It's Christmas Past, New Years next and then the "Games begin"! Stop by & comment n a tasy chicken app. recipe I created!

End Zone Empanadas with Roasted Red Pepper - Poblano Dip

WHY...it's the Ultimate Football Recipe Challenge By Swanson! How bout' bite size Empanadas? Do you think it could be the total touchdown recipe? I do!  Check out my
End Zone Empanadas and tell me what you think of my recipe, leave a comment.


Hey Readers, it's me Cathy. I love, love this month of holidays and football season, so exciting! And what's even more exciting then that you ask? Well, I have been invited to partake in creating an original recipe to compete against other Bloggers for the best Football/Tailgate recipe using Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken. This contest is all about fab food created for Football Foodie Mania Season.

So what the next step, whats the prize you say?-- An all-inclusive trip to visit the Campbell’s Kitchen and a chance to be featured on Campbell’s Kitchen.com. Three Bloggers will be chosen based on creativity, use of the ingredients and reader engagement to travel to the Campbell’s Test Kitchen, meet the chefs, tour the facilities and prepare their winning recipes for a select panel of Campbell’s judges {now that's cool}. Then one winner will be chosen and featured on Campbell’s Kitchen.com, one of the premier recipe sites with tons and tons of visitors per month. Plus given the title “Ultimate Swanson Football Recipe Champion 2011. Exciting - Wow-za!! And here's some more Wow-za news- that's about YOU the Reader.  Let's just say-- I am one of the selected Finalist who visit Campbell’s Kitchen, I also win a $250 shopping spree in the exclusive Campbell’s Kitchen store for you my Readers! YEA! My shopping bags will be chock full of wonderful kitchen tools and gadgets and wild yummy Campbell's memorabilia to come home with me and give to you my Readers as a major mother load giveaway!!!


So Readers "GET YOUR GAME ON", the more comments and conversation about my original recipe End Zone Empanadas we have, the better chance you gain to WIN that $250 shopping bag  of clever kitchened collections! Do you like my combo of ingredients? Would YOU add or minus something from the recipe? Have you already conjure up your own Football Fantasy Food with Swanson Premium Chicken Chunk? Talk to me!! I love hearing from you all, it's so much fun and you can benefit from the fun - we have until January 3rd so lets get chatting once you have checked out my recipe below!


END ZONE EMPANADAS a killer recipe for Football & Foodie Fans, or get your Tailgate on!

The Recipe:  Break out the savory, spicy favorites for your Super Bowl Gathering!    I’m talking big bites of tasty Swanson chicken breast, captured in the baked crisp crust of a Mini Empanada, just oozing melted cheese and goodness. Now dip this Mini in the cool Roasted Red Pepper Crème for the ultimate Touch Down Taste!  W H A T?  You don’t want to be missing the game or the fabulous Super Bowl commercials getting stuck in the kitchen?   No Problem, try this power play!   Make the Empanadas in advance and freeze them.  Thaw at room temperature day of game, and bake just before ready to serve.  Plus, the Dipping Creme can be made in a few days in advance.  You are now a Free Agent to watch the big game, it’s a guaranteed score.

 

End Zone Empanadas with Roasted Red Pepper - Poblano Dip

Prep Time: 15 minutes    -    Baking Time: 10 minutes     -    Quantity: 24 Mini Empanadas

Pre Heat Oven: 400 degrees

Empanada Recipe

1 – 18 oz. package frozen Empanada Wraps {disc’s}  - thawed

½ cup canned yellow corn – drained

1 – 12 oz. can Swanson White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast - drained

1 - 7 oz. can {1 cup} Verde Salsa  {green salsa-canned}

2 cups Mexican style Shredded Cheese

1 Egg White + 1 Tblsp. water

2 Scallions {green tops chopped}

Cooking Spray Oil

Note to self:  I prefer the Corn Empanada Wraps vs. the Flour Empanada Wraps.  Both are tasty but the Corn Wrap offers more texture and color. 

Roasted Red Pepper - Poblano Dip Recipe

1 cup Roasted Red Peppers {jar variety} rough chopped

½  of a fresh lime – juice squeezed

1 cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream

2 Tblsp. Poblano Peppers, finely diced

 2 Tblsp. finely chopped Cilantro  

Preparation for Empanada Filling:  In a large mixing bowl blend together drained corn, chicken chunks, verde salsa, chopped scallions and shredded cheese.  Set aside.  In small bowl whisk together egg white and water and set aside.

Preparation for Roasted Red Pepper Poblano Dip: You can do this in a food processor or in a bowl.  My preference is the processor, it helps the dip obtain a light pink color when blending in the red peppers.  If you choose to hand mix, then cut red peppers into finely chopped pieces and mix all ingredients together .

*In a food processor quick pulse the lime juice and sour cream together for a second. Add the red peppers and poblano peppers to the sour cream mixture. Pulsing for a few seconds until the red peppers are finely chopped {not puree’d} and the mixture has turned a soft pink color. Place mixture into a bowl and blend in most of your chopped cilantro.  Cover bowl with foil or clear wrap and refrigerate. P.S. I like to garnish my plate with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro… so save a touch of your chopped cilantro for the final touch.

Place a thawed Empanada disc on a cutting board. Take 2 rounded tablespoons full of the Filling mix and place each mound of the mix about a ¼ of an inch from the edge of the disc, but leaving a good inch separating each mound horizontally on the disc.  Brush edge of disc lightly with water.  Fold dough over filling to form a pocket. Now slice the pocket in half vertically which creates 2 cute little Empanada's {pictures!  Use a fork or a pastry wheel, crimp edges of pastry to seal.   Place Empanada’s on a foil lined cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper onto the sprayed foil liner.  Brush each Empanada with the egg wash {water-egg mixture}.

Bake in center of oven for 10 minutes or until puffy and golden. Serve warm with Dipping Sauce, garnish plate with whole peppers and finely chopped cilantro.  Touch Down!

Christmas

Christmas.
Blessed, magical and wondrous to me.  My greatest Christmas gift ever was born December 25th, 1983 at 11: 52 p.m., our daughter Katie Noel Hazzard. Of course she hates the name Noel!  How could I not name her a Christmas memento in some way?  After all she was  almost named, Holly.  But "Katie Holly Hazzard" sounded like some animation character! LOL.  It is phenomenal to everyone except the "birthday person them self" to arrive on Christmas day you see .

I would be the first to let you know I wasn't real thrilled to land in labor and delivery just after I finished that big fat turkey dinner, AND 3 weeks earlier then scheduled.  However God apparently, had a different calendar lined up for me.   So there we were a major "cold winters night", wind chill 10 below, frost on the inside of the car windshield and house windows.  I waddled to the car carrying my "extra 40 lbs" of what I insisted was "all baby weight", without a coat on.  You see I had my own layer of insulation and it really, really didn't seem that cold to me.

As anyone knows who has ever been pregnant, the monthly visit to the Doctor was OK, but saying HELLO to the Doctors scale, well- that just made you want to run in the opposite direction.  For that is when the realization sinks in regarding the fabulous food fest journey you have been enjoying during the indulging stage.  Not unlike the box of Eskimo Pies in one evening that I consumed, or the many many many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Nutritional right?  Dairy in ice cream, protein in peanut butter. So that Christmas night when we walked { I waddled} into the ER & Nurse Ratchett said: step on the scale.  I politely said no thank you.  I just wasn't going to do it.  They couldn't force me.  This baby was coming with or with out a final Mom weight.  I mean WHO in their right mind gets on a scale right after a tantalizing turkey dinner with all the trimmings? Our little entourage that night equaled a total of three Hazzard's  John my husband myself and our three year old son Jonathan, standing in the ER all connected holding hands like three gingerbread men.  Sweet Jonathan feeling rather sleepy had just been tucked into his bed, dressed in his yellow footie pj's when we snatched him up, put him in the car and told him tonight would be the night he would become a big brother.  He could have cared less.  All he really wanted was his new Tonka truck and his bed.
Well, his little sister Katie Noel did arrive that night, screaming like an banshee, dressed up in a Santa stocking cap like all the other newborns born on Christmas day sleeping in her swaddled blanket.  Sweetness and light filled the room, visions of Sugar Plums danced through my head, right next to that big fat turkey dinner and boxes of Eskimo Pies.
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays to everyone.

From the Hazzard Kitchen to yours I wish you warmth, love, security and happiness~

Cathy

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S -- ALEXIS!!! Claim your prize

ALEXIS!! 

Cranberry LOVE coming your way!  CONGRATULATIONS to Alexis!
Alexis is the winner of the Cranberry Naturals Giveaway!  Just in time for the holidays - plus anytime is a great time for Cranberry Naturals~!  Alexis, get ready for some poppin' Cran taste in your mouth.

Thank you all so much for your comments 7 great ideas as to how you enjoy Cranberry juice.  I can't w ait for you all to try this new lighter version of Cranberry called CRANBERRY NATURALS by OLD ORCHARD.

Thanks Craberry Naturals foe the Giveaway and we can't wait for your product to hit the store shelves.
I so enjoyed your new tawtt lighter beverage & plan n keeping it stocked in my refri as aregular basis.

Cathy
HazzardInTheKitchen
In order to claim your prize you must contact me mailto:%7BCTravelGuru@Aol.com%7D with your email address in the next 24 hours, or your prize will be frorfeited to the 2nd person on the random,org list!  Hurry - hurry!

Giveaway conducted by Random.org
There were 10 items in your list. Here they are in random order:




1. ALEXIS




Timestamp: 2010-12-08 18:34:34 UTC
Random.org

Cranberry Naturals

Hi Everyone!  There's more exciting news on this Hazzard In The Kitchen Blog site.

Cranberry Naturals - It is a brand new Cranberry Juice about to hit your grocery store shelves very soon!

I was fortunate enough to taste test this new delicious juice, and I am here to tell you it is totally yummy.

What we found distinct about this new juice product is it's light, crisp, clean not overtly sugared flavor.

I sampled the Cranberry Naturals - Cranberry-Raspberry Juice and YES we had it for Happy Hour.  Gorgeous ruby color, clear and clean taste with a splash of  Vodka and some tinkling sounds of crushed ice  it was the perfect ending to a good day!   The very next morning I had the Cranberry Naturals - Classic Cranberry Juice with breakfast and enjoyed every refreshing sip.

Cranberry Naturals.  These products will be a line of all-natural, reduced-calorie cranberry juice cocktails, that come in a 64oz shelf-stable bottle.  Each flavor contains 30% juice, and is sweetened with a blend of sugar and Truvia (an all-natural sweetener made from the stevia plant).  There are six flavors to choose from: Classic Cranberry, Cranberry Grape, Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Apple, Cranberry Blueberry, and Cranberry Pomegranate.  I've attached a couple images, in case you'd like to see the product.  Because they are using Truvia as one of the sweeteners, each product only contains approximately 70 calories per 8-ounce serving (compared to 120+ calories for other similar products).

Personally, I LOVED how there is no after taste what so ever, and I am still drinkin' light!

Soooo here is an opportunity to SAMPLE this new product as a GIVEAWAY from Cranberry Naturals & Hazzard In The Kitchen.   Just leave a comment on my blog about the way you enjoy Cranberry juice best and that will enter you in the Cranberry Naturals Giveaway.  The drawing will be made by Random.Org

We are offering the winner one of the:

Cranberry Naturals T-Shirts plus a few VIP free product coupons (good for any 64oz Old Orchard product - in case the Cranberry Naturals aren't available locally yet). Interested?  Leave a comment~

Old Orchard's provided me with the following items to complete this review: one Cranberry Naturals T Shirt, two 64 ounce containers of Cranberry Naturals Juice, two Cranberry Naturals juice coupons. As well as one giveaway package (including all items listed above) for one lucky reader. The opinions included in this review are my own and I was not paid to make them. I really feel the new Cranberry Naturals Juice line is delicious and something you will all enjoy!