Update: Times They are Changin'!

I've taken a pretty long leave of absence from this blog. This is partly due to the creation of another blog for the newly established Congerville Farmers' Market. At the end of May, our little village hosted it's first Farmers' Market and each week it has been a great success. I've been on the coordinating end of things for the Market and have had a host of willing volunteers that have helped make it all possible. We've had anywhere from 4 to 9 vendors each week with a great variety of local produce & products. I'm enjoying keeping things running and the blog for the Market really helps keep people updated and coming each week. If you're interested in the Congerville Farmers' Market, check it out at congervillefarmersmarket.blogspot.com We're there every Thursday from 5-8pm.

Another reason for my absence from this blog is that for, oh, about 2 months I was having a difficult time finding the energy, or the stomach to talk much about food. I know, this is strange for someone that has had a food blog for several years, and food never seemed to be far from my mind. We'll I do have a pretty good explanation for this abnormality...it also explains the abnormally large midsection I'm sporting now. If you haven't guessed by now, my husband and I are expecting a baby this coming January! I'm almost 19 weeks now and everything seems to be going well. We are very excited and are looking forward to this new chapter in our life! For those who have the common questions, let me provide some brief answers:

Q: How have you been feeling?
A: Pretty good! I've been able to stay active and eat well (now). Keeping the weight gain going at normal pace and trying not to overdue it.

Q: Are you going to find if it's a boy or a girl?
A: No and we are excited for the surprise! Next week is our ultrasound where we could find out. Hoping the Dr. doesn't slip!

Q: Are you excited?
A: YES!

Q: Do you have names picked out?
A: Yes, and we're not telling! :)

Q: Do you have any cravings?
A: Nothing weird in general...just weird for me. French fries & chocolate shakes have been the weirdest. :)

So now that those things are out of the way, I will tell you that I'm going to try to start doing a bit more posting. I've taken some pictures of some great new recipes we've tried, and hope to get them up soon. I've notice my page views for the blog have jumped significantly and hope that means more people are interested and aware that I'm here! So be patient with me and I hope to be posting again shortly!

"Gourmet in a Pinch" Pork Chops

Wow! Blogger has a new layout for blog writing! Much improved! Maybe I'll blog more now! Anyway here's a great new Emmy original. If you have a few ingredients on hand, these stuffed, bacon-wrapped (need I say more?) pork chops are simple to make and are super tasty! Here's what you'll need:

3 pork loin chops (about 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick)
3 heaping tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 clove crushed or minced garlic
1 Tbsp each minced, fresh basil, chives, rosemary
fresh black pepper (+ more salt & pepper to taste)
3 strips bacon
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse and dry pork chops. Cut 2-3" slit in the side of the chops and cut within a 1/2 inch of the other side the chop to make a cavity to fill with the stuffing. Set aside. For the stuffing, mix ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, herbs and black pepper in a small bowl.

Evenly fill each chop with the mixture. Wrap one piece of bacon around the outside of each chop and secure with toothpick. Drizzle both sides of chops with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.

Place chops in a shallow baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 150 degrees F. Let chops rest 3 minutes before serving. These paired great with some steamed broccoli with a bit of shredded extra sharp cheddar & some seasoned rice.


Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Parm

Since I was a vegetarian for quite a few years, I learned to like Eggplant Parmesan and still do. However, the ability to fix and eat Chicken Parm is very satisfying to me. It's a relatively simple dish to make, although I guess I complicate it a bit by making my own marinara sauce, but it's still super easy. Of course you could by sauce from the store, but I think homemade (as with most things) is better. Pair this with some whole grain pasta and a fresh salad for a great meal any day of the week. This is another Skinnytaste.com inspired recipes.

Ingredients:

1 recipe homemade marinara sauce (same one from the Turkey Meatballs), or bought sauce
4 chicken breast halves (free range-ideally)
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & fresh pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
mozzarella cheese, shredded
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Using two shallow dishes, or plates with steep sides, pour olive oil in one and in the other mix together breadcrumbs, cheese, spices with a fork.

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. One at a time, coat chicken with olive oil then coat completely with breadcrumb mixture, patting the coating into the chicken. Transfer coated chicken into a greased 9x13 dish or parchment lined baking sheet.

Spray a bit of the olive oil cooking spray on the top of the chicken. This will help it get crispy.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon marinara sauce on top of each chicken breast. Sprinkle each with mozzarella (or you could use a moz/provolone blend-Sargento) and a bit more Parmesan, if you'd like. Bake 5 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted to your preferences (I like just barely melted, others like it almost crunchy-you pick and adjust cooking time accordingly).

Use leftover sauce for dressing the pasta. Leftovers of this dish are great. Try making a chicken parm sub the next day on some whole grain sub rolls! Delish!

Enjoy!

Emmy

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

Confession: I have not eaten a meal at McDonald's in well over 8 years.

Do I miss it? One word-NO!

However, I do occasionally find myself wanting something completely unhealthy and I just want to enjoy it without the guilt. Well, this combo is certainly difficult to come by-especially the lack of guilt. So, I've tried coming up with healthier equivalents of those high-calorie foods. Skinnytaste.com has been wonderful for this, which I know your probably bored stiff of me going on about it. Well, this recipe is an Emmy original. It's a hearty, filling breakfast (or dinner which is often the case in our house), with good ingredients. I can't give you calorie counts, but the quality of ingredients means more to me. So here's how I do this sandwich. Of course, you can use the more conventional ingredients, but you miss out on flavor, and in my opinion the "good-for-you" factor. :)

What you'll need for 4 sandwiches:

4 free range local eggs
4 locally produced sausage, in patties
4 slices your favorite cheese (anything, but American slices...) :)
4 whole grain English muffins (or homemade English muffins)
salt & pepper

In a large skillet, cook sausage. Once the sausage is cooked, transfer to a plate. In the same pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add all 4 eggs evenly throughout the pan. While the eggs start to cook, toast muffins in a toaster or toaster oven (we don't actually own a toaster!).

Once the eggs are almost cooked to your liking, turn the heat down to low, lay the sliced cheese on top to melt and cover pan with lid.

When the cheese is melted, cut the eggs into 4 individual portions. Place a sausage patty on a toasted English muffin and top with egg & cheese. Fresh cracked pepper on the top makes this sandwich complete.

Enjoy!

Emmy

Chicken Enchilada (Almost) Perfection

So, I've been messing around with enchilada recipes to find the one that just begs to be made over and over again. I've used various types of sauce, beans, meat, veggies and they have all been pretty good. Well, this last go-around I think I found it-minus one or two details that may just put it over the top.

Two things I did that I thought really made this good were:

• use leftover rotisserie chicken from The Fresh Market (or any leftover rotisserie chicken)

• canned GREEN enchilada sauce (I usually use red)

Two things I would try to make this even better:

• use Chihuahua cheese (Mexican cheese that you can sometimes find in a regular store)
• use fresh tortillas-difficult to find around here

Ingredients:

• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, picked off bone & roughly chopped
• 1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
  
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• salt & pepper
  
• sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 can medium green enchilada sauce
• 6 whole grain tortillas

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x13 baking dish lightly with cooking spray.

In a large heavy bottomed skillet, heat about a Tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper and chicken. Saute until the onions and pepper are soft. Add beans and seasonings. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Spoon the filling into each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. Add the can of enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled up tortillas. Sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes-removing the foil for the last 10 minutes to brown up the cheese a bit.

I like to top mine with Chipotle Tabasco! Yum!

Enjoy!

Emmy

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

There's nothing quite like spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Like most people, I fall into thinking that meatballs are too time consuming to make on a regular basis, so I rarely think to make them too often. However, every time I do make them, I rediscover how easy they really are to throw together, even on a busy night. You can mix up the meatballs or even ball them up and stick them on a lined baking sheet in the fridge and when you come home, all you have to do is whip up the sauce and cook them while the spaghetti cooks. Pair this with a salad and some garlic bread and you have great comfort food...and make your family think that you worked oh so hard all day! :)
By the way...the leftovers are great for meatball sandwiches for lunch!
For the meatballs:

1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 onion, finely chopped
1.3 lbs lean ground turkey
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley
salt & pepper
Whisk together egg and milk. Add onion, turkey & the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Roll balls to about 1-1/2 inch and set aside. Keep your hands wet to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.

For the sauce:

olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 a small onion
1-1/2 cans (28oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme if you have it)
salt & pepper

Saute garlic and onion in a large skillet until soft. Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add meatballs to sauce, cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with hot spaghetti and top with more Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Emmy

Breakfast Protein Smoothie

The juxtaposition of my wonderful smoothie with the coffee maker is very much intentional in this picture. I am not a coffee person, nor do I really intend to be. I can take coffee on certain occasions when tea is not available and I want something hot to drink, but coffee in the morning and me do not mix too well. I made myself drink it when we were on a work trip in TX early this year, but it was only out of a pure need for survival with the devastating duo of early mornings and late nights.

I like vanilla protein shakes for breakfast, but those get old after a while. I needed more drinkable variety for my mornings to supplement my new standard breakfast of Greek yogurt and granola. I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites blog, which is another great foodie blog with great ideas. I was intrigued by the use of steel cut oats in the smoothie, but it is surprisingly good and a great way to get some whole grain energy in with the protein (Greek yogurt & spinach), calcium (yogurt & orange juice), iron (spinach) and berry goodness. You can use other frozen fruit if you wish, or add a 1/2 a banana.

So, if you're feeling a cold coming on and need a vitamin boost or just need a morning boost without the caffeine, take this smoothie for a spin in your blender!

Emmy's version:
adapted from Kate's Power Smoothie*you have to read her post, it's hysterical!

1 cup calcium fortified orange juice (Simply Orange or Minute Made-not from concentrate)
3 heaping tablespoons of steel cut oats
1 cup fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
1-1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
1 large hand full of baby spinach leaves, rinsed
1 cup crushed ice

Soak steel cut oats in orange juice overnight in the fridge (this will make it blend better and I think it is a must). Combine all ingredients in blender and blend well. Makes a big smoothie, great for a filling breakfast in the car.

Enjoy!

Emmy