‘Joy to the Cook’ Contest Serves Up Fare with a Festive Flare

Dec. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- DALLAS (December 19, 2011) – Just in time for your seasonal soirée, Salads of the Sea and Santa Barbara Bay are pleased to announce the winners of the “Joy to the Cook: The Recipe for Holiday Entertaining” contest, where contestants were asked to send in their best holiday entertaining recipe using Salads of the Sea and Santa Barbara Bay products. Tuscan Crab Pillows with Smoked Paprika Dipping Sauce made by Naylet LaRochelle with Salads of the Sea Crab Spinach and Artichoke Dip, as well as Salads of the Sea Seafood Cocktail Sauce, and the Zesty Ranch and Spinach Turkey Burgers, made by Leah Sipher-Mann with Santa Barbara Bay Zesty Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip, took home the top awards for their celebration creations.

The winning recipes were carefully selected by a panel of Future Food Brands experts, who put a great deal of time and effort in making the selections. The R&D team tested and analyzed each recipe before determining which creation would best be used to deck the halls of holiday parties.

“The creative recipes our consumers sent us were extremely impressive,” said Emily Alfano, director of marketing and new product development at Future Food Brands. “With so many enticing entries arriving up until the deadline, it was hard to choose just one winner from each brand. Thank you to everyone who submitted a recipe.”

Each winner will receive a holiday entertaining prize package worth $200, ideal for these holiday hostesses! Each of the two prize packages (one for each brand) include a $100 gift card to Crate & Barrel and a $100 party package including Crate & Barrel serving ware and Santa Barbara Bay or Salads of the Sea products. Party trays, which offer consumers a scrumptious snack with a combination of two dips, spreads or the all-new Greek Yogurt Dip flavors paired side-by-side in individual compartments, as well as other retail products are among the gifts received in this package. In addition to these prizes, the winner and winning recipes will be featured via Facebook and Twitter.

The following are the winning recipes, perfect for your holiday party or anytime meal:

Tuscan Crab Pillows with Smoked Paprika Dipping Sauce by Naylet LaRochelle
Instructions:
2/3 cup finely chopped, pitted, ripe black olives
1/3 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 (15 oz.) box of refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts in one box)
1 container Salads of the Sea Crab Spinach and Artichoke Dip
3 tablespoons water (for sealing crust edges)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Salads of the Sea Seafood Cocktail Sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, combine olives, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Toss to mix. Roll out pie crusts on a work surface. Using a 3 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut out 10-12 rounds. (If needed, gather scraps and roll out dough to make enough rounds). Spoon about 1 tablespoon Salads of the Sea Crab Spinach and Artichoke Dip onto center of each round. Top each round with about 2 teaspoons olive-sundried tomato mixture. Lightly brush edges of rounds with water; fold crust over to meet edges. Carefully press down with a fork to seal. Make two small cuts on top crusts.  Arrange crab-filled foldovers on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.  

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, Salads of the Sea Seafood Cocktail Sauce, smoked paprika, and lemon juice. Transfer to a serving bowl; garnish with parsley.  

Serve crab pillows with smoked paprika dipping sauce. Makes 10-12 crab pillows.

Zesty Ranch and Spinach Turkey Burgers by Leah Sipher-Mann
Instructions:
2 lb ground turkey (85/15 blend works best)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 cups baby spinach
1/3 cups bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons Santa Barbara Bay Zesty Ranch Dip
Salt and pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Cook by broiling for 5-10 minutes on each side, or grilling. Serve on whole wheat buns or eat plain. Makes 4-6 burgers.


About Future Food Brands, Ltd.
Founded in 1984, Future Food Brands, Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of innovative, quality seafood based and dairy based dips, salads and spreads distributed under two National brands, Salads of the Sea and Santa Barbara Bay as well as numerous private label brands. Products are sold in Deli, Dairy, Produce and Seafood departments nationwide. Future Food Brands, Ltd. is headquartered near Dallas in Carrollton, Texas.