I was excited when I received the opportunity to do a taste test through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. The objective was to compare Sargento Natural Cheese with processed cheese. This was an easy challenge for me since I’m already a fan of Sargento cheese.

I will admit, as a child, I loved a simple grilled cheese sandwich made with those plastic wrapped processed cheese slices. As I grew older, and cooked more, I quickly learned that there are much better quality cheeses out there. Sargento cheeses are all natural and never processed.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY FAJITA QUESADILLA RECIPE

The night of November 14, 2010, we hosted our Chef Tom Cooks POM Wonderful dinner party. As the guests arrived, they were greeted with the sweet scent of pomegranate oil permeating through the stairwell. Upon entry into the kitchen the appetizer aromas were aplenty – our guests could not stop raving about how good the food smelled.

To start the night off, the guests were presented with our first specialty drink of the evening, the Pomojito. To make this drink extra special, we used heart shaped ice cubes with pomegranate arils frozen inside. This drink was a hit, especially with the rum drinkers. One guest asked to be replenished a couple of times. Shortly after we set up the table with our appetizers – the Bruschetta with Pomegranate & Mint and the Pomegranate Guacamole. The flavors of these two dishes were like a party in your mouth. One guest remarked that she would be making these two starters at her all appetizers Christmas Eve party she is hosting this year. She is an avid guacamole fan and loved the twist on this guacamole. Instead of mashing the avocado with the mortar and pestle like we normally do, this version is chopped and mixed with the sweet pomegranate arils. These dishes went so fast, we had to replenish them a couple of times.

After our guests enjoyed these delicious pomegranate appetizers, we commenced the beer tasting portion of the evening. The first sample was a Pomegranate Wheat beer by Saranac brewed in Utica, NY. This sample was well received – when poured into a glass, the color appears slightly cloudy with a brown tinge but the taste is sweet and light. Although a hit with our fruity beer drinkers, overall the pomegranate flavor could have been stronger. Our second sample was the drink of the evening! Not all who attended this party are big beer drinkers but this beverage really shined. The second beer offering was a taste of Delirium Tremens brewed by Huyghe Brewery in Belgium. This brew is delicious on its own but when mixed with freshly made pomegranate syrup – it was like all the stars aligned. We cannot even express the sentiments of the guests who tried this beverage but everyone wanted more.

Music is very important to Katie and I, so at this point we should mention the playlist to our dinner party included a mix of fruit and friend themed songs.  Katie compiled this playlist and as anyone knows, the perfect soundtrack is an important part of any event.

• Blueberry Hill – Fats Domino
• (Day-O) Banana Boat Song – Harry Belafonte
• Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
• I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye
• Tutti Frutti – Little Richard
• Kiwi – Maroon 5
• Big Black Horse & The Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall
• Lady Marmalade – Patty LaBelle
• Peachy – Missy Higgins
• Tempted – Squeeze
• Come Together – The Beatles
• One Of These Days – Neil Young
• With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles
• Kind & Generous – Natalie Merchant
• Carry On – Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
• Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
• In My Life – The Beatles
• Youâ€ve Got A Friend – James Taylor
• Wildflowers – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• Thank You – Dido
• Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
• The Best Of Whatâ€s Around – Dave Mathews Band
• Home – Fio!
• Youâ€ve Got The Love – Florence And The Machine
• The Joker – Steve Miller Band
• Are You In? – Incubus
• Hey Kind Friend – Indigo Girls
• Mona Lisaâ€s & Mad Hatterâ€s – Indigo Girls
• You Are The Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne

We also played an informative and illustrative video (compiled and edited by Thomas) on our television about pomegranates including facts and a how to video demonstrating an easy way to open a pomegranate. This really kept an upbeat mood going all night. Our guests were singing and moving to the songs – the smiles were continuous and contagious! The video often sparked conversation and questions; almost all of which we were able to answer from the reading and research we did before we hosted the party.

The time neared for our main course to be presented. We set the table with our baby spinach and pear salad with a champagne vinaigrette, garnished with fresh pomegranate arils. We also served POM-marinated steak fajitas. Thomas marinated skirt steak overnight in fresh pomegranate juice and Lagunitas Imperial Stout beer along with fresh seasonings. This steak dish was the hit of the party. Everyone could not stop raving about how tender and flavorful this steak was.

After dinner, Thomas did a live demonstration for our guests on how to easily open a pomegranate and he invited our guests to jump in and try for themselves. All of our guests had never handled a fresh pomegranate before and many of them never even tasted one or its juice.

After the demonstration, we served our dessert. For dessert we prepared some fudgy cupcakes topped with fresh pomegranate icing. We also served pomegranate gelatin hearts drizzled with a pomegranate glaze.

We were extremely pleased with how this dinner party turned out. We put a lot of thought and work into the planning and preparation of this event and it was great to see how it all came together perfectly. It was great that everyone enjoyed the food but it was even better to see how interested everyone was in pomegranates and how much they enjoyed the whole theme of the party. In the end, we had a bunch of pomegranates left, so we made sure to send a couple home with each guest along with their POM gift bag. After the guests left, Katie and I enjoyed one last pomegranate cocktail while we reminisced about the eveningâ€s festivities. We would like to truly thank POM Wonderful for allowing us this opportunity and providing the pomegranates for our dinner.

View all the photos from our POM Dinner Party on Flickr!
View our informative and instructional Pomegranate video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMG0VgSkkU

It is super easy to enter into this giveaway. Just visit the contest page.

One lucky winner will receive a 10-inch Non-Stick Teflon Skillet.

The winner will be selected at random on Monday, September 6, 2010.

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1. Defrosting:

Always defrost your meat and poultry completely before grilling so it cooks more evenly. Take your meat out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the refrigerator for safe thawing. Only use the microwave to defrost if the food will be grilled immediately.

2. Marinating:

Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not at room temperature on the counter.  If you plan on using some of the marinade as a sauce for the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting any raw meat and poultry in it.  Throw away any remaining marinade that has touched raw foods after you are done.

3. Transporting:

When transporting food from one location to another, keep it cold to reduce the growth of bacteria. Always try to keep the food at 40° F or below. Transport thefood in the coolest part of the car and in an iced cooler if possible.

4. Cooler Safety:

When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun. Avoid opening the lid too often. Use separate coolers for perishables and beverages.  Never reuse the ice in a cooler that was storing raw meats.

5. Keep Everything Clean:

Always use clean utensils and platters when cooking and serving. To prevent food-borne illness, never use the same platter or utensils for raw and cooked meat and/or poultry.

6. Cook Thoroughly:

Cook food to a safe internal temperature to kill any harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill can brown rapidly on the outside. Use a food thermometer to ensure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180° F; breasts, 170° F. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160° F; ground poultry, 165° F. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145° F. All cuts of pork should reach 160° F.

7. Keep Hot Food Hot:

Always keep food hot until served (140°F or warmer). Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side so they are not directly above the hot coals.  The cooked meat can also be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200° F), or in a chafing dish.

I just put together a brand new cookbook featuring over 100 recipes called, “You Can’t Beat Home Cooking“. I plan to start selling this e-book, but for a limited time, I will be giving the e-book away for FREE to anyone who joins my recipe newsletter. If you haven’t already signed up for my free recipe newsletter, now is a great time!

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Here is a list of recipes that are included in the cookbook download:

Apple Flake Crunch
Apple Pie with Candied Crust
Artichoke Pasta Salad
Artichoke Soup
Asian Chicken Salad
Bacon Vinaigrette With Grilled Radicchio
Baked Crab Spring Rolls
Baked Onion Soup
Balsamic Glazed Vegetables
Banana Nut Muffins
Beef & Noodle Soup
Beef Chili
Best Brownie
Blackberry Cream Pie
Bourbon Chicken
Broccoli & Sausage Quiche
Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli With Garlic And Asiago
Broiled Halibut Steaks With Mustard Coating
Buttered Summer Squash Casserole
Cajun Shrimp
Cauliflower Gratin
Cheddar Bacon Penne
Cherry Cobbler
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Fingers with Honey Sauce
Chicken Marsala
Chicken Souvlaki
Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs
Chicken with Red Peppers over Angel Hair
Chilied Pumpkin Seeds & Peanuts
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Dessert
Chocolate Zabaglione
Classic Fajitas
Country Style Cube Steaks
Eggplant Lasagna
Fried Zucchini Sticks
Garlic Roast Chicken With Rosemary And Lemon
Garlic-Chili Chicken Strips
Greek Spinach Salad
Green Beans with Mushrooms
Grilled Flank Steak with Red Pepper Pesto
Hearty Chicken And Rice Soup
Homemade Spicy Tortilla Chips
Honey Grilled Shoulder Of Lamb
Hot Potato Salad
Italian Chicken Bow Tie Pasta
Italian Sausage & Spinach Soup
Italian Style Lamb Chops
Leftover Baked Potato Soup
Lemon Drop Cookies
Lo Mein
Lomo Saltado
Louisiana Chicken Gumbo
Low Fat Blue Cheese Dressing
Low Fat Buffalo Style Chicken Salad
Low Fat Garden Vegetable Wraps
Maple Walnut Rolls
Marinated Tomato Salad
Meaty Eggplant Parmesan
Mexican Rice
Mini Spinach Calzones
Mustard Baked Chicken
Napa Valley Chicken
New Potatoes in Cream
No Egg Tiramisu
Okra and Corn
Old Salem Cream of Broccoli Soup
Orange Pork Chops
Organic Mojito
Oven Fried Chicken
Peach Streusel
Peaches in White Wine
Pizza Egg Rolls
Pizza Muffins
Plantain Chips
Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Peach-Ginger Chutney
Pork with Lemon & Garlic
Praline Cake
Raspberry Crumble
Red Bell Pepper Soup
Rigatoni with Braised Squash & Swiss Chard
Rosemary Red Potatoes
Scalloped Corn
Scalloped Potatoes
Spanish Braised Chicken With Green Olive And Rice
Spicy Breaded Potato Wedges
Spicy Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Mayo
Spinach Ravioli
Sponge Cake
Steamed Peas
Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms
Stuffed Beef Tenderloin
Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed Vidalia Onions
Summer Vegetable Medley
Swedish Pancakes
Sweet N Sour Pork Stir-Fry
Swiss Steak with Mushrooms
Thai Beef Salad
Tomato And Red Onion Salad With Lime-
Cilantro Dressing
Traditional Hummus
Twice Baked Potatoes
Tzatziki Sauce
Vegetable Rolls
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Verry Berry Smoothie
Whipped Cream Topping
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Cookies
Zucchini Soup with Rice & Lime
Zucchini Stir-Fry
Zucchini Vegetable Soup