Tuesday Night Supper Club--Frittata

Today we have a guest host for TNSC.  Rose and I met at culinary school.  Given the chance she will tell you I was over prepared (she says I had way too many tools!) and I was focused (her side of the story is that I ignored her and had no idea she had been standing next to me all day). She may be partially right..but in my defense....
never mind..it's not about me....
Rose and I became fast friends and found a common bond at the stove. Although more than a decade my junior, I am continually inspired by her and her many talents.  She is a good friend and a great cook...

here she is:

Hi. My name is Rose and I am a busy mom of 2 boys; 3 if you count my husband.
Christy and I met in culinary school.  All though we have very different lives, one thing we have in common is our love for food, craftiness, and laughter.
I volunteered to guest host the "t-n-s-c", and I hope you all enjoy this recipe and be creative with it in your own kitchen. This is something I make about once every two weeks. It's super easy, kid friendly, and the possibilities are endless on what to throw in.

Fritatta with Ham and Caramelized Onions

Here is what I used

1 medium brown onion

olive oil

2 tsp sugar

7 eggs

3/4 c grated cheese- I used smoked fontina

3 Tb 1/2 & 1/2 (milk, or cream works too)

1/2 c red & yellow bell peppers, diced

1/2 c steamed broccoli florets

ham steak- cubed

fresh parsley

2 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

To make it easiest- you need a non-stick pan that is oven safe with a lid. I used a 10" sauté pan with straight sides.

Heat about 1 Tb of olive oil over medium-high heat. Slice up the onion, and toss in the pan- coating well with olive oil. After about a minute, sprinkle sugar over the onions, stir well, and turn heat to low. Let cook for 28 minutes, or until they are nice and caramelized. Remove from pan (don't wash it yet!), and set aside. (I usually can't help but eat 1/2 the bowl-it's like candy)

Preheat oven to 400. In medium bowl, scramble together the eggs and 1/2 & 1/2 until light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in minced parsley and most of the cheese, reserving some for the top. In the same pan used for the onions, heat a little bit of olive oil over medium-high heat, and throw in the ham, veggies and garlic. Let sauté for 4 minutes. Sprinkle in caramelized onions, then pour in egg mixture. Gently stir around until it starts to resemble very, very runny scrambled eggs. Shake the pan to level out the eggs, put on lid, and place in the oven. After 11 minutes, remove lid and sprinkle rest of cheese on top, and cook until cheese is fully melted. Remove from oven, and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Or you can turn it out onto a pretty platter if you serve this to company.

What do you think G?

The great thing about fritattas is the versatility- it's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Go mexican with chorizo, scallions, green chiles, cheddar, and cilantro with avocado and salsa verde on top. Or veggies galore- bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, parsley and a smoky gouda. Or Italian with Pancetta, asiago, spinach and Italian parsley with some fresh grape tomatoes on top. I hope that some of you play around with the ingredients. And please let us know if you do!

Thanks Christy for letting me host!

picnic on parade

on the eve of 2009

we are lucky enough to live on the rose parade route

so every new year's eve

gathering begins

people begin to gather on the streets

setting up camp

lighting fires

preparing for a sleepless night

and

lots of childish fun

and then once dark falls

the floats begin to arrive

people bustling about

readying those famous floats

testing out the mechanics

and

adding the final touches of flourish

all this happens

on our doorstep

and there is no sleep to be had

no fighting the crowds

so what we do

is enjoy the heck out of it

but

i have found that

new year's day comes rather quickly

and i am usually in need of food and coffee

as i rush out the door

as the live action of the floats, bands, horses and cheer of the crowd

begins

so

i pack a breakfast

easy and ready in an instant

in as long as it takes for me to brew a pot of coffee

i have a well balanced meal

that i greedily eat

while others watch in envy

Breakfast Picnic

everything needs to be made in advance 1 or 2 days ahead of time and put together before you head out the door

Frittata Sandwich
(printable recipe)

1/2 potato or leftover baked potato--sliced

a few thin slices of onion

olive oil

handful of grated cheese

4 eggs

pinch basil

Tbs milk

salt and pepper

baguette or hard roll

up to 2 days before serving.  Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and grated cheese.  Take a small (5 or 6") skillet and add a glug of olive oil. Keep on low and cook potatoes and onion until soft and beginning to brown.  pour in the eggs and cook on low until it is cooked through. it is meant to look like a round omelet.  I pop mine into a 350 oven to finish cooking, so i can move on to other things

remove from pan, put on a plate and pop in fridge until you need it.

when ready to make the sandwich, toast a baguette, place a wedge of frittata on top and wrap. You can add more cheese or some bacon if you are so inclined. You can also add any of that to the frittata while you are cooking it.

Rich and Creamy Yogurt

2 cups non-fat plain yogurt

cheesecloth

strainer

bowl

vanilla

honey

apples for dipping

line the strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl.  Pour in yogurt, tie up the cheeescloth with a bit of twine and place the whole contraption in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.  This will drain most of the moisture from the yogurt..making it thick like that expensive yogurt, but a lot cheaper.  Add vanilla and honey to taste...or eat it plain with berries on top. I also use this like cream cheese. It is amazingly rich and delicious!

Coffee Cake

recipe in a previous post

you can also make some Cocoa

from this post

just heat some milk in the microwave

stir and enjoy

Put it all in a fun container, a lunch pail, or a paper sack

and enjoy the parade

your stomach will thank you