Pork chops with goat cheese & strawberry salsa and smashed caulifower

The weather is STILL a little on the cold side, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from buying some strawberries. I am getting a little tired of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs cold weather meals and decided to make something a little different and experiment with something that would be great for summer. I found a recipe for pork chops with balsamic glaze and strawberry salsa and knew it was exactly what I was looking for. I promise you can make this. I already had the balsamic glaze on hand (thank you Trader Joe's) and some delish goat cheese (remember the romesco from Monday night?) as well as Greek yogurt that would be perfect for the cauliflower so this was another pretty easy recipe. It took me 45 minutes from start to finish.

Chicken with Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Romesco Sauce

Chicken. It's what for dinner at our house quite often. One thing I love about chicken is that it's so versatile and can be prepared so many different ways but I often struggle for new things to do with it because I get stuck on the old favorites.

We had a friend coming for dinner and I had to scramble to come up with something that wasn't uber boring and I saw we had some great ingredients in the fridge: organic chicken breasts, red pepper, herbed goat cheese, garlic, green onions. I foggily remembered a romesco sauce I had made in college and decided it was the perfect way to spice up some boring chicken. I omitted the nuts so I don't know if it's a traditional romesco but who cares, it was pretty freakin' great. Everyone cleaned their plates which I can't always say when I cook the usual chicken dish. I served it with plump, cheesy twice baked potatoes and a simple arugula salad. Easy, inexpensive, and ridiculously flavorful.

Healthy Turkey Chili with Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

I don't know what's going on with Mother Nature lately but it has been COLD in Charleston. Aside from bundling up under the covers and never wanting to come out, cold weather makes me crave warm hearty soups. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to take ingredients I had leftover from other recipes and what I had in my pantry to make some turkey chili. Frank actually said this was the best soup I had ever made and I'm pretty proud of that accolade. I made this with no recipe and didn't measure any of the ingredients, but tried to write out the recipe as best I could for anyone that wants to recreate it. One thing I wanted you guys to notice is that I made a week's worth of healthy, delicious meals using virtually the same core ingredients aside from the proteins. I reused cilantro, tomatillo, ginger, cumin, green and yellow onions, garlic, and peppers in pretty much every recipe yet each meal was very different. This is so easy to do if you plan ahead and figure out ways to cross your recipes so you aren't buying tons and tons of ingredients. The ground turkey I used in this soup makes it healthy and the spices and fresh herbs really added depth of flavor, as well as the fact that I let it cook in the crockpot all afternoon. Definitely one to try before the weather gets too warm.

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Ginger Soy Tilapia

I discovered this recipe on Pinterest (where most of my recipes are derived) and I really cannot put into words how amazingly flavorful this fish is, you should really just make it to see for yourself. I recently bought frozen tilapia when it was on sale buy one get one free and had a boatload of cilantro left over from the Chicken Enchiladas I had made earlier in the week and figured this was a perfect way to use it.

Let me tell you, after I made this dish, Frank was raving about it. Frank does not like tilapia. So you have to trust me when I say it's awesome. This recipe was my first foray into using fresh ginger and it really enhances the flavor. And did you know you can freeze ginger because for real, who is going to use that whole crazy looking branch of it? I learned that from Pinterest too. ;) Please make this immediately and let me know how it turns out. I served it with cous cous and steamed broccoli and I think it's the perfect healthy weeknight meal. And the fact that it only takes about 25 minutes from start to finish isn't bad either.

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Brinkley's Enchiladas

Rarely when I ask Frank what he wants for dinner does he actually request something, so when he specifically asked for Enchiladas, I was pumped to make them. I have tried several Enchilada recipes over the years and have taken elements from 3 different recipes to make these my own and they are SO easy and SO good. I dip the tortillas in enchilada sauce before putting them in the pan, use Muenster cheese which makes them really ooey gooey, and make a homemade guac sauce to pour over top. YUM. I like to serve them with cool, plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and whatever salsa or fresh tomatoes I have on hand.

I'd also like to take a moment to make a note about food photography. It's hard. Especially when you are cooking most of your meals at 7pm in a weirdly-lit kitchen (think spotlights) and have absolutely no photography experience. None. I have been doing some reading and research since I took these pics for my first few posts and have been learning a TON about food styling, lighting, editing, and all of the functions on my camera and what they need to be set at to take a decent pic. I am learning and appreciate your patience. :)

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VENISON RAGU OVER WHOLE WHEAT GNOCCHI

We have so much venison in our freezer that I have had to come up with some pretty creative ways to cook it. For those that do not have this problem, don't worry, this recipe would work just as well with beef tenderloin or similar game.

I decided to use whole wheat gnocchi (straight out of the package because please, who with a full-time job really has time to make homemade gnocchi) would be the perfect thing to pair with the venison. I started grabbing anything from the fridge and freezer that needed to be eaten and ended up sauteeing some mushrooms, pearl onions, and bok choy. Sounds a little bizarre I know, but it turned out delicious so I wanted to share the recipe with you all. Cabbage was on sale so I served it with a side of roasted cabbage that I drizzled with fig balsamic.

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ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

Welcome to my new blog! The saying is, the third time's a charm, right? Well this is my third attempt at creating a blog that's a true expression of myself. I feel like I am finally coming into my own and have had a blast these past few months brainstorming ideas for the blog and beginning new projects. I started a new adventure volunteering at the amazing equine therapy organization Rein and Shine. It was there that I not only met old, faithful school ponies and horses, inspiring students with special needs, but a large, snorting, quirky, female pig named Lucy. I had never really been around pigs but I instantly formed a bond with Lucy and looked forward to rubbing her belly each Saturday. So began my obsession with pigs. I begged for a pet pig for Christmas but knew it would never happen. And so I decided to name my blog "The Picky Pig." 

Lucy, the coolest pig I know

Lately I have been really inspired by and feeding off of great patterns and discovering what I like in terms of home decor. I am always thinking about recipes and hope to be a source of inspiration and ideas for many of you. One of my favorite go-to recipes is one for tomato soup that I have made several times (courtesy of The Neely's) and added a few extras to make it my own. It was the perfect dinner for a rainy weekend but is extremely versatile and I think you all will enjoy it too. Don't let the fact that you have to roast the tomatoes in the oven for an hour turn you off, it is quite simple to make. Take a look and feel free to share and check back often for decorating, DIY, and cooking ideas, courtesy of me. 

Recipe:
Roasted Tomato Soup