When Jen asked me to be part of a virtual BBQ I thought it sounded like fun, however, the part about contributing an original recipe using Philadelphia Cooking Creme sounded a little scary. In some areas I’m as creative as the next girl, but in others I’m a rule follower, or a recipe follower in this case. I don’t wing it and I don’t invent my own recipes.

Until this Southwest Chicken Salad! 

I enjoyed the process of creating the recipe in my head and then pulling it together, juggling quantities and proportions until the reality equaled my imagination. At the bottom of this post you’ll find links to all nine participants in this virtual BBQ: visit them for more summer picnic ideas.

The post with the most comments TODAY ONLY wins $500 and a year’s worth of Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Voting is only open for 24 hours and I would truly appreciate your comment on this post!

Let’s begin:

My recipe evolved as it progressed, so the original ingredient picture needs editing. I’ll explain the changes as I go.

First, drizzle four boneless skinless chicken breasts with olive oil (spreading it on both sides) and bake them at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. While they’re cooking, prep the other ingredients.

It’s been a while since I’ve bought avocados and mine (the green ones in the ingredients picture) weren’t ripe. If you’re unsure about selecting avocados, look the chart above (click it for more info) or those perfectly ripe beauties in the picture below. (Yes, I went back to the store for more. They’re worth it!)

Cut the avocados in half vertically and scoop out the pit with a spoon. The peel of a ripe avocado comes off easily and the inside is slightly mushy, slightly firm. Chop it into chunks and put them in a small mixing bowl.

Slice the kernels off of three ears of fresh, uncooked corn and toss them in a medium bowl.

Usually I make chicken salad with celery and grapes: I love the crunch of the first and the sweetness of the second. Fresh corn provides both the crunch and the sweetness of those ingredients, which I omitted in this southwest version.

It’s my recipe and I can cry omit if I want to.

Slice and dice the chicken and a red onion and mix with the corn.

Snip fresh cilantro and add to the avocado for extra kick. I used about 2/3 of the little cup that you see in the ingredients photo on top.

Add one container of Philadelphia Cooking Creme Santa Fe Blend and half a cup of sour cream to the avocados and cilantro and gently stir. Don’t mash those lovely chunks of avocado!

Pour it over the chicken/corn/onion mixture and stir until coated. Spoon a generous portion over lettuce on a croissant, or however you like to eat your chicken salad.

Enjoy!

My 10-year-old son (not the one pictured) said, “It looks like throw up, but it tastes like something from heaven.” That’s about the best compliment I could hope for from a self-proclamed hater of chicken salad. He also said, “It’s very good. You could easily win.”

Help me prove him right?

The post with the most comments wins $500 and your comment on this post equals a vote for my recipe!

Southwest Chicken Salad

4.8 from 10 reviews

Print

Recipe type: Main

Author: Dawn Camp @ myhomesweethomeonline.net

Chicken salad with a southwest flair!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 carton Philadelphia Cooking Creme Santa Fe Blend
• 3 ears fresh corn
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 avocados
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• cilantro, to taste

Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts (spreading it on both sides) and bake them at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
2. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, peel, and then chop into chunks and put in a small mixing bowl.
3. Slice the kernels off of fresh, uncooked corn and toss them in a medium bowl.
4. Slice and dice the chicken and red onion and mix with the corn.
5. Snip fresh cilantro and add to the avocado.
6. Add Philadelphia Cooking Creme Santa Fe Blend and sour cream to the avocados and cilantro and gently stir.
7. Pour it over the chicken/corn/onion mixture and stir until coated.
8. Spoon over lettuce on a croissant, or however you like to eat your chicken salad.
9. Enjoy!

2.2.6

 

Come join our Virtual Summer BBQ, hosted by Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Enjoy browsing these great recipes.

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Bars – Saving Dollars and Sense
Creamy Potato Salad – Mommy Hates Cooking
Creamy Italian Pasta Salad – Life in Grace
Southwest Chicken Salad – My Home Sweet Home
Creamy Bacon and Tomato Potato Salad – Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Creamy BLT Pasta Salad with Pesto Sauce – 4Tunate
Shrimp Campanelle Salad – The Peaceful Mom
Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dip – Saving with Shellie
Philly Creamy Deviled Eggs – Smockity Frocks

Southwest Chicken Salad {Please Comment and Help Me Win a Recipe Contest!} is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

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Today I want to share with you one of our favorite cookie recipes, mine because it’s quick and doesn’t require the oven, everyone else’s because they just taste so darned good. Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies are affectionately known as blobs in our family thanks to their lumpy appearance, but don’t be deceived by the lack of curb appeal on these babies.

Here’s what you’ll need. (This is one of those recipes where more ingredients pop up beyond the initial ingredient list, so I want to make sure you don’t miss the peanut butter and quick cooking oats.)

Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Boil above for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup peanut butter. Quickly add 3 cups of quick cooking oatmeal. Mix well—drop on wax paper or tin foil and cool.

Make sure you get enough liquid and not too much oatmeal or they will be dry.

I’ve heard other people say that they have trouble with unbaked oatmeal cookies, that theirs just don’t turn out right. My recipe was passed down from my mother and it says to quickly add the three cups of quick cooking oatmeal, so that’s what I do. Since these cookies aren’t baked—they set on their own—I think speed does matter, otherwise they’ll start setting in the pan.

Make sense?

I always measure out my peanut butter and oats and lay a sheet of foil on the counter while those first five ingredients are coming to a boil and then boiling for two minutes. Then I’m ready to add those last two ingredients quickly.

I dip mine out into oval, irregular blobs with the big rubber scraper from Pampered Chef. I may shape them a bit on the sides with the scraper after laying them on the foil, but I avoid touching the tops because it makes them look flat and dull. Everyone prefers their cookies shiny, right?

I usually whip up a batch of these on Sunday mornings if we’re having lunch at church and I never have leftovers. My kids actually told me that I need to start making two batches. I wouldn’t try a double batch because I think they’d set in the pan before you could scoop them all out. They’re also more likely to crumble if you let them sit too long before you scoop.

These cookies are quick to make, but keep moving and make them quickly!

Last Sunday morning, my eight-year-old daughter counted 35 cookies. Without realizing it, I’d made seven rows of five. We skip counted them by fives and by sevens and turned it into a mini math lesson.

Once they’re on the cookie sheet, I let them sit at least 10 minutes before transferring to a serving tray using a metal spatula. You might want to stand guard because these cookies have a way of disappearing . . .

Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies are perfect when you need to whip up something in a hurry for a party, or just because you’ve got a craving for something sweet.

Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies (a.k.a. Blobs) is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

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This is the fourth and final week of the Good and Good for You Challenge from the National Pork Board—not that taking care of your family and eating well actually expires, right? As a big ol’ thank you for being here, there’s a giveaway at the bottom of the post! 

This week I made Pork And Mushroom Quesadillas using this week’s selection: pork sirloin cutlets. I enjoy sit-down family dinners, but I also love it when everyone gathers in the kitchen and hangs out while I’m cooking, and then I scoop food right out of the skillet or off the cutting board onto an outstretched plate. This was that kind of a meal.

Pork And Mushroom Quesadillas

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

• 12 ounces pork cutlets, pounded 1/4-inch thick
• 1/4 cup olive oil with garlic, OR olive oil, divided
• salt , to taste
• 6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, OR Gruyere cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 4 large flour tortillas, (9-to 10-inch)

Stack cutlets and cut crosswise in half, then cut each stack lengthwise into matchstick-size pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat; stir-fry pork for 2 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove pork from skillet with slotted spoon. Season to taste with salt.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet; stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from skillet. Wipe skillet with paper towels.

To assemble, sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over half of each tortilla. Top each with pork and mushroom mixture. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup of remaining cheese. Fold tortillas in half; pressing gently.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Cook quesadillas, 2 at a time, over medium heat for 2-4 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted, turning once. Remove quesadillas from skillet; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and quesadillas. Cut quesadillas into wedges to serve.

Serves 4.

Make sure to have plenty of sour cream on hand. We love it! When my 8-year-old daughter was little, we’d catch her eating it straight out of the carton.

Have you ever attempted to shred Swiss cheese? It’s a challenge, but oh, so good hot and melted.

The Giveaway

This is the last week of the Good and Good for You Challenge and I’m giving one of you some of the same items I’ve been using during the challenge:

• 8 $5 pork coupons for Publix ($40 worth of free pork!)
• Water bottle
• Reusable grocery bag
• Meat thermometer
• Pedometer
• Recipe book

You have up to 3 chances to win! Do one or all, leave a separate comment for each:

1. Leave a comment on this post. What’s your favorite cut of pork? (I’ve enjoyed all that we’ve tried during this challenge, but bacon will always be my favorite. I think I could eat bacon on just about anything.)

2. Tweet about this giveaway! Here’s a sample tweet:

Pork & Mushroom Quesadillas & a giveaway! (via @dawnMHSH) http://bit.ly/wjzDKi @allaboutpork #Publix4Pork #giveaway

Come back and leave another comment on this post, pretty please.

3. Like My Home Sweet Home on Facebook for a 3rd entry and leave a separate comment so I’ll know that you did.

This giveaway ends Wednesday, February 22.

{This post is brought to you by Publix, the National Pork Board, and the Motherhood on this post series. Opinions expressed are my own.}

The Good and Good for You Challenge Week 4: Pork And Mushroom Quesadillas (and a Giveaway) is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

This week’s theme in the Good and Good for You Challenge is Heart-y and Healthy Valentines and the sale cut of pork is bone-in pork loin roast at Publix until next Wednesday, February 15. I chose Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears, and Rosemary to serve my family. As far as my workout progress goes, I’ve completed 17 days of the 30 Day Shred—over halfway there! I missed a few days this week, but I’m still plugging along.

Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears, and Rosemary

• 3 1/2 pound bone-in pork center loin roast, excess fat trimmed to thin layer*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus more for serving (or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds (6 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut lengthwise into sixths
• 3 firm-ripe Bosc pears, cut lengthwise into quarters, cored
• 1 12-oz bottle hard cider, **

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Rub pork all over with oil. Mix rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub all over pork.
Place pork, bone side down, in large flameproof roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast 15 minutes more. Add sweet potatoes and pears to pan, stir gently to coat with pan juices, and spread as evenly as possible around roast. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, occasionally stirring sweet potato mixture, until instant-read food thermometer inserted in center of roast reads 145 degrees F and the potatoes and pears are tender, about 1 hour more. Transfer pork to carving board. Transfer sweet potato mixture to ovenproof bowl, tent with aluminum foil, and keep warm in turned-off oven. (If needed, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and continue roasting sweet potato mixture until tender, up to 15 minutes longer.) Let pork stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat roasting pan over high heat. Add cider, bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits in pan with wooden spoon, and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour into sauceboat.
Carve pork. Transfer to serving platter, surround with sweet potato mixture, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of cider sauce, and sprinkle with rosemary. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

*Tip: If you desire to tie the roast, cotton kitchen twine (also called butcher’s twine) is handy to have on hand for a number of chores, especially tying roasts to help them keep their shape during cooking. If you don’t have it, use unwaxed and unflavored dental floss.

**Substitute 1 cup apple juice and 1/2 cup dry vermouth for the hard cider, or use all apple juice.

12 3-ounce servings

From the cook’s point-of-view, this recipe was a little trickier. I’m paying close attention to the recommended safe cooking temperature of 145° and my roast took about an extra 20 minutes to get there. That apple cider gravy was extra yummy—don’t skip it!

Click here for more information about pork as part of a healthy diet. Don’t forget to enter the Love Me Tenderloin giveaway through the Pork Be Inspired Facebook page for your chance to win $50 worth of pork tenderloin, given away daily. Just “like” the page and then click the Win with Pork link on the left for more details.

Here’s to photogenic fruits and vegetables!

{I will be compensated for writing this post series and received coupons and a gift card for Publix. Opinions expressed are my own.}

The Good and Good for You Challenge: Week 3 is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

As part of our fitness plan for the new year, we participated in the second week of the Good and Good for You Challenge from the National Pork Board and their partner, Publix. We used boneless pork loin chops to make Braised Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions.

I’m moving right along with the 30 Day Shred, too: today was day 14!

This week’s theme is Game Day, but one of my kids requested this recipe and I couldn’t resist the peppers and onions. If you’re looking for a game day recipe, Game Day Pork and Chile Wraps sounds like a winner (pun intended).

This recipe is quick, easy, and a real crowd pleaser. The boneless pork loin chops are lean and cook in no time. I used chicken broth instead of wine in the recipe; I actually used more out of the resealable carton from last week’s Sage Pork Tenderloin Medallions with White Wine Jus.

More time was devoted to photographing the veggies than prepping them.

Braised Pork with Peppers and Onions

4 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 small red bell peppers, or yellow bell peppers, quartered and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small red or yellow onion, quartered and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine, (for non-alcoholic, substitute chicken or vegetable broth)

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate and set aside.
Add tomato paste to skillet and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add bell peppers and onion to skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up and stirring in any browned bits in the skillet. Return chops to skillet, nestling them in the liquid, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Turn chops, cover, and cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a 3-minute rest time. Serve pork with pepper and onion mixture spooned on top. Serves 4

Enter the Love Me Tenderloin giveaway through the Pork Be Inspired Facebook page for your chance to win $50 worth of pork tenderloin, given away daily. Just “like” the page and then click the Win with Pork link on the left for more details.

{I will be compensated for writing this post series and received coupons and a gift card for Publix. Opinions expressed are my own.}

Good and Good for You Challenge: Week 2 is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

I‘m trying to lose some weight using the 30 Day Shred, however it’s apparent that my diet needs to improve, too—a win-win prospect for both me and my family. Lean meat like pork provide the protein we need with less fat. I’m participating in the National Pork Board’s “Good and Good for You Challenge” during the four-week period of January 26-February 22 and I’ll let you know about weekly pork specials at Publix and recipes that you and I can try.

Check out this quote from pork, knife, and spoon:

Consumption of extra-lean protein like the flavorful pork tenderloin has been linked to a greater feeling of fullness, retention of muscle mass and a reduced urge to eat.

That’s exactly what I need!

This week’s special is pork tenderloin and last night I made Sage Pork Tenderloin Medallions with White Wine Jus. I’m a directions-follower and panicked when I realized that I didn’t have the dry white wine, only a sweet red and a sweet white. One of my best friends assured me that you should “cook with wine you’d drink,” so I used the sweet red. Here’s a picture in the middle of the cooking process. It wasn’t until everything was devoured that I realized I’d missed capturing the finished product.

Sage Pork Tenderloin Medallions with White Wine Jus

• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pork tenderloin, (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed if needed
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium or organic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay*
• 2 teaspoons spreadable butter with canola oil, or substitute butter

Stir together flour, sage, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow dish or plate, and preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Slice pork crosswise into 3/4-inch thick medallions and arrange flat on a cutting board. Pound with a mallet to 1/2-inch thickness and coat pork in flour on all sides.
Add 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Once the oil shimmers, place the pork in a single layer. You may need to divide the pork into two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Brown on one side for 2 to 3 minutes and turn to brown the other side. Remove pork onto a plate and scrape the brown bits up from the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon, putting them into the measured broth or wine. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan and repeat the cooking procedure. Add the pork to the plate.
Remove pan from heat, add wine, place back on heat, and simmer for 4 minutes or until wine reduces down to a couple of tablespoons. Add broth and simmer 3 minutes or until reduced by half.
Remove from heat, swirl in butter, and add pork back to the pan to coat. Arrange pork on plates and spoon sauce on top.

Makes 4 servings

*or substitute with 1/2 cup apple juice + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

On the right is a picture of it from the Pork Be Inspired website, because apparently they have the patience to photograph the food before someone eats it.

I’ve also had a request for Roast Pork Tenderloin with Asian Dry Rub and I’d like to try the Apple-Pecan Tenderloin Medallions. I tend to get in a rut in the kitchen, so I’m thankful for the fresh inspiration.

Do you cook with pork? Are you trying to eat healthier this year?

{I am being compensated for writing this post series and received coupons and a gift card for Publix. All shopping, cooking, eating, and opinions were done or made by me.}

The “Good and Good for You Challenge” is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Feeding a family our size provides a constant challenge. Breakfast is fairly easy (cereal or bagels anyone?) and supper requires some planning, but it’s really lunch that sneaks up on me most days. We get busy and before I know it it’s early afternoon.

Everyone wants something different and we usually have sandwiches, pancakes, Ramen noodles, or mac ‘n’ cheese. I’ve well exceeded the quota of PB&Js that a grown woman should have eaten in her lifetime. By a long shot.

Honestly, sometimes I get tired of what the kids want for lunch, so taste testing Healthy Choice’s new line of Top Chef inspired Café Steamers was a welcome change. The two I received were Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables and Chicken Margherita with Balsamic (check out the full line-up here).

The packaging surprised me: no peeling back a corner or cutting slits in the film on top. Instead, Healthy Choice uses a unique steaming technology separates the sauce from the rest of the entrée to steam the meal in the microwave, allowing for crisp vegetables, tender meats and al dente pastas. You just stick the bowl in the microwave (it’s really a bowl stacked inside a bowl) and then pour the sauce on top of the entree—surprisingly good and easy!

I felt spoiled, as if one of the Bravo’s Top Chefs whipped up those meals just for me. I’m sure you understand if you’re the one who usually cooks for your family. Cooking can be satisfying and a lot of fun, but occasionally I need a break. The Top Chef Café Steamers were a real treat.

Today was actually easy: we got home last night and discovered that the slow cooker of chili that should have been simmering all day was actually unplugged. It cooked overnight and made a delicious (and on time, for once!) lunch today. Sadly enough, it took a supper fail to make a lunch success. {sigh}

Do you struggle to find fresh, healthy lunch options for your family? Do you eat frozen meals? If you’re a mom, are you able to shed the mommy guilt and make something separate for you.

{Disclosure: I received two frozen meals and will be compensated for writing this post. Opinions expressed are my own.}

Daily Lunch Dilemmas and a Solution from Healthy Choice is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

It’s really strange not having a baby any more. Our youngest turned six in June, this weekend the second youngest turned eight, and Tuesday the third youngest turns ten. We’ve had a big birthday weekend: the new Winnie the Pooh movie and Cracker Barrel on Friday evening; Moe’s lunch and pizza night on Saturday; church and friends over to swim on Sunday. Our church Labor Day picnic was cancelled because of the 100% chance of rain in our forecast, but really I’m loving the chance to slow down and spend the day at home.

[A note about the new Winnie the Pooh movie: it looks old—like it could have been made years ago—and it's slow and charming and gentle. My 10-year-old-tomorrow son wanted to see it (as much as I did) rather than the other slick stuff in the theaters; that boy's a keeper.]

We made homemade pizza Saturday night using some new Better Homes and Gardens kitchen utensils from Walmart.

This scraper is firm, which keeps the cook happy. I like the happy red and the little notch cut out on one side (although I’m not sure what it does).

When I’m in a hurry I use this quick pizza dough recipe that I printed in 2006 from Full Bellies, Happy Kids (obviously Sandra and I are ancient in blog years). We like it a little thinner (and this is still good and thick) so I multiply the original recipe 1 1/2 times to make two pizzas.

This new brush worked perfectly for spreading olive oil on the crust. I like the taste of olive oil and it gives the crust a hint of crispness when it’s cooked. After the olive oil, I press a generous amount of garlic on top of the dough.

There’s no such thing as too much cheese on pizza. I start with cheddar; followed by Parmigiano-Reggiano, which I buy in block and grate myself; and finish by adding mozzarella before the final five minutes of cooking time. Mozzarella is a soft cheese that will burn if cooked too long.

Check out this new hand grater—I’ve always wanted one of these.

What’s a pizza without mushrooms?

We grew these tomatoes in front of our house in our garden. (This makes me sound so much more domestic than I am. Don’t be fooled.)

Pizzas seem to cook best one at a time. I put the three cheese pizza in the oven first while I keep working on the other one.

Unfortunately, I forgot the fresh Italian parsley until the cheese pizza was almost cooked. It looks a little crispy sitting there on top.

Here’s the mushroom and tomato pizza.

Live entertainment: ballet dancing!

Look who’s eight!

Check out this selection of Better Homes and Gardens kitchen utensils we found at Walmart:

[For those of you interested in better indoor/night photography, these two shots of the white balance card (one taken in the kitchen light and one in the dining room) are two of the most important shots I took. They enabled me to remove the yellow tones and make the colors look more natural.]

{Disclosure: This shop/project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.}

Big Birthday Weekend and Homemade Pizza Night is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Last week I got together with fellow Atlanta bloggers as part of “A Fabulous Summer of Flavor,” a contest sponsored by Lawry’s. Our theme is “On Vacation” and our mission is to cook our way to victory by submitting the tastiest or most interesting recipes in the competition.

My partners—Piera at Jolly Mom (our hostess), Lisa at Life with Lisa, Meghan at JaMonkey, Renee at Cutie Booty Cakes, and Diane at Turning the Clock Back—and I are competing against teams of bloggers in ten other cities.

As good as our food tasted, I feel like our chances are good!

We had so much fun cooking, talking, and laughing. I love spending time with other bloggers and getting to know them. Atlanta is a great place to blog because there are so many neat ladies doing it!

Here are our recipes, which make up a meal: Balsamic Herb Tomato Salad (salad), Garlic Knots (bread), and White Chicken Pizza (main course). We would totally make pizza as a family on vacation—what a great way to involve the whole family in the kitchen!

I would really appreciate your help. We want our team to win! Twenty-five percent of the scoring is based on overall community engagement with blog readers and Twitter followers

White Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
3 Tbsp of olive oil
1 large bunch fresh spinach
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 recipe homemade pizza dough

Directions:
Marinade chicken in Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade (overnight is best, but a few fours will work).
Cook chicken on grill pan until done and then shred.
Roll out pizza dough very thin and brush the top with olive oil and add minced garlic. Add fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and chicken. Don’t overload your pizza with toppings–it’s best to keep it light.
Cook your pizza on a pizza stone or quarry tiles in an oven that’s been preheated to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Recipe makes 2-3 pizzas, depending on how thin you roll out your pizza.

Balsamic Herb Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
2 pounds tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade
Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:
Combine the tomatoes, scallions and marinade in a large salad bowl and toss to coat. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

Dough
1 3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
5 1/2 cups all-pupose, unbleached flour

Garlic Coating
1/4 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, finely crushed
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Parmigiano Reggiano
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste

Directions:
Combine water, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, and active dry yeast in a large bowl. Mix to dissolve yeast.
Add flour and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lint free towel and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for a few days if you want to make it ahead of time or go ahead and begin making the knots.
Divide the dough in two balls to make it easier to handle. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 5″x16″ and 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 1/2? x 5? strips.
With floured hands, roll each strip back and forth to create a rope. Tie into a knot–over, under, and through– and place on sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
Make the rest of the knots, cover pans loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise before baking. You want the knots to double in size (approx.)
Preheat oven to 500° F. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
While knots are baking, make garlic coating. Gently warm olive oil, butter, and garlic in a small saucepan. Add chopped parsley and set aside.
Remove knots from oven, place in a large bowl and toss with garlic coating OR brush the coating on. Season with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Help us win? (and you could win the 3 Lawry’s products we used!)

As I mentioned, 25% of the scoring is based on overall community engagement with blog readers and Twitter followers. Please leave a comment on this post and tweet it, too. It’s easy to tweet by clicking Tweetmeme button at the bottom of this post (it looks like this —->)

One commenter or tweeter will receive a sample pack with a 16-oz jar of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade, and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade.

What’s your favorite way to use Lawry’s?

Lawry’s “A Fabulous Summer of Flavor” — Team Atlanta! is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Have you heard the term homegating? Whether you have or not, chances are you’re doing it. Homegating is tailgating on your home turf: the activities, recipes, hoopla, and traditions associated with game day without ticket costs or bathroom lines. Access to air conditioning certainly cannot be overrated, either.

Homegating can be a family affair or an occasion to welcome friends or neighbors into your home. We invited two families, so there were 19 of us total. We’re a baseball family and the Braves are our Atlanta hometown team, so they were the theme of our homegate party.

Easy or pre-prepared foods are key for keeping you in the party instead of in the kitchen. I marinaded the wings, sliced the veggies, and made the dessert a day ahead of time. Here is the menu and activities that our family used this weekend.

The Menu

We started with a selection of DiGiorno pizzas, both Cheese (which my littles like best) and Three Meat (pepperoni, sausage, beef). Tipsy Wings (recipe below), a veggie tray, fresh fruit, a layered ice cream sandwich dessert (recipe below), sweet tea, and assorted soft drinks rounded out the menu.

Here are the marinade ingredients for the Tipsy Wings: beer, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic salt, fresh garlic, and pepper (missing from the photo). I poured everything straight into a one gallon zipper storage bag, sealed and shook it up, and then added three pounds of raw wings, turning to coat. I even pressed the garlic straight into the bag.

The wings marinated overnight; I flipped the bags every time I opened the refrigerator. I prepped two bags, six pounds total, but I could have made more and they would have been devoured.

The pizza and the wings cooked at the same temperature, so we alternated between baking a tray of wings (cover the tray in foil for easier clean up) and two pizzas. Thankfully DiGiorno includes directions for cooking two pizzas at a time.

This ice cream sandwich dessert is so easy. Although you can get fancy and add cookie crumbs, etc., this recipe can be made quite simply in just a few minutes with only 3 ingredients.

(Of course, you have to unwrap the sandwiches. I place them in the dish at first to get a count and plan the layout.)

Pretty fancy, huh?

The Hoopla

Not only did we get our game on in the kitchen, but also we enjoyed traditional game day activities such as team apparel, face painting, tomahawk chopping, and doing the wave.

I had some fun in iMovie, too.

Although tailgating is primarily sports-related, I think homegating transcends sports. If the season premier or finale of your favorite TV show ignites a similar passion in your family, then that could easily be your focus instead of cheering on your favorite team.

{Disclosure: This post is part of a campaign for Collective Bias and DiGiorno. Opinions expressed are my own.}

Homegating: This is How We Do It is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved