Summer Frittata

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summer_frittataThe past few weekends, we’ve had so much fun, that I “forgot” to make my main grocery shopping run.  That means that Monday comes along and I’ve got beautiful produce from the farm staring back at me from in the fridge, but no protein or basic things like, oh, bread.  This week, I had a few minutes to start up my bread machine and plenty of eggs, so frittata with rosemary bread it was (more on that bread later).  Served with an easy salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes and cukes from the farm, I could easily eat this meal almost every day.

There are two things I love about frittatas.  First, they can be made with whatever veggies, meats or cheese you happen to have sitting in your fridge.  Second, they require almost no stove time and from prep to finish are easily done during one Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode.  Ours tend to be pretty rustic, but you can make yours as fancy pants as you like.

Summer Frittata
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup white onion, finely diced
  • ¾ cup zucchini, finely diced
  • ¾ cup red or white potato (optionally peeled), cut into ½ pieces
  • 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 7 eggs, beaten
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Heat an oven-safe nonstick pan over skillet or medium heat
  3. Add olive oil to the pan
  4. Add onions and zucchini and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened
  5. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave on high for 5 minutes (or until fork-tender)
  6. Add the potatoes and spinach to the skillet and cook until spinach wilts slightly
  7. Add salt, pepper and thyme and stir to combine
  8. Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetable mixture
  9. Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables and cheese
  10. Let cook (without stirring) on stovetop 1-2 minutes or until sides have set
  11. Place pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, keeping an eye out for when the top has set and starting to brown
  12. Remove from oven, cut into slices and serve immediately

 

From the Farm

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farm_haul_7202This week started the way any good week should start.  With a trip to the farm to scope out produce for the week.  Here’s what came home with us.  The blueberries are destined for round two of a dairy-free blueberry muffin I’m fine tuning.  Raspberries, for my morning cereal.  Zucchini and potatoes, for a summer frittata.  Beets and potatoes, for a roasted potato salad.  Yep, it’s shaping up to be a pretty good week already.

Everyday Meatloaf

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everyday_meatloafHere’s the thing.  If it can’t be made with 15 minutes of prep time while a baby is crying in the background, it’s not really getting made in this house right now.  That means, sadly, very few new, intricate or exciting recipes are being tested in my kitchen.  On the upside, it also means we’re having lots of our tried and true favorites and lots of simple preparations that really highlight the star ingredient(s).  And if there ever were a tried and true recipe in my repertoire, it’s got to be meatloaf.

I think I’ve tried more meatloaf recipes than hairstyles in my life (and considering I was a teenager when perms were in style, that’s saying something).  Even now, they’re more like handbags than recipes to me.  There’s my every day one, my formal one, my summer one, and the one I just couldn’t say no to even though I had no use for it.  Ina Garten makes one of my favorites for those days that I have time to stand over the stove for a little while.  I haven’t had one of those days in awhile, though, so this recipe has been my go-to.  Paired with some simple baked sweet or white potatoes and this amazing baked zucchini and you’ll be darn proud of yourself for making such a super dinner with such little effort.

Everyday Meatloaf
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
Meatloaf
  • 2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Topping
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Combine ingredients in the bowl of a mixer
  3. Place onto a cookie sheet and shape into a loaf shape
  4. Bake for 45 minutes
  5. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and ketchup
  6. Spread the brown sugar/ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf
  7. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F

Baked Zucchini
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb zucchini (1 large zucchini)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Slice zucchini into ¼ inch pieces
  3. Toss zucchini pieces in olive oil
  4. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and spices in a separate bowl
  5. Arrange zucchini slices in a 9-inch round casserole dish
  6. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the zucchini
  7. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until zucchini slices are tender and topping crispy

 

Zucchini Bread

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zucchini_breadIt’s that time of summer where the flashy vegetables like tomatoes and corn haven’t made their appearance at the farm stand yet, and so the unsung heroes can have all the attention they’re due.  We filled our basket this week with beets, carrots, blueberries, leafy green lettuce and, you guessed it, zucchini!  I love taking the girls to the farm so they can see beets and carrots in their natural state (you know, with the greens still attached!)–I also love that we’re introducing them to lots of different foods, sometimes cooked in unconventional ways.

Zucchini bread is one of those things that seems strange.  Unnatural even.  It shouldn’t taste good, but somehow it defies the odds.  This recipe is just the right balance of sweet and savory to me.  I love the contrast of the olive oil and the brown sugar.  Combined with the zucchini, the result is light, fluffy and just a hint of sweet.  And if that wasn’t enough, they’re also dairy free, which means they really ring my bell right now.

I love using mini loaf pans because they make the perfect snacking slice for little fingers, but make big loaves or muffins if that makes you happy.  Adapted from The Kitchn.

Zucchini Bread
 
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Serves: 4 mini loaves
Ingredients
  • 1 pound zucchini (1 large or 2 medium-sized)
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Shred the zucchini using either a box grater or food processor with grater blade.
  3. (Optional) Use a cheesecloth or kitchen towel to gently ring excess moisture from the zucchini.
  4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
  5. In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, olive oil and vanilla extract.
  6. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until just combined.
  7. Gently fold the zucchini into the mixture.
  8. Scoop into greased pans--4 mini loaf pans, 2 regular sized loaf pans, OR 2 muffin pans.
  9. For 4 mini loaf pans, bake on convection for 35 minutes, or slightly longer without convection. Adjust baking time up for regular sized loaf pans or down for muffin pans.

 

 

Striped Beets

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striped_beetsI had an oh sh&* moment this week when I started peeling my beautiful beets from the farm stand only to realize that they looked mostly white(!?) inside.  I paused for a moment and looked at my 2 year old and said, “Did we buy radishes?”.  My mind tried to go back in time to what the sign said at the farm stand, but all I could see was the 2 year old helping herself to handfuls of pickling cukes while I tried to pay.  I’m not sure I even looked at the sign because, come on, these were clearly beets.  I continued to inspect my half peeled beets, smelled them, even tried to FaceTime with my mom because surely SHE would know if I had bought radishes instead of beets.  Do radishes even come that big?  I debated this while the 2 year old chanted over and over again “You bought radishes, you bought radishes!”.

So, after some championship googling, I came to the conclusion that I was the proud owner of striped beets (also called candy cane beets or chioggia beets).  Some people think they look super cool, but I’m still partial to the deep, beautiful color of the regular old beet we all know and love.  Turns out though, they both taste equally awesome.

There’s a roasted beet and potato salad recipe that’s burning a hole in my pocket right now, but until I have a chance to give it a whirl, I’ll have to leave you with this old tried and true way to serve beets with dinner.  If your family loves beets too, make a good two pounds.  One is just never enough in this household.

Roasted Beets
 
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Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch beets (roughly 1 pound)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Peel and slice the beets into 1-inch pieces
  3. Toss the beets in olive oil, place them on a baking sheet with the thyme sprigs and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until beets are fork tender.

 

Watermelon, Watermelon Everywhere

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watermelonI’ve never been watermelon’s biggest fan.  In fact, I might have gone a few summers without ever having it in my house–until babies and toddlers entered my life.  They love this stuff.  I mean, can’t get enough.  To the point that, not only do I buy it every week, but we sometimes run out before the next grocery run.  And it isn’t pretty when that happens.  So, I’ve taken to buying a whole one each week.  The kind you need a big scary knife to cut into.  The first week it came in with the groceries, the engineer was appalled at how much watermelon there was.  He didn’t think we could possibly eat it all in one week (we could).  It did seem like an overwhelming amount though, so we sliced one half for the fridge, and made the other half into watermelon popsicles.  I can’t figure out why I didn’t think of this sooner.  If you don’t have popsicle sticks, just cut them into big triangles and freeze them that way instead.  When I have popsicle sticks handy now, I cut the watermelon into roughly 2 in x 5 in pieces, insert the stick, and stick them in the freezer on a wax paper lined sheet pan until they harden (about 30 minutes).  Then I transfer them to quart size ziploc bags until we’re ready to eat them.  Easy to do and makes you look super cool at your next barbecue!

Breakfast Muffins

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oatmeal_muffinThe baby and I have been eating dairy free for awhile now.  Definitely not by choice.  The truth is that I figured we would be eating ice cream like champs by now, so I didn’t put much thought into loads of dairy free recipes.  But, since we’re still doing this, and I really couldn’t last another week without a baked good (and I’m pretty sure she couldn’t either), I finally got down to business.  Poor girl couldn’t watch her sister eat homemade waffles any longer.

The first time I took a stab at these muffins, they were a bit dry and not overly sweet.  The engineer practically spit his out (I think he would sugar his sugar if he could).  The girls and I ended up scarfing down the whole batch though.  The next time, I upped the applesauce and oil by a bit and the result was just right.  These are truly a breakfast muffin–not too sweet, but filling and satisfying thanks to the oatmeal.  I love that they’re made with applesauce, which is something that’s in my pantry year round.  When they’re in season, I definitely plan to add some fresh shredded apple as well.  Adapted from Hannah Barringer Loudon.

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
 
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Satisfying and delicious dairy free muffins
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups AP flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ cup water
  • 5 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups old-fashioned oats
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, applesauce, water, oil, egg and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined
  4. Carefully stir oats into mixture
  5. Immediately spoon into 12 lined-muffin tins and bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Summer Afternoons

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coreopsisRemember the Country Time Lemonade commercials from the 90s?  The ones with scenes of kids running through fields, swinging on tires and rolling inner tubes down the dock to a lake?  I haven’t had the pleasure of mixing a pitcher with that magical powder for some years now, but I always associate those commercials with my ideal summer.  Lazy days.  Best enjoyed in the late afternoon when the sun makes everything look a little golden.

We’ve been enjoying some rare hot but non-humid days lately.  The kind of days that I don’t want to turn on the air conditioning and, instead, dress the girls in airy little sundresses and keep all the windows open to capture the warm breeze.  We went out for a backyard picnic yesterday and it was as close to one of those commercials as I can remember.  Yes, the baby’s nose was running into her graham crackers and I left the beets in the oven to shrivel up for dinner, but so what.  The three of us swung on the swing set letting our bare feet feel the breeze, gobbled up our graham crackers, and watched planes draw lines in the sky.  And out of the corner of my eye, I happen to notice a small patch of sun peeking through the trees to give my coreopsis just the right light.  Darn good afternoon.

The Farm

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farmThere is a small farm near our house that never ceases to bring me both inspiration and peace the moment I open my car door and feel the breeze rolling across the open fields.  We started coming here years ago as CSA members and have been so happy to see the farm grown and prosper since then.  Now that we have little ones, it provides another dimension of happiness for me to be able to see my girls enjoy its simple pleasures so much.  We make at least one visit a week so that I can check out the latest produce and the girls can say “hi” to the chickens and goats.  Some days, we even splurge and get an ice cream cone.  Either way, there is no happier way to spend a morning or afternoon.

Strawberry Lemonade

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strawberry_lemonadeAre there any two things more quintessentially summer than strawberries and lemonade?  Well, ok, there’s watermelon, tomatoes, blueberries, pale ales, ice cream, not to mention anything grilled.  Fine.  There are other just as ‘summery’ things.  But, right now, there are loads of strawberries at the local farms and my fridge is full of lemonade.  And, really, strawberry season is over so quickly that I need to embrace every sweet juicy berry that I can before I’m back to having to buy them from the grocery store shipped from California (or someplace even further away).  So, while I can, I’m going to make lemonade.  Well, strawberry lemonade.  Well, actually, my kids are still sick and I don’t have time to make lemonade from scratch, so store bought will work just as well.  Here you go, friends.  Easy, refreshing and sure tastes like summer.

Strawberry Lemonade
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2 medium sized strawberries + 1 to garnish the glass
  • 8 ounces lemonade
  • ice
Instructions
  1. Remove stems from strawberries and place them in glass (or pitcher if making for a crowd!)
  2. Muddle (fancy word for squish around) the strawberries with a pestle (or spoon or whatever is handy)
  3. Fill glass with ice.
  4. Top off with lemonade
  5. Place a ripe strawberry on the glass rim for garnish