Paper Palate

My mom often told me when I was growing up that you catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. In other words, being nice will get you further along in the world than being a jerk … so always try to be nice. I try to live by that philosophy as much as possible. No - I am not perfect – I too have my vinegar moments – but I hope that most people I come in contact with think that I come across more like sugar than vinegar. One of the best compliments I have received as a mother from others is that my kids are nice kids.

I was at the park the other day and one of my son’s friends from school was there. His mom came up to me and said, “You know, there aren’t a lot of genuinely nice kids out there in the world, but your son is always so kind and nice . . . and not just to some kids. To everyone!” That, to me, was just about the best compliment I could hear about my children. My goal as a parent is to make sure they are good contributing members of society. I want them to treat others with respect and to be genuinely kind to people.

I feel the same way about companies that I do business with. I want to work with nice people. I want to do business with nice people. I want to associate with companies that have a heart, give back to their community, and are genuinely kind to their customers.

When I was contacted by the people at Country Bob’s to try out some of their sauces, I couldn’t help but agree to do it. First of all, the communication from Country Bob’s was so sincere . . . they really want to get the word out about how great their products are, but they also want honest feedback and wanted to know how I thought the blogging community could help them with their efforts to get the word out.

The package from Country Bob’s arrived last week on the best day that it could . . . I had chicken thawing for dinner, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it! When I opened the package from Country Bob’s, I pulled out a couple of bottles of their All Purpose Sauce and a copy of The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook. As I flipped through the cookbook, I noticed how clear and concise their message was . . . they seem to have a very strong faith and have built the foundation of their company on a value system that has a humble “do unto others” kind of spirit. I was very impressed, and even more impressed when I used their All Purpose Sauce to try out the recipe for Country Cacciatore Chicken. The All Purpose Sauce honestly seemed very much like a A1/Heinz 57 kind of sauce, but when I tasted it I realized how wrong I was. Similar in nature, the Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce has a very distinct blend of flavors with a little zip added in there for good measure.

To check out this impressive company for yourself, and to print off a coupon for a FREE bottle of Country Bob’s All Purpose sauce, take a look at the Country Bob’s Web site: www.countrybobs.com

Country Cacciatore Chicken, from The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbs minced garlic

1/2 cup butter

1 13-ounce bottle Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 pound boned chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

Saute the green, red, and yellow peppers; mushrooms; onion; and garlic in the butter in a large skillet until lightly browned. Add the Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce and brown sugar and mix well. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.