Perdue Farms Bourbon Chicken Wrap With Peppers, Chives and Romaine Lettuce

With my lovely wife being off work for the summer, she has been doing the majority of lunch making. This lovely wrap consists of Perdue Farms Bourbon Chicken, fresh peppers, chives and romaine lettuce, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. For dressing, she added just a little bit of lite salsa ranch dressing. As you can see, the dish is as attractive as it is tasty.

This was a wonderful idea and my wife executed it well. It was tasty, easy, quick and pretty to look at.  The tangy flavor and meaty texture of the chicken was well complimented by the crisp vegetables and the soft flour tortilla.

The bourbon chicken from Costco makes for great finger food, but with a little creativity, you can also use it to make a fun and easy lunch or dinner.  It works well in both sandwiches and salads and I am sure it will be it will be in our freezer on a regular basis.

Costco Coupon Book-July 14 To August 7

Once again, I would like to thank my friends at Addicted To Costco for posting this month's coupon book online.

Our freezer is still fairly full of lots of Costco items, so we probably won't be stocking up on frozen foods this month.

But I would be very surprised if we didn't get the cookies at some point!

Pizza with Foster Farms Chicken Strips, Dole Pineapple, Sweet Onion and Barbecue Sauce

I saw some lovely Dole Pineapples at Costco recently and I thought a chicken pizza with some barbecue sauce would be a great use of this fruit. My wife agreed and while I was at work, she made the following pizza using:

• 1- 12 inch pizza crust
• 1/4 of a Fresh Golden Dole Pineapple, diced
• 1/2 large Vidalia Onion cut into thirds and thingly sliced
• 1 cup Foster Farms Chicken strips, cut into chunks
• Barbecue sauce to lightly coat the pizza

Below is a photo of the pizza before it went into the oven.

And here it is, cooked and delicious! It was in the oven for about 15 minutes at 425-450 degrees.

As you can see from the photo below, for a pizza, it has a variety of colors and textures going on, plus a very pleasing range of flavors.

Originally, I suggested that we put mozzarella on it, but my lovely wife thought that was not the best idea and I am glad she omitted it.  The final pizza is definitely  much better off without the cheese in this case. This dish has a lot of bright, sweet and tangy flavors and cheese would have muddled that combination.

This meal was a huge success and it will be repeated.  I highly recommend picking up a pineapple at Costco now and then. They are fun, tasty and easy to work with in a wide variety of applications.

Free Cookbooks

Here is a link to a variety of cookbooks that are available for free download.

If you don't have Kindle software, you can get it here by following the various links to the software you need.

Enjoy!

Open Face Black Bean Burger Sandwich: An Old Post But A Great Post

Note: With the Morning Star Chipotle Black Bean Burgers on sale this month, I felt that a repeat of this post was in order. My lovely wife and I just love these burgers and you can serve them up very quickly and easily.                 

Recently we bought some of the black bean burgers from Morningstar Farms at Costco.  They are frozen and are less than $14 per box of 12. That makes them convenient and reasonably priced.

We buy some delicious black pepper bread from our local farmer's market and toast it for the base of the sandwich. Meanwhile, we grill the burgers on our Griddler.

After the toasting and grilling, we put the burger on the toast, top it with some of the Jack's Special Medium Salsa and some cheddar cheese and we are good to go.

We love this meal.  The burgers have just the right amount of zing and they are filling and certainly healthier than a beef burger. The toasted bread compliments the spicy flavor of the burger and give a chewy bread in contrast to the "meatiness" of the burger.  The salsa and cheese provide a vegetable and dairy balance to the meal and a sense of completeness.

I can't say enough about how tasty this meal is.  I could certainly see something like this on the menu at a restaurant by someone like Bobby Flay.  Yes, it is that good.  And the time, effort and money involved are very reasonable.

And the meal is just plain fun, too.

Costco Coupon Book- June 9 to July 3

Once again I would like to thank my friends at Addicted to Costco for posting this month's coupon book.

I know we will be getting the black bean burgers, the Iam's dog food (to donate to our local shelter) and the take and bake pizza.

Enjoy!

Pasta Prima Chicken & Mozzarella Ravioli With A Spicy Italian Brats Tomato Sauce

My wife and I are very fond of the Pasta Prima raviolis that we get at Costco. We had some of the fresh Chicken and Mozzarella variety in the fridge and it was calling to me. Given the more subdued flavors of the ravioli, I thought a sauce with a little excitement to it would be fun.  My wife agreed and after gathering all the elements for the sauce that we had on hand, I finished the provisioning by getting some spicy Italian brats from  a local meat shop, Montello's. The ingredient list this dish was pretty simple:

• EVOO
• 2 cloves garlic; peeled, pressed and chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
• Crushed red pepper
• 1 pound Italian brats, casings removed
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• Fresh herbs: parsley, oregano and thyme

While my lovely wife removed the casings from the sausage, I sauteed the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper. Then we added the brats and I broke them up with a spoon as I cooked them.  After the brats were cooked, the tomatoes were added and I let it come to temperature and cook a bit as my wife got the fresh herbs.  The herbs were added just moments before serving and then we garnished our portions as we saw fit with grated cheese.

As you can see, it was a pretty dish and it went together in minutes.  As for the taste, it was excellent. My wife and I both commented that Italian brats were a lower fat alternative to typical Italian sausage, although I do think standard pork sausage would still work very well in this dish.

As we hoped, the sausage and the red pepper added some zing to the dish without making it just flavorless heat and spice.  The tomato and onion helped to add at least some vegetable, so you really have a good variety of meat, dairy, pasta and vegetables in this dish, making it a true one dish meal.

This was absolutely a home run: delicious, easy, affordable and quick.  I am sure we will be doing something very similar to this again.

Chicken Taco Salad With Tostitos Garlic and Black Bean Chips

We make taco salads on a fairly occasional basis but they have always been beef based. For a change of pace, I thought we should try one that was chicken based.

To start the process, I took some of those Foster Farms chicken strips we bought at Costco a while back and tossed them with some chili powder and EVOO and put them in the fridge to thaw.

When my wife got home, she finished heating them up in a pan on the stove. I chopped some romaine lettuce, pulled the cheese out of the fridge along with some salsa and got those Tostitos Garlic and Black Bean chips that I reviewed recently.

Our conclusion: this worked really well and it was a fun, tasty dinner. There are a lot of different textures and flavors going on here.  The romaine lettuce and the chips give some crunch, while there is a meaty texture from the chicken.  The lettuce gives a fresh flavor while the salsa and the chips give a little spice and zing.

The value from this is pretty good too. A salad like this is probably going to set you back $16 to $20 for two people at someplace like Applebees. And unless you live next door to a restaurant, chances are you can put this together in less time than it takes to drive there and back.

So the next time you crave a taco salad, take a look in your cupboard, your fridge and your freezer. You very well might be able to make something delicious in less time than it takes to get to the restaurant.

Pasta Prima Chicken Mozzarella Ravioli With Pancetta And Vidalia Onions

We stocked up on the Pasta Prima Chicken Mozzarella Ravioli that was on sale last month and I thought it would be a good idea to make very simple sauce to help highlight the elegant flavor of the ravioli. This dish had only four components:

Pasta Prima Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli-one package
About an inch think slice of pancetta, cubed
Half of a large vidalia onion, chopped
EVOO

All there was to cooking this dish was just browning the onion and pancetta and then just adding a bit of EVOO to have enough liquid to balance out the sauce.  By serving it with a romaine lettuce salad we had a fine and complete meal in just minutes.

My wife and I were both very pleased with how this turned out and it was definitely a success. The hearty taste of the pancetta complimented the more delicate flavor of the ravioli and the sweet, light taste of the onion.

Our only negative was that the dish is just a bit salty due to the pancetta being a salty meat. But let me be clear, it was a very sucessful dish. I am only saying that if we could figure a way to temper the saltiness of the meat in it a little, it would be perfect.

As it stands, it was a lovely meal and the return on our time was fabulous.

Costco Coupon Book For May 12 to June 5 2011

Once again I would like to thank my wonderful friends at Addicted To Costco for putting this month's coupon book online.

Some of the things we will be getting this month include the bourbon chicken, the M&M's and the fruit bars.

I will have more on these items later.

Tostitos Garlic & Black Bean Chips-A Quick Review

You still have until tomorrow to buy these chips on sale and if you are a salty snacker like I am, I highly recommend stocking up on them.

While I generally eat my tortilla chips with salsa or as part of taco salad, I found these chips flavorful enough to eat on their own. The garlic and black bean flavors are present and enhancing, without being overpowering.  Also, these chips have more fiber than your typical tortilla chip, so they are a slightly less guilty pleasure. And while they are great by  themselves, they still work well with salsa.  And at some point we will make a chicken taco salad with some chicken strips we bought from Costco.

At $6.59 for a 26 ounce bag, these are definitely a better value than the bag you buy in the grocery store.  Then add in the coupon and you are paying about the same price for a 26 ounce bag as you pay for a 13 ounce bag in your typical supermarket.

Once again, Costco sells a great product at a great price. If you like tortilla chips, I highly recommend picking up some before the sales ends on May 8.

Quinoa With Ham, Pineapple, Black Beans and Vegetables

Sorry about the delay in posting. We went on vacation and then when we got back, we had a bunch of mundane chores to do like car shopping.  But it is time to start into posting again. Here is a fun, colorful dish that was easy to make to help me get into the swing of things again.

After Easter, my mother in law offered me all the ham I wanted, so I took her up on the offer.  I thought it might be fun to do something with quinoa and after some research, I came up with this dish.

1 cup quinoa, cooked and just so lightly salted
About 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 small onion, diced
About 1 cup chopped baby carrots
About 1 cup chopped celery
Canola oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
A portion of a fresh pineapple, chopped, with some juice from the pineapple
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground red pepper
Some freshly ground curry mix
Dried dill, crushed

I cooked the quinoa per directions. While that was happening I sauted  the ginger and garlic in the canola. After they had cooked a bit, I added the onions, then the celery and carrots. When they to about the right consistency, I added the quinoa, pineapple and beans. The last step was to season it and honestly, I just kept adding the spices until it had the flavors I wanted.

Due to our complex schedules, the first meal we had of it was for lunch the next day, so maybe that helped the flavors to meld. In any case, I think I got the seasoning pretty close to where I needed it. The ginger adds a fun, bright flavor while all the rest of the spices help to make the flavor profile broad enough that the dish was a little more complex, but not too busy.

My wife and I both rated this a success and I think we will try ham and quinoa together again.


I took a lot of inspiration from this recipe. However, as it is typical of me, I didn't bother measuring any of the seasonings.  Also, I eliminated the powdered milk and added onions. Finally, I used fresh pineapple and fresh ginger. I think those are probably the biggest changes since they help give the dish a lively, fresh and invigorating zing. (Eliminating the powdered milk also makes this dish a little brighter). I think this recipe definitely has a similar ingredient list to the one I referenced, but I think the few changes I made help to make it significantly different.  But I do want to be honest, I did get some good ideas from the dish I referenced.

Also, the quinoa and the black beans make this a pretty healthy dish, so you can enjoy the wide variety of flavors and textures this dish has to offer without any guilt.

Costco Canine Cuisine-Kirkland Signature Dog Food

As much as we buy cheese, Nutella, quinoa and other foods from Costco, the #1 food we buy by weight from Costco is our dog food. As it is with so many items at Costco, they offer exceptional value.  The Kirkland Signature food we get is less than IAMs and other name brands, but it is of excellent quality.  When we got our new dog from the local animal rescue, they were already feeding her this brand of food and she was certainly seemed to be doing well.  The day we brought here home, we took her to the vet for a baseline checkup and I showed the ingredient list to our vet.  He reviewed the list of ingredients, noted her health was excellent and gave his approval to keep using it.



Our pet's health is important to us and we appreciate that fact that Costco sells such a good product at such a reasonable price.  This is definitely another example of Costco offering excellent value.

As for our dog Layla, I am sure the photo below will illustrate what a happy, healthy and pretty dog she is and we thank Costco for making a great product that helps keep her that way.

Costco Coupons For April 14 To May 8

Once again, my friends at Addicted To Costco have published the upcoming coupon book.

Among the items I know we will be getting will be the Potstickers, the Tostitos Garlic Black Bean Tortilla Chips and the Welch's White Grape Cherry Juice.

I would like to thank my friends at Addicted To Costco. They have a lot of great info for Costco members.

Grilled Corn Beef Sandwich On Rye With Jarlsberg Cheese

My wife recently made a wonderful corn beef brisket in the crockpot. A delicious and versatile meat, it struck us that it would be great to make a sandwich out of it.  My wife and I are are very fond of the Jarlsberg cheese we buy at Costco and thought that would be an excellent cheese to mesh with the meat.  It is a great cheese for snacking and sandwiches, and Costco has a low price on it.

Given how tasty the meat was, this could be a pretty simple sandwich. We sliced the meat and the cheese and just dressed the rye bread with some Polish mustard.  Then after a few on the Griddler, we were ready for hot, cheesy, meaty goodness!

Honestly, this was an absolutely fabulous sandwich.  The corn beef and Jarlsberg work wonderfully together and the rye and the mustard added just the right flavors to put this over the top.

We have another brisket in the fridge and I can guarantee you, some of it will end up in a sandwich like this one.

Costco Cuisine Recipes on Pasta Prima Website

My wife and I love the Pasta Prima Ravioli and with our permission, they have posted some links to a couple of recipes on our blog.

I have added a link to their site to my list of links.

I am sure we will continue to use this fine product. It is tasty, affordable and easy to work with. Ravioli can have more than just a simple red sauce, so I encourage everyone to do some experimentation with it.

Costco Bagels-Not The Best Bagels In The World, But Good Value

I have had a lot of bagels in my life and thus, I was compelled to pick up some from Costco for a Toastmasters meeting where I was schedule to bring refreshments.

The bagels were a good success and my wife and I had some later. My lovely wife's comment was that they were fine but a little on the chewy side and honestly, I would probably agree with her. However, they were still good bagels and at the price Costco sells them at they are a solid value.

I highly recommend them and the next time you need to bring in a bunch of bagels to work, give Costco a try, it will give you a lot of bang for your buck.

Quick Comment About Honest Earth All Natural Creamy Mashed Potatoes

My friends at Addicted To Costco have sung the praise of these fine instant mashed potatoes. I have to say, they are a great product.

My lovely wife made a brisket in the slow cooker the other day and I suggested that we have some of these potatoes with it.  She liked the idea and in a few minutes these potatoes were ready.

Aside from being darn good for instant mashed potatoes, they come in packages of eight servings each, instead of just one big box that you have to worry about measuring out and controlling the mess.

As I said these are a great product and I highly recommend them.

A Couple Of Ideas For Serving Nature's Earthly Choice Heritage Grain Blend.

I have done a post on Nature's Earthly Choice Heritage Grain Blend and so has my lovely wife.  She made another batch of it and we have had it couple of different ways.

My wife seasons it with Garam Marsala and tops it with the wonderful albacore tuna Costco sells. She really liked it and in addition to being tasty, it was easy and extremely nutritious.

As for myself, I seasoned some with cinnamon and chili powder and I topped it with some pre-cooked chicken strips we bought on sale at Costco a while ago.

I also felt my variation was dang tasty, and again, easy and healthy.

I would definitely recommend people that like quinoa trying out this product and experimenting with it.  It seems like it can take a lot of different flavors and it is not hard to prepare.

Pasta With Sundried Tomatoes, Chicken And Cheese

I have been looking at that jar of Bella Sun Lucci Sundried Tomatoes in the fridge and I thought that they would go great with some rotisserie chicken.  Making a pasta with the those two components in the sauce seemed like a great idea for a tasty, quick dinner. My wife eagerly agreed and we set to it.

I browned up some crushed red pepper and garlic in some butter to start. Then some chopped chicken and tomatoes went into the pan and they weren't cooked really, just warmed. Finally, my wife doused the mixture with a very generous portion of grated parmesan cheese.  We served it with a romaine lettuce salad with a dressing of EVOO, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.


Everything turned out great and it was a fine midweek supper. However, my wife discovered that the salad dressing added a wonderful set of flavors to the dish. I tried her idea and I agreed that the balsamic worked well with this.

We will probably do this again, but we will add some balsamic to the sauce.

This meal was definitely a success and it gave a great return on the investment of the time we put into it.