The Contest

Okay foodie readers.

This. Is. It.

The contest.

With a give-away.

Actually, 3 giveaways.

1. A bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce (and recipes)

2. A bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce (and recipes)

3. An official, never before seen, available only from moi, The Good Cook Apron. Just like the one I wear - everyday! Well, okay, not just like the one I wear, mine's way better - but I AM THE GOOD COOK...

Be still your pounding hearts.

You ask, "How oh how Good Cook can I win one of these fabulous prizes?"

Hold on to your spatula's I'm coming to that.

The first person who correctly answers the following questions gets their choice of sauce or apron.

The second person who correctly answers the following questions gets their choice of what's left - either apron or bottle of sauce

Ditto the third.

Still interested?

Okay, let's go:

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS TO THE BLOG - EMAIL THEM TO THEGOODCOOKNJ@COMCAST.NET

Contest Quiz:

1. Here are the ingredients... now tell me what's cooking:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons olive oil

2. What recipe is the first post of The Good Cook? Hint: It was in April, 2009.

3. In what country is the original home of this tasty treat - Beef Stroganoff?

4. In what city will you find this renowned restaurant - Mesa Grill? (hint, pick one of 3 cities)

Put your thinking caps on and respond as quickly as you can. Winner will be announced as soon as, well, as soon as we have three people who answer all four of the questions correctly!

Good luck and keep cooking!!

A Cook's Notes: contest NOT open to family members - sorry sisters #1, 3, and 4 (and mom)... that's just the way it is.

Bonus Question: Where can you find The Original Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce?

Bonus Answer: Currently, it is available via their website, www.countrybobs.com and if you order, they will send you a little booklet chock full of recipes!

I am heading to the beach because I already KNOW all the answers to today's contest quiz.

Happy weekend everyone - happy cooking!

Results - Product Testing 101 - Marinade and Ingredient

Day Two of Product Testing 101. Remember, we're testing The Original Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. So far, so good. If you've just joined us, go back (we'll wait) and read, Product Testing 101 - Basting.

Now then.

Marinade:

I marinaded a 1 pound pork tenderloin for 45 minutes in Country Bob's, then placed on the grill for 25 minutes. I did not do any further basting during the grilling time. The results:

The Good Cook: beautiful carmelization on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. Good smoky, spicy flavor in every bite. Definitely a winner.

Taste Testers: "Good flavor, not dry." "I like this pork" "Is this steak?" (a visitor - we need a better class of visitors)

Country Bob as an INGREDIENT: HAMBURGERS AND BAKED BEANS

I used 1 pound of ground beef (90% lean) and added 2 tablespoons of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce; mixed well and formed into 6 patties, then grilled.

Results:

The Good Cook - the burgers were moist throughout and had a nice juicy middle with a slight "zing" to them. I added a slice of pineapple and cheddar cheese to mine, then topped with a bit more sauce. I found the flavor even better - a nice Hawaiian BBQ experience.

Taste Testers: virgin burger eater: "What did you do different to this burger? It's really good". Ketchup, mustard and pickle eater: "Hmm.. it's okay". Hawaiian burger eater: "Oh, this is good, can I have another?"

Now the piece de resistance: My home made baked beans.

I used an heirloom bean that a food editor had sent me a few weeks ago:

Remember these beans, we'll be visiting them again in future posts. You can use any white bean with very good results.

But these beans are pretty - don't you think?

1 pound dry beans (your choice)

1/2 pound salt pork (you can use salt pork or bacon)

1 onion

1 charred poblano pepper (diced)

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup molasses

Rinse and soak the beans (for about 2 hours). Then simmer for 1 hour (or until soft) in the soaking water. Set aside.

Dice and cook the salt pork - I used a cast iron dutch oven that I just love - but if you don't have a cast iron dutch oven that you just love, use any old pot that can go from stove to oven.

Cook the bacon or salt pork until crispy, drain off most of the fat, then add the onions, garlic and pepper. Saute around a bit until the onions and such are soft.

Then, add the beans with the cooking liquid. You want all those nutrients and the liquid will help thicken the beans. Add Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, the molasses, some pepper (don't salt yet... it may not need any because of the pork) and the tomato paste.

Bring the pot up to a simmer, then place in a 325 degree oven (uncovered) for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If it seems too dry, add a little water and continue to bake.

Results:

The Good Cook: Oh, these beans were good, good, good. Full disclosure: I have never made baked beans from scratch before - I have always relied on my mother bringing her baked beans to family get gatherings.

The beans were smoky, sweet and a little spicy. Everything you want in a good baked bean. Sorry, mom.

Taste Testers: 15 year old and friends: "These are the best beans I've ever eaten" "Can you give my mom this recipe?" "Can I have more?" "Is this steak?"

The Best Husband In The World "I've got to stop eating these or there's going to be trouble.. but they are so good" "Is there enough left over for tomorrow?"

19 year old, "Don't buy the canned stuff anymore, okay?"

So there you have it. Product Testing 101 - Basting, Marinading, Grilling, Ingredient Use.

Tune in tomorrow for the first ever Good Cook Contest GIVEAWAY AND answers to "Where the heck can I get this stuff?"

Results - Product Testing 101 - Basting

The masses have spoken!

Well, a couple of you have expressed interest in hearing the results of my first official Product Test of: The Original Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.

According to the company brochure, Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce got its start in 1968 when Country Bob himself "perfected the sauce of his dreams."

"After years of giving the sauce to friends and family Country Bob began to sell it 1977." There's more, but you get the idea.

Anyway, that's what the company brochure says, but what does The Good Cook say?

The first test I conducted using the sauce was basting various foods. I wanted to see how this vinegar based sauce stacked up to other BBQ sauces.

The taste testers consisted of me, The Best Husband In The World, the 19 year old college student, the 17 year old girl, the 15 year old video game addict, and a collection of teenagers who seem to always knock on the door around dinner time.

Shrimp, Lamb and Rotisserie Chicken:

Shrimp:

The Good Cook: Because it is a vinegar based sauce there was were no flame ups or charring of the shrimp. I used Jumbo Shrimp, threaded on skewers, and began basting the shrimp as soon as it hit the grill. The flavor was smoky and sweet with a hint of spice. Very nice.

Taste Testers: Yum. Really liked this sauce on the shrimp compared with other sauces. Not too sweet and really delivered a nice punch of heat at the end.

Lamb:

The Good Cook: I love lamb - cooked the traditional way with garlic, lemon, rosemary and a hint of mint. But this was a nice change. I chose lamb chops, cut thick, for this particular challenge. I would make this again. Again, no flare ups, coated the chops nicely, without being too thick or cloying.

Taste Testers: "Oh, this is good.. can I have some sauce for dipping?" " Can you make it this way again?" "Uh, is this steak?" (this from a visiting teen)

Rotisserie Chicken:

The Good Cook: I basted the chicken throughout the cooking process - every 15 minutes for 1 1/2 hours. The skin crisped nicely without burning or charring (again, because it is vinegar based). The chicken LOOKED beautiful when done. However, if you didn't get a piece of meat with skin on it, you could not taste the sauce. Next time I would use chicken pieces, not a whole chicken.

Taste Testers: Okay, but didn't get a lot of flavor through the meat. The tasters asked for sauce on the side and said the chicken was great dipped in the sauce.

In basting conclusion, I would stick to smaller cuts of meat or fish. Country Bob's is a bit thinner than other bottled sauces I have used and I like that as it makes it easy to brush on evenly.

Tomorrow - marinating (pork tenderloin) and using Country Bob's as an ingredient (hamburgers and home made baked beans).