Welcome to the Monthly Newsletter

We hope each and everyone of you are off to a great New Year!

In this month's issue, you will find:

• Recipes of the Month - Creamy Chicken Soup, Apple Crisp with Honey-Bourbon Sauce, Camembert Grape Salad with Honey Vinaigrette, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Maple Bacon Fudge.
  
• Nutrition and Health Tips
  
• January Important "Must Know" Dates/Events
• Special Newsletter Subscriber Discounts
  
• We are now on Facebook! Click the "Become a Fan" link on the left side of the page to join us.
  

We would like to extend a special thanks to each of you for making 2009 an incredible year at ArmadilloPepper.com.

Important Dates/Events in January

• National Soup Month - Soup is considered one of the first fast foods. There is documentation that as early as 600 B.C., the Greeks sold soup as a fast food on the street. Dr. John T. Dorrance invented condensed soup in 1897 (source: www.housing.k-state.edu)
• National Oatmeal Month – according to eHow.com, more oatmeal is consumed in January than any other month. Eating oatmeal has been advertised to have many health benefits recently. It can lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
• National Candy Month – obviously created for my daughter.
• Bath Safety Month –the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services offers the following bath safety tips: Never leave small children alone around any container of water; After running bath water, check the water temperature before placing the child in the bath water; Once your child is in the bath, don't leave for any reason. Would you have ever known? ….And those nice Texan tax dollars paid for this common sense “who knew” information.
• National Squirrel Appreciation Day (Jan 21) – get out and celebrate these furry tailed rats that seem to eat all your bird food regardless of the protective measures you take. For more ways to see how to make squirrels useful, see the recipe video for Armadillo Balls.
• Measure Your Feet Day (Jan 23)– why?

Nutrition & Health Tips (by the way, we are not giving medical advise)

• According to Health Magazine, Vitamin C helps to manufacture collagen, which is needed to keep your skin looking young and smooth.
  
• Reducing stress adds years to your life. Get a hobby or have sex to add 2 or more years to your life.
• Do you have a New Year's Resolution to exercise more? Go to yogatoday.com for a free weekly yoga class.
• According to researchers from the University of Alabama, you don't have eliminate fat to lose weight. Substituting fat for carbohydrates can help you lose weight.
• At least in rats, researchers at Harvard University along with the National Institute on Aging, have concluded that large doses of resveratrol (found in red wine) lowers the rate of diabetes, liver problems and other fat-related health problems. Sounds like the rats are having a good time!
  
• According to Men's Health Magazine, Salt Lake City, Utah is the most cancer free city in the U.S. whereas Jacksonville, FL has the highest cancer rate.
  

Recipe Contest

This month's recipe contest winner Creamy Chicken Soup from Kathleen H. in London, CA. Kathleen wins a $5 ArmadilloPepper.com Gift Certificate.

Recipes of the Month

This month's recipes include our contest winner, a couple of desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth and then a healthier salad for those of you with New Year's Resolutions.

Creamy Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• A can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Onion powder to taste (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 teaspoons of cream

Procedure

Heat the cream of chicken. Then add in the flour and milk. After stirring, add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes then enjoy your soup!

                                     Apple Crisp with Honey-Bourbon Sauce

This is an old favorite with a new twist -- Honey-Bourbon Sauce. It's quick, easy, and very versatile. You can make it with any other fruit you would use in a cobbler and, if you're really reaching, I guess you could describe it as "semi-nutritious"...after all, it does have fruit, oats, cinnamon, and honey...all ingredients that have been touted as "healthy". Visit our blog for the Apple Crisp with Honey-Bourbon Sauce recipe.

This might have been the fastest disappearing dessert that we have ever made. Believe it or not, the bacon and chocolate combination are just incredible. Everything is bacon these days and this is a must try.  Visit our blog for the Peanut-Butter-Chocolate Maple Fudge recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
• 3/4 lb. seedless grapes
• 3/4 lb. sliced fresh figs, apricots, plums or nectarines
• 4 oz. Camembert or Brie cheese, cut into narrow wedges
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted
• 2 quarts salad greens

Procedure

Combine honey, vinegar, oil, orange juice and poppy seeds in a jar. Shake well. Arrange clusters of grapes, fruit, cheese wedges and pecans on salad greens. Shake dressing and drizzle over salads. Refrigerate any remaining dressing.

Newsletter Subscriber Special Discounts

For January, we have some very special discounts just for Newsletter Subscribers: 

• 10% discount on our Flute Tupelo Honey. Enter offer code tupeloflute during checkout.
• 15% discounts on CrackerHouse Datil Fire Hot Sauce, Datil Medium Hot Sauce and Datil Honey Mustard. Enter offer code cracker during checkout.
  

 

Regards,

Jeff Guy
Contact Us