When deciding what’s for dinner in our home it is usually a family affair.  However, there are certain foods my husband and I grew up with that have become staples in our families menu. Queso Dip made with VELVEETA® and Ro*Tel® is  one of those foods.  

Whenever we want to get our kids to eat certain foods such as broccoli or potatoes we always have VELVEETA® and Ro*Tel® on hand.  There is nothing better than smothering a baked potato in cheesy goodness.  

Next time you serve potatoes try these:

Queso Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium baking potatoes (8 oz each)
• 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
• 1 pkg (16 oz each) VELVETTA® Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. Pierce each potato in several places with fork or sharp knife. Microwave on HIGH 18 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, combine undrained tomatoes and cheese in 1-1/2-quart sauce pan. Heat on medium until cheese is completely melted, stirring after 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir mixture until well blended.
3. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Spoon half of sauce over potatoes. Reserve remaining sauce to use as a dip.

How do you involve your family in deciding what’s for dinner?

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! 

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

It’s true, I was reading the catch phrase for Barilla’s  Piccolini Rich in Fiber – White: “Mini Pasta. Big on Fiber.” and realized it had 3x more fiber than regular pasta so I decided to see if James would notice a difference.  First off, if you cook with your kids you know they like things that are different and the Piccolini Mini Rotini Rich in Fiber – White is different because it is smaller, like James.  We decided to make Piccolini Rich in Fiber Rotini with Carrots and Peas, a recipe straight from their website.  Preparing to cook with smaller kids is always a challenge.  It never fails that James’ wants to do all the things I rather him not do – such as stir hot boiling pasta on a stove.  Luckily I was able to talk him out of that by offering him a more prestigious task such as rinsing the pasta and stirring in the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box Barilla Piccolini Mini Rotini Rich in Fiber – White
• 4 T. Olive Oil
• 2 medium carrots thinly sliced
• 2 medium leeks
• 1 c. peas (we used fresh peas from the garden)
• 4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & Pepper to taste.
• 1/2 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese*

Piccolini Rich in Fiber – White
·        Contains 3x more fiber than regular pasta
·        Provides 30% of daily whole grains (per 100g serving)
·        Looks and tastes like regular pasta

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Barilla, but our opinions are our own.

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. 

How to Cook Corn on the Cob on the Grill

Although I love corn boiled in water, milk, brown sugar, and butter it isn’t the healthiest of options.  Therefore in the summer I resort to cooking corn on the grill.  Not only is it unbelievably simple, but it is much healthier for you too.  When summer hits and we are grilling our Chicken in a Can we don’t want to run back and forth from the kitchen checking on boiling water. This recipe or “how to” will give you everything you need right outside and it’s a snap to bring it from grill to patio table.

Supplies Needed:

• Corn on the Cob
• Butter or margarine for serving

Also have a knife, cutting board and barbecue tongs on hand.

Step 1: Remove Excess Silk Husk

If you’ve ever cooked corn on the grill or over a fire, you probably found it burned a lot. Of course, this burning is only on the outside and generally doesn’t affect the corn. But to reduce burning and mess, removing the husk and cutting of the silk can go a long way.

Step 2: Soak Corn

To add moisture during cooking, soak the corn in water. To keep it submersed, you may want to place a heavy dish on top. Soak for about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Heat the Barbecue

Preheat the barbecue to about 350-400 degrees F.

Step 4: Dry the Corn

To get the corn ready to place on the grill, pat dry to remove any excess water.

Step 5: Grill

Place the corn on the grill, away from direct flame.

Rotate the corn every 5-10 minutes and grill for about 30 minutes.

Step 6: Get Ready to Serve

If you’ve kept your heat steady and didn’t place the corn over direct flame, your corn won’t be blackened as you may have seen it in the past. Remove the corn with tongs and let stand for a few moments. The husks are very hot!

When you’re ready, remove the husks, add butter and salt…and enjoy!

Be very careful – this is HOT!

What is your favorite vegetable to grill?

Every year about this time we have so many leftovers from the holidays that it is almost wasteful not to try to figure out something to do with them all.  The Leftovers Guide for Dummies is a brilliant idea I am participating in on behalf of Collective Bias.  Each blogger is tasked to come up with a recipe using leftovers from previous meals for the guide to leftovers.  I chose Potato Pancakes fried in Wesson oil I bought at a recent trip to WalMart.

Recipe: Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

• Leftover Mashed Potatoes
• Egg
• Flour
• Wesson Oil
• Pepper
• Onion

In medium bowl combine 2 cups mashed potatoes, egg, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 of a small onion chopped, and black pepper.  Heat skillet with 2 T of Wesson oil.  Make small patties with potato and fry until golden brown.

These are great for breakfast or as a side to any meal.  I sometimes add garlic and Parmesan cheese.  I always use Wesson oil by ConAgra though because it has 0 Trans Fats and it is 100% natural.  You can taste the difference.  Try it some time.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Collective Bias for my shop and recipe, but opinions are solely my own.