Colorado Fun

What an awesome vacation we just had! We rarely get to enjoy the beautiful weather Denver summers bring, but this year we were so bleassed to join Jon's parents and brother for a fun-filled week in the mountains. We did so many fun things from sidewalk drawings to visiting Breckenridge. I'm in the middle of working on a special "thank you" project for Jon's parents in appreciation of their generosity. Here's a sneak peak.

Ella Grace, 14 months

Oh baby girl, where did the time go? I can't believe how fast you are growing. You do everything so much more quickly than Jack did. You watch everything he does and mimic him then laugh at how clever you are. Your personality is hilarious- funny, fearless, loving and mischievous. I love every bit of you. This month you are trying more and more to run to keep up with Jack. You are learning to hold your fork and spoon and get the general idea of how to use them- you just want to use your fingers more. This month we are going to try to wean you off the bottle. Mommy is a bit sad about this...no more babies and bottle warming. 

Favorite foods this month: mac 'n cheese, turkey, yogurt, grapes, avocado and taco meat
New words this month: pig, dolly, baby and birdI love you Ella Grace. 

A Firefighter's Wife

I am a firefighter's wife. I'm proud of my husband. He selflessly gives of himself to helps those in need. Whether it be a medical emergency or a burning building- he's there to help. I've talked before of what a day in our live's is like when he is on shift. Recently Dallas Fire Rescue lost one of their own in the line of duty and it brought to the surface fears I live with everyime my husband leaves for his shift.

I come from a long line of firefighters. My grandfather battle blazes in Chicago with little more than a coat, fire boots and a hat (no air packs back in his early days). Buildings burned a lot more frequently back then. I can't imagine how my grandmother felt everyday my grandfather left for his shift.

By comparison, Jon's lucky. There's been life saving advancements in the fire service, not only with protective gear, but buildings are generally safer because of sprinkler systems. While my head knows losing a fireman in the line of duty is rare these days, I can't help but be anxious when he walks out the door. When we talk and he has to abrutly end the call because he's just been called to someone else's emergency my emotions run from- my hero to sickness in the pit of my stomach that something could happen. People just don't pay attention some times even with all those lights and sirens wailing. He's got a great crew with him and his captains would never risk the lives of that crew to save a building, but accidents happen- just like they did this past Sunday in Dallas. That firefighter leaves behind a wife and two small children. I don't know how or if I could cope with such a tragic loss.

That being said, I wouldn't change a thing about Jon or his passion for the fire service. It's what defines him. He's selfless, a hero and an example for so many kids who can't wait to grow up to be fire fighters too.

Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

This dish was inspired by Martha- she uses broccili rabe on her dish and since I'm not a big fan of that, I substituted spinach. It was delicious.

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb ounces orecchiette 
1 package of precooked chicken sausages (5 sausages), cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons white-wine 
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add  olive oil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and saute. Add sausage; cook, without turning, until browned, about 4 minutes and repeat to get a nice golden crisp on the sausage. Add spinach, white wine, and chicken stock. Cook until liquid is reduced- about 3 minutes.

Add pasta and oil to spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Top with fresh Parmesan and serve.

Serves 4

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

What can I say, I've been inspired....I'm trying 3 new recipes this week (to make up for some lost time) and last night we enjoyed these tasty enchiladas. I modified a Tyler Florence's recipe just slightly. I love this recipe because the tortillas are whole wheat and there's no sour cream in the sauce. While I love sour cream sauce, its also loaded with fat. 


Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa:
1 lb. tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 jalapenos, stems removed
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)
1 3 lb. chicken (rotisserie or boil your own to make the broth), boned and meat shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 large whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed
8 oz. Monterey Jack, shredded
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper


sour cream, for serving
avocado or guacamole, for serving
fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Spread tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapenos on the prepared baking tray. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly before transferring roasted vegetables and their juices to a blender or food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse until well combined but still slightly chunky. 

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and and cook for another minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until a thick paste forms. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and simmer until thickened. Remove from the heat and add half of the roasted tomatillo salsa, a handful of fresh cilantro, and fold in the shredded chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a little of the reserved salsa in the bottom of the baking dish.

5. To assemble the enchiladas, put a scoop of the filling inside each warmed tortilla and sprinkle with some shredded cheese. Roll up and place in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining salsa over top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and sprinkle some chili powder on top. 

6. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream, and avocado.

Serves 6

Squash, Corn, and Bacon Fusilli with Basil Pesto



This recipe is based on one I found over at Hint of Honey (my new favorite blog). Jon's not a big fan of zucchini so I used yellow summer squash and added some red pepper since we like our food with a little kick. It was amazing!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. whole wheat fusilli pasta
6 slices bacon, crumbled
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 medium yellow squash, sliced thinly

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tsp of red pepper flakes

2 gloves of garlic , minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated for serving


Basil Pesto:
1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 small cloves garlic
6 Tbsp. Parmesan, freshly grated
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS
1. To prepare the pesto, place the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan in a food processor. Pulse to create a chunky paste. With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.


2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to drain. Reserve about 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease in the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the corn and zucchini and saute until tender-crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.


3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water. Toss the cooked pasta with the veggie mixture and pesto. Add a little of the cooking water to thin, if necessary. Stir in the bacon. Serve topped with freshly shaved parmesan.


Serves 4

Hotter than H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!

It's summer and I live in Texas which means it's going to be hot in August....but this is just downright cruel!