Frittata Frame

This recipe is for the basic structure of a frittata. I made my first frittata a couple months ago and fell in love with it. It’s a great option for a big breakfast, a healthy lunch, or a light dinner with a side salad. I like to make them when I know I’m going to be really busy because the leftovers keep for about a week and are easy to pop in the microwave or can be eaten cold!

The possibilities for frittatas are absolutely endless! You could use whatever types of cheese, meats, and vegetables you are craving, have on hand, or are on sale at the grocery store. They can be as simple as one cheese and one vegetable or you could load it up with a ton of ingredients for a larger and more filling frittata. I like to make frittatas when I need to clean out my refrigerator. I basically just dump whatever I have into frying pan, warm it up a little, transfer it to an 8x8 baking dish, 10 in pie plate, or 9x13 baking dish, pour the egg mixture on top and bake it for about 30-40 minutes.

Here are three creations that I took some pictures of. I’ve made other but, because I’m usually making them when I’m really busy and I use random leftovers, I didn’t photograph them. The first one is a simple asparagus and American cheese frittata. The second one is a spinach, mushroom, and ricotta frittata. And the last one is a Mexican frittata that contains red peppers, corn, canned chiles, onions, and Mexican blend cheese.

What egg casserole creations can you come up with?

Basic Frittata Frame

• 6 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Add: ¾ cup shredded cheese of your choice. It could be Swiss, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago, pepper jack.

Add: 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme or 1 tsp dried herbs, like parsley, rosemary, or an Italian mix. Choose one or mix a few together.

Add: 1 cup cooked meat, diced. This is a great way to use up leftovers, such as diced ham, chicken, or sausage. If you don’t have any meat on hand or don’t want to include meat, you can replace this amount with additional vegetables.

Add: 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh vegetables, diced. Sweet peppers, asparagus, squash, tomatoes, green onions, peas, shredded zucchini, eggplant, and broccoli are a few examples. Choose one or mix a few together.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat a 10 inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper until smooth. Stir in the cheese, herbs, meat, and the vegetables until combined.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle or golden on top. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

asparagus and cheese

spinach, mushroom and ricotta

mexican

Baked Grapefruit

This is barely a recipe. But it is really delicious and easy so I figured I'd share it!

Also I'm currently "participating" in a horrifically boring and useless online technology graduate class. So I figured why not use my time wisely to get in a quick blog post? I'm also pinning and watching "Say Yes to the Dress - Bridesmaids".  I'm a master multitasker.

I used to eat grapefruit with my grandfather, Curt, all the time. I would make him separate the sections perfectly and coat it in about a cup of granulated sugar and deliver it to my TV table in the living room. I was a total princess spoiled brat. He even had these special serrated spoons that were ONLY used for grapefruit consumption. And could possibly double as a tool for cutting out my tongue if I was rude.

Anway, this is a great way to eat grapefruit for people who don't think they like it because it's too bitter but also don't want to add the previously mentioned cup of sugar. The brown sugar and honey sweetens the grapefruit up and the heat makes the sweetness soak all the way through the fruit. I also love that baking the grapefruit makes it swell so it's really juicy! A helpful hint is to cut the grapefruit into sections before baking. This will allow the sugar and honey to really sink in. It will also ensure that you don't burn yourself while try to dig out the sections while it's piping hot. Why yes, I am speaking from experience.

Give this "recipe" a try for a quick, tasty, and healthy breakfast or snack!

Baked Grapefruit

• 1 grapefruit
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (I used Splenda)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• cinnamon (to taste)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the grapefruit in half. Cut around the sections of the grapefruit (just inside the peel but leaving the peel itself in tact).
3. Sprinkle each half with 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of honey on each half. Sprinkle each half with the desired amount of cinnamon.
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until grapefruit sections are puffed up and/or beginning to caramelize. 
5. Dig in - carefully!

cinnamon chip muffin with raspberry jam and baked grapefruit. yum!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

I know it's almost Christmas but I still have a plethora of pumpkin recipes to share (and more to come because I've hoarded about 15 cans. I'm crazy, I know). So here's a good one!

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a huge fan of pancakes. I generally like a savory breakfast of eggs, meat and carbs. I'm also a big fan of cereal and toast with peanut butter. But pancakes and french toast aren't my favorite. I think it might be that I don't really love syrup or anything maple flavored. However, Tom enjoys them and I don't absolutely hate them so I try to make one of the two when I see him.

This was my first time making pancakes (ya know, because I don't like them). So I was really nervous that I'd either burn them or turn them into a pile of gooey mess. But I didn't! It took a lot of effort and caused my unnecessary stress but I managed.

Also, I will never just make plain pancakes. Ever. I don't like my food boring so I always have to jazz it up. So if I'm going to make pancakes, I have to make some version of the bland breakfast that will: a) incorporate things that love and b) have some kind of flavor so I don't have to use much syrup. And this is how I decided upon pumpkin.

You all know how I feel about pumpkin. Obsessed. Now you will learn how I feel about streusel. LOVE IT. I won't eat a pie without streusel topping. It's just perfect, especially when it gets a little dark and crispy. This recipe had both so it was on my "make immediately" list.

These pancakes are really filling. Tom and I shared them and we couldn't finish the whole plate because they had a very cake-y consistency. So just keep that in mind when you decide how many to make because a little goes a looooong way!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes (4 servings) from Two Peas and Their Pod

·         For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

·         To make the pancakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

4. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

5. Serve pancakes warm with maple syrup and butter.

the gigantic pancake that was extremely difficult to flip

SUCCESS!

you can tell how hard I'm concentrating

beautiful finished product :)