We've Got A Winner

Thanks to those who entered B + B's Girard's Dressing Giveaway. With the help of the random number generator, I diligently counted and numbered each comment, which were a good small handful. 

Our Lovely #8 is...

Woohoo!!!!! Congratulations on winning B + B's Girard's Dressing Giveaway!!! You'll be getting an email from me very soon. Hope you enjoy the delicious dressing. You'll be getting some good quality stuff. It's not just for salads, ti can also be used as a marinade. Enjoy!

Production Eats No. 48

It's been a while since I've done a production eats post. So here's #48. Worked the show Big Bang Theory the other day. Sitcoms are fun to work on. The day I was there was on they day when they tape in front of a live audience. Yes, some shows are still taped in front of real people. The process of filming is slightly different compared to those scripted dramas, which is cool. Anyway... on to the eats.

 

Pineapple slices, Grilled Chicken, Garlic Bread, Salad with some balsamic dressing

My plate looks a bit small, but it was filling. The chicken tasty. It took me a while to cut through it with the flimsy utensil I had. But I did eat it up. Added a little kick to it by putting some tapatio hot sauce. I love me a good dose of hot sauce every once in a while.

For dessert, a peanut butter cookie and a chewy brownie. I nearly forgot to take a pic of the dessert hence why the cookie looks half eaten. I get eager for dessert before the entre. Has that ever happen to you? I guess my sweet tooth always wins out in the end.


Today's your last chance to enter the little giveaway of Girard's Dressing. Head on over right now to the link below and leave a comment to be entered. Don't miss out on this, if you haven't entered already.

B + B Girard's Dressing Giveaway

Lastly, to all you marathon runners out there... any advice on training? I've started training for the LA Marathon, which I will be running in 2012. It's my first ever! I've always wanted to run it for several years now, but have always backed out, wimp out, or get lazy to do it. Now I'm taking that leap and kicking myself to do it. I've always love to run, but have been so busy these last couple of months that I have to get used to it all over again. What's your process to prepare?

Give Away...

Hey B + B fans... Just a quick little reminder. If you haven't already entered the little giveaway I'm doing right now. Click the link below and leave a comment on that post to be entered. It's that simple and easy-peasy. You've only got until Wednesday the 21st to enter, so click away!! :)

Girard's Dressing B + B Giveaway

 

A little B+B Giveaway.

Gasp!! A giveaway!!! Yes, you read it right. The awesome folks at Girard's Dressing are kind enough to set aside a lovely sampling of 4 dressings to a lucky B + B reader. Now I rarely do giveaways, so take advantage of this opportunity as who knows when I'll be doing another one. Plus, you'll be tasting some really good quality stuff. Remember dressings and vinaigrettes aren't just for salads. You can use them to marinate chicken and meats, too. Be creative with them.

Imagine a large package arriving at your door and inside are 4 bottles from their variety of dressing. The picture shown below was from the first time I had the opportunity to try their dressing late last year. Who knows which ones you'll get.

 

To enter please leave a comment below with a valid email or link to your blog. Basically any way I can get into contact with you...to whoever wins. It's that simple. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, Sept 21st. So enter for your chance to win some of Girard's Dressing. Do it....now!! Spread the word!!! Good luck!!


P.S.: If you haven't already, why not become a fan and "like" my photography page on facebook. It's in need of some fans. :) I've got several new photos that I'll be posting. There you'll get to see all new releases:  http://www.facebook.com/jenniferrazonphotography Check it out!

PizzaChipTizers

PizzaChipTizers = Pizza + Tortilla Chips + Appetizers

I couldn't resist. This is perfect for those game day snacks. Finger foods, so that you won't have to take your eyes off from the screen. It's basically a pizza in a portable handy form. Luckily as being a part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I had received a gift card courtesy of Sargento cheese. CHEEEEEESE!!!!!! I think I've mentioned I love cheese. I eat tons of it, hypothetically speaking. And it's a good thing that I've already been a loyal consumer of Sargento for quite some time now. Unless I'm on a major budget and have to go with a cheaper brand. 

I enjoy their artisan blends as they have the natural cheese taste. Now I'm not much of a cheese connoisseur, but I know good tasting when I eat it and the quality of Sargento's Artisan Blends shows it. I bought several. From the provolone sandwich slices, mozzarella, shredded parmesan (perfect for pizza and pasta). I regularly grab me a 2-pounds bag of their 4-cheese Mexican Blend when I go to the market, which is perfect for tacos.

A couple of days ago, I had a bright idea to make some kind of appetizer. I had some blue corn tortilla chips, but nothing to dip them in. Then for some reason, I had a craving for pizza. I know totally random cravings. As I mentioned above, the combination of the two I believe is a match made in heaven.

I used Sargento's Mozzarella and Provalone Artisan Blend. Pepperoni was my topping of choice. Of course you don't have to choose pepperoni. Here's a little hint to keeping the tortilla chip from getting soggy. I had pre-baked the pepperoni pieces in the oven to help crisp them up and to remove the fatty oils that are in them. That way as the cheese melts, the oils won't seep through and absorb into the chip. Neat, eh? It's been something I've done for many years when baking pizza and the extra crunch from the pepperoni is a nice touch.

Special thanks for Sargento and Foodbuzz for the gift card, so I stocked up on my cheese. :)

PizzaChipTizers

Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
1-2 (2 cup bag) Sargento Mozzarella and Provalone Artisan mix
Pepperoni


Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay pieces of pepperoni flat to cover the surface. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the pepperoni have slightly crisp.

When baked place the pepperoni pieces on a paper towel to drain out the excess oils that have cooked out of the meat.

On a clean baking sheet, lay whole pieces of tortilla chips evenly. Sprinkle generously the mozzarella and provolone cheese and place 2-3 pepperoni on top of each. Then bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Let the PizzaChipTizers cool for 5 minutes before eating.

KC Masterpiece Chicken

I'm in a chicken mood, have you noticed?

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a sample bottle of the KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade. What better way to use buffalo flavored marinade than with chicken. It doesn't get any better than that right? I cooked up these tasty beauties with the White Balsamic Grilled Chicken I had posted the other day. Ya know... get a little variety into the party. Of course, being the only one who loves hot and spicy foods in the household, I ate it up. At least, as much as my stomach can take.

I just poured the marinade over some chicken (again some tenders and boneless thighs) and let it sit for roughly 30 minutes to let the meat absorb the flavor. It's that easy. Seasoned with a little salt and pepper before marinating then later onto the grilly grill or in my case ol' Georgie. I'm sure ol'' Georgie felt useful once again.

The taste is very much like having buffalo wings without having fried chicken wing part. Dip it some blue cheese dip with a side of celery and carrots, if you'd like. I had it with some delicious salad to balance it all out. Though the weather was hot that day, I didn't mind. Got myself some tasty grub in my belly.
 

Buffalo and Chicken

1/2 lb Chicken Tenders
1/2 lb Boneless Chicken Thai
1 c KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade
salt and pepper

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a deep enough dish, place chicken pieces and pour over the KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade. Coat all sides of the raw meat and let it marinate for at least half an hour to two hours.

Prepare your grill. When your grill is ready, cook the chicken tenders both side 3-5 minutes on each side until full cooked through. For the chicken thigh, grill them for 5-7 minutes on each side until full cooked through.

Let the cooked pieces rest on a plate for 2-3 minutes to let the juices redistribute.

An Epicurean Expert with Chicken

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend for those in the US. Long weekends are fun aren't they? You live it up all the days or in my case, veg out and spend time with good company. It was a good weekend excuse to take advantage of the grill before the weather starts to become cooler. I didn't get to use ol' Georgie as much this summer. I wish I did more.  But I was not going to let this weekend deter me from it. So grill I did.

A little over a week ago I received a package. The wonderful folks over at Girard's Dressing were kind enough to send me one of their Epicurean Expert Kit.  As you may remember I've had the opportunity to try out a few of their dressings before. And I enjoyed them quite a bit. You can read about them HERE. The Epicurean Expert. Kind of sounds like I'm part of a club. :-D

In the kit:
Cotton Twill Full-Length Embroidered Apron with Pockets
Eco-Friendly Bamboo Wooden Utensil Kit
100% Cotton Tote Bag
Stainless Steel Soap
Stainless Steel Recipe Card Holder
Girard's Salad dressing Recipe Booklet.

Sample dresssings:
Light Champagne
Olde Venice Italian
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Greek Feta Vinaigrette

sporting the apron

I'm still kind of figuring out how you use the steel soap.  Didn't even know such a thing existed. I was happy to see the bamboo utensils in there because that means I don't have to use my barbecue tongs anymore to mix my salads. I'll definitely be putting to good use the recipe holder. That way I won't be ruining my recipe cards.

Since this past weekend was Labor Day in the US, it was a perfect time to crack open the dressings. I originally was going to make the recipe below earlier in the week, but my plans got thrown out of whack.  I used the White Balsamic Vinaigrette as a marinade to some chicken tenders and boneless thighs. You wouldn't necessarily think to use a vinaigrette or dressing as such, but you'd be surprised it's very useful than just coating pieces of leafy greens. It brings a nice flavor to your choice of meat without the hassle of taking a bunch of ingredients from the pantry. Just pop the bottle open, pour over and marinate.

The vinaigrette has a nice citrus hint to it and gives the chicken a lovely subtle flavor into the juices. It was delicious! Grilled to a tender and juicy consistency. I had also made a little bit of salad (romaine, avocado, orange cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper) and used the Light Champagne, which is a light version of their regular Champagne dressing. It also has a nice light flavor. It paired really well with the White Balsamic marinated chicken. Combine the two together you've got yourself a lovely chicken salad. It's definitely a method worth trying. 

Special thanks again to the folks at Girard's Salad Dressing



Disclaimer: I received these products to review for free. 

White Balsamic Grilled Chicken
1/2 lb Chicken Tenders
1/2 lb Boneless Chicken Thai
1 c Girard's White Balsamic Vinaigrette
salt and pepper

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a deep enough dish, place chicken pieces and pour over the White Balsamic Vinaigrette. Coat all sides of the raw meat and let it marinate in the dressing for at least half an hour to two hours.

Prepare your grill. When your grill is ready, cook the chicken tenders both side 3-5 minutes on each side until full cooked through. For the chicken thigh, grill them for 5-8 minutes on each side until full cooked through.

Let the cooked pieces rest on a plate for 2-3 minutes to let the juices redistribute.