Holmes Sweet Holmes Recipe Challenge – Rules, Regulations and Entry Requirements

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

TO ENTER: Completed entries may be submitted by email to recipes@holmessmokehouse.com. Entries must be received by August 22, 2011.

All mailed entries must be postmarked by August 22, 2011. Entries may be submitted via mail to:

Holmes Smokehouse

c/o Wyatt Brand

2708 South Lamar, Ste. 200G

Austin, TX 78704

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: 1) No purchase is necessary. 2) Contest is void where prohibited by law. Subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. 3) You may enter as many recipes as you like. 4) A minor must have his/her parent’s or legal guardian’s permission to enter.  4) Entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Holmes Smokehouse will not be responsible for misdirected email and mail. 5) All entries become property of Holmes Smokehouse. Entry constitutes permission to edit, modify, publish and otherwise use the recipe in any way without compensation.

RECIPE REQUIREMENTS: 1) Recipes must be entered in one of four categories: a) Appetizer; b) Entrée; c) Bacon!; d)Daring Desserts. 2) Recipe must be original. An original recipe is the product of one’s own mind and is not a copy or imitation. If the recipe is derived from a previously published one, it must have at least four significant ingredients that are different and the method of preparation changed to qualify. 3) Recipe should include a short description, note or anecdote regarding how the recipe was created. 4) Recipe must be typed or legibly printed on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper and list ingredients in order of use and in exact, standard U. S. measurements. 5) Recipe must include: category, name of recipe, number of servings, your name, address, e-mail address and daytime telephone number.

ELIGIBILITY: 1) Contest open to residents of the residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Houston (Houston-Sugarland-Baytown) area. Entries originating from any other jurisdiction are not eligible for entry. This Contest is governed exclusively by the laws of the United States. You are not authorized to participate in the Contest if you are not located within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex or the Greater Houston area. 2) Employees, officers, and directors of Holmes Smokehouse and its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, dealers, advertising and promotion agencies, manufacturers or distributors of promotion materials and their immediate families (parents, children, siblings, spouse), or members of the same household (whether related or not) of such employees/officers/directors are not eligible to enter.

JUDGING: 1) Recipes will be judged on taste/appeal, originality, use of product, ease of preparation, clarity and accuracy, and appearance. 2) Semi-finalists will be selected by Holmes Smokehouse staff and partners. 3) One (1) finalist from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and one (1) finalist from the Greater Houston area will be selected by popular vote via a Facebook poll. 4) The winning recipe will be selected by Rodney Roth, Holmes Smokehouse President, based on criteria listed above. Finalists will be notified via email. Your first name, the city you are from and your recipe (including photo) will be published on the website. 5) Judges will disqualify recipes which to their knowledge are previously published recipes.

PRIZES: Prizes are nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. Holmes Smokehouse reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal value. Prizes given by liquor or wine sponsors will only be awarded if the grand prize winner is twenty one (21) or older. A valid Texas I.D. will be required to accept these prizes. Prizes include: 1) A year’s supply of Holmes Smokehouse products, an exclusive visit from the 21′ Smokehouse Express trailer* for a cookout for 20 of your family/friends, and merchandise – www.HolmesSmokehouse.com 2) Texas Original Pits Grill ($700 value) with 18″ Fire Box and 32″ BBQ area – www.TexasOriginalPits.com 3) Wine & Food Foundation of Texas membership and Gift package incl. apron, wine stopper set, wine bible – www.WineFoodFoundation.org 4) Canyon Foods Gift Set incl. All Fired up Grilling Sauce, Texas BBQ sauce, Ancho Chile Sauce, and Gumbo Starter – www.CanyonFoods.com 5) Cinco Vodka Gift Set inc.** one 750-ml bottle and two martini glasses www.CincoVodka.com 6) TBD prize set from The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes – www.ArtInstitutes.edu

* At an available date/time as determined and offered by Holmes Smokehouse

** Winner must verify age of 21 or above

 USE OF DATA: By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of their personal information (Name, city, and recipe details).

CONDITIONS: All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Participation in Contest and acceptance of prize constitutes winner’s permission for Sponsor to use his/her name, address (city and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information and/or any statements made by winner regarding the Contest or Sponsor for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. By participating, entrants, winner agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its advertising and promotion agencies and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors, from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in Contest, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Contest-related activity and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery. Sponsor is not responsible if Contest cannot take place or if prize cannot be awarded due to travel cancellations, delays or interruptions due to acts of God, acts of war, natural disasters, weather or acts of terrorism. Entrants who do not comply with these official rules, or attempt to interfere with this Contest in any way shall be disqualified. There is no purchase or sales presentation required to participate. A purchase does not increase odds of winning.

All entries become the sole and exclusive property of the Sponsor and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Only fully completed entry forms are eligible. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.

Calling All Cooks: Enter the Holmes Sweet Holmes Recipe Challenge – Dallas v. Houston

Everything is bigger and better in Texas – appetites and imaginations included! That’s why we’re challenging two of Texas’ biggest and hungriest cities – Dallas and Houston – to see whose recipes reign supreme.

We’re looking for original recipes that are creative and flavorful, and feature one of Holmes Smokehouse’s products. Submit your best dish(es) in one of our four competition categories: Appetizers, Entrées, Bacon!, and Daring Desserts – for a chance to win a Texas-sized prize package fit for a culinary king or queen. Our grand prize winner will be given a year’s worth of Holmes Smokehouse products, a new grill from Texas Original Pits, and packages from The International Culinary Schools at Art Institutes, The Food and Wine Foundation of Texas, Canyon Foods, and Cinco Vodka. And to top it all off, the winner will receive the first ever at-home visit from the Smokehouse Express, Holmes’ mobile smokehouse, to help throw the ultimate backyard cook out!

The contest closes on August 22, 2011. Check out the rules, regulations and entry requirements listed on this blog, or the notes on our Facebook page, and send your best recipes to recipes@holmessmokehouse.com.

We can’t wait to hear what you’ve got cooking!

A Hot Meal For The Bitter Cold

It’s that time of year again and winter is back with a vengeance. As Jack Frost is blowing icy temperatures across the country everyone is looking for some kind of escape from the bitter cold. Here at Holmes Smokehouse we like to beat the heat with a hot bowl of sausage soup and now you can too with the recipe below. So curl up on the couch with a good movie, your favorite blanket, and fill your belly full of piping hot savory soup. Yum! Comfort food at it’s best!

SMOKED SAUSAGE SOUP

14 oz. Package of Holmes Smokehouse Sausage
2 Stalks Celery
1 Onion (cut into bite size pieces)
2 Carrots – diced
4 Potatoes – diced
1 Can Green Beans
1 Can Peas
1 Can Whole Kernel Corn
6 Cups Water
2 Tsp. Greek Seasoning
2 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Sherry
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions: Sauté sausage, onions, celery, garlic (add in near the end of sauté to ensure that you don’t burn), and carrots together on high heat until onions are translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on medium heat until vegetables are done. Serve and enjoy!

 

Green Beans With Mushrooms and Bacon

Try this enhanced holiday classic side dish and wow your dinner guests this season.
Prep: 20 min., Cook: 20 min.
Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
2  pounds  fresh green beans, trimmed
8  Holmes Smokehouse bacon slices
3  cups  sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 7 oz.)
1/4  cup  chopped shallots
1/8  to 1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation
1. Cook beans in boiling salted water to cover in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 1/2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Discard remaining drippings. Crumble bacon.
3. Sauté mushrooms and shallots in hot drippings over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until shallots are tender. Add green beans and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in crumbled bacon, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Asparagus With Mushrooms and Bacon: Substitute 2 lb. fresh asparagus for green beans. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2- inch pieces. Proceed with recipe as directed, cooking asparagus pieces for 2 to 4 minutes.

Caroline Harris, Lexington, Georgia, Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2006

Sausage Gumbo Pot Pie With Garlic Bread Crust

This is a must try recipe and sure to please those hungry cowboys and cowgirls at your dinner table. Pot pie never tasted so good!

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 15 min., Bake: 20 min., Stand: 10 min.
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1  (14 ounce)  Holmes Smokehouse smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1  medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
1  small onion, chopped
1/4  cup  instant roux mix
1  (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1  (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1  (16-ounce) package frozen okra
1  cup  quick-cooking rice, uncooked
1/2  teaspoon  Cajun seasoning
1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
3  tablespoons  melted butter
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (12-ounce) French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Garnish: finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Sauté first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until browned; stir in roux mix. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and next 5 ingredients, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Stir together butter and garlic; brush on one side of bread slices. Top sausage mixture evenly with bread slices, buttered side up.

3. Bake, covered, at 425° for 10 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

The only change you might want to make is to add the bread after the first 10 minutes of cooking are completed then remove the foil and add the bread. The bread can get a bit soggy otherwise.

Holiday Stuffing Recipe

Featured below is a Sausage – Cranberry Stuffing recipe adapted from allrecipes that uses our Holmes Smokehouse pecan smoked sausage. Yum!

Sausage-Cranberry Stuffing
10 servings

5 cups cubed French bread
1 (14 oz) package of Holmes Smokehouse sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
8 ounces fresh mushrooms; sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
2. To the pan, add olive oil, onion, celery, mushrooms, apple, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring frequently for 10 minutes to blend flavors and soften the vegetables.
3. Add diced sausage to pan and stir to combine. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in dried cranberries and parsley. Drizzle with chicken broth and melted butter, and mix lightly.
4. Spread into a buttered 9×13 inch pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Notes: To get a crunchy top layer bake uncovered. To ensure that the rest of your stuffing is moist feel free to adjust the amount of chicken broth to suit your taste.

Holiday Ham

The mad meat scientists over here at Holmes Smokehouse have been hard at work lately and have come out with a fantastic new product that should hit stores this month. If you’ve been hankering for a taste of the holiday season then we’ve got your fix. Our New Boneless Sliced Ham is fully cooked and pre-sliced so that you can be ready if unexpected guests show up for dinner or when you just need a quick meal for the family. In any eventuality you can be confident that your serving a great tasting succulent ham thats packed full of flavor, cured to perfection, and is 95% fat free. Take A Bite Outta’ Texas!

Texans vs. Colts

Thats Right! The weekend is upon us and the Texans are facing the Colts on Monday @ 7:30pm hoping to capture a second win against them this season. Since its an away game we won’t be tailgating at the stadium but you can have your own tailgate event in the comfort of your own home. Don’t forget to pick up some Holmes Smokehouse Pecan Smoked Sausage (great for grillin’) or some of our Authentic Cajun Style Boudin & Hot Dogs. Take A Bite Outta’ Texas this weekend and feed your hometeam a meal that is sure to satisfy.

Final Dynamo Tailgating of the year.

Don’t miss out this Sunday!

It’s the last Dynamo game of the Season and also your last chance to tailgate with us as the Dynamo take on the Seattle Sounders. The Dynamo is giving away a long sleeve jersey to the first 5,000 fans so get there early and hang out with us prior to the game. We will have the Mobile Smokehouse at this event so come on down and do a little porch sittin’, have some great food, and celebrate with friends as we cheer on the Houston Dynamo. Forever Orange! If you can’t make it out this Saturday we will surely miss you but don’t fret to much since we’ll continue our tailgating at all the remaining Texan’s home games. The Dynamo tailgating starts at 11:30 in the morning and goes until gametime. Hope to see you there!

Tour de Kroger

Let me first say thanks to everyone who was able to make it to one of our Kroger locations this past week. We hope you got your fill of free samples and coupons for our award winning sausage. We love to drop in on locations around Houston and have these mini-events so ya’ll can get a taste of some of our lip smackin’ products. For those of you who weren’t able to make it out below are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of what your missing. I should mention that you might notice our new toy in a couple of these pictures. We call it the “Boss Hog” and it is a beast of a truck. Decked out with a full vinyl wrap and soon to have exhaust stacks, bed liner and ground effects we think this makes a perfect compliment to our mobile smokehouse.

Here is a shot of a couple of our new friends enjoying a relaxing meal on our mobile smokehouse porch. Anytime we have an event feel free to hop up onto our back porch and take a load off. We love having guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yum!! Some of our delicious Pecan Smoked Sausage. If you didn’t get some at the events you can find it pretty much anywhere in Houston. It’s sold at all your major retail grocery stores. Take A Bite Outta’ Texas!