The "Secret Ingredient" to Your Success!
Customer News - December 2003
- Hints             - Healthy Tips            - Recipes

It’s the time of year when we think of you, our customers, and want to thank you for your patronage. We are delighted each month to bring you a selection of ideas and ways to use our famous products but most of all … we are grateful for your continued business. Watkins products have been a “household name” for 135 years now and it’s because people like you continue to love them and know no other brand will do. We also congratulate you for making the choice to have Watkins Products as part of your home… we see ourselves as “part of the family” … so THANK YOU for allowing us to serve you and we look forward to another year bringing Watkins Products to you! Wishing you the best of the season!

Back Issue Archives!   Check out over 3 years of back issues - product tips, ideas and suggestions galore!

Looking for a Favourite Recipe?  Our new Recipe Archive is just the answer you're looking for!  Find your recipe quickly and easily!

Give the Gift of Watkins! That 'unique' person on your gift list deserves a very special and unique gift!  Think of Watkins first!   You'd be surprised how many occasion we can provide the perfect gift idea for!

Share these tips and recipes with the people you love!  It could "blossom" into a beautiful relationship!

Veggie Pizza 1 Watkins White or Whole-Wheat Pizza Mix 1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese 1 TBSP Watkins Garlic & Dill Snack & Dip Mix 1 TBSP Mayonnaise Watkins Onion & Garlic Pepper Cheddar cheese, grated Variety of chopped fresh vegetables (peppers, green onions, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes – your choice!) Prepare and bake pizza mix according to instructions. (You can make in round-pizza shape or rectangular.) Mix together cream cheese, Watkins Garlic & Dill Snack & Dip Mix and mayonnaise. When pizza crust has cooled completely, spread with cream cheese mixture. Arrange mixture of chopped vegetables over cheese layer and press lightly. Sprinkle Watkins Onion and Garlic Pepper over to taste and top with grated cheese. Cut & serve!		Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts 2 cans whole water chestnuts 1 lb bacon (cut in halves or thirds) 1 c ketchup 1/8 c white sugar 1 TBSP Watkins BBQ Sauce (any of the 3) 1 TBSP Watkins Soy Sauce (any of the 3) Make day ahead. Wrap a piece of bacon around a chestnut, secure with toothpick. Bake at 250º on foil-lined cookie sheet for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towel. Toss gently with sauce and refrigerate in small casserole dish. To serve, heat at 300º for 20-25 min or in microwave. May also be frozen.

For pure vanilla ... get out your wallet! A blooming vanilla plant takes three years to develop to the point where it will produce beans. A series of bad growing seasons has contributed to a nearly six-fold jump in vanilla prices. "Food processors, consumers see price skyrocket!"  By Emily Gersema ASSOCIATED PRESS You may want to stock up on Vanilla as our NEW catalog comes out in February. At this time we don’t know if Vanilla is going up in price but it might be better to not take a chance!

 

Watkins Snack & Dip Mixes - 10 Tips If you’re entertaining over the holidays you will want to stock up on a variety of Watkins Snack & Dip Mixes. You can see by some of the following ideas how versatile and easy they are to use. Use Watkins Garden Vegetable Snack & Dip Mix for sautéing or steaming vegetables. Add to canned tomato soup for a new and fresh flavor. Cool Curry Spread – mix Watkins Cool Curry Dip Mix with mayo per directions on bottle. Spread on small rounds of bread; add a small piece of turkey and just a “dollop” of the spread on the top of the turkey & sprinkled with Watkins Minced Green Onions. Easy Appetizer! Add Watkins Pepper Ranch Snack & Dip Mix to your basic white sauce recipe. Toss with cooked fettuccine and sautéed chicken; garnish with Parmesan cheese. Make a delicious Crab Dip with 8 oz/227 g cream cheese, ¼ c sour cream, 4 TBSP Watkins Crab Snack & Dip Seasoning & ¼ c crab meat or imitation crab. Variation: Mix 3 TBSP mix to 1 c sour cream. Watkins Salsa & Sour Cream Dip Mix prepared per package directions makes a great taco topper, a dressing for taco salad or make layered dip with dip on bottom, then layer with cheese, chopped tomatoes & green onions. Combine 1 c buttermilk. 1/3 c sour cream, 3 TBSP mayonnaise and 1½ TBSP Watkins Pepper Ranch Snack & Dip Mix for an excellent pepper ranch dressing. Whisk together ½ cup low fat mayonnaise, 1/3 c low fat milk, 2 tsp vinegar and 1½ TBSP Watkins Garlic & Dill Snack & Dip Mix for a low fat salad dressing. A variety of stuffed celery mixtures can be made by combining cream cheese, your favorite Watkins Snack & Dip Mix and enough milk to make a smooth texture. A quick and easy way to fill stuffed celery is to put the mixture into a zip-top storage bag and cut off one corner. Squeeze mixture from the bag onto the celery. Add Watkins Bacon Cheddar Snack & Dip Mix to a small amount of milk to make a paste. Brush on cooked hamburgers for bacon cheeseburger taste without the fat. Decorate dips with stars cut from red or yellow peppers. Serve the dip in a hollowed out red or green pepper half.

Do you have a favourite "Watkinized" recipe that you would like to share?  Click on the "Contact Us" button at the top of this page and you could see it in an upcoming issue of our Watkins Tips and Recipes E-News!

 

"Door to Door" Video! If you haven't seen this movie - put this on YOUR gift list!  Inspired by the life of Watkins Associate, Bill Porter, this movie will soon become a family favourite!  And just in time for the holidays, Watkins now has Door to Door available on VHS!  This movie won 6 Emmy Awards, including best made-for-TV movie and best actor for William H. Macy, as Bill Porter. (Limited qty) #08220 - $20.29 Cdn /$13.99 US	Watkins Beverage Basket Chai Latte, White Chocolate-Almond Cocoa, Peppermint Stick Cocoa, Cinnamon Sticks, single-serve Raspberry Cocoa all packed together in this year's beautiful traditional wire basket.  Perfect for after skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling or an evening walk to admire the lights and decorations in your neighbourhood.	Are You Ready? To see more, or see your December Highlights!		Watkins Gift Baskets Make every gift-giving occasion extra special with a beautiful gift basket filled with Watkins quality products! From gourmet foods to traditional and cutting-edge health and personal care, Watkins has products to enhance the lives of everyone on your list!  Each basket is hand-packed in a clear cello bag, tied with a raffia bow, and includes a 4 X 5 story card. What could be easier than doing your holiday shopping "the Watkins Way"?	Still looking for that "perfect" gift? Look no further than your Watkins Catalogue! You don't have to  limit yourself to the "official" gift line products - ALL of Watkins products can be used in very creative ways in gift baskets and assortments of your creation!  Let your imagination go crazy - and you'll be amazed at what you come up with ... and so will those who receive them!!
Watkins Gift Certificate The Watkins Gift Certificate makes the perfect gift for everyone.  The Gift Certificate is available in whole dollar amounts from $10.00 to $100.00.  Each Watkins Gift Certificate must be ordered separately.			Watkins Gift Service Now Watkins makes it even easier to get your special Watkins gifts to your loved ones!  For only $3.99 (Cdn) / $2.99 (US) (plus the standard shipping & handling charge), Watkins will pack your product choices in a lovely Watkins gift box, add a card personalized by you, and ship it anywhere in Canada or the US!  To use this service you must phone Watkins toll-free number 1-800-WATKINS  :o)

 

Ham Roll-Ups 250 g cream cheese 3 TBSP Watkins Garden Vegetable Dip Mix 1 TBSP sour cream 1/8 tsp Watkins Onion & Garlic Pepper 6 slices ham 1/2 green pepper cut in thin strips 3 flour tortilla shells Mix the first 4 ingredients together well. Spread over the flour tortillas. Next, lay the ham slices over and top with the sliced peppers (lay close to edge you’re rolling from). Roll the tortillas up tightly and cut in 1/2” slices.		Tasty Cookies 1 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup cornstarch 1 cup icing/powdered sugar 1 cup soft butter 3 TBSP Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil 1/4 tsp salt 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans 1/2 tsp Watkins Butter Pecan Extract 1 tsp Watkins Vanilla Extract Cream butter and Watkins Original Grapeseed Oil together; add extract and blend in dry ingredients. Fold in nuts. The dough will be crumbly. Roll into 1” balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325ºF for 17-20 min. While cookies are still warm (not hot) roll them in icing/powdered sugar to coat. Change extract & nuts to almond for a variation.
	Almond Roca 1 pkg. soda crackers (salted) 1 ¾ cups brown sugar 1 lb. butter 1 tsp Watkins Vanilla Extract 1 tsp. Watkins Caramel Extract ¾ cup sliced almonds 1 pkg. Chocolate chips (2 c) Spray the bottom of a cookie sheet with Watkins Cooking Spray.  Cover with a layer of soda crackers and set aside. In a saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter. Bring to a rolling boil & then add the extracts. Boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Remove from heat and stir in almonds. Pour mixture over cracker base. Cook at 350 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Place back in oven until chips start to melt (10-20 minutes). Let cool, then cut into squares.  Freezes well.

 

WATKINS SUPER SPECIAL!!! Purchase 2 regular-sized tins of Medicated Ointment / Menthol Camphor Ointment - and get a 3rd one FREE!! You will not see this offer in your December Highlights;  it's a wonderful "surprise" from Watkins!  ( ... and what a great "stocking-stuffer" idea!!  ) Until January 31:  Buy 2, Get One FREE! 02358 Menthol Camphor Ointment (117g--4 1/8 oz) - Regularly $8.99 US 32358 Medicated Ointment (117 g) - Regularly $10.99 CDN

Are you enjoying your Watkins E-News? 

Ground-Breaking News! In recent articles I've mentioned that cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar levels and kill bacteria.  New research shows that ground cinnamon may also reduce the bad LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides in type 2 diabetics.  Along with lowering blood sugar, that's a home run when it comes to scoring benefits for diabetics--and it's as easy as adding about a half teaspoon a day to foods such as oatmeal, fruit or toast.  In studies, blood sugar levels started rising as soon as cinnamon was stopped, emphasizing the importance of daily consumption. Watkins world famous ground Cinnamon contains a higher amount of essential oils--the component that contributes to more flavor, aroma and health benefits--than others on the market, and Watkins Traditional Cider Brew, with cinnamon and other spices, adds a burst of flavor and aroma to hot cider, mulled wine, spiced tea or wassail. Serve with Watkins Cinnamon Sticks for a gourmet touch that contributes to flavor and health! Click here for more  Watkins Health Tips from Watkins' Nutrition Specialist, Brenda Koth

ENTERTAINING TIPS How to Make Candles Stable in Holders With holiday events coming up, ensure that candles are secured well in festive holders.  Try these three hints to help: Light a candle and let wax drip into the bottom of the holder and then stick the candle into the hot wax. Cut a piece of masking or cellophane tape and press sticky ends together. Push it into the bottom of the holder and put candle on top of it. Get florists' sticky foam and cut a piece to fit into the holder. Have Folds or Creases in a Tablecloth? If you're getting ready for a dinner party and discover your tablecloth is wrinkled, you can remedy the situation without last-minute stress. Just pop the tablecloth into the dryer with a damp towel for about 10 minutes. The dryer should be turned to low heat.

  

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The statements made and opinions expressed on this page are those of the Independent Watkins Associate who is the publisher of this document, and are not to be construed as the statements or opinions of Watkins Incorporated. This Newsletter is provided for informational purposes only.  ALL information provided in this newsletter is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from infringement. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. The opinions set forth by the editor or "guest" editors are their personal experiences and therefore are not intended to represent "typical" or "average" results.