Breakfast for Dinner!

Breakfast for dinner... It's an amazing concept for parents everywhere! Most kids love breakfast foods... even my ridiculously picky 4 year old will eat the majority of foods offered at breakfast. Sunday night I wasn't really in the mood to cook. Who wants to cook (or eat for the matter) when the heat index is 110 degrees at 6:00pm?! I decided I would whip together a new recipe that resembled breakfast but would be just as filling for dinner. 
I love omelets as much as the next girl but I have never quite mastered making one in a skillet. Every time I try to flip the omelet all of the delicious toppings somehow break free from their egg shell and I end up making scrambled eggs instead of an omelet. So when I saw this recipe for a baked omelet in a 9x13 dish I couldn't resist. So a Baked Denver Omelet was created... and devoured!

Baked Denver Omelet

 Recipe found at Cooking Classy

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (chop veggies small)
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup (heaping) chopped cooked ham (I used a fully cooked bone-in ham steak)
• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Sliced avocados, for serving (optional)
• Chopped chives and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 7 by 11-inch or 9 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle ham into an even layer in bottom of baking dish.

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add red and green bell peppers and onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Evenly pour pepper mixture over ham layer then sprinkle evenly with cheese.
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• In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well blended. Season with salt and pepper and stir, then pour over mixture in baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until puffy and set, about 22 - 25 minutes. Cut and serve warm with avocado slices and optional chives and hot sauce.



Step 1: Add diced ham to 9x13 dish



Step 2: Saute bell peppers and onions until soft.



• Recipe source: inspired by Taste of Home

Final product... YUM!!!

The dish was loved by everyone in the family. But my favorite part was that we had leftovers for breakfast in the morning! This dish could definitely be a make-ahead dish that you could divvy up throughout the week for quick breakfasts! Enjoy your breakfast for dinner! 

Light and Easy Pumpkin, Spinach, and Walnut pasta

This summer I have had an affair with one of my new favorite vegetables -- Butternut Squash! There is so much you can do with a squash, not to mention they are absolutely delicious! I like to saute cut up squash in a skillet with some olive oil, salt, and garlic. Then I will cook a chicken sausage and throw it into the mix. What a simple savory lunch! We usually roast squash of all sorts as a simple side dish however I found one recipe that has the squash as the star! 
Throughout the summer I have stayed away from one of my favorite foods.... pasta! I have been trying to follow the Paleo diet as much as possible but I decided this week I would make an exception and try this new pasta dish. It includes some of my favorite vegetables making it taste light and absolutely delicious!!!! It takes several steps but each step is quick and easy. We have decided this pasta dish is definitely a recipe to repeat - however next time I want to save myself the time of cutting and roasting the butternut squash so I will be trying the recipe with canned pumpkin instead! It won't have the chunks of squash in the mix but the flavor would definitely be incredible! Who doesn't love pumpkin right?! (If you don't we can't be around each other in the fall. There will be several pumpkin recipes posted in the next few months.)

Pumpkin, spinach, and walnut spaghetti

serves: 2

preparation time: 20 min

cooking time: 15 min

200 g spaghetti (use gluten-free if you are gluten-intolerant

3 tbsp / 45 ml olive oil

• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 2 cups of cubed butternut squash / half a medium butternut squash
• about 100 g spinach
• ½-1 tsp chilli flakes (depending on level of heat and your preference)
• ½ lemon, zest and juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 30 g walnuts, finely chopped

Method

1. Coat cubed butternut squash in 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Bake in a hot oven (225º C / 435º F) for about 40-50 minutes, until butternut squash turns soft and gets lightly caramelised.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Fry off garlic gently on a low-medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add chilli flakes and cook for another minute or two stirring frequently.
3. Cook spaghetti for a minute shorter than you would normally.
4. Mash half the butternut squash with a fork or potato masher (you can also use a food processor or blender for a smoother texture). Put both mashed and whole butternut squash chunks into the pan with chilli and garlic.
5. Add drained pasta and washed spinach into the pan. Incorporate them well into the pumpkin. Taste and season with pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and additional salt and chilli if needed.
6. Serve immediately with chopped walnuts and lemon zest on top.

Original recipe at http://www.lazycatkitchen.com/pumpkin-spinach-and-walnut-spaghetti/ 

Savory Sides

Whenever I'm deciding what to make for dinner the main dish is never the problem. I get so excited about the main dish that I'm often just finishing it up when I realize... "Oh no, there is nothing to go with it." We have often had meals like an amazing chicken dish that are absolutely delicious - but that's all we had.... CHICKEN! So when I find easy to make, delicious side dishes I get really excited!!
Last week I discovered the amazing way to eat a Kale salad. Kale is so good for you packed with vitamins, minerals, and all sorts of nutritious things. However kale is one of those vegetables that has a very strong flavor. This salad lightens the kale flavor a little and is very refreshing and perfect for summer!

Simple Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette 

Author: Annie Chesson

Ingredients
2 bunches kale, fibrous stems (in the middle of the leaf) removed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup slivered almonds
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
1. For the kale, remove the fibrous stems, leaving you with just the greens. On your cutting board, pile all the leaves on top of each other and massage with your hands for about three to five minutes, until the leaves are no longer bitter. You use a similar motion as you would kneading bread! Move the leaves around every several kneads so you aren't massaging some more than others. I know it sounds weird, but it really works!!
2. Slice the massaged kale into bite size pieces
3. To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined 4. To assemble the salad, place the kale, almonds, and Parmesan into a large bowl. Top with dressing and toss to combine
5. You may need less dressing (or maybe a little more) depending on the size of your bunches of kale. Just dress to your preference. The dressing is super easy to whip up if you need to make a little extra (for extra large bunches!)

Recipe by The Garlic Diaries
http://www.thegarlicdiaries.com/simple-kale-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/

The other side dish that was simply amazing this week came as a Whole 30 recipe from my Pinterest boards. We had oven baked chicken that evening with some fresh green beans from a local organic farm. I wanted to have just one more side and potatoes sounded great! This is one of those recipes I had intended to make for many months. Now I am wondering WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?! It may be my favorite potato recipe yet and the best part is it's totally clean eating!

CRISPY SALT AND VINEGAR SMASHED POTATOES

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds mixed baby potatoes (Yukon Gold, red, etc.)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt, plus addt’l for sprinkling
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add potatoes and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt to a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain and return potatoes to saucepan. Add butter and gently toss to coat. Transfer potatoes to prepared baking sheet, spreading them out in a single layer. Using a heavy mug or glass, smash each potato to about 1/2-inch thickness.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven and turn each with a spatula. Drizzle with olive oil and continue baking for 20 minutes more.

Once baked, sprinkle with vinegar, chopped chives, salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Taken from http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2014/07/crispy-salt-and-vinegar-smashed-potatoes.html 

BON APPETIT FRIENDS! 

Welcome!

Hello friends! I hope you will enjoy this blog as much as I will writing it! My name is Emily and I am what the Pioneer Woman calls an "accidental country girl." I grew up in a really tight knit community where our neighborhoods became our friends and family. If I went outside in the summertime there were always other kids to play with and a community pool only a few blocks away. Over time I grew to love the idea of moving to a big city for a short time while I was single and just starting out after college...however God has a plan and it wasn't for me to move the city, in fact it was just the opposite. 
I met my husband at church one Sunday. He was one of the few people in my age bracket and if I do say so myself he was GOOD LOOKING! After a few dates I came to realize he grew up as a farm kid out in the country. I had no idea what living in the country or what working on a farm really meant but I would have done anything to be with him! I came to realize farm life wasn't easy and it wasn't at all what I had pictured for my life. 

Chad and I on our wedding day! Wedded bliss!

But now we have been married for 7 years and have been living on the family farm for the last 2. I was like a fish out of water but have been slowly adapting and learning.... essentially making my life work on the farm! There are so many amazing aspects to living in the country like the quiet evenings, the beautiful view of God's creations, and just enjoying the simple things in life. 
As a means to cope with all of the new changes in my life I began to cook early on in our marriage. Growing up with a mom who was terminally ill (but still a fabulous cook) I never had the opportunity to learn how to cook like most little girls. I began learning in college slowly with simple meals like Ramen noodles and graduated to simple casseroles. However once I got married I wanted to become the "perfect" wife which meant I had to learn how to cook. Thank goodness for the age of Pinterest! Pinterest opened up a whole new world of recipes and how to's for this beginning cook. After some time I discovered the Food Network and again my cooking skills expanded. Now that we have moved into our forever home and I had the chance to renovate and design my own "country chic" kitchen I am diving in even further with my culinary skills. 

Renovated kitchen picture 1

Renovated Kitchen picture 2

As I continue to create and discover new recipes I ask that you join me on this endeavor as we explore farm fresh, family-oriented meals with a touch of elevated quality with a dash of my city culinary dreams at hand! Welcome to the Country Chic Chef!