Everyone’s kitchen at one point or another has been an amalgamation of hand-me-downs, thrift finds, or mismatched pots and pans. Curating a seamless collection of kitchen gadgets and tools that are not only timeless but will also make culinary adventures more efficient can be a simple process by following these basic guidelines.
Continue reading “5 Essential Tools For Your At-Home Kitchen”
The days of heavy winter layers are over- spring is officially here! While we enjoyed the long and cold season full of hearty beef stews, pot roasts, and potato soups, we are definitely ready to enjoy the fresh and bright flavors that a new season brings. Enjoy creating some of these recipes while the days continue to get longer and the sun shines a little brighter.
1. Roast Chicken Thighs with Peas & Mint
The combination of flavors are bright and fresh, perfect for a warm spring night. Pro tip: save the leftover sauce to top your favorite starch- we love it on top of Isreali couscous to balance out the meal!
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Peas & Mint
2. Spring Asparagus Salad This salad hits all the right spots- tangy, sweet, creamy with a delicious freshness from the herbs. The beautiful part? It can be served warm as a side dish to accompany any Five Star Home Food fish, poultry, or beef, or served chilled as a hearty and bright spring salad.
3. Salmon with Miso, Sesame, Ginger and Spring Peas (feasting at home)
This recipe is fast and easy, making it the perfect midweek meal! The ingredients are simple but pack a huge flavor and it’s easily adaptable to use up any vegetables you’d like. What a win!
Spring Salmon with Miso & Peas
4. Spring Panzanella
This classic tuscan chopped salad gets a spring twist with a meyer lemon vinaigrette and your favorite vegetables like leeks and asparagus. The white beans add a heartier texture to ensure a filling meal. This dish is so perfect for a warmer, sun filled day. Make sure to pair with your favorite Five Star Foods fish- the cod is our fave for this recipe!
5. Garlic Rubbed Pork Shoulder with Spring Vegetables
Though this recipe calls for pork shoulder, our pork gets the special spring treatment by being dry rubbed with garlic and herbs, creating a perfectly crispy yet juicy result. Serve with red bliss smashed potatoes for a real treat!
Garlic Rubbed Pork Shoulder with Spring Vegetables
6. Honey Dijon Pork Chops with Tangy Potato Salad
Nothing beats a classic! The honey dijon works perfectly with the tanginess of the potato salad, creating an instant fan favorite. Add a side of roasted asparagus and fennel to really bring forth the spring flavors.
Honey Dijon Pork Chops with Tangy Potato Salad
7. Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken
Perfect for busy nights, this dish is easy to throw together to become a family fave in no time. Serve with roasted potatoes or rice, just make sure to spoon some of that delectable zesty and garlicky sauce on top for an extra indulgence.
8. Citrus and Chili Braised Short Ribs
Oh so tender and packed full of flavor, these ribs do not disappoint! Add an extra squeeze of an orange before serving for a nice citrus balance. We recommend serving with snap peas and grits for a heartier meal!
Citrus & Chili Braised Short Ribs
9. Roasted Salmon with Creme Fraiche and Vegetables
Busy night? Try this one tray salmon dish! Even though this meal can be thrown together in less than 35 minutes, the end result is nothing short of amazing. The brightness of the creme fraiche melts into the salmon, creating a flakey and restaurant worthy meal.
Roasted Salmon with Creme Fraiche and Vegetables
10. Spring Minestrone Soup
Perfect for a chillier night, this soup puts a fun spin on a classic. We like to make a big pot of it on the weekends to have as leftover lunches throughout the week. Meat lovers should definitely add our pork sausage to the soup- you won’t be disappointed!
Bison was forgotten for many years as a nutritious and tasty food source, as we’ve developed a taste for beef from cows, but bison is coming back in full force and for a few excellent reasons. As you’re about to find out, you may have been missing out on bison meat, but not anymore!
Here’s all you need to know about bison beef, and why you should start cooking with it today.
Featured Five Star Home Foods Bison Burgers.
Bison can help you meet your weight goals.
When Comparing ground cattle beef to bison beef, bison boasts 25% fewer calories than traditional beef.Come on We store excess calories as body fat, so substituting bison beef for regular cattle beef can make a dramatic impact on your weight goals. Bison meat even has fewer calories than lean pork meat and turkey!
Bison has more proteins than cattle beef.
Gram for gram, bison beef has 10% more protein than cattle beef. Protein is essential for building muscle and keeping us healthy all-around, and there are few better animal-based alternatives than Bison.
According to the USDA, bison meat has more protein than chicken, pork, turkey, and cattle beef.
There’s less fat in bison beef than in cattle beef.
Bison meat contains almost half the amount of fat than traditional cattle beef. The free-roaming animal also has only half the saturated fat, making bison leaner than most meat alternatives.
bison is actually one of the leanest meats on the market, leaner than chicken, pork, and turkey. Bison has the lowest levels of cholesterol too.
Bison has plenty of essential minerals.
Bison meat is rich in nutrients, including zinc, niacin, iron, and selenium. It nurtures you with vitamins B6 and B12 too. Cattle beef is also rich in these nutrients, but for the protein to fat ratio, bison is by far the better option.
Bison is pasture-raised.
Bison is grass-fed, and lives out in the open, which means it lives stress-free compared to cattle. Bison get sick less often, making it unnecessary to add antibiotics or hormones to its diet.
The verdant feed also adds to the flavor of bison meat, which compared to grain-fed cattle, is much more complex and pleasing.
Bison has an amazing flavor!
Bison is not only lean, grass-fed, nutrient-rich meat; it’s also delectably flavorful. Bison offers an intense meaty profile only found in robust, healthy animals, and in this category, it has no comparison.
It’s not only healthy, but it’s also delicious!
At Five Stars Home Foods, we’re proud to deliver ground bison meat to your doorstep.You can count on our Bison being Pasture-raised, without antibiotics or added hormones with all the freshness and quality that characterizes our portfolio.
If you’ve never tasted ground bison before, add it to your next Five Star Home Foods order! We know you’ll fall in love! !
We’re very proud of the excellent ground beef we deliver to your doorstep. We offer a great variety, and it’s all prime quality.
Whether you order our delicious 86% lean ground beef, our special mixture of beef, veal and pork, or our extraordinarily lean ground bison meat, you’ll be enjoying some of the best meat in the market.
So will it be Burgers or Tacos? Just kidding! We wouldn’t write a blog about the two dishes we always seem to default to when cooking with ground meats. And while both are great options, they certainly aren’t the only meals you can make.. Here are four exciting dishes to make with ground beef, perfect for both weeknights and memorable occasions.
1. Beef Queso
No one can resist a dippable melted mix of cheese with ground meat. Queso is the perfect creamy appetizer and snack, that your family will love.. To make an easy queso, sauté your meat with onions and garlic and add shredded Cheddar, American and mozzarella cheese over low heat.
Any melting cheese will do and adding a teaspoon of paprika will liven your gooey dish to unexpected heights. Enjoy it with flatbread or with tortilla chips.
2. Beef Stuffed Zucchini
Stuffing veggies is easier than you think, and the result always surpasses your expectations. Hollow out halved zucchini and fill them with cooked minced meat, peppers, cheese, and any other chopped vegetable you can imagine.
Remember to cover your stuffed zucchini well with more cheese and watch your creations bubble in the oven (how long). The flavors of beef blend seamlessly with the cheese and the freshness of zucchini in one well-rounded bite. You can use Pickles!
3. Beef Stir-fry
Don’t be intimidated by cooking Asian cuisine ; it’s quite easy to master. . First, Heat up a pan with oil and add our organic Chinese Stir-Fry Veggie Blend.
Once the veggies are tender throw in your ground meat and season with soy or teriyaki sauce, and stir often. It’s that easy!
4. Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
We Know that nothing can beat an authentic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, but these Sloppy Joes are a close second!
There’s lots of room for creativity in this recipe. First, make sure you season your ground meat well and cook it thoroughly with onions and green peppers before turning it into a sloppy mess with your favorite cheese. The only other thing you need is fine bread, or burger buns will do the trick!
The sloppier, the better, and with our high-quality ingredients , the flavor is guaranteed to please.
No Time to Cook? No problem!
We’re sure you found at least a few of the ideas above inspiring, but we understand there’s not always time to cook.
The good news? We deliver individually wrapped burger patties, and our fan favorite gourmet steak burgers; which are nicely seasoned with onions and spices.
If you need a more elaborate dish, try our juicy and tender, ready-to-bake meatloaf made with 90% lean meat. It’s delightful!
So, the next time you bring the family together for an enjoyable dinner; we’ll take care of the meat.
The rib eye steak is, for many grill fanatics, the best prime cut out there. It has tender meat, and just enough fat to please everyone. The rib eye sets a standard for steak, so knowing how to cook it properly is a priority.
We at Five Star Home Foods, are proud of the brands we represent. We’ve been bringing the farm to your freezer since 1994. We’ve always sourced the finest quality ingredients for you, because quality is paramount, and your family deserves the absolute best.
We’re famous for sourcing and delivering the highest quality Certified Angus Beef®, wild-caught fish, whole grain bread, and more, but today we want to talk to you about our organic juices, fruits and veggies.
Our organic fruit and veggies are brought to you thanks to our partnership and commitment with Cascadian Farm. Here’s all you need to know about the produce we provide at Five Star Home Foods.
Where do our organic fruits and veggies come from?
All our organic produce comes from Cascadian Farm, an organic operation that was founded along the Skagit River in the foothills of the Northern Cascades. They now sources the best agricultural organic produce from all over the country.
Founded in 1972, Cascadian Farm has a clear policy that aligns beautifully with ours at Five Star Home Foods, “We are inspired by the awe and wonder of food grown naturally.” This is the spirit that binds us , and we’re proud to bring Cascadian Farm’s great organic vegetables and fruits to your home.
All about our sweet fruit
Due to popular demand, Five Star Home Foods has made the commitment to offer a wide variety of organic fruits and juices year round. Here are some of the incredible options you can add to your Five Star order.
Cascadian Farm sliced premium peaches are delightfully juicy; they’re naturally sweetened and have no added sugar.
Flash frozen, our peaches keep all their flavor and texture and are perfect for peachy smoothies, cobblers, sauces, marmalades, and pretty baking treats.
We’re also proud of a trio of selected berries. Our strawberries, red raspberries and blueberries are not only wholesome but flavorful.
Unsweetened premium berries are an excellent source of antioxidants and ideal for preserves, desserts, smoothies, salads and ice cream.
All about our organic veggies
We’ve put together a varied, well-thought veggie selection designed to help you cook with confidence and creativity. All our veggies are of the highest quality and are certified organic, guaranteeing the best flavor and highest nutritional value.
Choose between sweet corn, broccoli, green beans, peas, or chopped spinach to enhance stews, soups, pasta and salads. You can also choose from one of our classic veggie blends.
Our Chinese stir-fry blend is exotic yet comforting and has broccoli, green beans, sliced mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, onions and tender bamboo shoots. It’s ideal for noodle stir-fries with soy or teriyaki sauce.
Our California blend has broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and zucchini. It’s delicious when cooked in butter, an excellent addition for chicken noodle soup, and gives color and texture to any casserole.
The Gardener’s blend comprises corn, carrots, peas and green beans, and it’s ideal for stews, slow-cooked, one-pot dishes, and it’s a bright side dish for a premium grilled steak.
There’s juice too!
Making the most of the fine organic produce we work with, we’re always happy to recommend unsweetened, all-natural organic juice to our customers.
Fresh lemonade made with organic limes and sweetened with honey is thirst-quenching and a perfect summer sipper.
Our organic orange juice concentrate is one of our best-selling items, and it comes as no surprise, there’s no other organic juice in the market that matches its freshness and flavor intensity.
Completing our selection, we carry Cascadian Farm’s organic apple juice concentrate; the flavor of all-natural apples is hard to beat.
There’s more!
We’re committed to quality products, but also Five Star service. When you buy organic juices, vegetables and fruits from Five Star Home Foods, you also get all the advice you need from your personal culinary consultant who is always available to help you find the perfect pairing for your provocative produce.
Eating better has never been easier, so go organic today!
Recipes courtesy Food Network Magazine
Skip the over priced, packed restaurants this year and celebrate your loved ones with these delicious homemade dinner recipes. Cook it together and feel the love for food and each other.
1. Surf and Turf for Two
Skip the steakhouse and serve shrimp and beef tenderloin with a side of asparagus at home.
Get the Recipe: Surf and Turf for Two
2. Get-Yo’-Man Chicken
Be sure to get the fond, the caramelized bits of food left over in the pan after sauteing meat, to get great flavor for the sauce.
Get the Recipe: Get Yo’ Man Chicken
3. Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic Cream Sauce
It only takes 8 ingredients and 25 minutes to make this special occasion-worthy dish.
Get the Recipe: Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic Cream Sauce
4. Roast Chicken and Mushrooms with Red Wine Sauce
Reserve a glass of the dry red wine you’ll be drinking with dinner to make the simple sauce for this roast chicken dish that’s meant for two love birds.
Get the Recipe: Roast Chicken and Mushrooms With Red Wine Sauce
5. The Ultimate Beef Wellington
A mixture of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and herbs slowly cooked in butter until it forms a thick paste — and wraps it with prosciutto around beef tenderloin.
Get the Recipe: The Ultimate Beef Wellington
6. Chicken Marsala
Cook cremini mushrooms and prosciutto strips in the same skillet that the chicken is cooked in, to keep the brown bits and caramelized pieces of the chicken in the overall dish.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Marsala
Save Recipe
7. Pork with Sweet-and-Sour Squash
Make the most of seasonal squash with this simple pork dinner. You’ll roast butternut squash to bring out the sweet flavors and add capers for a touch of briny salt.
Get the Recipe: Pork with Sweet-and-Sour Squash
8. Speedy Teriyaki Salmon
Quick-cooking salmon fillets with teriyaki sauce and serve them alongside jasmine rice for a complete meal in a matter of minutes.
Get the Recipe: Speedy Teriyaki Salmon
9. Steak with Blue Cheese Potatoes
Baked potatoes stuffed with blue cheese, sour cream and chopped herbs are the perfect accompaniment to a substantial steak meal.
Get the Recipe: Steak With Blue Cheese Potatoes
10. Slow-Cooker Bolognese
Feed a crowd — up to 16 — with this hearty Bolognese, or divide the meaty sauce into smaller portions you can easily grab from the freezer another night. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
Get the Recipe: Slow-Cooker Bolognese
Bonus Dessert:
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Why pay top dollar for chocolate-covered strawberries when you can easily make them at home.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Recipes courtesy Food Network Magazine
Active Customers: Share this information with friends & family and let them know about our all natural food service. Remember if you get 5 others to join our service, you get 6 Months of Free Food! Refer A Friend
Comment below if you want to share or if you are interested in our full service!
If you enjoyed this content, please check out our amazing flash-frozen food service we provide and start cooking healthier at home! Learn more here.
