Have I mentioned that it’s apple season here in the northeast? Of course I have . . . And apple season is off to a great start. The apples are plentiful both in the fields and in my home (we’ve done lots of picking this week!).

Can you guess what Will did after we dropped my sister off and ran a few quick errands on the way to pick up my friend? And yes, it was a good thing. He actually got a decent nap in the car, believe it or not.

I love, love, love fresh blueberry pancakes. Love them. I barely need syrup for them because I love them so much. But I still cannot seem to make them from scratch. Wish I could, and I will keep trying, but no success yet (at least not success that I would EVER eat again).

And I am so not the type of girl to buy mixes of anything. But there is a pancake mix I have fallen in love with. It’s a just add water mix (eek, I know – there must be a lot of artificial stuff in there . . . I haven’t looked) — Hungry Jack Extra Light and Fluffy. Seriously, the pancakes do come out perfect every time. They aren’t too sweet, too thick, or anything . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

• Shawn and I recently enjoyed an anniversary meal at Jim Barbarie’s in Danbury, Conn. Read about the food here.
• I have a Spice Stack in my kitchen and it’s solving a few storage problems (yay!). Read about it here.
• I’ve been trying to cut back on my fattening sweets – really I have. Read about Smart Ones desserts here.

No time for a full post this morning, but here’s a nifty little tip. If you have a FoodSaver or a similar device that seals bags while sucking all the air out of them, you can speed up your mid-week cooking.

How?

Chop ingredients like onions, carrots, peppers and potatoes or mince garlic over the weekend. Then use your FoodSaver to seal the bag. Store it in your fridge until you are ready to use it.

Think of all the prep time that will save!

This is a yummy, crispy chicken with just a hint of tangy. It’s excellent with couscous and Swiss Chard with Tomato and Feta (to see a picture of the chicken, click that link). You could also serve it over a green salad with a bit of Greek dressing.

Tangy Panko Chicken
serves 4

1/4 cup extra light olive oil
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon juice
2/3 cup panko
Salt and pepper

2 chicken breasts pounded thin or butterflied (about 1 lb)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over just below medium heat (4 on a scale of 10).

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and lemon juice. Pour into a small, shallow, flat bottomed bowl or pan.

In a small, shallow, flat bottomed bowl or pan, combine the panko with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Rinse the chicken in cold water. Then put into the egg mixture, turning to coat. Follow that by doing the same with the panko mixture.

Lay the chicken in the skillet and let cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve hot.

Here’s another local dish (significance? check out Eat Local Challenge). I took some local ingredients – Swiss chard, a tomato, an onion – and made this fabulous side dish (see above, at top right). It went perfectly with the tangy panko chicken (recipe to come) and lemon feta cous cous. Mmmmm.

A note about Swiss chard: This leafy green is high in vitamins A, C and K. Plus it’s got a healthy dose of iron and fiber too. Talk about a good-for-you veggie! Although you can get chard any time of year, it’s most fresh from July-August (and we have a bit left here in Connecticut into September). It can be a bit bitter, but it isn’t in this recipe.

Some nights, I just want something fresh and flavorful that cooks in no time. This is one of my favorite dishes for that. I don’t usually specify a pasta or a brand, but this variety is very tasty and works well with the other flavors. Plus the timing is perfect. It takes about 10 minutes to cook the pasta and that is how long it takes to prepare the ingredients. Then it takes less than 10 minutes beyond that to complete. How simple is that?

These are more local tomatoes. In fact, I know the growers, their growing methods, what they use to ward off pests, etc. It’s nice to know your food. I’ve done a ton with tomatoes this month and have a few more tricks up my sleeve. But tune in this weekend and you can see what I did with my very local chard.

Don’t forget that September is Eat Local Challenge month. My goal for the Eat Local Challenge is to preserve as much food as I can for winter. So far I have made and frozen a big batch of marinara and a tasty batch of gazpacho.

What’s next? That depends what’s at the farmers market this weekend! I also have been only eating local produce this month. That’s been easy, since everything I want is in season anyway. (And just FYI, the blueberry oatmeal cake I made and froze was with local blueberries as well – I had saved them from our blueberry picking trip.)I am hoping to go apple picking with a friend soon and there is a laundry list of things I want to make from apples just waiting to be ticked off one by one.

But now, onto the pasta.

1 bag Barilla three cheese tortellini (the smaller one)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium tomatoes (I used a red and orange one this time)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasonings
salt and pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan

On the stove, boil a medium pot of salted water. When it’s boiling, add the tortellini and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, dice the tomatoes, mince the garlic and pull out the Italian seasonings and salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and set aside. Put the pan back on the stove.

Add the olive oil to the pan and let heat for about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Let cook for 1 minute. Add the Italian seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until tomatoes break down into a juicier sauce.

Stir in the pasta and remove from the heat. Add the cheeses and stir well. Let sit one minute before serving.

Serve with a green salad and a loaf of bread.

Okay. This isn’t about food. Don’t say you weren’t warned!

Things that really, really irk me:

• - Fat, middle-aged men who park in the Stork Parking at the mall. Okay, that beer belly may look a little pregnant, but it ain’t no baby! So toddle your big ‘ol car to the back of the parking lot and leave the Stork Parking to those of us with kids (or who are pregnant).
• - Arrogant men in big SUVs who honk and flail their hands as you (and all of the other drivers in line) wait patiently for a SAFE break in traffic to merge onto the Saw Mill Parkway. I’m not sorry either. My unborn child’s safety and mine too are far more important that the minute you lose waiting. If you don’t like it, endanger yourself, not us.
• - Being told that the baby must be coming soon. Well duh. Yes, I am pregnant. Yes, I have a pregnant belly. But dammit, this baby better cook for as long as she’s supposed to! This is the only in utero time she gets and furthermore, I don’t need anyone telling me how big my belly is.
• - People who don’t say ‘excuse me’ or ‘thank you’ when they A) bump into you, B) push past you, C) walk through a door your are opening, or any other number of instances. Get some manners people!
• - If I could predict the exact day I am going to give birth, I would be a rich woman. I can’t. Sorry, not that clairvoyant!
• - Back to drivers for a second: anyone who puts on their high beams while behind another car. WOW that’s rude. If you want to go faster, pull into the fast lane. I think 5-10 miles over the speed limit is just fine.

So, what are your pet peeves?

I finished up my wealth of tomatoes on Sunday by throwing together an easy gazpacho. Would you believe that before this year, I’d never eaten (or made) gazpacho? I hadn’t. Not sure why — it just wasn’t on the agenda.

I checked out a number of recipes before writing this one. Thank goodness everyone in the blogosphere is busy with tomato cooking now (and a lot are making gazpacho too) because it gave me a good selection of recipes to learn from. I also checked out a bunch of recipes from books in my personal library. As usual, I couldn’t find one that met all of my needs so I just started from scratch.

Anyway, here’s the skinny on gazpacho: it’s really refreshing. I wish I would have made it sooner as it would have been a perfect hot-summer-night dinner on the porch. Next year! The texture is somewhat like salsa, without the bite. Definitely good. Definitely worth it. Definitely a keeper.

The best part? It’s super healthy – it’s practically all raw vegetables (and fruits, I guess) so it’s just a powerhouse of nutrients. Yay for healthiness!

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt (I used a sea salt/lavender blend from Williams-Sonoma)
4 ripe red tomatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 shakes Louisiana hot sauce
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Pour balsamic vinegar in to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, combine the sea salt and garlic. Pulse for 5-10 seconds. Add tomatoes (I did this in two batches since I use a mini food processor.). Pulse to desired consistency. Pour tomatoes into the bowl with the vinegar.

Combine the cucumber and red onion in the food processor (no need to clean between uses). Pulse to desired consistency. Pour cucumbers and red onion into the reserved bowl.

Combine the red and green pepper in the food processor. Pulse to the desired consistency. Add to the reserved bowl.

Pour Italian seasonings, olive oil, lemon juice, hot sauce and pepper into the bowl. Mix well.

Place the gazpacho in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving.

This might be cake, but this isn’t your dessert cake. This is a cake that is most appropriate for breakfast. And boy, is it yummy. Use either fresh or frozen berries, season permitting. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers.