Rules, Regulations and Entry Requirements

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

TO ENTER: Completed entries may be submitted by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Everything is bigger and better in Texas – appetites and imaginations included! That’s why we’re challenging two of Texas’ biggest and hungriest cities – Dallas and Houston – to see whose recipes reign supreme.

We’re looking for original recipes that are creative and flavorful, and feature one of Holmes Smokehouse’s products. Submit your best dish(es) in one of our four competition categories: Appetizers, Entrées, Bacon!, and Daring Desserts – for a chance to win a Texas-sized prize package fit for a culinary king or queen. Our grand prize winner will be given a year’s worth of Holmes Smokehouse products, a new grill from Texas Original Pits, and packages from The International Culinary Schools at Art Institutes, The Food and Wine Foundation of Texas, Canyon Foods, and Cinco Vodka. And to top it all off, the winner will receive the first ever at-home visit from the Smokehouse Express, Holmes’ mobile smokehouse, to help throw the ultimate backyard cook out!

The contest closes on August 22, 2011. Check out the rules, regulations and entry requirements listed on this blog, or the notes on our Facebook page, and send your best recipes to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We can’t wait to hear what you’ve got cooking!

It’s that time of year again and winter is back with a vengeance. As Jack Frost is blowing icy temperatures across the country everyone is looking for some kind of escape from the bitter cold. Here at Holmes Smokehouse we like to beat the heat with a hot bowl of sausage soup and now you can too with the recipe below. So curl up on the couch with a good movie, your favorite blanket, and fill your belly full of piping hot savory soup. Yum! Comfort food at it’s best!

SMOKED SAUSAGE SOUP

14 oz. Package of Holmes Smokehouse Sausage
2 Stalks Celery
1 Onion (cut into bite size pieces)
2 Carrots – diced
4 Potatoes – diced
1 Can Green Beans
1 Can Peas
1 Can Whole Kernel Corn
6 Cups Water
2 Tsp. Greek Seasoning
2 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Sherry
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions: Sauté sausage, onions, celery, garlic (add in near the end of sauté to ensure that you don’t burn), and carrots together on high heat until onions are translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on medium heat until vegetables are done. Serve and enjoy!

Try this enhanced holiday classic side dish and wow your dinner guests this season.
Prep: 20 min., Cook: 20 min.
Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
2  pounds  fresh green beans, trimmed
8  Holmes Smokehouse bacon slices
3  cups  sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 7 oz.)
1/4  cup  chopped shallots
1/8  to 1/4 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation
1. Cook beans in boiling salted water to cover in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 1/2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Discard remaining drippings. Crumble bacon.
3. Sauté mushrooms and shallots in hot drippings over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until shallots are tender. Add green beans and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in crumbled bacon, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Asparagus With Mushrooms and Bacon: Substitute 2 lb. fresh asparagus for green beans. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2- inch pieces. Proceed with recipe as directed, cooking asparagus pieces for 2 to 4 minutes.

Caroline Harris, Lexington, Georgia, Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2006

This is a must try recipe and sure to please those hungry cowboys and cowgirls at your dinner table. Pot pie never tasted so good!

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 15 min., Bake: 20 min., Stand: 10 min.
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1  (14 ounce)  Holmes Smokehouse smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1  medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
1  small onion, chopped
1/4  cup  instant roux mix
1  (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1  (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1  (16-ounce) package frozen okra
1  cup  quick-cooking rice, uncooked
1/2  teaspoon  Cajun seasoning
1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
3  tablespoons  melted butter
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (12-ounce) French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Garnish: finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Sauté first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until browned; stir in roux mix. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and next 5 ingredients, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Stir together butter and garlic; brush on one side of bread slices. Top sausage mixture evenly with bread slices, buttered side up.

3. Bake, covered, at 425° for 10 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

The only change you might want to make is to add the bread after the first 10 minutes of cooking are completed then remove the foil and add the bread. The bread can get a bit soggy otherwise.

Featured below is a Sausage – Cranberry Stuffing recipe adapted from allrecipes that uses our Holmes Smokehouse pecan smoked sausage. Yum!

Sausage-Cranberry Stuffing
10 servings

5 cups cubed French bread
1 (14 oz) package of Holmes Smokehouse sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
8 ounces fresh mushrooms; sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
2. To the pan, add olive oil, onion, celery, mushrooms, apple, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring frequently for 10 minutes to blend flavors and soften the vegetables.
3. Add diced sausage to pan and stir to combine. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in dried cranberries and parsley. Drizzle with chicken broth and melted butter, and mix lightly.
4. Spread into a buttered 9×13 inch pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Notes: To get a crunchy top layer bake uncovered. To ensure that the rest of your stuffing is moist feel free to adjust the amount of chicken broth to suit your taste.