Egg Food Yong

Do you ever feel like you have a personal style of food that you gravitate to? Just like I'm drawn to certain colors, or clothes on a rack, I feel like there are recipes that I'm more likely to pick. And while it's nice to have a good artillery of regulars that you can always fall back on, it's also nice to break out of your "food box."

That's what I decided to do when I found this recipe on Cathy's website Wives with Knives. I was never a big fan of Egg Foo Yong growing up, but I remember my mom always ordering it when we went out. It turns out that Egg Foo Yong is insanely delicious, especially when you make it the way Cathy does. Since I made this while doing the LiveFit trainer, I swapped half of the eggs for egg whites only, but it was still so tasty, and packed with protein. Definitely make the mushroom gravy too, it's delicious on the Egg Foo Yong as well as the rice you should serve with it. :)


Check out the original recipe here, and don't be afraid to try something new, you might discover a whole new world of food.

What I'm reading...

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but to be honest, I haven't read anything that was especially noteworthy in a while. However, I thought I'd tap into the world of HS literature and pick up To Kill A Mockingbird from the library. I know most people read this one as teenagers, but either I totally missed that one, or was way too mentally checked out to realize it (would not be surprised). Turns out, this just might make it to my top ten list alongside such favorites as The Help, Cutting For Stone, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

I really don't want to give anything away, but there is the most beautiful segment when Atticus is teaching his son Jem about doing the right thing, even when it's difficult, by making him read to his mean old neighbor lady, who, unbeknownst to Jem, was dying of a morphine addiction withdrawal...

"...She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew..."

SO touching. If you've never read this book, you MUST pick it up. And if you have, read it again :)

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

You may notice a trend here at A Blog About Food. Most posts will be clean and healthy, since that it how we strive to eat in our home. And then every once and a while I post a not so healthy recipe like this when I hit a "healthy brick wall" and lose my freaking mind.

I've been asked a few times what I miss the most since eating healthier. While it seems natural to say things like "chocolate, cake or french fries," what I have missed more than all of those things is CHEESE. Cheddar, Mozzarella, Havarti, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Brie, to name only a few. I am a total cheese head and I LOVES my cheese.

So, during Christmas, whilst I was on my brief healthy eating hiatus (I refuse to use the word diet, it's a lifestyle, right?) I made these potatoes. We had a ton of ham leftover and this was the perfect thing.

The tangy and delicious flavor is actually inspired by my blog buddy Kim at Stirring the Pot. She talks often about her love for mustard, and has even featured an amazing Dragon Ale mustard cheese from Whole Foods, which I now purchase every Christmas. While I was making the potatoes I felt the sauce was a bit bland and definitely needed a kick. In goes the rest of that creamy Dragon Ale cheese, along with a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard and we were all in cheesy, hammy (it's a word), heaven. Thanks Kim, your love for mustard saved our meal!



Ham and Potatoes
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2005 (see, it's Cooking Light, not too bad, right?)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion (about 5 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
6 ounces extra shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups), divided (or Dragon Ale mustard cheese if you have it)
1-2 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard, to taste
6 ounces diced ham (about 1 1/4 cups)
3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350�.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saut� 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add 4 ounces cheese, mustard and ham, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in potatoes.

Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350� for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

What I'm Reading

Technically I'm not reading this, I read it a few months ago, but even if I'd read it a few years ago, I'd be completely remiss not to share it with as many people as possible. It's easily one of the best books I've ever read.

Usually after a read a book, I smile, close the book, and start thinking about my next one right away. This was one of those books that I closed and then sat on the couch for about fifteen minutes absorbing the amazingness that was this book. I then had to get online and find any extra info, photos or interviews that I could.

Whether you are a WWII buff or not, read this book. It follows the life of Louis Zamperini from childhood, into the war, and then his life after the war. It is gripping, intense, inspiring and so touching. His experience as a bombardier, fighting on the Pacific side are just incredible. I also loved learning more about what happened in Japan during the war, where most of my WWII books are centered around the Holocaust.

Read it, and then let me know so we can cyber-highfive about how great this book is.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

To quote Barney from How I Met Your Mother (a show as addicting as buttery popcorn) "haaaaaave you met spaghetti squash?"

Well, sadly, for 30 years I've been living completely unaware of this fantastic gourd. Luckily, thanks to the dedicated pinners of the world, I found a delicious, slurpy canvas just waiting to be dressed up however I see fit.


This time around I took a classic route, covering it in rich marinara and tender turkey meatballs. I liked it, my husband liked it, the kids...well, kids are kids. BUT, I can guarantee that the spaghetti squash will be making repeat appearances at our home. There are so many fun ways to prepare it, I can't wait to try more.





Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Squash
2 spaghetti squashes (about 2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground turkey
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. To prepare the spaghetti, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle cut sides of squashes with oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut sides up on a baking sheet. Bake until soft to the touch, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

2. To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

3. Prepare the meatballs. In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the milk, and stir until incorporated. Add the turkey, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the meatballs until evenly browned, turning often, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Transfer meatballs to the sauce, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

5. When the squashes are cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of each squash with a fork into strands, and place into a large bowl. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce, and sprinkled with cheese, if desired.

What I've Been Reading

Any book worms out there? I happen to be an absolute book fanatic. In fact if food and books were to compete for my love, I fear that food might take a close (CLOSE) second, gasp! I feel like a traitor for having even uttered that phrase.

Since this is the case, I thought I would start including a small book review at the end of my posts. So, if the food hasn't been striking your fancy, I hope you at least come for the books.



The Paris Wife by Paula McLain has been my most recent read. I was lucky enough to score it at the library without reserving it. I had been hearing rave reviews for quite a few months now and couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

The Paris Wife is about Hadley Richardson, the wife of Ernest Hemingway, and their years together. It was SO interesting because up until this point I honestly knew nothing about Ernest Hemingway, except that he wrote Old Man and The Sea. I assumed he was a country dude living in Montana, I could not have been more wrong. His life was actually very intriguing, bohemian and tragic, and Hadley's experience with him is nothing short of fascinating. I never want to give too much away, but I do highly recommend it.

And if you are on goodreads.com, for goodness sakes, friend me! You can find me under Teresa Green. Otherwise leave a comment and tell me what you're reading right now. I LOVE hearing about books!