Frittatas are great because they are easy, versatile, and can be cheap. They can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature. You can put into it whatever you happen to have in your kitchen. I made this one early in the day before it got too hot, and then served it cold with a salad for dinner. Makes a really nice, light summer dinner. I will list the items that I had in my frittata for this day, but know that you can use any vegetable, cheese, or meat you want, or not!

5 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 small onion
1 zucchini    
1 yellow squash
1/4 cup ham, cubed
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet. Saute the chopped onion, zucchini, and squash on medium low heat until tender, about 15 minutes or so. Add the ham and tomato and stir around for about a minute. Meanwhile beat the eggs and stir in the salt, pepper, and cheese. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and let set up for a couple of minutes. When the eggs start to set up a little, go around the edge all around the pan and pull the egg into the center, letting the liquidy egg run to the edge. Do this a couple of times around the pan until it is almost set and then put into the oven for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

        

This picture did not come out that great, but this actually did look pretty. I saw the recipe online but I changed it a little. Next time I will leave out the mozzarella, but you can make up your own mind on that one. This is good as a side dish, but I could just eat it alone with a nice green salad. Enjoy!

4 small zucchini
4 small yellow squash
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1 cup mozzarella
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Butter the bottom of a casserole dish. Cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into planks. Layer some planks in dish to cover bottom and top with salt and pepper, 1/3 of each cheese and 1/3 of the bread crumbs. Then pour 1/3 of half and half evenly. Repeat twice and then on top finish with bread crumbs and put some small pats of butter on top. Cook for about 45 minutes, or until gold and bubbly.

        

Going to the grocery store was once one of my favorite pastimes. I especially love smaller specialty stores. I loved taking my time looking at cheese, produce, oil, vinegars...you get the idea. I now have two little buddies that come with me (toddler and infant) who have no patience for anything really, and no respect at all for a soft Camembert or ripe gorgonzola. So I now only shop at big stores because they sell diapers. And I try to make it quick, quick, quick! I also try to go much less often, which leads me to Turkey, Part 2. I wanted to do something with the leftover turkey and grilled zucchini, so I did an assessment of my fridge and pantry and came up with these delicious little pizzas! I sauteed garlic with black beans and about a tablespoon of cumin. Then, I  mashed them up with a little water to use as the "sauce." I cooked an onion in a little butter until caramelized and sweet and layered them with the sliced turkey and chopped zucchini on small flour tortillas. Topped them with shredded cheddar and bake on 400 for about 10 minutes.They were crispy, tasty and healthy. And I didn't have to go to the store. I done good.

        

 
My mom told me about a "buy one get one free" sale at our grocery store on turkey tenderloins. It said on the package that they would be great on the grill so I decided to grill them and brush them with barbecue sauce. It was really good and moist, not what you would expect out of turkey. The package came with two and Ryan and I shared one and had a whole one leftover. Turkey is really lean and low in fat, so I'm glad this worked out! I will be getting them again for sure. Also, summer squash is really cheap right now in Georgia and so I got some zucchini, cut them into planks, brushed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and threw them on the grill, too. We had a really nice dinner with a huge piece of turkey leftover. Hmm, what to do with it?

        

In just two days, I will check into the hospital to give birth to my second child. I am currently enormous, achy and very grouchy.  Despite being physically miserable, I find that making homemade ravioli lifts my spirits. Aren't they beautiful little "bundles of joy!" I will boil them tonight for 3-4 minutes and put on top a little parmesan and tomato sauce. Then I will have heartburn...

Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

fresh pasta sheets (recipe follows)
10 oz  container cooked frozen spinach
15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cook spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can. Mix spinach with all other ingredients in a bowl and set aside while you make the pasta. Lay out the first pasta sheet and evenly divide rounded teaspoons of spinach mixture. With egg wash, brush around each filling and lay another sheet over top, pressing gently down around the fillings and cut out with a biscuit cutter.

Fresh Pasta

2 cups all purpose flour or "00" if you have it
3 eggs (plus one more for egg wash)
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

In a mixer with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt. Add the eggs and mix on low until it comes somewhat together. Add a little olive oil or water if it looks too dry. Roll it out on a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, probably about 10 minutes. Coat with a little oil, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Divide it into equal pieces and flatten a piece a little and run through a pasta machine on the widest setting. After it comes through the machine once, fold it like a business letter, in three parts, and run through again. Keep running it through the machine a couple times on each width until you get a nice, thin, long piece. You should be able to see your hand through it. Store on a big cookie sheet or cutting board and dust with a little cornmeal or flour to keep it from sticking.

        

I have never prepared a meal consisting of something someone I  knew murdered. And I am not counting vegetables or fish here. After my father in law's duck hunting trip, I got my chance. Oh, and don't object to my use of the word murder, because that is exactly what it would be to you if  you were gunned down while simply flying around in your neighborhood. Calm down, I'm not being all "high and mighty." I gladly roasted and ate these victims in my own kitchen. Even as a child, I have always understood that the braizer from the DQ was actually an animal that someone had to prepare. I think because my dad always had these gross/weird stories of chasing and catching chickens in the yard when he was a kid and......well, never mind. Back to the duck. What made this meal even more fun was having to be careful not to bite into "buckshot" I think they called it. My father in law brought six of them to me to prepare. I was nervous, as these were quite different from the duck breasts at the grocery store or one you might get in a nice restaurant. I didn't know what to do, so I just filled each cavity with some thyme, onion and lemon and roasted them for a while. They were pretty good!  My parents even liked them and they both had tried and not enjoyed wild duck many times. For our next venture, we decided maybe squirrel.........

The quack quack provider is on the left-----nice ammo Pops!!



Basting!



This is me smiling, but thinking, "we might have to order something tonight."

        

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! It was a busy season for us, and we enjoyed every minute of it. As most of my readers know, I am expecting the birth of my second child in just over a couple of months. That will be about a month or so after my daughter, Anna, turns two. Ryan and I realize that our lives will be crazy and hectic (in a good way) for like the next 4 to 5 years. Therefore, we lined up some babysitting grandparents and decided to take a little trip. We fly standby so our destination depends entirely on seat availability. We chose Copenhagen, Denmark and spent a wonderful (yet very cold) 2 days there. We did not have any huge meals there, it is very expensive, but we shared some wonderful snacks. The food in Copenhagen is wonderful. I read in the guidebook that there are more Michelin rated restaurants here than any other city in Europe. While I did not check the source on that statement, I am inclined to believe it. They are know for "smoreboord" (that is with slash lines through the o's) which are open faced sandwiches. I was expecting some sort of dry, bland, Viking-type food at the first place we ate, so I was surprised when I got served this:

Really good bread, sliced hardboiled egg, little shrimps, tomatoes, capers, dill and homemade curry mayo. Really, really good.
That evening we went to a less stylish place that very casual and comfortable. Ryan had a really stoutly beer and I had some herring. You didn't think I would go to Scandinavia and not have herring, did you? Oh, and the guy brought us butter for our bread said that if we don't want the butter here is a little jar of lard. Wow.

Finally, my favorite! The last day we were there, it actually rained on us a little. While trying to figure out how it could possibly rain instead of snow and still be that cold, I told Ryan, first place we come to, we are stopping for a snack. We came to a little cafe on a corner which was very warm and neighborhood-y. They had no english menus, so we sort of guessed and order this:

It is really good, warm bread with light, sort of whipped goat cheese on top and a little salad. I'm not sure what those little sauces were, but they were delicious!!! We ate every single bite while sitting in the front window watching people go by. It is so nice to go into a warm cafe and defrost and just sit. I think we stayed there like 2 hours or something. Who would have guessed this dish from the menu description:

Ohmygosh, I can't forget the hotdogs you buy on the street!! You say "hotdog" and they automatically put on mayo, mustard, onion, crunchy bacon and pickles. You have to eat it fast, or it will get cold. Really cold.

Last, but most certainly not the least, pastry!! We got the biggest one that looked like a huge slice of pizza with chocolate icing and some kind of creamy filling. We asked ourselves, what do they call their danish here?

        

 


I love pork tenderloin. It is so good, you really don't even have to do anything to it at all. It is also so easy because you can just put it in the oven, set the timer, and forget about it. (I like to take a short nap during the cooking time.) This recipe is so good, and really impressive-looking. Also, pork tenderloin is so affordable, a large one costing about $8.00 lasts us for two meals! This picture is only half of the one I bought at the store!

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound or so
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 pound bacon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the sage and garlic with a little olive oil and spread all over the pork. Liberally salt and pepper the pork. Using a spoon, evenly cover the pork with maple syrup. Take the bacon slices and wrap the pork, tucking the ends underneath. Slightly overlap the slices and put in the oven for about an hour. Take out when thermometer reads 165 degrees. Make sure you let is sit for about 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

        

Ribollita is a vegetable and bread soup from the Tuscan region of Italy. I had it there once when I was coming down with a cold and I swear it kept the cold from getting the best of me. There are many different recipes for it. I think people just use whatever vegetables they have. Usually, in Tuscany, they have white beans. I had red kidneys and chick peas. Also, I did not put any stale bread in, because I did not have any, we had fresh bread on the side. Or, you could grill or toast a slice of bread, put it in the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup over top. Italians do not waste food, especially bread, so this is a good recipe for that. Also, "ribolleta" means "reboiled," meaning this is even better the next day. I used spinach, you can use whatever leafy green you have, or even red cabbage. Great on a cold night.

3 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 sprigs thyme
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken stock
10 oz. bag of  fresh spinach or frozen, thawed and squeezed dry

olive oil, for serving
salt and pepper, for serving
red pepper flakes, for serving
grated parmesan, for serving

Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Remove bacon, but leave the fat and add the onion, carrots, and garlic until a little brown and soft, maybe 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until dissolved and add the next six ingredients. Stir well, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or longer, whatever suits your schedule. Serve with bread and good olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and grated parmesan.

        

This was pretty easy and Ryan and Anna loved it!! There is sort of a regular version you can do, and then a high-dollar version. For this "everyday" recipe, I will use the cheaper ingredients. If you want a fancier cordon bleu, use veal scallops, prosciutto and a grated gruyere cheese.

2 boneless chicken breasts
4 slices ham
4 slices swiss cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper

Place the chicken between two layers of plastic wrap and pound until thin. Lay them out and place the ham and cheese evenly on them. Now roll them up with the plastic wrap and mold them, using the plastic wrap to help. Note: if they are too big to comfortably roll, feel free to cut them in half before you put the ham and cheese on. Now, let them set up a little. If you have 30 minutes or so, that would be best.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, arrange 3 dishes: one with the flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with the breadcrumbs. Mix in the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper into the breadcrumbs. Lightly grease/butter a baking dish.  Take your chicken rolls and carefully coat in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture. Set into the baking dish. When all rolls are in the dish, spoon the melted butter over them evenly. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked inside. Don't overcook, it will really dry out! Cut into slices for serving.

 

        

Last night we went to Sara, Miguel, and Max's house for dinner. We had a fantastic Cuban dinner of slow cooked pork shoulder, black beans and rice, fried plantains, and flan for dessert! I think we had hot dogs last time they came to our house--we are going to have to step up our game for sure. Anyway, Miguel marinated the pork in Mojo marinade and cooked it on low heat in his "Big Green Egg" for several hours. It was so tender and flavorful! The black beans were fantastic with peppers, garlic, and spices and the plantains were crunchy and awesome--perfect texture. Miguel said he fries them twice, giving them a salt-water rinsing between batches. I had never heard of that, so fun to learn! The shining star of the night, and of course, Anna's favorite, was the flan. Made of eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and some other flavors, it was wonderful!! And beautiful, see for yourself:

        

This recipe is good to cover steaks or chops. Maybe chicken, too. I adapted the recipe I saw a little, so you will just have to be brave and experiment with amounts. This is not baking, you can't really mess it up anyway.

1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 pat butter
1/4 cup (or so) brandy
1/3 cup (or so) heavy cream

Soften the shallot in the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until very soft. Turn up the heat a little and add the brandy. Let simmer a few minutes until it almost cooks out. Stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper.

        

Mexico City


I had a trip to Mexico City last weekend and went to a taqueria that was recommended by a guy who lives there. It is called El Caminero. I would love to tell you what part of the city its in, but I have no idea where I was. Twenty million people live in Mexico City and it is enormous! I found the city a little overwhelming, but the tacos were great. I knew exactly what to order, tacos al pastor (shepard's tacos). The pork is marinated and on a spit right next to the grill. I wanted to take a picture, but people were already looking at me. Anyway, they carve the meat off the spit and put it on a freshly made corn tortilla. There was a lady there making them. I wanted to take her picture, too. The pork is topped with diced onion, cilantro, and grilled pineapple then served with limes to squeeze and 3 types of salsa. I enjoyed my three tacos with a Fanta orange, all under $6.00!

        

You know I can't stand Martha Stewart. All these recipes, gardening tips, crafts, and "good things" she claims to enjoy doing are obviously done by a huge team of high-energy, low-paid, recent college grads. They do a great job, but they set the bar artificially high for women like me. Despite my disdain, I often find myself on her website or watching her television programs. I am proud of myself if I do just one "good thing." This recipe is from some famous French chef who was on her show the other day, and was so good, my husband and daughter both loved it! I made just a couple of changes. The flavor the potatoes get from the chicken is fantastic.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes


1 chicken, 3-4 pounds
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
4 sage leaves
1 head garlic, cut in half
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Butter a roasting pan and evenly spread out potatoes. Rinse off chicken and pat dry. Place the herbs and garlic halves into the cavity and truss the chicken. (Tie it so that the legs and wings don't flop out.) Rub the outside of the chicken with some butter and oil and plenty of salt and pepper.  Place chicken directly onto the potatoes on it's side. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn him on his other side and roast another 20 minutes. Finally place him on his back and finish roasting for 10-20 minutes until the juices run clear. Let rest before carving and make sure the potatoes are seasoned. Enjoy!!

        

After a long, transitional summer for my family, we have (somewhat) settled into our new house and could not be happier! Please stayed tuned for more great recipes and food stories....

        

I regret that I did not take a picture of this salad. I cannot take one now because we ate it all!! I have heard of salads like this, but basically came up with this myself. I am apparently a genius.

Kristi's Orzo

1 small package orzo pasta
1 zucchini    
1 red onion
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta
5 basil leaves
1 12-ounce can roasted red peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package, which is boil 8 minutes. Drain and let cool. Slice zucchini long-ways and slice the red onion into rings. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill 2 minutes on each side on a hot grill. Cool and cut into small squares. Cut the red peppers into squares and roll up the basil leaves and slice into little strips. Toss everything in a large bowl and taste for more oil, salt and pepper. Add to your liking and enjoy!!

        

Pork Vindaloo with Raita

Vindaloo is considered the fieriest of all Indian cooking styles.

Ingredients

 Raita:
1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
3/4 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
3/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
 
Vindaloo:
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced sweet onion
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
 Cooking spray
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
4 1/2 cups hot cooked basmati rice

        

My mother-in-law made a wonderful Beef Stroganoff tonight, and there were many leftover noodles. Of course, we ate all the wonderful sauce, but what to do with the noodles? What a shame to just toss 'em! Hey, why not make a Kugel? The name makes it sound like you have to go to the doctor or a lab or something, but actually it is only a simple noodle pudding. Enjoy.

Kugel

1 package egg noodles (1 pound)
1 pound cottage cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and add butter, tossing well. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, and cheese. Fold in noodles and put in a 9x13 buttered baking dish. Combing the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon and spread on top. Cook for about an hour, and let set and cool before serving.

        

Baltimore

As most of you know, I have returned to my old job as a flight attendant for a large, unnamed, airline based right here in Atlanta. It is good to be back at work. I get to contribute once again to the family finances, even if it is a  small contribution. I get to be around other adults, who are not family members. I get to take extra long showers at hotels around the country. Most of all, obviously, is that I get to dine in different cities. My first special  dining experienced happened in the Little Italy neighborhood in Baltimore.  My friend Janelle drove down from her house in D.C. to spend the day with me and we shared a plate of fresh pasta. See....

Please allow me to recommend this restaurant, La Tavola. They make all the pasta fresh and use simple, good quality ingredients. How very Italian of them! Also, if you are waited on by Steve, he might amaze you with his vast knowledge of Italian wine, according to how much you want to know about it. We had a wonderful meal.

In the same neighborhood was a small, old school Italian bakery called Vaccaro's.  I love these places and there are not any in Georgia that I know of. Janelle got a cookie and I got a mini cannoli that they stuff to order.
As Janelle would likely say, "What a great day!"

Sorry about the low resolution, but I just got a new camera right after this trip, so stay tuned for better pictures!

        

I made some soup this week to take to my in law's house for dinner. It was really good, and I was excited to finally use the "travel carrier" that came with my crock pot. Well, it doesn't hold very steady, because a sharp left turn turned my passenger side floor mat into a steaming pile of butternut squash puree. Anyway, the soup was delicious. I served it with toasted pumpernickel bread. I used turkey kielbasa instead of beef, so it was much healthier. I also used frozen corn, and as you can tell, you can use many shortcuts, and you can also make a little at a time. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 pound kielbasa, or any smoked sausage, cut into 1/4'' slices
6 cups chicken stock (approximate)
1 1/2 cups half and half
olive oil
salt and pepper

First, cook the rice. Put 3 cups of the broth, or water, in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, turn down to simmer , cover, and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the rice just begins to split. Drain and cool.
Preheat oven to 400 and toss the squash pieces with th oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and roast for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool and puree in a blender or food processor with some chicken stock.
Meanwhile, heat some oil over medium heat in a large pot and add the sausage. Cook until a little brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and corn and cook for a few more minutes, stirring around as you cook. Add the puree of squash and enough stock to make into a liquidy soupy consistency. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the rice and cook 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the half and half, and serve in warmed bowls.