Cooking Tip: Saucy Solutions for Tomatoes

How to use tomatoes from the garden you ask and not waste your precious bounty?  This is an easy cooking tip...Make sauce!  I am so happy...my garden is incredible this year.  I have a plethora of tomatoes, with more coming every day. Aside from setting up a produce stand (not a bad idea...my daughter would love that), and giving to neighbors, I am freezing for a later date...to make tomato sauce.  

My mother used to can vegetables when I was younger.  Some swear by this practice, but I have yet to tackle this lost art (I promise I will...that would be a nice family activity...I could just see my pre-teen and teens canning with me in canning bliss...ha!).  

To freeze the tomatoes, simply wash and dry the tomatoes (the riper the better) and place in a resealable plastic bag and place in the freezer for a later date (for when your family wants to help you can).  When you are ready to use your wonderful summer tomatoes, pull them out of the freezer, run them under warm water to easily remove the skins, and starts "saucing" :)

My Top 10 Favorite Uses For Our Gourmet Mustards

Mustard...it's not just for hotdogs anymore.  This past Saturday, August 1, 2015, was National Mustard Day, and The Mustard Museum, in Wisconsin held it's 25th Anniversary Celebration to honor National Mustard Day.  Thousands of mustards were featured in this museum and included were our gourmet mustards! The museum even has it's own university (Poupon U...I couldn't stop giggling...love it!!)

Since 1978, our award-winning mustards have been spicing up kitchens around the world.  Our signature mustard and most popular is our Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, but we also have two newer mustards, our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard and our Cherchies® Cranberry Mustard.  

Here's why we love our gourmet mustards and of course, why we love you:) "Cherchies Champagne Mustard is a "must have condiment" if you are a cook, (serious or not), as it goes with just about everything, The champagne of Champagne Mustards.Toni C."

I thought you'd like my 10 favorite recipes using our mustards (although it was difficult to pick favorites since I like them all).  I hope you like them too!  We would love to hear your favorite uses of our mustards.

• Blackberry Champagne Salmon Recipe
• Blackberry Poppyseed Vinaigrette Recipe
• Strawberry Hot Pepper Kabobs Recipe
• Breakfast Sausage and Eggs Recipe
• Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
• Rose's Roasted Champagne Beets Recipe
• Champagne Steak Recipe
• Champagne and Apple Endive Recipe
• Buttery Soft Philly Pretzels (that's a given, being from Philly;)
• Sweet and Sour Spread Recipe

Eggs 'N Chile Casserole Recipe

Eggs, cheese, and sausage...Hello beautiful!  This is a lovely dish that can be made ahead and paired with our Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe,  you will have a meal for brunch, lunch, or even dinner (Breakfast for dinner- I did that a lot when the kids were little and my dear hubby was out of town.  Yum!).  

Ingredients

• 4 English muffins, split
• 4 teaspoons (tsp.) butter, softened
• 1 lb.  bulk pork sausage
• 4 oz. can diced green chiles, drained
• 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons (tsp.) Cherchies® Lem'n Pepper Spicy Blend Seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups low fat sour cream
• 12 eggs, beaten

Preparation

Spread each side of an English muffin with 1 tsp. butter and place buttered side down in a lightly greased baking dish (13x9x2 inch baking dish).  

Cook sausage until browned.  Drain.  Layer half of the sausage, chilies, cheese, and Lem'n Pepper over English muffins.  

Combine sour cream and eggs; pour over casserole.  

Top with remaining sausage, chilies, cheese, and Lem 'n Pepper.   Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, uncovered at 350 degrees.  Ole!

Cooking Tip: How to Cook with Kale

Cooking Tip! How to Cook with Kale

Kale, the new mega vitamin-rich superfood.  It's the talk of the town.  I've used Kale in my smoothies for years, but I always purchased it from local Farmer's Markets.  We moved into our new home around Thanksgiving of last year.  In the spring, we perused our property and found an array of lovely perennials and a kale plant that was growing from last year's garden...crazy!  I did not realize that Kale was a perennial plant, but apparently, according to my sources, this was an anomaly.  That being said,  with my plethora of Kale in my garden, I decided to find other uses for this nutritional powerhouse beyond the traditional smoothie, that I could sneak into my kid's meals (I love being sneaky).

Here are some uses for Kale:

• Soups-  Rinse and finely chop the Kale, removing and discarding the stems.  Add Kale to soups during the last few minutes of cooking.  
• Egg dishes-  Add chopped Kale to your favorite Quiche or Frittata.
• Salads- Either use solely in a salad, or mix with other greens
• Chips-  The newest diet snack craze.  Simply rinse and dry kale, coat with olive oil, and season with your favorite seasonings.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, and you have a delightful healthy snack.
• Coleslaw- Combine Kale with Cabbage and Carrots, and toss with your favorite Cole Slaw dressing.
• Pasta dishes-  Use Kale in place of spinach (or along with) in your favorite lasagna, casserole, or pasta dish.
• Sauteed- Combine Kale with Garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar, and cook for about five minutes or until just soft, not mushy.