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Free Recipes and Coupons from Betty Crocker!

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Pork--Be Inspired With the New USDA Recommendations!

As a bzz agent with bzzagent.com, I am doing a campaign on pork and the new USDA recommendations for cooking pork chops, tenderloins, and roasts.  

The new recommendation is to cook these until a digital thermometer reaches a temp of 145.  Then let the pork rest for 3 minutes.  This will result in a flavorful, tender and juicy eating experience.  The pork will be pinker than you are used to.

I encourage you to check out the new pork cooking temperatures HERE.   Keep in mind that for ground pork, just like all ground meat should be cooked to 160 degrees.  140 degrees for pre-cooked ham.

Here is as picture of my bzz kit:

 I headed to our local Kroger-owned store and used the $5 coupon provided to me to buy pork chops.
Here they are cooking--hubby is checking the temp one last time.  Hurry please, I'm hungry! (These are made using a Fat Boy rub)

 aahhh  finally my portion is on my plate along with some macaroni salad, potato salad and cinnamon applesauce.  Time to dig in!

Here is a whole list of websites you will want to be sure to check out:
http://www.porkbeinspired.com   You can find a lot of recipes, cuts, nutrition, freebies and more!
Follow over on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/allaboutpork
Hop over to pinterest and pin some photos of your personal pork creations as see those of others.  http://pinterest.com/PorkBeInspired/
You will also want to head to facebook and like their page as well! https://www.facebook.com/PorkBeInspired

Here is an inspired recipe that you might want to try:

BBQ Pork Salad with Summer Fruits and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 cooked pork chops, sliced*
8 cups mixed greens
2 nectarines, cut into 12-wedges each
1 grapefruit, segmented
2 avocados, cut into wedges
16 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon salad oil
2 tablespoons toasted almonds, slivered
Salt and black pepper
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/8 cup salad oil
Cooking Directions
For the Vinaigrette:
In a blender, combine all ingredients except oil. Blend at medium speed for one minute. Next, with blender at medium speed, pour oil very slowly into blender. Add salt and pepper.
For each serving, toss 2 cups greens with 2 tablespoons dressing, top with 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 sliced pork chop, 1/2 avocado, sliced in wedges, 1/2 nectarine sliced in wedges, 1/4 grapefruit segments. Drizzle with more dressing and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
  

Did you know that there are 5 chop cuts to choose from?  Loin chop, blade chop, rib chop, top loin chop, and sirloin chop.  We chose sirloin chops for the meal I show above.

Hubby went a step further and bought pork ribs to smoke for our supper last night.  They were oh so good, smoked with a rub and then cooked with bbq sauce.  I took a picture of them with the rub, and then a picture of him putting on the bbq sauce.

Kroger-owned stores are your go-to source for pork.  Head to the store where you already shop.  The friendly staff will happily answer your questions.  Be sure to check out Kroger.com for recipes, coupons, and offers exclusive to your area.  

Disclaimer:  As a bzzagent I was sent a campaign kit for Pork (as pictured above).  This post is part of my sharing by word of mouth.  I was not compensated in any other way.  Any opinions in this post are my own.

Knorr Homestyle Stock--Review

With Knorr® Homestyle Stock, you’ll find:
• The most carefully selected ingredients slowly simmered to perfection.
• Versatility for a multitude of dishes, from soups to skillets to sides.
• A better value than cartons or cans – each tub makes 3-1/2 cups of broth.
• Two great varieties for adding rich flavor to dishes with either the chicken or beef flavors.

Find Knorr® Homestyle Stock in the broth aisle at your local supermarket retailer. Knorr® Exclusive! For delicious recipes from Chef Marco Pierre White and the Knorr® Chefs, featuring Knorr® Homestyle Stock, click here.
• Click here to "Like" Knorr® on Facebook.

Watch Chef Marco Pierre White recipe videos here.


I received the chicken stock for my review.  From watching the commercials on tv, I expected the tubs to be larger.  I was surprised to see that they are relatively small.  They pack a lot of flavor though!

It so happened that I was already cooking a chicken for homemade chicken and noodles the day the Knorr Homestyle Stock came in the mail.  Great timing!
I don't generally add stock to my homemade chicken and noodles.  I just use the stock made from cooking the chicken.   Everyone always loves it when I make chicken and noodles.....they loved them even more when I added the Knorr Homestyle Stock to the pot too!  It really gave the chicken and noodles a great hearty taste.  Half of the  batch is in the freezer for a later meal.


Here is a photo of the chicken and noodles before serving:

 

Included in my campaign kit was a packet of recipes.  Thy all sound great, but we couldn't wait to try the Super Easy Sweet Potato Mash.  (Half of these are also in the freezer for a later meal)
Here is the recipe:
 

SUPER EASY SWEET POTATO MASH

A Chef Marco Pierre White Recipe

SERVES 6

PREP TIME: 5 Minute(s)

COOK TIME: 25 Minute(s)

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 Tbsp. water 1 tub Knorr® Homestyle Stock - Chicken 4 Tbsp. Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Spreadable Butter With Canola Oil

PREPARATION

1. Combine sweet potatoes with water in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Remove from microwave and carefully remove cover. Stir in Knorr® Homestyle Stock - Chicken and Spreadable Butter. Mash or process in food processor until smooth.

A distinctively different taste, but it was very good. 
Guide to Career Education can help you find the right Culinary Arts school to make these and other delicious dishes like them.
Who would have thought about using stock in sweet potatoes.    Here is the picture of our finished product:

My daughter was hungry for stuffing one night.  She used the stock in with bread crumbs and made it herself.  I ate more of it than she did, it was so good!

What will be make with our last tub of the Knorr Homestyle Stock?  I really don't know.  There are a lot of great recipes on the website.  I want to try several of them using the beef stock as well.  Click the links to find out even more information and take a look at the recipes too.

Disclaimer:  I received a Knorr Homestyle Stock package from Knorr and Smiley360 for the purpose of my review.  I was not compensated in any other way and any opinions are my own.

Check out KitchenMonki.com!

Tools to help you combat the soaring price of groceries

If you head-up the grocery shopping effort for your family, you’ve probably noticed the soaring price of food – especially perishables. Even though your grocery list isn’t getting longer, it seems like you’re spending enough to feed the entire block. Well, you’re not imagining things. It’s a fact that we’re paying almost 70 percent more over the past two years for common kitchen staples, like eggs, bread, milk and chicken – and prices are expected to continue their upward trend.

Unwilling and unable to scrimp on quality foods needed for creating healthy family meals, many parents are turning to the web to help off-set their grocery costs. One popular strategy is pilfering online coupon sites like Coupons.com, SmartSource.com and ValPak.com. Online coupon use is skyrocketing and companies are issuing twice as many as they did just three years ago – so you’ll likely find a larger variety of savings on the web than in your newspaper insert. And make no mistake – you can certainly save big if you’re willing to put in the time to hunt. Another emerging strategy is using the web to help build a smarter grocery list. 

Recent studies show that in-store marketing can drive up to 50% of the total grocery purchase – so you could save significant money simply by being more organized.

Lastly, there are also a handful of mobile apps that can help you scan bar codes and compare prices on the same product at various stores. Check out apps like Frugal, RedLaser and Grocery iQ to name just a few. Comparing prices at several different stores and figuring out where to buy what can be a lot of work – but these technologies aim to eliminate that headache – and the savings are well worth it.

With escalating food prices, it’s smart to put technology to work for you. Yes, you may have your own tried-and-true methods for capturing grocery savings – but adding these high-tech strategies into the fold may be a nice compliment to your current efforts and help reveal additional savings that you might not know about otherwise.

In an effort to help busy home cooks get more out of the monthly food budget, they can now turn to KitchenMonki.com, a website that allows shoppers to organize their recipes in an iTunes-like fashion and have an e-grocery list delivered to their mobile phone via text message or email. But here’s the cool part: Kitchen Monki’s grocery lists are broken down aisle-by-aisle. When it comes time to shop and you’ve got a detailed “plan of attack”, you’re more apt to bypass the lure of in-store marketing (and in turn, spend less money). Peripheral items and junk foods are specifically engineered to capitalize on unorganized shoppers who browse each aisle for meal and snack ideas as they go. (Recent research shows that in-store marketing can drive up to 50% of the total grocery purchase.)  Kitchen Monki also scales your recipes, which can help frugal shoppers ensure that they’re not purchasing more than they need of pertinent ingredients.

Again, groceries are a capital expense in most households, but using tools like Kitchen Monki can help you save in areas that may otherwise go ignored. Plus, it's an excellent complement to the art of "couponing". 

With so many using apps on their cell phones now, I think this sounds like such a great thing to add!   The best part is that it's 100% FREE and takes only seconds!

Right@Home--Offers, Tips and Recipes

If you've not joined Right@Home already, now is the time to do so!

Receive special offers, enter sweepstakes, learn time saving tips, get recipes and more! You won't be disappointed.  I always enjoy my newsletters as well as I've gotten a lot of great freebies along the way as well.

Bisquick Newsletter and Coupons!!

If you haven't signed up for the Bisquick newsletter yet, I highly recommend that you do so by clicking the banner above.

The emails have great recipes as well as coupons!

If your family is like mine, Bisquick is a staple in our house.