Tomato-Herb Frittata

Recipe & picture from Southern Living. It does come out exactly like picture.
Serves 6 to 8 * Total time 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach
1 (10-oz.) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 large eggs, beaten*
1/2 cup crumbled garlic-and-herb feta cheese (or plain feta cheese)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a 10-inch (2-inch-deep) ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or just until spinach begins to wilt.

3. Add tomatoes and green chiles, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add eggs, and sprinkle with cheese. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, gently lifting edges of frittata with a spatula and tilting pan so uncooked portion flows underneath.

4. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven, and let stand 5 minutes. Slide frittata onto a large platter, and cut into 8 wedges.

*1 (32-oz.) carton egg substitute may be substituted. Increase bake time to 16 to 18 minutes or until set.

Note: We tested with Ro-Tel Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies.

Try These Twists!

Tomato-Sausage Frittata: Brown 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage in a 10-inch (2-inch-deep) ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 to 8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; remove from skillet, and drain. Wipe skillet clean. Proceed with recipe as directed, adding sausage with tomatoes and green chiles in Step 3. Hands-on time: 34 min.; Total time: 51 min.

Bacon-Mushroom Frittata: Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1, sautéing 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring 3 cooked and chopped bacon slices in with tomatoes. Hands-on time: 24 min.; Total time: 46 min.

Eggplant-and-Olive Frittata: Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1, sautéing 1 cup peeled and chopped eggplant 5 minutes or until tender. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring 1/2 cup sliced black olives in with tomatoes. Hands-on time: 32 min.; Total time: 49 min.

Hot Cross Buns (Cinnamon Raisin Bread)

Active Time: 15, Total Time:  3.25 hours, Serves 13

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45
degrees C)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup dried raisins (or currants)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water

CREAM CHEESE ICING
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program. My bread maker sets this program for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
2. When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add raisins and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
3. Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes. I was able to let it rest for 10 minutes and it turned out fine.
5. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
7. To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, and cream cheese. Put in a zip lock back and cut a corner, to allow icing an X on each cooled bun.

From AllRecipes.com. Frosting from previous recipe.

Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Banana Bread

Yield: 1 loaf | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 50 - 60 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
• 1 cup halved raspberries, tossed in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture; just until moist. Don't over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chunks and then gently stir in the raspberries. If you want, you can sprinkle a few additional chocolate chunks and raspberries on the top to make it look pretty.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.

COMMENTS:
Source: Thank you Recipe Boy! Below are some comments they made on the recipe:
Since there have been some mixed reviews, we're adding in some tips to help you make this recipe a success (added 9/25/12)

• This recipe turns out perfect for us, so here are the details: We bake at sea level in a greased pyrex pan and we bake on the middle rack in a gas oven.
• Don't use frozen raspberries or freshly washed raspberries (they will add too much moisture).
• If you bake in a dark metal pan or if you are baking at a different altitude or using an electric oven, you may possibly get different results.
• Oven temperatures can vary quite a bit, so if you have an oven thermometer that is helpful to see if yours is recording the right temperature.
• If the top is browning too quickly, cover the top with foil in the middle of baking to prevent it from browning further.

Israeli Roast Eggplant, Hummus, and Pickle Pitas

INGREDIENTS

1 large baking potato

Salt

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 cucumber—peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large jalapeño, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

4 thick, sturdy pita breads, warmed

1 cup hummus

1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature

4 large hard-cooked eggs, sliced

4 small dill pickles, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small saucepan, cover the potato with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool, then peel the potato and slice it 1/4 inch thick. Season the potato slices with salt.

Meanwhile, arrange the eggplant slices on a rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and bake for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

In a large bowl, add the cucumber, tomato, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and parsley. Toss with the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cut off 2 inches from the side of the warm pitas to make openings in the pockets. Gently open the pitas. Spread the hummus on the bottoms and 1 tablespoon of tahini over it. Layer the potato slices, eggplant, egg and cucumber-tomato salad in the pitas, along with some of the salad juices. Top with the pickle slices and serve.

COMMENTS

Recipe found in Food & Wine's July 2012 Issue, posted with the following comments:

At Butcher & Bee in Charleston, S.C., owner Michael Shemtov and chef Stuart Tracy prepare this messy, incredibly tasty vegetarian sandwich, called a sabich, with vegetables, hummus, house-baked pita and herbs from a garden right behind the restaurant. “The sandwich is Iraqi-Israeli, just like me,” Shemtov says. “It’s a personal dish.”

Spring Salad with Warm Blackberry Dressing

A refreshing, sweet and savory salad.  Perfect for spring.

Serves 4; Ready In; 15 min; Cook Time 10 min

For the blackberry sauce (original recipe here):

12 oz. blackberries, rinsed and drained (2 packages)

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. cold water

1/3 lemon freshly squeezed

lemon zest

Modified version of Paula Deen's Spinach & Berry Salad:

1 lb Baby Spinach Leaves, washed and fully dried

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup fresh raspberries for garnish

1/8 cup fresh blackberries for garnish


Directions:

For the salad, combine in a large bowl the spinach, onion and egg together. Garnish with walnuts and fresh berries. 


To make the blackberry sauce, combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release some of their juices and the mixture is simmering. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blackberries and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and keep warm if desired.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.


Serve immediately.

Eggs In The Basket

          

Green Beans with Eggs, Chiles and Cilantro

Contributed by Dmitry Leonov, published in Food & Wine Magazine June 2011 

Total Time: 30 Mins ........ Total Servings: 8

This Georgian dish, called lobio (bean dish), is typically served cool, but with its buttery scrambled eggs and tender green beans, it's equally delicious hot. It's great as part of a family-style menu and also makes an unusually tasty, light main course.




INGREDIENTS

1 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces buy 1.25lb, which will yield 1lb for the recipe after preparations
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 large eggs, lightly beaten I used 4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro, plus small sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 small red chile, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon dill seeds I used Thyme leaves since no dill seeds were available.





DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until tender, 6 minutes. Drain and let cool. Transfer to a bowl.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the eggs are scrambled, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs to the beans.
Stir in the chopped cilantro, walnuts, garlic, jalapeño, red chile and dill seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro sprigs just before serving.
MAKE AHEAD The green lobio can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

St. Patty's Day Green Eggs & Ham

A culinary trick on words for green eggs and ham can be found below. Original recipe courtesy of Food Network Channel's Rachael Ray.

Before

After

 Ingredients

    * 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

    * 1 tablespoon butter

    * 2 large shallots, finely chopped

    * 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted in microwave & liquids drained. Fresh 10-ounce fresh salad bag of spinach works just as well.

    * 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream, eyeball it

    * Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    * Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

    * 8 slices deli ham or prosciutto di Parma

                                     * 8 eggs

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter and sweat the shallots a few minutes. Add the spinach and stir in the cream, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste.

Fold each slice of ham or prosciutto in half and line the nonstick cups with 1 slice of meat each. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cooked spinach into each of the cups, then crack an egg into each, making sure it stays whole (hint - if you're worried about breaking the egg yolk, crack the egg into a small bowl first, then pour it into the muffin cup). Season the tops of the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven until set, about 15 minutes. Allow the baked eggs to cool in the muffin cups for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Make sure to fold over or double layer the ham.
Also goes very well with Lucky Charm Jello Shots (thanks J)

Poached Eggs

After numerous run ins with poached eggs (Saturday diner breakfasts I rarely attend, scene from Julia & Julie, Southern Living website, Master Chef episode), I finally took the time to experiment on my own. Turns out it is quite easy to make an acceptable poached egg.

I tried twice, using two different techniques and both outcomes were successful.


The first technique (upper left) is to gently drop the raw egg into a simmering pot (water + vinegar) and constantly tuck spoon around the egg to maintain the shape. The second technique (bottom right) is to stir the simmering water + vinegar and while stirring, gently drop the raw egg in. This supposidely forms the shape quicker. With both techniques I immediately put poached egg into ice water and then on a paper tower to dry off.


Some day I'll learn how to keep the water clean by preventing white yolk from dispersing throughout pot.

Future poached egg recipes to try: Shrimp & Grits Eggs Benedict published by Southern Living,