As we ring in the year of 2011 we start fresh with a clean slate.  For many of us that means healthier eating habits and a resolution to shed some of those holiday pounds.  Well, there’s a great new product out there that can help you still be able to enjoy a yummy snack and achieve those goals.

Introducing Popchips, the all natural fresh popped snack chip.  It’s nothing like a baked lay or any other chip you’ve ever tasted..and you wanna know the best secret? It’s delicious and only 120 calories per 3oz snack bag.  To me that is awesome when you’re trying to stay below a certain number of calories all day and the fact that they taste terrific is a great bonus.  Popchips currently has seven yummy varieties out there for you to enjoy.  Original, BBQ, Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Garlic, Sea Salt & Vinegar (my personal fav) , and Salt & Pepper.

Popchips has teamed up with Kroger and Jillian Michaels to sponsor the Popchips Flyaway Sweepsteaks. Enter to win a health retreat in L.A. and a personal fitness consultation with Jillian herself. Prize includes wellness consult with Jillian Michaels, round trip airfare for two to L.A., 3 nights at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, spa session, prizes from K-Swiss, and of course, FREE Popchips. You have until January 31st to enter to win, by the link above or at any Kroger, Ralph’s, Fry’s, Fred Meyer, or King Sooper  food stores.

Popchips is also doing a fantastic giveaway for my readers here at Food Tramp Diaries.  The grand prize winner will win a YEAR supply of popchips and the runner up a 1 month supply!! That may be the biggest giveaway in FTD history.

Follow these instructions for your chance to win a year supply or month supply of popchips from Food Tramp Diaries:

1)Fan Popchips on facebook and twitter (if you tweet)

2) Fan Food Tramp Diaries on facebook  and twitter (if you tweet)

3) Suggest Popchips and Food Tramp Diaries to one friend on facebook and twitter (if you tweet)

4) Enter a comment ON THE BLOG, not on my facebook page. Your comment must include what your New Year’s resolution is and why you would love to try Popchips.  If you have already had Popchips, what is your favorite flavor?

5) You may enter as many times as you like AS LONG as you suggest a NEW friend to Popchips and Food Tramp Diarie’s facebook/twitter for each entry.

6) I will take entries until Friday, January 7th until Midnight, MST.  The winner will be chosen by www.random.org

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

brining necessities

I am not being paid by Kikkoman and my review is completely subject to my opinion.  I do have to say that the turkey I cooked last Sunday was the most  juicy, flavorful, and moist turkey I have ever cooked in my life.  I do brine my turkey every year with a traditional brine recipe, however, there is something in the naturally brewed Kikkoman soy sauce that makes your turkey THAT much better!!

ready to go into the fridge

I’ve been using Kikkoman soy sauce in my kitchen for a long time, for many things, none Chinese or sushi related.  Soups, stews, goulash, side dishes…Kikkoman soy sauce is a great way to season your food while being able to control the flavor.  Below is the recipe for the savory turkey brine, alone with a link to Kikkoman’s green bean casserole and also Kikkoman’s glazed yams.  I made all of these this year at my Thanksgiving table and they were a hit.

the finished product

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader gets to try their chance at kicking up their holidays with 2 full sized Kikkoman products.  Simply leave a comment below telling me which recipe you would want to use your Kikkoman products for and you’re entered! I will take entries until Friday November 19th noon, so that the winner will receive their products in enough time for the big day.

No worries for the people who don’t win, simply go to this link to print out a buy one get one free coupon to get your own Kikkoman products in the future. http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/cookingclass/howto.php

Savory Turkey Brine

2 gallons cold water

10 ounces Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons dried sage

2 tablespoons dried celery seed

1 tablespoon dried thyme

The night before rinse turkey and remove neck and giblets.  Place turkey in large clean bucket, stock pot, or brining bag (I always get a great one for meer dollars at Bed Bath & Beyond.) Put all ingredients in with the turkey and stir. Refridgerate overnight or at least 8 hours, I did mine for 12 hours. When ready to roast, remove turkey from brine and rinse well.  Follow your cooking instructions.

Go here to get the other Kikkoman inspired Thanksgiving recipes: http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/cookingclass/howto.php

Today I want to roll out the Sonic Drive-In  giveaway that I was suppose to do a good month ago.  Luckily, the people of Sonic are AMAZING and totally understood my situation as to why I was tardy with this.

Who doesn’t love Sonic??? I have never met a single person that would turn down a cherry limeade or some amazingly crunchy tots.  Sonic is America’s Drive in and their food is undeniably addictive.  My favorite you ask? Popcorn chicken and chili-cheese tots of course, with a diet cranberry limeade for the most delicious refreshment.

too much yumminess to choose from

Enter today to win a $25.00 gift card from Sonic.  For being so patient I am also sending the winner the remainder of my Sonic gift card, which is for $23.00 , that’s a lot of tots folks!!

Entry into this giveaway is easy, just follow these few steps and you’re entered to win. You may enter as many times as you like until Friday. If entering more than once you must refer a new friend to my facebook fan page.  Thank you so much.

1) Like Sonic Drive-In here on Facebook and here if you’re on Twitter

2) Like Food Tramp Diaries hereon Facebook and here if you’re on Twitter.

3) Suggest the Sonic Drive-In facebook page AND the Food Tramp Diaries facebook page to one friend (for every new entry you must suggest to a new friend)

4) The most important step: you must post a comment to this post as your entry and include your email address.  If you don’t comment, you haven’t officially entered. 

Good luck! I will choose a winner on Friday with the help of random.org

Phoenix Resident, Jaclyn Douma has released her first cookbook containing a collection of her own recipes specifically designed with couples in mind. 

As a newlywed herself, Jaclyn knew she wanted to organize a book with helpful tips, party suggestions and many of her favorite recipes for couples who couldn’t necessarily make/afford those “Filet Mignon” recipes in many of the cookbooks given as wedding gifts.  Jaclyn’s dream of providing a useful tool in the kitchen, as well as, passing along recipes of her own on a newlywed budget has finally come true.

 I’ve gone through this book and it is really fantastic!! Simple and delicious recipes, and most of them make more than two servings.  So a newlywed couple, or a young couple with small children could easily benefit from this cookbook and possibly even have leftovers.  I love the list in the front of the book of pantry essential items, it’s a great tool if you’re needing to build a pantry, but don’t quite know how.

 Jaclyn is doing a giveaway on the blog for one lucky reader to win this book for themselves.  Follow these simple steps to enter, and enter as many times as you’d like.  I will let random.org choose a winner on Thursday night!

 1) Make sure you are a fan of Food Tramp Diaries on facebook and twitter if you’re a fellow tweeter.

 2) Fan Our First Year on facebook and follow them on twitter if you’re a tweeter.

3) Leave a comment on what your favorite food to make at home in your kitchen is!!  Good luck, I will post a winner on Thursday.

Living in Arizona, I’m always singing praises about our all year round farmer’s markets here, but Hollywood Farmer’s market was the coolest market I have ever been to. I toured the whole market which was about four different aisle ways of  fresh produce, flowers, food, and gourmet goodies.

On my way back to the car port I saw the cutest little orange bicycle with a freezer cooler hooked to the front.  Two people were passing out mysteriously wrapped packages out of this cart and there was a line…I was curious.

I get closer and I see that it’s a popsicle bike/cart!!! “OMG, how freaking cool;” is what I’m thinking in my head.  Also cursing myself because I had just had a mint chocolate cacao chip ice cream sandwich from the Carmela Ice Cream stand.  I really couldn’t eat anything else, my stomach was in a bad place already, being hungover, but I still wanted to get the scoop on this awesome popsicle making duo!

Chef Michelle Sallah has been in the food arena her whole life having parents who owned a diner. She’s worked in the restaurant world since she was 12 years old,  so culinary school and fine dining was the next logical step.  After awhile she decided to become a freelance chef to have more freedom to work on her own projects and this is how Popcycle Treats came about!

The “legs” of this project is John.  He rides the bike around everywhere toting these delicious handmade gourmet pops. He even designed and constructed the whole bike himself which I believe is quite an amazing feat!

Michelle makes the pops and she offers many different flavors, depending on what fruits and veggies are in season in their area.  When I spotted them they were carrying salty cucumber lime, peach ginger, and lemon mint blueberry organic popsicles.  I really wish I would have found them before I found Carmela, but now I have something to look forward to next time I am in L.A.  Even as I was  speaking to them they quickly sold out, as they do on every trip out.  I know they frequent the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, Silverlake Farmer’s Market and the  Cinespia screenings in L.A.   Just like a food truck, if you want to know where you can find them simply follow them on twitter or fan them on facebook. 

salty cucumber lime, orange blackberry

coconut milk chocolate, raspberry Arnold Palmer

I really wanted to show you guys this unique foodie find, I just thought it was the coolest thing EVER…wish we had one at the Scottsdale Farmer’s Market…hmmmmm???

The fabulous people at Popcornopolissent me some samples of their fresh gourmet popcorn to try out for myself and I must say I was very tastily intrigued!!  I got to try nacho cheese, caramel, cinnamon toast, kettle corn, and cheese corn and they were all very very good.  Growing up in Michigan I’ve had my fair share of Better Made cheese corn and thought I had been spoiled by that UNTIL I tried popcornopolis.  The nacho cheese was my absolute favorite as I am a fan of spicy snacks.  It is your typical cheese popcorn with a very untypical spicy southwestern punch, so delicious!  The caramel corn was perfect, had a nice buttery caramel homemade flavor to it.  I was a tad sceptical about the kettle corn because I am a popcorn lover and when I want kettle corn I want it hot and fresh right out of the huge cauldron.  Popcornopolis did not disappoint, their kettle corn although not warm, still tasted like it was freshly popped out of the kettle with that crunchy, sugary texture, I loved it.

In addition to your 25% off today at the new Chandler Fashion Square location, Popcornopolisis also giving away a gift basket to one of my readers!!! You really want to participate in this, as this popcorn is out of control good.  Here are the details to enter

1) Become a fan of “Food Tramp Diaries” on Facebook and Twitter (join on either or both if you have both)

2) Become a fan of Popcornopolis  on Facebook and Twitter (join on either or both if you have both)

3) Suggest “Food Tramp Diaries” and “Popcornopolis” to one friend on Facebook

4) Enter a comment on this article to enter

You may enter as many times as you like, however, with each entry you’ll need to refer a new friend to Popcornopolis and Food Tramp Diaries.  I will pull a winner from random.org on Sunday.  Good Luck!!!

As a big cook/BBQ-er myself, I’m always looking for new spices, sauces, marinades, and rubs to use with my meat. Enter Tony Morales of Desert Smoke BBQ.  He could never find a sauce or rub he didn’t have to doctor up to make it what he wanted, hence, Desert Smoke BBQ was born!!  Desert Smoke sauces are a Carolina ”Dippin-Moppin” style sauce with bold Southwestern flavor that simply cannot be beat.  There are three sauces ($7.95) to choose from: Sweet & Spicy, Raspberry Chipotle, and Pineapple Habenero.  He also makes a Southwestern spice rub ($6.99) which goes perfect on those ribs or chicken you’re about to grill up!  You can purchase them on his website or you can pick up at bottle at Whole Foods Market, Oakville Grocery, and Luci’s Healthy Marketplace in the Valley of Arizona.  My favorite is sweet & spicy.  I made ribs with that sauce last night and the whole family was loving it.  It has a nice little kick of spice, but not too spicy for the little ones (although my kids have been eating spicy foods for awhile now).  The best part is, the ribs were even better today, cold from the fridge…the sauce even tasted better to me being colder.

mmm, so tasty!! Pick up a bottle TODAY!

Desert Smoke BBQ has also been kind enough to do a giveaway on the Food Tramp Diaries.  Entering to win is quite simple.  You can enter as many times as you want up until Wednesday night when I pick a winner!! The winner will get one bottle of BBQ sauce and a spice rub as well.

1) Leave a comment on this post

2) Fan Food Tramp Diaries AND Desert Smoke BBQ on Facebook

3) If you’re on Twitter follow Food Tramp Diaries AND Desert Smoke BBQ on Twitter

Good Luck!!! I will pick the winner Wednesday night courtesy of random.org