Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #107

Welcome to another Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party! This week we’re looking for your best recipes, tips, crafts and DIY projects.
You know before we start, let’s congratulate last week’s winners!

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HOST FAVORITES


Posted in Foodie Friends Friday, What's For Dinner? | 1 Comment

Take It Outside BBQ Tasting Party 2014 #BBQTasteParty

Blue Mountain Summit Patio
Summertime is the perfect time for outdoor fun! Take It Outside BBQ Tasting Party 2014 held on the patio at Blue Mountain Summit Restaurant was an opportunity to enjoy great tasting slider rolls topped with shredded beef, pulled pork, turkey London broil, juicy organic chicken. Mouth-watering sauces tickled our tastebuds! Of course, what’s a BBQ without sweet tender corn on the cob and pure creamy butter!

sponsors logos

Tasting parties are a great way to connect brands directly with the public.
bbq table tasting 1tasting table 2
tasting table 3kenny
Each guest is given a scorecard to rate featured items.

scorecard

They were instructed to rate the items from 1 to 5 on overall taste. Additional space was provided for write-in comments and suggestions.

Empty plates! Time to rate!

serving last piece of turkey London broil
Everyone was encouraged to try as many items as they wanted. Most guests tasted everything!
The first thing everyone wanted was the Newhard’s Corn. I grilled it in the husk to give it a slightly smoky flavor.
grilled corn

enjoying Newhard's corn

Kerrygold butter was on hand to top those tender ears with creamy goodness! Look at that dark yellow color you can only get from grass fed cows!

kerrygold butter

enjoying Bell & Evans chicken from  Mr. Bill's filling out surveys

shredded beef for BBQ sauce tasting

We served up the beef and pork sliders on these tasty, tender rolls from The Bakery Nook! Aren’t these mini rolls adorable?

mini rolls
Mixing sauces with different meats came up with some great tastes!
bbq plating
delicious sauces table

bbq pork

We didn’t stop with the shredded meats.

Mr. Bill’s chicken from Bell & Evans was great alone and also tasted delicious with Gourmet Warehouse BBQ sauces, Golden Carolina and Cherry Jalapeno and Stubb’s Sweet and Spicy.
Bell & Evans Chicken
Mr. Bill’s Turkey London Broil is juicy and tender. He marinates it in a soy base. Delicious! I tried it with the Cherry Chipotle. Amazing together!

Turkey London Broil Slider
Everyone raved about the Arpricot Jalapeno Chicken Sausage from Mr. Bill’s! Packed with apricots and dotted with jalapeno peppers!

apricot jalapeno chicken sausage

The Baked Beans got an extra flavor boost from Gourmet Warehouse Golden Carolina BBQ Sauce. Just the right amount of sweet heat!
golden carolinagolden beans

Some comments from our guests:

Newhard’s Corn

  • Best corn I ever had!
  • I haven’t had corn like this in years!
  •  I think I need to try another piece. 😉
  • Awesome so sweet.

Mr.Bill’s

  • Tastes like chicken should taste.
  • Tender(loin) is an appropriate description! (Turkey London Broil)
  • This apricot jalapeno sausage is amazing!
  • Apricot in sausage is genius!
  • Apricot Jalapeno Sausage absolutely delish!

KerryGold Butter

  • So sweet and creamy!
  • Very rich tasting.
  • Kerrygold is my new favorite butter.
  • Wow! I never saw butter so yellow! Tastes great too!

Gourmet Warehouse Sauces

  • Nice and spicy!
  • Really tasty.
  • The perfect BBQ sauce.
  • Good Flavor!
  • This tasted great in the baked beans!
  • Not too spicy.
  • Where can I get the cherry sauce? I need this sauce!

Stubb’s  BBQ Sauce

  • Good flavor.
  • Great for ribs too.
  • Love this sauce.
  • True bbq sauce.

Bakery Nook Rolls

  • Tasty!
  • Stood up great to all that sauce!
  • Very good! I would love to your try other breads.
  • She liked the cute little rolls best.
  • Got to check out Bakery Nook bakery.
  • Fresh. Soft.

The survey results are sent to the individual sponsors. Sponsors use the feedback to better their products and services for you!

Connect with these terrific sponsors for news, specials, and events!

If you would like to sign up to participate in future themed tasting parties or are considering being a sponsor send an email to me at cindysrecipesandwritings@gmail.com subject: taste party.

Posted in #bbqtasteparty, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pepper Steak Crostini #SundaySupper

Pepper Steak Crostini
Pepper Steak and I go way back to my earliest on-my-own cooking memories. I say that because a beef roast was a regular guest on my Mom’s Sunday table. She used to cut tiny slits in the roast and shove whole garlic cloves everywhere she could. It may not have been the prettiest looking dish but it tasted delicious all the same.
Even though I learned how to cook steaks professionally and even worked in a steakhouse for 12 years, I was still a little intimidated when it came to preparing different, unfamiliar cuts of beef at home. Pepper Steak over Rice became my safe go-to beef dish.
Now that Sunday Supper has partnered with The Beef Checkoff I feel so much more confident about preparing beef.

The Beef Checkoff
That’s a good thing since a 3 ounce serving of lean beef (150 calories and less than 4.5 grams saturated fat on average) helps power your day with Beef’s “Big 10”:

  • Iron helps your body use oxygen.
  • Choline supports nervous system development.
  • Protein helps preserve and build muscle.
  • Selenium helps protect cells from damage.
  • Vitamins B6 and B12 help maintain brain function.
  • Zinc helps maintain a healthy immune system.
  • Phosphorus helps build bones and teeth.
  • Niacin supports energy production and metabolism.
  • Riboflavin helps covert food into fuel.

Did you know?

  • There are more than 29 cuts of lean beef with a total fat content that falls between a skinless chicken breast and skinless chicken thigh when comparing cooked 3-oz servings.
  • For steaks (1/2 inch or thicker), insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally from the side, so that it penetrates the thickest part or the center of the steak, not touching bone or fat. After cooking, let steaks stand 3 minutes before serving.
    Rare (140°F) Medium Rare (145°F) Medium (160°F) Well Done(170°F)
  • Ground beef is more perishable than roasts or steaks. Plan to use refrigerated ground beef within 1 to 2 days of purchase.
  • Cook steaks directly from the refrigerator and wait to salt until after it is removed from heat source or browned. Adding salt before the sear will add to steaks losing moisture content.

Start keeping a close eye on the temperature you desire as to not over cook. Remember after resting your steak to cut on the bias and against the grain to keep it tender.

beef temperature

Be sure to follow The Beef Checkoff Pinterest Board for more exciting meal ideas for serving beef!

To learn more, get connected and stay in touch with The Beef Checkoff through their social media sites:
Website: http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Beef
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeefItsWhatsForDinner
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/beeffordinner/

Pepper Steak Crostini makes an elegant presentation to any appetizer menu. These beefy bites make good snacks and grill party favorites!

Pepper Steak Crostini bread

Pepper Steak Crostini Peppers

Pepper Steak Crostini Beef

Pepper Steak Crostini c

Pepper Steak Crostini
 
Prep time
Cook time
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Ingredients
  • 1 pound sirloin steak
  • 2 large bell peppers, cut into thin strips (red, green, orange or yellow)
  • 1 medium onion sliced into thin strips
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 baguette cut diagonally into ½-inch slices
Instructions
  1. Saute peppers, onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet until crisp tender. Remove from heat, add Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat prepared grill or griddle pan to medium heat. Season meat with pepper and sear. Turn occasionally for approximately 9 to 12 minutes until steak reaches desired temperature. Remove and rest steak. After the resting period, cut into thin slices.
  3. While steak rest, brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil just until browned on both sides.
  4. Assemble crostini with beef slices and top with pepper mixture.

Come Celebrate Beef for Sunday Supper with us!

Sunday Supper Movement
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. All opinions are my own.

Posted in #SundaySupper, appetizer, beef, peppers, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 40 Comments

Skillet Chicken Sausage and Trahanas

Skillet Chicken Sausage and Trahanas

How important is it to you to know where your food originates?

It is the basic concept behind a company called Urbangrains.

Urbangrains is a family owned business started in 2012 that offers a wide range of artisan foods. Each item is hand-processed with no added artificial colors or flavors. They were inspired by the idea of reinventing the millenary tradition of the Mediterranean diet. Since then their quest for raw natural foods took them all over the Greek countryside to discover unique people and flavors.

In order to make sure they always offer the best possible quality, Urbangrains has one simple rule. They use seasonable selection to get the best taste and have the least possible impact on the planet.

Urbangrains offer three different pantry collections.

• Classic Collection: pure flavors from Greece
• Gourmet Collection: “twisted” traditional dainties
• The premium range “Monoxilitis”: a sought after collection produced by the monks of the monastery of St.Paul in Mount Athos (also called the Holy Mountain) that Urbangrains exclusively distributes in the UK.

Trahanas package
Urbangrains describes Trahanas as one of the most popular types of Greek pasta, consisting of buckwheat flour and milk.
They suggest you can have it as a “porridge-like” soup, which is a popular way to eat Trahanas. You can try it as risotto or create your own recipe.

I decided to try using Trahanas in a skillet casserole in place of rice. Spicy chicken sausage, tomatoes and feta brought out the subtle flavors of Trahanas.

Skillet Chicken Sausage and Trahanas
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound hot or sweet chicken sausage casing removed
  • 1 cup dry Trahana pasta
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup feta, crumbled
Instructions
  1. brown sausage in a large skillet, add tomatoes
  2. Bring broth to a boil. Add Trahanas, reduce heat and simmer 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Add pasta to skillet. Stir in feta.

Learn more about Urbangrains all natural and minimally processed food products and stay connected through their social media sites:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
+Google

I was given a sample of Trahanas try. I was under no obligation to write a review. Opinions are my own.

Posted in pasta, Urbangrains, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments