Frittata

Source: Cooks http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=8393

Notes: One of my favorite meals to make is a frittata. It has a few things going for it:

• It is healthy, versatile, quick, cheap, easy cleanup
• It uses leftovers like a boss

In addition to consuming right away, this also refrigerates and microwaves very well. I haven't tried freezing it. You can use all matter of ingredients as long as you have about filling that covers but doesn't pile on the bottom. It should also be warm otherwise it takes too long to bring everything to temperature and your eggs won't cook evenly.

Serves: 4 servings, two if you're hungry

Ingredients: <the ingredients provided generally in the order they are used, including any prep>

• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fat free half and half
• 1 1/2 Ounces grated cheese (about 1/3 cup)
• Filling - see variations - 1-2 Cups total of whatever you want

Program: <list of steps>

1. Turn on broiler and put rack in upper middle position
2. Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, half and half
3. Cook your filling ingredients in a 10 inch nonstick skillet that can go under the broiler
4. Pour the egg mixture over the filling ingredients
5. Cook eggs over medium high heat until you have large curds and the spatula leaves a large wake, about a minute or two
6. Shake skillet to distribute everything evenly - let it cook for about 30 seconds to let the bottom set
7. Put the pan in the broiler until the top is puffed and spotty brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes
8. Take from broiler and let it finish cooking with no heat for about 5 mins
9. Slide onto cutting board and slice into wedges using a pizza cutter

Variations:

• Fillings can be anything you have leftover. I'd warm it through before adding.
• Onions, shallots or scallions are great
• Bacon, breakfast ham, or sausage are great
• Tomatoes you can do but be sure there isn't a tremendous amount of liquid - cook them down a bit

Log:

• First Made: Years ago
• Last Made: Regularly

Tags:

• Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Special: Easy
• Sidebar: 
• Source: Cooks

Version: Version 1.3

Healthy Pancakes

Since I did healthy waffles, this was only a matter of time. These are a variant of several recipes I found, but the mother recipe is Alton Brown's, from his book "I'm Just Here For More Food".

I quadrupled this recipe with the intent of freezing these for the kids.

This follows the Muffin Method for those that know it.

Dry Goods:
- 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 C Wheat Germ
- 1Tsp Baking Powder
- 1Tsp Table Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
- 3 Tbsp Sugar

Wet Goods
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/4 C Milk
- 1 C Plain Yogurt
- 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
Note: I upped the wet to dry ratio because I was using yogurt and wheat germ, which are going to keep the batter a little thicker.

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a nice large bowl
2. In a small bowl beat the eggs, then add the other wet ingredients until well blended
3. Add the wet to the dry all at once and mix til just combined (you aren't making dough! don't overmix!)
4. Heat griddle to 350 or a non stick skillet to medium low until water droplets dance on the surface
5. Rub down with oil - there should be barely any fat
6. Scoop approx a 1/4 C of batter as many times as you can fit and still get in to flip them easily - I use a disher for this
7. Go about three mins until the edges are slightly dry (you can peek underneath)
8. Flip and go a little less on the other side
9. Serve as you see fit or cool completely and refrigerate/freeze

Dan

Meatballs

I am trying to replicate the meatballs my kids like and that we can freeze for later use. I decided to start with a recipe I'd seen and was intrigued by: Alton's recipe for baked meatballs. It addresses one issue my kids have with meatballs done on a pan, uneven coloring. Alton's are baked in a mini muffin tin. I learned some things, but I still have work to do. My wife and I love them and will eat them, but these aren't kid ready yet.

Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-meatballs-recipe/index.html

My lessons learned:
- I left out the red pepper flakes and upped the salt some.  That was good.
- I probably need to lose the lamb next go-around and do half pork and half beef.
- I didn't make them quite big enough; so they sat too low in the tray, which resulted in the underside sitting in the fat that accumulated. Tasty for mom and dad, but unsightly for the little ones.
- While I took the final mixture for a spin in the food processor, I probably need to do that to the spinach first to get the finest texture possible. Specs of green are not going to go over well.

Dan