Back to daily blogging! Yesterday was a perfect day for this
return. And yes, I’m aware that there are 20 DAYS missing here, but they
actually are in progress and I WILL get to them!
The work day started with good intentions. Even though I
overslept, I packed my workout gear. Or so I thought. I packed all but a sports
bra and shoes. Two pretty important things, I’d say. Regardless, I sailed
through my day looking forward to my post-work major to-do list. As far as
achieving that is concerned, I missed a few things but I had one heck of a time
overachieving on others, like cooking. As soon as I walked in, I kicked off my
shoes, turned on Julie & Julia and threw myself into a cooking frenzy.
There’s something about that movie that just pulls me to my kitchen like moth
to a flame. Maybe more like a flambé. Here’s the goods: buttermilk ranch (with
garden-fresh dill!), roasted garlic marinara (half for this week, half for the
freezer), roasted (then pureed) butternut squash (for ravioli later this week),
a mix of poblano peppers, green peppers, cauliflower, onions and sweet potato
roasted with garlic and cumin for a Mexican veggie enchilada bake, salsa
(semi-homemade, but I’ll take it) for the same dish, roasted cauliflower with
lemon juice, parmesan and garlic, roasted zucchini and squash for quick-grab
veggies, and my crown jewel (in my opinion), mini frittatas with shredded
zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, turkey bacon, caramelized onion baked in small
mason jars. I feel uber-prepared for a week (or more) of great, real food! Ironically, after all this,
we went out for dinner, but it was for a good cause – celebrating my little
brothers laundry list of academic achievements this year! Spanish student of the year (out of 3 grades!), Bible
student, honor roll and he set a
school record in track! Brains and braun. ;)
For your eating pleasure, here’s a not-so-perfect recipe for
the frittatas (here’s the deal – I don’t measure, and I really just went with
what was on hand, ie 5 mason jars since that’s all I had clean! Also, I’m not
getting too technical here, so if you
need more info, ask!) You could change up the filling to include
whatever you like, this was just my combo of choice:
Grab-N-Go Mason Jar Frittatas
- 3 slices turkey bacon (I recommend Applegate Farms uncured
turkey bacon)
- 1/2 med sweet onion, thinly sliced into strips
-1 med zucchini, grated
-1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, quartered
- A very large handful of fresh spinach (washed, patted dry),
chopped or sliced into small pieces
- 5 eggs, 5 egg whites
- Milk or heavy cream
- Parmesan or cheese of your choice
-Salt & fresh-cracked pepper
- EVOO
- 5 8oz mason jars with lids (the low, squatty kind, not the
tall slender kind)
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Cook
turkey bacon until crispy (or desired texture), remove from pan and set aside.
2. Return the skillet to the med-high heat and add enough
olive oil just to coat the bottom of the pan (1-2 tsp). Add the onions, stirring
to coat with oil and spread evenly in pan. Stir occasionally until they’re that
beautiful rich brown color (caramelized), but not too often or they won’t brown.
You may need to turn the heat down to medium to finish the process. Use your
personal preference here – I prefer mine nearly charred. J When finished, remove
onions from skillet, place on a plate and set aside
*while onions are doing their thing, shred your zucchini (I used
a box grater), chop your tomatoes and chop your now-cooled bacon)*
3. Wipe out the same skillet and return to medium heat. If
you’re using a non-stick skillet, you won’t need to add any oil. Toss in your
shredded zucchini and tomatoes. Cook just until veggies are tender, 5-10
minutes. (again, your preference), season with salt and pepper.
4. Coat your mason jars with oil (I use olive oil in my
Misto). Begin layering your ingredients, distributed evenly amongst all five
jars – onions, zucchini and tomatoes, spinach, bacon, salt and pepper, and a
sprinkle of cheese.
5. Whisk together eggs and egg whites and add splash or two
of milk or cream. Pour evenly amongst all mason jars, making sure other
ingredients are submerged.
6. Place all jars in roasting pan deep enough for a water
bath – fill pan with warm water to about the half-way mark on the jars.
7. Bake @ 375 until set, 15-20 minutes. A knife will come
out clean from the center. Just be careful not to overbake!
When finished, remove jars from water bath and let cool. If
you’re in a hurry, place them in a cool (NOT cold) water bath. Pop your lids on
and in the fridge they go!
If you give this a shot, let me know how it goes. I’m
(obviously) new to this recipe thing.
Highlights:
1) Watching a movie about food AND blogging goals? Fuel to the fire. It really was just what I needed. And I also remembered how much I love cooking - 2+ hours on your feet can fly when you're having fun.
2) Hubs went to bed fairly early, so I was left (still working in the kitchen) with our housemate and his bud. We had a pretty nice chat about dreams, small business, entrepreneurship and cooking. I've semi-known them for years, but I do enjoy actually getting to know them now. Hope the feeling is mutual.
3) The squash in the garden are getting so big! And lots of little green bean shoots! I'm so happy. Also, we have some actual blue blueberries. I ate one. So tart! Not ready yet, I suppose!
Love & Long nights in the kitchen,
K
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