Celebrity Chef Richard Blais is up against Master Chef Thomas Griffiths in this years Campbell’s AdDress Your Heart Cooking Challenge and for every vote from now until March 1, 2012 Campbell’s is donating a dollar to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Movement.

I am partial to Chef Richard Blias’ Spicy BouilliaBlais and wanted to share the recipe with you.  I haven’t tried making it yet, but I do have almost all the tools, Campbell’s ingredients, and spices to do so thanks to Campbell’s and if you enter the giveaway you could have them too!

Chef Richard Blais’ Spicy BouilliaBlais

Prep: 55 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

2 lemons, medium
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup fennel, diced
20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
4 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed
4 cups Low Sodium Spicy Hot V8®
4 cups Low Sodium V8®
8 clams
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 fresh halibut fillets (about 12 ounces total)
4 fresh scallops
4 fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Healthy Request® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 slice Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat Bread, toasted and cut in quarters

1. Grate and zest lemon and squeeze the juice from the lemons into separate containers, set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over low heat. Add carrot, celery, fennel, 12 cloves garlic, sliced, onion, fennel seed, oregano and thyme and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, stirring occasionally.
3. Add vegetable juices and clams to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium and cook until clams open. Remove clams from skillet, cover and keep warm. Cook the remaining vegetable juice mixture until reduced by one-third. Stir in basil and half the lemon zest.
4. Season fish, scallops and shrimp with the black pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in separate 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, shrimp and scallops and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley.
5. Visit Campbell’s Kitchen for the rest of the recipe.

 
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As part of my VELVEETA® and Ro*Tel®  I am featuring one of their recipes today because it one of my families favorite and it is super quick and easy to make. Being a parent means we are pretty busy and meal time can sometimes be taxing when coupled with dishes, homework, laundry, and other daily rituals.  

One way our family makes our Weeknight WOW! is by each sharing in part of the dinnertime process. One of us makes the drinks, one sets the table, one clears the table, one of us cooks, and one of us does the dishes.  We even come up with our menu together and create meals that we all enjoy. Sometimes we do themed meals – such as Asian (using our best noodle bowls, chopsticks, etc.) and Mexican (using our colorful salsa bowls, etc.).

How do you make meal time more fun?

BEEF ENCHILADA BAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1-1/4 c. cubed VELVEETA® (1/2-inch cubes), divided
• 6 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut in half
• 1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL® Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

DIRECTIONS

Heat ove to 350 degrees F.  Brown meat in skillet and drain.  Stir in soup and 1 cup VELVEETA® . Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture into 8-inch square baking dish, cover with 6 tortilla halves and 1/4 cup RO*TEL®. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat mixture, RO*TEL® and VELVEETA®, cover.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated through.

VELVEETA® and RO*TEL® are hosting an amazing sweepstakes to encourage simple, easy weeknight family meals and entertainment ideas. Winners will be picked each week, and the more points you collect the more chances you have of winning! Grand prize winner will receive $15,000! If you haven’t entered you really need to check it out – it is pretty easy and delicious all at the same time. If nothing else you will find a ton of new recipes to share with your family.

$1,000 is given away each week and one person will win $15,000!

Follow the hashtag #VelveetaRotel on Twitter

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of VELVEETA/RO*TEL. The opinions and text are all mine.

Vote for my Creative Crescent Recipe and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 grocery gift card!

Find more quick and easy Pillsbury recipes at www.CreativeCrescents.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

As promised in my post earlier this week about #CostcoPork savings in celebration of National Pork Month, here is my recipe for my famous Garlic Infused Herb Crusted Pork Loin.

Garlic Infused Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 2½ pound boneless Pork Loin (currently save $2.50 at Costco in celebration of National Pork Month)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 t. rosemary
• 1.5 t. oregano
• 1.5 t. garlic salt
• 1.5 t. black pepper
• 1.5 t. onion powder
• 1.5 t. sage
• 1.5 t. thyme
• 1.5 t. parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine rosemary leaves, garlic salt, onion powder, sage, thyme, parsley, oregano and pepper muddle together. Slice holes into the roast on all sides, top, and bottom and plug with coarsely chopped garlic cloves.  Spread olive oil on all sides of roast.  Place roast, fat side up, in shallow roasting pan large enough to hold roast with three inches room around all sides. Roast 15 minutes.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees F. and continue roasting  until internal temperature of roast reaches 145 degrees F..

Remove roast from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Slice roast and arrange on platter.

To learn more about this recipe and contest, please read my Celebrate National Pork Month post from earlier this week.  I would love your support and a tweet out of my recipe.

Although I wasn’t raised in The South I’ve been living here for over 10 years and there is one thing I enjoy just as much as any other naturally born Southerner and that’s FRIED CHICKEN!  Fried chicken is as Southern as barbecue – so what could possibly be more Southern than barbecue fried chicken?  Nothing!  When you try the Tangy Carolina BBQ Southern Fried Chicken it will be like coming home.  Made from Lay’s Regional Flavors chips, here is my submission into the Tastes from Home with Frito-Lay! regionally inspired recipe contest.  This invitation-only recipe contest is their way of celebrating cuisines from all over the country whether the recipe features Tangy Carolina BBQ, Cajun Herb & Spice, or Creamy Garden Ranch flavored potato chips these are gonna be delicious.

• All of the Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips are made with all natural ingredients, and are cooked in healthier oils so they contain 0 grams of trans fats per serving!
• There’s also less sodium in them than you might think – a 1-oz serving of our Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips contains less salt than a plain bagel!

Lays has a new line of potato chips that were inspired by popular American regional cuisine and include:

Northeastern U.S. – Lay’s Honey Mustard
Midwestern U.S. – Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch
Northwestern U.S. – Lay’s Balsamic Sweet Onion
Southwestern U.S. – Lay’s Chipotle Ranch
Southeastern U.S. – Lay’s Cajun Herb & Spice

Tangy Carolina BBQ Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 6 cups Frito Lay’s Tangy Carolina BBQ Chips
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 1 whole Cut-up Chicken (bone in or out)
• 1.5 T. Seasoned Salt
• 1.5 T. Cayenne Pepper
• 1.5 T. Ground Chipolte Chile
• Oil to fry in

Add flour to mixing bowl.

Add Lay’s Tangy Carolina BBQ chips and crush.

Add Cayenne Pepper.

Add Seasoned Salt.

Add Ground Chipotle Chile.

Chicken should have been soaking in buttermilk overnight.

Coat chicken in crumbs covering well and place on wax paper.

Fry in oil at 375 degrees until juices run clear and chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Be sure to check temperature to ensure doneness.

ENJOY!

Disclosure:  This recipe submission is part of a contest sponsored by Frito-Lay!  This post is sponsored by Frito-Lay and prize is being supplied by sponsor.  Opinions and recipe are my own.

*Required utensils include but are not limited to mixing bowl, metal scoop or tongs, deep fryer or pan to deep fry in.  Cooking time varies depends on what chicken you use.  Serves 4.

This month Lawry’s picked bloggers from around the country to compete in a recipe contest focused around a “spicy” summer.  Each group of bloggers got different themes and were tasked with creating 3 recipes using different Lawry products.  The Atlanta team consisted of a group of the most talented bloggers Georgia has to offer: Diane from Turning The Clock Back, Pierra from Jolly Mom, Renee from Cutie Booty Cakes, Dawn from My Home Sweet Home, Meghan from JaMonkey, and little ‘ole me.  These are our recipes…

White Chicken Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 large bunch fresh spinach
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 recipe homemade pizza dough

Directions:

1. Marinade chicken in Lawry’s Seasoned Salt Marinade (overnight is best, but a few fours will work).
2. Cook chicken on grill pan until done and then shred.
3. Roll out pizza dough very thin and brush the top with olive oil and add minced garlic. Add fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and chicken. Don’t overload your pizza with toppings–it’s best to keep it light.
4. Cook your pizza on a pizza stone or quarry tiles (http://www.jollymom.com/2010/09/make-pizzas-like-pros-how-to-make.html) in an oven that’s been preheated to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Recipe makes 2-3 pizzas, depending on how thin you roll out your pizza.

Balsamic Herb Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade
• Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions

Combine the tomatoes, scallions and marinade in a large salad bowl and toss to coat. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour

Garlic Coating

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Parmigiano Reggiano

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine water, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, and active dry yeast in a large bowl. Mix to dissolve yeast.
2. Add flour and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lint free towel and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for a few days if you want to make it ahead of time or go ahead and begin making the knots.
3. Divide the dough in two balls to make it easier to handle. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 5″x16″ and 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 1/2″x5″ strips.
4. With floured hands, roll each strip back and forth to create a rope. Tie into a knot–over, under, and through– and place on sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
5. Make the rest of the knots, cover pans loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise before baking. You want the knots to double in size (approx.)
6. Preheat oven to 500° F. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
7. While knots are baking, make garlic coating. Gently warm olive oil, butter, and garlic in a small saucepan. Add chopped parsley and set aside.
8. Remove knots from oven, place in a large bowl and toss with garlic coating OR brush the coating on. Season with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Lawry’s through The Motherhood.  Opinions are my own.  Recipes created by the Lawyr’s Atlanta team.  Photographs courtesy of Dawn Camp.  Contest ends 8/26 to US residents only.

I’m proud to announce that I am an Extended Family Blogger as part of the Hormel Family.  It is a great program where we get to try tons of Hormel products, learn great tips and tricks from Hormel’s Test Kitchen, and share recipes and giveaways with our readers.  Over the next six months I will post all kinds of information for you and together we will learn a lot about the brand.  At the end of the program one of the 15 participating bloggers will have a chance to win $5,000.  Not bad, eh?

Over the 4th of July weekend we are planning a great time grilling out.  We are making the most delicious hot dogs – ever!  We have a bunch of Hormel products (many of which I didn’t even know they made) and will be using a couple for our hot dogs.  Have you ever had a hot dog wrapped in Hormel Black Label Bacon and covered in Hormel Chili?  If not you have no idea what you are missing!  These are the talk of any party and the quickest way to winning endless admiration from all the men.

With it being the 4th of July Hormel had some great tips about making care packages for our troops serving overseas.  Have the kids make hand-made cards and send them some Hormel Pepperoni Stix, Hormel Snac*Cups, or some delicious Turkey Pepperoni (my favorite).   Whatever you choose to put in your basket I’m sure they will love it.

Here is a grilling alternative from Hormel’s recipes (be sure to check out their site for more delicious recipes):

Applewood Bacon Spinach Salad

 Add some flavor to your salad with fresh fruit and Hormel® Black Label® bacon.

Gluten Free:      Yes

Serving Size:     6

Total Time:        Under 30 Minutes

Preparation Time:         Under 30 Minutes

Preparation Method:   Stove-Top

Meal Occasion:               Lunch

Level of Difficulty:        Beginner

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Hormel and I received various products from them, but my opinions are my own. 

Chicken Primavera Recipe

This is a quick, easy, and heart healthy recipe for Chicken Primavera that I make a lot.  It’s very flavorful and I am sure it will become a favorite in your home too.

Ingredients

2 cans Hunt’s Diced (100% Natural) Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 small can of sliced black olives

1 bundle of fresh asparagus

Rotini

Fresh Basil (optional)

Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Slice chicken breast about 1/4″ thick strips and saute in olive oil turning when browned.

Chop asparagus into strips about 1″ long and add to pan along with two cans of the HUNTS tomatoes.

Finally, add black olives and let cook, uncovered 10 minutes.  If using fresh basil, add during last 5 minutes of cook time.

Serve over Rotini pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe is dedicated to my mom.  She will be 70 years old this year and is a breast cancer survivor.  If you have ever met her you would NEVER guess that she is nearly 70 years old.  She doesn’t act a day over 40.  She works FT, travels (as much as she can), she walks daily, and she eats healthy food.  She is every bit of amazing.  She knows about the benefits of tomatoes and always taught me the importance of including them in my diet.

Here are some things you may or may not know:

• An article published in the March/April 2011 American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine titled “Tomato Consumption and Health: Emerging Benefits,” demonstrates the significant nutritional advantages of increasing tomato consumption. Emerging research underscores the relationship between consuming tomatoes and tomato products with reduced risk of certain cancers, heart disease, ultraviolet light-induced skin damage, osteoporosis, and other conditions.
• Did you know tomatoes are good for your heart? (It’s easy to remember because they’re red.) They are low in calories, but rich in nutrients like potassium, fiber and the POWERFUL antioxidant called lycopene.
• The lycopene in canned tomatoes, like Hunt’s, is easier for your body to use than from raw tomatoes, and you get seven times more lycopene from canned tomatoes than from the raw version. Hunt’s tomatoes are convenient to use in lots of recipes.
• In fact, because tomatoes are so nutritious, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans say people should try to eat one more serving of them each day.
• All of Hunt’s tomatoes are grown in California and are 100 percent natural.
• Hunt’s tomatoes come in lots of varieties, including No Salt Added.
• Tomatoes are a superfood!

Disclosure: This post is part of TheMotherhood.com’s campaign in conjunction with Hunts.  I was compensated to develop this recipe and dedicate to someone special in my life.

Who would you dedicate your #HuntsHealth recipe to?