We’re gearing up for the Fancy Food Show in New York this week – always an exciting time for us, as we get to unveil a lot of the new marinades and mustards I’ve been cooking up in my kitchen the past few months.

As we get ready to head out the door, we wanted to give you a chance to sample some of the goods that has made Saucy Mama so popular this past year!  So we’ve put together a basket of treats to give to TWO lucky readers, valued at nearly $100 each!

In addition to the bright red colander you see in the picture, winners will receive a signature Saucy Mama handcrafted apron, as well as the following Saucy Mama condiments:

- Lime Chipotle Marinade

- Sesame Ginger Marinade

- Hot Wing Sauce

- Raspberry Viniagrette

- Sweet Onion Marinade

- Backyard Brat Mustard

- Champagne Honey Mustard

- Chipotle Mustard

You can enter as many times you like, by doing one or all of the following:

1) Leave a comment and like our FB page at www.facebook.com/SaucyMama

2) Follow SaucyMamaCafe on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saucymamacafe) & Tweet about this giveaway:  “I just entered to #win a $100 sampling of @SaucyMamaCafe treats & kitchen gadgets. You can too! http://bit.ly/b8QZcC”

3) Subscribe to our blog

4) Leave a comment here on our blog.

5) 7) Send this giveaway link to 5 of your friends and let me know you did or post this link as your FB status

6) Bring a friend! Tell a friend to join our Facebook fanpage and let us know by leaving a comment on FB or here on our blog.

Like we said, you can enter just by doing ONE of these things.  Or increase your odds by trying any mix of the options listed above. It’s up to you.  We’ll leave this contest open through the end of the Fancy Food Show, on June 30. So please make sure to spread the word!

We’re so grateful to you for letting your friends know about Saucy Mama, and we hope to give you the chance to try out some of these great time-saving and DELICIOUS dinner solutions for yourself!

At Barhyte Specialty Foods our crew works 4, 10 hour days Monday through Thursday, so we work a short staff on Fridays. That is the day that quite often I like to cook lunch for whoever happens to be around. It a great way to try out new recipes and experiment with our products. This last Friday about 10:00 AM I had a hankering for panini. That meant a quick trip to the store for ingredients, well it was supposed to be quick. Of course the place was packed. I thought I would save some time by going through self check-out, hah! that didn’t happen, the time saving part anyway. I managed to pick out the hunk of cheese with no bar code and choose produce that isn’t listed when you go the alphabetical screen. I am so glad that the fellow working the self check-out was cheerful.

Before I left to do my shopping I preheated my oven to 350 degrees and pulled some boneless skinless chicken breasts out of the freezer. I placed four breasts each in two different 1 gallon zip lock bags. In one bag I poured Saucy Mama Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce and in the other I poured Tailgate Parmesan Garlic Wing Sauce. I then defrosted the chicken in the microwave. It is a good idea to put the zip lock bags into a bowl or baking dish in the micro in case a bag breaks during the defrosting process. (Who wants to have to clean up a microwave?) I then poured the chicken with their sauces into two baking dishes large enough so the chicken could lie flat and not be too crowded and placed the dishes into a preheated oven. If the wing sauces begin to burn on the bottom of the baking dishes during cooking I add some chicken broth to prevent that from happening.

When I got back from shopping the chicken was done. It shouldn’t have been, but I took way too long at the store. Thank heavens Mark, my right hand guy, was there to add chicken broth to the pans when they started to dry out. I took the chicken out of the oven and set it aside to cool and began to assemble the ingredients for the two different paninis I had decided to make. My first panini was going to have an Italian theme and consist of pesto spread on sourdough bread slices, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, creamy havarti, the parmesan chicken and freshly grated parmesan. The second was Southwestern and consisted of cilantro mayonnaise spread on the sourdough bread slices, pepper jack cheese, avocado and the spicy garlic chicken.

I do not have a panini press so I used my range griddle top preheated to about 325. I placed the buttered sandwiches on the griddle and then placed small cast iron skillet on top of the sandwiches for a weight, if you do not have a heavy skillet for a weight use a lighter one with some canned goods placed in it to give that extra heft. A large cast iron skillet preheated to medium will work just as well as a griddle top.

The sandwiches were delicious and we decided we have to have regular panini days at least once a month. We sat around and came up with so many ideas for different combinations of fillings. I get hungry just thinking about them.

Saucy Mama Italian Panini  

(for 1 sandwich)2 slices sourdough bread

2 tablespoons pesto

3 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 large piece jarred roasted sweet red pepper

1 parmesan chicken breast, sliced into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces

1 slice prosciutto

1 slice creamy havarti

about 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

Spread each slice of bread with pesto. Top one slice of bread, pesto side up with mozzarella, piece of red pepper spread flat (use two pieces if necessary to cover mozzarella). On the other slice of bread top the pesto with enough chicken slices to cover, top with prosciutto, creamy havarti and parmesan. Place the two halves of the sandwich together and butter the upward facing slice of bread. Place the sandwich buttered side down on the preheated griddle or in the skillet and place weight on top. Cook until golden brown on one side. Butter other slice of bread and flip the sandwich.

Place weight on top and cook until golden brown. Slice in half and serve.

Saucy Mama Parmesan Chicken Panini (for 1 sandwich)

2 slices sourdough bread

2 tablespoons cilantro mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1 spicy garlic chicken breast, sliced into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces

1 slice pepper jack cheese

2 slices avocado

Spread each slice of bread with cilantro mayonnaise. Top one slice of bread mayo side up with sliced chicken, pepper jack cheese and avocado. Top with other slice of bread mayo side down. Butter the bread and cook as described above.

Cilantro Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice

Mix ingredients and store refrigerated in a tightly covered container for up to two weeks. Makes a great sandwich spread or serve with fish.

Freelance writer Carrie Jafee-Pickett

was kind enough to visit me at the Barhyte booth during the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco last month.  Loved loved this pic and just had to share!  Thanks Carrie!