Beautiful bison

Most people have heard of the phrase "Pork, the other white meat."  However, I'm not cooking with Pork today.  I'm cooking with Bison!  Meet the better red meat!
Have you ever had beef bison! Of course you have (unless you're a vegetarian). This month I was able to work with the The Bison Council, and if you've never had bison you're missing out on some yummy goodness!!  Often called Buffalo, Bison is the same.   

The folks at High Plains Bison shipped a package of their Bison top sirloin steaks to me, and the folks at Allrecipes.com requested that I make the Caprese Bison Sirloin Steak with Bow tie pasta using my bison.  At that point it was game on!
In making the suggested recipe I cheated.  Did I just say that?  Yes I did.  I didn't want so much pesto in my pasta so I reduced the amount to 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of pesto.  It was MORE than enough.   Once my pasta was cooked, I allowed it to cool slightly and then mixed in my pesto.  I placed the bowl in the fridge to chill, while I did some research on bison.
In cooking with Bison you have to be aware of one extremely important factor. 
It is a lean meat!  For every 100 grams of Bison there is 1.35 grams of fat (contrast that with Beef which has 11.1 grams of fat per 100 grams)
What does this mean for the carnivore meat lover?   It means that it has a totally different preparation method!  It will take 1/3 LESS time, and 1/3 less heat.    The bonus:  You can now have your steak and eat healthier!  Remember how I said I cheated in making the suggested recipe?  I chose to marinate my bison steaks, in typical fashion. If you want the marinade recipe, click here.  After I allowed my bison to marinate and get happy, I cranked up the grill. 

In knowing that these steaks cook faster, and use less heat I made sure to keep an eye on them.  I'm typically a well done kinda gal, but for the bison I made an exception and cooked them to medium rare, meaning the internal temperature was about 110°-115°.   Don't the steaks look mouthwatering!

After letting my steaks rest for the nominal time, I then proceeded to slice them. One slightly important note to make.  This recipe calls for fresh mozzarella, so please don't use the brick stuff, use the fresh stuff.  Back to the center of attraction: Voila!  Bison Caprese Farfalle salad - it's the same recipe, just renamed *grins* doesn't it look yum!  The bison council twitter group thought so!!!

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Crank up the heat!

Summer is the perfect time for grilling, and nothing beats a crisp, refreshing salad on a hot day!

¡Hola Herdez!

This month I was introduced to a food brand I've never heard of before.  Herdez.  I received four of their products -two each of the tomatillo verde, and two red guajillo chile sauce- to sample.

Sausage and salad

Where has the last month gone?!  I've been traveling a LOT! In the time I've been absent I took a trip from Tampa, FL to Seattle, WA and upon my return I moved from Tampa, FL to Oklahoma City, OK!  I'm just beginning to settle down (temporarily) into Oklahoma.  I may move around a LOT, but I don't think I'll ever lose my passion for flavour.

One recent change I've made has been eating healthier.  Earlier this year I became acquainted with al Fresco sausages.  They have made their way into my kitchen on a regular basis. I'm loving their Roasted Garlic chicken sausage.  It's packed full of flavour and is also healthy -for those on a points plan it calculates out to 3 points per sausage!  Today I made a super fantastic ceasar salad (6 points!)

Can you believe this salad can be made in less than 10 minutes?!  I don't think you could drive to that overly priced sandwich, soup, and salad place and get a salad this good! 

Chicken Kiev: updated culinary classic

Chicken kiev - I'll never forget the first time I made it, subsequently it was the last time I made it until I found a different way to make it.   Thanks to a recipe I found that made this classic extra easy to prepare!   Can you believe that I had everything pictured from oven to table in UNDER 45 minutes - including prep time?

Admittedly I strayed ever so slightly but I think my changes were on target w/ the goal of the recipe.  While the recipe initially called for some white bread to be pulsed in a food processor I figured there was no need to use white bread, and I substituted a mixture of panko bread crumbs and Italian seasoned bread crumbs using a 2:1 ratio. 

Most important part in this recipe - you'll need to use BUTTER!  Don't even think for a moment that you'll get the same results by using an oily spread!

Refreshingly good - sausage!

For the month of April one of the brand partners I've worked with has been Al Fresco. Their products are both natural, unique and taste amazing!  While not all products are readily available in my city, the products I've tried have been bursting with flavour!

One of the recipes I've tried is the Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage, Endive, & Blueberry Salad with Toasted Pecans I did make some deviations to the original recipe but it didn't detract from the mouth watering goodness!

One of the slight changes I made was to use Lyle's Golden Syrup in place of the honey.  I found that the Lyle's golden syrup gives a distinctive buttery taste that is simply incredible!   In place of pecans I used glazed walnuts. 

Many of those that I've had the occasion of discussing the Al Fresco sausage with have all mentioned the same thing...price point.  Depending on where you live, the sausage may run $6 for a package.  I easily remedied the pricing issue by purchasing the breakfast version of the sausage - which is the same product, but the sausage size is reflective of it being the breakfast version. 

Al Fresco currently has a coupon for $1 off their products so if you're lucky enough to locate their products give them a try - your mouth will thank you!

Savour the Flavour of Fall

This month as an Allrecipes brand ambassador, one of the assignments was to host a dinner party and cook a Barber Foods product.  I am not saying anything new, but I am a self-avowed food snob.  When I first found out about the assignment I'll admit I inwardly cringed as my friends know me for my cooking.  I had never even heard of Barber Foods prior to this assignment.  I went to the store and I wasn't sure which product to even try.  I did the next best thing and asked a lady what she would enjoy if she were going to purchase a product of Barber Foods.  My shopping trip completed I let the product rest in my deep freeze until party day. 

The day of the party arrived and I cooked three different varieties of the Seasoned Select stuffed chicken breasts.  I knew that I wanted my menu to reflect the flavours of fall, and I chose the Southern comfort sweet potato casserole from Allrecipes.com that I had previously tried. 

I also made my families Broccoli Cheese Casserole. My momma has been making this casserole for as long as I can remember, and it's always been a favourite of mine.  It's one of the very few recipes that I've never made any changes to due to its simple goodness - it's also one of the few recipes where the salt & pepper are the right seasonings. I've been able to convert broccoli haters into broccoli lovers with this casserole.  It's always a Thanksgiving staple at my parents house, and my relatives always ask my momma to bring it for family get togethers also.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

10 ounces frozen, chopped broccoli - thawed

16 ounces cottage cheese

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

3 eggs

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix the above ingredients together making sure the eggs get well incorporated.  Grease a 8"x8" casserole dish. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  This is almost "quiche" like - and it would be low carb friendly for those who are watching their carb intake.  If you try this recipe, please leave me feedback w/ your thoughts. 

I also made a Tri-color orzo salad to go with the main meal. I chose to use romaine lettuce as opposed to the arugula, and feta cheese as opposed to the ricotta salata.

Even tho this was a fall themed meal, I also wanted to incorporate a bit of Halloween into the party.  I chose to make a black punch that I would effectively call Black Zombie Witch brew. 

To make this punch you will need the following:

1 packet orange koolaid 

1 packet grape koolaid

12 cups (3 quarts) water

2 cups sugar

2 litre bottle of Sprite

4 ounces Chambord Liqueur (to your preference)

4 ounces Passionfruit Rum (to your preference)

1 container Lime Sherbet

* Frozen hand

Dissolve sugar into water, add the koolaid packets.  Chill in fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Chill Sprite in fridge.  To assemble:  Pour koolaid mixture into a punch bowl, add the Sprite, and alcohol.  Add the sherbet by scoopfuls into the punch bowl. Float the frozen hand on top.

Frozen Hand:

1 sterile non-latex, non-powdered glove

16 ounces Sprite

2 ounce Grenadine

Rinse glove.  Add the Sprite and grenadine.  Try to remove as much air bubbles as possible, twist glove at the top opening, Secure w/ a rubberband - freeze overnight.  To remove from glove quickly rinse under warm water to loosen (OR) alternatively, use a sharp knife and cut the glove away.

For dessert I made a Pumpkin cake roll w/ cream cheese filling  I had never made a rolled cake before and was concerned about messing it up.  This recipe came through w/ flying colours and it was both quick, and easy to prepare. 

During the fall season, nothing is better than the company of good friends.  The night was a success and I turned into a "Barber believer"  I never imagined a frozen food product would turn out this delicious, tender and tasty!

 

Thank you to my guests for making the evening a success - you are wonderful friends and I treasure your friendship!  

Shortcuts worth sharing

Today for lunch I decided to make Fresh Pear and Cherry Salad with Vanilla Pear Vinaigrette
It made me think of the type of salad a place like Panera Bread would offer...and if they did you know it would be at least $7.50 if they did! 

First shortcut.  You don't have to buy both salad greens & bagged spinach.  Most stores have bags of salad that incorporate both salad greens & spinach, so use that instead. 
Second shortcut.  Don't worry about making your own candied walnuts - feel free to cheat and buy the glazed walnuts, it cuts down on prep and the taste is gonna be the same :)
Third shortcut:  To de seed the pear, cut it in half and use either a small melon baller or ice cream scoop, then slice into small portions.

Thoughts on the dressing.  The dressing is good if modified.  I cut back the white wine vinegar to 2 Tbsp and the salt to 1/4 tsp - I wasn't too horribly impressed by the honey flavour.  I think if I remake it, that I'll use Leeds golden syrup -it has more of a buttery flavour which I think will compliment the delicate notes of the pear and vanilla.