The peaches have been superb this summer in the Midwest. The local farmers at Farmers Markets are saying there’s about two weeks left of the best peaches. Our recipe for Peach Crisp features a thick crunchy layer of crisp on top made with oatmeal. The large size recipe below fills a 9 x 13 pan; serve it for dessert with ice cream and the leftovers for breakfast with cream. Use our Colorado Morning Oatmeal Breakfast mix for a short cut to the following recipe.

Peach Crisp Recipe Ingredients:

(Ingredients for 9 x 13 pan: See below for adaptation to fit an 8 x 8 inch pan.)

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 ½ cup oatmeal
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup softened unsalted butter
• (If you are using our Colorado Morning Breakfast Oatmeal mix, use the contents of the streusel packet and you won’t need the following additions.  Add the dried cranberries into the sliced peaches.)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup walnut nibs, optional

Recipe Directions:

1. Peel and slice 10 to 12 fresh peaches into baking pan.
2. Add 2 Tablespoons sugar, stir and set aside.
3. Place all dry ingredients into a medium bowl and stir to blend.
4. Use two knives and scissor slash the softened butter into the oatmeal mixture. Keep cutting until the mixture clumps and turns brown from the cinnamon.
5. Pat the mixture onto the top of the peaches.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
7. Serve hot with ice cream.

For a smaller crisp use the following proportions: 5 to 6 peaches, 1 cup flour, 1 cup oatmeal, 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ cup softened butter. Use the Colorado Morning streusel mixture or the same measurements above for brown sugar and cinnamon. You’’ll have a nice thick oatmeal crisp topping! We love it for cold for breakfast!

The sturdy black enameled metal strip is $3 for retailers and holds 12 Homemade-in-Minutes gourmet soup mixes or Party Starter Mix™ Meal Maker and Dip Mixes, said Trisha Anderson, founder of Frontier Soups.  The strip has a Frontier Soups logo header and can hang from shelves or end caps.

“Soup season is approaching, and the clip strip makes an attractive display that is easy to use in cross-department promotions,” Anderson said.  “It can hang almost anywhere to give shoppers a great idea for an easy soup and bread or soup and salad meal.  In the dairy section or bakery, the dips offer easy appetizer options.”

All Frontier Soups mixes are all natural with no added salt, preservatives or MSG, and many gluten free options are available.  All soups come with easy-to-follow recipes, and home cooks add fresh and pantry ingredients to perfectly-seasoned dry ingredients for homemade taste.

The newly-repackaged Party Starter Mix™ Meal Maker and Dip Mixes include four new hearty dips.  The dips each offer additional recipes including easy gourmet main dishes and dip variations, Anderson said.  The suggested retail prices for the Homemade-In-Minutes soup mixes and Party Starter Mix dips are $6 and $3.49 respectively.

About Frontier Soups:

Frontier Soups™ has offered aspiring and accomplished home cooks a shortcut to healthy, homemade meals with 38 soups, stews, chili and chowders inspired by the finest traditions in American regional cuisine since 1986.  The gourmet soup mixes, including 31 gluten free varieties, are available in specialty stores, such as The Fresh Market, A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Stew Leonard’s, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at www.FrontierSoups.com. The company is located at 895 Northpoint Blvd., Waukegan, IL 60085. More information is available online or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 large, crisp apple, cored and diced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 4 to 6 ounces mixed greens
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup walnuts, slightly chopped
• 4 ounces Blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seed
• About 1/2+ cup Orange Salad Dressing
• Optional: 1 to 2 cups chopped grilled chicken breast

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon each: dry mustard, salt
• 1 cup oil, either vegtable or canola

Dressing Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a 1 pint glass jar, make sure lid is securely attached and shake.
2. Use as needed to lightly coat salad greens.
3. May keep in refrigerator for weeks.

Salad Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together, diced apple, celery and lettuce.
2. Cut avocado in half, scoop out green meat of avocado and cut up.  Add to apple mixture.  Toss lightly with dressing.
3. Toast walnuts for 3 minutes in skillet over medium heat until slightly browned and crisped.
4. Cool and add with blue cheese and sunflower seeds.
5. Toss and serve.

The three soup mixes include Homemade-In-Minutes™ Connecticut Cottage Chicken Soup and Ohio Valley Vegetable and Wisconsin Lakeshore Wild Rice Soup from the Hearty Meal™ line, said Trisha Anderson, founder of Frontier Soups.

“We were very pleased to find high-quality pasta made from corn flour that gives us the great taste and texture of the semolina wheat pasta we had been using,” Anderson said. “It is always our objective to offer easy and healthy meal solutions to consumers, and it has been clear that our customers are looking for more gluten free options for family favorites.”

Frontier Soups’ gluten-free mixes contain no wheat products and are made in a separate area of the production facility, but those who have severe wheat allergies should be aware that products containing gluten are made in the same facility, she said.

With the addition of these three soups and the newly-introduced Hearty Meal Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew, Frontier Soups now has 31 gluten free soup mixes. More information is available at www.FrontierSoups.com or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

About Frontier Soups:

Frontier Soups™ has offered aspiring and accomplished home cooks a shortcut to healthy, homemade meals with 38 soups, stews, chili and chowders inspired by the finest traditions in American regional cuisine since 1986. The gourmet soup mixes, including 31 gluten free varieties, are available in specialty stores, such as A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at www.FrontierSoups.com. The company is located at 895 Northpoint Blvd., Waukegan, IL 60085. More information is available online or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

WAUKEGAN, Ill., June 2010 – Frontier Soups’ new Hearty Meal™ Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew is like homemade chicken pot pie in a bowl, and as its name implies, it can either be enjoyed around the dining table or the campfire. The stew is being introduced, along with new packaging for the company’s Hearty Meal line, at the NASFT 2010 Summer Fancy Food Show, Booth 4426.

Scented with sage and thyme and filled with carrots, peas, potatoes and white beans, Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew can be prepared gluten free and is as thick and rich as chicken pot pie, according to Trisha Anderson, founder of Frontier Soups™. In addition to a recipe for stovetop preparation with fresh chicken breast, it also has a variation for camping enthusiasts using canned chicken, Anderson said.

The new packaging, which continues to feature cello bags that clearly display the layered all natural ingredients and seasonings, includes a peel-off tag with recipes and cooking instructions on the back label instead of a free-hanging tag. It also includes a brick red header label for a bold branding block on the shelf and a more squared bottom for neater stock-keeping, she said. Each soup has a front label distinctly colored to coordinate with its flavor profile and a prominent call-out indicating whether it is one of Frontier Soups’ now 31 gluten free mixes.

“Frontier Soups appeals to both aspiring and accomplished home cooks because we offer a shortcut to homemade, usually with fewer than five ingredients,” Anderson said. “With all the seasonings and recipes on the packages, these soups offer healthy meal solutions for consumers’ busy lives. For instance, the Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew can be served with biscuits or home cooks can use it to make a chicken and dumpling recipe that is on the label.” All Frontier Soups mixes are all natural with no added salt, preservatives or MSG.

The Hearty Meal line of soups, stews, chili and chowders is available in packages of from 7- to 18-ounces with a suggested retail price of $6 to $7. The suggested retail price of the new Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew is $7.00.

More information is available at FrontierSoups.com or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

About Frontier Soups:

Waukegan, Ill.-based Frontier Soups™ was founded in 1986 with a mission to produce creatively crafted, wholesome, nutritious and delicious soups. The company now offers 39 gourmet soups, stews, chili and chowders, which are available in specialty stores, such as A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at FrontierSoups.com.

Frontier Soups™ is introducing Little Italy Wedding Soup in its Hearty Meal™ line and Wyoming Fireside Beef Goulash in its Homemade-In-Minutes™ line at the 2010 NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show, Booth 4426, said Trisha Anderson, Frontier Soups’ founder. The two larger-portion soups are based on the International Collection’s Italian Wedding Soup and Hungarian Goulash and both of those will remain in the International Collection line, Anderson said.

The Little Italy Wedding Soup will serve a family of six or more while the Wyoming Fireside Beef Goulash, which is in the quicker-cooking Homemade-In-Minutes line, will serve a family of four in less than an hour. The International Collection soups serve two to three diners.

The Wedding Soup is filled with tiny pastini and mini-meatballs made meltingly tender with whole grain bread crumbs. Fresh additions of escarole and Parmesan cheese add nutrition and great taste. The Goulash is hearty with ground beef, which allows the dish to get to the table quicker than using cubed beef. Spicy paprika, onion, peppers and tomatoes make this a memorable meal that no one will believe wasn’t simmered for hours, Anderson said.

“Our customers keep telling us they want nutritious, no hassle meals for their families that they can get on the table quickly and without a lot of fuss,” she said. “With the popularity of these two soups, it just made sense to size them for family dining.”

More information is available at FrontierSoups.com or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

About Frontier Soups:

Waukegan, Ill.-based Frontier Soups™ was founded in 1986 with a mission to produce creatively crafted, wholesome, nutritious and delicious soups. The company now offers 39 gourmet soups, stews, chili and chowders, which are available in specialty stores, such as A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at FrontierSoups.com.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 package Roasted Garlic Spinach Dip
• 1 package of frozen chopped spinach
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Roasted Garlic Spinach Dip Recipe Directions:

1. Thaw and drain spinach, press out excess moisture through a strainer and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, blend cottage cheese, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese with electric mixer until smooth. 
3. Add contents of Dip Mix Seasoning packet.  Add thawed and drained spinach and stir well.
4. Cover and refrigerate one hour or longer.  Serve cold with fresh vegetables.

For a hot dip, spoon mixture into a small baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Serve warm with crackers or pita chips.  MAKES 2 1/5 CUPS.

Optional Variation:

For a creamed spinach vegetable dish, follow recipe directions for a spinach dip but add 1/2 cup of milk or cream and bake in an 8-inch Pyrex or ceramic casserole for 30 minutes.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 package Horseradish Shrimp Dip
• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Horseradish Shrimp Dip Recipe Directions:

1. In a medium bowl blend softened cream cheese and mayonnaise with electric mixer until smooth.  Stir in the contents of Dip Mix Seasoning packet.
2. Add shrimp and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer before serving. 
3. Place Dip Mix into serving bowl surrounded by crisp wheat or rye crackers. 

For a hot shrimp dip, bake mixture for 25 minutes at 350 degrees and serve immediately.  MAKES 2 1/2 CUPS.

Inventive Variations:

1. Substitute 1/2 pound deli sliced and shredded corned beef instead of shrimp.
2. For a BIG GAME DAY hors d’oeuvre, follow directions above for making dip.  Lightly broil rye bread rounds on a baking sheet.  Turn all rounds over and add 1 tablespoon of Dip Mix and broil again for 2 to 3 minutes until puffed and a little browned.  
3. Place open face rounds on a platter and serve! 

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 package Curried Cheddar Chutney Dip
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces chutney
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional: Cook 4 slices of bacon until crisp and crumble on top of either hot or cold mixture

Curried Cheddar Chutney Dip Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, blend mayonnaise and cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. 
2. Add chutney, cheddar cheese and contents of Dip Mix Seasoning packet.
3. Spoon mixture into serving bowl and surround with pita chips or crackers, or may refrigerate until ready to use.

For a hot appetizer, spoon mixture into a small oven proof dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Place bowl in center of hors d’oeuvre platter.  Surround with chips and serve.  MAKES 3 CUPS.

Inventive Variations:

1. Use 1/4 cup of this dip with sliced chicken breast to make a Panini sandwich filling.
2. For a fabulous passing hors d’oeuvre, lightly broil cocktail bread rounds on a baking sheet.  Turn over bread and add 1 tablespoon of the dip mix to tops.  Broil again for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned and puffed.  Serve at once.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 package New Mexico Mesa Spicy Fiesta Soup
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1 small purple onion diced
• 1 box frozen artichokes, cooked in microwave
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Optional: 8 ounces diced salami

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Recipe Directions:

1. Soak beans 4 to 8 hours at room temperature in plenty of water. Drain beans, place into cook pot with 2 quarts of fresh water and simmer for 2 full hours. Drain again and place into large salad bowl.
2. While beans simmer, bring 1 1/2 cups chicken broth to a simmer and add the contents of the Spicy Fiesta seasoning packet. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat and stir to fluff the saffron rice mixture.
3. Add in and stir tomatoes, onion, artichokes, olives, Feta cheese, salt and pepper and salami (optional).
4. In separate small bowl mix lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil.
5. Toss all ingredients together and serve or refrigerate until ready to dine. Serve at room temp.