Update: This giveaway is closed.
I am always on the lookout for new recipe ideas to get me inspired and excited to try out new things. I must admit I do need inspiration in the kitchen – I have been very busy lately, and as such I have often cooked the same recipes over and over again, and found myself stuck in a rut. Fall is upon us and we can find an amazing abundance of fresh produce at the local markets. Still, what good is this if you just don’t have the time to experiment with flavors and to create new recipes? As you can see, I am a little frustrated with how things have been on the cooking front lately 🙂
Thankfully, my enthusiasm for experimenting came back recently, when Red Gold Tomatoes contacted me and asked me to test out their new slow cooker recipes, which have been devised to make fall cooking easy and more flavorful than ever. Red Gold is also hosting a competition on their Facebook page, where you can win one of two slow cookers every day. They are giving away 44 slow cookers over the next 3 weeks! A few days after I accepted their challenge Red Gold sent me a pack containing 6 cans of tomatoes, an apron, a wooden spoon and a recipe sheet.
All recipes included nutritional information, which I thought was great.
We eat a lot of chicken in this house, so in the end I decided to make the Rustic Italian Chicken recipe, which called for boneless skinless chicken thighs. I went to two stores and neither sold boneless chicken thighs – as a matter of fact, one store did not sell chicken thighs at all (!). In the end I bought bone-in chicken thighs and I took the skin off myself.
I placed the chicken in the slow cooker and then added the other ingredients featured in the recipe: chopped red bell pepper, sliced mushrooms and carrots, garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
I finished off with one can of Red Gold diced tomatoes and two cans of Red Gold crushed tomatoes.
I set the slow cooker on low and cooked the recipe for about 6 hours. When the chicken was done, the look and smell were just amazing!
As per the recipe instructions, I served the chicken over pasta and topped it with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil from my garden. I used bow tie pasta (one of my all-time favorites), but you can use any pasta you like. The chicken was unbelievably moist and tasty, thanks to the long hours of cooking which allowed it to take on the delicious earthy flavors of the other ingredients. The sauce was robust and its sophisticated depth of flavor reminded me of fall, a season of so much culinary abundance, variety and joy. This is the perfect recipe for fall, and I will definitely make it again.
All Red Gold slow cooker recipes can be found here. As I said earlier, Red Gold is also running a promotion on Facebook, where you can win one of two slow cookers every day over the next 3 weeks.
To celebrate the arrival of the fall and the launch of their new slow cooker recipes, Red Gold is offering Chicago Loves Panini readers the chance to win a pack of Red Gold goodies. The pack is similar to the one I received and contains 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can diced tomatoes with green chillies, 1 can diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro, 1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, a Red Gold apron, a wooden spoon and a recipe sheet.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question: What is your favorite comfort food, and why?
Giveaway open to US residents only. One entry per person. Deadline for entries is 6PM central time on October 1st, 2014. One winner will be chosen on or around October 2nd, 2014 by using a random number generator and will have 72 hours to respond to the winner notification email. I reserve the right to pick an alternative winner if the original winner does not contact me 72 hours after receipt of winner notification email.
Good luck!
*Disclaimer: Red Gold sent me a package with products to try as part of this recipe review. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.
What is your favorite comfort food, and why? My favorite food is potato soup…because it makes me think of my mom who always made it for me whenever I was sick. Thanks!
Macaroni and cheese is my ultimate comfort food!!!
My comfort food is cold pizza!
Probably because of memories of my sis and I sharing this while watching movies up late when our parents were away.
thank you
My favorite comfort food is veggie lo mein because it is delicious.
My favorite comfort food is green bean casserole. We ate it with all the big family and holiday meals growing up.
My favorite comfort food is a dijon chicken dish my mom makes; it reminds me of home.
My favorite comfort food is vegan homemade lasagna and garlic bread — the process of making it is relaxing and I love me some good pasta!
My favorite comfort food is pizza. So delicious.
My favorite comfort food is baked macaroni and cheese, because it’s delicious and makes me think of my childhood.
My favorite comfort food is chicken noodle soup.
My favorite comfort food is grilled cheese and tomato soup. It reminds me of feeling all warm when it’s cold out.
My favorite is Italian Beef and hot giardiniera pizza. It always makes me feel better
My favorite comfort food has to be hearty tortilla soup!
My favorite comfort food is a pot of chili with cornbread or crackers.
Mac n cheese! Because that’s what I ate as a kid
Mac and cheese…because it’s soft and rich and creamy and deliciouse, and reminds me of my childhood.
I have to say homemade mac n cheese is my favorite!
I love fettuccine Alfredo! Always been a huge pasta fan not to mention i love adding chicken to it!
I love mac and cheese especially on a cold day
Pasta !!!! Because Im Italian 🙂
My favorite comfort food is pizza, primarily because you can just order it in. You don’t have dishes to clean or a messy kitchen to clean up. You can sit on the couch and eat it.
Black beans and rice, my mom used to make it every Monday and I miss it- Best Cuban dish ever
My favorite comfort food is macaroni and cheese (homemade) with stewed tomatoes. My grandmother always used to make that and every time I eat it, I go back in time to her house 🙂
I’d have to go with homemade chili or chicken wild rice soup.
My favorite comfort food is chicken soup over mashed potatoes. My Grandma’s used to make it for me and it makes me feel good.
My comfort food is homemade chili and crackers. Warms me up and everyone enjoys it!!
My comfort food would have to be backed mac and cheese!
Meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Reminds me of my childhood at my grandmothers.
Mac and cheese becasue that is what my mom always made me 😉