Monday, June 17, 2013

Product Review: Wild Friends Nut Butter

Howdy Friends!

I hope everyone had a great weekend spending time with family and celebrating dads. One of the things my dad and I have in common is our love for the ABC show Shark Tank. It's a show about start-up entrepreneurs who pitch their products to successful businessmen and women (like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban) in the hopes of obtaining investments to advance their companies. Some of the products these people come up with are totally wacko (see the Arkeg); but others are truly genius, like Wild Friends Nut Butters.

Shark Tank Panel

Wild Friends was started by a pair of roommates at the University of Oregon who had a shortage of peanut butter, but a surplus of creativity and tenacity. The two girls started making their own peanut butter right out of their dorm room and the results were impressive. They took their idea for homemade, organic and additive-free spreads to the Shark Tank board room and earned a hefty investment for a large scale launch of their product. Now Wild Friends Nut Butters can be found in over 150 grocery stores and counting across the country; and after tasting it for myself, it's not hard to see why. 

Chocolate Cocount Peanut Butter by Wild Friends

I was elated to discover the line of Wild Friends spreads had come to my local grocery store; and even better: THEY WERE ON SALE. I opted to try the Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter, because who doesn't love chocolate and coconut together?! YUM! I couldn't wait to get home to sample this delicious concoction and...oh my...it sure is heavenly.

The peanut butter is sinfully thick and rich. Though smooth, this spread has little bits of ground peanut and coconut throughout giving it a nice, natural texture. It's the perfect consistency for both creamy and chunky lovers. The dark chocolate adds a delicious cocoa flavor without being over powering.

This peanut butter is like an Almond Joy and a Reese's cup got married and had a baby. HALLELUJAH THANK YA JESUS, what a match made in heaven. I have yet to put this on something I haven't liked: pretzels, breads, chips, crackers, cake, cookies, celery, apples, mmm. But wait, IT GETS EVEN BETTER. All of their products are made sans preservatives and additives. This particular variety is made with peanuts, chocolate, coconut, oil and sea salt. That's it. Not only is this peanut butter good, but it's good for you. I can't wait to try their other varieties.

Another great thing I love about Wild Friends is their blog, in which founders Erika and Keeley share their passion for food, recipes and life in general. It's a great read with some great tips.

I hope you get to try Wild Friends Nut Butters, too. Let me know what you think of their products and be sure to follow them on all the social networks!

Bon Appetit,

KK

Friday, June 7, 2013

Friday Feast: Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

TGIF Friends!

I don't know about y'all, but the Texas weather seems to be a little more bipolar than usual lately. I never know if it's gonna be 95 degrees and swampy, or pouring rain and in the 60s with the tornado sirens blaring; it seems like lately we've been experiencing both extremes in the same day. This weather is giving me whiplash; and it certainly makes it difficult to plan what I'm having for dinner.

To grill, or not to grill? That is the question, y'all. 

My family absolutely loves to grill out: chicken, fish, pork, steak, veggies, fruits, breads. You name it, we've probably put it on the grill and served it up hot and sizzling; but constant shifts in weather make it difficult to plan ahead for this kind of cooking. You can't very well cook out when it's hailing and raining so hard that your whole patio is flooded; on the flip side, it get's so hot and dry in Texas that the city mandates "burn bans" and it is downright illegal to light up a grill for fear of setting your whole yard on fire. 

So what do you do if you're craving that nice grill flavor but don't want any fuss? Fire up your oven, folks. I came up with this ridiculously simple, but super scrumptious corn on the cob recipe during a burn ban last year; and I've been sharing it with people ever since. Now I can't wait to share it with you!

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

Oven Roasted Corn





















Ingredients:

8 medium ears of corn
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of your favorite dried herbs (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Carefully pull down the shucks of your corn but DO NOT REMOVE THEM. Remove the silk from the corn. Combine the EVOO and the melted butter. Baste your corn with your butter/oil mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you wish, you may also sprinkle on your favorite seasoning (I usually use whatever seasoning I put on my meat). My favorite herbs to add are dried parsley and basil, cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning, Montreal steak/chicken seasoning, or granulated garlic. (YUM!!!!)

Carefully replace the shucks so that they are covering most of the corn (as shown in the picture). Roast in the oven on a baking sheet or a piece of foil for about 25 minutes. (Less if you like your corn a little al dente like me, or more if you like your corn really soft and juicy). The shucks will darken in color and that's A-OK. 

Serves 6-8 people. 
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I hope y'all love this dish as much as I do! If you have any questions, comments, praises, critiques, concerns, or you just wanna say howdy, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at keencuisine@gmail.com.

Bon Appetit,

KK