Your passport to international flavors awaits you with our new Simmerin’ Sauces! Perfect for your slow cooker, these sauces make dinnertime a snap.

A trip to Italy not in the budget? Our Tuscan Country Simmerin’ Sauce brings the fresh flavors of the Tuscan countryside to your table. It will have you saying (or singing!) That’s Amore……… Try the Simply Delicious Chicken Cacciatore or the Hearty Minestrone Soup — perfect comfort food to come home to after a long day.

Or take a culinary trip to the Far East with our Asian Barbeque Simmerin’ Sauce. Hints of soy, sesame, garlic, chili, and ginger combine for true Asian flavor. From Asian-Style Short Ribs to Hot & Sour Chicken Soup, this versatile sauce is a must for your pantry. It can even be used as a dipper for egg or spring rolls!

Your last stop on our International flavor tour is to India with our Mild Madras Curry Simmerin’ Sauce. Tempt your family with Coconut Curry Chicken, Curried Butternut Squash Soup or use over meatballs for a new twist! The mild spices and coconut milk will warm you from within.

And last but not least, two new additions to our Two Sisters Gourmet Sauces and Dressings line up.

Serious Steak and Grilling Sauce will entice the entire family. Use this sauce to make Pecan Crunch Chicken Drumettes, Sassy Barbecue Beans, or Serious Meatball Appetizers. Also excellent as a marinade or brush on grilled meat – its spicy overtones give it a kick!

Rosy Raspberry Basil Vinaigrette will brighten up any salad with its fresh taste. This versatile dressing can also be used as a dipping sauce for bread or over pasta for a light meal (refreshing after the Holidays!) Try Leafy Greens with Orange & Avocado, Luscious Raspberry Lemon Chicken, and Rice & Apple Salad with Tangy Cheese. This is a pantry must.

Can’t wait to try our fabulous new products? Easy online shopping is a click away…Bon Appetit!!

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Football has been a part of my life since I was a small girl. My first football memories are watching the Pittsburgh Steelers games with my dad and nibbling throughout the day on the “football food” that my mom would prepare (a “make your own taco bar” was a personal favorite!). Over the years dad started to dabble in the kitchen and would prepare our game day fare — elaborate veggie platters with dip (each vegetable was cut into perfectly sized pieces), shrimp cocktails, mini bagel dogs, chicken wings, pickled herring, and guacamole with pretzels. This unusual assortment of goodies was just to whet our appetite for the main game day attraction – Dad’s Ribs. These legendary ribs are eagerly anticipated throughout our family and friends. The process starts the night before by soaking hickory chips in water — this will ensure that the chips will not burn when they are placed around the charcoal. To prep the meat before smoking, my Dad removes the rib membrane (skin covering the back) – his secret to ensure that the hickory penetrates the meat and rib bone. The ribs are then smoked for 2 hours in a kettle grill over indirect heat. After coming off the grill, they are basted with a tangy barbecue sauce that makes these ribs irresistible.

And now that I’ve hosted a few of these game days myself, I would like to pass along to you my winning game day picks.

PreGame – Guests Arriving

• Chips and salsa (I usually serve two types of salsa TSG Black Bean and Corn and a homemade version)
• Hummus and pita chips
• Crudité platter with assorted olives, cheeses, and flatbreads

End of 1^st Quarter

• Buffalo Chicken Dip (made easy with TSG Brazen Buffalo Blue Cheese Blend)
• Quesadillas – try the TSG Mango and Chicken Quesadillas or Tangy Quesadillas

Half Time

• Assorted Mini Sandwiches
• Thin Crust Pizzas

End of 3^rd Quarter

• Ice Cream Brownie Sundaes (made even easier using TSG Breathtaking Deep Chocolate Brownie Mix)

And don’t forget to offer assorted frosty beverages – Go Team!!

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History of Asparagus

Asparagus is a member of the lily family – see very spring.  This vegetable has been around for centuries and was popular among the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. Emperor Augustus is said to have coined the phrase “as quick as cooking asparagus.”  Louis the XVI also loved the plant and had his gardeners grow it year round in green houses, stemming  its modern romance.  Thomas Jefferson had a whole garden reserved for growing asparagus.

How to Purchase and Store Asparagus

Asparagus is on the expensive side and tends to be a party food. That’s because you can’t harvest an asparagus plant for the first three years, and it is labor intensive to grow.  It is high in Folic Acid and a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, A and C, and thiamin.

Many people are a little unsure of what to do. When selecting asparagus, choose firm stalks with deep green tips that are closed.  Asparagus with slimmer stalks tends to be more tender.  Store them with the bottom wrapped in a damp paper towel in the coldest part of the refrigerator.  As with all fresh things, eat as soon as possible to get the most  flavor and nutrients.

5 Great Recipes Ideas

As the Romans knew, cooking asparagus is a snap.  Just steam or drop a bundle in boiling water for a couple of minutes, until bright green.  You can also spray with a little oil and grill for a short period.  Asparagus can be used in a variety of ways – straight as a salad with a little dressing, as a crudités with any dip or in other interesting recipes.  Here are two salad dressings you can use with asparagus, and three other delicious Two Sisters Gourmet recipes.

Five Great Recipes to Show Off Asparagus

1. Oh Honey! Dill Vinaigrette
2. Onion Chive Herb Salad Dressing
3. Asparagus Spears Wrapped in Prosciutto
4. Smoked Salmon Asparagus Wraps
5. Asparagus Tomato Bake

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But if you aren’t that fortunate, we have found some help.  At My Fridge Food, you can actually click on your favorite ingredients and it will pull up recipes for you to choose from.  I put in cheese, salt and pepper, eggs, milk, pasta and chicken and it pulled up nearly 100 recipes ranked by the percentage of required ingredients I had on hand.  It also gives the number of ingredients, time and number of calories in the dish.  Truth be told, I probably had the missing ingredients in most cases…..but it’s fun to see what creative things you can make with so little!

 Tell me, what’s in your ‘fridge and what do you do with it?

At the end of the holidays, I don’t know about you, but my fridge needs a good cleaning – so I can see the shelves again.  If you feel the same after weeks of  treats and leftovers, you might enjoy this. On the lighter side, here is a photo essay on what your fridge says about you!  For a good laugh and some self awareness!

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Thanksgiving dinner is the one time no one in the family will ask me “What’s for dinner?”  Like families all over the country, we have a ritual dinner.  Every year I am tantalized by all the great and interesting recipes in the food magazines that find their way into my mailbox, but I am NEVER allowed to indulge in them. The only time I get to vary the menu is when we open our doors and include traveling waifs who can’t go “home” for Thanksgiving.  We want everyone at our table to have something that reminds them of home, so I get to expand.

Thanksgiving may be officially the fourth Thursday of November, but in our house, and I believe many houses, it’s really at least a four day affair.  This year, we will be having Thanksgiving at the beach, which sometimes means that all the Edwards gather and we have a large and noisy bunch. That’s when I get to try different things, we have multiples of everything, turkeys, stuffing , potatoes, pies – you name it.

Origins of Thanksgiving Dishes and Wishes

This year will be a smaller, quieter retreat.  The older the family gets, the more connections we have to other families, and the more we share the people, the customs and the time.  Traditionally, most Thanksgiving foods are those native to American soil.  Turkey is ubiquitous – over 91% eat turkey on Thanksgiving. They say if you look at your Thanksgiving table you can tell where your family originates within the U.S.

Click on the foods for some great ideas:

Sweet Potatoes – from the South

Corn Bread Stuffing – The South and New England

Creamed Corn – Pennsylvania

Dungeness Crab or Shrimp – The West Coast

Mole and Roasted Corn,  - Hispanic Americans of  Mexican heritage

Lefse and Green Beans – Midwesterners of Scandinavian  heritage (lefse is Norwegian  potato flatbread)

On our Table for Thanksgiving – In addition to the Cornucopia!

1. Shrimp Cocktail and Fresh Hot Rolls
2. Black Olives – lots!
3. Fresh whole Cranberry Sauce (is your family whole berry or strained?)
4. Turkey (don’t forget the Butterball Hotline!) link to other post.
5. Aunt Ida’s Sage and Sausage Stuffing (not sure who Aunt Ida was)
6. Giblet Gravy ( we had to wait till they were a little older for the giblets)
7. Mashed Potatoes
8. Pumpkin and Minced Pie

My Thanksgiving Wishes

What I love about Thanksgiving is that it is the most American of all holidays – everyone within our shores is invited to the table to celebrate.  It’s a day of peace and promise as we gather to be thankful for the blessings we have. It’s a little island of calm before the holiday rush. Food is one of the most fundamental ways of connecting.  I know at our table we will be thankful for family and friends (including those we don’t know yet).  We wish the same for you at this time and hope you will share the season…

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But there’s an easy solution! Make it a “scoop and nuke night.” What’s that?…. Here’s the easy recipe:

• An easy, no fuss, semi–nutritious meal. It’s so quick that I had time to prepare it before the after school frenzy.
• One pan cooking. After all, no matter what time I get home that pan will be waiting for me in the sink.
• Make a lot. I always planned on leftovers, but never got any.
• A meal that everyone will eat!

My family isn’t picky too about food, but like everyone their appetite depends on the day.  My daughter couldn’t eat a heavy meal before dance, but my son was famished.  My husband still thinks he plays college varsity soccer and I require just one dish–fast.

Ideas for What to Put on the Dining Room Table:

• Soup with fresh bread – Make a pot of whatever is left in the refrigerator from the weekend – add  broth.
• Chicken stroganoff. A little heavy for the dancer, but one of her favorites and she could have some before and after class.
• Spaghetti. If I boil the noodles and mix with sauce before leaving for my meeting (one pan remember?)
• Tacos. Smorgasbord of cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes, except for the meat with sauce which can be “nuked” as needed.

Or ask friends! Our all time family favorite is an Indonesian spicy rice dish called Nasi Goreng (fried rice).  You might think we picked this up when we lived in Asia, but no, we never do anything the easy way.

We first heard about this lifesaver on a ski trip with our best friends, who are Dutch. Apparently, Dutch cooking is replete with Indonesian and Malaysian influences, as they were a global trading power in the 1600’s. In fact, the rijstafel (rice table) is a frequent Malaysian occurrence – an assortment of Asian dishes, largely including or served over rice and named by the Dutch.

Anyways, we stayed in a rental apartment and everyone was tired from skiing all day.  Yvette, my friend, was graciously in charge of feeding the troops that night. The pot filled with Nasi Goreng must have been as big as one of the best lobster pots, but 30 minutes later it was empty.

Nasi Goreng Recipe: Try it with your family!

• Spice mix. I found the Dutch store and bought the Nasi Goreng by Conimex packets. For added interest you can also purchase Ketcap Manis (something like sweet soy sauce), to be truly authentic.
• Cook rice. Mix with spice, add onion and chicken (optional). Then it’s ready to go!
• Or you can make it from scratch (but not on a scoop and nuke night!)

Low and behold, a few years later my family was transferred to Asia. The first day there, my son saw Nasi Goreng on the menu and was thrilled to see something he both recognized and loved!

Well, let me tell you – the original native is not what comes out of the bag. After the first bite, and many tears of disappointment, I had to find the closest Dutch store and revert to our mix.  We still horde it in our cupboards!

Share your scoop and nuke meals–and how they save your family!

Want some history on the Dutch East India Company? Makes for interesting dinner table conversation!

Nasi Goreng Ready to Go!

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Who doesn’t love Halloween and pumpkins? It gives us adults an excuse to pretend and have fun!

Scary Carved Pumpkins

What my Family Did for Halloween:

When my children were little, this season was all about the family trip to the pumpkin patch and finding that perfect Halloween costume. 

As the kids became “too cool” for Trick or Treating, they turned their attention to scaring the neighborhood kids with our haunted hallway. The whole family got in on the fun. When the doorbell rang, the  spooky music started, the hallway was foggy from a cauldron of dry ice and strobe lights flashed to complete the eerie feel. The children still got to dress up to hand out the goodies!

Then as the children grew even older and time more scarce, we planned one night together to carve an elaborate jack-o-lantern. Soon our pumpkins became the talk of the neighborhood.

Ideas to Celebrate Halloween and National Pumpkin Day:

1.  Printable pumpkin carving stencils:Stencils help those of us who cannot really draw a scary face. We love black cats.For scary printable pumpkin carving stencils click here .
2.   Child Friendly Pumpkin Decorating:For little ones, who you don’t want to arm with a knife or other carving implement –there’s an equally fun alternative. One of my favorite home movie moments is of my daughter, Laura, age 4, decorating the pumpkins, armed with toothpicks and a farmer’s market full of vegetables. With spinach hair, radish eyes, cucumber ears, a carrot nose and black olive teeth she learned about vegetables, ate and laughed for about an hour.  Then that pumpkin was ready to turn heads! Show off their proud creation right on your front doorstep. These were done at a local fall fair.
   

   Kid Friendly Pumpkin Decorations

3. Pumpkin Muffin Recipe:For a pre or post Trick or Treat pick–me–up, you can make some  delicious pumpkin muffins.  Check out how to make our great pumpkin muffin recipe from TSG Apple cake.

4. Pumpkin Roll Recipe:For those feeling more creative, prepare a delicious pumpkin roll

5.Heat up some cider laced with cinnamon and have a warm October evening full of memories that will be sure to give you goose bumps!

One of my favorite sources for quirky facts and the history of food is the Nibble, an online magazine, where I found today’s cause for celebration–National Pumpkin Day!

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Ok, well that’s not really me, but it was my Mom when she was first married. I honestly think that between us, we would have made one great housewife – I cook and she cleans.  My  father-in-law would have shriveled up without a microwave, and some surprisingly astute business women I know claim kitchen disability as well.  But I think the truth is that they don’t want to cook – not that they can’t.

 Now I confess that learning to cook can have it’s ups and downs. (We will not talk about the inedible disasters that have graced my garbage can.)  I know for a fact that my son learned how to cook before he left home, but the first time he prepared dinner in his college room, he turned the burner on high, threw in the chicken breast, and set off the fire alarm – then he didn’t try again for a year.

Dinner Disaster

Worst case, anyone can boil some water in the microwave, add instant rice and slice pre-cooked chicken on top, open a jar of apple sauce for a side – and voila!.  Just don’t try to get me to eat it. That might count as instant dorm food, but not dinner.

How to Bake Like a Pro

Right out of the starting gate you can impress everyone by baking – dare I say with a little TSG beer bread (just add beverage).  You can even go to the website and download one sheet with over 15 variations, and you’ll be a master chef right away.  Branch out –steam some fresh vegetables and spring with Tearless Onion and Chives – then you can add the precooked chicken breast – and you’ve come a long way in one day.

Learn How to Cook

To learn to cook, I recommend you find a friend who knows you well and start simple – like spaghetti

1.  For entertainment as well as ideas you can go to You tube and watch “how to co

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. A drier series from Howcookingworks.com  - competent but not entertainment

3. You can also bone up on you skills from online sites so you look like like a pro when your mother-in-law arrives. 

4. There are lots of food shows on TV that can help, like Semi Home Made with Sandra Lee.  This is sort of an updated Campbell’s soup approach mixing some cooking with already prepared foods for a polished look that will help you gain confidence .  

Personally, I’d go buy a book,  – but sooner or later you just have to  take the plunge and start !

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 My husband loves to cook, and fortunately, he’s very good at it.  He does have some specialties though – anything that can be cooked on top of a barbeque (yes, even in the winter).  In the 30+years we’ve been married, I can probably count on two hands the number of times I have had to cook on a weekend.  Not bad, you say, but it does come with some caveats:

1. It’s most frequently some form of beef and potatoes (although in the last few years with the advent of planks, we have a lot of fish too!)
2. Someone has to go to the store for some ingredient.
3. All dishes are in the sink at the end of the meal.
4. There’s a lot of crispy crust involved.

All in all, this isn’t a bad list of details, it’s just the result of what happens when someone enters what is typically “MY” domain, the kitchen.  I am, after all, a creature of habit – mine not his.

1.  Husbands can learn how to grill fish with planks.

Grilling Planked Salmon

Barbequing with a plank is a great way to tackle more delicate foods and add flavor.  At almost any  grocery store, or store that sells barbeque equipment will have them.   Just soak the plank in water for a couple of hours, and place the fish (usually) on the plank to add flavor while it cooks.  The fish won’t have to be touched until done – meaning it will stay in one piece. Here are some easy steps to follow.

2.  Husbands feel great about cooking on a barbeque!

The better news, is that with the advent of celebrity chefs our breadth of weekend offerings has expanded exponentially.  We have progressed well into rotisserie food, soft shell crabs, fruit for dessert (particularly peaches and pineapple), and the ultimate guy food – pizza!

Scott and Laura make barbeque pizza

 When in doubt you  can take virtually any meat and spread it with Two Sisters Gourmet Sisters Southern Sweet  Barbeque Sauce and have a hit.

3. Dad Kitchen Specialities: Hot Dog Octopus and other Dad Food: 

Unlike his Dad, he won’t starve, nor will anyone else in 100 miles.  He has specialized in BBQ and in large quantities, which is generally a good thing. More recently, when I have had to travel, I am frequently regaled with how successful his weeknight dinners are with my daughter: steak salad and hot dog octopuses (things which I don’t regularly endorse). When the children were small, I  was taught how to make hot dogs into fun food octopuses.  Click here for step by step instructions. 

Hot Dog Octopus

What I wish husbands would learn about kitchen skills!

1. Clean As You Go!

His intent is always admirable, it’s my reaction that sometimes lacks appreciation.  I tend to clean as I cook, so that when I am finished, I am finished – Now this isn’t too bad, but we kind of have an arrangement- he who cooks doesn’t clean, so I feel like I get the short end of this stick.

2.  Think Ahead!

Same thing on the ingredients, I tend to make things that use what I have (and that tends to involve planning ahead).  Or if I need something, I know a day or two ahead – but I understand that doesn’t mean you always get what you want when you want it.  That apparently is not part of the guy thing – same day venture (or maybe a couple of hours ahead- funny how it makes him crazy when the college kids do the same thing).

3.  Burnt isn’t always the best!

Then there’s some degree of burn….which many years ago someone suggested was not too good for your health….and he’s really improved in that area…now it only burns when it is supposed to – like those nice grill marks on vegs

Is it worth it?  YOU BET! Relaxing also means loosening up and appreciating what others are trying to do for you!  I have a husband who cares enough to share responsibility, deliver a great steak (and other) on a day I get to relax.  Enjoys cooking enough to be adventuresome, and appreciate some of what I prepare. And comes back to do it again, even though I moan and groan (about having to get up after a delicious meal!).  Thank you!

Great Barbeque Recipe Books

1.  Making Pizza on the grill is a personal trademark and a great party.  Here’s how. in a fun video 

3.  For beginners, you need to learn the basics if you don’t want your backyard to go up in a bonfire. Some great beginner books are here! And from the king of grilling – Weber!

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Laura and Deb on Campus - before cooking

 Just before Parent’s weekend, she sent me a text saying, “the H1N1 virus has hit my school!”  After last spring’s media frenzy, she is worried about getting this virus. For my advice, I retreated to a standard “Mom formula” – eat healthy and get plenty of sleep. But who am I kidding? In college, no way!

 If I’m lucky, she gets one nutritious meal per day in the dining hall usually consisting of salad or pasta. There’s a hefty amount of branded coffee in her diet too, which by the way means the same calorie content as milkshakes. Many schools are trying to prepare healthier dining hall meals, but that doesn’t affect the students eating habits!

How to Cook with Just a Microwave and a Refrigerator:

This got me thinking, how can you eat healthy with an electric kettle, a microwave and a refrigerator (without the freezer mind you)?  Gratefully, food choices have improved since I was faced with the same problem years ago in my college days. I’m sure guys will resort to ramen noodles, but that gets old after a while. And I would say girls are more particular so I asked my daughter to brainstorm some ideas.

Dorm Room Cooking Essentials:

Here are my daughter’s staples:

1. Tuna packets (with salt, pepper, and olive oil)
2. Microwavable steamed vegetables (both frozen and non frozen brands)
3. Cereal
4. Oranges and bananas (no mess or dishes to clean up)
5. Smart-ones frozen dinners
6. Yogurts (The yogurts in the bottles are really good on the way to class because no spoon)
7. In the university dining hall, I’ll get a wrap and put a salad in it from the salad bar along with some deli meat, just as healthy but way more interesting than plain salad

8. Tea!

Easy Recipes:No Cooking

They can track down the pre-packaged and pre-cooked aisles in the grocery store. Get a bag of pre–packaged salad, followed by pre-cooked chicken. Sprinkle grated cheese on the chicken and top it all off with your favorite dressing. Voilá you have a great meal! (Add a dash of TSG Outrageously Garlic or Tearless Onion and Chives on everything!)

As for the rest of staying healthy, I suggest:

• Bottle of hand sanitizer
• Tea mixed with honey and lemon
•  Chicken noodle soup
• Vitamin C

And if all else fails – call home to mom.

If you want a teen’s perspective on what’s healthy and what they like, check out this post from Radical Parenting   

For dorm room cooking 101, click here

College Student Holiday gift ideas:

• Everything College Cookbook by Rhonda Parkinson
• Healthy College Cookbook by Alexandra Nimetz
• Complete Idiots Guide to the College Diet by Shelly Vaughan James
• Cooking Outside the Pizza Box by Jean Patterson

Get involved! Click here and read how colleges can participate in local sustainable food projects.

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