Yummy Black Bean Salad with Mango Dressing

I've been experimenting with ingredients that have been coming in my Bountiful Baskets.  This recipe is one that I tried making with the mangos that came in the basket.  I'll be making this whenever mango go on sale!

2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a blender, blend 1/3 cup diced mango with Italian dressing until smooth.  In a large bowl, combine beans, red onion, bell peppers, and remaining mango.  Gently fold mango dressing into salad mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.   Makes 6-8 servings.

T-shirts for a Great Cause

We have some great friends, Rob and Emily Matson, who are in the process of adopting 2 children from Ethiopia.  They have created these great t-shirts as a means of helping them raise money for their family to go pick the kids up in Africa.  If you can help, you can get more information here.

Press Release for my upcoming kid's cookbook

Mix up some fun!

Bring your kids into the kitchen, and bake up some memories

Tucson, AZ -- June 2011 – New York Times best-selling cookbook author Stephanie Ashcraft’s latest book, Cake Mix Cooking for Kids (Gibbs Smith, $14.99, Spiral bound, ISBN: 978-1-4236-1917-8, August, 2011) helps families share in the joy of baking goodies – together!

A cake mix is the basic ingredient for these delicious recipes, but cake isn’t the only thing kids will learn to make. Give Black Owl Cookies, Candy Cookie Pops, Bubblegum Bars, or Fruity Pizzas a try. Or, if you really want to be creative, bake some Mini Cupcake Kabobs, Delicious Cake Balls, or Tangy and Twisted Trifle. These recipes are a fun and easy way for kids to enjoy time in the kitchen.

These fun-themed recipes are simple enough for kids to make (with adult supervision), and provide step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow for even a novice chef. Once kids try their hand at baking, maybe they will even help cook dinner!

Stephanie Ashcraft, author of 101 Things to do with a Cake Mix, along with fifteen other culinary offerings, has taught cooking classes based on the tips and meals in her cookbooks for more than 20 years. Cake Mix Cooking for Kids is just one of three books that she is releasing this Fall. Stephanie and her family live in Tucson, Arizona.

For more than 40 years, Gibbs Smith has been specializing in beautifully illustrated lifestyle books covering topics such as interior design, architecture, cooking, children’s, home, green/sustainable, and many others.

Pictures from the Satellite Media Blitz

At the end of January, I flew to North Carolina to do a Slide into Super Bowl Media Blitz which included 16 radio and television interviews in a 5 hour period of time.  It was intense and a lot of fun. 

I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the behind the scenes pictures taken during a Satellite Media Blitz. Lights, Camera, Satellite Truck, Action! Thanks to all those who made it happen!

You can see them all my books here on Amazon.com.

Click here to view these pictures larger

How to Entertain for The Big Game on a Budget

Yesterday morning I filmed 16 interviews from Charlotte, North Carolina.  I thought I would share what I could with all of you who follow my blog.

Here's the interview from San Diego 6:





You can find all 16 of my cookbooks on Amazon.com.  Here is the link for 101 Things To Do With Meatballs.

Here is another interview: