Better Brunch

I love frittatas.  I normally server them for dinner since I am not usually hosting brunches on a regular basis.  But I think this is the perfect brunch dish served with something else sweet like a breakfast muffin or a fruit salad. I love brunch.  I went to brunch on Mother's Day and it was so much fun.  They didn't serve a frittata.  It was yummy anyway.  Maybe I just like to drink champagne in the early afternoon.  Either way, brunch is my idea of a good time. 

Mushroom Frittata
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2013

 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces finely grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients; add 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk.



Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 6 minutes or until mushrooms brown and most of liquid evaporates.



Stir in onions; sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.



Add egg mixture and basil to pan,



 stirring gently to evenly distribute vegetable mixture;



cook 5 minutes or until eggs are partially set. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until eggs are cooked through and top is lightly browned. Remove pan from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Run a spatula around edge and under frittata to loosen from pan; cut fritatta into slices while still in pan.

3. Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, arugula, and lemon juice. Top the fritatta with arugula mixture and serve.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Foods I Fancy

I tend to get on food kicks.  My latest obsession is raw oysters.  Forrest and I went on a date to a local oyster bar for my birthday earlier in the year and it was fabulous.  The oysters were perfection and I loved dining right up at the bar and talking with the "Shuckers".  Well I can't stop eating raw oysters since then, I have probably been back 6 times with anyone I can convince to tag along.  Six revisits is a lot considering my birthday was only three weeks ago and I have a two year old which makes family visits near impossible.

These little food crushes aren't new.  I can remember a time in college where I became infatuated with eating seafood gumbo and I had it for every meal for several weeks.  When I like something, I REALLY like it when it comes to food.  My Mom describes it as extreme, and she tends to believe it applies to other parts of my personality as well - but that is irrelevant (maybe).

This recipe came at a time when I was enamored with the idea of a poached or fried egg on everything.  I just can't get enough of the rich runny yolk and the flavor element it adds to a dish.  This meal was awesome and I loved the addition of the andouille sausage to the grits, oh so Southern!

Pigs in Poke
Adapted from Cooking Light November 2012

 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 ounce andouille sausage, diced and skin removed
• 3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked stone-ground grits
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/3 cup of shredded Gouda cheese
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

 

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Stir in 3 cups milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Add grits; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes



or until tender, stirring frequently.



Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cheese.




2. Bring 8 cups water and vinegar to a simmer in a large saucepan.   Crack each egg into a small bowl. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to spin the water into a little cyclone-like formation. Gently slide eggs into water;



cook 3 minutes or until whites are just set and the egg floats to the surface.



Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

3. Divide grits evenly among 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 poached egg; sprinkle eggs evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and parsley.



 Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe.

Making Morning Muffins

Rex had gotten into the habit of eating Little Debbie Mini Blueberry Muffins for breakfast several days a week.  And since Rex doesn't have any source of income, a checking account, and can't drive to the grocery I had to admit that I was solely responsible for this new habit.   I liked the ease of availability of the muffins and the portability, but figured there had to be a healthier option available to my little tot.  So after a quick Internet search I settled on this recipe.  I let Rex help prepare them figuring that would up the excitement factor and after they were cooled I packaged them off by threes in snack-sized Ziplocs.  I felt much better about these as a component of his morning breakfast than the prior alternative.

Banana Apple Mini Muffins
Recipe from Weelicious

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup  honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 medium apple, peeled and grated

 

Preparation

Visit Weelicious's Site at the link below for the preparation steps: http://weelicious.com/2010/06/17/apple-banana-muffins/

Click Here for a Printable Recipe

Quite the Quiche !

I just finished telling you in my last post about how I have to have some type of protein in my meals to feel satisfied and here I am following up with another meatless dish.  I love quiche, and so does my husband (don't tell anyone, I think that does something to your manly status).  I have made tons of quiches in the past.  Most of them were packed with meat and Forrest admitted to being partial to those, but he said the caramelized onions in this dish were the star.  I served this for dinner, one big slice along side a piece of grilled andouille.  The presence of the zucchini made this seem like more of a lunch/dinner meal rather than breakfast, but I don't see why it couldn't be served at any time of day.  There are two tips for making this recipe much easier than it seems: caramelize your onions the day before you plan to make the quiche, and use a mandoline to get perfectly uniform and extra thin zucchini slices (I just use a cheap handheld one, nothing fancy).

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche

Adapted from Cooking Light August 2012

 

 Ingredients

• 1/2 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices zucchini
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Basic Caramelized Onions
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper/cayenne 
• 3 large eggs
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

 

Preparation

1. Caramelize Onions.  Vertically Slice 3 large onions and saute in a pan with 1Tbs of olive oil, 1/2 Tbs of butter and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Cook for 1 hour on low heat until the onions are dark brown and caramelized; stirring frequently.



I did this the night before to cut down on the preparation time for the quiche.  3 large onions will cook down to amount to about 1/2 cup of caramelized onions.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit dough into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold edges under; flute (as you can tell from my pictures, I am not a good "fluter" - in fact, I am a terrible "fluter"!).



Line dough with foil; arrange pie weights or dried beans on foil.



Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove weights and foil; bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl. Add zucchini and garlic; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly.



6. Arrange Basic Caramelized Onions over bottom of crust;



top with zucchini mixture.



Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, milk, flour, pepper (black and red), eggs, and cheese in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.



Pour milk mixture over zucchini mixture.



 Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Say that as fast as you can 3 times!

We made a quick weekend trip to one of our favorite sandwich shops in the city, Cochon Butcher to pick up some of their famous Sweet Potato Habanero Hot Sauce for my in-laws.  I have never successfully ventured into "The Butcher" and purchased only the intended items.  I love their meat counter and I always have to indulge in a few of their awesome choices even if I have no planned purpose for them.  During this visit I left with the two bottles of hot sauce I went there to buy, some fresh boudin and two thick slabs of their amazing pancetta.  I had a ton of ideas for incorporating the pancetta into our dinner that night, but most of them involved another trip to the grocery.  I wanted to try to use existing ingredients and this spin on "breakfast for dinner" was the perfect option.  The pancetta was perfectly seasoned and made the best salty, crispy addition to the creamy, cheesy grits!

White Cheddar Pancetta Grits

Ingredients:

• ¼ pound pancetta, diced
• 5 packets of instant grits
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• ½ cup of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
• ½  teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Fresh parsley
  

Directions:

1. Fry pancetta in a small skillet that has been coated with cooking spray. 



Once pancetta is crisp, remove from skillet using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
2.  Empty the contents of 5 packets of instant grits into a microwave safe skillet.  Add milk to the grits and stir to incorporate. 



Whisk in salt, pepper and cayenne.  

3.  Microwave grits on high for 3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and whisk in butter.  



Microwave for another 1 minutes.

4.  Remove grits from microwave and stir in cheese until melted.



5.  Spoon grits into bowl and top with 2 tablespoons of pancetta and fresh parsley.



Click Here for My Printable Recipe

Magazine Moxie

I rarely fall into the trap of buying magazines at the checkout counter. I subscribe to the ones I know that I love and can trust to deliver solid recipes on a monthly basis. It is such a better deal if you are a subscriber, multiply the newstand price times 12 just one time and you will never purchase at the checkout again! But this week I broke my own rule. I was at Micheal's purchasing supplies for Rex's Easter treats for his classmates and I saw this recipe on the cover of this month's Food Network Magazine. I knew I could probably look the recipe up online, but it was just too pretty to wait that long for gratification. I had to have that pretty picture in my possession so I could read the recipe as soon as I got back into the car. So I threw it on top of my goods and purchased it. And I have no regrets - not only is this recipe aesthetically pleasing, but it is unique and oh so delicious!

Pancetta & Egg Tart
Adapted from the Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17-to-18-ounce package), thawed
• 2 thick slices of pancetta, diced (substitute bacon if desired)
  
• 1 1/2 cups shredded havarti cheese
• 4 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
• 4 large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chopped fresh chives, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square, then cut into 4 equal squares. Slightly fold and pinch the edges of each square to form 4 round tart shells. Press down on the folded over dough to prevent the dough from rising out of shape. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and prick all over with a fork.

Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer to paper towels to drain, then crumble.

Let the tart shells cool slightly on the baking sheets. If the centers are very puffy, prick with a fork to deflate. Sprinkle evenly with the havarti and parmesan. Make a shallow well in the cheese in the center of each tart

and crack an egg into each;

season with salt and pepper. Top with the pancetta,

then return to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set, 10 to 15 minutes (12 minutes if you want a runny yolk). Top with chives.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Bogus Beignets

I made this recipe a REALLY long time ago - like over six months long time ago. These pretty pictures have been sitting in my "To Blog" folder for quite a while staring me in the face every time I open it up. I just couldn't bring myself to blog it, I don't even know why I made it in the first place. If I remember correctly, I think it was a desire to rid myself of some soon to expire ricotta. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that this tart/sweet treat isn't insanely delicious or even that it was hard to make. In fact, it was a simple recipe with only a few ingredients that turned out to be extremely delectable.

My hang up was that the recipe is named after one of my all-time favorite New Orleans desserts that has no rival or substitutes. A dessert so amazing, so unique and so identifying in its own right that it should never have to share its name. Blame it on my upbringing in this amazing food city, call me biased, argue its validity - but in my mind nothing should be labeled as a beignet unless it looks like this:

Now, to the untrained eye these two may look similar. But trust me, they aren't - not even in the slightest. One is round and the right one is square. One is bite-sized and the right one is at least a 6-biter. One is lightly dusted with powdered sugar and the right one is covered massively. I could go on and on. Instead, I will leave you with this suggestion - if you are craving beignets then come to New Orleans and if you are wanting to make a tasty at home "doughnut-hole-type" concoction then follow my recipe below!

Lemon Ricotta "Beignets"
Adapted from All You October 2010

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• Confectioners' sugar

Preparation

1. Heat 2 inches vegetable oil in a large deep cast iron pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350ºF on a candy thermometer. (As oil is heating, watch thermometer carefully and adjust heat to keep oil from getting too hot.) Line a large plate with paper towels.
2. In a large bowl, stir together egg, sugar, ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla, flour and salt until smooth.
3. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter into hot oil and fry,
   

turning once with tongs or a slotted spoon, until beignets are golden, 2 to 3 minutes total.

Remove beignets with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate briefly to drain. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired,

and serve immediately.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Strategic Strata

I think this is technically a breakfast dish, but I served it for dinner. I would definitely suggest putting it in the lunch/dinner category as it is very rich, but equally delicious. It is a great meal to serve to a crowd on a busy day because not only can it be a day ahead, it actually needs to be prepared at least 9 hours prior to serving. I am always looking for dishes that I can prepare ahead and heat/cook just before serving when I have a large crowd or a particularly over-scheduled time in my life, like the holidays!

Asiago, Mushroom, and Sausage Strata
Adapted from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork sausage
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (8oz) package sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 tsp minced dried thyme
• 1 (16oz) loaf sourdough bread, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Asiago cheese, divided
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring often, 6 to 7 minutes or until; meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat; add mushrooms and shallot, and saute until tender.

Stir in sausage and thyme.

2. Place bread in a lightly greased 13'x9' baking dish.

Sprinkle mushroom mixture

and 1/2 cup cheese over bread.

Whisk together eggs and remaining 3 ingredients;

pour over mushrooms and bread.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and chill at least 8 hours (I chilled over night).

3. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 more minutes or until set and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe