Cherry Zinfandel Pork Chops and the new spring line!

The new Tastefully Simple Spring Summer Line debuted on March 1st, and I've been happily spending the last few weeks sampling the goods! One of my favorite new products is the Cherry Zinfandel Grill Sauce. Last week I used them to make this:

 

The recipe is on the Tastefully Simple website, but I modified it a bit. Pork is a pretty inexpensive cut of meat these days but cooking with it intimidates me a little bit. I haven't had the best luck with it in the past, I usually end up over cooking it and drying it out. This time I decided to try out a new technique and was pleased with the results!
I kept all of the ingredients from the original recipe except I used thin cut pork chops instead of tenderloins.

Ingredients:

 

2 Tbsp. Onion, Onion™                                           

2 tsp. Seasoned Salt                                           

2 tsp. dried rosemary                            

1-2lbs. pork chops (or really whatever cut of pork you want!)                            

 1/2 cup Cherry Zinfandel Grill Sauce

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle a little oil ( I used Roasted Garlic Infused Oil) on your chops and rub the first 3 ingredients into the chops, on both sides.
Get a skillet or pan hot and seer the chops on both sides for 1-2 minutes. You don't want to cook them through, just brown up the outsides. It helps keep the insides nice and moist.
After you brown the chops on both sides, but them in a 9x13 greased pan. Brush them with 1/2 the sauce.
Cook for 10-15 minutes and then add the remaining sauce.

I served it alongside some wild rice and veggies! It was a hit with everyone.

Other products I'm enjoying so far:

The Chipotle Beer Marinade is delicious. It's a bit on the spicy side for me, but I'm a little wussy when it comes to spice ;-) I used it over chicken in the crockpot for fajitas! Super easy and tasted gourmet!

The Fuzzy Navel Drink Bucket is awesome with white wine and some fresh fruit for an easy peach summer sangria. I made mine with some peach vodka and a bottle of Pino Grigio!

I can't wait to try the Sweet and Smoky BBQ seasoning on the grill, but it is also awesome as a dip. Mix 2 tbsp. into sour cream and a bit of mayo for an easy summer dip!

I have already bought 3 boxes of the Feisty Fajita Dip mix. It is amazing on its own as a dip, but would also be great with chicken or as the base for a seven layer dip!

You can purchase any of these products or get more great recipes on my website OR earn them for free by hosting a party!

What new product are you most looking forward to?

 

House Party!

This past weekend I hosted a House Party for Yellowtail Wines. I applied for this through House Party.com and was lucky enough to be selected to host a party to try their new Pink Moscato. As a result, they sent me a party pack full of all sorts of goodies to host a great party with my friends and neighbors! This is my Party Pack:

 

 

It included tasting glasses, napkins, picture frame magnets, wine flavored lip gloss, a $25 Amex gift card to buy the wine for the party and as a bonus, I got an A Winter's Tale movie poster.

The party was easy enough. It really doesn't take people much convincing to come try wine.

I whipped up some Tastefully Simple goodies so prepping was easy. The day before I made the Garden Pepper and Feta cheese ball, Awesome Amaretto cheese ball, and the Fiesta Dip. I made them all exactly the way it said to on the box EXCEPT the Fiesta Party Dip which I added a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and a cup of corn to. I threw it all in the fridge and the next day I stuffed some strawberries with the amaretto cheese ball mix and put the other two dips on a platter with some wheat thins and tortilla chips!

The wine itself was really tasty. It was sweet and refreshing. I used some of it to make a punch by mixing a bottle with a can of raspberry lemonade concentrate and a couple of cans of Sprite. It was really sweet but really tasty too!

We had a great time. Can't wait to apply for my next House Party!

Giving Back

One great thing I love about my Tastefully Simple business is that it allows me to give back. I love to do fundraisers and raise money for my and my hosts favorite charities.

This month I am starting a very special fundraiser for a very special cause:

 

 

 

I've seen more than a few of my loved ones battle this disease. Growing up, I watched my Godmother battle the disease that would eventually take her life in 2012. Most recently, a college friend and my sister in-law were diagnosed and I hate to see them have to fight this nasty disease. This is not a disease that affects the old and sickly. Strong, healthy, beautiful women are being diagnosed every day which is why research and support for them is so badly needed.

 

I chose the charity Living Beyond Breast Cancer to donate to. They donate 84 cents on dollar for every donation they receive and they assist women through every possible stage of the disease. It was founded in 1991 by a radiation oncologist and strives to provide education and support for patients and their families  regardless of educational background, social support or financial means. It is a little lesser known than the bigger charities out there but after doing my research LBBC was at the top of all the charities listed.

 

One of the wonderful things about this fundraiser is that you can double dip! This fundraiser will run now through March 21st which means you can stock up on all the goodies from the Fall/Winter catalog which will end on March 8th AND you can shop the brand spankin' new Spring/Summer catalog (It's got some AMAZING new goodies!) . 10% of my earnings will go directly to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. You can help me give back to this wonderful charity a few ways:

 

*Shop my website! Follow the link and click on the link Shop this Party! (Don't worry, you don't have to RSVP, that's just the only way I can enter a party on the website!)

 

*Have a party! Any sales count so if you host a party, whether it be an in home party or an online/Facebook party, I will still donate 10% to LLBC! Now is the time to book. FREE stuff for you and you are helping to give back to a great cause :)

 

*Share this post! Help spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc! Just copy the link and paste it in a status update or use one of the handy share buttons at the bottom of this post.

 

*Join me! If you've ever thought about making a little extra cash and signing up to be a consultant, now's the time! I'll donate an extra $10 for each new person that joins my team through the 21st of March!

Some of my Favorites!

When it comes to Tastefully Simple products, I really love them all, but there are definitely a few that I couldn't live without. Here are a few of my fav's:

 Bountiful Beer Bread: After having tried other Beer Bread's out there, I can say with certainty this is the best I ever had. And I would say that in a heartbeat even if I didn't sell it. This bread has become a staple at parties and potlucks. The beautiful thing is there is so much you can do with it! Besides being an awesome bread for dips at parties, this bread can be made a ton of different ways. Some of my favorite ways to make it:
*Add our Italian Garlic Bread seasoning and some shredded cheddar cheese to the batter. It kinds comes out like the yummy biscuits they serve at Red Lobster.
*Don't like beer? (Even though I promise you, you can not taste it) Add Mountain Dew instead of Beer for a good take on Hawaiian Bread. You can also add sprite, cream soda or any other carbonated beverage!
*It can be used as Pizza Dough, Sandwich bread (just add 2 eggs to the mix), French Toast, Stuffing, and bread pudding.
*Leftover beer bread makes awesome croutons!


*Want something sweet? The mix makes awesome Banana bread and Strawberry Shortcake.
*There are literally over 50 yummy recipes using Bountiful Beer Bread on our site!



Roasted Garlic Infused Oil: My newest obsession, this oil is prefect to sauté veggies in and add's a ton of flavor without adding a ton of fat. My favorite way to enjoy it is to put some on foil and wrap  a russet potato and bake at 350 for 45 mins- and hour. The result: a really extra tasty baked potato. It is also yummy in bruschetta or with some parmesan cheese as a dipping oil for some crusty bread!

Garlic, Garlic and Onion, Onion: These have become staples in our pantry and add so much more flavor than the garlic powder and onion powder we used to use. Both can also be made into dips for entertaining. One thing I love about all our spices is that they add a ton of flavor, but you only need to use a little bit. It cuts down on calories and is money saving. A shaker of our spices last me at least a month or two, and I use them almost daily!

Merlot Sauce: This one is being discontinued and I couldn't be more upset about it. I use this sauce almost once a week. It is awesome as a quick stroganoff. I just brown ground beef, add a little sauce, some Onion, Onion, some mushrooms-canned or fresh depending on what I have on hand and a little sour cream. There is a formal recipe on the site, but I've made it so much I just eyeball it now! It is super simple and tastes so much better than the boxed kind. It is also awesome on burgers and steaks. I have even added a dash or 2 to a bloody Mary and it was AMAZING! I really hope they add a similar product to the line this spring because I am super bummed this one is leaving!

 

Spinach and Herb dip mix: This is usually what we serve with Beer Bread at parties, but this mix is also amazing in a lot of our favorite dinners. It is also really good sprinkled on a potatoes and eggs. Like all of our products, it has so many uses. I love checking out the website all the time to try new recipes with it!

 

 

Have you ever tried our products? What are some of your favorite ways to use our products?

Welcome!

Well hello!
Most of the people that visit this page will probably do so because I know them and begged them to, but in the rare instance that someone I don't visits...Welcome!

This blog is a new venture for me and something I've been meaning to roll out for awhile now. It's main focus will be on sharing quick and easy family friendly meals and also some tips/recipes for entertaining. I will also use this page to share product info, recipes and promotions from Tastefully Simple which is a little part time gig I've got going on the side. I signed on as a consultant in May and I am absolutely in love with the company and products. In case you are not familiar with them here is a little Tastefully Simple 101:

Our Motto: Food should be simple, delicious and fun. All our products are ready to use or only require 1-2 ingredients to make. My favorite thing about our products are their versatility. Most of our products can be used a ton of different ways and our website includes tons of recipes and product suggestions, so when you buy a product there are so many ways you can use it.

And it tastes good.

I haven't met a product I didn't like yet. (And believe me, I've tried most everything)

We are coming up on the end of our Fall/Winter catalog and will soon be announcing our Spring/Summer line in the next few weeks. As soon as I get more information, I will post it here. In the meantime, head on over to my Facebook page and give it a like.

If you are local to me and need product or are interested in hosting a party you can email me at anngee410(at)hotmail(dot)com

Those of you not local, Facebook parties and catalog shows are always welcome and you can still earn all the great host rewards!Contact me for more information.

Stay tuned for recipes and more!