Meals Made Easy with Homemade Gourmet

Candles!

2010-05-21T13:45:00.001-05:00

My Daughter's, Kathryn, 8U Pearland Power All-Star team is fundraising to get to Nationals in Florida this Summer. We have already clinched the District Title this season and are on our way to State, then it's off to Nationals!

If you or anyone you know enjoy candles then please check out this website on the wickless, flameless, & smokeless candles!

Shop online at: https://karistadler.scentsy.us/ and click on Power (on the Left side of the page) all orders will be shipped directly to you.

Make sure to check out the specials!!

Thank you for your help!

It's Never the money;

2009-09-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

This article is from a weekly enewsletter I subscribe to. To read more go to: www.averagetoexcellence.com

Every study of high achieving men and women proves that greatness in life is only possible when you become outstanding at your chosen field." - Brian Tracy

My husband Ron and I love to travel. I've always said I'd work a full time job just to pay for my travels. For the first time in our lives, we have the finances and the time to do that. Before, we always seemed to have one or the other. We try to get away somewhere for a week or two, every quarter. On a recent trip to Maui and Kauai, I'm pretty sure we looked at each other and said, "it just doesn't get any better than this," about a hundred times!

Whether lying by the pool, dipping in the pool, breakfast ocean side, fabulous dinners or coffee on the lanai in the morning, it just doesn't get any better than that!

It truly is never about the money. It's what the money will do! Financially, Ron and I have experienced some pretty high times and total devastation. In short, we've had money and we've had no money. I can tell you first hand it's much better to have money!

I love the Direct Sales business. I love that it doesn't matter if you barely made it through high school, (that would be me), or if you have your masters degree. ANYBODY who is willing to step up to the plate and do the work can earn a significant, (as in WOW!), income. The $50,000, $100,000, $200,000 a year or more, kind of income.

Where else could someone like myself, without a degree, and no real skills or talent to speak of, go and earn a six figure income?

It is because of Direct Sales, that our family was able to take frequent vacations to Disneyland, Disneyworld, cruise the Mexican Riviera and Caribbean. Jill, our oldest daughter was able to own and show horses. We had a beautiful home and drove new cars. The highlight for all of us though, was in 1998 when Ron and I took 13 of our family members, (our kids, our parents, our sister and her family and our brother and his wife on a Carribean cruise).

We all hold some of our most precious memories and pictures from that trip. The limo ride to the airport with ALL 13 of us squeezed in. My dad jumping up and clicking his heals together as the ship departed Fort Lauderdale. (He doesn't do that kind of thing!) Grandpa and six-year-old Carli on the dance floor. Our own private "cocktail party." The four-jeep caravan to Sapphire beach on St. Thomas for a snorkel and play day. (While legally driving on the wrong side of the road!)

The dinners together, all the laughter, a vacation of a lifetime for all of us. It's never the money, it's what the money will do.

As my friend Cindy always says, I don't tell you this to impress you, but to impress upon you, that this kind of lifestyle is available to anyone!

I think of my good friend, Cindy. When she came into my organization she was a part time bank teller. Because of her direct sales business, she left that job. She later retired her husband early from the police department where he worked as a detective. Their daughter also showed horses. Their son and daughter were able to attend a great private school and later earn their college degrees. Today, Cindy and Brad own a very successful coffee store chain called Forza, in addition to her very successful, direct sales business.

My friend Barbie was struggling to keep up with a full time and 5 (yes five), part time jobs when she joined my team. Today she works one business, her direct sales business, and lives in an ultra-fabulous home with an indoor pool, jacuzzi, wine cellar and wrap-around deck, on a hill, overlooking Seattle's beautiful Lake Washington!

Jen was a leader with me in another company. When she shared at our national convention what her income was able to do, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Jen's "Nana" (grandma), was the family cook. Everybody came to Nana's house to eat - - all the time! I thought she was kidding until I had dinner at Nana's house. There was literally a constant stream of family that came in, sat down, ate, visited awhile, then headed out. One family member came by for a "to go" box. Nana loved it!

She had a kitchen downstairs that took up the entire bottom floor, where she made sauces, pizzas, pastas, you name it. The problem was, Nana was getting older and having trouble getting up and down the stairs. At convention, Jen showed us all a picture of her Nana and her electric lift chair that Jen had bought for her to take her up and down the stairs. More recently, I watched one of my coaching clients, Martine, with great admiration as she grew her income from $1,400 to $10,000 a month in just 10 months! Can you imagine how different her life is today with the kind of freedom and choices that kind of income can offer.

I often think about, myself, these ladies and so many others that I know who chose direct sales. I wonder what our lives would be like if we'd never chosen this incredible opportunity. Or, if we'd come into direct sales and simply played around with it?

But, we didn't. These ladies, myself and so many, many more that I didn't have time or space to share with you here, came into direct sales, went to work and changed our lives, the lives of our families, and the lives of the many consultants and leaders we've worked with.

It is exactly the same opportunity for everyone.

What would this kind of success do for you? How could your life be different?

It could be opportunities to travel, trips to exotic locations, being stress free or debt free, having choices, little luxuries, a new home, a new car, or giving to your favorite charity. It's whatever you dream it is!

"It's never the money, it's what the money will do." - Shari Hudspeth

The really, REALLY great thing about the direct sales opportunity is that you truly can earn an amazing income working part time. It's not about working harder, or even smarter, it's about doing the right things! Now, you've got the tools you need to learn how to do the "right things," available at your finger tips. My "Complete Party Plan Success System," CD set and Success Guide will give you the step-by-step training you need to achieve phenomenal success! (We've even put it on special this week!)

You are capable of excellence, so go for it!
Shari

"If you play around with your business, your business will give you money to play with. If you are serious about your business, your business will give you serious money. If you give your business everything you've got, your business will give you everything you could ever want." - Shari Hudspeth

Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce:

2009-09-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

1/3 cup Homemade Gourmet® Velvety Creations Sauce Mix
2 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Basil Seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 - ½ cup vodka (add portion to taste)
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, whisk together the sauce mix, Garlic Basil Seasoning, diced tomatoes and vodka. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low, stirring continuously.
2. When it begins to thicken, add the heavy cream and heat while stirring for about 1 more minute.
3. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta with or without cooked chicken or steak. Or, use as a sauce over grilled meat or poultry. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

You are Invited!

2009-08-24T13:06:00.001-05:00

Do you like food? Friends?

You’re invited to share in both at a Homemade Gourmet Taste & Talk!

Enjoy food, fun and fellowship with Homemade Gourmet Consultants and their customers!Sample the new Fall/Winter products, learn a little about Homemade Gourmetand network with the wonderful people who make up this company. Come hungry, we have lots of great product for you to taste!

Time: 2:30 p.m.
Date: Sunday, August 30th
Location: Home of Team Leader, Judy Roberts
Cypress, TX 77429

Please RSVP – it will ensure we have enough chairs and samples to taste!
RSVP by August 29th to: Mary Lou Garcia 832-444-9605

Let's Make Dinner Together!!!

2009-08-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

Get a FREE Let’s Make Dinner Collection worth $80.50
when you become a Homemade Gourmet Consultant now!

Homemade Gourmet helps busy moms when school is in session
and makes perfect gifts for the holidays!

Now is a great time to get started and take advantage of lots of autumn selling opportunities.
You choose your hours, you’re your own boss, you can’t be laid off,
and the more you work, the more you earn!

New Consultants who enroll now can get the Let’s Make Dinner Collection with their
first $240+ wholesale order placed Aug. 3-17, 2009. The collection includes 16 single
mixes of everything offered in our Pantry Staples plus a recipe flyer:
♥ Homemade Gourmet® BLT Dip Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Chipotle Steakhouse Rub Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Basil Seasoning Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Grandmother’s Sunday Roast Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Maria’s Salsa Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Southwest Seasoning Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Tortilla Soup Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Citrus Seasoning Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Lemon Seasoning Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Kansas City Rub Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Mock Spinach Dip Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Taco Soup Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Italian Mozzarella Meatloaf Mix
♥ Homemade Gourmet® Old Fashioned Meatloaf Mix

Enrolling is easy. Ask me today.
Your Homemade Gourmet Consultant:
Mary Lou Garcia, #12493
mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

New Product Descriptions

2009-08-05T09:23:00.001-05:00

Brand New Products

© Gusto Garlic Pesto Cheeseball ($4.50): You can mix it in with cream cheese and serve like a cheese ball, or if you are in a big hurry, just take a brick of cream cheese and roll to coat. The mix will cover two bricks of cream cheese. This presentation would make a great party platter for the holidays.

© Jalapeno Ole Soup ($6): A creamy, flavorful soup that will knock your socks off! It looks like a meal all by itself with the cheese, bacon and tortilla strips on top of all the creamy goodness! And don't let the name "jalapeno" fool you. It adds a great flavor but not a lot of heat. The label instructions tell you that you can add some diced fresh jalapenos if you like more heat.
© Garlic Parmesan Bread Dippin' Mix ($4.50) and Italian Red Pepper Bread Dippin' Mix ($4.50): Just add olive oil, stir and let sit for about 5 minutes. These dippers aren't just for bread. Try brushing the crust of an ordinary frozen pizza before baking it. Serve the pizza with some of the dipping oil to dip the crust.

© Skillet Chicken and Biscuit Mix ($6.50) and Skillet Beef and Cornbread Mix ($6.50): The biscuit topping is cooked right on the stove top! The taste of homemade pot pie, but so fast and easy.

© Skillet Tex-Mex Dinner ($6.50): Formerly the Spanish rice, it's now an entrée called Skillet Tex-Mex Dinner. The label now has a recipe for a flavorful entrée using beef or chicken and for those that love it as a side dish, the side dish recipe is also included on the label.

© Country Style Gravy Mix ($7.50): It only has 30 calories per ¼ cup serving and no fat. Perfect over Mom's Smashed Potatoes or meatloaf. If you sauté some mushrooms before you add the water and mix, it makes a great mushroom gravy, too. Or cook ½ a pound of breakfast sausage until it is brown and crumbled; then add this mix and some milk instead of water for great cream-style sausage gravy in just minutes! Mid-sized bag concept with three recipes worth of mix.

© Velvety Creations Sauce Mix ($6.50): Use this mix to make asparagus with a lemon sauce, broccoli with a cheese sauce, or carrots with dill sauce … just to name a few! This old favorite has been remixed and revived to bring easy sauce recipes back to your dinner tables. The Key to the Kitchen will be updated with recipes using this versatile sauce base to make more than just sauces. Look for casseroles, pastas and even fish entrees your customers are going to love. Both the Velvety Creations mix and the Country Gravy mix are being launched in a mid-sized bag concept with three recipes worth of mix.

© New leaf teas (all $7 each): Zentastic Blackberry Jasmine Green Tea, Tropical Breeze Tea with Ginseng, Cinnamon Spice Makes Everything Nice Tea or Mojito Mint Tea. Make hot or cold. Use the new Hot Tea Infusers (40 disposable infusers included) to help make the perfect tea ($6).

© Bodacious Butterscotch Pie Mix ($5.50): Each bite has a bodacious blast of butterscotch flavor that you will not be able to resist!

© Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Cake Mix ($7.50): Warm and cinnamon-y goodness! Makes a great breakfast treat!

Let's Make Dinner~~Fast and Easty!

2009-07-28T11:39:00.001-05:00

Can you REALLY make 20 meals in less than 2 hours?

In most cases, the answer would be no. With Homemade Gourmet and our brand new "Let's Make Dinner" collection - yes you can! Fast, easy, cost effective and you can give your taste buds a flavor overhaul!

It's a great way to try new meals (4-6 servings) and have the peace of mind, particularly Mon-Thurs, that you can get home from work & be at the table in minutes!

What is the Let's Make Dinner Collection?

Here it is: One individual recipe-size mix of each of the Pantry Staples- Try them all, then stock up on the Pantry Staple size for additional savings! Includes: BLT Dip Mix, Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix, Chipotle Steakhouse Rub, Cilantro Citrus Marinade Mix, Garlic Basil Seasoning Mix, Garlic Lemon Seasoning Mix, Grandmother's Sunday Roast Mix, Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Mix.

Our business gives you time to run your business - enjoy a flavor overhaul at the same time with 20 meals made in 2 hours or less - perfect for crock pot, bake or grill. Includes meal planner and grocery list too - you can't go wrong with how easy this is and our 100% satisfaction guaranteed policy - Kroger, Albertsons and Wal-mart don't do that!

Contact your me and PRE-order a Lets Make Dinner collection now!
www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou
mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

A little article about the Homemade Gourmet business opportunity

2009-07-28T11:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.mlmreviewkings.com/homemade-gourmet/

Best time to start your own business is now!!

2009-07-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

New Consultants who enroll July 18 through July 31, 2009, with a $400 retail order, can get a FREE New Product Bundle! It’s a preview of the August autoship bundle -- a $53.50 value!

The New Product Bundle includes 1 each of:
Homemade Gourmet® Skillet Chicken & Biscuit Mix
Skillet Beef & Cornbread Mix
Velvety Creations Sauce Mix
Country Style Gravy Mix
Garlic Parmesan Bread Dippin’ Mix
Italian Red Pepper Bread Dippin’ Mix
Jalapeño Ole Soup Mix
Gusto Garlic Pesto Cheese Ball Mix
Mojito Mint Tea

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

2009-06-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

BBQ Chicken Pizza:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into small pieces
1 Homemade Gourmet® Season 'n' Steam BBQ Chicken Sandwich Mix
½ cup ketchup
½ cup water
2 prebaked pizza crusts
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

Toppings of Your Choice:
Cubed Pineapple
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomato
Diced onion
Sliced jalapenos

1. Place meat in steamer bag, close and place in microwave. Cook on high for 4 minutes. Using an oven mitt, carefully remove bag from microwave, open and stir meat. Reseal bag and return to microwave. Cook on high an additional 4 minutes. Once again, using an oven mitt, remove bag from microwave. Drain liquid off meat (drain liquid off meat by tilting the bag to one side to allow the liquid to pour out using the vent holes on the side of the bag or by slightly opening one end of the zipper seal).

2. While meat cooks, prepare the sauce by combining the mix, ketchup and water in a small bowl; stir well. Spread 3 tablespoons of sauce on each pizza crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese evenly over each crust.

3. Pour remaining sauce into drained steamer bag and stir until all meat is coated. Reseal and place back in microwave. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Stir one last time and spoon equal portions onto pizza crusts.

4. Place pizzas in oven preheated to 350 degrees or on a preheated grill on medium heat. Cook until cheese is completely melted and crust reaches desired crispiness, about 15 minutes. Add your choice of toppings. Slice and serve warm.

Serves 8 (2 slices).

Understanding 'Use By' Dates

2009-06-04T15:39:00.001-05:00

Understanding ‘use by’ dates and using them to your advantage

Let’s provide a few definitions first:
Homemade Gourmet uses a “best if used by” date (or use by date): Homemade Gourmet stamps all mixes with a “Best if used by [date]” and a lot code under the label. The lot code provides the information needed to determine the exact manufacture date. This is the date by which the user -- either you or your customer -- should aim to use the product; it is not an expiration date. "Best if used by" dates are the food manufacturer’s estimate of the date after which a product is no longer at its peak flavor and quality. Manufacturers voluntarily place this date on the packaging as a general guide. Most foods are OK to consume after the use-by date but may be lacking in flavor or freshness.

Other terminology used in the industry, but not by Homemade Gourmet:
Sell by date: This date is for vendors (typically grocers) — not consumers. Homemade Gourmet does not use “sell by” dates, but for your reference the “sell-by” date on groceries is meant to notify your grocer to pull the product off the shelf. While consumers shouldn't purchase foods beyond their sell-by dates, foods past their sell-by dates are not necessarily spoiled. If the product has remained unopened and there aren't any signs of spoilage, it may still be OK to eat.

Expiration date: Just as the word indicates, this is the date on which a food is expected to spoil. Expiration dates are typically used on fresh foods (not dry mixes like Homemade Gourmet seasonings), but they are not required by federal law. You should not consume or taste foods past this date.

Beating the Recession and Cooking for Dummies

2009-04-01T16:22:00.003-05:00

To learn more how to save grocery money and how to cook for dummies watch this quick video.

http://cbs4denver. com/recession/ Homemade. Gourmet.meals. 2.953072. html

Mary Lou Garcia
Homemade Gourmet Consultant
www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

LAST CHANCE!

2009-02-10T10:42:00.001-06:00

Get them while they last!

Homemade Gourmet updates its line every season,
and with spring coming soon, these products are
going away, either for a while or forever.

If they’re among your family’s favorites, stock up now.

These products are retiring and will be available while supplies last
beginning Feb. 28, 2009. Don’t miss out on these:

• BBQ Wing Sauce Mix
• Honey Chipotle Wing Sauce Mix
• Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry Mix
• White Pizza Sauce Mix
• Homemade Pizza Party Collection
• Minestrone Soup Mix
• Butterscotch Blondie Mix

These fall/winter seasonal products are seasonal, so they’ll be back in the autumn, but for now they’re only available while supplies last beginning Feb. 28, 2009:

Entrees & Soups
• Cornbread Casserole Mix
• Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Mix
• White Chicken Chili Mix
• Beef and Barley Stew Mix
• Lucky Bean Soup Mix
• Creamy Corn Chowder Mix
• Bonnie’s Blue Ribbon Chili Mix
• Creamy Italian Casserole Mix
• Louisiana Gumbo Mix
• Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
• Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup Mix
• Tomato Basil Soup Mix

Breads & Desserts & Beverages
• Mocha Cappuccino Muffin Mix*
• Carrot Cake with White
Chocolate Frosting Mix
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Mix*
• Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix*
• White Chocolate Cran-Orange Cookie Mix*
• Tomato Basil Bread Mix
• Grandma’s Buttermilk Pie Mix
• Cranberry Margarita Party Blender Mix
• Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake*

Collections
• Chinese Supper Collection • Tex-Mex Fiesta Collection

*The ones with chocolate chips won’t be back until October, so if your family loves them, get them now

$104.50 in Free Product in February!!

2009-02-10T10:38:00.001-06:00

Now is the time to join the Homemade Gourmet® family and receive free products! Is now the time for you to make a difference for your family?

What would you do with extra income this year?

Everyone eats and there is a huge opportunity to grow and achieve whatever you wish! Become a member of our great team, make new friends and make a difference!

Scenario #1 GOOD DEAL
Starter Kit ($100 Value) $ 39
$400 Retail Product Order @ 40% discount $240
1 Host Meal Kit ($6.50 value) $ 2
FREE Walk the Talk Product Preview ($104.50 value) FREE
Total cost (not including shipping/tax) $281
Approximate GRAND TOTAL Value of What You Receive = $611.00

Scenario #2
Starter Kit ($100 Value) $ 39
$600 Retail Product Order @ 40% discount $360
1 Host Meal Kit ($6.50 value) $ 2
FREE Walk the Talk Product Preview ($104.50 value) FREE
Total cost (not including shipping/tax) $401
Approximate GRAND TOTAL Value of What You Receive = $811.00

Scenario #3 BETTER DEAL
Starter Kit ($100 Value) $ 39
$800 Retail Product Order @ 50% discount $400
2 Host Meal Kits ($13 value) $ 4
FREE Walk the Talk Product Preview ($104.50 value) FREE
Total cost (not including shipping/tax) $443
Approximate GRAND TOTAL Value of What You Receive= $1,017.50

Scenario #4 BEST DEAL
Starter Kit ($100 Value) $ 39
$1,000 Retail Product Order @50% discount $500
2 Host Meal Kits ($13 value) $ 4
FREE Walk the Talk Product Preview ($104.50 value) FREE
Get Cookin’ Quick reward: Logo’ed rolling cooler ($60 Value) FREE
Total cost (not including shipping/tax) $543
Approximate GRAND TOTAL Value of What You Receive = $1,277.50

♥♥ Value is Approximate – Not an official Homemade Gourmet® Document. Scenarios shown above assume
a person joins Homemade Gourmet® as a new Consultant from 2/1/09-2/28/09

2008-12-11T15:32:00.001-06:00

Flamenco Chicken Stuffed Peppers

6 bell peppers, color of your choice
4 teaspoons Homemade Gourmet Chicken Enchilada Soup Seasoning
½ cup diced tomatoes with green chilies
8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
6 tablespoons milk
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 package Homemade Gourmet Spanish Rice Mix, prepared 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13x9x2 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut off tops of peppers and scoop out seeds. If necessary, slightly trim the bottom of peppers so they will sit up in the baking pan.
Prepare sauce. In a large sauce pan, combine enchilada seasoning, diced tomatoes, Velveeta cheese and milk. Heat slowly over medium heat until cheese is melted, and stir often to prevent burning.
In a bowl, combine chicken with sauce and Spanish Rice; stir until well blended.
Spoon chicken mixture into pepper shells and top with cheddar cheese.
Cover and bake 45 to 60 minutes or until peppers are soft. Serves 6.

Leaping Lords Cheesecake

2008-12-11T15:25:00.001-06:00

Leaping Lords Cheesecake

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 package Homemade Gourmet Basic Cheesecake Mix
4 ounces Three Musketeers candy bar or any candy bar of
your leaping lord's choice (about 1 cup chopped)
8-ounce container whipped topping, thawed and divided
chocolate cookie pie crust

Beat first three ingredients together until smooth and creamy, stir in candy pieces and half of the whipped topping.
Spoon mixture into crust. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
If desired, top with remaining whipped topping and garnish with additional chopped candy bar. Serves 8.

Chicken Swimming with Apricots

2008-12-08T12:08:00.002-06:00

Chicken Swimming with Apricots

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup pitted dried plums
½ cup dried apricot halves
2 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Garlic Lemon Seasoning
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup red cooking wine (optional)
1 tablespoon honey
8-ounce package angel hair pasta, prepared

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker with plums and apricots on top.

Combine seasoning, orange juice, wine and honey; pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low 6 hours or on high 3 hours.

Serve over prepared pasta. Serves 6.

Cranberry Sweet Bread Loaf

2008-12-08T12:01:00.001-06:00

Cranberry Sweet Bread Loaf

1 Homemade Gourmet® Basic Sweet Bread Mix
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
8 ounces mixed-fruit applesauce
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup nuts, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oil, eggs and applesauce and add to bread mix. Add cranberries and nuts.

2. Pour mixture into greased 5x8 loaf pan. Bake 60 to 80 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 10.

Huevos Burritos

2008-12-08T11:55:00.000-06:00

Huevos Burritos

½ pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Taco Soup Seasoning, divided
2 cups egg substitutes (equal to 8 whole eggs)
½ cup light sour cream
½ cup prepared Maria's Salsa
½ cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
12 low-fat whole wheat tortillas

Optional toppings: Additional prepared Maria's Salsa, cheese, sour cream

Brown beef with water and 1 tablespoon seasoning. Set aside; keep warm. In greased skillet combine eggs with remaining seasoning; scramble eggs until thoroughly cooked.
Add sour cream, salsa, cheese and warm seasoned beef. Heat on medium low until cheese is melted.
Warm tortillas slightly if desired. Spoon scrambled egg mixture into tortilla, roll up burrito style and serve warm with desired toppings. Serves 6.

Garlic Basil in an Italian Pear Chicken recipe

2008-12-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

Italian Pear Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (or partridge) breast
4 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Garlic Basil Seasoning
24-ounce can pear halves with juice, undrained
½ cup water

Place all ingredients in a freezer bag. Seal and smoosh! Before freezing, label as Italian Pear Chicken and list cooking options:
Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost and place entire contents in a baking dish. Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Slow cooker: Defrost and place entire contents in slow cooker. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Hot Dill Dip

2008-12-02T21:53:00.001-06:00

Hot Dill Dip

2 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Mock Spinach Seasoning Dip (you won't use the whole mix packet)
10.75-ounce can cheddar cheese soup
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)
Tortilla chips for serving

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine all ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes and stir.
If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; serve with tortilla chips.

Baked French Toast breakfast

2008-12-02T21:50:00.001-06:00

Baked French Toast

16-ounce loaf French bread
8 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mix
1 teaspoon vanilla

Praline Topping
1 cup butter, softened
1 Homemade Gourmet® Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg
maple syrup or honey for serving

Slice bread into 1-inch slices. Arrange the slices in a generously buttered 13x9x2 baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, milk, vanilla, Spiced Dip Mix and salt; beat with mixer or whisk until blended, but not too bubbly. Pour over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the mixture, spooning some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil; refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine praline topping ingredients (apple crisp mix, brown sugar, pecans, nutmeg) in a medium bowl and spread evenly over bread.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or longer; until puffed and golden. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Cranberry Poinsettias

¼ cup Homemade Gourmet® Cranberry Margarita Party Blender Mix*
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup orange juice
3 cups crushed ice
½ cup vodka**

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on high for 1 - 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Pour in glasses and serve. Garnish with orange slices or mint leaves, if desired.
2. To make this on the rocks, pour all ingredients, excluding the ice, into a pitcher and stir until the mix is completely dissolved. Serve over ice. Garnish with orange slices or mint leaves, if desired.

Serves 6, 8-ounce glasses for each recipe
*This mix will make 4 recipes for a total of 24, 8-ounce glasses.

**To make a non-alcoholic version, omit the vodka and follow all other directions as written.

Cranberry Sweet Bread Loaf

2008-11-18T21:50:00.001-06:00

Cranberry Sweet Bread Loaf

Ingredients:
1 Homemade Gourmet® Basic Sweet Bread mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
8 ounces mixed-fruit applesauce
1 cup dried cranberries (craisins®)
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together, bread mix, oil, eggs and applesauce. Add cranberries and nuts.

2. Pour mixture into greased 5"x8" loaf pan. Bake 60 to 80 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

3. For muffins, fill 2/3 full, (yields about 18), bake 13 to 18 minutes.
For mini-loaves (yields 4 to 6), bake 25 to 30 minutes.
For mini-muffins (yields about 3 ½ dozen) bake about 10 minutes.

Comments: Craisins may be chopped into smaller bits to have more fruit pieces throughout baked product.

Cook Time 10 minutes
Preparation Time 10 minutes

Cranberry Orange Scones

2008-11-18T21:47:00.002-06:00

Cranberry Orange Scones

Servings Per Recipe: 15 servings

1 Homemade Gourmet® White Chocolate Cran Orange Cookie Mix

1-1/4 cups regular flour
1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 sticks cold butter/margarine, cut into chunks
1 cup cold buttermilk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chocolate/craisins packet from mix and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cookie mix, flour, and baking powder. Using a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Stir in chocolate/craisins packet. Add buttermilk and stir until all mixture is moistened.

3. On a generously floured surface, knead dough 15-20 times until dough is no longer sticky. Pat dough flat in rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, approximately 3 inches in diameter, with knife or cookie cutter.

4. Place scones 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Cook Time 15 minutes
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Cranberry Almond Lemon Cake

2008-11-18T21:42:00.002-06:00

Cranberry Almond Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

1 Homemade Gourmet® Lemon Blueberry Muffin Mix
1 package instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
1-1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1-1/4 cup fresh cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine bread mix, lemon pudding, eggs, sour cream and oil, beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed.

2. Fold in cranberries and almonds. Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan.

3. Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick insert in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Invert the pan on a wire cooling rack and release the cake. Cool completely.

4. Generously dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

2008-11-15T20:53:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:

1 Homemade Gourmet® Basic Sweet Bread Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
7-1/2 ounce can pumpkin
6 ounces mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and stir together bread mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin, and chocolate chips until well blended.

2. Pour mixture into greased mini muffin pan and bake about 10 minutes. Insert toothpick near center; when it comes out clean, muffins are done.

3. Serve warm or allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Coconut Truffles

2008-11-14T22:33:00.002-06:00

Recipe Yields: 30

Ingredients
8 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 14-ounce package flaked coconut
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick butter, softened (use butter for best results)
1 24-ounce package chocolate almond bark
1 Homemade Gourmet® Basic Cheesecake Mix

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cheesecake mix, 6 cups powdered sugar, coconut, condensed milk, and butter. Using stand mixer or heavy duty spoon, combine ingredients until well blended. Dough will be thick and firm.

2. Dust a large serving platter with powdered sugar, roll truffle dough into 1 inch balls (if dough is too sticky to roll into balls easily, add powdered sugar in ½ cup increments and work into dough). Place balls on prepared platter. Repeat until all truffle dough is used. Freeze for 30 minutes or until truffle balls are firm.

3. Break almond bark into large pieces and place in small deep microwave safe bowl. Melt bark on high for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave on high in 15 second increments until bark is completely melted.

4. Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on countertop. Remove truffles from freezer. Insert toothpick in truffle, dip into melted bark until coated, tap the side of the bowl to remove excess bark. Place coated truffle on wax paper and twist toothpick to release truffle; using a small spoon, dab small amount of melted bark on truffle to cover toothpick hole. Repeat with remaining truffles. Allow truffles to dry at room temperature until bark has hardened, about 30 minutes. Store coated truffles in airtight container.

Gifts from Your Heart and Your Kitchen...

2008-11-14T22:07:00.004-06:00

Home-baked goodies are the perfect gift for family and friends! Not only do they taste delicious...they say, "I made this because I love you!" Plus as an added bonus if you included your children not only will you bond but you will also be creating holiday memories that they will always cherish!

So for the next few days I'll be posting a variety of easy to make and incredibly delicious holiday goodies.

Here is a list of some Homemade Gourmet baked goodies.

A. Great Baked Cookies: Add in ideas...pecans, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips
White Chocolate Cran-Orange cookies
Awesome Oatmeal cookies
Chocolate Chunk cookies
Peanut Butter cookies

B.Muffins:
Mocha Cappuccino muffins
Mini Pecan Pie muffins
Strawberry Bread muffins

C. Breads: Large loaf, mini loaves, or muffins...made with HG Basic Sweet Bread Mix
Banana Nut Bread
Apple Spice bread
Pumpkin bread

D. Other Ideas:
Five Minute Fudge....optional add-ins: toffee chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, chocolate mint chips, chopped cashews, chopped walnuts, toasted coconut
Butterscotch Blondies
Coconut Truffles

Perfect Packages for that elegant look:
*Chinese Food Containers....you can get holiday style or different print/designs
* Decorative Tins
*Cloth Lined Wicker or Metal Baskets
*Beautiful Cookie Jar
*Santa Claus Cookie Plate
*Christmas Stocking

For over 225 Holiday recipes, just go to the Key to the Kitchen homepage and select ‘Holiday’ in the “By Lifestyle Needs” search field. Some of the great recipes you will find are:

Baked Lemon and Honey Turkey
Hearty Green Bean Casserole
Little Apple Pie Crisps
Nanny Winn’s Dressing
Pumpkin Roll

To get to our Recipe database..Key to the Kitchen...go to my website www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou and hit the 'recipes' tab!

Free Party Dips in January!

2008-11-04T22:10:00.002-06:00

January Hosts can score with special rewards!

Book your January Gathering in November! Get a free bundle!
Hosts who book a Gathering in November for a date in January will receive a Pre-Game Dip
Bundle worth $29.25 for FREE when the Gathering holds.

The Pre-Game Dip Bundle includes:
♥ Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Dip Mix
♥ Mock Spinach Dip Mix
♥ Black Bean Salsa Dip Mix
♥ BLT Dip Mix
♥ Maria’s Salsa Dip Mix
♥ Sun-Dried Tomato Dip Mix

Have $400+ in sales at your January Gathering! Get a free CD of recipes!
The Host CD of recipes in January will contain recipes for the perfect football party!

Have $500+ in sales at your January Gathering! Get a free CD of recipes AND a free collection!
Hosts with $500+ in retail sales at their January Gathering will get a FREE Game Day
Collection worth $68.25.

The Game Day Collection includes 12 delicious mixes to make any football party (or any other party) perfect:
♥ Buffalo Wing Sauce Mix
♥ Honey Chipotle Wing Sauce Mix
♥ Kansas City Rub Mix
♥ Bonnie’s Blue Ribbon Chili Mix
♥ Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Mix
♥ Chipotle Steakhouse Rub Mix
♥ Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Mix
♥ Season ‘n’ Steam Philly Cheesesteak Mix
♥ White Pizza Sauce Mix
♥ Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
♥ Cinnamon Sopapilla Dessert Mix
♥ Butterscotch Blondie Mix

Have $800+ in sales at your January Gathering! Get a free CD of recipes AND a free collection AND a free rolling cooler!

Hosts with $800+ in retail sales at their January Gathering get a FREE Game Day Collection and a Homemade Gourmet logoed rolling cooler worth $60! If the Host booked her Gathering in November, she’s getting the Pre-Game Dip Bundle, too. That’s more than $150 worth of free items PLUS all the rewards an $800 Host would normally receive. Wow!

As always, Homemade Gourmet® Hosts receive lots of great benefits:
♥ 10% of retail sales in FREE product!
♥ FREE products for Hosting samples at your Gathering
♥ 4 meals in 4 minutes™ in your freezer!
♥ And, depending on Gathering sales, 40% off up to three Pantry Staples and the featured product bundle of the month!
♥ Wow!

Book your January Gathering with me today!

Mary Lou
832-444-9605
mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

Update on Freezer Meals

2008-10-21T23:45:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend and I created 19+ meals (list below) so here's a little update.

4Burgundy Beef tips
2 Cilantro Citrus Chicken
2 Asian pork loins
2 Italian Mozzarella Chicken
4 KC Burgers-16 patties total
2 Garlic Basil Pasta Casseroles
3 batches of HG Spaghetti Sauce

The first meal that I had was the KC Burgers. On practice nights I like to have something that is very easy to get done with very quick clean up! I grilled the burgers on my George Foreman grill. While the burgers cooked I was able to slice tomatoes and get out the other needed ingredients. I also premade HG Mock Spianch Dip earlier in the day....so we had chips and dip along with the burgers. Both of my kids (6,3) ate an entire burger themselves! I made all 8 patties and saved the leftovers for later. My family ended up eating burgers again the next day for dinner. I had had a late lunch and wasn't hungry for an early dinner, but no one seemed to mind that they were eating burgers again! No cooking and basically no cleaning!

I also used one of my HG Spaghetti Sauce batches with the Italian Meatballs I had for a spaghetti and meatball dinner. I also served a salad. I can never go wrong with Spaghetti in my house! We had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

We've also had the Garlic Basil Pasta Casserole. I pulled this out of the freezer about 2 days before serving it. I dumped half of the casserole into a microwave safe bowl and heated it up. I served this with a salad and garlic bread. This is another one of those meals that I didn't have a bunch of clean up or prep time. I simply got the bread in the oven, tossed the salad and warmed up the casserole. We used paper plates which helped with the cleaning. We had the other half for dinner 2 days later.

I was very excited to try the Italian Mozzarella Chicken dinner! It's a newer recipe that I had not tried...I'd only heard from other HG Consultants about how wonderful it was. I baked it in the oven, covered, for about 50-55 minutes....the chicken breast were thick. I steamed up a bag of long grain rice with mixed veggies and I also steamed corn on the cob. This is one of my favorites new recipes! The only difference is that next time I'm going to bake this with brown rice on the bottom and then dump the entire mixture over it. It makes a lot of sauce and the rice would absorb all that yummy flavor!

Yesterday we had Burgundy Beef tips. I had a HG gathering yesterday evening so I wanted to make sure to have dinner for my family before I left. By the time that my husband got home the beef tips were in the crock pot on warm and I had cooked egg noodles on the stove. All he had to do was to serve it! This is also great served over mashed potatoes or rice. There was only enough leftovers for me to have for lunch one day this week. It's a nice feeling that I can leave for an event and my family still has a warm dinner to come home to.

I can't wait to try the Asian Pork Tenderloin....It's a favorite for many of my customers!

Free Best of HG Collection! A $103 value.

2008-10-16T22:23:00.002-05:00

New Consultants in October Receive FREE Best of Homemade Gourmet Collection

Join Homemade Gourmet® as a new Consultant in October or November and
you will not only become part of one of the BEST home-based businesses
available, but we will give you a collection of “customer favorite” products
worth $103.25 to jump start your business. When a new Consultant places
their initial order worth $400+ retail, we will automatically include the Best
of Homemade Gourmet® Collection FREE!

The Best of Homemade Gourmet Collection includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Mini Pecan Pie Muffin Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Basic Sweet Bread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Texas Cornbread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Texas Cobbler Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Cranberry Almond Pasta Salad Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Mock Spinach Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Season ‘n’ Steam Broccoli Beef Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Skillet Burritos Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Creamy Italian Casserole Mix
Homemade Gourmet® White Chicken Chili Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Basic Cheesecake Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Grandmother’s Sunday Roast Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Italian Mozzarella Meatloaf Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Awesome Oatmeal Cookie Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Maria’s Salsa Mix
Wow!
Enrolling is easy. Ask me today!

Plus an added bonus!!

For a limited time, we’re offering a free bonus to new Consultants who share the names of two friends or family who might be interested in the business. We’ll send a packet of information to the contacts that includes a Homemade Gourmet Garlic Lemon Marinade Mix, a Homemade Gourmet Season ’n’ Steam Fajitas Mix, a Make Friends, Make Money, Make a Difference DVD, a Fall/Winter Product Catalog and an invitation from CEO Ken Johnsen and Founder Tami VanHoy to join the business and learn along with their friend. All details are included in the Welcome Packet that comes with the Starter Kit.

October's Fabulous Hosting Rewards!

2008-10-16T22:10:00.003-05:00

Host a Homemade Gourmet® Gathering this month to share all of the fast, easy and great-tasting 4 meals in 4 minutes™ and Homemade in a Hurry products with YOUR family and friends!

Learn about the fast, easy and delicious Season ‘n’ Steam microwaveable entrées!
See how the 11 Homemade in a Hurry entrées can get you out of the drive-thru!
Earn GENEROUS Host rewards, including the Homemade in a Hurry Meal of the Month!
Experience how to make great-tasting meals… in minutes!

October Only! Bonus Recipe CD- Casserole Creations and a Holiday Meal Planner!
Let us show you how to take control of those dinnertime dilemmas & YOU could also earn a BONUS Recipe CD filled with easy and delicious casseroles as well as a Holiday Meal Planner to help you tame those holiday meals too!

Dates are booking fast! Call your Independent Consultant: Mary Lou Garcia 832-444-9605

**mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

Italian Mozzarella Meatballs

2008-10-15T23:48:00.006-05:00

About 2 weeks ago I whipped up 2 meals with the package of 2 1/2 lbs ground beef that I had in my refrigerator.

I also noticed I had a few boxes of Mac-n-Cheese (which I hardly ever make) so I thought I should use them up for that night's dinner. I'll get to that in a moment. While I was getting that night's dinner going I decided to make another meal and used the remaing meat I had left to make Italian Mozzarella Meatballs. I put all the ingredients together, shaped them with a melon baller, and then baked them.

Once they were out of the oven I let them cool down. Then I put the entire cookie sheet in the freezer to let the meatballs firm a little. I think they were in the freezer for about 15 minutes. After I pulled them out I put the almost frozen meatballs in a gallon size freezer bag. This way I can just pull out however many I need for 1 meal. I made 30 meatballs in all. Here is the recipe.

Italian Mozzarella Meatballs

10 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Italian Mozzarella Meatloaf Seasoning Mix
1-1/2 ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
1 egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
2. Shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
3. Place meatballs on foil lined pan or baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

I made spaghetti and meatballs a few days later. I just pulled about half of the meatballs out and then I heated them in the microwave-enough to defrost. Then I put them in the pot with my Spaghetti Sauce to warm. I made a batch of spaghetti noodles and dinner was a hit. The kids always love spaghetti! Now with the remaining meatballs I can make Meatball Subs or make another Spaghetti dinner.

This is my Taco Mac-n-cheese. I browned 1lb of ground beef with 2-3 TBS of HG Taco Seasoning. Then I started the pasta. While this was cooking I made the Italian Meatballs from above.

Then I drained the pasta and made it as directed on the package. I added the taco seasoned meat and 1 can of diced tomatoes and mixed together. I served this with a salad.

We all were pleasantly surprised at how great this tasted! Both of the kids ate it up! Very easy and another hit with the family! We even had left overs (this made a huge batch, I used 2 boxes of pasta) that we ate later that week. Less work and clean-up the 2nd time around!!

The best part about these 2 meals was that I made it at the same time!! Saving me lots of time later. I made the meatballs while the pasta was boiling and the ground beef was cooking! While we ate I let the meatballs cool down. So even if you feel that you don't have time to fill your freezer I want you to ask yourself as you are cooking...Is there anything I can make while this is going on?...or make a double batch and freeze the rest for later. Before you know it you will have a freezer full of options available to you! Doing a little at a time is better then not doing anything at all. You will be excited as you start to see those meals ready to go every time you open that freezer door! Save your time and engery on something else-like homework! 1st grade homework keeps Kathryn and me busy!

NEW-Diabetic Friendly Meal Collection!

2008-10-13T18:21:00.003-05:00

The freezer-meal concept I demonstrated below also applies to the Pantry Staples available in our other collections. Our newest collection - the Diabetic Friendly Meal Collection - is designed especially for diabetics, but it's filled with delicious and healthful meals for any family watching their diets. Our Diabetic Friendly Meal Collection makes about 50 entrees - and that's just the beginning! We have more than 200 diabetic friendly recipes on our Key to the Kitchen recipe database, too. The collection is $123, and with the purchase of each collection, a portion of the profits will go to further diabetes research.

Diabetic Meal Collection, $123.00 (includes donation)

This special collection was created to provide great-tasting, easy to prepare meals for persons with diabetes. Following an analysis by the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma, this collection has earned a diabetes-friendly rating. Over 50% of the profits from the purchase of this collection will be donated to further diabetes research.

Includes:

* Kansas City Seasoning Pantry Staple with container and scoop
* Garlic Basil Seasoning Pantry Staple with container and scoop
* Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Pantry Staple with container
and scoop
* Chipotle Seasoning Pantry Staple with container and scoop
* Cranberry Almond Pasta Salad Mix
* Mom’s Smashed Potatoes Mix
* Black Bean Salsa Mix
* Mock Spinach Dip Mix
* Exclusive Meal Planner
* Sheet of 8 Freezer Labels
* Great-Tasting Meals in Minutes DVD
* Donation to further diabetes research

Friday Freezer Frenzy

2008-10-05T22:43:00.019-05:00

A little back ground before I go into detail about my freezer night. I had told my friend, Alicia, that we need to fill our freezers since our schedules were getting really busy with kids, work and softball!! We kept putting it off until Friday morning. I get a call from Alicia saying that she's on her way to Sam's to purchase meat for us to make our meals. I happened to have ground beef and boneless chicken breast sitting in the fridge from my grocery day earlier in the week. So I said okay! She asked what type of meat she should get and I suggested stew meat and more chicken. She also got pork chops and more ground beef...she brought canned goods that she had in her pantry aswell.

Alicia arrives at my home later that day with her groceries and lots of excitement! I like to plan my menu out but we didn't even know what meals we were going to make....(we ended up just looking at the HG seasonings and would pull one that sounded good.) I must admit I was a little panicked but I reminded myself that this is easy to do. We actually didn't have to have a 'plan' to succeed. And succeed we did!

This was our final result....19+ meals!

4 Burgundy Beef tips

2 Cilantro Citrus Chicken

2 Asian pork loins

2 Italian Mozzarella Chicken

4 KC Burgers-16 patties total

2 Garlic Basil Pasta Casseroles

3 batches of HG Spaghetti Sauce-13.5 cups of sauce

* I say 19+ meals because with any leftover meat from these meals you can create a different meal....saving you time and money! As an example...you can shred leftover chicken to use in a casserole, pasta salads, a HG soup like Chicken Enchilada Soup, on salads, wraps or tacos.

We put all the ingredients on my kitchen table which included tomato sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, cream of chicken/mushroom soup, pasta noodles, and the meat.

I pulled out all my Homemade Gourmet Pantry Staple containers/seasonings, extra mixes, my recipe binder, and all of my 4 Meals in 4 Minutes Meal Planners.

I pulled out a pot, pan, and bowl I thought we would need. We didn't dirty many dishes!! Used only the above, 2 spoons and a measuring cup.

Then we got started.

Up first was Burgundy Beef tips. We put all the needed ingredients on the island along with the recipe card. We would end up with 4 Burgundy Beef Tip meals.

First we labeled 4 Ziploc gallon sized freezer bags "Burgundy Beef Tips' with the date. Then Alicia split the meat into the bags.

Then we added 5 tablespoons of HG Sunday Roast Seasoning to each bag.

Dumped in a can of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of water to each bag.

Then, Alicia's favorite part....she 'Smooshed' the bag....making sure to mix up all the ingredients as much as possible. Then she got out as much air out of the bag and sealed it.

Here are our 4 beef tips! The one on top contains a can of beef broth...due to the lack of planning we only had 3 cream of mushrooms soups..so we improvised and used the broth instead.

Now, Alicia has hosted her own Homemade Gourmet Gathering before and has attended a friend's gathering so she already had experience with making 'smooshed meals'. At her HG Gathering I demonstrated how to make 4 meals in 4 minutes with the help of her guest. I got 4 volunteers and each made a meal for Alicia's freezer....she just provided her meat and canned goods and I provided the seasoning. Schedule your own Homemade Gourmet 4 Meals in 4 Minutes Gathering so you too can get 4 meals in your freezer!

Now it was on to making our Casserole:

I put the 2lbs of ground beef with 4 tablespoons of HG Garlic Basil seasoning on the frying pan. I also got the pasta going. We made other 'Smoosh' meals while this what going on. I would turn back and forth checking on the meat.

After draining the pasta I dumped everything else in this pot and mixed it up. Then I split this into 2 freezer bags labeled 'Garlic Basil Pasta Casserole' with the date and cooking instructions. Thaw, place in baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes on 350 degrees.

This casserole includes 2 lbs of Garlic Basil seasoned ground beef, mozzarella cheese, HG Spaghetti Sauce, and 1 box of pasta noodles (of your choice). This fills 2-9x13 pans. So really you can get 4- 8x8 casseroles out of this. I normally use the Glad Ware pans....the type that can go from freezer to oven to microwave to dishwasher. I fill an 8x8 pan with half a batch and put it in the oven for that night's dinner, then I would fill the other 8x8 pan with the rest and top with aluminum foil then cover with the lid and freeze for a later time.

Now it's Asian Pork loin:

We gathered the needed ingredients, labeled our freezer bags, separated the meat, added 2 tablespoons of HG Garlic Lemon seasoning, 2 tablespoons of chicken broth. Then we 'smooshed' it together and sealed the bag. I had to write on the bag to add 6 tablespoons of honey and 2 1/2 TBS of soy sauce at time of cooking. This is best as a crockpot meal so it really didn't matter that these 2 ingredients were left out at this time.

Next meal...Italian Mozzarella Chicken:

We labeled our bags and split the chicken (most of these meals call for 2-3lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork chops). Then we added 4 TBS of HG Italian Mozzarella Seasoning, 1 can cream of onion soup and chicken soup. I always use the low sodium/low fat versions of the soups and broths on all my recipes. We 'Smooshed' until all the ingredients were blended, let out as much of the air and resealed the bag.

This recipe is actually in October's Bundle of the Month: Mini Meal Trail Collection. It's only $59.75 and includes a FREE HG Homestyle spaghetti sauce mix and a Menu Planner for 16 meals! This is a great way to begin filling your freezer. Read more about it on my HG Website.

The rest of our chicken went to Cilantro Citrus Chicken:

First we labeled out bags, divided the chicken, and dumped in 14 TBS of Cilantro Chicken, poured the remainder of the chicken broth from the Asian meal and about 1/4 c of Olive oil. Smooshed and sealed. This is really great to use in HG's Cranberry Almond Pasta Salad!

Next up was our triple batch of Homemade Gourmet Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce:

We needed 15 TBS of HG Spaghetti Sauce seasoning, 3 6-oz can tomato paste, 3 15-oz can tomato sauce, 6 cups water. We put this all in a large pot and got it to a boil while we went on to making our KC Burgers. After it reached a boil we reduced the heat and let it simmer. I left this to cool in the fridge over night, and then I put 4 cups of the sauce in a gallon bag and then I put 2-3 cups in a quart size bag...I did this twice. The gallon bag is for a spaghetti meal and the quart bag is for a casserole meal.

Our final meal was Kansas City Burgers:

These make the juiciest burgers! They are great grilled with a little BBQ sauce. Suggested toppings: sliced cheddar cheese, purple onion, avocados, cooked bacon and Kansas City BBQ Sauce as the condiment of choice

We didn't have any tomato sauce left since we used it on the Spaghetti Sauce, but we grabbed a can of diced tomatoes and put it the blender. We used half of what this made for the burgers and put the rest into the Spaghetti Sauce pot instead of just wasting it.

To our 4 lbs of ground beef we added 8 tablespoons on HG Kansas City Rub mix, 16 oz of tomato sauce. Then Alicia formed the meat into 16 patties. We placed them on Cling Wrap and folded it over and pressed around the burgers to seal (4 patties per) then placed these covered patties in the freezer bag and put another 4 covered patties on top of those-8 total patties in a bag. Now I can just pull out how ever many I need for a particular meal. This will actually make me 2 meals.

WE WERE DONE!!

This picture shows all the meals made except for the Spaghetti Sauce. One side is Alicia's meals and the other is mine.

Look at all these options now in our freezer! Also note how these meals lay flat and don't take up much room in my freezer. I actually have a lot more room on my top shelf for more meals.

Making 19+ meals didn't take us very long. We started at 5:07pm and ended at 6:45pm. Keep in mind that we stopped for pictures and we were really just taking our time while having a good time. Being that we 'winged it', I thought we did great on time. If we had planned ahead of time and had our stations already set up it would have taken a lot less time I'm sure, but nothing beats having a fun with a good friend!!

Overall we spent about $100.00 in meat and about $15 on canned goods. We used my pantry staples so we spent $28 on Homemade Gourmet seasonings.** Divide this into 19 meals and it came out to about $7.53 per meal.....each meal contains 6 servings..$1.25 per serving. Now you can't buy a kids meals for under $4.00 these days-what a value!

The value increases if you have leftovers to make another meal OR if you are feeding only 1 to 2 then it's like you are getting 38 meals!! All you would have to do is to divide the recipe into 2 freezer bags, or you could cook the full recipe at one time and then refreeze the leftovers for another date.

** I do want to point out that if you used the individual Homemade Gourmet mixes instead of our Pantry Staple size that the total for the seasonings used is $72.50!! So you can see the value in buying our 'bulk' size seasonings-the Pantry Staples.

You can find the recipes and cooking instructions online at my website www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou and click 'recipes'. You can print them out or email to a friend plus you can print a grocery list out!! Most of these recipes are from the Meal Planner that's included in our HG 4 Meals in 4 Minutes Collection.

Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Have a delicious week!

Mary Lou

mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

832-444-9605

http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Key to the Kitchen!

2008-08-06T12:55:00.003-05:00

Don't know what to cook with that chicken or can of tomatoes? Well no fear...announcing Homemade Gourmet's Key to the Kitchen recipe database!

Go to www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou and then click on the 'recipes' tab and then plan your menu! You can print any recipe and create a grocery list for all the meals you choose.

Season N Steam Fajitas!

2008-08-06T12:26:00.005-05:00

Last night I finally was able to try Homemade Gourmet's new Season N Steam line. We had the fajitas. This was the easiest meal ever! All I had to do was dump the seasoning into the glad steam bag then I added 1 1/5 lbs of fajita meat. I stirred it up and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Then you stir it again and put in microwave for another 3 minutes, stir and put back in for 2 additional minutes! In less then 15 minutes I had a restaurant style meal, without the restaurant style price!

I also made HG Spanish Rice. I put this together before making the entree. It takes 15 minutes...which worked out great. It was done when the fajitas were. We had left over chips and salsa and queso dip. I even had shredded cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and shredded lettuce in my refrigerator!

I can't wait to try our SnS Philly Cheesesteak and SnS Beef and broccoli. Not to mention, our SnS tenderloin-can you believe you can have tenderloin in 15 minutes?!!

The other benefit of the SnS line, besides being fast, easy and healthy, is that it's a part of Homemade Gourmet's Homemade in a Hurry line! This means it has an additional tear off tab that you keep in your wallet, handbag, diaper bag for last minute options! Let's say you forgot to take out the meat to thaw or you just simply didn't plan for dinner. Well, all you have to do is take out your Homemade in a Hurry tabs and pick a meal. Then you head to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients that are on the list and run through the 'express lane' and then you will have a meal ready in less then 20 minutes when you get home!! Talk about convenience! Skip the drive thru and stop paying high prices. With our meals you can create a dinner for less then $3.00 per serving!! You can't buy a kids meal for under $3.00 these days! Plus it's healthy....no added oil or fats.

Microwave cooking is fast, easy, and Safe! Plus it retains more of the food's nutrients. See my previous post about the safety of using Glad's Steamer Bags.

They're steamin' hot! Get the new Fall/Winter Products now!

2008-08-04T23:48:00.000-05:00

Did you know Homemade Gourmet introduced 11 new products for the Fall/Winter selling season? Founder Tami VanHoy and her team are making customers' mouths water in all kinds of ways, but the biggest talker of the season is the Season 'n' Steam line.

There are four exclusive mixes in the Season 'n' Steam line:·
Broccoli Beef·
Philly Cheesesteaks·
Tenderloin·
Fajitas

Every one of them can be prepared in 20 minutes or less in the microwave. These savory dinners are getting raves. And, they're WAY more affordable than a dinner out. Philly Cheesesteaks come to only about $2.98 a person! We know that because our "tale of tape" is featured in the catalog. Throughout the Fall/Winter Product Catalog, meal costs are calculated on a register tape to show how Homemade Gourmet saves money every time you serve it.

The Season 'n' Steam mixes come with two bonuses:

1. Our exclusive Homemade in a Hurry labels: Tear-off the grocery list and preparation instructions and drop in your purse. The next time you're in a time pinch for dinner, fish the label out of your purse, pick up whatever you might need at the supermarket, and when you get home, dinner can be on the table in 20 minutes or less.

2. Glad® SimplyCooking™ microwave steaming bags: These super handy bags make microwave cooking easy, and the clean-up even easier! And you can promote them with confidence, too. Some people have expressed concerns about cooking with plastic. Those concerns about heating plastics come from the use of chemical additives known as plasticizers in plastics made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). GLAD® does not use PVC plastics in its products, nor does it use polycarbonates or Bisphenol A (BPA). GLAD® SimplyCooking™ microwave steaming bags are made with ingredients/plastics that comply with FDA regulations, and are safe for microwave cooking.For additional information regarding the use of plastics in the microwave, please see the PlasticsInfo. Org website at: http://www. plasticsinfo. org.

Check out the new produce line and share it with your family/friends. Besides the fabulous value emphasized throughout, the catalog has delicious new recipes and the cover even features a "meal trail"! A meal trail is Homemade Gourmet's concept of disguising "leftovers" as a totally new meal.Half the prep time, twice the value!

The catalog cover features the Garlic Lemon Chicken made with Garlic Lemon Marinade Mix:· Meal 1: Garlic Lemon Chicken, prepared according to label instructions. Prepare extra to ensure you have leftovers for additional meals.·

Meal 2: Chicken Enchilada Soup and Chicken Quesadillas. Prepare soup according to label instructions using the pre-cooked garlic lemon chicken. Prepare quesadillas using your favorite fillings in addition to the chicken.·

Meal 3: Skillet Chicken and Rice, prepare according to label instructions using the pre-cooked garlic lemon chicken.

For more fabulous tips and hints or to place an order:http://www. homemadegourmet. com/marylou

Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-07-24T20:29:00.003-05:00

Another easy dinner with Homemade Gourmet! I got caught up with cleaning today that I forgot the take the chicken out of the freezer. But, not to worry, I'm a Homemade Gourmet Consultant and I know all about fast meals! I looked at all of the HG mixes in my personal stash and found a Chicken Noodle Soup mix. This was perfect! Not only does it just take 20 minutes, but I also had left-over shredded chicken from last night's meal.

I've been on a little health kick recently and read in my Woman's Health book that you should eat a cup of broth based soup (like chicken noodle or vegetable soup) at either lunch or dinner to help you fill full. So, not only was this a very quick dinner but a healthy one too! One cup is 110 Calories, 1 g Total Fat, 10g Total Carbohydrate (which is great for my diabetic diet), and 15 g of Protein. We also had Multi-grain crackers and fruit. I"m not going to add any meat to my next batch of soup as I want to take the suggestion from my WH book and eat 1 cup of soup at the start of my dinners.

Clean up was super easy. Only one pot and I have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch!

Make Friends, Make Money, Make a Difference

2008-07-21T19:03:00.003-05:00

Now is a great time to start your own business! Get free new products too!!

New Consultants can get a FREE assortment of the new Homemade in a Hurry exclusive mixes when they sign up.

When new Consultants place their first order, we’ll include an amazing bonus assortment of:
Season ’n’ Steam Philly Cheesesteak Mix
Season ’n’ Steam Fajitas Mix
Creamy Italian Casserole Mix
Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Mix
Skillet Chicken and Rice Mix
Skillet Burritos Mix
It’s a $39.50 value!

I love the value that Homemade Gourmet has to offer! We have what everyone needs! Our products will save families money and time!! I love showing busy moms how to plan wonderful, healthy, and easy to make meals on a friendly budget with Homemade Gourmet. Being a part of this wonderful company is so rewarding in many ways and it's makes me so happy to see someone's eyes light up when they see our 4 meals in 4 minutes demonstration! Bringing families back to the dinner table is my passion and Homemade Gourmet makes it possible for anyone with a busy schedule.

Contact me if you too would like to make a difference for your family and for other families. I would love to share my 4 years experience with you and send you a catalog and info packet. Every year this company gets better and better..always making it easier for you to have a successful business! Join my team today and we can be sailing together in the Bahamas next year!!

Blessings,
Mary Lou

What’s NEW at Homemade Gourmet®? Great Taste at a Great Value!

2008-07-21T18:13:00.002-05:00

Make sure to visit my online store on August 1, 2008 to get your favorite new Homemade Gourmet in a Hurry meal solutions to simplify your dinner dilema!! http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Call me today to schedule your Homemade Gourmet in a Hurry Gathering so that you and your friends will be the first to sample our AWESOME new products!! Plus, you will earn many free meals and get 40% off our Fall best of the best bundle! With the school season right around the corner, wouldn't you love to have a meal on the table within 20 minutes?!

Season ‘n’ Steam Entrées — A healthful meal choice for families on the go!
Simply add your fresh ingredients to the savory seasonings and steam in the microwave for a great-tasting meal that has never been easier. We even provide the steamer bag!

Season ‘n’ Steam Broccoli Beef Mix, $6.75
Season ‘n’ Steam Philly Cheesesteak Mix, $6.75
Season ‘n’ Steam Tenderloin Mix, $6.75
Season ‘n’ Steam Fajitas Mix, $6.75

Introducing the Homemade in a Hurry product label!

They include a handy tear off section featuring a recommended menu and grocery list that you can keep inyour wallet or handbag so that you can choose to make a quick stop at the grocery store express lane, instead of a drive-thru, and prepare a home-cooked meal in minutes.
The Homemade in a Hurry products can be prepared from start to finish in either 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or 45 minutes to 1 hour. Keep a variety on hand so that you may choose the meal that best fits your time schedule!

The products that include this special section are:

􀂄 Season ‘n’ Steam Broccoli Beef Mix
􀂄 Season ‘n’ Steam Philly Cheesesteak Mix
􀂄 Season ‘n’ Steam Tenderloin Mix
􀂄 Season ‘n’ Steam Fajitas Mix
􀂄 Skillet Lasagna Mix
􀂄 Skillet Chicken and Rice Mix
􀂄 Skillet Burrito Mix
􀂄 Skillet Fried Rice Mix
􀂄 Creamy Italian Casserole Mix
􀂄 Cornbread Casserole Mix
􀂄 Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Mix

Would you like ALL of the great Homemade in a Hurry products, and as well as the
popular 4 meals in 4 minutes™ meal solutions?

Homemade in a Hurry Collection, a $180.75 value for ONLY $139.50!!
Includes: Grandmother’s Sunday Roast Pantry Staple, Garlic Lemon Seasoning Pantry Staple, Garlic Basil Pantry Staple, Southwest Seasoning Pantry Staple, 1 set of recipe cards for each Pantry Staple, 4 Pantry Staple Containers, Season ‘n’ Steam Fajitas Mix, Season ‘n’ Steam Philly
Cheesesteak Mix, Season ‘n’ Steam Broccoli Beef Mix, Season ‘n’ Steam Tenderloin Mix, Skillet Burrito Mix, Skillet Chicken and Rice Mix, Skillet Lasagna Mix, Skillet Fried Rice Mix, Cornbread Casserole Mix, Creamy Italian Casserole Mix, Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Mix, FREE
4 meals in 4 minutes™ Meal Flyer, FREE “Great-Tasting Meals in Minutes” DVD, FREE freezer labels.

More Meal Solutions!

BBQ Wing Sauce Mix, $6.50
— Traditional BBQ flavor in a tangy wing sauce! Perfect for the big
game on weekends or anytime you crave lipsmacking good wings.

Honey Chipotle Wing Sauce Mix, $6.50
— Sweet and spicy is always nice in this delicious wing sauce! A tasty alternative for wings,
nuggets and tenders.

Chinese Supper Sampler, $19.50
Everything you need for a family-style Chinese supper. Includes: Sesame
Ginger Stir-Fry Mix, Skillet Fried Rice Mix, Season ‘n’ Steam Broccoli Beef Mix, and an exclusive recipe flyer with grocery list!

Homemade Pizza Party Kit, $26.75
— Turn your kitchen into an authentic pizzeria! Includes: Tomato Basil Bread Mix, Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Mix, White Pizza Sauce Mix, Garlic Basil Seasoning Mix, Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Mix and an exclusive recipe flyer with grocery list!

Tex-Mex Fiesta Collection, $22.00
— A complete family fiesta from appetizer to dessert! Includes: Fire Grilled Salsa Mix, Season ‘n’ Steam Fajitas Mix, Spanish Rice Mix, Cinnamon Sopapilla Dessert Mix and an exclusive recipe flyer with grocery list!

More New Additions!

Fire-Grilled Salsa Mix,$4.50
— The smooth and smoky flavor of fire grilled peppers blend with traditional spices to create a salsa to remember!

Three Cheese Garlic Biscuit Mix, $5.75
— Asiago, Parmesan, and cheddar cheeses combine for this delightfully delicious drop-style
biscuit. You are the artisan with this easy to prepare alternative to the dinner roll!

Butterscotch Blondie Mix, $6.50
— The smooth, creamy and sweet taste of butterscotch in a “brownie”… makes it a
blondie! A melt-in-your mouth delicious alternative.

Cinnamon Sopapilla Dessert Mix, $5.50
— All of the fabulous flavors of a traditional sopapilla without all of the mess!
Cinnamon-y & creamy with just the right amount of honey-flavored sweetness.

Orange Cranberry Bread Pudding Mix,$6.50
— A traditional favorite with an incredibly delicious new twist!
Available through December 31, 2008.

Delightfully Decadent Cheesecake Collection, $22.00
— Includes an irresistible flavor for every occasion- one
each, Basic Cheesecake Mix, Tiramisu Cheesecake Mix, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix, Key Lime Cheesecake Ball Mix. Available through December 31, 2008.

New Party Blenders!

Cranberry Margarita Party Blender Mix, $6.50
— A refreshing twist to the traditional margarita! Great frozen or on the rocks.

Sassy Sangria Party Blender Mix, $6.50
—The name says it all… a delightfully delicious blend of fruit, with a punch. Also great frozen!
Each of these delicious new beverage mixes will make 4 batches/blenders full of fun —
Perfect for your next party!

Returning Fall Favorites include: Cornbread Casserole Mix, Shepherd’s Pie Casserole Mix, Skillet Lasagna Mix, Skillet Chicken and Rice Mix,White Chicken Chili Mix, White Pizza Sauce Mix, Baked Potato Soup Mix, Beef and Barley Stew Mix, Creamy Corn Chowder Mix, Lucky Bean Soup Mix, Minestrone Soup Mix, Mocha Cappuccino Muffin Mix, Strawberry Bread Mix, Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing Mix, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Mix, Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix, Tiramisu Cheesecake Mix, White Chocolate Cran-Orange Cookie Mix, Breakfast
Pastry Puff Mix, Spiced Cider Mix, Five Minute Fudge Mix and Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix

Many ways that Homemade Gourmet can fit into your busy lifestyle..

2008-07-14T20:51:00.002-05:00

Here are some great ideas to put the Fun back into your Summer Gatherings

Let's Go...Grilling

Whether you like to grill outside or inside, there are many grilling ideas in our 4 Melas in 4 Minutes Meal Planners. You can find these planners in our 4 Meals in 4 Minutes collections or in any of our Kitchen Connection Magazines. The current issue also has many ideas on grilling fresh vegetables.

Let's Go...Camping

Do you love to camp? You will love how preparing the 4m4m type meals and stocking them in your ice chest will make great meals for over the campfire. Homemade Gourmet's Cheeseburger Meatloaf or Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Dip mixed with your choice of ground beef make for great hamburger patties....take along and don't forget the dips!

Let's Go...Welcome the New Neighbors

Remove one of your 4m4m meals and take a home cooked meal to welcome your new neighbor to say "we are so glad you're here." Or bake up some of our Mini Pecan Pie Muffins!

Let's Go...Have a Family Reunion

Homemade Gourmet Pantry Staples are perfect for doubling, tripling, or quadrupling any recipe. Who wants to eat at a family reunion and NOT have our coleslaw, dips, pasta salads, or cheesecakes especially with how simple all those are to prepare.

Let's Go...Bring a dinner to a new mom

A new baby is a joy, but a busy joy. If you have a friend with a new baby, then surprise her with several 4m4m meals! If you are expecting yourself, then get your freezer stocked so that when that bundle of joy comes home, dinner will be stress free! You can also host a Homemade Gourmet baby show and each guest can purchase 1-2 Homemade Gourmet items to fill a Dinner basket for the expecting parents.

Let's Go...Wrap up dinner and a movie

Everyone will love a great family night together, especially one that is economical. The "That's a Wrap" Sampler and a rented movie are all you need. Make several different wraps and cut them into 'appetizer' size. The whole family can try different varieties and pick a winner!

Let's Go...Visit the Farmers Market

Face it...the veggies are fresh and everyone wants healthy choices. The Market Fresh Sampler will have the whole family eating healthy, great tasting food and even commenting on how good it is! Using the steamer bags in the sampler will allow for easy clean up and the kitchen won't be so hot!

Let's Go...Cook with the kids

Schools out for the Summer, now what do we do with the kids? Let's have some quality time in the kitchen with a cooking day. Most every product is so easy that the kids can prepare a meal. Make a pizza day. Dips are fun and easy...kids can stir together sour cream and a mix. Host a different type of birthday party and let the guest cook a pizza, make a dessert-there is no limit to the fun.

Need some low stress theme party ideas?

Mexican Fiesta-sombrero decor, showcase meals from HG Taco Soup Pantry Staple

Beach Blanket Bingo-beach blankets, balls, sunglasses. Serve pasta salad, crunchy lemon pasta salad.

What a Crock Party- focus on Homemade Gourmet crock pot meals

Skinny Dip Pool Party-flip flops, beachy containers for dips...sand pails, plastic margarita glasses. Serve low-fat dips, low fat wraps and lean meats using 4m4m

Today's busy lifestyles demand a DIFFERENT way to cook dinner.

2008-07-13T20:04:00.001-05:00

A way to prepare good food, fast...so that you don't have to choose fast food!

Homemade Gourmet products & the 4 meals in 4 minutes method of meal preparation IS THE WAY!

*Let 4 meals in 4 minutes help you make the fresh ingredient choices that are right for YOUR family.

*Let 4 meals in 4 minutes show you how to break the cyle of take-out and MacDinners and balance your grocery budget!

*Let us show you a 4 meals in 4 minutes demostration. It could change your life while keeping up with your lifestyle!!

See what 4 meals in 4 minutes looks like athttp://www.homemadegourmet.com/VirtualOfficeImages/Documents/4m4m.wmv
http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

FREE Salad Servers!

2008-07-01T18:18:00.001-05:00

Bonus Hostess Rewards in July!

2008-07-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

Summer is Sizzling with themed Homeshows and GREAT Host Rewards!

Host Rewards available in JULY ONLY!

The delicious Summer Salad Bundle, a $52.75 value, is available to Hosts for 40% off when Homemade Gourmet® Gatherings sales reach $400 or more! That’s JUST $31.65!!

When your show sales reach $400 or more you will receive a FREE Summer Citrus Sampler, a $15 value! Includes: Lemon Blueberry Muffin Mix, Orange Vinaigrette Mix, and Key Lime Cheesecake Ball Mix- makes a PERFECT Brunch or light supper!

AND a FREE Backyard Burger Bundle Bonus, a $14.50 value, when your show sales reach $400 or more. This Bonus is only available July 1- July 15 so act now!

Homeshow Theme Ideas! Just let your Distributor know which one is right for YOUR guests-

“Wrap It Up”- Learn how to make delicious and nutritious wraps!

“Backyard BBQ”- Have a couples get-together on the deck and let the man of the house “do the cooking” with great grilling ideas!

“Skinny Dip Pool Party”- Take the party poolside and sample some great finger foods, even have a best flip-flop contest!

“Nacho Ordinary Home Party”- Enjoy a Tex-Mex theme to spice up an afternoon or evening. Makes a Great couples party!

Have fun AND earn GREAT Rewards...Click HERE to see them ALL!
or
http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Don't heat up the kitchen! Chill out with the...

2008-07-01T17:41:00.002-05:00

Summer Salad Bundle
Standard Price- $52.75
HG Preferred Customer Price- $42.20 with HG Preferred 20% Discount
Host price- $31.65 with 40% Discount

Keep your kitchen cool this summer with these great-tasting alternatives to a “hot meal”! This delicious bundle of traditional salads, pasta salads, wraps and more will satisfy even the heartiest appetite while allowing you to chill-out! Many can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The Summer Salad Bundle includes one each of:
Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Maria’s Salsa Mix Homemade Gourmet® Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Tropical Dip Mix Homemade Gourmet® Black Bean Salsa Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Lemon Seasoning Mix Homemade Gourmet® Mock Spinach Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Mix Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Pesto Pasta Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Coleslaw Dressing Mix

The Summer Salad Bundle includes the mixes needed to make:
Broccoli Tortellini Salad Apple Chicken Salad
Black Bean Salsa Wrap Sunburst Salad
Black Bean Salsa and Shrimp Salad Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
Crab Salad Wrap Tuna Salad Pockets
Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Garlic Pesto Pasta
Lettuce Wraps

Available July 1 through July 31, 2008.

If you are not receiving our featured products each month-
Join HG Preferred TODAY!!
It’s FREE to join and we will deliver all of the Homemade Gourmet® products you want right to your door!

It’s Homemade Gourmet® YOUR Way… for 20% off each order!

Get your favorites ordered before August for a savings....

2008-06-30T21:58:00.002-05:00

Buy product now before the prices increase
Effective August 1, 2008

Have you been to the grocery store lately and noticed that food is costing you more these days? Price increases are affecting everyone. Our suppliers have raised our prices as well. Although we have been doing everything in our power to mitigate the effect of raw material increases, affective August 1, 2008 the following products will have a change in price and the new catalog will reflect this increase.

Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix- $5.00
Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Dip Mix- $4.75
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip Mix- $5.00
Beef and Barley Stew Mix- $6.50
Creamy Corn Chowder Mix- $6.50
Lucky Bean Soup Mix- $6.50
Chicken Noodle Soup Mix- $6.50
Louisiana Gumbo Mix- $6.50
White Chicken Chili Mix- $6.50
Minestrone Soup Mix- $6.50
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup Mix- $6.50
Skillet Fried Rice Mix- $6.50
Skillet Chicken and Rice Mix- $6.50
Creamy Italian Casserole Mix- $6.75
Cilantro Citrus Marinade Mix- $5.00
Cilantro Citrus Pantry Staple- $18.00
Pantry Staple Container- $6.00
Buffalo Wing Sauce Mix- $6.50
World Vision Basic Bread Mix- $5.75
Tomato Basil Bread Mix- $5.75
Mini-Pecan Pie Muffin Mix- $6.75
Raspberry Tea Mix- $6.50
Peach Tea Mix- $6.50
Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix- $6.75
Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Mix- $6.50

COMBO Prices will NOT increase resulting in a $1 savings if purchased.

Our products still remain a value and cost saving option for consumers.

Retiring Products previously announced as returning

Southwest Casserole Mix- There will be a recipe for this added to the Key to the Kitchen

Double Chocolate Brownie Mix- Due to rising costs of raw ingredients, this mix would have had an unreasonable retail price. To preserve the value of our products, this mix was retired.

Just "for the record", other retiring products:
Estate Blend Coffee- Bean and Ground
Italian Roast Coffee- Bean and Ground
Both of these are Due to rising costs of raw ingredients, these would have had an unreasonable retail price.

Recipe of the Day

2008-06-24T17:06:00.001-05:00

Fresh and Fruity Tarts
Resize to Serve: Recipe Yields: 12
Recipe Serving Size: 1 Tart
Servings Per Recipe: 12 servings

Ingredients
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 8-ounce tub whipped topping, thawed and divided
1/4 cup raspberry preserves or jam

Fresh fruit of choice for garnish
12 mini pie shells, prepared according to package instructions
1 Homemade Gourmet® Cheesecake Mix (Basic, Cool Lemonade, Key Lime)

Directions
1. Beat together Cheesecake Mix and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Stir in 4 ounces whipped topping.
2. Spread 1 teaspoon raspberry preserves or jam in each prepared mini pie shell. Fill each with ¼ cup cheesecake mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping.3. Garnish with your choice of fresh fruit. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Time's Running Out!!

2008-06-23T15:05:00.002-05:00

All Homemade Gourmet tasty dips are on sale this month!

Plus, HGP members get an additional 20% off the sale price (15% discount).

HG dips are delicious, super easy and great to have during the summer months. Couldn't you use a few of these to help with your Summer entertaining? My family's favorite is the Mock Spinach Dip...it's always a hit!

Order in the comfort of your home at http://www.homemade gourmet.com/ marylou

Let Homemade Gourmet help you create great tasting, home-cooked food, FAST!!

Benefits of being a HGP member....
*It's Homemade Gourmet YOUR Way!!
*It's FREE to join!
*No contracts!
*20% discount off every Homemade Gourmet online orders! Choose your own products or automatically receive the monthly bundle!
*Delivered Straight to your door!
*FREE subscription to HG's Kitchen Connection magazine!
*FREE Gifts!
*Member only specials!
*Meal Planner with grocery list for yummy meals for your family!

With HGP you never have to sit and plan you meals again...It's all done for you! Where do you sign up? Go to http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou
OR
email me at mlgkng24@sbcglobal. net
OR contact me by phone 832-444-9605. Feel free to contact me with any questions

A Dozen Delicious Reasons to Become a Homemade Gourmet Distributor

2008-06-08T00:51:00.002-05:00

* Make A Difference: Inspire families to gather around the dinner table over delicious, fast and affordable meals.

*Work A Flexible Schedule: Set your won hours and work when you want from the comfort of your home. Be there for your family.

*Make Money! Take home 25-45% in profits from your Homeshows, collect ongoing sales commission on your HG Preferred customers and earn commissions on Distributors you sponsor. Compare our compensation plan to others in the industry and be impress!!!

* Sell Delicious Food: Our product quality, exclusive product line and generous Hosting program makes your job easy! Having inventory is not required.

* Have Fun: No party is complete without food! Leave the boss, the cubicle and the drudgery behind!

* Make Lifelong Friendships and enjoy the fellowship of your Customers, Host and other Distributors.

* Be Recognized for your efforts.

* Earn Great Prizes and Free Vacations!

* Enjoy Personal Growth and inspire other to be their best.

* Count on Home Office Support, including a personal web page, customer newsletter service, new recipes every month and training.

* Be a Part of Something Bigger, a company with integrity that strives to make the world a better place.

* If Your Spouse Would Like to Join With You, Homemade Gourmet offers an optional Household Distributorship for an additional annual fee of only $10. So whether you want to join as a family or as an individual, Homemade Gourmet has the right plan for you.

Homemade Gourmet Distributors change lives every day. By helping busy families get dinner on the table, they save time, save money and sometimes even save Mom's sanity! Change your life for the better with a flexible, rewarding career with Homemade Gourmet. Join us now for only $39! The Homemade Gourmet starter kit contains the business supplies you need to get started!

2008-06-04T17:04:00.001-05:00

7 Things Your Boss Doesn’t Want You to Know
About Working at Home!

by Carrie Wilkerson, “The Barefoot Executive”

• There are HUGE tax advantages! Things like technology, vehicle use, long
distance and a portion of your home operating costs can often be deducted
(check with your tax advisor for specifics—this is NOT a comprehensive list)

• Meetings are largely unnecessary. What are we really accomplishing when we
gather, eat donuts, read from an agenda and banter about the thoughts we
discussed at the last departmental meeting? Seriously, do you remember the
last time that actual ACTION was taken at a meeting?

• EVERY day is casual Friday! Guess what?! No one cares what you’re wearing
when you are working from a “virtual office.” Sometimes pantyhose just don’t
FEEL productive! I’m at my best when I’m in comfy yoga pants and barefoot!

• We are more effective without a cubicle. When you are comfortable in your
environment...you will perform better. My workspace overlooks my beautiful
backyard. I typically have a candle lit and some great music playing...all things
that are frowned upon in cubicle-ville. (I won’t even mention the times I have
Sesame Street in the background or “coffee” breaks with juice & animal
crackers :)

• “Making a living” is NOT the same as “making a life!” Imagine setting your ideal
schedule; prioritizing your tasks; achieving personal goals; enjoying more
quality (& quantity) time with your family & friends...NOW, THAT’S LIVING!

• You are Responsible for Your Own Income! ...If YOU own the business, YOU
determine how much you make (or don’t make). This can be thrilling or
terrifying, depending on how you look at it! When I was in the “normal” working
world, my husband said, “you’re great at making money for other people—how
about you make some for us?” (LIGHT BULB!) Now I prefer knowing that my
personal income is directly equivalent to my consistent effort!

• Gas, Childcare, Dry-Cleaning and Eating Out are gobbling up your paycheck!
(Do I even need to expand on this one?) What is REALLY left of your wages
when you subtract childcare, fuel, increased auto insurance, wear & tear on
your vehicle, lunches out, office gifts, takeout for dinner and dry-cleaning the
wardrobe you are required to wear?

Close your eyes and visualize this…walking to work by way of your own coffee pot instead of
Starbucks…in your favorite at-home clothes…ready to tackle your priority list without the
interruptions of last night’s virtual reality show re-cap, water cooler gossip or the latest office
drama….Imagine lunch with your spouse, child or favorite gal pal!

Could you get excited about actually enjoying the home that you are spending so much money
on? (Ironic that our mortgage is often our largest expense and we have to work so many
hours AWAY from it to pay FOR it!)

Homemade Gourmet has given me many of the freedoms from above...let me help you start on yours!

www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Win a Spa Gift Certificate!!

2008-06-04T00:44:00.002-05:00

Enroll in the HGPreferred Club by the 14th of June, and win a chance to earn a $50.00 value SpaWish Gift Certificate!!

It's Homemade Gourmet YOUR Way!!

It's FREE to join!
No contracts!
20% off every Homemade Gourmet online orders!
Choose your own products or automatically receive the monthly bundle!
Delivered Straight to your door!
FREE subscription to HG's Kitchen Connection magazine!
FREE Gifts!
Member only specials!
Meal Planner with grocery list for yummy meals for your family!

With HGP you never have to sit and plan you meals again...It's all done for you!

Where do you sign up? Go to http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou
email me at mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net or contact me by phone 832-444-9605.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Let your friends now about this special and if they sign up you'll be given an extra entry in the drawing!!

If I Were The Boss...

2008-06-04T00:34:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this short film....

http://www.thebossmovie.com/

15% off Dips in June!

2008-06-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

Use any dip as a spread on a burger or wraps!

Make a smaller quantity of a dip, so you can make more varieties:
- Combine 1-2 Tbsp. each cream cheese and sour cream. Add 1 tsp. seasoning.
- Combine 8 oz. cream cheese and 8 oz. sour cream. Divide in half. Add half the normal amount of a seasoning to each. Freeze leftovers.

http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

The Double-Duty Grilling Bundle

2008-06-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

Standard Price- $52.64
HG Preferred Customer Price- $42.11 with HG Preferred 20% Discount
Hosting Price- $31.58 with Host 40% Discount

Warm weather and grilling out-doors go hand-in-hand, just like Homemade Gourmet® seasonings and your choice of market fresh meat, vegetables and fruit! This selection of mixes and seasonings will do “Double-Duty” on your menu, as a marinade or rub AND as great-tasting side dishes or salads! Homemade Gourmet® mixes provide you with multiple menu options like these listed below.

The Double-Duty Grilling Bundle includes 2 each of:
Homemade Gourmet® Raspberry Velvet Fruit Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Kansas City Rub
Homemade Gourmet® Teriyaki Marinade Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Lemon Poppy Seed Seasoning
Homemade Gourmet® Chipotle Steakhouse Rub
Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Basil Seasoning

Featured Recipes: contact me to see this month’s meal planner>

The Double-Duty Grilling Bundle includes the mixes needed to make:
Grilled Raspberry Shrimp Pecan Pear Salad
Glazed Baby Back Ribs Barbeque Seasoned Mushrooms
Teriyaki Pork Chops with Melon Salsa Teriyaki Vegetable Foil Pouch
Lemon Grilled Chicken Festive Fruit Salad
Chipotle Steaks Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad
Garlic Basil Chicken Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Available June 1 through June 30, 2008.

This Featured Product Bundle will automatically ship to HG Preferred Customers on Monday, June 16, 2008. All HG Preferred custom orders for monthly or bi-monthly participants must be confirmed no later than 11:59 pm (CST), Saturday, June 14, 2008.

All shipment frequency change requests must be received no later than 4:30 pm (CST), Thursday, June 12, 2008.

If you are not receiving our featured products each month-
Join HG Preferred TODAY!!
It’s FREE to join and we will deliver all of the Homemade Gourmet® products you want right to your door!

It’s Homemade Gourmet® YOUR Way… for 20% off each order!
Click here to see how!

http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie

2008-06-02T15:31:00.003-05:00

MEMBERS ONLY SPECIAL!

Cool off in June with our Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie Mix!

Serves 4, only $5 each!$4.00 after the HG Preferred 20% Discount!

This delicious summer sipper will be available to everyone in July but we wanted YOU, our preferred customers, to have an exclusive preview of this smooth & creamy taste sensation.
Mix with ice and your choice of ice cream, ginger ale, lemon lime soda, and many more mix-in options for a cool custom-made treat.

1 HG Smoothie mix

2 cups water

6 cups crushed ice, divided

1 cup (or more) alcohol, Amaretto is best, but Rum can also be used

1 1/2 cups Pina Colada drink mix

1. In a blender, combine mix, water, 2 cups ice, alcohol and Pina Colada drink mix. Blen on high until mixed thoroughly.

2. Pour half of mixture into a pitcher and set aside until needed. Add 4 cups ice to remaining mixture in blender and blen on high until thick and creamy. Repeat this step with the reserved drink mixture when ready.

3. Serve immediately.

Yields 16-8 ounce servings

Get yours TODAY!http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou
832-444-9605

Menu for a Month

2008-05-29T14:55:00.002-05:00

If you would like a 28 Day calendar of meals, then just let me know and I'd be happy to send you one.

Homemade Gourmet has created a monthly menu that changes every month. It has a main entree, side dishes, and sometimes desserts. So, if you don't have time to sit and plan out a menu or just tired of eating the same meal over and over, then this is for you!

State Champions

2008-05-29T14:45:00.004-05:00

The 6U Pearland Power All-Stars won the State Championship last weekend!!
Pearland has now won 4 back to back years!

Way to go Kathryn (#32), I'm so proud of you!!

Recipe of the day

2008-05-29T14:05:00.002-05:00

Citrus Turkey Burger

Ingredients
1-1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped green onions
6 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Citrus Seasoning Mix
6 flour or wheat pita
6 lettuce leaves
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tomato, diced

Directions
1. In bowl, combine turkey, onions, and seasoning; shape into 6 patties.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat; lightly brush grate with oil. Grill burgers for 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center.

3. Wrap pita in foil; grill until heated through.

4. Fill each pita with lettuce, avocado, tomato, and burger. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 burger
Servings per container: 6
Amount/Serving
Calories 420 Calories From Fat 140
% Daily value*
Total Fat 16g
25 %
Saturated Fat 3.5g
18 %
Cholesterol 90mg
30 %
Total Carbohydrate 45g
15 %
Dietary Fiber 8g
32 %
Sugars 2g

Protein 27g

* Percent Daily Value (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet Important: This information is accuate only if nothing has been added (e.g. egg wash, icing, etc.)

20% off your Groceries!!

2008-05-16T21:46:00.004-05:00

Need to save money? How would you like to save 20% on your grocery bill?

When you join Homemade Gourmet's HGPreferred club you get 20% off all your online orders!

With everything going up in price this is a great way to save time and money!

Also, ask me how to prepare 4 meals in 4 minutes!

Join today!
Go to http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou to sign up!

There is no fee to join Homemade Gourmet® Preferred, ever!

> Membership includes a monthly auto-shipment of pre-selected products along with corresponding meal plan and grocery list!

Each product bundle will be approximately $50 (before 20% discount) plus shipping and taxes.

> The auto-shipment will be processed on the 15th of each month, or the next business day following if it falls on a weekend or holiday.

~ OR ~

> You may choose to place a customized product order of $50 or more to stop that month’s auto-shipment.

> Place your custom order by the 14th of each month, or the next business day following if it falls on a weekend or holiday.> After your first order, you may choose to change the frequency of your automatic product shipments to be Bi-monthly or Quarterly. Do nothing and you will remain on the monthly shipment plan with the additional benefits that awards!

Mary Lou Garcia,Homemade Gourmet, Independent Distributor #12493

http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

http://mealsmadeeasywithhomemadegourmet.blogspot.com/

Proud Mommy

2008-04-30T01:18:00.005-05:00

I'm so proud of my precious daughter!! She made our city's 6U All-star softball team, Pearland Power!! She has come a long way from playing with the dirt in the outfield three years ago to an awesome hitter and a did a great job this Spring at 1st base.

I've been so busy with practices, meetings, games, and tournaments that I've haven't had much time to post much on my blog. But I must say....thank goodness for Homemade Gourmet!! Even though we haven't been able to eat many meals at home, HG has helped us have some home cooked meals. If I didn't have these easy meals to put together we definitely would have been eating out all the time!

Some of the fastest meals that I've been able to put together have been spaghetti and meat sauce with a side salad. I keep my freezer stocked with precooked/seasoned ground beef (Garlic Basil) and have spaghetti sauce already made. You can't go wrong with spaghetti....the kids love it and it only takes a few minutes to cook the noodles and heat the meat and sauce...then it's out the door for softball!!

Something else that has helped with this busy time is to keep shredded chicken in the freezer. I've been buying the rotisserie chicken from my local Wal-Mart, and I bag the remaining chicken in quart-sized freezer bags for quick salads.....the Apple Pecan Vinaigrette is a new favorite of mine and I keep this in my refrigerator!!. I've also been keep plenty of fresh fruits around.

So, even in the busiest of times, you can serve your family a very healthy and delicious home cooked meal!

I'm also thankful for having HG as a business. I've been able to stay home with my little one and I'm home when my daughter gets out from school. There is no way I would have been able to get her fed and have her homework completed if I still had a 9-5 job. We are usually out the door by 5:00ish on most nights and get home late....just enough time to get the kids a bath and read them a book or two.

Back to being a proud Mommy....The 6u Pearland Power took home a first place trophy last week at a local tournament!! The Power has been district and state champions for the last 3 years, and we are making our way to the 4th straight win.....I'll keep you posted. District is this weekend and state is at the end of the month.

The 6u Pearland Power is still looking for sponsors...please contact me if your company would like to make a tax deductible contribution.

World Vision Caregiver Kits

2008-04-30T01:16:00.001-05:00

Homemade Gourmet is partnering with World Vision to equip and encourage a network of 59,000 volunteer caregivers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. These caregivers are making a world of difference for those impacted by AIDS. But too often, poverty denies them access to the supplies they need to safely and effectively prolong lives and comfort the sick. We can help equip them with the supplies they desperately need!

Why are we doing this?

Assembling Caregiver Kits is an effective, hands-on way we can:
• Show compassion for those suffering from AIDS
• Equip caregivers with the practical materials they need
• Encourage caregivers to continue caring selflessly for their neighbors

What's in a Caregiver Kit?

Caregiver Kits contain basic items such as antibacterial soap, latex gloves, cotton balls, and medications that improve and prolong the lives of those living with AIDS while protecting caregivers and preventing the spread of infection.

Our Caregiver Kit Event

On July 17-18, 2008 at Family Reunion, we will have the opportunity to build a Caregiver Kit(s) and support the Caregiver Kit program. Each kit costs $32 including all shipping and handling. We would like to raise enough funds to build 100 kits! You can give by donating online at www.firstgiving.com/hgcarekits. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt from World Vision by email for your gift.

To see a four-minute video from World Vision about the Caregiver Kits, go to
http://media.worldvision.org/docs/caregivers_docs/corp/cg_corp_video.swf.
For more information about Caregiver Kits, visit www.worldvision.org/wvcarekits.

Business Opportunity Call-May 27

2008-04-30T00:12:00.002-05:00

Business Opportunity Call (30 minutes): This is an opportunity for potential
Distributors to hear about our exciting career opportunity from the Homemade Gourmet® Founder, Tami Van Hoy and CEO, Ken Johnsen. The first 20 minutes informational. Last 10 minutes Q & A.

Call number is 1-800-608-4241
Pin is 42231318#

Warning for Chocolate lovers...

2008-04-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

Chocolate to G0-GO! Stock up NOW!

Due to potential for melting, Homemade Gourmet® products containing chocolate will not be available from June 1 - September 30, 2008. Stock up on Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Mix and Double Chocolate Brownie Mix by May 31st so that you can offer these favorites through the hot summer months.

Get ready for your family Pizza night!

2008-04-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

It-za Pizza Kit! Coming in May

It-za Pizza Kit!, $54.50, includes FREE recipe Meal Planner and ergonomic stainless steel Pizza Cutter!

Preferred Customer Price: Only $43.60 for HG Preferred customer with their 20% discount!

The Month of May is merry in many ways including graduation events, bridal showers, outdoor brunches and lunches, all kinds of family celebrations -- and Homemade Gourmet® PIZZA for every occasion! The It-za Pizza Kit includes everything you need to make EIGHT different pizzas! Whether served as a meal, snack, appetizer or even breakfast, pizza is sure to please. We have even included the World's Best Pizza Cutter for FREE!

The It-za Pizza Kit! includes the mixes needed to make:
Tomato Basil Pizza Crust Breakfast Pizzas
Garden Herb Pizza Santa Fe Nacho Pizza
Apple Pizza
(w/ Spiced Dipping Sauce) Easy Pizza Sauce
Mini Pizzas Barbeque Chicken Pizza
BLT Pizza

The It-za Pizza Kit! includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Tomato Basil Bread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Grandmother's Sunday Roast Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Kansas City Rub
Homemade Gourmet® World Vision Basic Bread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce
Homemade Gourmet® Taco Soup Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Tropical Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Black Bean Salsa Mix
Homemade Gourmet® BLT Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® stainless steel pizza cutter, a $9 value - FREE

Natural food vs Organic foods

2008-04-11T22:42:00.002-05:00

I attended a healthy eating seminar this week and it really opened my eyes to the type of foods we expose our children to every day. So, naturally every thing that sparks interest to me I have to 'investigate' (which means I do lots of reading/research).

I've been interested in the Organic craze, but never took the time to really learn about it until recently. Also, I've seen the word 'Natural' on some of the foods that I've been purchasing lately. Natural sounded great so I just started picking it up...mainly lunch meat. In my search for answers I came across this article (written by: the Food Marketing Institute)
that states the differences between Organic and Natural foods. For the full article to go: http://www.fmi.org/media/bg/natural_organic_foods.pdf

The great thing about cooking with my Homemade Gourmet seasonings is that I'm able to choose the type of ingredients I use. I can use organic , or low sodium soup, fresh or frozen tomatoes, low fat or fat free varieties, and/or Natural food items. I'm so excitied that HG brought in a Registered Dietitian to our staff! Keep your eye on our Kitchen Connect magazines for Susie's healthier versions of our Homemade Gourmet recipes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are natural and organic foods the same?

No. The term “natural” is not regulated except for meat and poultry. It applies
broadly to foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic
preservatives; artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artificial additives;
hydrogenated oils; stabilizers; and emulsifiers. Most foods labeled
natural are not subject to government controls beyond the regulations and
heath codes that apply to all foods.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) requires natural
meat and poultry to be free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives
and ingredients. These products must be minimally processed in
a method that does not fundamentally change them. The label must also
explain the use of the term natural such as no artificial ingredients. Labeling
meat and poultry products natural does not refer to how the sources of
those foods were raised.

“Organic” refers not only to the food itself, but also to how it was
produced. Foods labeled organic must meet or exceed the regulations of
the National Organic Program (NOP), which took effect October 21, 2002.
They must be grown and processed using organic farming methods that recycle
resources and promote biodiversity. Crops must be grown without
using synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers
and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Organic livestock must have access
to the outdoors and be given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
Organic foods may not be irradiated.

What's a Mom to Do?

2008-04-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

This article can be found at The American Dietic Association at www.eatright.org. You can read the entire Nutrition Fact Sheets,or even print it out, along with many other helpful nutrition facts and healthy eating tips

Most moms agree that feeding their family well is very important. According to a
new survey commissioned by Wendy’s®, 80% of moms would like to get their kids
to eat healthier—but many obstacles get in their way. Families juggle busy
schedules that make it difficult to eat together and don’t leave enough time to
shop or cook. Nearly 40% of moms surveyed feel that healthy foods don’t always
taste good. For others, the challenge is a family that doesn’t want to eat healthy
foods or is on a limited food budget.

Busy moms—especially young moms—are also
frustrated by the flood of changing nutrition
advice, especially as they try to make sensible
dietary decisions for their families. Moms have a
wealth of concerns when it comes to their
children’s eating habits. The top concern, shared
by more than four-in-10 moms, is that kids are not
eating enough fruits and vegetables. Picky eaters
and eating too much junk food round out the top
three overall concerns of moms.

What’s a mom to do? Start with these easy,
practical tips:

• Make mealtime family time. Try to have at
least one meal a day together. Eating meals as
a family can actually improve your children’s
food habits since kids tend to eat more fruits,
vegetables and dairy foods at meals shared
with their parents.

• Get the family involved in meal planning
and preparation. Your kitchen can be a
learning laboratory. Give kids simple tasks to
help with family food shopping, preparation
and cleanup. Children are more likely to eat
foods that they have helped to prepare.

• Be a good role model. Moms and dads often
tell their kids to eat healthy but don’t follow
the advice for themselves. Make sure you set
a good example for your family. Healthy
eating is a lifestyle—not a fad. It needs to be
a family affair that begins at an early age.

• Try something new. Set a goal to include
one new food or recipe each week. You’ll
soon discover new favorites to incorporate
into family menus. When you want your
children to eat more fruits and vegetables, try
a new or exotic variety like mangoes or
tangelos. To make fruit easier to eat, serve it
in bite-sized pieces with some yogurt for
delicious dipping!

Host a 4 meals in 4 minutes® demonstration…

2008-04-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

It IS what you, your friends and family need to get back to the dinner table and out of the drive thru!

It IS a hands-on, fun, and interactive experience!

It IS sampling great tasting, easy-to-prepare food!

It IS 4 meals in YOUR freezer when it’s over!
It IS an abundance of fabulous Hosting Rewards!

Including:
HOST EXCLUSIVE
Recipe Organizer & Meal Planner System
a $70 value for ONLY $35.00! That's 50% OFF

APRIL BONUS!
Receive a set of Pre-Printed Dividers and 100+ recipe cards, a $27+ value, FREE with each Recipe Organizer & Meal Planner System purchase!

PLUS!

FREE Products equal to 10% of total Homeshow sales!

40% OFF one of the Pantry Staples of your choice!

FREE Hosting meal kit when sales reach $400 or more!

FREE mixes to prepare and sample at the Homeshow.

Four meals in your freezer if Hosting a 4 meals in 4 minutes™ demonstration!

Mini Spring 4 meals in 4 minutes

2008-04-04T00:32:00.003-05:00

This month we wanted to give you a sample of the BEST that Homemade Gourmet® has to offer...
4 meals in 4 minutes™

If you have never tried one of our 4 meals in 4 minutes™ collections, you will find this month’s featured
meal plan a real treat. If you have our Original 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection, this is your opportunity to sample the Spring/Summer Collection! We have taken a sampling of the meals from the Spring/Summer 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection and created a ‘mini’ collection as this month’s featured products!

And don’t let the name fool you! This ‘mini’ collection actually makes EIGHT MEALS!
All you have to do is follow the simple instructions in this planner and from your first 4 meals will be able to create 4 additional meals without a lot of extra cooking!

After you have tried this months suggested meal plan, we think you are going to want to do it over and over — so be sure to see the FREE Cool Lemonade Cheesecake Mix Offer!

Here are a few things you need to know about following this month’s 4 meals in 4 minutes™ meal planner:

HOW DO I READ THE MEAL PLAN?
􀂄 The left column tells you a suggested menu to go with the featured entrée.
􀂄 The center column tells you the recipe for creating the featured entrée in advance.
􀂄 The right column tells you how to turn leftovers from your entrée into a completely new

BONUS meal that requires little to no cooking time!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO USE THIS MEAL PLAN?
􀂄 The 4 meals in 4 minutes™ concept refers to making the 4 recipes in the center column at the same time in just 4 minutes! They are made in zip top freezer bags that can be labeled and placed in the freezer for easy use when you are ready.
􀂄 We suggest you take a few minutes after receiving your products and prepare the 4 recipes in advance as suggested. Place them in your freezer and use them over the next month. The planner explains that you can choose one of 3 cooking options when you are ready to prepare them:
􀂊 Slow cooker
􀂊 Baked in the oven
􀂊 Grilled

HAVE LEFTOVERS? GREAT!
􀂄 The 4 meals in 4 minutes™ concept is best when the third column bonus meal idea is taken
advantage of! It uses leftover meat from your entrée recipe. Each of the center column recipes calls for enough beef, chicken or pork to feed a family of 4 with leftovers. If you are feeding a larger family, you can add up to 2 more chicken breasts or pork chops or an extra pound of meat and not have to increase the other ingredients. This will stretch the main entrée to feed up to 6 with leftovers.

Order your Mini Collection today, or earn it free by hosting your own 4 meals in 4 minutes class-plus you'll have these 4 meals in your freezer after the show!!!

CHAT with Us...

2008-04-03T23:01:00.002-05:00

You are invited to join
Executive Director, Courtney Wright
for a
Homemade Gourmet
C.H.A.T.
(Come Have a Taste of Homemade Gourmet)
on
Saturday, April 12th
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Freeman Library Children's Room
16616 Diana Ln.
Houston, TX 77062
281-488-1906

If you would like to learn more about the Homemade Gourmet business opportunity, this is a great time to hear from one of HG's top leaders. Starter Kits are FREE in April! And you also get $104.00 of FREE product when you enroll as a new distributor. New Homemade Gourmet Spring products will be served.

Please RSVP to me at:

832-444-9605 or

mlgkng24@sbcglobal.net

Free Starter Kit in April!

2008-04-02T00:14:00.002-05:00

I love the flexibility and rewards of my career with Homemade Gourmet, and I'd love it even more if you join me. Busy families all over need to hear how we can help make their lives better by eating dinner together regularly! The $39 Starter Kit contains the business supplies you need to get the right start, including a personal web page, customer newsletter service and ongoing support from the Home Office in the form of training, inspiration and recipes. Plus, when you place an initial order of $400 retail, you'll get the Pantry Basics Collection worth $104 for FREE! It includes our four most popular Pantry Staples. I'll help you get enrolled and get started! Call me today and I'll be happy to share all the details.

Warmly,

Mary Lou Garcia #12493
832-444-9605
MLGKNG24@sbcglobal.net
www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

$39 Starter Kit
Yes, the kit is now half the price! And it has more of the Sales Aides a new Distributor needs to build a customer base through Homeshows. In fact, we've included all the Sales Aides necessary to hold a successful cook-off and the first three Homeshows:
* Open me first envelopes of all the current promotions for customers and all the current incentives, recognition and publications for Distributors.
* Booking Made Simple DVD
* Homeshow Live DVD
* New Distributor Workbook
* A pack of Sponsoring Brochures
* 3 packs of Product Catalogs (yes, 30 catalogs!)
* 6 Original 4m4m Planners
* 2 packs of Homeshows Invitations
* A pack of Product Lists
* A pack of Customer Order Forms
* A pack of Kitchen Connection magazines
* A pack of T-shirt Bags (customer bags)
* A pack of Customer Care Cards
* NEW! A set of Presentation Script Cards on a ring
* NEW! A Silver Circle program bracelet
* And, as always, a year's worth of the personal webpage and customer e-newsletter service

Together, all these Sales Aides are worth $110 to a new Distributor.
But wait, there's more!

We're so excited about this new kit and getting new Distributors started right that we have designed a fabulous incentive for new Distributors in April:
Â· The $39 kit is FREE when the new Distributor places her $400.00 retail order. You read that right: Free!
Â· We're including a coupon in the new April-August Kitchen Connection magazine that gives new Distributors the opportunity to get a FREE (yes, free!) Pantry Basics Collection when she enters the coupon code during the online enrollment process. This coupon is good through May 31, 2008.
Â· This means a new Distributor in April can get started for $240 plus tax and shipping, and they'll get more than $600 worth of Sales Aides and product. Amazing!

Mini 4 Meals in 4 MInutes

2008-04-01T23:57:00.000-05:00

April Product Specials

HG Preferred Member - Choose to customize your order your way OR receive this featured product bundle of the month via auto-ship:

If you have never tried one of our 4 meals in 4 minutes™ collections, you will find this month's featured meal plan a real treat. We have taken a sampling of the meals from the Limited Edition Spring 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection and created a 'mini' collection as this month's featured products! And don't let the name fool you, this 'mini' collection makes EIGHT MEALS!

The Mini 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Citrus Marinade Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Chipotle Steakhouse Rub
Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Creamy Caribbean Cheeseball Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Coleslaw Dressing Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Mom's Smashed Potatoes Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Texas Cornbread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Spanish Rice Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Key Lime Cheesecake Ball Mix

This featured product bundle is available for only $40.20 to HG Preferred customers with the 20% HG Preferred discount. All other customers can purchase this bundle for $50.25.

Apple Pecan Pork Chops - Cilantro Citrus Chicken - Does this sound YUMMY to you?

April Hosting Specials

2008-04-01T23:47:00.001-05:00

Hosting Bonus for April
Host a 4 meals in 4 minutes® demonstration…
It isn't your mama's home party!

It IS what you, your friends and family need to get back to the dinner table and out of the drive thru!

It IS a hands-on, fun, and interactive experience!

It IS sampling great tasting, easy-to-prepare food!

It IS 4 meals in YOUR freezer when it's over!
It IS an abundance of fabulous Hosting Rewards!

Hosting Bonus for April
April Only!!
The Mini 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection, $50.25 retail value for ONLY $30.15! That's 40% OFF!

If you have never tried one of our 4 meals in 4 minutes™ collections, you will find this month’s featured meal plan a real treat. We have taken a sampling of the meals from the Limited Edition Spring 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection and created a ‘mini’ collection as this month’s featured products! And don’t let the name fool you, this ‘mini’ collection actually makes EIGHT MEALS!

The Mini 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Collection includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Citrus Marinade Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Chipotle Steakhouse Rub
Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Creamy Caribbean Cheeseball Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Coleslaw Dressing Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Mom’s Smashed Potatoes Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Texas Cornbread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Spanish Rice Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Key Lime Cheesecake Ball Mix

See the Meal Planner in the Product Specials section for all of the delicious recipes you can create… FAST with this collection!

HOST EXCLUSIVE
Recipe Organizer & Meal Planner System
a $70 value for ONLY $35.00! That's 50% OFF
***APRIL BONUS!***
Receive a set of Pre-Printed Dividers and 100+ recipe cards, a $27+ value, FREE with each Recipe Organizer & Meal Planner System purchase!

Keep all of your Homemade Gourmet® recipe cards, recipe flyers, In The Mix e-Newsletters, and Kitchen Connection magazines all in one convenient planner!

Includes:
beautiful red, zip-up binder with logo
20 recipe card sleeves with 4 pockets each
10 blank section tabs
instructional CD with meal planning tips, calendars, grocery list and more!
This fantastic organization and meal planning system
is ONLY available to Homemade Gourmet® Homeshow Hosts.
When your Homeshow reaches $400 in sales, you can get it
for the extraordinary 50% OFF price of $35.00, along with
your choice from the other generous rewards!

To get yours... Book a 4 meals in 4 minutes™ demonstration TODAY!

Homemade Gourmet Business Oppurtunity Call!

2008-03-29T21:22:00.003-05:00

March 30th at 8:00 p.m. CST :

Business Opportunity Call (30 minutes)

Call (800) 608-4241 then enter PIN 42231318#
Press *6 to mute & again to un-mute

This is an opportunity for you to invite potential Distributors to hear about our exciting career opportunity from the Homemade Gourmet® Founder, Tami Van Hoy and CEO, Ken Johnsen.

The first 20 minutes is informational. The last 10 minutes is Q & A.

April will be an awesome month to join my team with Homemade Gourmet. New distributors will get a FREE Starter Kit and free products*

Fell free to contact me after you listen in to the call if you would like more information! I'm happy to help.

*details to be out soon!

The New Spring Mixes are Fabulous!

2008-03-27T14:55:00.010-05:00

I just got to try some of the new products, and wow was I happy!

The Jalapeno dip was great! Some thought it was too spicy, but I thought it had just the right kick. ( I'm not much of a spicy fan either!)

I absolutely loved the Apple Pecan Vinaigrette!!! I sampled it over a bed of spinach. The great thing is that you can also make this into a fruit dip or make a yummy apple chicken wrap!

I made the Creamy Caribbean cheeseball, and everyone loved it! It was good, but I like the Jalapeno better. This was actually everyone's favorite dip. The recipe calls for 1 8 oz block of cream cheese, but next time I'm also going to add 8 oz of sour cream....just to soften it up some.

The last thing I sampled was the Key Lime cheesecake. I don't like key lime, so I really don't know what to say about it. Everyone else enjoyed it though. I also made this for Easter, and my family ate it up!

I haven't had the chance to make any of the wraps from the That's A Wrap Sampler, but I love how it has a special flyer that tells you step by step on how to create the perfect wrap of your choice. I'm looking forward to trying the Apple Pecan Chicken Wrap! This Sampler is great for those that make 4 meals in 4 minutes type meals. With the leftover meat from your dinner you can have a very fast, healthy, and delicious wrap for lunch. I know what Joseph and I will be having for lunch next week!

Speaking of 4m4m, you will love the Market Fresh Sampler! This includes Glad microwave steamer bags so you can make fresh vegetables of your choice. The recipe flyer pairs up different vegetables to certain Homemade Gourmet seasonings. I used one bag to make baked potatoes. The potatoes came out perfect! The cooking time is on the bag which is nice. This is a must for easy side dish options that are healthy!

Make sure to sign up as a HG Preferred Customer to get your Spring products at a 20% discount! It's free to join! Go to http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou to join.

NEW! MARKET FRESH SAMPLER, $36.00 FREE re-useable Homemade Gourmet® Market Bag, 7 Glad® microwave steamer bags, and an exclusive Recipe flyer! The Market Fresh Sampler contains everything you need to make your trip to the market easy, with naturally fresh and delicious results! We’ve doubled the mixes to allow you to sample from 20+ recipe choices that are prepared using the healthful cooking method of steaming featured in the recipe flyer. Packed in a handy giftbox that makes sharing these fresh and delicious recipes easy! #40.0038 — Sampler includes: 2 Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Lemon Marinade Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® MockSpinach Dip Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® GarlicBasilSeasoning Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mixes, FREE Box of Glad® microwave steamer bags (7 count), FREE Recipe Flyer and a FREE Homemade Gourmet® reuseable MarketBag.

NEW! THAT’S A WRAP!SAMPLER, $21.75 Fresh fruits & vegetables wrapped up with Homemade Gourmet® seasonings make delicious light and easymeals in minutes! Our That’sA Wrap! Sampler includes5 mixes and an exclusive recipe flyer to help you create simply deliciouswraps that allow you to enjoyhealthful choices, fast and easy. Choose from 10+ recipes for a quick and light meal anytime! Packed in a drawstring giftbag that is great for gift giving! #40.0039 — Sampler includes: 1 Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Italian CheeseballMix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Teriyaki Marinade Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Maria’sSalsa Mix and a FREE Recipe Flyer.

NEW! JALAPEÑO BACON CHEDDAR DIP MIX, $4.50 The smoky flavors of roasted jalapeño and bacon combine with creamy, mild cheddar for a taste that leaves you wanting more, more, more! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded cheddar cheese. Yields: 2 cups. #05.0001

NEW! CREAMY CARIBBEAN CHEESEBALL MIX, $4.75 Smooth and creamywith just a splash of mild Caribbean spice for your fresh veggies or favorite snack crackers. Your tastebudswill be doing the conga! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: cream cheese. Yields: 1 cup. #05.0002

NEW! APPLEPECAN VINAIGRETTE MIX, $4.00 The sweet and tart flavor of fresh appleswith crunchy pecans is a delightful and delicious combination to complementyour choice of fresh greens, vegetables, and fruit. Thismix is also included in the That’sA Wrap! Sampler on page 23 to create a light and easy wrap menu! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: oil, apple cider vinegar. Yields: 1 cup. #04.0002

It's About Time for a Family Meal

2008-03-20T13:02:00.004-05:00

Someone shared this with me, and I'm happy to share it with my readers...

It’s About Time for a Family Meal

by Jolene Philo

Family mealtime is important. In fact, its importance is becoming clearer as modern families abandon the practice of eating together. Therefore, even though mealtime and menus were addressed in the December column, I am revisiting the topic. This month the focus is on why eating together is crucial for you and your children.

Mealtime Truth Observed

Family meals added structure to my own life. They were the center of my childhood. Three times a day we gathered at the table even though my mother taught full time. We ate together for two reasons. First, it was economical and money was tight on a teacher’s salary. Second, mealtime provided company for my disabled, homebound father.

So we ate cornflakes together at breakfast. Dad fixed cold sandwiches for lunch. Mom fixed a hot supper though by age ten, my siblings and I could do the same. We talked and joked around the table. The look on Dad’s face during meals told us they were the highlight of his day. He loved to eat, but this was about more than food. Just as family meals provided structure in my childhood, our presence at the table gave structure and meaning to his very long days.

My childhood experiences were so strong that as a mom, I insisted on a family meal every day. Some nights, when my husband worked the evening shift, the kids and I ate without him. Some nights, when I had late meetings at school or attended a conference, they ate without me. Sometimes, breakfast or lunch was the only time we could eat together, so that’s what we did. But every day, there was a family meal.

It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always perfect, but the impact of that practice was clear when our college daughter came home from her freshman semester in December. Though she hung out with friends, she scheduled her holiday activities around supper. “I want to eat with you,” she said. “That’s what I missed most at college.”

Mealtime Truth Proven

Recently I read Miriam Weinstein’s book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals (Steerforth Press, 2005). The author presents reasons for the decline of family mealtime. Most of them you can probably guess: parents’ work schedules, kids’ activity schedules, television and divorce. She lists the benefits of mealtime cited in a number of research studies. The benefits include:

o Lower incidences of smoking, drug use and teen pregnancy

o Positions children to do better in school

o Passes down of ethical, familial and religious heritage

o Lowers rates of eating disorders and obesity

o Builds children’s literacy, vocabulary and conversational skills

o Teaches mannerso Promotes resilience in children

o Promotes enjoyment of other family members

That’s quite a list. Weinstein never states that family mealtime guarantees these benefits. But she suggests that making adjustments so a family can eat together is an investment with the potential for high yields.

The book includes study results and anecdotal incidents that strengthen her position. She examines two parent and single parent families, as well as different socio-economic levels and cultures. Though her roots are in Judaism, she explores the importance of family mealtime in several faiths, including Christianity. Her insights make the book worthwhile reading.

Mealtime Truth Applied

But my subjective observations and Weinstein’s objective study results can’t do anything without action from parents like you. As a mom, especially as a work-at-home mom, you can give your children the gift of a family mealtime that will reap benefits for the rest of their lives.

As my family history shows, doing so isn’t always easy and it isn’t perfect, but it can be done. Here are the strategies that helped our family eat together at least once a day:

o Plan your meals ahead of time.

Be flexible. If your husband works evenings, eat breakfast or lunch together. If he gets home in late evening before the kids go to bed, have a family snack time.

o Take the television set out of the room where you eat.

o Limit the number of activities your children participates in at any one time to free up time for family meals.o Complain to those in charge when your kids’ activities are scheduled during mealtime.

o Have a family scheduling meeting once a week. Write all activities on one calendar. Then schedule mealtime for when the most family members can be home.

o Have the kids help plan menus, prepare meals and set the table. The more they’re involved, the more they’ll be invested in mealtime.When your family sits down to eat, begin take a moment to share spiritual food with your family before digging in. Bow your heads and offer a blessing. When you thank the Father who gives you food to eat, children to nurture, a family to love and a Savior who guides, mealtime blessings multiply.

Always remember that you are the mom. You have the power to make each family mealtime a blessing. By eating together each day, you will send those blessings forward into the lives of your children, their children, and their children’s children.

Kind of gives you an appetite for a family meal, doesn’t it?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jolene Philo is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Boone, Iowa. She shares her house and her home office with her husband Hiram, daughter Anne, and dachshund Abby. You can learn more about her at her website, www.jolenephilo. com.

Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner

2008-03-18T14:08:00.003-05:00

Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner

It's official, Distributors and Hosts are LOVING the new Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner! It is such a convenient way to keep all of your Homemade Gourmet® recipe cards, recipe flyers, In The Mix e-newsletters and the Kitchen Connection magazine all together in one place. And to make the Organizer even easier to use, attach a ribbon or a nylon cord to the zipper for a little more leverage in pulling it closed. A $70 valve for only $35.00, when your show reaches $400.00 in sales!.

Giving...Gives Right Back!

2008-03-07T23:03:00.002-06:00

This Post was written by Cindy Pirtle of Homemade Gourmet. You can read this and many more post at Homemade Gourmet's office blog at... http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Last week, Tami and I were working on recipes and articles to go into the April Kitchen Connection. Loads of work, but loads of fun as well. But, I have to tell you, the absolute, very BEST part of last week was the FILL YOUR FREEZER and PERK YOUR PANTRY contest. It was also that absolute, very HARDEST part.

You see, this entire quarter, Tami and I have been reading these heart warming stories of customers who want and need a Freezer Make Over. They all submitted their coupons, a short essay and a before picture of their freezers. I must say that even if I had never read a word of the essays, some of the freezers almost made me cry.

Want to know why???

All these people were Homemade Gourmet customers!!!!!

How, I ask you, HOW, can a Homemade Gourmet customer’s freezer be in such sad shape?? Luckily, each of those customers also submitted their distributors name, so guess who I am going to be calling???? Ha - you can run, but you cannot hide.

But, I digress. (As usual!) The BEST part, really, really and truly, was to watch this fantastic lady with 3 little boys draped all over her, stand with her mouth open and repeatedly say, “That’s all you have to do???” “Wait, it is that easy??” “What else can I make with that one?” “Oh, my husband is going to be so excited!!” “Hold on, you even have dinner for tonight for us??” There is no greater joy that I have felt in a long time, than to be able to give this family easy great tasting meals and help them know that it was so simple they can do it themselves every month.

I hate to think that could be one of my customers! Please bring me some Joy and let me know if you would like to set up a time for us to fill your freezer!! I'd be more then happy to help you get started, just contact me to schedule your personal session!!!

If you are not in my area, I can help you walk through the steps. We can be on the phone, I can send you details for you to print out, we can discuss this via e-mail. Just becuase there is some distance between us doesn't mean we can't get your freezer full!

Mary Lou

The Lighter Side Bundle

2008-03-05T23:49:00.000-06:00

The Lighter Side Bundle, $32.50 retail value for ONLY

· $19.50 (40% off) for March Hosting Special, which includes a FREE Kitchen Connection magazine with purchase
· $26.00 (20% off) for HG Preferred Customers
· $28.50 for Non-Members

We took suggestions provided by Homemade Gourmet® Staff Nutritionist, Susie Bohanan, in her "Susie Says" article featured in the January - March Kitchen Connection magazine to provide a group of delicious mixes that will help keep you meals on the Lighter Side, if you choose! A simple substitution (noted below) will follow Susie's rules for "lightening up" your menu.
The Lighter Side Bundle Includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Taco Soup Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Southwest Seasoning Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Lemon Seasoning Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Grandmother's Sunday Roast Seasoning Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Tortilla Soup Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Awesome Oatmeal Cookie Mix

The Lighter Side Bundle includes the mixes needed to make these recipes included in the January - March Kitchen Connection magazine:

Chicken Kabobs
Black Raspberry Oat Linzer Bar
Garlic Lemon Seasoned Vegetable of your choice!
Southwest Chicken (substitute no salt added tomatoes)
Spaghetti Meal (substitute no salt added tomato sauce and whole wheat pasta)
Creamy Tortilla Chicken (substitute low fat mushroom soup)
Beef Stew (substitute low fat mushroom soup)

Available March 1 - March 31, 2008

Homemade Gourmet Announces: Pantry Staples Made Easy

2008-03-03T23:59:00.001-06:00

*All Pantry Staples will be available year-round
*Modest price increase to keep pace with increased
raw material prices
*Effective March 15, 2008, Pantry Staples have been reinvented:
All Pantry Staples will be available year-round for your convenience

Pantry Staples now will be sold as a single package of ingredients with a single price.
No longer will there be options of an original and a refill.
Streamlined pricing with only two price points of $16 or $18 (reflecting a $2 to $6 price increase due to increased costs of raw materials) for all Pantry Staples.

Containers and scoops will be packaged together and sold separately from the Pantry Staple for $5 (a $3 price decrease). (Reminder: Sales tax on non-food items may apply in your state on the containers)

The Pantry Staple Recipe Card Sets will be available for $3 (a $2 price decrease). (Reminder: Sales tax on non-food items may apply in your state on the recipe cards)

Large containers will no longer be available since all Pantry Staples seasonings fit conveniently into the small containers.

The bulk packaging of Pantry Staples remains Homemade Gourmet’s best value, reflecting an average savings of more than 50% over the individual mixes.
Pantry Staple Values
PANTRY STAPLE PRICE APPROXIMATE*MIX EQUIVALENT PRICE PER SINGLE MIX SAVINGS

Tortilla Soup Seasoning 16.00 7 mixes 5.50 $22.50
Old Fashioned Meatloaf 16.00 6 mixes 5.50 $17.00
BLT Seasoning 16.00 7 mixes 4.50 $15.50
Chicken Enchilada 18.00 7 mixes 5.50 $20.50
Mock Spinach Seasoning 16.00 12 mixes 4.50 $38.00
Garlic Basil Seasoning 18.00 14 mixes 4.50 $45.00
Garlic Lemon Seasoning 18.00 15 mixes 4.50 $49.50
Grandmother’s Sunday
Roast 18.00 6 mixes 5.50 $15.00
Homestyle Spaghetti Seasoning
16.00 5 mixes 4.50 $6.50
Italian Mozzarella Meatloaf 16.00 6 mixes 5.50 $17.00
Southwest Seasoning 18.00 7 mixes 4.50 $13.50
Taco Soup Seasoning 16.00 7 mixes 5.50 $22.50
Chipotle Seasoning 16.00 7 mixes 4.50 $13.50
Kansas City Seasoning 16.00 6 mixes 4.50 $11.00
Cilantro Citrus Seasoning 16.00 6 mixes 4.50 $11.00
Tropical Seasoning 16.00 10 mixes 4.50 $29.00
Maria’s Salsa 16.00 12 mixes 4.50 $38.00

Join Us!

2008-03-03T22:09:00.003-06:00

March 2008
Homemade Gourmet® mixes and recipes
have a long heritage of amazing tastes
that your friends and family will
remember long after the meal is over.
Along with great tasting products comes
a vision and business opportunity to
help you accomplish
your dreams.
Whether you want just a little “fun
money” or are looking for a more significant income
opportunity, we have the products and
the training to guide your success.
Join us today as a Distributor and get
everything you need to succeed with a
Homemade Gourmet® Starter Kit and
this GREAT Bonus Product opportunity!

It’s a SPECTACULAR time to Join
Us in March for your opportunity
to receive OVER $608 in products
and business supplies for only
$319!
It’s Simple!
Purchase your $79 ($158.75 value) Starter Kit and place a $400 or more
retail first order (qualifies for the 40% discount) and you will
AUTOMATICALLY* receive a:
SPRING SPECTACULAR New
Product Box
Filled with NEW and Returning Favorite Spring and Summer Products!
An additional $51.00 retail value!

Starter Kit includes:

Pantry Basics Collection, Booking/Sponsoring made Simple DVD, Homeshow Live
DVD, 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Planner, Catalogs (pack of 10), Product Flyer (pack of
50), Blank Customer Order Forms, Sponsoring Brochures (pack of 50), Homeshow
Invitations (pack of 50), Personal Webpage, Customer Newsletter Service, Kitchen Connection magazine.
**The $79.00 includes a $29 marketing administration fee which covers the Personal Webpage andCustomer Newsletter for one year. New Distributors must place a minimum $200 retail order at the time of enrollment/agreement

Spring/Summer Limited Edition Products

2008-03-03T21:50:00.002-06:00

Available March 15 - August 14, 2008

NEW! JALAPEÑO BACON CHEDDAR DIP MIX, $4.50
The smoky flavors of roasted jalapeño and bacon combine with creamy, mild cheddar for a taste that leaves you wanting more, more, more! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded cheddar cheese. Yields: 2 cups. #05.0001

NEW! CREAMY CARIBBEAN CHEESEBALL MIX, $4.75
Smooth and creamywith just a splash of mild Caribbean spice for your fresh veggies or favorite snack crackers. Your tastebudswill be doing the conga! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: cream cheese. Yields: 1 cup. #05.0002

NEW! APPLEPECAN VINAIGRETTE MIX, $4.00
The sweet and tart flavor of fresh appleswith crunchy pecans is a delightful and delicious combination to complementyour choice of fresh greens, vegetables, and fruit. Thismix is also included in the That’sA Wrap! Sampler on page 23 to create a light and easy wrap menu! Prep Time: 5 minutes, Chill Time: 1 hour. Add: oil, apple cider vinegar. Yields: 1 cup. #04.0002

NEW! MARKET FRESH SAMPLER, $36.00
FREE re-useable Homemade Gourmet® Market Bag, 7 Glad® microwave steamer bags, and an exclusive Recipe flyer!
The Market Fresh Sampler contains everything you need to make your trip to the market easy, with naturally fresh and delicious results! We’ve doubled the mixes
to allow you to sample from 20+ recipe choices that are prepared using the healthful cooking method of steaming featured in the recipe flyer. Packed in a handy giftbox that makes sharing these fresh and delicious recipes easy! #40.0038
— Sampler includes: 2 Homemade Gourmet® Garlic Lemon Marinade Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® MockSpinach Dip Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® GarlicBasilSeasoning Mixes, 2 Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mixes, FREE Box of Glad® microwave steamer bags (7 count), FREE Recipe Flyer and a FREE Homemade Gourmet® reuseable MarketBag.

NEW! KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BALL MIX, $5.00
The cool, tart flavor of key limes rolled into one creamy and deliciousdessert! Fun to dip with graham sticks or fresh fruit. Roll in crushed graham crackers for another sweet option! Prep Time: 15 minutes. Chill Time: 2 hours. Add: cream cheese, butter. Serves 8. #08.0003

NEW! THAT’S A WRAP!SAMPLER, $21.75
Fresh fruits & vegetables wrapped up with Homemade Gourmet® seasonings make delicious light and easymeals in minutes!
Our That’sA Wrap! Sampler includes5 mixes and an exclusive recipe flyer to help you create simply deliciouswraps that allow you to enjoyhealthful choices, fast and easy. Choose from 10+ recipes for a quick and light meal anytime! Packed in a drawstring giftbag that is great for gift giving! #40.0039 —
Sampler includes: 1 Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Italian
CheeseballMix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Teriyaki Marinade Mix, 1 Homemade Gourmet® Maria’sSalsa Mix and a FREE Recipe Flyer.

NEW! SPRING 4 MEALS IN 4 MINUTES™COLLECTION, $139.50
Includes 60 Recipe Cards!
Includes: Homemade Gourmet® Cilantro Citrus Seasoning PantryStaple, Homemade Gourmet® Tropical Seasoning PantryStaple, 4 PantryStaple
Containers, Homemade Gourmet® Chipotle Steakhouse Rub PantryStaple, Homemade Gourmet® Maria’s Salsa PantryStaple, 4 sets of 15 recipe cards, one for each PantryStaple, Homemade Gourmet® Coleslaw Dressing Mix, Homemade Gourmet® Orange Vinaigrette Mix, Homemade Gourmet®
Creamy Caribbean Cheesebal lMix, Homemade Gourmet® Spanish Rice Mix, Homemade Gourmet® Spiced Dip Mix, FREE Re-useable MarketBag,
Homemade Gourmet® Teriyaki Marinade Mix, Homemade Gourmet® Apple Pecan Vinaigrette Mix, Homemade Gourmet® Easy Fried Rice Mix,
Homemade Gourmet® Mom’sSmashed Potatoes Mix, Box of 7 Glad® Steamer Bags and a FREE 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Meal Planner.

Returning Homemade Gourmet® Spring/Summer favorites:

Cool Lemonade Cheesecake Mix
Italian Cheeseball Mix
Tropical Dip Mix
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
RaspberryVelvet Fruit Dip Mix
Backyard Burger Bundle
Sesame Ginger Stir FryMix
Garlic Pesto Pasta Mix
Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Mix
Cilantro CitrusMarinade Mix
Lemon PoppySeed Seasoning Mix
Teriyaki Marinade Mix
Mediterranean Pasta Salad Mix
Orange Vinaigrette Mix
Lemon BlueberryMuffin Mix
Mango Tea Mix
Chipotle Steakhouse Rub PantryStaple —now available year round
Cilantro CitrusMarinade PantryStaple —now available year round
KansasCity Rub PantryStaple —now available year round
Maria’s Salsa PantryStaple —now available year round

Homemade Gourmet easy recipes

2008-02-22T19:59:00.002-06:00

Grandmas ham casserole
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons Grandmas Sunday Roast Seasoning
6 potatoes, cubed
6 ounces thin ham steak slices, diced
1 bag frozen broccoli
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
Try: mixed cheese, like cheddar/jack or four cheesecheddar.

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 400°.
2.Combine all ingredients except for 1 cup of cheese; spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle on remaining cheese.
3.Bake, covered, for 45 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

Betty's King Ranch Casserole
large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 T Cilantro flavored Olive Oil (or vegetable oil)
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (if you don't already have this in your freezer, get a roasted chicken from the deli and debone and chop it)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can (10 oz) Rotel (mild or your choice)
3 T Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix
Corn Tortillas
Grated Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese

Saute onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat...about 5 minutes or until tender.
Mix together canned soups, Rotel, Chicken Enchilada Soup Mix and the chopped, cooked chicken. Combine with cooked vegetables.
Tear or cut corn tortillas into 1" pieces. Layer in the bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish.
Top with chicken mixture and grated cheese.
Repeat layers once or twice, ending with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

My family didn't like the HG version as well, so I adapted my original King Ranch. If your chicken is already cooked, the prep only takes a few minutes. I use my kitchen shears to cut up the chicken (if I use the deli roasted one) and/or the tortillas. I also have a crinkle cutter (Pampered Chef) and the kids LOVE to help with the tortillas. Since the actual size and shape really doesn't matter, I let them have at it...one less thing for me to do. In fact, other than the cooking of the onion and bell pepper, I can turn the whole thing over to the kids...casseroles are VERY forgiving. Betty Dunn

Herbed Potatoes With Ham
1-2 TBS. HG Garlic Lemon Seasoning Mix
2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
6 oz. Thin smoked ham slices, diced
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine all ingredients except for 1 cup of Swiss cheese; spoon into a greased 9X9 baking dish.
Sprinkle on remaining cheese.
Bake, covered, for 45 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

The Fern and the Bamboo

2008-02-19T22:15:00.002-06:00

One day you may decide to quit...

Let's Imagine you have said this before or you are presently thinking about saying this to yourself...I have decided to quit my business, my relationship, my spirituality, my daily focus on achieving My Why...

Imagine this is You...
I wanted to quit my business/life so then I went to the woods to have one last talk with God...
*God*, I said Can You give me one good reason not to Quit?His answer surprised me...

Look around, He said*Do you see the Fern and the Bamboo*?'
Yes', I replied.

When I planted the Fern and the Bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.

I gave them light. I gave them water...
The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Nothing came from the *Bamboo Seed

*But I did not *Quit* on the bamboo...

In the 2nd year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not *Quit* on the Bamboo".

He said...
*In the 3rd year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed...

But I would not quit...
In the 4th year, again, there was nothing from the Bamboo Seed..

But I would *Not Quit*He said...

Then in the 5th year a Tiny Sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the Fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..

But just 6 months later the Bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall...It had spent the five years growing *Roots* Those *Roots* made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive...

I would not give any of My creations a challenge it could not handle...

He said to me...

*Did you know, My child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing *Roots*? I would not *Quit on the Bamboo*...And...I will never quit on you...

Don't compare yourself to others...He said...

*The Bamboo had a different purpose than the Fern, yet they both make the forest beautiful

*'Your time will come', God said to me*You Will Rise High*!"

'How high should I rise?' I asked.

'How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return...

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

*Yes* He said, "Give Me glory by rising as high as you can"

I left the forest and brought back this story...

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you... Never regret a day in your life...

It is a Root Building Day...

Busy Working Mom?

2008-02-19T12:10:00.002-06:00

This post was written by Cindy Pirtle, head of research and development at Homemade Gourmet....you can see this and more on HG's offical blog at www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Are you a busy working Mom? Ok, you fit into this category even if you work out of your home. I do that and sometimes it is harder than actually going to an office everyday! (Especially like yesterday, which was a school holiday, so I am trying to work with two girls, yelling, “She’s touching me!”)

I know I have said it before, but really two concepts have kept my family eating well and me from losing my mind. (Don’t say it . . . you have to have a mind Cindy before you can lose it. Ha ha ha) Ok, so the two concepts:

1. 4 meals in 4 minutes - literally saving all kinds of money by purchasing meat and canned goods in bulk and filling my freezer. Not only did I save money on my purchases, I save everday because I already have choices and I do not have to freak out on what to make for dinner and then resort to pizza or drive thrus.

2. Cooking a bunch of meat all at once. Now, I know that I am in Houston so that I have an advantage in that here it is February and I am using my grill outside, but you can use an indoor grill as well. One day a week, I defrost 3-4 different kinds of meat, grill it all at the same time and save loads of time for the rest of my week.

So, for example, this past week, 1. Pork Chops seasoned with oil and 2-3 tablespoons of Maria’s Salsa mix. (The mix, not the prepared salsa.) WOW! 2. Chicken Breasts seasoned with oil and 2-3 tablespoons of Kansas City Seasoning. Double WOW! 3. Crab claws steamed on the grill in a foil pack with butter and 2-3 tablespoons Garlic Lemon Seasoning. (Admission time: I didn’t even fix a plate, I ate these standing at the counter over the trash can. The whole package was 9.29 at Sam’s and my husband and I made ourselves sick eating the entire pack! But, WOW, WOW, WOW! 4. Italian Sausages (I grilled these and later in the week I mixed a can of diced tomatoes with 2 tablespoons Garlic Basil Seasoning in a skillet, added sausages to reheat and served in hot dog buns! 5 minutes and DONE!

I had everything grilled in less than 20 minutes and that provided the meat for 4 meals! Which isn’t really true, because we had leftover pork chops and bbq chicken. I cut up the chicken and mixed it with frozen veggies, instant rice, cream of chicken soup and some milk and baked it for a yummy casserole. The left over pork chops got cut up in a big salad that had my entire produce drawer in it!

If you are a busy working Mom, please, please, please give 4 meals in 4 minutes an opportunity to feed your family great tasting food fast and save you time, money, energy and your sanity!
Do you have time saving ideas to help? Write and let me know.
Cindy

Online Party!

2008-02-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

Want to learn about new products and specials of all your favorite companies from the comfort of your own home? Then join us at http://www.mybearbuddy.net/partyroom.htm

I'll be on at 7:00, let me know you're from CafeMom!
February 19, 2008 (Tuesday)

5:30 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Scentsy Candle Frangrances - Suzanne - http://www.scentsy.com/2938
6:30 p.m. Lia Sophia - Peggy Sue - www.liasophia.com/peggysue
7:00 p.m. Homemade Gourmet - Mary Lou - http://www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou 7:30 p.m. Yellow Rose Gifts, Company - Melanie - www.yellowrosegiftsco.com
8:00 p.m. My Bear Buddy - Julie http://www.mybearbuddy.net
8:30 p.m. Arbonne - Chrissy - www.chrissyk.myarbonne.com
9:00 p.m. Avon - Bethany Bell - www.youravon.com/bethanybell

Homemade Gourmet Business Opportunity Call

2008-02-14T21:44:00.000-06:00

This is a great chance to hear what Homemade Gourmet can offer you!

When: February 17, 2008-Sunday
Time: 8:00 pm CST

Join Ken Johnson, CEO and Tami VanHoy, Founder, talk about where Homemade Gourmet is heading and how you can soar with the company!!

CALL NUMBER: 712-432-7600 PIN 567489#
Press *6 to mute and again to un-mute.
There will be Q&A time too!

Mary Lou Garcia
Homemade Gourmet, Independent Distributor #12493
www.homemadegourmet.com/marylou

Strawberry Pancake Recipe

2008-02-11T22:18:00.000-06:00

StrawberryPancakes

1 HG Strawberry Bread Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 - 10oz package frozen sliced, sweetened strawberries, thawed, un-drained
Whipped topping (optional)
Fresh strawberries, sliced (optional)

Combine all except optional ingredients and stir until well
Blended. Preheat large skillet or griddle to a medium heat.
Spray with cooking spray if needed. Ladle batter onto pan
(Into pancake rings if desired)in approximately 1/4 cup portions.
Cook until bubbles appear on top. Flip and cook until lightly
Browned. Wipe pan with paper towel, add more cooking spray, and
Repeat until all batter is used. Top with whipped topping and fresh
Strawberries, if desired. Serves 6

Kansas City Brisket

2008-02-06T20:35:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I wanted to prepare something very easy. I didn't want to be interupted during the commericals!! Who cares about the game, I was watching for the new commericals. Well, last week I had prepared 7 meals for my freezer. One was a Kansas City Brisket. I pulled the brisket out the night before, but it was still frozen. I used a crock pot liner for this meal. So I put the bag in the crock pot and set it on high for 6 hours. We made chopped beef sandwiches! The meat was so tender it just fell apart! My husband-not being a fan of brisket- just loved it. I was so happy to show him I can make a great brisket!! Kathryn just loved her sandwich too. She asked if I could put them in her lunch. They were so tasty that no one complained having it again for Monday's dinner!

Kansas City Brisket

4lb brisket

3 tbsp Homemade Gourmet Kansas City Rub

1/4 cup ketchup

1 can cola

Combine 1st 3 ingreidents in a gallon size freezer bag. Smoosh.

Crock pot: Defrost, place in crock pot, add cola and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serving suggestions: Serve with corn on the cob, potato salad and HG colesslaw. For dessert enjoy HG Double Chocolate Brownies. Or serve as chopped beef sandwiches.

Left Over idea: Serve as chopped beef baked potato.

Value in the 4 Meals in 4 Minutes Collection

2008-02-06T20:30:00.000-06:00

THE 4 Meals in 4 Minutes
— C O L L E C T I O N —

A quick and easy, value packed collection that allows you to make as few as 4 great tasting
meals in 4 quick minutes or as many as 40 plus meals to stock your freezer!

VALUE
Great Taste: Perfectly seasoned and delicious meals that your grandmother would be proud of

without the long preparation time.Homemade Gourmet® has prepared the perfect season blend for your fresh ingredients to provide meals the entire family will love.

Ease: So easy your children can help! If you can put your fresh meat, canned good and Homemade Gourmet® seasoning into a zip top freezer bag and label with the name of the meal, you can be on your way to a great tasting, economical, quick and easy family meal!

Time: Preparing and freezing meals ahead takes minutes, but will save hours in the days and weeks to come when you are busy.

Money: Purchasing fresh meat, canned goods and Homemade Gourmet® products in bulk is much more cost effective easing the burden on your pocketbook. The 4 meals in 4 minutes™ Meal Planner provides ideas for leftovers, turning them into a quick and easy gourmet meal
your family will love. Having prepared fresh meals takes away the last minute more expensive, less healthy, drive through purchases.

Health: The 4 meals in 4 minutes™ program allows each person to customize their meals for their family’s needs. You pick the cut and type of meat and type of canned goods that appeal to your family.

Peace of Mind: “What will I fix for dinner tonight?” This is no longer a stressful question. Every morning, you choose a meal from your freezer for the evening. Homemade Gourmet® even provides you with a planner that gives you ideas for side dishes and leftovers.

Family Time: A gift that is priceless- precious time every night with your family to discuss the day and share stories.

Products to be permanetly retired soon.

2008-01-31T22:04:00.000-06:00

Farewell forever
The following products are being permanently retired. They will be available
through Feb. 29 only, then while supplies last as we exhaust inventory:

• Spiced Dip Pantry Staple
• Spiced Dip Refill
• Spiced Molasses Cookie Mix
• No Alarm Chili Mix
• Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Mix
• Basic Cheesecake Pantry Staple
• Basic Cheesecake Refill
• Super Sugar Cookie Mix
• PBJ Crumb Bar Mix
• Mexican Black Bean Mix
• Zesty Catalina Seasoning Mix
Brownie Pie Mix

Farewell for now
Seasonal availability ends Feb. 29 (and then while supplies last until we exhaust inventory)
on the following products (this means, they are expected to return with the
Fall/Winter or Holiday product lines later this year):

• Mocha Cappuccino Muffin Mix
• Tiramisu Cheesecake Mix
• Baked Potato Soup Mix
• Beef and Barley Stew Mix
• Creamy Corn Chowder Mix
• Lucky Bean Soup Mix
• Minestrone Soup Mix
• Mom’s Chicken and Rice Mix
• Cornbread Casserole Mix
• Shepherd’s Pie Mix
• Skillet Lasagna Mix
• Southwest Casserole Mix
• White Chicken Chili Mix
• White Pizza Sauce Mix
• Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
• Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing Mix
• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix
• Strawberry Bread Mix
• White Chocolate Cran-Orange Cookie Mix

Get you order in today! Lots of these will go fast, especially the casserole mixes!

Tonight's Dinner

2008-01-30T00:14:00.000-06:00

Today we had German Pork Chops. I got this recipe from the 4 meals in 4 minutes planner that you can find in this month's Kitchen Connection Magazine. This planner has a juice theme. I must admit that I didn't have any interest in this recipe. I wasn't sure how HG Sunday Roast and apple juice would compliment one another. I heard from others that the German Pork Chops were very good, so I thought I should at least try it once. Last week I got my pork chops and chicken breast on sale. After getting home from the grocery store I made 7 meals for my freezer. I did this while the kids were playing baseball with their dad. Tonight was the big test....what would my husband think of this new recipe. He said they were Really Good! All I can say is that I have found another meal that will always be included when I fill my freezer. The pork chops were awesome. They had just a tad bit of sweetness to them. I usually season my pork chops with HG Sunday Roast and a can of cream of mushroom, but I totally love the apple juice instead! I served this meal with corn on the cob and skillet potatoes.

For Dessert I made Easy Apple Dumplings. This recipe was in the August KC magazine. Since I had apple juice left over from the pork chops I thought this was a great time to try the apple dumplings. If I had extra pork chops I actually would have made more German Pork Chops meal kits for my freezer!

Anyway, while the pork chops were in the oven I made the dumplings. This was very easy to do! The smell was just heavenly! When the pork chops were done I placed the apple dumplings in the oven and let them bake while we ate. We let them set for awhile before trying them. I was addicted at first bite! Just perfect! I ran some to my husband and he just loved them. Yes, them, I think he had 3! My daughter also had a big grin while eating hers and wanted more! One hint: The juice you make for the dumplings is actually enough to make 2 batches. I had juice left over so I just poured it all in the pan and then drained it when they were done.

German Pork Chops
6-8 boneless pork chops or chicken
2 cups apple juice
4 tablespoons HG Sunday Roast

Place all ingredients into a gallon sized freezer bag. Seal and smoosh.
Bake, grill or put in crock pot

Easy Apple Dumplings

1/2 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons HG Spiced Dip
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large cooking apples, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 8 oz package refrigerated crescent roll dough

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-9 in square baking dish with flour based cooking spray.

2. In a sauce pan, stir apple juice, spiced dip and butter over medium low heat until butter melts and spiced dip dissolves.

3. put sugar in a bowl and toss apple wedges to coat.

4. Unroll dough and separate sections. Place 2 apples wedges along the wide edge of each dough piece. Roll up dough around the apple.

5. Arrange in the baking dish. Drizzle the juice mixture over the dumplings. Turn each dumpling over to coat in mixture.

6. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes or until golden and apples are tender. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

FREE Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner System

2008-01-29T14:11:00.000-06:00

Book your February homeshow/mini freezer day by February 1, 2008 and earn the $70 meal planner for FREE!

*Show must be held in February.

*Show must be at least a $500.00 show.

*Must have 1 homeshow book from your show.

**If your show falls below $500 or you don't have a show booked, then you can still get the meal planner for 50% off=$35.00+tax

These specials are only through me and are for February only.

After February you must have a $400 to qualify for 50% off the meal planner.

Specials for February

2008-01-29T13:47:00.000-06:00

FREE Strawberry Pancake Set

Homemade Gourmet® strawberry pancakes are a GREAT way to share your love with someone special on Valentine's Day or any day of the year!

Any Direct Ship OR HG Preferred Customer order totaling $75 or more in the month of February will automatically include an exclusive Strawberry Pancake Kit! A $12 retail value- FREE!

This kit includes everything you need to make scrumptious strawberry pancakes for the ones you love:

One Homemade Gourmet® Strawberry Bread Mix
One set of 2 Heart-shaped Pancake Rings
One exclusive recipe flyer for Strawberry Pancakes

Hosting Benefits for February!

FREE mixes to prepare and sample at the Homeshow.
FREE Products equal to 10% of total Homeshow sales!
Four meals in your freezer if Hosting a 4 meals in 4 minutes demonstration!

*with a $400 Home Show you can also earn:
Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner System -A $70.00 retail value, only $35.00.
That's 50% OFF!
40% OFF one of the Pantry Staples of your choice!
FREE Hosting meal kit when sales reach $400 or more!
40% off Bundle of the month

Meal Kit for January through March
Homemade Gourmet® Creamy Italian Casserole Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Coleslaw Dressing Mix
Homemade Gourmet® PBJ Crumb Bar Mix

February 2008 Snuggle Up with Stew Bundle, $32.00 retail value for ONLY $19.20! That’s 40% OFF! *with a $400 show

Get out of the cold and snuggle up with your sweetie over a hearty bowl of stew to beat the winter blues! Try our super easy and heart warming stew and bread recipes featured

in the January - March 2008 Kitchen Connection magazine – see recipes below!

The Snuggle Up with Stew Bundle includes:
Homemade Gourmet® Hearty Beef & Vegetable Soup Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Creamy Corn Chowder Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Grandmother’s Sunday Roast Seasoning Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Texas Cornbread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® World Vision Basic Bread Mix
Homemade Gourmet® Maria’s Salsa Mix

The Snuggle Up with Stew Bundle includes the mixes needed to prepare:
Creamy Corn Chowder Stew
Hearty Camper’s Stew
Brunswick Stew
Salsa Cheddar Bread
Jalepeño Cornbread
Available February 1 - February 29, 2008.

New recipes I've tried

2008-01-23T03:09:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I attend my monthly HG team meeting. Besides being a bunch of fun with my fellow meal planners I got to taste some recipes I hadn't tried. The one that I was most impressed with was the Tomato and Mozzarella Sausage Biscuits. I'm not a big fan of the Tomato Basil Bread, so you can imange my surpise just how delicious these biscuits were!! Guess what I'm going to to....I'm going to make a couple of batches of these and freeze them for a very Fast and Easy breakfast!! Great for on the go...just warm in microwave and go! A batch yields 2 dozen. The other recipe was the Sausage Echilada Dip-wow, what a tasty party dip! Supper easy to make. It had me fooled because it calls for cream chesse instead of veelveta chesse! This is going to be my party dip from now on! Guess where these 2 recipes came from....October's Kitchen Connection Magazine! I also had the Salsa Cheddar Bread from this month's KC Magazine. The salsa wasn't over powering...it gave the Basic Bread Mix a nice little kick. Along with these heavenly dishes I had our new Italian Roast Coffe. This is GOOD! I'm not even much of a coffe drinker. I'm so glad I ordered myself a bag!

Dinner Without Stress!

2008-01-23T02:45:00.000-06:00

" In the 22 plus years that I have been a wife, Mom, homemaker and working full time I have NEVER been moved to host any kind of 'product party' until Homemade Gourmet. It so fits into who I am, the life our family leads and what is priority in our life (Faith, Family, Friends). What solidified my decision to host was the response from my family. You have a product that delivers in every sense of the word and I am excited for my 'busy Mom friends' to see what dinner without stress is all about!" ~Milissa B.

Kitchen Connection Magazines

2008-01-23T01:55:00.000-06:00

I've been planning my meal calendar for the next two weeks today (here and there). Well, today I decided to go back to my Kitchen Connection Magazines, and I'll tell you why. I normally use my recipe cards from all of my Pantry Staples. These are all in my meal planner organizer....literally 100's of entrees at my finger tips! Well, I decided I needed to try something different. I guess I just feel like I'm in that 'trap', you know the one, where you keep making the same things because you are familiar with them. Recently, I've been reading all the fabulous reviews that other HG Meal Planners have been saying on our HG group. They have been talking about the new 4 meals in 4 minutes planner from this month's KC magazine. As I'm reading the post I'm thinking, "wow, that sounds yummy, or I have to try that one!" So, this month , it is all about the past years 4m4m recipes that I have yet to try!

When I get a new edition of a KC magazine I pull out the 4m4m meal planner, hole punch it, and then put in my meal planner organizer. Today I grabbed them out, and so far I have 6 meals I'm ready to try! Of course, I'll make sure to add a bit more meat in each freezer bag to insure leftovers! Remember COST Cooking!!

I didn't stop there. I'm in need of different sides and dessert ideas. I've been going through each KC magazine to find these recipes. It reminded me just how valuable the KC magazines are. I have found at least 1 side/dessert recipe in each edition that I want to make in the next few weeks. I don't pull any of these other recipes out of the magazine, but you could and hole punch to add to your personal organizer.

Well, don't find yourself making the same thing week after week-there's no need to with the valuable resources HG gives us! Now that my menu is planned and my grocery list made...I just need to hit Sam's tomorrow and then it's Meal Making time!

I would love to hear which recipes your family loves from a KC magazine!!

Game Day-Gourmet!

2008-01-23T01:47:00.000-06:00

Score a touchdown with Homemade Gourmet's great recipe ideas for that football game in your home.

No need to be in the kitchen all evening and miss the game, or no need to buy expensive trays at the grocery store. Serve a Great Tasting Game Day menu for your friends...or your family.

Menu:
*Easy Buffalo Wings
* White Pizza Pepperoni Bites
* Philly Cheese Steak Pocket
*Tailgate Chipotle Dip....a big hit with the guys
* Mozzarella Sticks
*Beef and Vegetable Layered Dip
* White Chocolate Cran Orange Bar Cookies
* Bacon Bites

Make sure you place your order now! And I'll send you the recipes!

NEW! Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner!!

2008-01-21T19:33:00.000-06:00

Coming February 1, 2008!

Recipe Organizer and Meal Planner System
A $70.00 retail value, only $35.00. That's 50% OFF! Extra benefit exclusively for Homeshow Hosts!

Keep all of your Homemade Gourmet® recipe cards, recipe flyers, In The Mix e-Newsletters, and Kitchen Connection magazines all in one convenient planner! Includes a red zip-up binder, 20 recipe card sleeves, 10 blank tabs, instructional CD with meal planning tips, calendars, grocery list and more! Additional sets of 20 recipe card sleeves will be available for sale ala carte March 1. Note: recipe cards are not included.

Schedule your Meal Solutions Class now!

You need Homemade Gourmet if...

2008-01-21T01:13:00.000-06:00

1. You hate to cook or like to cook.

2. You don't know what you are having for dinner 2 days from now.

3. You get the 3 o'clock dinner dilemma- around 3:00pm you realize you have not planned dinner and you're wondering what you are going to do!

4. If your family eats out more then you would like.

5. You are an impulse buyer at the grocery store-buying items that look good, getting more then you need, and still don't have anything to cook!

6. You give up on dinner when you forget to thaw out the meat and end up either going out to eat, order take out, or just eat a bowl of cereal.

7. You would like to save time and money!

8. You believe spending time at the dinner table with your family is important!!!!

It is proven that kids that do not have quality time with their family at the dinner table will have problems in school and in society.