Veggie Frittata

This week I decided to make something for breakfast for you. Of course, you could eat this any time of the day or night. Super easy and you can vary the veggies and cheese depending on what you have on hand. This is the version I usually make but I sometimes add other veggies (spinach is excellent by the way as are tomatoes) and the cheese changes depending on what I have on hand. I also sometimes add some meat either crispy bacon or cubes of cooked ham are delicious.

The pepper I used was one of those little mini sweet peppers you find in the grocery store. I try always have them on hand because they are so easy to chop up and add to just about any dish and they are good to just snack on too. There is normally a mix of red, yellow, and orange little peppers in the bag. A lot of the time I sub them in when a recipe calls for just a small amount of green pepper too since I then don't have part of a big pepper sitting around waiting to be used up. And I think they taste better than the green peppers too.

This recipe is super easy to make. All you do is combine the ingredients in a bowl, stir it really well and pour into a greased 2 cup baking dish. I prefer a rectangular shaped baking dish because I find the egg mixture bakes more evenly. I tried it in a round baking dish one time and the center took a lot longer to cook and the outside edge got kind of dry.

I like to add a few dashes of green Tabasco sauce to mine just before I eat it and sometimes I will add a dollop of sour cream too. It all depends on what I have in the fridge and my mood.

Veggie Frittata

2 large eggs

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

½ cup cut up broccoli

¼ shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese Mexican Blend)

2 Tablespoons cut up green onion

2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 2 cup rectangular baking dish.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

 

 

Pour into the prepared baking dish and cook in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to set on the counter for about 5 minutes before cutting in half and serving. 

 

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes

This week I thought I would show you how to make some fun and yummy summer cupcakes. This is a small batch like all the baking on this blog, this time I got 6 cupcakes. I am using a boxed cake mix that I got at the regular grocery store. I did a post a little over a year ago to show you how to divide that box of cake mix to make small batches. Here is a link to that post if you need a refresher. I love to have a few boxes of mix in my cabinet divided and ready to bake a small batch of cupcakes. 

 

If you do remember that post it was my intention at the time I wrote it to give you a monthly cupcake recipe. Life kind of got in the way of my blogging around that time but now that I am back I am hoping to get you those monthly cupcakes.

Since the strawberries are so wonderful right now I decided to start off with something with strawberries in it. And I am currently loving pretty much anything with lemons in it so the Strawberry-Lemonade was the perfect choice.

We are starting with a plain yellow cake mix (well ⅓ of a box of cake mix) and we are making the cake part of the cupcake lemon flavor. I used the zest and the juice of a lemon to do this. I also added some vanilla extract (if you read that post about dividing the box of mix you know why) This gave a fairly mild lemon flavor. If you want a really strong lemon flavor you could also add some lemon extract to the batter in addition to the vanilla. We also need the ingredients that the cake mix calls for (scaled down to the ⅓ portion, again see the post on dividing for the cake mix)

I like to use my ice cream scoop to portion out my batter, that way all the cupcakes end up the same size. Then bake using the time and temperature given on your cake mix box (mine was 20 minutes at 350°F)

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

The frosting is where the strawberry is coming into play. I like to use an all vegetable shortening in my frosting, I like the neutral flavor it has. I find that butter can over power the flavor of frosting many times. You can use either one, it is up to you.

This frosting has very few ingredients: powdered sugar, shortening (or butter), strawberry jam and a tiny bit of red gel food coloring. That's it, just 4 ingredients and it is so yummy.

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes

⅓ of a box of yellow cake mix

the zest of 1 lemon

⅓ cup of lemon juice plus water (see the recipe below)

1 egg

3 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Start by preheating your oven to the temperature your box of cake mix calls for, mine was 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners or grease really well.

Zest and juice your lemon, measure the juice you get from your lemon and add water to make ⅓ cup.

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice/water mixture, egg, oil and vanilla in a mixing bowl and combine well.

Add the cake mix and beat for up to 90 seconds.

Portion into cupcake pan and bake according to instructions on your cake mix. Mine was baked at 350°F for about 20 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Frosting

1 ½ cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

2 ½ Tablespoons shortening or butter

3 Tablespoons strawberry Jam

red gel food coloring (if desired)

 

Using a mixer blend together the powdered sugar and shortening until well combined. Add the jam and mix until smooth. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring if desired to make a pretty deep pink color.

Spread frosting on cupcakes. 

 

As a side note I had just a bit of frosting left over and decided to use it as a dip for pretzels. It was so yummy and a great use for leftover frosting.

So any ideas on what cupcake I have planned for next month??

Lemony Cheese Tortellini

This dish could almost be described as summer in a bowl. It just tastes so fresh but is filling at the same time.

I was wanting something with lemon in it for dinner a while back and started searching my favorite sources for yummy recipes. I found this one and had to try it. I was so pleased with the result I knew I had to share it here with all of you as soon as possible. As a side note the first time I made this I had to work the next day so I took my leftovers with me to reheat for lunch. Everyone that walked through the break room commented on how good my lunch smelled. 

This dish is based on tortellini and you could use either fresh or frozen. I almost always have a bag of the frozen variety on hand so that was what I used. You only need half the bag so you can enjoy the rest another day.

The original recipe called for fresh peas but I couldn't get any at the grocery store so I subbed in frozen they work just as well.

Do be sure to watch the zucchini in the oven there is a really fine line between browned and burnt.

The sauce for the pasta contains Better than Bouillon, if you are not familiar with this product let me fill you in. it is sold where you find the bouillon cubes in the grocery store and at first glance, it looks expensive. The thing is this stuff in incredible when used in cooking and lasts a long time. I do highly recommend getting it to use.

The sauce also has sour cream and some of the pasta water. If you don't regularly use the water you cooked the pasta in for sauce this might seem strange. Trust me it works so well. Because we season the water to cook the pasta in that step is already done and the pasta releases starch into the water that helps to thicken the sauce without you having to add anything else. It makes for a silky sauce that tastes really rich. The sour cream just adds to the creaminess to the dish and makes it perfect.

So shall we get on to the recipe?

Lemony Cheese Tortellini

1 medium zucchini

olive oil

salt and pepper

4 slices bacon, diced

9 oz cheese tortellini (either frozen or fresh)

2 cloves of garlic (about 1 teaspoon minced- or more to taste)

1 lemon

2 cups peas

1 teaspoon Better than Bullion Chicken Base

¼ cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon butter

Adjust the top rack in your oven to the top position and preheat the oven to 500° F (if your oven doesn't go to 500° preheat the broiler to high instead)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Halve the zucchini lengthwise and cut into half-moon shapes, about ¼” thick. Toss the zucchini with some olive oil (about a Tablespoon) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the zucchini on a lightly oiled rimmed sheet in a single layer and roast in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes (or until nicely browned)

While the zucchini cooks cook the bacon in a hot skillet until crispy. Be sure to save at least 2 Tablespoons of the bacon fat.

When the water comes to a boil add some salt and the tortellini and cook according to the directions on the package. When the pasta is cooked reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

Using the same pot you used for the pasta heat the reserved bacon fat and add the minced garlic and peas. Cook until the peas are warm and garlic is fragrant. This should take a couple of minutes.

Add the Better than Bouillon and 2 Tablespoons of the 

reserved pasta water to the pan with the peas and garlic. Cook and stir until combined and heated through.

Add the zucchini, tortellini, sour cream, half the cooked bacon, and the butter. Stir carefully to combine.

Turn off the heat and add a good squeeze of the lemon juice. 

 

 

Taste for seasoning. Add more lemon, salt and/or pepper as needed. If the sauce is too dry add a bit more of the pasta cooking liquid.

Divide the pasta mixture between 2 bowls. Top with the rest of the cooked bacon and the lemon zest. 

 

Serve lemon wedges on the side if desired.

Pesto Panko Chicken

The recipe this week has become one of my favorites and one I make quite often. This kind of amazes me since I really don't normally care for boneless/skinless chicken breast. I find they usually turn out dry and don't have a lot of flavor. That doesn't mean I don't cook them on a regular basis they just typically aren't my favorite thing. This recipe solves both the problem with the dryness and the lack of flavor.

I am a huge fan of pesto and anything with pesto I usually like so that was why I tried this recipe in the first place. I am pretty sure the combination of the oil in the pesto and the thick blanket of coating it what keeps the moisture in the meat. In any case you should give this one a try.

Since this is cooked in the oven at 425°F  it is a good pair with either roasted veggies or roasted potatoes (or both) so that is a nice win too.

This recipe goes together fairly fast so providing you are organized you can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes or less. Another good thing in my book.

So let's get on to the step by step for this delicious chicken.

First step is to preheat your oven to 425°F .

Next put your boneless/skinless chicken breasts on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Pat the top surface of the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with a bit of salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine-

½ cup panko bread crumbs

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

a pinch each of salt and pepper

mix these ingredients together until they are well mixed and can be packed together

  Place a dab of pesto (about a Tablespoon) on top of each breast and spread to cover the top surface.

 

Now divide the panko/mozzarella mixture between the two pieces of chicken. Use your fingers to kind of pack it down and around the chicken forming a crust. You want this to stay together when you serve it.

Now roast the chicken in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Yes, I do check the temperature of my chicken as well as most things I cook.

Let rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

Since this is so easy and quick to make it is also a good dish for company, just increase the amounts. It works really well if you are making one chicken breast or dozens.

Pesto Panko Chicken

ingredients:

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

Kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

½ cup panko bread crumbs

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons prepared basil pesto

Preheat your oven to 425°F

Place chicken on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Blot chicken dry with paper towels, sprinkle a pinch each salt and pepper.

Combine panko bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese, olive oil and a pinch each salt and pepper.

Spread pesto over the tops of the chicken breast.

Divide panko mixture over chicken and pack on to form a crust.

Roast in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165°.

Allow to rest a few minutes before serving.

Serves 2

Banana Bread 3 Ways

We all know that one of the best uses of over-ripe bananas is a yummy loaf of banana bread. That is great when you have a houseful of people to eat the bread. But in smaller households of 1 or 2 people that isn't always the most practical idea. At least for me I know that even if I freeze most of that big loaf of banana bread I am going to get bored of it before I finish eating it/it goes bad. (yes, even in the freezer things have a shelf life) I need more variety so I came up with this batch of small loaves that is perfect for 1 or 2 people. Since I live alone I usually cut this size loaf in half to freeze. 

First lets talk about the loaf pans I am using, they measure 5 ¾” by 3” by 2”. One of mine is a Wilton brand that I picked up with a coupon at Joann's and the other 2 I found at my regular grocery store. Before I got these I just used the disposable ones from the from the grocery store. Those work okay but the heavier weight of the ones I have now produce a much nicer loaf. Also I like that I am not tossing them in the trash after a single use.

I the three flavors of bread I am showing you today are: Banana-Strawberry, Banana-Chocolate Chip and Banana-Peanut Butter. All three are super yummy. If you have a different addition you like in your banana bread feel free to substitute your favorites for what I used by using the amounts I give you as a guide.

So first I am going to take you step by step through the process with some pictures I took along the way. Then at the end of the post I will have the recipe and the instructions for you to follow.

As with any quick bread recipe I like to start by preheating my oven (in this case to 325°F. This is also a good time to grease the 3 small loaf pans we will be using. I just used some no-stick spray on mine and it worked great. 

  

 

In a medium size bowl we are going to combine sugar, oil and eggs with an electric hand mixer until they are well mixed.

Now add the sour milk or buttermilk along with your bananas. I find I really don't have to mash the bananas up at all before I add them since the mixer does a great job of mashing them.

Next in a separate bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together to combine.

I like to make sure both of these mixtures are well combined separately before I combine them together. This assures that all the ingredients are well mixed without over mixing our small amount of batter. Especially important since we are going to be adding more to it later.

Now add the flour mixture to the oil/banana mixture. Mix this just until combined, don't over mix now that your dry and wet ingredients are together.

Now for the fun part. Move 1 cup of batter into each of 2 more bowls giving you 3 bowls of batter to work with. There might be a bit more left in the original mixing bowl that 1 cup don't worry about it, that loaf will just be a bit bigger than the other two.

Banana-Strawberry Loaf

 

Mix your chopped strawberries with the 2 tsp of flour and add to one of your bowls of batter. Gently fold/stir the berries into the batter then pour the batter into one of the prepare loaf pans.

Banana-Chocolate Loaf

 

 Gently fold/stir the chocolate chips into the second bowl of batter and move the batter to the second prepared loaf pan.

Banana-Peanut Butter Loaf

Stir the chopped peanuts into the remaining batter gently.

Meanwhile in a microwave safe bowl heat the peanut butter in 10 second bursts until it is thin enough to pour. Stirring after each time you heat it. Watch it carefully you don't want to overheat it just get it to the point you can pour it.

 

Move half the batter with the peanuts added to the last prepared loaf pan, spread the heated peanut butter over the layer and top with remaining batter.

Place all the filled loaf pans on a large baking sheet and move to the preheated oven. Bake at 325° for 35 to 40 minutes or until a pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Alternatively do as I do and check the internal temperature of the loaves with an instant read thermometer it should read 200° when baked through.

Let bread rest in pans for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool further.

These freeze really well as long as you wrap the loaves well. What I usually do is cut the loaves in half (since there is only one of me that works the best) then I wrap each half in a good sized piece of plastic wrap. I add a label to each loaf so I know which one is which. I then put all the wrapped loaves in the freezer overnight to get frozen. The next day I put all the frozen loaves into a labeled gallon size freezer bag. (yes all three loaves fit into 1 gallon size bag for me) then I store the bag in the freezer. When I want some of the bread I take out the piece I want in the evening and let it thaw on the counter overnight. By morning it is ready to slice and re-heat. Makes a wonderful breakfast with some nice hot coffee.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Let me know what recipes you'd like to see here on the blog in the future.

Banana Bread 3 Ways

ingredients:

⅔ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons sour milk or buttermilk

3 very ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed)

 

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Strawberry loaf

⅓ cup chopped fresh strawberries

2 teaspoons flour

Chocolate chip loaf

⅓ cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate ones this time)

Peanut butter loaf

⅓ cup roughly chopped peanuts

2 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter.

Preheat oven to 325° F,

Grease 3 small loaf pans ( 5 ¾” by 3” by 2”)

Combine sugar, oil and eggs until well mixed. Add the sour milk/buttermilk and bananas and again mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

Divide batter into 3 bowls ( 1 into each the 2 extra bowls is close enough)

Strawberry loaf- combine the strawberries and flour and gently add to the first bowl. Move this mixture to a prepared pan.

Chocolate chip loaf- add the chocolate chips to another third of the batter and move to the second pan.

Peanut butter loaf- add chopped peanuts to last third of batter. Heat peanut butter in microwave in 10 increments stirring after each until pourable.

Add half peanut batter to remaining pan, pour on the heated peanut butter and add the remaining batter to top spreading to cover.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until loaves test done.

Allow to rest in pans for 10 minutes.

Move to cooling rack to cool as desired.