Did yesterday feel like Monday to anyone else?  I think for me because of the holiday I was in slow motion and dragging my heels the whole day.  But all in all I survived.  I was excited when I got home because my Mom had one of my favorite turkey left over meal – Turkey Pot Pie.  I love it!

As for the house progress, it is coming along quite well.  We had a couple of hiccups yesterday and it looks like the insulation will be one day behind which will impact the drywall.  We had the rough grading done and as you will see from the pictures below – I think it turned out well.  The guys got a start on the front porch after we finally made up our minds on which product to use.

On to the Food

Today’s recipe is part of the fabulous Thanksgiving Saturday at the inlaws.  I will call it Pan Fried Carrots in a Pear Balsamic reduction.  Is your mouth watering yet?  These little sticks of heaven were delicious!  It really is easy to take a plain old carrot and turn it into something so eye catching and delicious.  I was sure to take lots of pictures as the colors were really nice.

As far as the prep goes, it is a little time consuming with the slicing unless you have a trusty Mandoline but outside of that a really straight forward recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Carrots ( Sliced lengthwise – see picture)
• 1 Fresh Pear ( Diced)
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 Chicken Stock
• 1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Slice carrots according to the picture below.  Soak in cold water until ready to go.



2. Warm Saute pan over medium heat and add butter.  Once beginning to melt, add carrots and let brown. ( about 10 minutes)



3. Once brown add the chicken stock, and let reduce to half.



4. Add balsamic, diced pear, salt and pepper and let reduce again.
5. Once cooked until desired doneness, add chopped parsley and serve





6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ever have too many carrots – blanch them in boiling water and then freeze them.

House Update

Below are the latest shots of the house. Someday I am going to be giving you a final tour of the house …. maybe  some zesty videos from the new kitchen.

Have a great day and be sure to let me know if you have any questions about the recipe, blogging in general or the house.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Thursday! It is all about the letter “P” today. Pork, Peppers, Pasta and Parsley together to make this quick and easy dish on a weeknight.

I don’t know about you but I am always looking for ways to make satisfying, healthy meals in short order.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love to cook and be in the kitchen. However, after a day at the office there are times I just want to relax on the couch and watch an episode of “house hunters”.  You may laugh but I do love that show (except for all the repeats lately)!

Back to the task at hand.  Everyone wants quick and efficient meal ideas and this recipe will not let you down. As long as it takes you to cook some whole wheat spaghetti – this meal is ready to roll. Serve this with a slice of fresh warm beer bread and you are set.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Pork Chops
• 2 Servings of Spaghetti
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Pepper (Sliced)
• 1/2 Orange Pepper (Sliced)
• 1/2 Yellow Pepper (Sliced)
• 2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
• 1 Cup Mushrooms (Chopped)
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 Tsp. Rosemary
• 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Tsp. Minced Ginger
• Parsley for Garnish

Method

1. Prepare vegetables according to ingredients list.






2. Cook pasta according to directions.
3. Preheat saute pan to medium high heat.
4. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, rosemary and ginger to a bowl and form a paste.










5. Add olive oil to pan and immediately add garlic and pork.  Cook for a minute, moving constantly.
6. Add paste and cook until meat is opaque.



7. Remove meat from pan and add mushrooms and peppers.  Stir around and add lemon juice to remove the bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Cook for 3 minutes, then add meat back to the pan.  Stir together and adjust seasoning.
9. Remove finished pasta and top with pork and vegetables.
10. Finish with fresh parsley.



11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When stir frying vegetables and looking for a brown texture, do not add too much at one time because overcrowding will cause steaming to occur. This will prevent the food from frying properly.  This is especially true if you are cooking water dense vegetables like mushrooms. Nothing will brown if the mushrooms go in first – be sure to add them after.

I hope you have a great Thursday.  Weekend is almost here… hang in there.

Take care

zesty

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Chicken Anyone? Yeah I thought you would say yes. Chicken is a very popular food choice, however you want to avoid chicken boredom. If you feel your getting in the chicken rut - give this balsamic number a try.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb/750 g)
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) crumbled dried sage or rosemary
• 1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Method

In shallow dish or plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn or shake to coat.

In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat; fry chicken, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 12 minutes. Remove to plate and keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan; cook garlic and sage just until golden, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with any remaining flour; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in stock, vinegar and honey; cook until thickened enough to coat back of spoon.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan, turning to coat; cook until chicken is glazed, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley.

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