A few weeks ago, I was asked by The Motherhood to team up with some amazing Philly Bloggers to try out some brand spankin’ new Lawry’s products.  Since I love to cook, and my motto is:  “I’ll try (almost) anything once, if I like it, I’ll try it again” of course I raised my hand enthusiastically (and maybe jumped up and down a time or two to make sure I was selected to join in).

One of ten teams around the country, our Philly Team was challenged to come up with new yummy twists on three of our favorite summer recipes using Lawry’s spices, in the theme of “Holidays/Special Occasions” – since  we’ve been in the throes of a major heat wave throughout the summer, we opted to put together a Labor Day/Couples Party/Cookout with some amazing (and delectable) recipes.

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to join in the fun via Skype, since I had a scheduling conflict on the day of the get-together (but as I watched the fun on my computer screen, I was so wishing I was there in person).  This is the meal we came up with:

It all looks so yummy, doesn’t it?  While we didn’t get to enjoy all that yumminess in person, we did recreate it here at home – and everything was a huge hit (though the hubby is not fond of salmon, but he did enjoy the taste of the plank salmon, and I made him a Talapia filet on the side so he could eat his fill) but I’m getting ahead of myself, here’s our menu (since some of our team members are gluten-free, we kept our menu as gluten-free as possible):

Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip
Lawry’s Rubbed Cedar Plank Salmon with Pineapple Salsa
Corn on the Cob
Grilled Balsamic Marinated Vegetables
Dessert:  Sweet and spicy Strawberries and Peaches
Drink Special: Lawry’s Sweet & Seasoned Surprise

Because I know you’ll want to try these out too (really you should, it’s all so easy and amazingly good) here are the recipes:

Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip:

Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • <1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoning
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 12-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • Italian cheese blend, to sprinkle on top of finished dip
  • French-bread baguette slices, toasted or Gluten Free chips or crackers or celery for dipping

Directions:

  1. Whisk 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and Lawry’s seasoning in medium bowl to blend. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts. Transfer mixture to 3-cup ramekin.
  2. Sprinkle dip with 2 tablespoons grated Mexican cheese and paprika.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake dip until heated through, about 25 minutes (about 35 minutes if chilled).
  4. Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Serve warm with unsalted  and/or Gluten-free crackers

Lawry’s Rubbed Cedar Plank Salmon:

Lawry’s Rubbed Cedar Plank Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

  • ¼ c brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp Lawry’s seasoned pepper
  • 1 Cedar Plank
  • 3 pound salmon

Directions

  1. Prepare Cedar Plank according to instructions.
  2. Mix brown sugar and seasoned pepper and rub over Salmon.
  3. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Grill according to Cedar Plank instructions.

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 pineapple, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoned pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Cook onion over low heat until translucent.
  2. Add pineapple, pepper, ginger, sugar and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle on cilantro.
  4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note:  .Make the salsa the day before (or a few hours before) you plan to serve the meal–salsa is always better when you let it sit.  While this is on the side as an additional topping, Julie of Just Precious noted that the sweetness of pineapple really added to the taste, and when I tried it first hand, I absolutely agree.

Corn on the Cob

Directions

  1. Remove outer layers of corn husks
  2. Soak corn in cold water for 20 minutes
  3. Peel back husks
  4. Dribble olive oil and shake on Lawry’s seasoned salt
  5. Push corn husks back around cob and grill for 20-40 minutes, turning every now and again
  6. Remove corn and serve

Grilled Balsamic Marinated Vegetables

Ingredients

  • Fresh local vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces
  • Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade
  • Foil

Directions

  1. Line a dish with foil
  2. Mix vegetables in dish
  3. Cover with about half a bottle of marinade, cover with another layer of foil
  4. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour
  5. Carefully flip over dish and close foil so that it encases the vegetables
  6. Add another layer of foil
  7. Place over a hot grill for 20-40 minutes, turning once. (The longer you cook the vegetables, the softer they will be.)

Dessert – Sweet and Spicy Strawberries and Peaches:

Sweet and Spicy Strawberries and Peaches

Ingredients

  • 1 lb strawberries
  • 3 fresh local peaches
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tbsp Lawry’s balsamic vinegar marinade

Directions

  1. Cut tops of strawberries
  2. Slice peaches into slices
  3. Marinate in water, marinade, and sugar
  4. Place in foil
  5. Grill for 5-6 minutes
  6. Serve with vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt

On a whim, discussions took place about what to make drink-wise.  When it was decided to create a unique Margarita, I was wishing modern technology allowed me to crawl through my computer screen to join in, or at the very least, be able to have one of these passed through to me:

Our lovely hostess, Julie, enjoying a Lawry’s Sweet & Seasoned Surprise

Lawry’s Sweet & Seasoned Surprise

Ingredients

  • 2 oz tequila
  • 2 ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1/2 cup frozen peaches
  • Juice of ½ Lemon
  • Lawry’s seasoned salt

Directions

  1. Mix above in a blender.
  2. Pour some Seasoned salt on a plate
  3. Wet Margarita glass with a lemon and dip in Lawry’s seasoning
  4. Enjoy this salty and sweet drink!

There you have it – a menu and meal fit for entertaining just about anyone – Labor Day is just around the corner, maybe this will give you some ideas on how to impress your guests!

How would you like a chance to receive the same Lawry’s seasoning and marinade we used in our recipes so you can try them out yourself?


Win It

 


Here’s your chance to win 16 oz Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Balsamic Herb Marinade and Seasoned Salt Marinade

Required Entry:

(must be completed before any extra entries are valid) Leave a comment telling me which of the above recipes are your favorite, or that you’d like to try.

If your email address is not visible in your profile, you must include it in your comments (or send it to me in an email if you don’t want to publicly display it).

 

Extra entry options: (these are optional – increase your chance to win!)

  • Follow Me publicly on Google Friend Connect – 1 entry
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    Enter to win #Lawrys Gift Pack at Stacy Uncorked #giveaway http://stacysrandomthoughts.com/?p=13668
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You have until 11:59pm EDT on August 21, 2011 to enter. 1 lucky winner will be randomly selected. I will email the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email or a new winner will be chosen. Open to U.S. residents. Good luck!

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A big thank you to The Motherhood for this opportunity, and to Lawry’s for providing me with product for review and giveaway.  Also, a big thank you to my fellow team members whose brilliant ideas and collective cooking savvy made this yumminess possible.  The opinions are of my own personal experience and not influenced by any outside source.  Disclosure policy here.

25 Comments

  1. I tweeted this give-away twitter.com/#?/Xmasdolly/status/102957926716678146

    Still can’t copy anything from your blog or paste. What’s up wit dat???? ~snicker~

  2. I love the cheesy bake artichoke dip recipe. I’m definitely going to give that one a try this holiday weekend.

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