Shepard's Pie

Now that I've gotten a few stove-top recipes put on the blog for those hot summer days, the weather has decided to go nice and mild here. The weather feels a bit more like autumn and with the kids going back to school in our area, it just seems right to bring out some nice, warm comfort food.

Enter: Shepard's Pie

My husband and I have always been a fan of anything that comes from the British and Irish Isles and this dish is no exception. Although it's not the quickest to prepare, a bit of prep goes a long way to making this a very worth while supper. Find the freshest, local ingredients you can and go organic on the rest. This will give a great flavor to a dish that often can be called "bland," especially if your only experience with it has been bad school lunches or divey, so-called Irish pubs. We also use my father-in-law's grass feed beef for the hamburger. If beef isn't in the family, you're sure to find a local source nearby. I can't wait to make this again and use our freshly dug potatoes from the garden for the mash on top! YUM!

Shepard's Pie
slightly adapted from Skinnytaste

For the mash:

• 5-6 medium yellow potatoes (I like Yukon Gold, or the new variety I planted this year German Butterball)
• chicken broth
• milk
• butter
• salt & pepper

Mashed potatoes are not an exact science to me. I cook the potatoes in boiling water until they slide off the fork when pierced. Drain, & mash will a good amount of butter and enough liquid to get them to a smooth consistency. Season with salt & pepper. Feel free to use your favorite style of mash.

For the filling:

•  1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 package while button, or baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas, unthawed
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper

Make sure all the veggies are about the same size pieces. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown meat in a large skillet, drain and set aside. Melt butter and saute onion & garlic until onion is soft. Add the rest of the veggies, except the peas. Saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, salt & pepper. Add the peas, broth, tomato past, Worcestershire sauce, herbs & meat. Mix well and simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes.

Spread mixture in a 9x13 backing dish. Evenly spread mashed potatoes on the top of mixture & scrape the top with a fork (it looks prettier this way). Sprinkle top with paprika (low cal) or sharp cheddar cheese (higher cal, less traditional).  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the mash starts to lightly brown. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving...if you can wait that long.

Enjoy!

 

"Too Good to be Guiltless Afredo Sauce"

How to describe this alfredo....even though it's guiltless you'll still feel guilty for how much of it you want to eat...not to mention put it on everything insight??? :)

Maybe it's just me and pregnancy, but this is seriously some of the best eats I've made. It must be because aflredo is something that never really tripped my trigger before, but I have been craving it. I searched for a "lighter" alfredo, knowing it could go horribly wrong. It didn't. I wanted to smother every bit of pasta, bread, vegetable, etc. we had in our house with this creamy, delicious sauce. You'll be happy to know that I did not do this (although I seriously considered it), but I did add a bit to the broccoli I served the pasta with. So I wouldn't suggest doubling the recipe unless you're feeding a lot of people. Otherwise you might end up wanting to get up in the middle of the night and eat it with a spoon...or you may not...unless you're pregnant. 

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Our Best Bites

 2 C low-fat milk
3 oz low fat cream cheese
2-3 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed into a paste
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

In a blender, place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds so it doesn't burn.

Add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more and it should thicken up a lot. I also added a bit of fresh black pepper to the sauce. Doesn't need salt though.

Once it's thickened, remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese, stir and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken the longer it sits. For leftovers, just add a bit of milk to help thin it out, because it gets pretty solid in the fridge.

I put this over whole grain linguine, but you could use it with other types of pasta, or with pizza as a "white sauce." It was also great with the broccoli. Still be reasonable with your portions. 1/4 cup of the sauce is about 100 calories. I chose to make this my extra 300 a day...ya know, for the baby. :)

Enjoy!

Ground Pork Tacos

Since it's been a stifling hot summer, I've been looking for more stove-top recipes to help keep my kitchen cooler. My poor oven must feel a bit neglected. These tacos aren't anything fancy, but they are very good. I like the use of the ground pork to give the tacos a bit of something different than the standard ground beef. We get our pork from Deuth Farms Meats located in northwestern Illinois near where my mom grew up. Though the Deuth's are out of the way for most of you, I'd encourage you to by your pork from a local producer-the Deuth's are related to my grandpa and we like supporting a small family-run business.

This is super easy folks:

1 lb. ground pork
1 small onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 8 oz can tomatoes with green chiles (i.e. Rotel), do not drained
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
dash chipotle powder-if you like the heat
whole grain tortillas, or whatever you like

Topping suggestions:
tomatoes
salasa
cheese
lettuce
avocado

In a large skillet, cook pork, onion and garlic until pork is cooked through. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is gone. Assemble tacos!

I paired this with some fresh sweet corn. Perfect summer meal!

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