New Year’s Resolutions from Passanante’s

New Year's Resolutions

As we reflect on 2013 and look forward into 2014 we wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone for another magical year at Passanante’s Home Food Service. We have the most incredible customers and staff and couldn’t be more grateful for the support, referrals and kind reviews — they mean so much to us!

To help kick off the new year we thought it’d be fun to offer up a hand full of new year’s resolution suggestions for all of you. We hope you have an incredible 2014 and are looking forward to delivering fresh, high-quality meats and organic produce to each of you and your families. It is an honor to call each of you customers! Happy New Year!

1. Save money by eating at home on weekdays and taking leftovers to work

It’s no secret that eating home can lead to serious savings, but it’s so hard to resist the temptation of grabbing a quick bite to eat when you’re just getting home after a long day of work. We all have our vices so try to find or create a recipe that satifies those cravings. Are you a mexican food junkie? Maybe it’s chinese food or even deep dish pizza. Take notes at your favorite places and make a project out of recreating your favorite meals…. you won’t be sorry.

2. Practice portion control and moderation

Just like mom says, everything is ok in moderation. In 2014 work on your willpower and save the left overs for a second meal rather than seconds at dinner. We all get in the mood for a really sinful meal every once and as long as you don’t eat the whole bucket of fried chicken indulging doesn’t have to lead to a stomach full of guilt.

3. Have at least 4 colors in each meal

We’ve talked about the value of “eating colorfully” in previous blogs and the new year is a great opportunity to get in the habit of eating a more balanced meal. It really couldn’t be easier to figure out to do if you’re doing it right — if you’ve got 4 of more colors on your plate at each meal you’re doing pretty good! Now.. eating french fried an putting food coloring in mashed potatoes doesn’t count as two colors. — we’re talking fruits and vegetables!

4. Host a pot luck and exchange family recipes

The best recipes are the ones that have been perfected over generations of additions, subtractions and substitutions. This year make an effort to host a great pot luck party and invite friends and neighbors to share their favorite family recipes with the group. If you’re feeling really adventurous you could even collect each of the recipes and make a small book as a party favor for your guests. Sharing family recipes is a really unique way to strengthen friendships and learn more about the people you care for.

5. Tell a friend about Passanante’s Home Food Service and share the love

Everyone knows the fastest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach… so why not spread the word about Passanante’s this year? All jokes aside, we genuinely appreciate every single referral and tasting party request and would love the opportunity to impress your friends this year. If you think our gourmet food delivery service could be a good fit for someone you know we’d love the opportunity to wow them!

Recipe: World’s Best Cookies

Happy Monday to all of our OrganicMeatsAndVeggies.com readers! Everyone at Passanante’s Home Food Service sincerely hopes you had a safe holiday surrounded by friends, family and of course good food. Over the holiday break we unearthed a ton of awesome recipes that we cannot wait to share with you all over the next few weeks so make sure you’re coming back frequently!

Now.. you’re probably already skeptical about this next recipe… the world’s best cookies?  BUT these cookies seriously are the world’s best. Even savory people with little appetite for sweets cannot resist eating a bakers dozen by themselves. These cookies have a light, fresh and crispness to them that is simply irresistible — plus they freeze incredibly well so make more than you think you’ll need.

World's Best Cookies Recipe

  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup salad oil
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 cup crushed corn flakes
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 1/2 cups sifted flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

How to bake the World’s Best Cookies: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy
  3. Add egg, mix well
  4. Add vanilla and salad oil, mix well
  5. Add oats, cornflakes, coconut and nuts, stir well
  6. Then add flour, baking soda and salt, mix well
  7. Form into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork dipped in water
  8. Bake 12 minutes and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Must-Have Holiday Dessert Recipes

Dessert Recipes

With Christmas only days away we thought it was only appropriate to start bringing out the recipes people really care about … desserts! No holiday gathering is complete without a fully stocked sweets selection to tempt everyone’s taste buds from chocolate lovers to gingerbread men. These next recipes are the perfect addition to any menu and go great with that nightcap cup of decaf!

We hope all of our customers, friends and family have an incredible Christmas next week. We hope your freezers are fully packed with a delicious assortment of meals you can whip up for the family during a movie night at home, or when the neighbors drop in to catch up. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Praline Jumbo Holiday Mud Squares:

  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 (12 ounce) jar carmel-flavored topping
  • 1 cup butter (sinful, we know!)
  • 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl stirring well
  2. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan
  3. Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes then cool slightly
  4. Combine 3 tablespoons flour with caramel topping and spread with 1/4 inch from edge of the pan. Set aside
  5. Combine 1 cup butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat until melted.
  6. Stir in sugar, 1 cup flour, eggs and vanilla
  7. Pour mixture over caramel topping in the pan
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
  9. Cool slightly and spread with chocolate frosting (see below)

Homemade Chocolate Frosting:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Combine butter, cocoa, and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened.
  2. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

Gingerbread Cookies:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Cream butter and sugar together, add the egg and mix well
  2. Mix in the molasses
  3. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt
  4. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
  5. Mix until well-combined
  6. Chill dough for at least 2 hours (overnight is preferred)
  7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease the cookie sheets
  8. On a lightly floured surface, or between 2 sheets of wax paper, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick for chewy cookies or 1/8 inch thick for crispy cookies
  9. Cut desired shapes using cookie cutters
  10. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.

Happy Eating & Happy Holidays!
Passanante’s Home Food Service

Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Burrr! These below freezing temperatures call for some classic comfort food to warm you up from the inside out and homemade chicken pot pie with cornbread crust is just the ticket. If you have a freezer full of Passanante’s Home Food Service foods you probably already have all the ingredients needed to make this simple cold weather favorite.

Interested in expanding your horizons with more hormone-free meats, organic produce and irresistible pre-made meals?? Check out our full product listing here.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Chicken Pot Pie Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups hot chicken stock
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 potato, diced and boiled
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked carrots, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • dash of Tabasco sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Place oil and butter in a pan with onion and saute for 4-5 minutes
  3. Blend in flour and slowly whisk in the chicken stock
  4. Cook the mixture until thickened (3-4 minutes)
  5. Stir in chopped cooked chicken, frozen peas, potato, cooked carrots, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce
  6. Pour evenly into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray
  7. Cook until heated through and thickened.

Cornbread Crust:

  • 3/4 cup yellow corn meal
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  1. Combine yellow corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl
  2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, and canola oil
  3. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients stirring until just moist
  4. Spoon the batter evenly over the top of the chicken pot pie-filled casserole dish
  5. Bake until golden brown; about 22-25 minutes.

Serve with warm rolls and enjoy!

Leftover Recipes: Turkey Stroganoff & Turkey Chili

From everyone at Passanante’s Home Food Service, we hope you had an incredible Thanksgiving weekend with your family and friends. We look forward to this holiday each year and have had a great time sharing recipes with all of our customers and fans over the last month.

Preparing a huge and elaborate feast is such an exhausting task that it’s no wonder we’re thrilled to have leftovers for days — BUT if you’re anything like us, you’ve had just about all the leftover turkey sandwiches you can take and there’s still tons left in the fridge. Luckily we crawled out of our turkey coma just long enough to post a few simple recipes you can try out this week… they’re simple, delicious, easy to whip up, and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Carving a turkey

Turkey Stroganoff (serves 4):

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 pound chopped turkey
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 cups cooked and buttered noodles
  1. Melt butter and saute mushrooms, onions and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes
  2. Add flour, tomato paste and turkey
  3. Cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes
  4. Add stock and simmer until sauce is thick
  5. Take pan off heat and add sour cream, salt and pepper
  6. Serve over hot noodles

 

Turkey Chili (serves 6-8):

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 or more jalapeños, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 15oz. can cream corn
  • 1 15oz. can corn, drained
  • 1 17oz. can chopped green chiles
  • 1 10oz. can green enchilada sauce
  • 1 15oz. can white or navy beans, drained
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3-4 cups shredded turkey
  • 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat
  2. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper and jalapeños and cook until veggies are soft
  3. Add cumin, corns, chiles, sauce, milk, beans and turkey
  4. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until chili is nice and hot
  5. Serve with cheese and cilantro