Chef Boyardee Comes to Our Home!

I grew up eating the yummy foods from Chef Boyardee – Ravioli, Beefaroni, and other favorites!  As a mom of 3 boys, I have continued to the Chef Boyardee tradition in our home!  I was recently invited to hold a Chef Boyardeelicious Recipe Party with my family and friends.  We were provided all sorts of goodies, including a Chef’s Hat (Sam laid claim on that), Aprons (an adult-sized and kid-sized), mixing bowls, Le Creuset bakeware, recipe cards, and coupons for products (estimated $150 value)!

Familiar smells in the kitchen often bring us back to some of our favorite family dinners.  For these meals, we turn to quick and easy recipes that we know the whole family will enjoy.  Through generations, families have enjoyed Chef Boyardee’s hearty pasta, ripe tomatoes, and wholesome taste, and with no preservatives, we feel confident serving it.  Earlier this year, Chef Boyardee introduced to us five new recipes that feature Chef Boyardee as the main ingredient and now, they’re challenging all of us cooks to get creative and share how we use Chef Boyardee in our favorite fast, fun, and delicious recipes with its Make it Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest.

You can enter the Make it Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest on the Chef Boyardee Facebook page for a chance to win a grand prize of free groceries for a year.

– Now through March 11, 2012, submit an original recipe that uses Chef Boyardee as an ingredient (anything from fried ravioli, to pasta bakes, to Mexican dishes), upload a photo of your recipe, and share why your family loves it.

– Each week, a winner will be chosen based on creativity, all-family appeal, ease of preparation, and palatable appeal by an expert panel of judges.

– The weekly winner receives a $500 prize as well as $75 in chef coupons.

– And if you don’t win in one week, you can re-enter again the next week.

Each of the top ten finalists from all the accumulated weeks will have the chance to win the grand prize of free groceries for a year. The winner will be chosen based on a combined score of taste points and voting. The voting period lasts March 26-April 8, 2012, and voters get a perk too – they get entered into a daily sweepstakes for the chance to win $100. Share it on Facebook and get an extra sweepstakes entry.

A recipe we enjoyed was the Chef Boyardee Chili Roni!  Easy to make and yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

– 2 can (15 oz each) Chef Boyardee Beefaroni
– 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained
– 1 can (8 oz each) Hunt’s Tomato Sauce – No Salt Added
– 1 can (16 oz each) reduced sodium dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
– 1 can (15 oz each) Rosarita Premium Whole Pinto Beans, drained, rinsed
– 1 tablespoon Gebhardt Chili Powder
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place all ingredients in large saucepan; stir to combine.
2.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

TIPS:

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions or crackers, if desired. Let the kids get involved by placing the ingredients in the saucepan. To help give your family even more of the good stuff they need, you can use Whole Grain Beefaroni instead of Regular Beefaroni.

I wrote this review while participating in a In Home Party campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of ChefBoyardee and received product samples to facilitate my party and review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.