Safeway Gift Card GIVEAWAY! & World’s Longest Picnic Table

It’s official…a few weeks ago I entered into the Guinness Book of World Records AND I made my television debut, all in one day. Well, okay…maybe I’m not personally in the record books, but I did attend the event that broke the record for the world’s longest picnic table. And maybe my television debut was nothing more than about 3 seconds on the local news channel of a very wide shot of us wandering around said picnic table, but let’s not be picky about the details, okay? Let me enjoy my 15 minutes seconds of fame.

Safeway recently held an event to launch a new product line, Open Nature, as well as to break the record for the world’s longest picnic table. I was invited as “Media” (which thrilled me to no end, as seen in photo) to check out the product and take part in the festivities, where Tyler Florence would be doing a cooking demonstration. So on June 18, Andy and I took the short drive up to San Francisco and got ready to taste some food and break some records! Aside from the relentless wind, the day was sunny and gorgeous.

Check out my credentials...

First, let me tell you about this insanely long picnic table. At 305 feet, it broke the previous record by 57 feet. The table was constructed as one continuous length, taking four days to assemble. In keeping with a “green” theme, ten trees were planted for every one used for the construction, and after the picnic, the table would be cut into sections and donated to parks. It really was amazing to see this rambling table, sprawling down the park, slightly undulating with the uneven ground below. (To see a time-lapse video of the table being built, check out the Safeway Facebook page here.)

Now, onto the food…I hadn’t heard of Open Nature prior to this event, but after a briefing, I learned that every product in this line is 100% natural, meaning no artificial ingredients are used and products are minimally processed. In fact, they believe so strongly in their ingredients that they are all printed in a very short list on the front of the products. I’ve got to say that everything we tried (and we tried A LOT) was really good. Hands down, my favorite product is the Open Nature Creamy Peanut Butter. I’ve since bought 3 jars (it’s addictive!) and just want to eat it with a spoon.

We certainly did not cheat ourselves in the eating department at this event. Here’s what was on the menu, and you can believe that we tried each and every single item (including all three desserts!)

Appetizers
Open Nature Smoked Andouille Sausage with Crispy Cabbage Slaw
Grilled Open Nature Spinach Feta Sausage with Pesto Sauce
Open Nature Roasted Red Pepper Sausage Biscuit Sandwiches with Remoulade 

Main Plate 
The Ultimate Open Nature Barbecued Chicken and Ribs
Open Nature Summertime Potato Salad
Garden Fresh Broccoli Bacon Salad with Open Nature Balsamic Dressing
Summer Fresh Watermelon Fruit Salad

Dessert 

Open Nature Ice Cream Parfaits
- Cherry Vanilla with Honey Nut Granola and Peanut Butter
- Vanilla Bean with Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream
- Mint Chip with Shaved Chocolate

As I mentioned, Tyler Florence was doing a cooking demonstration of the chicken, ribs and potato salad dishes. It was fun to watch and hear his tips throughout the cooking process. We even got the chance to say hi!

This potato salad was the big winner. Andy, who is not usually a huge potato salad fan, loved it. We both picked it as our favorite dish of the day. The capers, the dill and the mustard really set it apart from your standard potato salad. 

Photo Credit: Safeway

Open Nature Summertime Potato Salad 
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence 

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
2 large eggs
Kosher salt for cooking and final seasoning
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts (reserving some for garnish)
2 tablespoons drained capers (reserving several for garnish)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Open Nature Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Open Nature Sour Cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:
Put potatoes and eggs into a big saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer. After 12 minutes remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and let cool. Continue cooking the potatoes until a paring knife poked into them goes in without resistance, about 3 minutes longer. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let cool.

Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, mustard, pickles and juice, red onion, remaining scallions and capers, parsley, and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes.

Peel the cool eggs and grate them into the bowl. Break up the potatoes into rough chunks, add to bowl, and toss to coat with the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with reserved scallions and capers.

Photo Credit: Safeway

The Ultimate Open Nature Barbecued Chicken and Ribs
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Serves: 4 to 6 entrée servings

Open Nature Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 

Ingredients:
3 pounds Open Nature Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
2-3 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme crushed
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Open Nature Pork Baby Back Ribs 

Ingredients: 
2 slabs Open Nature Pork Baby Back Ribs (about 3 pounds)
Pinch each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-6 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil

Barbecue Sauce 

Ingredients:
2 slices Open Nature Hickory Smoked Bacon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, rough chopped
3 smashed garlic cloves
2 cups ketchup
1 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika

To prepare the sauce:
Wrap the bacon around the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and to give the sauce a smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic, cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve; the remainder will be used for basting the chicken and ribs.

To prepare the chicken:
Prepare a gas or charcoal barbecue to medium heat. Spray or wipe grilling surface with non-stick spray or olive oil to prevent sticking.

Combine the olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic and thyme, add chicken breast, making sure to coat the chicken well. Arrange the chicken pieces on the grill and cook 3-4 minutes, turn over and finish cooking for 6-8 minutes. Liberally brush with barbecue sauce, coating entirely and cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from the grill and serve with reserved sauce.

To prepare the ribs:
Prepare a medium-low heat gas grill, about 250° covered. Spray or wipe grilling surface with non-stick spray or olive oil to prevent sticking.

Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Place ribs onto grill, cook low and slow for 1 1/2 hours. Then baste the ribs with sauce and continue cooking for 30 minutes, basting 2 more times.

For finishing, baste the ribs with additional sauce and grill for several minutes each side, until becoming caramelized. Remove from grill and serve with reserved sauce.

This was a fun event and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to attend!

I can't get enough of that media pass!!!

But wait…the givewaway!!! 

Now here’s the really great part…Safeway has kindly provided me with gift cards to give away to four of my readers! Up for grabs are four $25 Safeway gift cards, good at any Safeway Companies stores (Safeway, Vons, Pavillions, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Carrs, Tom Thumb, Randalls) in the U.S. or Canada. Go check out the Open Nature page here to see what’s new at Safeway. And if you win, I highly recommend the peanut butter! (Winners must have a U.S. or Canada mailing address.)

To enter (leave a separate comment for each; up to three entries per person):
1. Leave a comment below.
2. Go to the Open Nature product page and then come back here and tell me which product tempts you the most.
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter, then come back here and let me know you did.

I’ll pick four winners randomly on Monday, July 18, so get your comments in by Sunday, July 17 at 10:00pm PST. Good luck! (If your profile doesn’t link to your contact info, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.)

I was invited to this event by Safeway/DEI Worldwide and given complimentary products. As always, all opinions are my own.