Passover Friendly Easter Brunch: Broccoli and Leek Frittata

This may be a problems that only we face, but my inlaws find it absolutely impossible to find any Passover friendly foods for Easter.  On the off chance that there are others out there facing the same conundrum, I thought I would share some amazing Easter brunch foods, that also work for Passover.

In truth, it seems like the easiest thing - I mean, Easter is all about the eggs, right?  And eggs for breakfast is a very Passover thing. 

Let's be honest, eggs for everything is a very Passover thing.  We make good use of those hardboiled eggs we dye for Easter!

The best part about this frittata?  It doesn't really matter if you celebrate Easter or Passover.  Filled with green veggies that seem to just bridge the gap between winter and spring, this is really the perfect breakfast for any group gathering.  Or - since we're not supposed to be gathering in groups right now....this works really well to give you breakfasts (or lunches) for a couple days.  The vegetables inside are hearty and withstand a day or two in the fridge.

Broccoli and Leek Frittata

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, sliced thinly (white and light green parts only)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 Tbsp water

10 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan over medium-low heat.  
2. Add the leeks and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add the water, cover the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add remaining Tbsp of oil.
6. Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl.
7. Add the egg mixture to the cooked veggies and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the cheese on top and place the pan in the oven for about 17 minutes, or until set.  Serve warm.

Love Sandwich: Croque Madame

You guys I am killing it this Valentine's Day.  It's February 5th and I've already got presents for all three of my guys.  I'm never usually this on top of it.

I've even got our Valentine's Day menu already planned out, important since Thatkid is off school for the day and if you have kids you know they turn into eating machines when they're home.  I honestly don't understand it.  He often comes home from school with his lunch, still untouched in his lunchbox.  I have to convince him to bring snack for snacktime.  And yet, when he's not at school, he's "hungry" every 15 minutes.

So my goal for Valentine's Day is filling meals to keep him from complaining all day.  That, and putting him in charge of making it himself.  A croque madame has different components that he's already familiar with, put together in a new way.  It's got the white sauce he uses when he makes macaroni and cheese, along with a fried egg - one of his favorite things to make for dinner.  Plus it seems extra Valentine-y to make a French sandwich, doesn't it?  As they sing in the age-old classic, Anastasia, "The French have it down to an art."

Croque Madame

2 Tbsp butter, divided

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp Parmesan

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere, divided

4 slices sourdough bread

4 slices ham

2 eggs

1. Make the white sauce.  Melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  
2. Add in the flour and stir to create a paste.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbling.
3. Stir in the milk.  Continue to stir and cook until the milk is thick.
4. Stir in Parmesan and half of the Gruyere and remove from heat.
5. Top 2 of the slices of bread with 2 slices of ham. 
6. Top the ham with half of the cheese sauce.
7. Top with the remaining 2 slices of bread.
8. Heat the remaining Tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat.  Toast the sandwiches in the pan, about 2 minutes per side or until browned.
9. Place the sandwiches on a baking pan and top with remaining cheese sauce and Gruyere.  Place in broiler and broil until the cheese melts.
10. While the sandwiches are in the broiler, fry 2 eggs. 
11. When cheese has melted and eggs are fried, top each sandwich with one of the eggs.

Summer Festivals: Scotch Eggs

I don't know about where you live, but the summers round these parts are filled with festivals of all kinds.  And we've been hitting them all up.  We usually try to make it to one or two festivals, but since I started volunteering with Broadway San Diego, I've been helping man a booth and we've been attending twice as many!

Like this weekend we went to the Festival of Books.  I manned a booth and the boys went and listened to stories, got new signed books, and found a tortoise rescue.

And before that, we attended PRIDE and got to march in the parade!

I manned the booth at the ArtWalk while the boys went around and looked at art and made art.

One of the most unexpected festivals we went to was not related to my volunteering.  Thatboy had heard about the Scottish Highland games and decided we MUST go.  The kids had a great time trying out the traditional Scottish games.  Thatkid fell in love with archery.

Thatbaby learned how to toss sheafs.

But found out he really has a talent for caber tossing.

We watched the real competitors and ate Scottish food and had a really great day.  So great in fact, that we did a little Scottish food night at home.  With Scotch Eggs!    Scotch eggs are a typical British pub food, but also great for picnics.  The concept is easy - an egg wrapped in sausage and then deep fried.  This is one of those things both kids and grownups seem to love.

 Scotch Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs

1 pound sausage meat

flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

bread crumbs

Canola oil

1.  Place flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls.
2. Peel the eggs and roll them in  flour.
3. Divide the sausage meat into 6 balls and flatten slightly.
4. Place each egg in the center of each flattened ball and wrap the sausage meat around the egg.
5. Roll the sausage covered egg in flour, then dip in egg, and then roll in the bread crumbs.  Place in refrigerator while the oil heats.
6. Heat canola oil until it reaches 375 degrees.  Fry the eggs in the hot oil until browned and cooked through. 
7. Drain on paper towels.  Chill and serve cold.

Family Movie Time: Hashbrown casserole

You guys, I have so many tricks up my sleeve it's amazing that my shirts fit.

We had another weekend where baseball was cancelled for rain, which gave us a whole weekend with no plans.  I thought maybe it would be fun to go see a movie, since we did the museum last weekend.  But Thatboy has been waiting for weeks for nicer weather to try out some ice-dying tie-dye technique.  It ended up taking a lot more time than expected, and by the time that was done, naptime ran a little late, and there were no movies times we'd make before dinner.

Sunday morning we met up with Thatmom and Thatbrother for breakfast, and this is where my little tricks come in.  Instead of going to the movies back by our house, I used the opportunity to check out a special theater that was between the breakfast place and our house.  We rarely go to other theaters, since we have one in town, but I'd tucked this one away in my memory banks for when the occasion might arise.

What's so special about this theater?

It's especially geared for kids!

In fact, you can't buy a ticket for this theater unless you're accompanied by a child under 12.

Cinepolis Junior is a special theater, I think there are two in the country, which really caters to kids.  Even the seats are fun!  They have your regular movie theater chairs, but they also have lounge chairs, giant bean bags, and these chairs that are basically oversized pillows.

Each bean bag and oversize pillow seats two people.  So the boys cuddled up in one,

and we cuddled up in the one next to them.

The play structure on the side of the theater was available for the kids to burn off a little energy before the movie started.  The theater also instituted a 15 minute intermission, during which time little theater go-ers could use the bathroom, grab concessions, or hit up the play structure again.

It's really a brilliant idea for kids who can't quite sit through a long movie, either because they need to use the bathroom, or because 2 hours is too long to sit still.

Overall it was such a good experience that we may never make use of our local theater again.  Thatboy said it was his favorite movie theater experience of all times and he was really disappointed to learn he couldn't come back without the kids!

My other little trick is a two-for-one.  I was chatting with another mom at Thatkid's school and I mentioned I was starving and needed to go home and have breakfast.  She asked what kinds of things I usually have for breakfast, which is when I filled her in on my trick.  Sunday nights I make an egg casserole, and then I have breakfast all week.  It makes it so easy to just grab and heat up in the morning.  And the two-fold part?  I don't really have a recipe, I just use whatever leftover stuff we happen to have on hand.

But last week's casserole was so amazing, it has become my new favorite.  And that's why I'm sharing it with you.  Impossibly easy, it really consists of cooking sausage, then layering that with frozen hashbrowns and eggs.  No chopping, no dicing, no nothing!  I made this with sweet Italian sausage, which I had leftover from a dinner I had made that week, but any sausage will really work.  Quick, easy, and will feed you for days?  Who says tricks are for kids?

Hashbrown Casserole

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

2 cups frozen hashbrowns

6 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Heat a pan over medium high heat.  Cook sausage until browned.
2. Sprinkle flour over sausage and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add milk and cook until milk has thickened, about 5 minutes.  
4. Whisk the eggs and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spread the frozen hashbrowns evenly over the baking dish.
6. Top with the sausage mixture.
7. Pour the eggs over.  Bake for 50 minutes, until cooked through.

Happy New Year: Tomato, Feta, and Dill Frittata

My absolute favorite way to start of the year is with my annual New Year's Brunch.  I love how laid back and easy it is, both from the standpoint of entertaining, and getting it together the day before.  I love having all my friends come to me, so we don't have to go anywhere but I still get to see my favorite people.  And I love brunch food.

This year I wanted to keep it really bright and cheery, so I fell into the latest trend of balloon garlands.

 It actually took less time than I was anticipating to put this together and I was able to do it a couple days in advance.  Which means, 2019 is officially the year of the balloon garland for decorations in our home.

Everything else I kept simple with arrangements of brightly colored flowers on every surface.  The night before we let the kids have confetti poppers for midnight, and they added a festive touch to tables, chairs, the floor - anything flat.

As for the food - I always try to keep it easy.  And really the hardest part is planning the prep - figuring out which places are closed on what days, and what needs to be made when.  There's never a shortage of food - my table is always overflowing.

While normally I buy muffins and breakfast pastries, this year my go-to bakery was closed for several days leading up to New Years.  So I made my own!

I also threw in some cookies, lemon poppyseed cake, and french toast to fill in that sweet gap left by the bakery.

For more savory fare there were bagels and lox, roasted garlic potatoes, and a golden beet salad.

But the sleeper hit of the brunch was a very random fritatta I came across when surfing the internet.  I love feta with eggs, which is what sold me on it, even though the rest of the ingredients were a little unusual.  Dill?  Capers?  In and egg dish?  But I figured there was plenty of other food and I might as well forge ahead.  And it was amazing.  Everyone who tasted it found me to tell me how delightful it was.   And so I'm sharing it with you.  Not a fan of dill or capers?  That's how most of my guests felt, but for some reason the both just added the right amount of salt and flavor without making the dish taste like either.   So make it and enjoy - the perfect way to start off a new year!

Tomato, Feta, and Dill Frittata (From Real Simple)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

6 scallions, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp dill, chopped

8 eggs

1 cup crumbled feta

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Combine oil, tomatoes, scallions, capers, dill, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a medium oven proof skillet. Bake for about 14 minutes. Lower the heat to 375.
2.  Whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir the feta into the eggs.
4.  Add the eggs to the skillet and bake until the frittata is set in the middle - about 12-15 minutes.

Mommy Mondays: Mommy Mornings

Mornings are hard.   They were hard before kids, but at least then they were predictable.  All you had to do was get yourself ready.  You knew how long that would take and could plan accordingly.

All bets are off when kids get thrown into the mix.  Will you be able to get a shower in before they wake?  How long will it take to convince your 4 year old he doesn't need to wear 3 pairs of underwear?  How do you get ready while simultaneously fishing the baby out of the dog's water bowl?

Breakfast often gets thrown to the wayside, which is a shame, because as you may or may not know, it's supposed to be the most important meal of the day.    Thatkid usually eats in the car - toast and yogurt or a smoothie.  I often use breakfast as a way to keep Thatbaby entertained while I get ready for the day.

Fruit is a big go-to.  Some days I'll just ply him with bananas and berries until we're ready to go.  French toast is also an easy breakfast.

But what I like most of all, is something that I can make on the weekend for easy reheating during the week.

"Egg cups" are one of my favorite morning meals.  I chop up some vegetables and cook them with egg and cheese in muffin cups.  Small, easily reheatable, and even transportable for mornings when I need to bring my breakfast with me.

This is Ina Garten's version of the egg cup.  Everyone in the family likes this one, and the bonus is that it's loaded with greens.  Breakfast taken care of?  One less thing to worry about in the mornings and one step closer to getting you out the door.

Mini Italian Frittatas (From Ina Garten)

2 Tbsp olive oil

 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks

4 oz sliced Italian proscuitto, coarsley chopped

8 oz baby spinach

2 1/2 Tbsp julienned fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups grated Italian Fontina cheese

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

salt and pepper

4 Tbsp frehsly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add the leaks and saute for 3 minutes until tender.
2. Add the prosciutto and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking it up with a fork.
3. Add the spinach, tossing with tongs, then cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes, tossing once while it cooks, until the spinach is wilted.
4. Off the heat, stir in the basil and lemon juice and set aside for 5 minutes.
5. Divide the mixture with tongs among the 12 muffin cups, leaving any liquid behind.
6. Sprinke the Fontina evenly on top.
7. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  
8. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the filling each cup to the top.
9. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

Trail of Crumbs: Whispery Eggs with Crabmeat and Herbs

Any chef worth his salt should have a good egg recipe, right?  I mean, it is a kitchen staple.  Chances are, at some point in your life, you're going to need to make eggs.   The weird thing about eggs, is even though they are a staple, there are so many different recipes.  Some people add milk, some add cream cheese.  Some stir in the pan, others smoosh around. 

Kim Sunee's egg recipe comes from her grandfather, who infused his New Orleans spirit in many of the recipes she presents.  As far as the eggs go, this means the inclusion of crabmeat, which she claims he added to just about anything.

To make these eggs "whispery" Sunee recommends whisking them.  The creme fraiche ensures they're still creamy and slightly decadent.  As if the crabmeat didn't do that already.

Whispery Eggs with Crabmeat and Herbs (From Trail of Crumbs)

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp creme fraiche

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

1 spring onion, chopped

1 to 2 Tbsp chopped herbs

1 cup fresh lump crabmeat

lemon zest or hot sauce

1.  Whisk eggs vigorously in a large bowl 1 to 2 minutes, using a handheld whisk.
2. Add salt, pepper, and creme fraiche and whisk one minute more.  Set aside.
3. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook onion and herbs about 2 minutes.
4. Give eggs one last whisk and pour into skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low and gently stir eggs about 2 minutes.
5. Add crabmeat and cook another minute.  Serve warm with fresh lemon zest, more herbs, or a dash of hot sauce.
   

 

Things that go bump in the night: Migas

On Christmas Eve, many families gather together and read the classic "Night Before Christmas."  I can't wait until Thatbaby is old enough for us to start a similar tradition with Halloween.  You see, when I was in elementary school, I went through a phase where I was obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe.  Dark, grim, mysterious.  One of my babysitters fed into my obsession by getting me a complete anthology of his work.  I have it to this day.  And I imagine one day, my family will gather before a night of trick or treating to read a story from the collection.

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to scary stories.  My favorite are the old school psychological thrillers.  The ones dealing with ghosts are my favorite.  And while these days I'm more apt to grab something light and fluffy, many of these books hold a special place in my heart.

So here are my top 10 Halloweeny book!

For The Little Guys
These are the ones we're currently reading to Thatbaby.

Curious George Halloween - Thatbaby loves "GEORGE!"  In fact, any monkey is George.  This is a little collection of Halloween poems, which is good for the little guys because you can make it as short or long a read as you'd like.  It's also fun for "find the" games since there's a lot to spot on each page.


Ollie's Halloween - Do you know the goslings?  They're a super cute band of friends who live on a farm.  In this story they all get dressed up and find treats and spooks.  And share their treats with each other.

Room on the Broom - TMIL picked this up for Thatbaby this year and I LOVE IT!  Such a great, non-scary story.  The witch isn't a bad guy, she's nice!  And there's always room for one more on her broom.  Which ends up being very beneficial for her.  It's a great lesson in being nice.

For the Slightly Older
These are my favorite from my childhood.

Bunnicula - Vampire bunny!  I read this entire series.  And my friend and I used to act out scenes.  I think there was even a movie at some point in time?

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - I had this whole series also.  They scared the pants off me.  I remember reading these under my covers with a flashlight, and then being afraid to go to sleep.  And to this day I start crying if you begin telling the "Vindow Viper" story.  I don't know why it gives me such the creeps.

The Lottery - We read this one in school and I don't think I'll ever forget it.  This is the kind of lottery you don't ever want to win.

For the Slightly Slightly Older

Edgar Allen Poe -I already talked about this one, but I love these dark stories.  The Raven, The Telltale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum.  Creepy!

Woman in White - Victorian ghost stories are some of my favorite.  That period is phenomenal in literature anyway, but especially for the suspenseful stuff.  I actually took a course in "Ghost Stories" when in college and that's where I was introduced to this classic.

Turn of the Screw - This is one of my favorite books of all times.  I have multiple copies.  If you haven't read it, you MUST.  So creepy.  You'll want every light on in the house.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman is the master of the dark story.  I just read this one earlier this year and I seriously could not go right to sleep when I finished certain chapters.  Some of the characters are just so....nightmarish!  But I guess for an entire civilization that lives below the streets, that makes sense.


The surefire solution for dark stories is daylight.  The sun seems to ward off zombies, werewolves, and vampires.  Which is why breakfast is so important.  Because if you manage to make it to breakfast, you're good for at least another 12 hours.  Which is why I never feel guilty about a big, hearty breakfast.  After all, you need the energy to fight off the baddies.  And it's no surprise I go for savory.  Mexican breakfasts are some of my favorites - chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, migas - and they're all so easy to make at home.

Migas are like a Mexican omelet.  Filled with veggies, eggs, and cheese.  And making these proved that having your child help cook a meal can get them interested in eating it. Thatbaby told me he didn't want eggs.  He tasted the tortillas and peppers and told me they were "yucky."  But I had him whisk the eggs for me, and then pour them into the pan.  As soon as they were ready to eat, he was at the table, shoveling them in his mouth and telling us how yummy they were.

Migas

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 corn tortillas

2 flour tortillas

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, diced

1 heirloom tomato, diced

10 eggs

4 oz crumbled cotija cheese

1/4 cup half and half

1. Heat canola oil over medium heat and fry the tortillas until crisp (about 30 seconds per side).  Drain on paper towels.
2. Add olive oil and butter to skillet and heat until butter is melted.  Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until onions are transluscent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the jalapeno and cook an additional minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook an additional minute,
5. Chop the crisp tortillas and add them to the skillet.
6. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half and half.  Pour the mixture into the skillet, folding to cook.
7. When egg is cooked through, stir in the cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

From the Archives: Sausage Hash

Thatboy loves sweets for breakfast.  Pancakes, waffles, and the like.  I'm much more into breakfast savories.  There's nothing I like better than a nice omelet, or huevos rancheros.  I'm a definite "egg for breakfast" type of girl.

But not just any type of egg: eggs with spice, eggs with salt, eggs with veggies!

Hash is just my style for breakfast.  A mixture of sausages, peppers, and eggs.  In some places known as a skillet because...it's cooked in a skillet.  The classic breakfast (eggs, sausage, and potatoes) but all cooked together.  Like a breakfast stew.   This is exactly the kind of thing that I would order if I saw it on a menu, but when I make it at home, I can eat it in my pajamas.  Which is also very much how I prefer to eat breakfast.

Sausage and Potato Hash

3 yukon gold potatoes

1 Tbsp canola oil

 1 pkg chicken sausage, sliced.

1/4 onion, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sprig thyme leaves

1 sprig rosemary leaves

1 sprig oregano leaves

salt and pepper

5 eggs, slightly beaten

1 Tbsp butter

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove potatoes from water, let cool, then dice.
2. Heat oil in a skillet.  Brown sausages, then remove them from pan.
3. Add sliced onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Combine sausages with the potato mixture and place in bowls.
6. Melt the butter in the skillet, and scramble the eggs. 
7. Place eggs on top of the sausages and potatoes and serve.