frittata

Frittatas are sort of like omelets, but without the fussy French preparation. All the filling is  mixed in with the egg and then set under the broiler to set the top. As with omelets, the possibilities are endless. I made mine with spinach, leeks, mozzarella, tomato and asparagus. Yum!

The following is a basic recipe for a frittata. Fill as you wish. Be sure to use an oven-proof pan.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis


Frittata
Serves three

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 cup of filling total (vegetables, cheese, cooked chicken or seafood, prosciutto, ham, etc)

Instructions
Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Saute the vegetables (slowest cooking first) until tender. Mix in any meat or seafood. Pour the egg mixture over the meat/vegetables and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Sprinkle with cheese (optional). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Slice into wedges and serve.

guest blog : biscuits + gravy

Guest Blogger : Freddy (from 10/26/8)

This morning, I decided to use up the rest of the buttermilk from our pumpkin donut night. Well, the first thing that came to mind was buttermilk biscuits and gravy. I figured it would be a great hearty breakfast for a cool fall morning. This dish is something I would usually order when we go to one of our local breakfast spots.

Buttermilk Biscuits
(Makes 10 biscuits)

Ingredients
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/4 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Slice cold butter into cubes and use a pastry knife or potato masher to cut butter into dry mixture until no large chunks of butter remain. Add buttermilk and milk and stir with a spoon until dough forms. Roll out to 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut biscuits with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and arrange on a lightly-greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until tops begin to turn light brown. Remove biscuits from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes.


Bacon Gravy
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
* 6 slices bacon
* 2 tablespoons bacon grease
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 cups milk
* salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat a large skillet to medium-hi. Place 6 slices of bacon in the skillet and cook until just under crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and drain; set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add flour to grease, and whisk together. Cook for about a minute without burning the flour. Add milk; whisk together. Heat until bubbling. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Meanwhile, crumble bacon. Add salt and pepper (to taste), and bacon to gravy. Allow to simmer until desired consistency. Serve with biscuits.

starbucks fridays

Happiness is...

Starbucks Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte + Perfect Oatmeal. Bliss!

banana nut bread

I've tried this recipe twice, and Freddy seems to love it. I think its just okay, but I like that its extremely simple to make. Watch for a revised banana bread edition once I get my mother's recipe. Regardless, it does the trick of using up soft bananas before they go bad!

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (or more)
3 large bananas, mashed or 4 small bananas, mashed

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan. Sift dry ingredients (minus the sugar) together. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and mix. Add dry ingredients to the batter and stir well. Fold in mashed bananas and nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Serves 8-10.

crêpes

While walking to Oslo yesterday, we passed a relatively new crêperie just down the street. But, we already our hearts set on sushi. Still having it in the back of my head this morning, I hopped onto foodnetwork.com just to see how hard it would be to make a crêpe batter. It seemed super easy, so I took a stab at it. Now making the crêpes... that was a different story.

It definitely takes a little bit of getting used to, but I will try these again. I didn't focus on the filling this time as I didn't know how bad I would ruin the crêpes, so I just filled them with cream cheese and/or Nutella. Next time I plan on trying some sort of bananas foster.

Luckily, I didn't ruin the crêpes horribly and they were very yummy! Here is the recipe that I followed:


Crêpe Batter

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus some for the pan
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
In a blender or food processor blend flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, milk, eggs, butter, and salt for 5 seconds. Turn the motor off and scrape sides down, with a rubber spatula. Transfer the batter into a bowl and let it stand, covered, for 1 hour. The batter may be made up to one day in advance.

Heat a 7 to 8-inch crêpe or non-stick skillet over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking and remove from heat. Brush the pan as necessary with butter. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4 cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a thin layer of batter and return any excess batter to the bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe until the under side is browned lightly. Turn the crêpe, brown the other side lightly and transfer to a plate. Crêpe can be made in advance, stacked, wrapped in plastic and stored refrigerated for 3 days or frozen.

Makes 20 crêpes.

banana nut stuffed french toast

I don’t know about you, but I could eat breakfast anytime of the day. And when a coworker of mine said that she was making breakfast for dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The stuffed French toast at Detroit Breakfast House & Grill inspired this meal. It literally consists of half of a loaf of bread that’s been partially hollowed out and stuffed with cream cheese and bananas and then cooked French toast style. I think that my version is just as tasty, but a lot easier to cook and eat! I also included sides of roasted potatoes and maple sausage links.


Roasted Potatoes (just like the green beans from the other day)

5 (ish) baby red skin potatoes, sliced in half
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put the pan in the oven until you're ready to use it. Toss the potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (as much or as little as you’d like). Place the potatoes in the pan cut side down. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes.


Banana Nut Stuffed French Toast
4 slices of bread
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of milk
Cinnamon
Cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
½ a banana
Crushed walnuts

Maple syrup (real, grade A maple syrup)

Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Add a splash of milk and just a touch of cinnamon. Mix well as the cinnamon tends to clump. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on all 4 slices of bread. Add a layer of the banana, thinly sliced, onto two of the slices of bread. Sprinkle some crushed walnuts onto the same two slices of bread and then place the cream cheese-only bread slices on top. Basically, you’re making two cream cheese/banana/walnut sandwiches. The sandwich holds together better with cream cheese on both sides.

Grease your griddle or pan and then heat over medium to medium-high heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, making sure to coat all sides. You know the drill. Place sandwiches onto the griddle and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Top with fresh banana slices and more crushed walnuts and drizzle with maple syrup. Heaven on a plate!

And one very happy hubby!