 oz) Barhyte Hot Wing Sauce

1/3 bottle (approx. 4 oz.) Barhyte Bacon Blue Cheese Dip

4 oz. crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges  (look for lettuce heads that are tight; if it is squishy, it will fall apart when it is cut into wedges).

Instructions:

Cut up chicken into small cubes; mix into zip-top bag with Barhyte Hot Wing Sauce. Shake well and marinate for as little as 20 minutes, or as long as overnight. Drizzle olive oil into frying pan heated to medium - enough to lightly coat the pan.  Add chicken and marinade mix, cooking until done and lightly caramelized (approx. 15 minutes).

On separate platter, drizzle Barhyte Bacon Blue Cheese Dip over lettuce wedges.  Spoon hot chicken over top of wedges.  Finish with crumbled Maytag Blue Cheese. Serve with ice-cold matchstick slices of carrots and celery.  Serves four.
Do you have any great taligating menus to share? Great recipes!  Post them as a comment (and ideally, a recipe or two), and I’ll select one name at random next week to receive a 12-bottle case of our favorite Barhyte Tailgate sauces and mustards!

My good friend Mary Alice just got back from horse back riding through Spain. She had a great time except for ending up with food poisoning at the end of the trip. Man was she sick. It didn’t sound good at all. I’m glad to have her back in town! I missed her.

We celebrated the homecoming by taking our guys to Raphael’s Restaurant for dinner. Raphael is another friend and she runs the restaurant with her husband Rob, who is the chef. It is located in a beautiful historic home in our downtown area. When we got there she greeted us with RoseMary Alice Martinis in their intimate little bar. Mary Alice came up with this martini recipe and it is wonderful. Rob does a fabulous job with wild game, so we had pan seared elk medallions with a huckleberry and wild mushroom demi-glaze for dinner and ended the evening with huckleberry crème brule. Delicious!

RoseMary Alice Martini

1 Rosemary stem about 6 inches long with the lower half stripped of its leaves
3 Tanqueray Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
1 lemon twist (this is easy if you have a lemon zester, but you can use a potato peeler to get your piece of lemon peel
It is not as pretty, but it will work.
crushed ice
2-1/2 oz. Tanqueray Gin
1/2 oz dry vermouth

Skewer the olives onto the rosemary stem and place into a chilled martini glass. Rub the rim of the martini glass with the lemon peel and drop into glass. Put crushed ice into a martini shaker. Pour the gin and vermouth into shaker. Swirl vigorously. Raphael always insists on swirling her martinis 81 times. I have to say her martinis always have those wonderful little ice crystals in them. Pour into martini glass. Enjoy.

Drink Recipe Gin Martini Recipe Saucy Mama Tanqueray

Time to start planning food for the football game this weekend. (Gotta get marinating NOW!) Oregon State is playing Washington Saturday and Seattle is a great place to go and watch football, but with working on the kitchen and getting the fall chores done in the yard we are just going to watch at home with friends, and Mike of course. Today I got a pork tenderloin that I am going to marinate in a combination or our Food & Wine Cracked Pepper Steak Sauce and Tailgate Teriyaki Wing Sauce. I can put it in the oven Saturday morning. Of course it won’t be my oven since I’m without a kitchen. I’ll give it to Mike and he will be in charge.

I am going to cook three kinds of marinated chicken to make sandwiches, using our Tailgate Hot Wing Sauce, Parmesan Wing Sauce and again our Teriyaki Wing Sauce. I think we are going to have plenty of food.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin

2.5 lbs pork tenderloin cut into 8 X 2-1/2 X 2-1/2 inch pieces

1 cup Tailgate Teriyaki Wing Sauce

1 cup Food and Wine Cracked Pepper Steak Sauce

Mix the Teriyaki Wing Sauce and Cracked Pepper Steak Sauce. Place pork tenderloin in a large baking dish or 1 gallon zip lock bag. Pour the sauce mixture over the pork and coat thoroughly. Marinate overnight or up to forty-eight hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place marinated pork on a rack over a roasting pan filled with 1 cup of water. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350. About every 15 minutes brush pork with remaining marinade. Be sure to keep marinade refrigerated when not using and throw it away when pork is finished cooking. Turn pork after being in the oven for 30n minutes. Bake for 30 more minutes.

Remove pork from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice thin and serve.

This may be served warm or cold. I like to make extra marinade to serve with the pork.

Staying on the whole Mexican theme from Friday night’s dinner for Saturday’s night I pulled out some stew meat and I cooked it in the slow cooker using Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce and served it with warm tortillas and a green salad.

It was so good and made a great dinner. We served Mirror Pond Pale Ale with this because I love that beer and it goes great with this kind of dish.

Mirror Pond is very easy to find in the Northwest, but a little harder to find elsewhere. It is well worth the trouble. It is made by Deshutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon www.deschutesbrewery.com

2-1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Large onions chopped

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2 bottle Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce

4 Cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon cumin

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Teaspoons paprika

1 Teaspoon Lords of Salt Sea Salt

Warm flour tortillas

Sour Cream

Chopped avocado

Grated extra sharp cheddar

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, add onion to skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove onion and set aside. Add beef to skillet and brown on all sides. If the skillet is too crowded do in more than one batch so the meat will brown properly. Add flour and stir to totally coat meat and brown while stirring frequently to a deep golden brown about 10 minutes. If the beef was done in more than one batch it is only necessary to do this with the last batch. Place beef and onions into slow cooker. Place 1 cup of chicken stock in the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to get all the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour into the slow-cooker with the remaining chicken broth. Stir in the spices and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with warmed flour tortillas and sour cream, chopped avocado, and grated cheddar for garnish. I really like extra sharp from Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook, Oregon. www.tillamookcheese.com

I have been working in my home kitchen.  There is a lot more to that remodeling stuff than meets the eye.  The cabinets are going in now and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.  My house may never recover from all the dust we have created.  I went to Portland to look at lighting and hardware for the cabinets last week and stayed to spend Halloween with Chris, Irene, Cole and Macy.  What a fabulous time we had.  Chris and Irene live in a terrific neighborhood the weather was great and grown-ups and kids alike were having a giant several block party.

I made a big long teriyaki chicken sandwich that people could just cut off the size piece they want.  To make this I again used chicken tenders because that size works so well for sandwiches and I don’t need to spend any time cutting up chicken breasts.

Foot-Long Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

2 lb chicken tenders
1 bottle Tailgate Teriyaki Wing Sauce
1 head Napa Cabbage
1 bottle No Ho’s Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing
1 loaf Italian Bread or other long bread

Marinate chicken in wing sauce for as little as 5 minutes up to a day in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Place marinated chicken in a large rectangular baking dish.  Do not crowd if your dish is not large enough use two smaller ones.Place chicken in preheated oven and bake for about an hour.

While chicken is baking thinly slice the Napa cabbage and toss sliced cabbage with enough Sesame Ginger Dressing to coat. Slice bread lengthwise.  Place a layer of Teriyaki Chicken on the lower half of the bread, top with Sesame Ginger Slaw and then the top half of the bread.  Slice into serving size portions or allow guests to slice their own portions.

I have been emptying out my kitchen at home to prepare for the big remodel.

Demolition starts today. Jan and Mike are in charge of that. Mike is never happier than when tearing something apart. Now that I think of it the same is true about Chris. They haven’t changed much from when they were five.

Thankfully Jan will keep Mike from going into total house remodel mode. I am now kitchenless for the next two months. I’m thinking lots of crock pot recipes are in my future.

Today I have to bring a salad to a meeting and when I was emptying my cupboards I found way in the back a package of beautiful Italian Pasta labeled Fusilloni 6 Colori that we received in a Christmas basket. I have some terrific Reggiano Parmigiano that I buy from an Italian grocery in Walla Walla, WA., and from my cupboards I have marinated artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, and sun dried tomatoes. I think I have the makings for a pretty good salad.

Italian Pasta Salad

1 lb pasta such as rotini (if you can find the multi colored it is really pretty for this salad) cooked to tender and drained under cold water

1/2 lb Italian dry salami sliced into 1/8th inch slices and then cut into 1/8th inch strips. (if you can have your meat market slice the salami into the slices it is faster).

1/2 lb Parmigiano Reggiano or other hard Italian Cheese cut into 1/8th inch slices and then into 1/8th X 1/2 inch strips (If I was in a real hurry I would use grated parmesan or for a Greek twist crumbled feta)

13 oz bottle pitted Kalamata Olives (drained) it should say 6.7 oz dry weight on the bottle

8.5 oz jar sun dried julienne cut tomatoes packed in olive oil (drained)

3/4 to 1 bottle Willamette Valley Mustard Balsamic & Basil Vinaigrette

Mix all the ingredients. Serve at room temperature. If you make this salad a day ahead you will probably need to add more vinaigrette because the pasta absorbs so much moisture.

Last weekend we had surprise company and since I am still kitchenless I decided to do slow-cooker recipes that I can start in my test kitchen here at Barhyte Specialty Foods and then just transport them home. The slow-cooker has become my new best friend. Jen, my old dear friend, well not old in that sense of the word, but truly a dear friend has been singing the virtues of her slow-cooker for a very long time. The remodel finally made me pay attention and purchase my own. I chose the Dr. Weil by Spring slow-cooker and love it. Their web address is www.DrWeilSpring.com

. The first thing I am making is a White Chili that I will serve with Jalapeno Corn Bread.

White Chili

2 lbs Chicken Breasts cubed into a 1/2 inch dice

1 bottle Barhyte Specialty Foods Food and Wine Chipotle Lime Marinade

1 lb Great Northern Beans

8 Cups Water

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 large Onion chopped

6 Cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon Cumin

2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Cilantro

In a large zip-lock bag place cubed chicken and marinade. Refrigerate for

1/2 hour to 1 day.

Place beans in a large pan with water. Set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer covered for about 20 to 30 minutes.

While beans are simmering heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions to pan and cook until softened about 5 minutes. Remove onion with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add marinated chicken to the pan and stir to sear on all sides. If you do not have a large enough pan do this in two batches as crowding the chicken will cause it to steam and not sear. You want to get some nice carmalization on the chicken.

Drain beans and place in slow-cooker. Place chicken in the slow-cooker along with the onions. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to the skillet in which the chicken was cooked and heat to a boil. Stir to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour into the slow-cooker with the remaining 5 cups chicken broth.

Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Jalapeno Corn Bread

1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal

1 Cup all-purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Heaping Tablespoons Haus Barhyte Jalapeno Mustard or Food and Wine Spicy Red Jalapeno Mustard

1 large egg lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Grease 8 inch square baking pan

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl whisk wet ingredients together until well blended. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir just enough to blend. It’s OK if the mixture is a little lumpy. Just don’t over mix or the corn bread will be tough. Pour into prepared pan and bake in pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.