The Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards! Vote Now!

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Cindy Kerschner

Have you heard? The Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards are now open for voting!

zimmernMunchies2015

Voting opened on February 23rd. You will be able to vote daily through March 31, 2015. According to the website, they will be eliminating nominees three times during the voting period, which means your votes matter!

Voting starts February 23rd!
Round one of voting ends March 8th. This is just a warm up! Get ready for round 2?
Round two of voting ends March 15th. Beware the Ides of…not voting.
Round three of voting ends March 22nd. Get your vote on.
Final round closes March 31st. Be heard!!!

Voting for each round will close at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Voting for the next round will begin on Monday at 12:01 a.m. Central Time.

Nominees have been selected across three categories :

“Terrific Tastemakers” (food media and personalities)

“Best Bites” (things like Best Burger, Best Taco or Best Pizza)

“Delicious Destinations” (restaurants and other dining establishments).

Category nominees were all selected by a panel of food experts and celebrities, led by Zimmern.

Winners will be determined by online votes from the public through March 31 at www.tablespoon.com/themunchies.

One of the participants in kicking off this event is Anthony Fellows, owner of HipPOPs and BabyPOPs, a truck offering delicious handcrafted artisan dessert treats including gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt!

POPtruck

At the core of HipPOPs are natural, gluten-free, kosher frozen POPs on a stick that are made with love from small, hand-crafted batches at the company’s micro-creamery in Dania Beach, Florida. Three varieties of high-quality signature Belgian chocolate dips and several crushed-nut “Poppings” combine for a gourmet treat that looks as popalicious as it tastes – with only a fraction of ice cream’s fat content.

baby pops

For more information, check out www.hippops.com.
Vote in your favorites today!

Posted in What's For Dinner? | 2 Comments

Bow Ties and Tails Galore #SundaySupper

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Cindy Kerschner

Bow Ties and Tails Galore #SundaySupper

This week Sunday Supper rolls out the Red Carpet for award winning ideas to serve at your star-studded awards party!

Golden Chef Award

Do you host or participate in the festivities surrounding Oscar night?

Bow Ties and Tails Galore plate

I’m always curious to see which movies are considered the best of the crop. I enjoyed The Hundred Food Journey. It was nominated for a Golden Globe.

hundred foot

What kind of movies do you prefer? I’m all over the board, myself. I love a smart comedy. A good suspense movie can usually peak my interest. Indie films are always worth checking out too!

Music is also a big part of Oscar night. Music sets the mood and moves the film along. Some of those songs can really get stuck in your head. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting any.  🙂

Many thanks to by Katie of Ruffles & Truffles for hosting this event! Cheers Katie!

My Bow Ties and Tails Galore features tender shrimp served over bow tie pasta in a delicate cheddar and roasted red pepper sauce.

4.8 from 4 reviews
Bow Ties and Tails Galore
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
  • 1½ cups half and half or 2 percent milk
  • 2 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 4 ounces shredded cheddar
  • ½ cup roasted red peppers
  • ¼ cup chopped green onion plus 2 Tablespoons
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  2. While pasta cooks, saute shrimp, cajun seasoning and 2 Tablespoon green onion in olive oil.
  3. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring milk, cornstarch and salt and pepper to a boil over medium heat. Whisk constantly until thickened.
  4. Remove from heat. Add peppers and cheese.
  5. Combine shrimp and pasta. Toss with sauce. Garnish with additional green onion.
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May I have the envelope, please!

Enjoy these Red Carpet worthy meal ideas from the Sunday Supper Group!

Nominees for Best Supporting Appetizers:

Nominees for Best Course in a Leading Role:

Nominees for Best Supporting Sips:

Nominees for Best Delectable Desserts:

Nominees for Best Dressed Table:

Sunday Supper MovementJoin 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.

Posted in #SundaySupper, cheese, fresh ingredients, pasta, peppers, shrimp, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , , | 62 Comments

Pink Cadillac Margarita Cupcakes

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Cindy Kerschner

Welcome to our National Margarita Day Celebration!


Pink Cadillac Cupcakes and Margarita (550x550)

I’m not a big mixed drink consumer but I do appreciate a good Pink Cadillac.

No, not this Pink Cadillac. (Go ahead, play it I’ll wait… 😉 )

This Pink Cadillac Margarita. (See recipe below) 😉

Pink Cadillac Margarita

My Pink Cadillac Margarita Cupcake plays with the flavors of cranberry, orange and lime with a bit of gold tequila tossed in too!

Thank you Heather from Girlichef.com for hosting this event! Cheers, Heather!

Pink Cadillac Margarita Cupcakes
 
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Author:
Serves: 16 cupcakes
Ingredients
  • ¼ unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup butter flavored shortening or addition ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2¼ cups cake flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ cup cranberry juice or blend NOT cocktail juice
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons tequila
Instructions
  1. In a standard mixer on low speed, cream together butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs one at a time.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. In a separate measuring cup mix together cranberry juice, orange juice, lime juice and tequila.
  5. Add half the dry ingredients then half wet ingredients. Mix and repeat.
  6. Batter should be thick and spongy.
  7. Bake in lined cupcake pan at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes until set and test clean with inserted toothpick .
  8. Cool and top with your favorite frosting.
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If you want to enjoy a Pink Cadillac Margarita with your cupcake (which I highly recommend) here is the recipe! The pink salt rim is colored with a few drops of cranberry juice.

1 1/2 oz. Top Shelf Tequila (Cuervo 1800)
splash of fresh squeezed Lime Juice (more Lime Juice for rim)
1 oz. Cranberry Juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Instructions
Shake with ice and strain. Serve over ice.

Enjoy these great takes on Margaritas from our group of talented bloggers!

National Margarita Day 2015

Margaritas:

Margarita-inspired food:

Posted in cake, cranberry, cupcakes, Mexican-inspired, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rosé #McSkilletSauce #WeekdaySupper

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Cindy Kerschner

This post is sponsored by McCormick in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Chicken Meatballs with Pasta Rose plate

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose (550x550) (550x550)

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rosé adds a touch of elegance to everyday spaghetti and meatballs. Sicilian Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Garlic #Mcskilletsauce makes it easy!

McCormick_logo

I love pasta and meatballs any day of the week. Beef, turkey, chicken or a meatloaf mix with beef, pork and veal all make great meatballs.

Sometimes I get to be a stickler when it comes to sauce. It needs to satisfy what I’m craving. A good tomato based sauce like McCormick’s Sicilian Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Garlic is a great place to start!

This sauce has all the good stuff that I put in my own sauce without spending hours of cooking time to achieve.

It is so easy to use straight out of the package. Notice how convenient the sauce is packaged. I can stand them upright on my pantry shelf or  lay down on its side to save space without worrying about glass breakage or leaks.

Sicilian_Chicken_with_Tomato,_Basil___Garlic

The best meals start with the best ingredients.

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose Ingredients

Start your pasta and while it cooks, make your meatballs. Mix together ground chicken, onion, celery flakes, basil, 3 Tablespoons Parmesan.
Form into mini meatballs. (18 to 20) Meatballs will be slightly sticky.

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose Step 1

Heat the oil in your skillet over medium- high heat. Add meatballs and turn to coat meatballs with oil. Fry over medium heat, turning often to brown on all sides. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until thoroughly cooked. Too dry? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help steam meatballs if necessary.

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose Step 2

Add pasta, McCormick sauce and half and half or milk. Heat thoroughly and serve.

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose Step 3

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rose with package

Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rosé collage

5.0 from 1 reviews
Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rosé #McSkilletSauce #WeekdaySupper
 
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Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • ½ pound ground chicken
  • 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried celery flakes
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups dried pasta (mini penne, penne, ziti)
  • 1 package McCormick Skillet Sauce Sicilian Chicken with Tomato, Basil, Garlic
  • ¼ cup half and half or 2 percent milk
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan for topping(optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  2. While pasta cooks, mix together ground chicken, onion, celery flakes, basil, 3 Tablespoons Parmesan.
  3. Form into mini meatballs. (18 to 20) Meatballs will be slightly sticky.
  4. Heat oil in skillet over medium- high heat. Add meatballs and turn to coat meatballs with oil. Fry over medium heat, turning often to brown on all sides.
  5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until thoroughly cooked. Too dry? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help steam meatballs if necessary.
  6. Add pasta, McCormick sauce and half and half or milk. Heat thoroughly and serve.
  7. Serve with grated Parmesan on side if desired.
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Try these McCormick Skillet Sauces for new, quick dinner sensations!

Smoky Applewood BBQ Chicken with Bacon: Whip up a quick and easy weeknight chicken dish with smoky BBQ flavor.
Taco with Chipotle & Garlic:  Add a hint of smoky chipotle heat to your favorite weeknight tacos.
Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry: Classic flavors like ginger, garlic and soy sauce give you the perfect stir-fry every time.
Sweet & Smoky Sloppy Joes: Barbecue flavor gives this classic American meal a smoky sweet twist.
Fire Roasted Chili: A Robust combination of fire-roasted garlic and chili pepper boosts the flavor of this dinnertime staple.
Fajita with Roasted Chile, Garlic & Lime: Fire up fajitas with this sizzling blend of roasted chili pepper, garlic and lime.
Sicilian Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Garlic: Infuse Italian-style chicken and mushrooms with a savory blend of sweet basil and garlic.

 

Follow McCormick’s Easy Skillet Dinners Pinterest board for more great easy dinner ideas!
http://www.pinterest.com/mccormickspice/easy-skillet-dinners/
Follow McCormick Spice’s board Easy Skillet Dinners on Pinterest.

 

Connect with McCormicks’s website and social media sites for news, recipes and product information.
Website: http://www.mccormick.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mccormickspice
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mccormickspice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McCormickSpice

Sunday Supper Movement

Enjoy all these great McCormick Skillet Sauces Weekday Supper ideas from the Sunday Supper Group!

Monday – Spicy Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry over Broccoli Noodles by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Tuesday – Sweet & Smoky Lentil Sloppy Joes over Millet Cakes by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Wednesday – BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza by I’m Not the Nanny
Thursday – Skillet Taco Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Friday – Chicken Meatballs and Pasta Rosé by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Find more great ideas for Weekday Suppers on our Weekday Supper Pinterest Board !

Weekday-Supper-February-16-thru-20

Posted in #WeekdaySupper, chicken, Italian, meatballs, pasta, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments