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I’m Craving Steak! Char Crust Dry-Rub Seasonings Review + #GIVEAWAY!

April 23, 2012 By 14 Comments

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I don’t eat much meat. But sometimes, I just want a really good steak, hamburger or chicken from the grill.

We grill out year round but there is just something about warmer weather that makes the food taste even better! Being outside and enjoying the sunshine. Watching the kids play ball while Hubby grills big, juicy steaks, hamburgers, chicken, vegetables. MMM MMM! I LOVE IT!

Clay usually uses his own secret seasonings, creating the perfect flavor, but sometimes he likes to try something new. He tried out Char Crust Dry-Rub Seasonings recently on our steak and it was super good. The fragrance alone was enough to make my mouth water. And that was in-package! Once he rubbed it on the meat and began cooking, it was all I could do not to jump on the grill. hehehe

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For our first steaks, he used the All American Barbecue rub and it was to die-for! It contains ingredients like wheat and brown sugar along with onion, black powder, Chipotle, garlic Worcestershire Sauce Powder and red chile powder. That is just to name a few. That isn’t all the spices. But you can just imagine how good those smell.

For review, I received (and one of you will too) 4 boxes of Char Crust containing the following flavors:

• Roasted Garlic Peppercorn features the robust flavor of roasted garlic and onions with the zing of peppercorns and a hint of Worcestershire and lavender. Its versatility has made it a best seller. It complements steaks, lamb, seafood, pork, poultry, and potatoes.

• Ginger Teriyaki is a balance of sweet teriyaki, fragrant ginger, plus a tingly touch of wasabi that lends a new dimension and creates a modern teriyaki interpretation. It complements chicken, fish, and steak.

• Amazin’ Cajun is a spicy-sweet blend of piquant cayenne pepper, onion, garlic, oregano and a mélange of other Mardi Gras flavors. It brings the sublime heat of New Orleans to catfish, chicken, shrimp, and even “dirty” rice.

• All American Barbecue takes the best flavors of American barbecue and blends them into a tangy-sweet, slightly spicy rub. It has rich molasses from Memphis, tangy tomato from Kansas City, mustard, pepper and vinegar from the Carolinas, plus a wisp of smoke from Texas.

It rained this past weekend so I didn’t get to enjoy the outdoors but you can bet my husband still got his grill on! He set that sucker under the garage door (open) and grilled away! I didn’t get photos AT ALL of our steaks because they were off the platter and on everyone’s plates before I could even grab my camera! But I can tell you that the flavor was outstanding. None of the spices, in any of the flavors, were overpowering. The meat had just the right amount of spice. It wasn’t too salty like some dry rub seasonings can be. I’ve had some that I couldn’t even eat because the sodium content was just too high and I couldn’t handle it.  I didn’t have that problem with the Char Crust Dry-Rub Seasonings. Our grilled foods were really good, tender and super tasty.

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4 ounce boxes retail price of $5.49 per box. There is a store finder on the Char Crust site.

“Like” Char Crust on Facebook.

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Pan-Seared Tilapia by: Char Crust

10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

20 minutes

Pan-Seared Tilapia. I, myself can’t eat fish, but this recipe was shared with me by Char Crust. They prefer catfish over Tilapia in this particular recipe.

Ingredients

  • Tilapia fillets — about 6 oz per person
  • Char Crust® Amazin’ Cajun — about 1/2 Tbsp per fillet
  • A little oil, canola is good
  • A little butter (optional), at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Heat a cast iron pan on the stove until very hot.
  2. Season one side of the fish with Char Crust® Amazin’ Cajun Dry Rub Seasoning, generously covering the surface. Drizzle a little oil all over the seasonings, using your fingers to rub in and distribute evenly.
  3. Seasonings will look moist and darken a bit. Place the fish, seasoned side down, into the pan.
  4. It should sizzle immediately, and you may get some smoke.
  5. Cook a few minutes until just cooked through.
  6. Transfer to plate with seasoned side up and place pat of butter on top.

Notes

Option: We actually prefer this recipe with catfish, but tilapia seems to have more fans.

http://thecinnamonhollow.com/2012/04/23/im-craving-steak-char-crust-dry-rub-seasonings-review-giveaway/

Next, I am going to try the Amazin’ Cajun on a nice grilled chicken breast and some grilled veggies. I promise to get a photo for you!

CHAR CRUST GIVEAWAY - Ends May 7, 2012
In the meantime, one of you lucky peeps are going to win a pack of the same 4 Char Crust Dry-Rub Seasonings that I have. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below and on May 8 (giveaway ends May 7) I will randomly select one winner. Keep an eye on your email and this post to see if you win!

[Read more...]


Filed Under: Food Reviews, Giveaways, product reviews, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

NurturMe’s “Be My Valentine” Apple Rice Crisp Treats

February 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

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In a few weeks I’ll receive some samples of NurturMe Dried Baby Food for review. But in the meantime, I came across this delicious sounding recipe for NurturMe’s “Be My Valentine” Apple Rice Crisp Treats. It calls for the NurturMe brand so I encourage you to check out the NurturMe website and try out their recipe.

NurturMe is available nationwide at Babies R Us, select Whole Foods Markets, Ralphs, Stop N Shop, and on a number of online retailers including Diapers.com, BabiesRUs.com, Target.com and Amazon.com for $9.49 SRP

 

Print
NurturMe’s “Be My Valentine” Apple Rice Crisp Treats

Yields 15-20 Mini-Valentine Hearts

Ingredients

  • 3 cups brown crispy rice cereal
  • 1 NurturMe Crisp Apple pouch
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix brown rice cereal with peanut butter
  2. In another bowl, add 3-5 tablespoons of water to crisp apple pouch
  3. Stir honey and vanilla into the puree
  4. Pour into the dry ingredients
  5. Mix well
  6. Press into one large or two small glass trays
  7. Have fun and shape into mini valentine’s day hearts!
  8. Optional: Decorate with frosting, powdered sugar, red sprinkles…be creative!!!
  9. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Enjoy!

Notes

Kid Friendly- no heat required

http://thecinnamonhollow.com/2012/02/14/nurturme%e2%80%99s-be-my-valentine-apple-rice-crisp-treats/


Filed Under: Food Reviews, Recipes, Valentines Day Tagged With: , , ,

Yummy Recipes: Betty Crocker’s Red Hot Holiday Trends 2011

December 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

Trend: Double Desserts

Taking two desserts and mixing and mashing them together is one of our favorite trends. Things like pie shakes, cookie stuffed cookies, and pie-filled cupcakes deliver a whole new kind of delicious. It’s a 1+1=3 kind of thing.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Pie, meet cookie. Cookie, say hello to pie. When two all-time favorites come together, you get Pumpkin Pie Cookies, the star at your next holiday cookie exchange.

Trend: Boozy Baking

From booze cakes to cocktail pies, bakers everywhere are bringing the bar into the kitchen. A titch of tequila or a skosh of scotch whiskey adds a serious shot of fun and flavor for the over 21 crowd. We’re loving these boozy baked goods!

Recipe: Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes

Taste for yourself what the buzz is all about! A bit of bourbon, a hit of coffee liqueur and some vanilla vodka-spiked frosting make these sophisticated chocolate cupcakes the ultimate “holiday helpers.”

Trend: Color. Flavor. Fun.

Traditional baked goods are being transformed with bright colors and playful flavors. With a little creativity and imagination, no one can resist this happy, fun food!

Recipe: Cake Batter Cookie Stackers

Take sugar cookies to a whole new level of delicious! Kids and adults will love these cake batter flavored cookies with colorful frosting, and lots of sprinkles! Stack ‘em up and watch ‘em go.

Trend: From Cave to Kitchen

Forget the man cave. Today guys are in the kitchen making (or at least appreciating) really good food. Big food. Really good, big food that’s stacked and stuffed with the flavors they can’t resist.

Recipe: Mantastic Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffle Sandwich

Here’s a new take on chicken ‘n’ waffles – made better with beer, bacon, and bourbon. It’s the ultimate manly man meal.

Trend: Skinny Cocktails

Here’s the skinny! Drinking high-calorie cocktails is so last year. The modern mixologist is shaking things up with light & flavorful cocktails.

Recipe: Skinny Clementine Martini

Add some clever sparkle to your next party. Enjoy these natural, light martinis made with fresh juice, high-quality liquor, and a splash of club soda. Lower calorie cocktails never tasted, or looked, so sweet. Cheers!

Trend: Better Than Bought

From canning to candy making, there’s a renewed interest in handcrafted foods. This season, homemade food gifts are just the right thing to show your care and creativity.

Recipe: Cajeta Caramel Fudge

Create the perfect combination of flavor and crunch with this homemade candy. Rich chocolate fudge layered with cajeta caramel, cashews and a sprinkle of sea salt—a recipe to impress.

Trend: Veggie Love

Once just tolerated, vegetables are now celebrated. Omnivores and herbivores alike have discovered that veggies offer variety and great taste, and are feeling the love.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Hummus

Hummus with fresh sweet potato packs even more plant power. Add a delicious blend of smoked paprika, coriander, and cumin to make this flavorful dip.

Trend: Shareworthy & Allergen-Friendly

Allergen-friendly foods may be free from things like nuts, dairy and eggs, but shouldn’t be free from flavor. Thankfully, we’re seeing new foods and recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone – whether you’re allergy-sensitive or not.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Gather everyone around the table to enjoy this moist and delicious pumpkin bread. Made with no nuts, no dairy, no eggs, and no gluten – no kidding!

Trend: D-I-Y for D-O-G

Man’s best friend deserves man’s best effort. That’s why making your own dog food is one of the latest canine crazes! This year, homemade dog treats are at the top of fido’s list.

Recipe: Dog Bark

This treat will make your dog sit up and beg for more. Make the bark by melting carob chips and peanut butter then top with your dog’s favorite ingredients – bacon and cheese. Bow WOW!

Trend: Food Craft

The kitchen is the new craft room. With food as their medium, clever cooks are making amazing edible food crafts that are as good to look at as they are to eat.

Recipe: Chocolate Coal Lumps

Naughty or nice, everyone will love these easy cho-coal-late treats. Cocoa Puffs® cereal dipped in melted chocolate and marshmallows create these tasty stocking stuffers.

Disclosure: I received these wonderful recipe links from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.


Filed Under: Coupons/Resources, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Apple-Cinnamon Monkey Bread #Recipe. Perfect for the #Holidays!

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When we went to the Smoky Mountains recently, my sister-in-law made the yummiest Monkey Bread for breakfast one morning. It was super good and I immediately had ideas for all different ways it could be made. I couldn’t wait to get home and try it with apples and cinnamon. So when we got back, I played around with her recipe and tweaked it a little. It turned out fabulously!

You can check out my ThisMoment slideshow and the recipe below.

Recipe:

Print
Apple-Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Ingredients

  • Bread Dough:
  • 4 cans Canned biscuits
  • Pecans (1 bag of halves and 1 bag of chopped pieces)
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 Cup light brown sugar
  • 4 - 5 Cups granulated sugar
  • 1 Can apple pie filling cut into chunks
  • Glaze:
  • 1 and 1/3 C Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 Sticks of Butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. First pour 4 - 5 cups sugar into large bowl.
  3. Then add 2 - 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. (I LOVE loads of cinnamon!)
  4. Add 1 cup of light brown brown sugar.
  5. Mix it up really well. You will roll your canned biscuit pieces in this. The light brown sugar adds a bit of sweetness.
  6. Next comes 4 cans of Homestyle Biscuits torn into bite sized pieces.
  7. Place pecan halves in bottom of bundt pan. (Do NOT use a tube pan like this, it will leak but I couldn't find my bundt pan.)
  8. Roll biscuit pieces in your sugar mixture
  9. Then start placing them in your pan. Do not press down, just layer them. (I made one full layer all the way around.)
  10. Cut the apple pie slices into small chunks. This will allow the monkey bread to still hold together and give you a nice amount of apple.
  11. Layer on top of your biscuit pieces.
  12. Next, Sprinkle your pecan pieces on top of apples in a nice, thin layer. Then repeat the previous steps of layering biscuits, apples, pecans until you run out and pan is full. Leave about a 1 inch at the top.
  13. Set aside.
  14. Glaze:
  15. Add butter, 1 and 1/3 cup of light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla (not pictured) to a medium saucepan.
  16. Bring to a boil
  17. When it is in a full boil, allow to boil for one minute, stirring constantly. It should thicken into a thin syrup.
  18. Pour your syrup over the layers in your bundt pan.
  19. Your glaze should cover every bit of your Monkey Bread dough.
  20. Bake at (preheated) 400 degrees F for 45 - 60 minutes. You can use a fork to make sure biscuit pieces are done and no longer doughy. It took mine a good hour to fully bake. Then allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes. It will be HOT!
  21. Turn your Monkey Bread out onto a pretty plate.
  22. Slice it up and enjoy with a nice big mug of coffee or good cold milk.
http://thecinnamonhollow.com/2011/11/02/apple-cinnamon-monkey-bread-recipe-perfect-for-the-holidays/

This Monkey Bread is super easy to make and will be absolutely perfect during the Holidays. I can’t wait to serve it to the rest of our family. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!


Filed Under: Christmas, Day-to-Day, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

#ClearAmerican Water #Recipes #Cbias Mission. Halloween Toxic Punch and Pina Colada Cake! #ad

November 1, 2011 By 5 Comments

I recently completed a Mission for Social Fabric #CBias using Clear American Flavored Waters. My mission was to substitute the Clear American Water into one of my recipes OR create a new one using the waters in place of other ingredients. I actually had two recipes that I was dying to try it in. I used the Key Lime in our Halloween Toxic Punch and the Pineapple Coconut in my Pina Colada cake. Both were PERFECT!

My husband and I were planning on hosting a Halloween Costume party with our family. Each year, I make a Halloween Toxic Punch that is a hit with the kids. It contains Gummy Body Parts and has just the right amount of “ick” factor while still be very tasty. You can use it for every occasion just by leaving the candies out.

So, the Hubby and I grabbed our shopping list & headed to Walmart in search of the ingredients I would need for both the punch AND my Pina Colada cake. This cake is very much like a Pineapple upside Down Cake but also contains coconut, rum or rum extract and one secret ingredient I can’t tell you about in the recipe below because it is my secret. Don’t worry, yours will be close enough in taste and super delicious, I promise, just not quite as moist and rich. Hey, it’s a family secret, I’m sorry! :0)

We found several flavors of Clear American water for only 64 cents. That price is crazy good! The Key lime will be perfect for the punch and the Pineapple Coconut is exactly what I need for the cake. SCORE!

You can see full photos on my Google+ Story but the recipes are below.

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Pina Colada Cake with Clear American Flavored Water

Ingredients

  • One Pineapple Supreme Cake mix (Duncan Hines)
  • 5 oz can crushed pineapple
  • 2 5 oz cans pineapple slices
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 C pineapple juice
  • 1 C Pineapple Coconut Clear American Flavored Water
  • 2 - 3 teaspoons Rum extract
  • 1/2 C Butter, melted
  • 1 C light brown sugar
  • 1 C shredded coconut

Instructions

  1. Pour 1/3 cup of pineapple juice from your sliced pineapple into a measuring cup.
  2. Add 1 cup Pineapple Coconut water to this to equal 1 1/3 Cup of liquid.
  3. Break 3 eggs into large mixing bowl.
  4. Add cake mix.
  5. Next, add 5 oz can of crushed pineapple.
  6. Then add your measured liquid. (Pineapple juice and Pineapple Coconut Clear American Water)
  7. To that, add 2 - 3 teaspoons of Rum extract OR regular rum if you want to go the alcohol route. It does work just as well.
  8. Mix for 2 minutes in your mixer.
  9. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large iron skillet, in preheated 350 degree oven.
  10. To that, add 1/2 to 1 cup of light brown sugar.
  11. Press it in butter with the bottom of your measuring cup.
  12. Arrange pineapple slices and maraschino cherries in a pretty pattern, then sprinkle generously with coconut.
  13. Pour cake batter over coconut.
  14. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes.
  15. Allow to cool completely, then turn your beautiful cake on to a cake plate.
  16. Then slice and enjoy! It also goes well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
http://thecinnamonhollow.com/2011/11/01/clearamerican-water-recipes-cbias-mission-halloween-toxic-punch-and-pina-colada-cake-ad/

The second recipe I created was our Halloween Toxic Punch, replacing our usual Ginger Ale with Key lime flavored Clear American Water. See full photo slideshow in our Google+ Story. It was super delish!

This water is so good! It works great in both recipes and there are so many flavors I could probably substitute the water in most every recipe I have!

You can find Clear American on Facebook and Twitter.

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Halloween Toxic Punch with Clear American Water! #ComfortFood

Ingredients

  • 1 package gummy Halloween body parts
  • 64 ounces Juicy Juice Punch
  • 1 Bottle Key lime Clear American Flavored Water
  • 1 tub Lime sherbet
  • Optional: 1 bag of frozen berries

Instructions

  1. Place gummy Halloween body parts in punch bowl
  2. Pour 64 ounces of Juicy juice Fruit Punch over gummy candies
  3. Scoop entire tub of lime sherbet into punch
  4. Pour 1 bottle of Key Lime Clear American Flavored water into punch bowl slowly. It will be fizzy.
  5. Serve and Enjoy. Easy Peasy!
  6. Optional: You can also add a bag of frozen berries to add to the "ick" factor!
http://thecinnamonhollow.com/2011/11/01/clearamerican-water-recipes-cbias-mission-halloween-toxic-punch-and-pina-colada-cake-ad/

Tip Junkie handmade projects

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, which is a vendor for Cott Beverages Inc., the manufacturer of Clear American® brand beverages. All thoughts and opinions expressed  are my own.


Filed Under: Recipes, Social Fabric Shoppertunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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