Tasteful Living

Exclusiv Vodka contest kicks off Super Bowl party plans for Giants’ fans

Super Bowl Sunday is rapidly approaching and Giants’ fans are planning festive parties for giant gatherings to snack and cheer their team on to a big win. And, having a little libation during the game always takes the edge off the intensity of competition.

In celebrating this momentous event, Exclusiv Vodka is holding The Big Game Cocktail Contest in search of the most fun and festive football-inspired cocktail. Contestants (who must be 21 or over) are asked to create a cocktail using their wildest imagination – perhaps a blue Giant-tini cocktail or Giants blue Jello Shots. Here are a few recipe ideas to stir up from the National Cocktails Examiner.

The winner of the contest will receive a prize package featuring Exclusiv Vodka's Rosé Moscato wine, every flavor of vodka - raspberry, orange and the original - and hip fleece jackets! The winner can use the prize package’s contents for his/her Super Bowl party.

Participants can enter by clicking "like" on Exclusiv Vodka's Facebook page and then post their recipe (with or without photo) on the page, along with a comment about Exclusiv Vodka's taste and/or comparison to other vodkas. The deadline for entering is February 7, 2012.  Contestants must be 21 or over and must develop a cocktail using Exclusiv Vodka that celebrates their favorite football team – the Giants, of course.  The most creative and fun cocktail will be chosen the next day and the winner will be contacted through Facebook about receiving the prize pack featuring every flavor of Exclusiv Vodka's vodka, Exclusiv Vodka's Rosé Moscato wine, and the fleece jackets. All of the contest entrants must have a valid address in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina.

This month, The Beverage Tasting Institute rated Exclusiv Vodka from Moldova “excellent” awarding the distinct Vodka a 91-point rating in the International Review of Spirits on Tastings.com, the website of The Beverage Tasting Institute. 

For information about where to purchase Exclusiv Vodka in your area, jump here.

For the latest food and restaurant news and seasonal recipes, visit me at Shore Region Restaurant Examiner and Shore Region Food Examiner.

 

Super Bowl XLV is a food fest for fans

 

 

            Pizza ~ perfect party food for Super Bowl XLV festivities ~ Chicken Pesto Pizza (with lots of Wisconsin sharp Cheddar Cheese)

Super Bowl Food Fight Staged by NASFT’s foodspring.com
Specialty Food Scores for Big Game

Super Bowl Sunday is a national snack fest and specialty food makers are big players this year with new twists on snack chips, salsas and dips.

As the Green Bay Packers prepare to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in Dallas, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade’s (NASFT) foodspring.com, the website for specialty food enthusiasts, ups the ante by delving into each team’s food credibility and declares a winner of its first annual foodspring Super Bowl Food-Off. The idea is to help fans enjoy the game even more by learning the food history of each team.

To declare a winner, foodspring editors weighed the culinary history of each team and its city, and factored in the food marketing might of key players. So who do you think clinched the title? Clink on the Packers vs. Steelers link below.

Fun facts in the Food-Off:

• The Packers were named for a meatpacking company after one of its employees, Earl “Curly” Lambeau co-founded the team.
• Pennsylvaniahas a $5.1 billion snack food industry.
• Green Bay’s microbrews include Pizza Beer.
• Locavore appeal: Pittsburgh has 12 farmers markets versus Green Bay’s five.

Discover the winner here: Packers vs. Steelers
News about this event was released by NASFT

Other super Super Bowl foods:

Beer & Bratwurst are a Lambeau Field staple

 

 

 

 

 

Beer-battered Chicken Fingers are finger-licking good during the game

 

 

 

  Photo courtesy of Tyson Foods

 

 

 Beer-battered Chicken Fingers (Approximate prep and cooking time - 30 min.)

2 cups of flour sifted
1 cup cornstarch sifted with the flour
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
4 oz. French Dijon mustard
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, ground
One bottle of good ale or beer
2 cups finely crumbled potato or tortilla chips
8 pieces chicken tenders, or two boned chicken breasts, cut into strips
Vegetable and peanut oils blended, deep enough in frying pan to barely cover chicken

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cayenne pepper and cornstarch, then add the beer, making certain to maintain the consistency of a paste while incorporating the liquid. Blend in the mustard. Dredge each chicken tender in the batter until completely coated, then roll in the pretzel crumbs until covered. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan and deep-fry the tenders until golden brown. Drain and serve immediately with your favorite salsa or dipping sauce as an appetizer.

Enjoy this article? Visit me at Shore Region Food Examiner,  Shore Region Restaurant Examiner  and Shore Region Interior Design Examiner.

 

 

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Spring has finally sprung!

We've gone from wellies and slickers to flip flops and shorts in just a matter of a few days.  Hopefully the cold is behind us now, as I have started to plant my deck garden ~ lots of beautiful pansies and almost 50 hot salmon pink impatiens (ShopRite had a sale on a flat for $4.99).  Couldn't resist the bargain except usually a flat is only about 24 plants.  This was double that and I was running out of pots.  Also planted one pot of basil ~ still fearful of frost until the bewitching day, May 15, when supposedly it is safe to leave plants outside.

Want to buy the book Gardening Anywhere ~ it is reviewed as one of the best books for gardening in small places.  ("Garden Anywhere shows how anyone can create an oasis in the smallest of spaces. We're not talking just a simple pot of marigolds, here. Garden Anywhere outlines everything an aspiring gardener needs to know to sow a bounteous, thriving garden.") by Alys Fowler  She is a presenter on the BBC tv show Garden's World and has a wonderful gardening blog.

It's really a chilly spring night ~ too dusky and cold to take pics on the deck.  Will have up tomorrow.  Time for a nice sip of Chardonnay!

Here's the early beginnings of my deck garden...............Salud!

 

Mexican Lite ~ Salud!

My client, Diane M. Henderiks, R.D., President of "Dietitian in the Kitchen" ™  recently appeared on CBS News Early Show "Chef on a Shoestring,"  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/03/earlyshow/main4696550.shtml  

where she prepared an incredibly delicicous and healthy Mexican meal for four people for under $35.  This was the challenge she was given in her cooking demonstration on the "Chef on a Shoestring" series.  She dished up fabulous foods with a beautiful presentation to rave reviews and instant audience accolades.

One of her dishes was Mango Guacamole with Fiery Tortilla Chips 

2 small avocados
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped tomato (discard juice & seeds)
3/4 cup diced mango
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno & ½ cup chopped cilantro in food processor, blender or mortar and pestle to form a paste.

Split the avocado in half lengthwise and remove seed. Slice in half lengthwise in 1/8 inch strips, then across to form a grid. Scoop it out of the skin with a spoon. Add avocado to the paste and thoroughly mix together.

Fold in the mango and tomato and salt (adding remaining jalapeno to taste).
Serve with Oven Baked Fiery Tortilla Chips


Oven-Baked, Fiery Tortilla Chips

Two (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas/chapatti
Olive oil spray
2 teaspoons powdered hot spices

Preheat oven to 350°F

Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with olive oil. Stack tortillas on top of each other and cut into twelve chips.

Place in even layer on baking sheets and sprinkle with spices. Bake about 10 minutes until crisp

Visit her website at www.ditkonline.com for complete information about her nutritional, healthy, and tasty guidelines and recipes for a more vibrant and healthy you.   

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Monet’s Palate and His Palette

A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny Claude Monet, father of Impressionism, was an artist noted for his extraordinary talent in the use of light and color in his paintings. Monet was my favorite artist, whom I studied with great diligence as an art history major in college. Little did I know that Monet not only had a passion for art, but for fine cuisine as well. In a wonderful PBS special on Sunday, “Monet ~ A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny,” commentated by Meryl Streep, the world of Monet’s gourmet acumen was revealed and revived with favorite dishes prepared by famous chefs ~ NY’s Daniel Boulud, Paris chef Roger Verge, Michel Richard, and Ann Willan, Executive Director at the esteemed La Varenne Culinary School. From London to Paris, New York and Giverny, these chefs shared Monet’s love for flambé duck with apples, sailors’ mussels, and sautéed scallops in a Calvados sauce. Upon visiting London’s famed Savoy Hotel, he became obsessed with the Yorkshire pudding and was relentless in having his cook in Giverny recreate the recipe to perfection ~ and his satisfaction. Living in Giverny, he built wings onto his home, which included an enormous, well equipped kitchen to meet any professional kitchen standards, lined with copper pots and late 19th century state-of-the-art appliances and a formal dining room. He grew his own herbs and vegetables and foraged wild mushrooms. His dining room was painted in pale shades of yellow with the walls filled with Japanese wood cut prints. He designed his own Limoges china pattern, which went on to become one of the most popular china patterns, and he entertained guests in a truly gastronomic celebration. Monet dined at the greatest restaurants on the continent and would introduce his newly discovered dishes into the menus at his home in Giverny. Residing in Normandy where wine grapes didn’t grow due to the harsher French climate, Calvados and apple cider were frequently used as the base for sauces and with which to flambé. Crême fraiche was also a common base for richer sauces and the creamy cheeses of Camembert, Livarot and Point L’éveque were frequently served with Calvados after dessert. Monet’s home in Giverny became a gathering place for celebrities, politicians and fellow artists to enjoy lunch in the beautiful floral gardens or an intimate dinner in the mellow, romantic yellow-hued dining room. The table was always adorned with beautiful floral arrangements and formally set with Monet’s yellow and blue Limoges. When Monet died, his wife would not allow any processed foods into their home and attempted to adhere to Monet’s gourmand desires and to the example of fine cuisine that Monet had introduced to the small village. Today, the home is an homage to Monet as an artist and a gourmand ~ the dining room is set in anticipation of the arrival of celebratory guests ~ including a bottle of Monet’s favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot. To appreciate the beauty in Monet’s passion for art and cuisine, visit the website www.monetspalate.com. Bon Appétit!