Evelyn's Blog - Taste of Gourmet

It may be that everyone's on a "diet" after Christmas....but the Fabulous Four Dessert Pack is tremendously popular right now!  Of course it's on our Half-Price Customer Special list .....so it's only $16.00 when you purchase at least $40.00 of other products!  And these four are truly Fabulously Delicious!

The Fabulous Four includes:
One All-American Apple Cake that you can make with fresh or canned apples, or pumpkin, or grated carrots, or pineapple, or bananas!  All good...but my favorite way is with the fresh apples!

One box of Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball and there are two mixes in the box!  Make one to use as an "icing" for your Apple Cake and use the other just to dip with Honey Graham Crackers, or Wheat Thins!  I love the salty-sweet taste with Wheat thins. (Or just eat it with a spoon...it's just like eating New York Cheese Cake!)

One box of Mississippi Mud Cake that is so rich and dark and yummy!  I rub the top with a little confectioners sugar for that beautiful black/white contrast!  Sometimes I sprinkle chopped pecans on top of a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of Royal Fudge Sauce...but that's almost TOOOOO good!

AND One box of Southern Praline Pie....the picture is on the Home Page of www.tasteofgourmet.com if you really want to get hungry!  Add some pecans if you choose to the batter before baking, or top with a scoop of ice cream and some Caramel Pecan Sauce! 
NO WONDER....the Fabulous Four are so popular....I'm starving just writing about them! 
What shall I cook for our "after supper dessert"tonight? 
I'm making Apple Cake at The Crown again tomorrow!  The smell coming out of the kitchen.......YUM! 

Meals in the Freezer....so good!

I'll admit....I do love stocking my freezer with my good foods!  I use the ideas on our Suppers Made Simple pages all the time...and we never feel like we are eating "left-overs" .....course I call leftovers... a "Bonus Meal."   You know what's in my freezer right now?  Well a few things are.....

One more serving for two of our Creole File' Gumbo...We ate one last night with a serving of rice and a fresh spinach salad!  Yum!  I made a pot of Gumbo during Christmas when some friends came over... with chicken and sausage like I usually do...but this time I put in a few HUGE shrimp that I had cut into 3 or 4 pieces each!  Talk about good!   The six of us ate Gumbo that night, then I put two containers in the freezer with enough for Tony and I a meal...and that first one was almost toooo much!   Even for me! (I do love to eat if you haven't figured that out yet!)

Then there is one more container of New Orleans Beef!  I made that in January for Art After Hours and had "Bonus Beef"...so froze it!  I'll cook two servings of grits and pour the Beef over the grits...the gravy just soaks into the grits..sooo good!  We'll have a salad with that too and probably some fresh steamed broccoli with a dab of Garlic Herb Butter (that stays in my fridge all the time..ready to serve.)

I've got a pie pan in the freezer with the last two servings of East Indian Curry that we'll eat over rice with my Cranberry Chutney on the side!  I'll make a fresh fruit salad with Vidalia Dressing to serve it with over a little fresh spinach!  (We love fresh spinach!)

There are still three containers frozen of White Chili made with boneless chicken breasts!  I've already served White Chili two other times from that batch!  One: I piled a bowl with fresh spinach, then topped the spinach with a small serving each of pasta then topped that with my thawed, hot White Chili!  A sprinkle of Parmesan and it really was a yummy supper!   Two:  We love brown rice ...and a simple plate of rice topped with the White Chili and a cucumber salad made with Lime Cilantro and thin slices of onion on the side!  Healthy too!

Southwest Soup made with chicken breasts is on the stove now and I'll make some Bayou Beer Bread to go with that for supper tonight...then tomorrow morning, Ill put together the rest into our King Ranch Chicken!  You know layered "soup" with fresh flour tortillas and cheese.  It freezes really well and the recipe is on the back of the box...also on our Suppers made Simple pages.

It's really nice on these cold Winter days, to just go to the freezer and pull out a meal...and in the Winter...what is better than a bowl of soup?  And then a Bonus Meal ( or two or three) made to go into the freezer for later!  Eat well...Eat healthy ... Eat economically....and it's all so easy with Taste of Gourmet in your pantry!  And we have a sale running right now too....check the Home Page for the Discount code!!

Super Bowl Sunday...are you ready with food?

I heard today that Americans eat more on Super Bowl Sunday than they do on Thanksgiving!  Now that is hard to believe....but it is a great snacking sort of day!  I've got some yummy Taste of Gourmet ideas for a super bowl party or just to fix a few things to enjoy in front of your own TV!

 

There's even a 10% Discount and a Free Suddenly Salsa when you order on line! (the Discount code is YZIDX and you get the free Salsa with a $20 plus order) Your order will go out the day we receive it too!  Can't have you missing our good food! 

We're really proud of the New Orleans Saint and Peyton Manning from the Colts is a "native son" of the Mississippi Delta!  What a game to watch!  And nibble on Taste of Gourmet!  Here's my menu ya'll...... and get those orders in!

 

Creole File Gumbo…A MUST HAVE for this year’s Super Bowl to honor the New Orleans Saints!   Prepare the mix using 1 lb. diced chicken and 1 lb. diced link sausage!  Let everyone help themselves!  It’s a Winner!

New Orleans Beef makes a huge crock pot filled with savory beef and gravy…to serve over rice or grits.  It’s a Louisiana brunch dish  -  Grillades and Grits!

Black Bean Chili…for the Colts and Peyton Manning!

Prepare with 1 lb. ground beef and top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips!  Serve yourself of course!

Smoked Catfish Pate.....of course!

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts

1 pkg. Simply Spinach Dip

Drain and chop artichokes. Mix all ingredients together and bake in buttered dish at 350 for 15 minutes.  Serve warm with crackers, wheat thins or corn chips.

Suddenly Cheese Dip 5 cups 

16 oz. Sour Cream

1 Suddenly Salsa mix

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes (drained)

Stir salsa mix into sour cream.  Add cheddar and cream cheese mixing well.  Add diced tomatoes. Serve with corn chips or refrigerate until needed.

Chipotle Cheese Rollups

16 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. Chipotle Sauce

Flour tortillas

Mix first 4 ingredients. Spread on flour tortillas, roll tightly, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 week (or freeze.) Cut in pieces to serve with small dish of Tomatilla Salsa, Chipotle Sauce or Suddenly Salsa for dipping.

Ham or Turkey Rolls - Slice your favorite roll or bun in half.  Spread both sides with a mixture of cream cheese and RazzMaTazz, Cranberry Chutney or Jezebel Sauce, fill the bun, pile on a plate and watch them disappear. 

 

Sausage Balls - Make these with our Bayou Beer Bread Just add 1 lb. crumbled, drained cooked sausage to the prepared mix. Bake in mini muffin pans and reheat when needed!  Or use Tomato Basil or Roasted Onion)

Meatballs – Cook meatballs according to directions. Put in a bowl then pour half a jar of Peach Pecan Pepper Preserves or Cranberry Chutney over the hot meat balls to glaze and flavor them perfectly

Sauces to pour over cream cheese to eat with crackers!
RazzMaTazz – fruity with a kick!

Chipotle Sauce - traditional Mexican chili sauce!

Chimmi Sauce - a garlic pesto
Jezebel Sauce - a sweet, hot horseradish mustard
Cranberry Chutney - sweet and tart
Peach Pecan Pepper Preserves – So good…not too hot!  And the all time favorite!

Delicious Dips for a vegetable tray: 

   1. Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette
   2. Garlic Herb Dip
   3. Deliciously Dill Dip

   4. Simply Spinach Dip
   5. BLT Dip

All-American Apple Cake - Bake in 9x13 inch pan to cut in squares (for an extra scrumptious treat, top with Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball before cutting.)  This cake freezes well or held at room temp for several days.

Mississippi Mud Bites – Prepare according to directions, but bake in an 8.5x11 or slightly larger pan instead of the round pan. Cool then rub top of Mud Bites with a little Confectioners sugar. Cut into about 50 or 60 bites. Freezes well and will hold at room temp for several days.

Sweet Potato Muffins – Make large or mini size – Perfect first thing in the morning or with barbeque and potato salad, or just so good, they can just be dessert!

Open a jar of Taste of Gourmet’s Pickled Black-eyed Peas, pour into a bowl and spoon up this scrumptious “chow-chow” into scoops or corn chips!  Healthy too!

Happy New Year...

What a way to bring in the first week of 2010....with an arctic blast EVEN in Mississippi!  We just aren't used to 8 degree weather and frozen pipes and ice on the mud puddles!  That fireplace in the living room is going full blast right now!

And the very best part of cold weather is putting on a pot of soup...the aroma drifting all through the house....and sitting down to a hot steaming bowl of wonderful soup.....that took 3 minutes to get going on the stove!  Our soups make cooking and eating well...sooooo simple! 

Southwest Soup was cooking today here in the Plant....with a loaf of Bayou Beer Bread and everybody loved it. And as usual....the Creole File Gumbo was the most popular soup at The Crown!  People do know how to keep warm....hot soup will do it every time!   Do you have boxes of Taste of Gourmet soups in YOUR pantry right now?   Order some today and keep warm ALL winter long!  Our Soup Collection can even be Half-Price!

At www.tasteofgourmet.com  Our Customer Special is this:
When you place an order for $40.00 or more, you can choose ONE of Three Combo Packs for Half-Price!

Soup Collection: $27.50  ($54.95)
Black Bean Chili, Southwest Soup, Potato Soup, Corn Chowder, Gumbo and Creamy Delta Bisque
Bread Collection: $14.50 ($28.95)
Bayou Beer Bread, Tomato Basil Beer Bread, Roasted Onion Garlic Quick Bread - 2 mixes in each box!
Fabulous Four Desserts $16.00  ($32.00)
All-American Apple Cake, Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball, Praline Pie, Missississippi Mud Cake

It's Black Bean Chili at our house tonight!  I NEVER get tired of eating our soups! 

Gift Lists are coming into the office....

Have you made your Christmas Gift List yet?  Lots of our customers have....and they are already in the system ready to ship in December!   Actually a few have chosen to send Happy Thanksgiving Gifts....Taste of Gourmet ships food so why not get your gift delivered in time to be enjoyed for Thanksgiving too!

You can choose from one of our Collections or put together your own choice of goodies.... we'll pack them together in a box with tissue paper and colored shred!  We even hand write a card tucked into the gift itself....no more hunting for the "giver" on the shipping label!  Taste of Gourmet does things with a personal touch and superior flavor! 

You can email us your gift list to evelyntog@yahoo.com, fax it to us at 1-662-887-5547 or just call us at 800-833-7731 and we'll take your order over the phone!   If you want to include your own cards to be placed inside the gift...you can mail them to us and we'll make sure they are included!  We are in business to make YOUR gift giving easier...and more delicious!   Of course, you can go on-line at www.tasteofgourmet.com and place your own order too!  Or call your local Consultant and she'll take care of everything for you!  

See.....we are in the business of helping you enjoy the Christmas Season!

We are a tradition...

At least our Smoked Catfish Pate is!  This morning a long time customer called to order Pate for her Caroling Party in December!  She said she's been serving our Pate for years and people look forward to it when they come to her house!   I just loved hearing that!

Miss Irene also said she always tells people "what it is and where to get it" too!  She said "give credit where credit is due."  And I appreciate that...but I'm really bad about telling my customers who buy my mixes at The Crown....."now you are making it yourself so you can take full credit for it!"

That's why we call our products "speed scratch!"  We've done the measuring and the recipe for you...you just an a couple of ingredients and it is your own creation!  I love being a "tradition!"  The orders are piling in for Christmas presents and for their own enjoyment during the Holidays!  Go on line and order or give us a call at 800-833-7731...Make Taste of Gourmet foods a tradition in your family! 

I want to send you a Gift....

I know that some of you are my customers already and you've seen this email...but I would love for all of you to get a free box of my Deliciously Dill Dip to enjoy on your turkey sandwiches Thanksgiving night! 

A turkey sandwich and some more cornbread dressing (I even like it stone cold!) is just my favorite "snack" on Thanksgiving!  And now that I have Dill Dip to spread on....that sandwich is even better!

So do order before Friday the 20th and your order can arrive before Turkey Day AND you'll get your Dill Dip!   And let me know if you are ordering because you saw it here on my blog...AND thanks for reading my chatter....I do love to "talk!"

Thanksgiving is just 12 days away!
And we want you to know how very thankful we are for YOU.. our treasured customers!
Orders you place during the next week will be 10% off using the Discount Code...
PLUS
Your package will also contain a FREE box of Dill Dip from all of us at Taste of Gourmet! 
"Spread Dill Dip on your turkey sandwiches and you'll just LOVE those leftovers!"

Discount Code is RIOJH 
Code is Valid through Friday - November 20th

Happy Thanksgiving and Thank You from all of us at Taste of Gourmet

Who needs tartar sauce.....

Who needs Tartar Sauce when there is Deliciously Dill Dip?  We've been in Maine with our son Kevin's family eating Haddock a lot!  Grilled and in sandwiches...and loving the fish (even though Catfish is my FAVORITE fish of course!) 

But I was so hungry for our Dill Dip to smear on my sandwiches and dip the scallops in.....I almost had Jennifer fed ex some mixes to me in Saco so I could put a tub in my purse when we went out!  That Dill Dip made with mayonnaise and sour cream is just GOOD!  It's the top selling Dip at The Crown too....Tasting is believing!

It's the Pickled Black-eyed Peas.....

That's the WINNING new product so far!  Lots of orders for our new "Southern Tradition"....our new chow-chow, our new old-fashioned picalilli, our new yummy Pickled Black-eyed Peas!  

I've been watching WHO is buying them In The Crown....just out of curiosity!  I've seen older ladies here for a reunion, taking the Peas back to Texas!  A man from Indianola, just buying them to enjoy with his supper.  A young couple planning to serve them at a tail-gating party this weekend.  It's one of those things that is NOT going to sit on the shelf waiting for a special ocassion!   Our Peas are going to get open and eaten!  I love that!  Have you ordered yours yet?

 

Check out the website for a list of all the New Products.....and come into The Crown for a Taste of our new favorite....Pickled Black-eyed Peas!

 

I hope you are all coming to Indianola on Saturday for the Open Air Market's Art at B.B.'s Art show at the B.B. King Museum!    It's Indianola's celebration of the First Anniversary of the opening of the Museum....live music ALL DAY long at The Museum and an Art Show you'll really enjoy!! 

New Products ready to ship......

I'm so excited about our new foods.....Especially the jars of Pickled Black-eyed Peas!  I played in the kitchen with the idea for months it seemed...trying this brine and that "pickling flavor"....and I'm so excited with the final version of the Pickled Peas! 

We've sampled and sold them in The Crown for several weeks now and they are really popular!  I've been serving them as a "dip" with corn chip scoops!  I put a spoon in the bowl and guests fill up their scoop..pop it in their mouths and smile!  The flavor is really fine!  Fresh vegetables are "cooked" with the peas, onion, green pepper and a touch of celery!  You'll find my Peas in the Sauces section of the website!  A 12 oz. jar is $8.95 and is some good eating!  Perfect for tailgating parties too! 

Now the Tomatillo Salsa is fabulous too!  Green chilis and tomatillos with fresh onions and peppers...ready to open and start eating.  It's a 12 oz jar for $8.95 and will make you smile without catching you on fire!  Try it spooned over a simple omelet or as a sauce on hamburgers, melt some cheese and Tomatillo Salsa together for a scrumptious cheese dip!  And of course with tortilla chips!

There's Brunch Bread too...especially nice for a lazy morning or when you have to bring snacks for coffee break at the office or have company coming for breakfast!   Takes 3 minutes to put together and 25 minutes to bake!  Hot out of your own oven...that smell of cinnamon roll...you've just got to try it!

Here's the List of new Products....on the internet and ready to order!  Or just call your local Consultant to arrange a Tasting party for you and your friends!  That's the joy of Taste of Gourmet...Tasting before you buy and learning just how to prepare and serve your new goodies! 
Sassy Seasoning Salt - $5.95
Tea Room Scones - $7.95
Cashew Caramel Scones - $7.95
Fudge Triples Cookie Mix - $7.95
Tomatillo Salsa - $8.95
Pickled Black-eyed Peas - $8.95
Brunch Bread - $7.95
Fabulous Four Delicious Desserts - $32.00
    including: All-American Apple Cake,  Toffee Crunch Cheese Cake Ball,
    Southern Praline Pie and Mississippi Mud Cake!