We love bloggers!

We have been fortunate enough to have some great bloggers talk about our product! Check out their blogs and the reviews below.

Pink Dandy Chatter
Review

Skinny Runner
Review

Thanks again ladies!

Grilling season just got better

At Olde Westport, we’re especially proud of our distinct seasonings created specifically for grilling as well as our unique recipes. Punch-up your burgers, chicken, steak, pork, veggies and more this year with our wide selection of rubs and seasonings.

Grilling is one of Olde Bill’s favorite things to do and we must say, he is really good at it. We sat down with him to find out more about his love for spice rubs and here is what he had to say.

When did you develop rubs and why?
“I developed the rubs about 5 years ago (it was a labor of love).  I wanted something that was a little more unique with a lower sodium than most rubs. So, due to the popularity of grilling, lower fat cooking and the need for more flavor in cooking these things, I developed the rubs.  Pork, chicken, steak along with our BBQ dry rub and Mesquite seasoning covers the whole gambit. I also use the Garlic Shake for a rub too. If you love garlic, this makes an excellent dry rub.”

Why is a rub good to use? How did you use it?

“Originally rubs were used during the smoking process. In Kansas City (where we started) it is all about the rubs, no sauce is needed except on the side to dip.  A characteristic of a rub is that by rubbing it in with your fingers and letting it marinate, it works into the meat rather than staying on the surface.  It can be used either in grilling or smoking.”

Tell us your secrets for using these rubs. 
“One way to use the rub is to sprinkle over the meat and rub it in with your fingers.  Another way is to coat meat lightly with spicy brown mustard and sprinkle the rub over the mustard.  You can also coat the meat with worchestershire sauce and sprinkle the rub on the meat.  All of the above should marinate 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator for best results.  Also, if cooking a stew or soup,  add one of the dry rubs (to taste) for a seasoning. You can come up with some of the most interesting meals this way.”

Be sure to check out our special,  through the end of the month, on our our first “Olde Westport Grill Pack.” It’s five medium jars (each 10 ounces) for $30. The grill package features our:

• Gold Coast Garlic Shake
• Smokey Canyon Mesquite Grille Seasoning
• Pork Dry Rub Seasoning
• Chicken Dry Rub Seasoning
• Steak Dry Rub Seasoning

Order it today here. 

Happy Grilling!!

We’re famous! (sort of)

We like to tell people that Olde Westport Spice’s famous Championship Chili was featured on the Today Show. It’s mostly true.

What really happened is that one of our longtime loyal customers who uses our spices religiously was featured on the Today Show demonstrating how to make his award-winning Hog Call Chili. Of course, his chili is delicious AND it includes Olde Westport Spice’s ChampionChili seasoning. Thanks to Kyle Barton of Des Moines, Iowa for going all the way to New York and showing off his amazing cooking skills. We also love him for including our spice blend in his recipe.

You can try his recipe at home. Check out his full recipe on the Today Show’s web site. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41423688/ns/today-foodwine/

You can also watch the segment from the news where Kyle not only explains why his chili recipe is so delicious, but he also demonstrates his State Fair-award-winning hog call. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTrAdFPeZs

Want to read a little more about Kyle, check out this article from the Des Moines Register. http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/02/01/des-moines-man-is-a-chili-cook-off-finalist-on-the-today-show/

RECIPE: Hog Call Chili
Kyle Barton. Des Moines, Iowa

INGREDIENTS
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled
4 tablespoons Vermont maple syrup
3 pounds 93-percent lean ground beef
8 ounces of Graziano’s sausage
1 tablespoon bacon grease
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 14.5-ounce cans of Del Monte’s Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos
2 15-ounce cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce
15.4-ounce can of Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon of Superior Touch’s Better Than Bouillon chili base
11 ounces of V8 Juice Hot ‘n Spicy
7.75 ounces of El Pato Mexican Salsa
2 16-ounce cans of Bush’s Chili Beans – Medium Sauce
2 16-ounce cans of Bush’s Dark Red Kidney Beans
4.5 ounces of green chilies, chopped
3 tablespoons of salted butter
2 onions
2 green peppers
2 jalapenos
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon of Olde Westport Chili Powder
1 tablespoon of ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 package of Sazon Goya seasoning

PREPARATION
Grease entire chili pot with bacon grease and turn heat on.

Put diced tomatoes, sauce, soup, chili base, salsa, V8 juice, beans, chilies, and chili powder in the chili pot.

In a separate pan, cook ground beef with chicken broth until brown. Add the sausage and cook for five more minutes. Then place into the chili pot with the tomato mixture

Start the timer, counting upward.

Next, cut the onions, green peppers and jalapenos into fine pieces and cook in sauce pan with butter. Then place into the chili mixture.

Take the peeled apples and cut into fine pieces. Mince the garlic and then add both the apples and garlic into the chili mixture.

Next, take all spices except the Sazon Goya seasoning package and 1 tablespoon of chili powder and mix into chili mixture. Cook on low boil until timer says 90 minutes.

Finally, add the Sazon Goya seasoning, the remaining chili powder and maple syrup into the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes and stir frequently. Serve.

Our famous cornbread recipe

Hi Olde Bill,
I puchased the large bag of chili verde spice at our craft fair in Union, Mo. and was given a recipe for cornbread that I’d really like to try.  Somehow, the recipe never made it home. Is there any where I can get it?

Thanks,
Lorie
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks for writing to us, Lorie. We love comments from our customers. I’m sharing the recipe here with all of our online friends. We hope you enjoy it.
Best,
Olde Bill

Three Rivers Green Chili Cornbread
Serves 12

4  large eggs, lightly beaten
1  (14¾ ounce) can cream-style corn
2  (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
4  tablespoons dark brown sugar
1  teaspoon salt (optional)
1  (2.75 ounce) package Olde Westport Chili Verde Mix
2  (8.5 ounce) packages Jiffy Muffin Mix

Lightly oil a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add first six ingredients in a medium size bowl, stir until blended.
Add muffin mix, stir. Spoon cornbread into oiled baking dish, bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean (will have a little left on toothpick or knife) and lightly browned around edges.

Looking for unique gifts for teachers and friends?

At Olde Westport Spice & Trading Company, we have custom spice blends, seasonings and dry soups that are perfect for a wide range of holiday gift giving

Every holiday season families scramble to buy an especially meaningful and treasured gift for their child’s teacher when really what most hard-working educators want is practicality.

Thankfully, we have the answer. Parents can reward their students’ teachers this year with an unexpected and gourmet gift. A gift from Olde Westport can broaden a spice rack repertoire with a new seasoning blend and treat a family to a homemade classic soup.

While these soups and spices are a great gift for teachers, they are also an excellent gift idea for neighbors, friends, letter carriers, gift exchanges, work colleagues and anyone who loves to enjoy good food.

After 26 years in business, we knows spices, seasonings and soups. The products are available online at www.oldewesportspice.com; at more than 100 food-related craft and trade shows throughout the country; and at select local gift shops.

The spice blends and seasonings include Italian, Cajun, Taco, Fajita, Chili, Jalapeno, Beef Sauce, Salsa, Garlic and many more. All of the products use quality ingredients for a balanced flavor that compliments meats, pastas and vegetables.

The company also invented dry soup mixes that are simple and easy to make including Antonio’s Minestrone, Country-Style Creamy Potato, Chipotle Black Bean, Creamy Broccoli and Cheese, Kansas City Steak & Ale, Gold Coast Garlic Pasta Alfredo, Mesa Flats Chicken Enchilada, New Orleans Red Bean & Rice, Southwestern Tortilla, White Chili Soup and more.

Happy shopping!

Garden Fresh Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Summer is here and it is hot! We have the perfect dish to cool you down. This is the perfect side dish for a BBQ with family and friends.

Garden Fresh Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Serves 4

2 medium-large cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise and seeded
1 cup (8 ounces) low-fat or regular sour cream (not fat-free)
1 small red or yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, or to taste (optional but recommended)
4 teaspoons Olde Westport Border Bandito’s Salsa Spice Blend
¼ teaspoon each salt and coarse ground black pepper, or to taste

Cut cucumber into bite size pieces (about 3½ cups), place in a colander, lightly sprinkle with salt, drain for 1 hour in refrigerator (see Olde Bill’s Comments). In a small bowl, blend sour cream, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, Olde Westport Border Bandito’s Salsa Spice Blend, salt and pepper to taste. Seal bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. About 15 minutes before serving, place well-drained cucumbers in a serving dish, stir in sour cream mixture (mix only what will be used for dinner).

Olde Bill’s Comments:  Draining cucumbers before serving is a must. This will keep the sour cream mixture from becoming watery and thin. You can also place diced cucumber in a zip-lock bag and lots of paper towels to absorb liquid, refrigerate until used. Try adding thinly sliced radish or ¼ cup diced red bell pepper or finely chopped jalapeno for color and added flavor. If using other than roma tomatoes, drain well in a colander or salad will be watery.

Throw a steak on the grill tonight

Everybody loves to add flavor to their steaks on the barbeque. There’s a variety of different ways to do it but Olde Bill says one of the best ways to ensure your steak retains the flavor is to try a rub.

Olde Westport’s Spice Company manufactures Steak Dry Rub Barbecue Seasoning that offers a tangy, black pepper flavor to your favorite cut of meat.

A dry rub is a blend of spices to add flavor to the beef, pork, or chicken. Olde Bill’s special blend includes black pepper, salt, garlic, cayenne pepper, onion among others.

Because prime cuts of steak already have great natural flavor, a marinade is often not necessary and can actually change that natural flavor of the beef – so a dry rub is the perfect alternative to a marinade.

Using a Steak Rub 101:

• When you use a steak rub, you want to sprinkle it on the steak and then actually rub it into the meat.
• Then leave it sit with the rub for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow the rub to flavor the meat.
• When you go to grill the steaks, put oil on some paper towels and rub the grill grate down so the steaks won’t stick.
• Make sure the grill is nice and hot and put your steaks down.
• Only flip the steaks once and be sure to cook them with the lid on.

Once they’re done to your liking, enjoy.

Buy your Olde Westport Steak Dry Rub today at www.oldewestportspice.com .

Old Bill on KCTV 5

Old Bill teaches Matt Stewart on KCTV 5 how to make his famous Green Chili Stew. Check out the video below.

Watch Old Bill make Green Chilli Stew

If you’re in the Kansas City area, tune in to KCTV-5 TOMORROW, Saturday February 27 at 9:50 a.m. to catch Old Bill teaching one of the anchors how to make his famous Green Chili Stew. If you’re not in the area, we’ll post the news video on our web site and here on the blog after it airs. The recipe is below – ENJOY!

Green Chili Stew
Serves 6

2 tablespoons all-purpose white flour
2 pounds boneless pork chops (or boneless skinless chicken breast), cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 (2.75 ounce package) Olde Westport Chili Verde Mix® (½ cup from 22 ounce package)
2 (14½ ounce) cans chicken broth
10¾ ounce can cream of chicken soup (98% fat-free or regular)
11 ounce can corn, drained
2 medium sized carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (2 cups)
4 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles

In a large bowl, add all-purpose white flour and pork (chicken), toss to coat. Heat oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pork (chicken) in small batches, brown on all sides. Add onion, cook until tender. Sprinkle Olde Westport Chili Verde Mix® evenly over top of meat, stir. Add chicken broth, soup, corn, carrots, potatoes and green chiles, stir. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring often until thickened. Lower heat, simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are firm-tender, not mushy.

Kick-off Your Super-Bowl Party With an Easy Olde Westport Recipe

Louie’s Deluxe Cajun Sour Cream Dip

1 3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Olde Westport Sizzlin’ Sunset Cajun Spice Blend

Blend all ingredients in a bowl, seal and refrigerate 1 hour or until thouroughly chilled. Serve with tortilla chips, potato chips or pretzels.

*Add extra Olde Westport Sizzlin’ Sunset Cajun Spice Blend for more heat and flavor. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper and 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion for a change of pace.

This recipe is guaranteed to be a touchdown with your friends and family!!