avoaddict

I'm seriously ADDICTED guys! Avocado is like the cherry on top, the dollop of sour cream, the final drizzle of evoo, the sprinkle of flaky salt, the grind of pepper, the creamy, delicious, heart healthy, omega 3, buttery goodness on top of my EVERYTHING! Well, not everything...haha
Avocado toast is my go to any time of the day! It makes the perfect brekki with a delicately poached egg, an energy boosting lunch atop a kale quinoa salad, and a satisfying addition to a steamy bowl of spaghetti squash!

My latest discovery involved getting creative with some leftover veggies that were staring at me every time I opened my fridge! Use me, eat me, don't forget about us!!! Yes, I just gave my butternut squash a voice! I mean isn't that a typical foodie behavior? So of course the addict in me designed the most simple but oh so DELISH lunch by topping my typical avo smash with slow roasted butternut! Not only did each bite of this dream fill my heart with happy bursts of creamy sweetness but it was GORG! There is something about enjoying beautiful food that warms my soul...eating becomes more of an experience and an escape from the noise that clutters my brain.

Ingredients:

A slice of your fave bread

1/2 ripe avo

leftover veggies

s&p

lemon

There are sooooo many variations of this delish creation but remember simple is best when you are working with vibrant quality ingredients! Toast your bread and smash your avo in a bowl with a little s&p and a healthy squeeze of lemon.  Top your warm bread with avo then decorate with leftover veggies! I'm thinking asparagus, summer squash, carrots, brussels, eggplant, LITERALLY any veggie would be PERFECTION! Finish with a  dusting of salt and a grind of pep and get your crunch on! I would love to hear what combos you come up with so please share! Happy creating and p.s. this is one addiction your body will thank you for!

CHEERS!

Me & Q

Oh My Cod

Seriously OMC!! 

You have to make this if you:

A. xoxo fish 

B. Don't know how the F to cook fish 

C. Both 

D. Just trust me and make the damn fish

Easy peasy lemon squeezy (a big squeezy after the fish is finished cooking) This recipe couldn't get any easier or any more DELISH! Ready for the list?!?! Cod, pistachios, flat leaf parsley, fresh garlic, evoo, s&p! You probably have half or most of those ingredients already so break them out and get ready for this...place your shelled pistachios in a baggy and smash the living shit out of them with whatever kitchen tool you prefer (I go for the wooden spoons) and dump into a small bowl. Then finely chop some fragrant flat leaf parsley (same amount as the pistachios) and add to the nuts! Next add 1-2 cloves of grated garlic! Slowly pour in your fave evoo until the ingredients become one.  Add a little S&P and you are ready to get that oven preheating to 425.  Place your cod on a plate and dry off with a paper towl...drizzle with a lil evoo, toss on a little S&P and spread that delicious pistachio herb topping all over (pack it on so it can create a nice crust). Pop that bad boy in the oven when preheated and depending on the thickness bake for 10-14 minutes (look for opaque center). 

Plate this beautiful masterpiece with your favorite side and squeeze lots of fresh lemon all over! Pour yourself your favorite glass of vino, find a comfy spot, inhale...exhale...and enjoy the colors, pops of flavors and textures of this healthy fulfilling vacation that you created in 20 minutes.  Make time for you, you deserve it! Three words

OH

MY

COD

Cheers!

Me & Q

Everything FALL

White is the new orange

While the crashing waves and sand between my toes are my favorite, everything about fall is my second favorite! The smells, the spices on my tongue, the sounds, the coziness, the red wine flowing...all my inspirations! Inspirations for what you ask? RECIPES!!! Fall offers an abundance of gorgeous (although oddly shaped), vibrant, hardy produce! I'm a BIG fan of butternut squash and was in the mood for pasta last Sunday so I turned up the Bossa Nova, took a match to my pumpkin spice candle and began getting lost in my farmers market finds...and this is my therapy.

 

Cooking for one is possible people! I get it...why am I going to do all of that just for me...by the time I buy all the ingredients it's going to cost more than take out...Trust me I get it BUT nothing is better than homemade! Call me crazy but I like to know what I'm eating! Food tastes better to me when I pick it out myself, peel it, chop it, drizzle it with my yummy evoo and add a sprinkle of fragrant  herbs.  Roasting veggies is the way to go as it draws out all the natural sugars creating a sweet caramelization in each bite. So my Sunday dinner isn't exactly the Sunday sauce most Italians are slow cooking all day but it brings warmth and comfort to my heart and soul and for this, I cook for one!

 My cooking for one recipes are simple in so many ways! Simple ingredients, simple flavors, simple preparation and simple cooking! SIMPLE! Butternut squash, rosemary, toasted walnuts, pasta (rigatoni), turnip greens, garlic, parm, lemon zest, evoo, S&P! So the recipe is this...Roast the squash at 425 after tossing with evoo, rosemary, S&P (until tender)...toast chopped walnuts, cook pasta, sauté turnip greens with garlic...combine! Drizzle with evoo top with parm, lemon zest, a little more cracked pep and top off your glass with a little or a lot more red. I hope this recipe warms your heart just as it does mine!

I want to live in that Rigatoni surrounded by all that yumminess!

CHEERS!
EmMe & Q

Back at it

Hello World! Several kale salads, avocados ,gray hairs, Essie nail colors, tears, laughs, hugs, bottles of wine, sips of bourbon, episodes of the Bachelorette, walks with Q, and new recipes later I AM BACK AT IT!!  While my summer mornings have been consumed by Today show shenanigans , Kathie Lee and Hoda ridiculousness, k-cups, smoothies that consume too much time, walks with Q, too much pinterest, facebook and instagram all with little snoozes in between I am still whipping up the colors of the rainbow in the kitchen! Summer is and always will be my favorite season simply because I LOVE the bright farmers market fresh pops of flavor and colors in every dish! I'm very religious (even tho I haven't been to church in YEARS) about SIMPLICITY! (p.s. God still loves me) Sweet, tart, spicy, rustic, herbaceous flavs, and crunchy, creamy textures melt together creating the most satisfying umbrella in drink exotic vaca in your mouth!

 

Could you even imagine if this was a scratch n' sniff image?!
 

 When I go to market I look for fruits and veggies that are bright and fragrant! Most times without a recipe in mind my arms are overflowing within the first 10 minutes with whatever strikes my fancy! Its seriously like Christmas morning when I get home and display my finds under the tree (just kidding)! And that is when it all begins!!  The dish I'm sharing with you today is a combo of nutritious vibrant flavors! Crunchy cucs, and yellow peps paired with exploding fireworks of garden fresh cherry toms, jewels of kalamata saltiness, creamy feta, nutty barley and an herbal infusion of parsley and mint will be the best damn thing you have eaten since that shitty iceberg lettuce salad hiding under preservative infested salad dressing!  I know it sounds like a lot of ingredients but don't you dare even go there! Eating healthy and feeling good about what you are feeding your body takes prep time BUT it doesn't have to take hours every night Mon-Sun!! The only ingredient in this recipe that needs stove time is the barley! That's IT and this salad is a balanced meal! Get your grocery list app ready bc HERE WE GO!

 

Barley Deliciousness

Servings:4

 

1-2 cups cooked and cooled barley

1/2 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

1 cup chopped yellow, red, or orange pep (I'm not a fan of green)

1 cup cherry toms cut in 1/2

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

4 leaves of rinsed and chopped kale

1 handful of parsley finely chopped

1 handful of mint finely chopped

1 handful of chopped kalamata olives

1 handful of good crumbled feta (I buy mine from the cheese dept in Wegmans)

Red wine vin

Evoo

Lemon

S&P 

 

Okay so I know that was a lot of chopping but this recipes is as easy as combining the barley through the olives in one bowl! Once you have thoroughly mixed your hard work (hopefully not any fingers)  all together you are going to add a 1/4 cup of the red wine vin, 1/4 cup of evoo, and the juice of two lemons! Sprinkle your salt and pep to taste and give it another good stir! Every great chef tastes their creation so don't be afraid to dip your fork in there to see what it might need or perhaps it is perfection! As this salad sits it will soak up the liquid so you may need to add more as you enjoy it! After plating sprinkle with tangy feta! Of course you can add feta ahead of time if you are packing lunches or taking it to a summer shindig!

 

Happy Creating!!!

Live, Laugh, Love,

Me

&

 

 Leave us some love! xo

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FallFlavs

 

 

 

 

The little things in life make my heart smile.  I took a trip to the local farm stand to pick up some of my fav honey crisp apples and found more than crunchy juicy treats.  My trip to Melicks put a little extra spring(or fall) in my step!  Rusty colored mums and every kind of awkward shaped gourd/pumpkin you could imagine organically decorated this New Jersey farm stand.  The sweet smell of apples infused the air and the spaghetti squash called my name for tonight's dinner (don't worry, I'll share...the recipe:)) 

 In spirit of this amazing autumn day, I broke out the immersion blender and whipped up some butternut squash soup! Butternut squash soup is silky, earthy, sweet, warm, comforting, healthy and therapy for the mind and soul. My recipe is as follows...

 

 

2 tblsp evoo

1 sweet onion diced

2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp turmeric

dash of cinnamon

2 tblsp fresh grated ginger

4 cups cubed butternut squash

1 peeled and diced tart apple

2 peeled and diced carrots

3 cups of chicken broth or water

s&p

 

Heat evoo over med heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.  Sauté onions and garlic until soft (5 mins).  Next stir in ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon-allow to combine with the onions.  Next up toss in your butternut squash, apple, and carrots.  Stir around with the onion mixture.  Add three cups of chicken broth or water and crank the heat.  Bring to a boil, add a healthy toss of s&p then bring to a simmer for about 20 mins or until veg is tender.  Turn off the heat and rev up the immersion blender (my FAVORITE kitch toy)  If you do not have one of these a.) Christmas is around the corner b.) you can use a blender but allow the soup to cool to prevent an explosion.  Blend away until you are left with a creamy velvety orange pot of comfort.  I like to top this soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, candied pumpkin seeds, and a dash of cin but it is just as good without the accessories!

Enjoy this creation in your favorite mug...it is sure to make your heart smile:)

 

Lots of LOVE

EmMe

&

 

 

 

 

 

millions of peaches

 

As you all know, I am more obsessed with going to market than I am going shoe shopping! No offense Jimmy Choo! Central Market in York Pa has really made a comeback in the past 5 years! The rustic historical building houses farm fresh fruits and veg, local meats, cheeses, the most picture perfect too pretty to eat (oops) croissants, quiche, blueberry bursting muffins, the hissing of espresso machines, and...

SO when I go to market, yep, you guessed it Copper Crust is my first stop(thecoppercrust.com).  The French style bakery is cozy, homey, and the perfect spot to start the day. The café is overflowing with drippy gooey sticky buns, herb speckled buttermilk scones, mini desserts(one of each please), flakey croissants...needless to say my senses are in overdrive even before my first sip of java!

Once I have my coffee in hand I am ready to shop till I drop! So naturally I do a little walk through to take in the aesthetically arranged colors of the rainbow and as I stroll through I shimmy my way in here and there to smell and squeeze my ingredients to cater to my brewing creative mind.  A QUICK NOTE on the squeezing and sniffing...I am one of those and it just dawned on me that everyone else is probably putting the peaches under their noses too and touching all of the tomatoes to perfect their tomato mozz salad...my point is WASH YOUR PRODUCE! You never know where other peoples hands have been!! Just sayin:)

I know I know get to juicy stuff already! Juicy is right! Juicy peaches have been making appearances in several of my summer dishes.  Mozzarella peach salad is my all time fave so I thought why not turn this into a Panini! I am pretty damn good with the no carb thing during the week so when Friday night rolls around I'm ready to sink my teeth into something other than kale and grilled veggies (I love you kale but I gotta live a little).

 

I know right!?!?!

 

HEAVEN ON EARTH

So here goes it:

Sliced white peaches

Homemade mozzarella (or whatever works for you)

Sliced prosciutto ( 2 slices per sammy)

Ciabatta rolls

arugula

Good balsamic

EVOO

S&P

 

Layer this baby however you want! I did mozz, prosciutto, peaches, mozz, arugula, sprinkle of S&P

Once I closed the sammy I drizzled it with evoo to help create a nice crispy outside! I LOVE crunch!! Panini maker here we come! If you do not have a panini maker grill pans work wonders too! Just place a foil covered pan on top of the sandwiches and load it up with cans of soup to create the weight in order to press the yummy ingredients together! A foil covered brick works too (I mean doesn't everyone have one in their kitchen cabinets) Once the cheese begins to ooze you are in business! For a last special touch open each little present and drizzle some aged balsamic!

I'm big on the diagonal cut (thanks mom for always making the best pb&j)

BITE INTO THIS and message me...although you might be speechless

 

 

 

  This salad is quite fab too! Slices of summer melon, white peaches, poached chicken and a citrus vinaigrette! Easy peasy and PHENOM!

 

So now that I gave you the JUICE go create your own food gossip!

xo,

EmME

&

 

  

cooking for friends

 

Thanksgiving? Try again? This is called homemade chicken noodle soup for the soul!

COMFORT...naturally the day I cranked on the oven it was hot as balls!  That didn't stop me from stuffing lemons, fresh thyme and garlic inside of this poor chicken which was baked to a golden crisp.  Oh, but I did massage this guy with butter and thyme too...he liked it

p.s. Dental floss makes for the perfect twine (stay away from minty fresh)

 

So I want to dedicate this blog post to my friends! WHY? Friends give us energy, inspiration, confidence, hugs, shoulders to cry on and a legit reasons to pee our pants laughing! For me spending time in the kitchen is about sharing bites, talking about the day, Mmmmm's, ahhhhhhhh's, sipping wine, swaying around the kitchen with Billie Holiday...this is the key to "soul" food.

For me there is nothing better than watching someone I adore become intoxicated with every bite of my love infused creations.

 

 

 

Recently on the EmMe MENU:

Chicken noodle soup

Pancetta sun-dried tomato turkey meatballs

with homemade sauce

Summer quinoa salad with farm stand corn,

 basil, toms, feta

 

This quinoa salad will get all of your friends and family food drunk at your Labor Day party! Earthy quinoa is peppered with sweet corn, salty feta, juicy bursts of garden fresh tomatoes and speckled with fragrant basil! This recipe welcomes alterations to make your taste buds scream!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup rinsed quinoa(follow cooking instructions on bag)

2 pieces of corn on the cob

1 cup halved cherry toms

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup chiffonade basil

3 lemons juiced

1/4 cup evoo

S&P

 

I didn't have basil when I made this before so I added flat leaf parsley!

 

1.) Cook and cool your quinoa

2.) Grill your corn to create a nice char on the outside-you could also wrap it with a damp paper towel and pop in the mic for 4 minutes and BAM (cut off the cob after cooled)

3.) Chop cherry toms (if super juicy leave some seeds behind as you don't want to have quinoa tom soup)

4.) Rinse basil leaves and stack them one on top of the other...roll then chop into thin little ribbons...take in the aroma

5.) Rinse and juice lemons, whisk in evoo, sprinkle with S&P

6.) Add all the ingredients to the quinoa in the order that you prepped them staring with the corn

7.) Fold in the feta and pine nuts

8.) Taste and add S&P if needed

9.) I like to add little slivers of red onion for color and a little extra punch!

 

  Future recipe:

 



 Mmmmm...Turkey pancetta sun-dried tom meatballs



 

"Cooking is LOVE made visible"

 

Cheers to all my friends who inspire me everyday!

xoxo,

EmMe

&