Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #173

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Iowa Corn Quest 2015 #Iacornquest

In October,  I met up with 9 other bloggers in Davenport, Iowa to get a little “corny.”  We attended Iowa Corn Quest 2015, a blogger tour put on by Iowa Corn.  We learned about corn, its development,  its uses and talked with farmers who grow it.

First, a little bit about me and my connection to the farm.  My family lives on a farm but my husband and I do not do the day to day farming of the land, tend to the pigs or cows.  My father in law and nephew do that.  I do, however, tend to our goats and ”farm” our garden and preserve our harvest.  My husband helps out as needed during hay baling time.

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #172

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #171

Welcome to the Foodie Friends Friday

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #170

Welcome to the Foodie Friends Friday

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #169

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Chicken Parmesan

An Italian classic with a little twist. I start with a light pan fry and finish cooking it in the oven.  This lessens the need for all of that oil that gets absorbed when you fry. Baking the breaded chicken alone as opposed to smothering it in the sauce let's the crunch of the bread crumbs come through. I love that it's creamy and crunchy all in one dish. 

You can purchase your marinara sauce but make your own garlic cream sauce.  It's easy - if you can make a white sauce or gravy you can make it - and it's delicious with just a few ingredients.  Use the extra to dip breadsticks in!

Chicken Parmesan                                                                                      Printable Recipe

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 beaten egg
1 cup breadcrumbs
olive oil
6 ounces of spaghetti
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce ( I used my own Roasted Marinara)
One recipe Garlic Cream Sauce
Chopped basil for garnish

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #168

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Quark

Quark?  That's that character from Star Trek, right?  Sure, that's his name but today I am talking dairy!

I first discovered quark in Munich, Germany.  Although at the time I didn't really know what it was.  I just knew that I had been seeing the runnier, semi sour European yogurts up until that point in my trip.  This one was drizzled with walnuts and honey and looked thicker. I took a small scoop to try.  It was so delicious!  Super creamy and just a little sweet.  I was pleasantly surprised.  

I belong to a German page on Facebook and one day she was discussing this treat called "quark."  I was pretty sure then that it was what I had in Munich.  I set out to see if I could make it from my goat milk.  I found a few recipes for using cultures and this is what I came up with.  Every milk is a little different so you may have to play with the draining times to get what you want but it is easy to make so give it a go!  

We'll still make our runnier type of goat yogurt for smoothies but this is my new go to thick yogurt type of recipe!  I also found that if I don't sweeten it that it works similar to sour cream.  I plan to try it with a baked potato soon.  I read that the un-thinned version can be used like cream cheese for käsekuchen (cheesecake.)  Maybe we'll have a go at that too!

Quark                                                                                                  Printable Recipe

1 gallon whole milk (not ultra pasteurized)*
Buttermilk culture  - USE 1 packet from New England Cheesemaking Culture or 1/8 teaspoon bulk from GetCulture
3 drops liquid rennet
Extra whole milk (amount needed depends on amount of quark making at serving time)
pure maple syrup or honey
pecans or walnuts

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #167

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #166

Welcome to the Foodie Friends Friday

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Europe: A Carousel of Flavors Part 5

It's time to share the last leg of the European tour I took this summer.  It was fast, busy, lots to see, lots to eat, many memories and a yearning to go back and spend more time in some of the places I liked the most. 

We traveled our way through 7 countries which included the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, finally England.  

Stroopwafels, schnitzel, cappucinos (real ones!), gnocchi, älplermagronen, croissants and pasties....oh my!!

Changing of the Guard

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #165

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Sweet Swine Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are one of our favorite meals to eat.  We eat it on buns, on rice or scoop the meat up with chips.  It's your call on how you eat them! I have always made sloppy Joes with beef but this week I stepped out of the box and went with some local grown ground pork.  Then I threw in some pineapple.

I had a flashback to the first time I had ham and pineapple pizza.  I was dating my then boyfriend, now husband and he wanted ham and pineapple toppings.  Frankly, I thought he was nuts to put pineapple on his pizza but, hey, when your are in love, right?  So I tried it, it was pretty good.  It became my favorite way to eat pizza. That and spicy sausage and pepperoni is not a very good combo for dating breath!

Let's get to cooking!

Sweet Swine Sloppy Joes                                                                            Printable Recipe

1-1/2 pounds ground pork

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 Tablespoon A1 sauce

Couple drops liquid smoke (optional)

8 ounce can pineapple tidbit, drained

salt and pepper

buns

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #164

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Apple Fritters

Recipe now at..... 

http://www.inthekitchenwithjenny.com/2016/06/apple-fritters.html

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #163

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Parmesan Risotto with Bacon and Tomato

Risotto is versatile dish.  Aside from the basic base you can add almost any flavor or add-ins you like.  The down-side...sorry there is one, but it's minor.  You have to stay and stir it constantly.  The rice needs to be pushed around a little so it can release it's starchy goodness.  That is what makes this dish so super creamy.  You also don't want your rice to stick to the bottom.   I started off with bacon and finished with fresh garden tomatoes.

Parmesan Risotto with Bacon and Tomato                                    Printable Recipe

3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (Chardonnay)*
4 strips bacon, diced
Small onion, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
2-3 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
3 small Roma tomatoes (seeded and chopped)

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Pork wrapped pork...yep, had to do it!! Thanks so much for the inspiration Chef Terrie! It's super easy to put together.  It looks fancy and you'll impress your guests with a dish that looks like you slaved away. Season it with your favorite seasoning or sauce.  Bacons come in a multitude of flavors too so use your  favorite! If it still isn't enough bacon for your meal, try my Parmesan Risotto with Bacon and Tomato for a side. 

Everything's better with bacon so let's get to wrapping!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin                                                          Printable Recipe

2- pork tenderloins (size varies from 1 to 1-1/2 lbs)

8-10 slices bacon (depends on size of tenderloin and length of bacon)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Baked Chicken with Honey and Soy Sauce Glaze

For a quick, effortless meals boneless skinless chicken thighs are a great meat to use.  No bone to eat around and the meat is always juice and tender. Chicken is a very versatile, taking on any seasoning or flavor you pair it with. 

This marinade is a little sweet and little salty.  Serve it with your favorite side dish, salad or vegetable to round out the meal.

Baked Chicken with Honey and Soy Sauce Glaze                          Printable Recipe

1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (or 4 Tablespoons fauxy sauce - a homemade no-soy sub)
5 Tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger