Tag Archives: salsa

October 1, 2012 · 6:00 AM

Texas Brew Salsa, a hearty breakfast and a GIVEAWAY; what a morning!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Wen, winner of our Texas Brew Salsa giveaway. Enjoy! Special thanks to Brenda Craig of Texas Brew Salsa. I very much appreciate her generous offer to make a reader’s salsa dreams come true.

Good morning, y’all. At least I hope it’s a good morning for you. If it isn’t, then maybe you should have one of these beauties for breakfast:

A Texas Howdy Breakfast with Texas Brew Salsa

Nothing gives your day a swift kick in the pants like a rib-sticking breakfast smothered in salsa, am I right? And not just any salsa – Texas Brew Salsa from right here in the heart of Texas. Created and run by local salsa magnate Brenda Craig (she’ll get a kick out of that title), it’s a great example of Texas ingenuity and creativity. And honey, Texans know salsa.

Texas Brew Salsa ingredients are roasted over an open fire for exceptional flavor. Better yet, they’re all natural. That ‘little something extra’ you’ll taste is honey. Varieties include Honey Roasted Chipotle, Honey Roasted Peach, Honey Roasted Pineapple, Honey Roasted Mango, Honey Roasted Apple Cinnamon, Hot Iron Habanero, Fire Roasted Poblano, and Fire Roasted Black Bean & Corn. Texas Brew is slightly sweet, and yet not too sweet and it’s highly addictive. We’ve tried it on just about everything – eggs, fish tacos, burgers, bean burritos and bag after bag of tortilla chips. Like I said, it’s addictive.

I took this photo; that’s why the bottom right jar has some missing. Yum.

I was introduced to Texas Brew Salsa via a blog giveaway hosted by Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. Like most of you, I enter these things thinking “I’ll never win, but what the heck; may as well try!” Well, it’s a good thing I did. A few days later, I received an e-mail from Jen saying ‘Congratulations!’ which was quickly followed by an e-mail from Brenda saying “You’re a winner – which varieties would you like to try?” In a few days, I had a big heavy box of salsa at my door. Now that’s great customer service. Here’s what I was inspired to make for you:

NanaBread’s Easy Green Chili, Cheddar & Bacon Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk baking mix (I use Pioneer; Bisquick will work)
1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon roasted Hatch green chilies, minced
1/4 cup cooked bacon, crumbled (reserve the bacon fat)
1/2 Tablespoon bacon fat
pinch of cracked black pepper
pinch of garlic salt
2/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter

Filling:
bacon, fried to perfection
sausage, fried to perfection
eggs, soft fried to perfection
salsa, fire roasted to perfection
(see the pattern here?)

Pre-heat your oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set it aside. In a bowl, combine the baking mix, grated cheese, green chilies, bacon, pepper & salt; stir to combine. Gradually stir in 2/3 cup milk and blend just until the dry ingredients are incorporated; do not over mix. Using an ice cream scoop that has been lightly oiled, scoop biscuit mix onto the parchment paper. Place a pat of butter on top of each biscuit. Real butter, pretty please.

Biscuits just before they go into the oven


Bake for 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of your biscuits) or until they turn a pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before slicing to prevent them from falling apart. Biscuits can be tricky like that.

Biscuits as big as your head, just out of the oven. Pretty!


Carefully slice the biscuits in half and top each half with a schmear of butter, a generous helping of bacon or sausage (or both – your choice), and a soft fried egg or two. Slather the entire pile in Texas Brew Salsa (I used the poblano).

A bacon, egg & cheese biscuit is good, but salsa makes it so much better!

This recipe makes two very large or 4 small biscuits. But this is Texas, so we make them big. Of course. I’m digging in. Would you like to join me?

You’d better be hungry; this is one big biscuit!

Now, who would like to try Texas Brew Salsa? Brenda Craig has generously offered to give away a box to one lucky reader. For a chance to win:

Leave a comment telling us what you’d make with Texas Brew Salsa or if you’d eat it straight out of the jar with a big bag of chips.

For extra entries, you may:
1. Follow Texas Brew Salsa on Facebook
2. Follow Texas Brew Salsa on Twitter
3. Follow me, NanaBread on Twitter
**NOTE: You MUST leave a separate comment stating that you have done each or any of these three things.**

This giveaway is for one variety pack of Texas Brew Salsa, including free shipping right to your door. This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only. It will run from Monday, October 1st, 2012, to 9:00 p.m., CST on Friday, October 5th, 2012. At that time, one winner will be chosen by random draw and notified by e-mail. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Now get to entering! You can’t win if you don’t!

Texas Brew Salsa – getcha’ some!

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November 1, 2010 · 10:52 AM

Craving Breakfast for Dinner? Try Huevos Rancheros (Ranch Eggs)

Huevos Rancheros - A Breakfast for Dinner Favorite

This used to be our favorite “lazy weekend” breakfast – perfect for those mornings when you want to sleep late and read the paper in your pajamas and bunny slippers. Lately, however, it seems like we’re eating it more often for dinner than breakfast, which still works because it’s great any time. I just love everything about this dish. It’s simple, easy to make, and it satisfies my cravings for Mexican food and breakfast for dinner. It also brings together my favorite elements of a classic Mexican food binge – chips, salsa & cheese. If you haven’t tried Huevos Rancheros yet, it’s time. Here’s how I make it for two people:

One small bag of corn tortilla chips
Pam cooking spray
4 large or jumbo eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated colby jack cheese
2 Tablespoons of minced purple onion
1/2 cup of red salsa
3 Tablespoons of cilantro (optional)

Set out two plates. On each plate, arrange enough tortilla chips to cover half the plate as if you’re making nachos. If you want your chips to be more bite-sized, crunch them up a little before spreading them out. Spray a non-stick skillet with a little cooking spray and cook your eggs until the yolks are to your liking. I’ll be honest with you, this dish is best if you leave the yolks a little runny. Gently place 2 eggs on each plate on top of the bed of tortilla chips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated cheese on each serving, top each with one tablespoon of minced onion, pour 1/4 cup of salsa across each serving, then top with the cilantro. Put each plate into the microwave for 30-60 seconds on high to warm everything up and melt the cheese. Serve immediately. I like to serve this with pan-fried potatoes with onions or leftover refried beans. Out of salsa? Try it with pico de gallo instead. Want it spicy? Toss a fresh, minced jalapeno on the top or give it a few shakes of Tabasco. For me, this dish has it all – crunchy, creamy, salty, and spicy. It’s just fantastic. Whether you serve it for breakfast or dinner, Huevos Rancheros is sure to warm you up.

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September 22, 2010 · 2:06 PM

“Buy Local” Spotlight: Arriba Salsa

Lately, I’ve found myself gravitating towards local products at the grocery store. I like the idea of buying stuff made or grown close to home. It makes me feel like I’m helping make Houston a better, more self-sufficient place. For that reason, I’ve decided to start highlighting local products and/or producers I love. Don’t fret…there is no crass commercialism involved. I swear on a stack of Dove bars that I’m not being bribed or compensated in any way to promote any product. I just want to share the information; you can decide if you’d like to try them. Think of it like running into a stranger in the grocery store who turns to you and says, “Have you tried these yet? What did you think?” That’s not unusual for me. I seem to have random conversations with strangers in the grocery store quite a bit. I must have one of those faces. Anyway, here we go:

Local Product Spotlight #1: Arriba Salsa
I’m starting with this one because The Complete Package and I both love it to pieces. I’m not joking when I say that I have one jar in the fridge and three in the pantry at this very moment. We’re addicted. We eat it on everything and anything, but it’s also great straight out of the jar on tortilla chips. It’s good stuff.

Arriba Salsa - A Fiesta in a Jar!

Our favorite is the “medium” fire roasted Mexican style red salsa. It’s a perfect balance of roasted tomato flavor and heat. Not too spicy, but not too wimpy. It’s made by Riba Foods in Houston. They make a wide variety of salsas including Mexican style, California style and Texas style. They also have a line of pickles, peppers and olives as well as drink mixes, dips and sauces. We just tried our first jar of their Texas Pepper Works Candy-Krisp pickles and they are awesome! They’re sweet spicy pickles with a cayenne and garlic kick. Like the label says – not too spicy, not too sweet. I could eat the whole jar. I might not be able to feel my lips afterwards, but I could do it. If you don’t live in Texas or the Houston area, don’t sweat it! You can order directly from their website if you can’t find them at your local grocer. Here’s the website; the rest is up to you.
If you’re interested, you can check them out at: http://www.ribafoods.com/RibaCart/catalog.aspx

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