July 13, 2016

Chicken Pita with Avocado Tzatziki

laura.smoak@gmail.com Chicken, Dips, Quick and Easy Mains, Sauce 1 Comment

Warning: this post is picture heavy with yummy chicken pita and family time – I just couldn’t help myself! You can scroll through for the recipe, but then you’ll miss all of the mouthwatering goodness.

Happy hump day, friends! Did you miss me? I’m back after a week off because #vacation. I know I only took one week off from posting, but man it feels like it’s been ages. Last week my little family went with Andy’s parents, aunt, uncle and cousin and took a trip far into the NC mountains where we kayaked, tubed, rode a train and just generally relaxed for several days, and it was incredible. Since starting MFTS it was the first time I let myself go completely offline and not worry about anything blog related. I wish I had tons of pics to share with you, but they’re basically all of AR playing in the creek behind our house. Okay okay, here’s some of that, and our family train ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad (sorry it’s blurry – thanks a lot, train).

After a few days, though, it was back to reality. And back to our current obsession, which made up our 4 meals pre-mountain trip and now 4 meals post-mountain trip. Ask me if I’m mad about it and the answer is a resounding as if, you guys. As. If. I present to you Chicken Pita with Avocado Tzatziki.

*Let me first state that I make no claims to this being an authentic tzatziki recipe. I’ve tried making traditional tzatziki and haven’t gotten it quite right yet, but this is my blog and I get to call it what I want amiright? Call it magic sauce for all I care. That may actually be a better name for it given how easy, healthy and absolutely delicious it is. Srsly, you’ll want it on errrythang once you’ve made it.

What we have here is the easiest, freshest, green on green on green meal you can have ready and on the table in less than 30 minutes. Let’s break down my chicken pita with avocado tzatziki…

First you have the pita. Flatbreads or pockets work, but we generally prefer the flatbread. Andy likes to spiff ‘em up a little by warming them in a pan with a teensy drizzle of olive oil and salt <– this step is 100% optional, but you should definitely warm your pita a little before loading it up!

Then you have the magic sauce avocado tzatziki. This sauce was the inspiration for the entire dish. See, every week we buy a bag of avocados from Costco. We share one for breakfast most mornings, but we generally still have 1-2 leftover later in the week. I thought it would be good to mix with Greek yogurt, and then I decided to see how it would be with some grated cucumber.

Y’all.

I can’t.

It was SO good I had to stop myself from eating it with a spoon. The key here is the grated cucumber. I use my microplane, but a box grater would work too – just make sure to grate it directly over the bowl. I’m showing you a picture of the before mix so you can see what you’re going for with the cucumber. You’ll think there’s a lot of juice, but you want it. Embrace the magic, green, glow-giving juice.

Next you have the Greek chicken. Simply cube up chicken breast, season and cook in a skillet. Dunzo bunzo. If you have an awesome meat counter like I do then you can ask your meat guy if he’ll cube the chicken for you. I’ll have them do this if I’m at the store when it’s not really busy. If you do this you’ll save a good 5-10 minutes on the total prep time. I use this Greek seasoning that I bought at my local grocery store, but it’s also available on Amazon and (hey look!!) it’s Prime eligible. You can make your own mix, but if you’re busy like me then the seasoning mix is the way to go.

Finally, top it all off with a little extra diced cucumber and dill. Annnd we’re done! Dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes.

I could end there, but it would be cruel of me to not talk about the leftover situation here. Of course, you can use the leftovers to make the same dish with pita included. Orrrrr, you can pack up the chicken, leftover sauce, veggies and lettuce and have a super delicious/healthy dinner at the pool/beach/park/dock/whatever. No greasy pool bar food for this family (though, we may have ordered cheese sticks, but whatevs).

One last close up of this little greeny to show off her good looks. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
1 tbsp Greek seasoning
1 ripe avocado
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber (1/3 for grating, then small dice as much as you want for topping)
Splash lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
6 pita (flatbread or pockets)
Optional: chopped dill

Directions:

Dice the chicken breast, then stir in the Greek seasoning making sure all pieces are evenly coated.
Let the chicken sit in the seasoning while you prepare the avocado tzatziki.
Make the avocado tzatziki: mash the avocado in a bowl, and combine with the yogurt. Grate about 1/3 of the cucumber into the mixture, add lemon juice and salt and stir until well combined.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Season the chicken with the Greek seasoning and sauté until done.
Assemble: smear the avocado tzatziki over the pita, top with chicken, extra cucumber and dill.

June 8, 2016

Basic Stromboli

laura.smoak@gmail.com Quick and Easy Mains 3 Comments

We’re going in a new direction on the blog today. A cheesy, meaty, saucy, doughy direction, and I’m loving it.

I’m calling this “basic” stromboli for several reasons:

It’s the standard ham, pepperoni and mozzarella combo you’d order at a pizza place
It’s the jumping off point for dozens of other strombolis made with whatever toppings you like
It is so BASIC and easy that I almost feel silly sharing it and calling myself a food blogger
It is so BASIC and easy that it is my duty as a food blogger to share it with you
Points 3 & 4 –> glimpse of how my mind works

Guys, this stromboli is probably the easiest weeknight meal we’ve ever had, and that includes take-out. You only need five minutes of prep – count that 1.2.3.4.5 – and then you have a delicious dinner in the oven, ready in 15-20 minutes. It’s kind of like pizza, but in a form that is way more fun to eat (i.e., it’s dunkable). If nothing else the Peascoes are sauce lovers. Marinara, ranch, red pepper sauce. You name it and we’ll probably want to try it. Stromboli is the perfect vessel for all of your dunking needs.

In addition to being a great weeknight meal, this is also a great picky eater kid friendly meal. Remember my favorite little 4-year-old, Abigail? Girlfriend doesn’t like much, but of this stromboli she said, “this is the best thing I’ve ever had.” BOOM. Abigail approved, so just trust that means it literally is one of the best things you’ll ever have.

Let’s look at the cast of characters: pizza dough, pizza sauce, deli ham, pepperoni and mozzarella. I recently found this brand of pizza dough at Harris Teeter, and I can’t go back to the more well-known, blue tube brand (find it in the same refrigerator as the tubes of biscuits and other dough). Any rectangular dough will work, but if you have access to it, I highly recommend. It’s the perfect rectangle, and it even comes with its own parchment paper, so literally no clean-up afterwards. The sauce can be whatever brand you like, as well as the mozzarella. For the ham, I just use a cheap-o brand from the grocery store. Feel free to get it from the deli, but I’ve found that it really doesn’t make a difference. Then there’s the pepperoni. You can absolutely use regular pepperoni, but these minis are just so darn cute.

There you have it. My most basic of the basics stromboli. We’ve also made these with sausage and mushrooms, and that was equally delicious. These are so fun and easy, you can make any combination you want and it will be delicious. Let me know what other combinations you come up with!

Ingredients:

1 roll rectangular pizza dough
¼ cup pizza sauce
6-8 slices thin sliced black forest ham
½ cup mini pepperonis
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ tbsp butter – melted (optional)
Garlic powder (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven according to your pizza dough instructions. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (unless using dough that comes with parchment). Roll out dough.
Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving about 1-2 inches along the top length.
Cover the sauce with a single layer of ham, followed by the mini pepperoni and shredded mozzarella.
Fold up the bottom third of the dough over the middle. Bring the top half down and seal it together. Seal the ends so the sauce and cheese doesn’t ooze out while cooking.
Cut 3-4 slits in the top to let the air escape while cooking.
Optional: if you’re feeling fan-say, melt a half tablespoon of butter and brush over the top. Follow that with a light sprinkle of garlic powder and salt.
Bake according to your pizza dough instructions. The top should be golden brown and juices bubbling out of the slits.
Cut into eight pieces and enjoy!

Notes: we like to dip ours in marinara sauce or ranch – YUM!

January 13, 2016

5 Ingredient Lemon Basil Spaghetti

laura.smoak@gmail.com Pasta, Quick and Easy Mains 15 Comments

As promised, I’m coming at you today with my first recipe for Miss Foodie Two Shoes! I’ve been going back and forth (and back and forth) for quite some time trying to decide what I should post first. To be honest, we make so many different things, and our favorites change all the time, so instead of coming with a “signature” dish, I’m sharing a staple we come back to time and time again. This dish is great for company, and it’s what I make to take to friends with new babies almost 99% of the time – and if you’ve received a meal from either my mom or sister, then this is probably what you got. It comes together so quickly. Like, literally, the sauce is done before the pasta water even comes to a boil, so then you find yourself annoyed that you have to actually wait for the pasta to cook and have to restrain yourself from eating the sauce with a spoon…No? Just me? I introduce to you 5 Ingredient Lemon Basil Spaghetti. First though – three major things I learned while creating this first recipe post:

I cannot do natural light photos in the afternoon at my house. I simply have to shoot on the weekends so I can use the light we get earlier in the day.
I’m really excited to learn how to use a natural light simulator for those times when natural-natural light isn’t an option.
I need (a LOT) more practice, and I hope to revisit this post in the future once I’ve improved my skills.

This picture doesn’t do it justice, so you’ll just have to trust me. You guys, this stuff is so easy to put together and it is SO good. It makes a ton, so I like to make it for dinner at the beginning of the week and eat on it for lunches and at least one more dinner. <—- That last part isn’t true. I always have full intentions of having it for another dinner, but I end up taking a few bites here and there until there’s definitely not enough for a meal, so it just makes sense to finish it as a snack. I need help. Seriously, though, this is one of those dishes that I eat straight out of the container with the fridge door open. It’s one of the few things that I can’t decide whether I like better hot or cold…and if you know me, you know I’m allllll about hot food.

You’re only working with five ingredients here (not including salt and pepper), so they have to be good. The key here is the tube of basil. I use the Gourmet Garden brand, and it is equal to three bunches of basil. I’m sure you could do this with fresh basil, but it would just take longer to prepare. Also important here is the lemon zest and juice. In a pinch you can use lemon juice from a bottle, but the zest plays a huge part in giving this that freshy fresh flavor we’re going for. Am I even allowed to say things like “freshy fresh” in my FIRST recipe post? I’m so annoyed at myself right now. Moving on…As with pretty much any pasta dish, you can use gluten free or whole grain pasta, or even any other shape, but y’all this really is best with plain white thin spaghetti noodles. Sorry, not sorry. We generally have this with grilled or panko breaded chicken breasts, but shrimp is also a really good addition to make it a main dish. This week I marinated three chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and dried basil and baked them in the oven. I’m making that stretch for this meal, two lunches and chicken phillies for dinner later in the week. So here we go – yay, first recipe! I’ll stop now, so you can go make this. Once you have that first freshy fresh bite, you won’t be able to stop – you’ve been warned…

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb thin spaghetti
1 tube chopped basil (I use Gourmet Garden)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 lemons (zest and juice)
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
While spaghetti cooks, zest and juice the lemons into a medium bowl. Add the basil.
Whisk in the olive oil to emulsify the ingredients together.
Stir in the shredded parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain spaghetti noodles, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid, and toss with the lemon basil mixture. I generally add about ¼ cup of the reserved water, but add as little or as much as you want for your desired consistency.
Serve hot or cold! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.