Back to School in Style

It's that time of year again- time for school. Luckily, most of us have graduated, but our kids haven't. So, how do you get kids excited for school? With a great lunch, that's how!

Kids can be hard to please, but we think they'll love these lunch options because they feature kid-friendly foods with a little extra flavor and excitement. Show your kids that you like these dishes and they'll want to try them too.

To fill your week with kid-friendly lunches, we revved up the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Triple Decker Sandwich
Kids will love this architectural sandwich creation from Jamie Oliver.
Ingredients: 3 slices of freshly-cut bread, butter, ham (or your favorite meat), watercress, cheese, tomato, pepper

Turkey Sandwich with Apple and Havarti
This sandwich is savory, sweet, and delicious.
Ingredients: turkey cutlets, olive oil, salt & pepper, mango chutney, Dijon mustard, pumpernickel bread, Havarti, Granny Smith apple, red-leaf lettuce

Chipotle-Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Avocado
Chipotle adds a little punch and avocado smooths it out.
Ingredients: olive oil, lime juice, chipotle powder, boneless skinless chicken breasts, Monterey Jack cheese, hamburger bun, avocado, lettuce, mayo

Cheese Animal Crackers
We love Animal Crackers, especially when they're cheesy and homemade.
Ingredients: Parmigiano-Reggiano, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, whole milk, egg

Granola Balls
This is a nice, healthy dessert option kids will love.
Ingredients: old-fashioned rolled oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, creamy peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, your favorite trail mix


Now let's get cooking!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

Some Like it Hot!

Spicy food is loved by some and avoided by others. Personally, we love spicy food. We can't get enough and are constantly on the lookout for hotter and hotter foods. We haven't eaten any of those atomic wings that require signing a waiver, but it's only a matter of time before we do.

How did we get to this point? We started eating spicy foods in Middle School and kept upping the ante every couple weeks. And that's how it's done because you build a tolerance to spicy foods over time. Start out with a drop of Tabasco and go from there!

Since we love spicy foods, we built a menu that begins with a kick of jalapeno and continues through to dessert truffles enhanced by red chili powder.

With spice on the brain and spicy food on the tongue, we fired up the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Spicy Southwestern Deviled Eggs
This popular appetizer is hot, jalapenos make it even hotter!
Ingredients: cilantro, jalapeno pepper, cumin, egg, mustard, salt, mayonnaise

Carolina Barbequed Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Spicy-Tangy Slaw
This dish features a spicy slaw that's great with all BBQ dishes.
Ingredients: pork butt, spice rub, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, jalapenos

Spicy Corn and Chicken Chili
This chili is easy to prep and packs a great punch!
Ingredients: onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, cayenne powder, ground chicken breast, tomato sauce, salsa, corn, salt, cilantro

Mexican Hot Chocolate
This Hot Cocoa is delicious because it's hot and it's spicy.
Ingredients: evaporated milk, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmet, cayenne powder, semisweet chocolate, cocoa powder

Spicy Chocolate Truffles
If you like spicy food, you'll love spicy-chocolate dessert.
Ingredients: heavy cream, unsalted butter, semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, vanilla, cocoa powder, sugar, chili powder, cinnamon


Now let's get cooking!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Football season has finally arrived! College games got underway last week and the NFL kicks off this Thursday with a showdown between the Packers and Saints, the last two Super Bowl winners.

As my mom always said, "it seems like every game is a big game." So, whether you plan to watch at home or from the stadium, make sure to put together a bunch of great tailgating dishes for everyone to enjoy. For our football watching, we like having some lighter fare that's easy to prep (like a Meat & Cheese Platter and Chips & Guacamole) and hearty dishes that take a little more time (like Chili, Ribs and Wings).

Put that all together with your favorite team and a frosty beverage and you've got yourself a party. Game on!

With the start of Football Season on the brain, we fired up the FoodPair recipe search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese Plate
A nice meat & cheese platter is a great way to get things started.
Ingredients: Manchego cheese, Serrano ham, Extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper

Club Med Salsa Mexicana and Guacamole
Delicious salsa, chips and guac are a must for game day.
Ingredients: avocado, tomato, onion, serrano, lime, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper

Memphis Ribs with Coleslaw
You can't go wrong with ribs and coleslaw for football.
Ingredients: pork spareribs, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, barbecue sauce, cole slaw

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili
The expert tailgaters behind this recipe insist it's the best.
Ingredients: tomato, garlic, oregano, corn, cumin, bell pepper, paprika, celery, Cheddar, chili powder, Italian sausage, ground beef...

Tailgating Asian-style Wings
These sweet and spicy wings hit all the right notes.
Ingredients: honey, dried oregano, cumin, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper, sesame oil, oyster sauce, chicken wings, orange juice, lime, garlic powder


Let's get cooking!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.

Our Labor Day Extravaganza!

It's time for another Labor Day Weekend! We're excited for the extra day off and a big barbecue with friends and family. We hope the weather's warm where you live so you can enjoy the extra day outdoors, relaxing and grilling up a storm!

For our party, we're having guests bring their favorite side dishes while we make all kinds of tasty barbecued and grilled entrees. We have Pulled BBQ Turkey Sandwiches, Grilled Fish Tacos, Handmade Black Bean Veggie Burgers and Bobby Flay's Dallas Burger that's smothered in BBQ Sauce and Cole Slaw.

With such a varied menu, we know we can satisfy everyone from hardcore carnivores to dedicated vegetarians. All the dishes we picked are easily portable so you can load up a place and eat as you roam the backyard to talk to one person after another.

With barbecue on the brain, we fired up the FoodPair recipe search engine and found a handful of great recipes from across the Web.

Watercress Salad with Manchego & Orange
This light summer salad is a great starter or side.
Ingredients: Manchego cheese, salt & pepper, olive oil, watercress, sherry vinegar, slivered almonds, navel orange

Barbecued Turkey Sandwiches with Celery Salad
This sandwich looks saucy and delicious.
Ingredients: olive oil, white wine vinegar, blue cheese, salt & pepper, celery, scallions, flat-leaf parsley, cooked turkey, barbecue sauce, sandwich rolls

Grilled Fish Tacos
You can't go wrong with a perfectly grilled fish taco.
Ingredients: red onion, cider vinegar, sugar, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, mahi mahi, mayo, sour cream, corn tortillas, radish, avocado, cabbage

Vegetarian Lentil Burgers
These homemade veggie burgers will make vegetarians swoon.
Ingredients: cooked black lentils, eggs, sea salt, onion, whole grain bread crumbs, olive oil (or clarified butter)

Bobby Flay's Dallas Burger
This burger screams BBQ with a spice rub, BBQ sauce & pickles.
Ingredients: ground beef chuck, canola oil, salt & pepper, ancho chile powder, Spanish paprika, dried oregano, coriander, dry mustard, cumin, chile de arbol, cole slaw, BBQ sauce, dill pickles


Let's get cooking!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.