Early Retirement

You may have noticed the absence of new content here lately.  It appears the Eater has been on a bit of a hiatus.  I've been eating all right, just not blogging about it.

First there was Ribfest where Roy and I sampled some of Chicago's finest ribs and maybe a maple bacon doughnut or two.  We kept it classy by sharing our dinner on a parking curb outside CVS.  Ribs are one of those things you just cannot eat standing up.

Then there was the Brad Paisley concert at Wrigley Field which was one of the coolest experiences of my life.  We had field seats so not only were we (kind of) up close and personal with Mr. Paisley and Miranda Lambert, we got to make Wrigley our playground for a night.

And just when I thought life couldn't get any better, Lululemon opened a new store in Wrigleyville and threw a housewarming yoga party on Wrigley Field. If God is trying to make up for the Cubs dismal 2012 season, it's working!

Long story even longer, life has been busy with work and personal obligations.  So I decided to give early retirement from my "career" as a food blogger a try.  The first time I made dinner and didn't photograph or blog about it was hard.  But like most people who retire from one thing or another, I quickly assimilated to the new relaxed pace in my kitchen.

This has been a wonderful experience - I learned more about marketing and social media, grew new skills when it came to writing, reconnected with old friends, found shared hobbies with new friends, and I learned a few things about cooking too!

But I'm ready to return to that more relaxed style of cooking and eating.  One where I'm not focused on snapping photos and feeling guilty because I want to do anything but sit at my computer and work on posts.

I started this as a way to share recipes and connect with my friends who live a few states and a couple of countries away.   That has been one of the most rewarding parts of this experience.  And I'm not ready to give THAT up just yet.

So here's the deal, while I'm officially "retiring" from food blogging, I'll still be cooking up a storm and sharing the highlights of what I'm cooking via a monthly email.  Just a simple note once a month from me to you with what's been happening in my kitchen lately.  Links to recipes I've made, tips I've learned, recipes or entertaining ideas from Pintrest.  You get the idea.

I'm getting ready to write my first email which will include the 8th secret ingredient you didn't know about in 7 layer Mexican dip, some of the things I'm saving to make for my next Girls Night Out (or In) like baked brie puffs, and some of my favorite farmers market recipes. 

If you want in on the monthly emails, email me at justaneater@hotmail.com and I'll add you to the list.  Doesn't matter if we met as kids, in college, or on Pintrest.  No advertisements, no selling your email address, no third party anything and you can be removed at anytime.  The first one will be in your inbox by the 4th of July.

THANK YOU for reading for the past 16ish months.  This wouldn't be a blog without people like you reading, commenting and sharing your own food experiences.  This adventure will go down as a highlight for me.  I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

Until the next time...

xoxo,
The Eater

Herbed Garlic Bread

I write a lot about my weaknesses for chocolate and baked goods (if you were here right now, you'd smell a pan of brownies baking in the oven in fact).  But I don't put a lot of words towards one of my other weaknesses.

Bread. 

Specifically... warm, crusty, fresh baked bread.  Served in a basket with a linen napkin and a little bit of melty butter or EVOO and fresh grated Parmesan at a restaurant.  I could eat complete meals of nothing but bread.

I eat it in moderation at home, but all bets are off when I'm at a restaurant.  I will absolutely take that bread basket, thankyouverymuch.

A few weeks ago I made some veggie laden "secret" spaghetti so I thought I'd indulge and make this new herbed garlic bread to go with it. 

It was a few more steps than normal garlic bread but I really liked the inclusion of the minced garlic and the fresh parsley.  It added some really nice fresh flavors and the crust got good and crispy while the middle stayed soft.  The bite from the itty bitty garlic pieces was really nice, and something you don't get when you use a traditional garlic bread spread or sprinkle.

Spreading the mixture between the slices was challenging, and unfortunately I wasn't able to cover enough surface area on a few pieces.  It was nothing that a little bit of "after the fact" butter couldn't fix though, and the mixture is so flavorful it doesn't need to cover every square inch.  For the most part, it seeped all the way through.  And on those pieces it was divine!  Both the night of and surprisingly, as leftovers.

Next time I'm going to try slicing all the way through the loaf, laying the slices on a baking sheet, drizzling with the mixture and baking uncovered.  I may also add a sprinkle of cheese because cheese makes everything better.  This was a fun variation on an old standard and it can definitely feed a crowd!

*****

Herbed Garlic Bread
5 mins active, 25 mins total

1 loaf Italian Bread
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp EVOO
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Slice a loaf of Italian bread, stopping short of the bottom so the loaf stays intact.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil; add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Spread the garlic mixture between the bread slices; wrap in foil and bake at 375 degrees F, 15 minutes. Unwrap and bake until crisp, 5 more minutes.

Cheap & Easy Homemade Dog Treats

Over Memorial Day weekend the Royfriend and I took Foster on a little field trip to Pooch Park in Skokie, IL.

It's a great park with 6' high, well-maintained fences which is perfect for dogs who moonlight as escape artists, such as mine.  As you can see, it made for several awesome photo opps (more below). 

It was already in the 80's when we left for the park around 9am that morning so we predicted a hot pooped mess of a dog when we got home.  Expecting that, I put together a batch of these homemade frozen yogurt treats.

It's basically an ice cube tray filled with a little bit of non-fat blueberry yogurt and "stuffed" with a few pieces of cut up apple (I leave the apple sticking up a bit since it makes it easier to pull out of the ice cube tray).  Foster's obedience teacher also happens to be a dog nutritionist and said you can use any flavor of yogurt... blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, etc and the dog would love me more for switching it up. 

As for the "stuffing", I've only ever used apple but I'll be trying bananas this summer since the Tiny Dictator can't get enough of them.  This is him patiently waiting for me to finish the photo shoot and fork 'em over.

Freeze the yogurt treats in the ice cube tray until they harden (3-4 hours).  Then pop them out and keep them in a ziploc baggie in the freezer.  I make batches and batches of this during the summer and give Foster a cube or two whenever we come in from a hot walk.  [Rest assured, Foster gets these in his bowl, not served on a nice white plate]

Hope your four legged furbabies enjoy as much as mine does!

 

Well hello there summer

Summer unofficially got underway in Chicago this weekend with a lovely 97 degree record-breaking day (side note: I think I can officially put away my snow boots now).  As much of a pain as 97 degrees is, I'll take that over NATO any weekend!

We decided to stay put, avoid the airports and enjoy some downtime at home.  Roy's had his nose stuck deep in a nerdy science book called The Short History of Nearly Everything and has been soaking up all the military movies on TV.  I took advantage of the long weekend with a few extra yoga classes and some cooking, including a strawberry pie to go with some Asian honey kebabs and grilled veggies for dinner tonight.

We also made a visit to the dog park that resulted in some hilarious photos.  Here's a quick preview, more to come along with a homemade frozen dog treat recipe later this week.

Wherever you were this weekend, I hope you enjoyed yourself and took a few moments to appreciate the real reason behind the Memorial Day holiday.  And to all our service men and women, thank you for all that you and your families do.

xoxo,
A Grateful American 

(Life Changing) White Bean & Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

I first met Rachel a few years ago when we were part of a bridal party for a mutual friend.  We've only actually hung out together 3 times.  The first time it was bonding over Cheetos, puzzles, the Twilight series and all things Boston (including some delicious Mike's pastries) during a bachelorette party.  The second time was at the wedding that featured a 30 minute round robin of Arrested Development quotes during the rehearsal BBQ and a team effort to zip up the dress of a bridesmaid who was 6 months pregnant with twins at the time (it literally required every member of the bridal party).  The third time was just this spring when I was in Vail for a ski trip.

Clara, Shannon and Rachel in Boston

Despite the fact that we've only been in the same geographic location together 3 times, we've become fast friends due to our shared interests in reading, cooking, and the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.

We frequently toss recipes back and forth and while Rachel has tried a lot of my stuff (in her own words: "I would literally die without your corn chowder"), I have been a bit remiss in trying some of hers.  The number of ingredients and steps in her recipes are usually more than I'm comfortable with and some of the ingredients she uses give me the willies.  In short, I'm scared and quaking in my apron. 

In a weak moment when I was high on beautiful spring weather and the wonderful outlet that is cooking, I decided to to give this enchilada recipe from Rachel a shot.  Despite the fact that it included cumin, which I've never used before, and required you to make your own salsa verde.  I started a bit late on Sunday evening and experienced that feeling you get when you believe you've bitten off more than you can chew. 

Naturally, I coped with this by pouring myself a glass of wine.

Then I got down to business chopping veggies, making the filling, putting together a batch of my favorite corn spoon bread as a side dish, and making the creamy salsa verde. Then I got it all in the oven and crossed my fingers that the effort would be worth it.

And I'll be damned if those enchiladas weren't delicious.  Mind blowing, life changing, can't stop talking about it delicious.  Make me anxious and excited for dinner delicious.  Flavorful, filling, creamy, cheesy and remarkably HEALTHY - coming in at 230 calories a serving.  I was blown away. 

This is the kind of dish where you're sad when the leftovers are gone.  It was a delight to eat and they were as good the third night as they were the first.  I was naievely worried about this being too spicy with the jalapenos but the chiles, jalapenos, onions and cumin all play beautifully together.  They don't create heat.  They create warm Mexican-flavored deliciousness.

And I was shocked by the process of making the sauce.  When I added the flour the pan was relatively dry.  I thought for sure I'd messed something up and had visions of making quick omelets for dinner when this ended up being inedible.

But I added the chicken broth and it was like magic happened.  Things got thick and creamy and I knew we were going to be ok. 

For the chicken, I baked a single chicken breast for 20 mins at 400 degrees and then shredded it.  You could easily use leftover roast chicken, rotisserie chicken or even some of the Tyson's prepared chicken in the deli section of the grocery store although it will likely alter the nutritional facts in case that's important to you.  And technically this makes enough for 8 enchiladas but I only made 6 because I only had 6 tortillas.

As Rachel teased, I got owned, and I won't give her recipes the brush off any more!  Instead, I'll take advantage of these chances to try new flavors and ingredients.  I will make friends with Chinese five spice and agave and cumin (although not all in the same dish).  And I will be buying Rachel a beer the next time we hang out to thank her for bringing these things into my life.

I feel like I haven't done this recipe justice but I'm so in love with it I feel like there are no words.  It's the kind of recipe I'd want to make for you if you lived down the street and were coming over for dinner.  So I'll leave you with a very strong recommendation that you TRY THIS!  As soon as possible.  And then tell me what you think!

*****

(Life Changing) White Bean & Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde
From Skinny Taste 
35-40 mins active, 60-70 mins total

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Old Points: 4 • Points: 5
Calories: 230 • Fat: 7.3 g • Protein: 20.4 g • Carb: 28.7 g • Fiber: 12.2 g

For the Chicken and White Bean Filling:

1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles (I used diced)
15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans)
8 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
1/3 can water
1 chicken bullion
1 tsp cumin

For the Creamy Salsa Verde Enchilada Sauce:
1 tsp butter
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tbsp flour
1 cup fat free chicken broth
7 oz can chopped green chile (I used diced)
2 jalapeños, chopped 
salt
1/2 cup light sour cream

3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese
8 medium low carb tortillas
optional - chopped fresh cilantro or scallions


Preheat oven to 375°.

For the Filling:In a medium pan, heat olive oil on low. Add onions, garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add green chiles, beans, water, bullion, and cumin. Mix well and cover. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Remove cover, add chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until it thickens and liquid boils down. Set aside.

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:
In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add green chiles, jalepeños, and salt to tatse. Cook another minute then remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream.

Assembling the enchiladas:
Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken/white bean filling. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling remainder of the tortillas.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Cover with aluminum and bake 20-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro or scallions.

Farmers Market Skillet - Quinoa with Zucchini, Fresh Sweet Corn, Tomato, Basil and Feta Cheese

There's something special about a Midwestern "spring".  It's a roller coaster ride with Mother Nature frequently parading around all four seasons in the same week.  All of a sudden it's March and it's 80 degrees and there is pasty white winter skin and happy people everywhere you look.  Two days later temps have returned to below freezing and going to a Cubs game requires a winter hat and 2 pairs of socks.

Sporting some winter gear at a Cubs game on May 24, 2011

It's a dance that continues well through mid-June with the ratio of cold to warm days slowly shifting.  It takes so long to even out and warm up that my Farmers Markets doesn't start until late June.  Which devastates me.  Because when the weather warms up, all I want to do is get my hands on some fresh produce and start cooking.  OK, and maybe take the dog on some long walks and sit outside in the sunshine drinking good beer.

The last few days have been pretty hot here with temps in the high 80s and low 90s (although as I post this, the temp has dropped back down to the 50s as if trying to prove a point).  And I just can't wait for the Farmers Market anymore.  So I borrowed some inspiration from Iowa Girl Eats and made her farmers market skillet using the freshest of the fresh from my grocery store.

When I think skillets I think of excessive, greasy breakfast platters, usually being served up at one of Wrigleyville's finest bars.  But this couldn't be any more different.  It's basically a skillet slash salad with quinoa, fresh sweet corn, zucchini, vine ripened tomatoes, feta cheese and basil, all topped off with a honey lemon vinaigrette.  It's the kind of meal that makes you want to pour a glass of wine, turn on some music and take your time in the kitchen.

There's a ton of different flavors in this skillet but they all manage to pop and share the spotlight together.  You will literally taste everything - from the honey, to the lemon, to the different veggies and the garlic.  If you're never tried it before, quinoa is a grain that is a little bit chewy.  In this recipe it's cooked in low sodium chicken broth so it's bursting with flavor.

The corn, zucchini and green onion come together nicely with the little bit of garlic and the tomato adds some fun pops of color (and taste).  The honey lemon vinaigrette is a little bit sweet thanks to the honey and has a little bit of bite thanks to the garlic and freshly ground pepper.  It was subtle but really nice over the quinoa and veggies.  And it's a proven fact that basil and feta make everything better. 

Next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I think I'm going to ditch the honey and just do a basic lemon vinaigrette.  The flavors were beautiful but the honey part didn't do it for me.  Just personal preference!

This would pair really well with some grilled chicken or beef kebabs or even just a green salad.  Enjoy!

*****

Farmers Market Skillet - Quinoa with Zucchini, Corn, Tomato, Basil and Feta Cheese
From Iowa Girl Eats
35-45 mins active
serves 4

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced (or half a large one)
2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 green onions
salt & pepper
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
1/2 cup feta
2 Tablespoons chopped basil

For the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette:
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, microplaned or finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, then cook until the broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette in a jar or bowl, then shake or whisk to combine and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini, sweet corn, and green onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and half the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette, then stir and cook for 1 more minute.*

Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to the skillet. Stir well, taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

*If you want to make this a cold salad, cool cooked quinoa and veggies separately, then mix with the remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil, and chill completely.