Easy Frittata with Vegetables and Bacon...also an Award!

I'm not trying to cover up, or making excuses for not posting a fabulous dessert...my favorite quote..."it is what it is"..."what you see is what you get"...well, it holds true. I'm quite a frugal person, but that does not mean I'm "cheap" I like to get good quality produce, small amount of meats, seafood, and the freshest and best eggs possible.

 I have been buying the 18 carton Egg-Land's Best at Costco's and I always have more than enough. I don't bake enough, and I don't eat enough eggs, so when I have a lot left over, I end up making a frittata on top of the stove, and finish it off in the oven, to melt and brown the top with the cheese on it, but this time I didn't have any cheese...but did still have the organic bacon, so I cooked that separately, to sprinkle on the top. Leftover eggs are always nice hard boiled too, to make egg salad with it.

You probably also didn't know...which some of the 7 things about me, is that I love iced tea better than hot tea. The only time I drink hot tea, when the temperature drops below 65 degrees F. outside! Strange, but true! Also, I love Lipton fresh brewed tea. I literally make a pitcher of fresh tea for iced tea, which both my son and I love. He comes over to my place, at lunch time (works from home)...runs on the beach, and when he returns. he practically drinks the entire pitcher of ice tea with fresh lemon slices, and sweetened with "blue agave" syrup. So that's my little secret with the iced tea!

What you see on the forefront on the left, is little chunks of cooked potato, and little diced pieces of zucchini,
chopped onions, peppers, and diced fresh tomatoes, and beautiful sliced tomatoes  from that glorious bag of fresh tomatoes that I buy for $1.00 when they have it at my favorite local produce market!

Easy Frittata with Vegetables and Bacon

In a nonstick skillet, add 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, and saute 1 medium chopped onion, 2 medium potatoes diced small,1 zucchini diced small, 1 green pepper diced. When vegetables are almost tender, add 1 chopped tomato. Add salt and pepper, and cook until all the veggies are nice and fairly tender.
At this point, you can continue, or put into a plastic container, and save for the next day to continue the frittata.

You can cook up the bacon ahead of time, as well.
Cook 3 or 4 slices of organic, or any other bacon of your choice till crisp. On a double folded paper towel, let the bacon absorb the grease, when cool, you can place it in a small baggie, and refrigerate it.

You can proceed to warm the vegetables the next day, or proceed to continue after everything is cooked, on the same day.

Beat 8 large eggs lightly, chop the cooked bacon coarsely, or you can eliminate it, since the eggs are being cooked without the bacon.

Pour the eggs into the skillet, on top of the vegetables. Let it cook for a minute or two without disturbing it, and gently pull a little with a spatula to let the eggs set, but do not scramble it.

When the frittata is done, you could see the edges nicely set and the rest of the eggs are still moist, no runny parts, it is done, and ready to be served.
Add chopped bacon separately on top on each serving, or serve plain.

At this time you can reheat the cooked bacon in the toaster oven, or regula oven and toast your bread; actually on bake, at 350 degrees F. till  bacon heats up and gets crispy, and bread gets nice and golden.

Just look at the nice solid portion you can serve, not falling apart. Yields, 4 servings.

Scatter the bite size pieces over the top, yumm, nice and crispy, and enjoy!












I received an awards from two amazing food bloggers... that I have received as well back in May of this year.

Such an honor to receive this award, from a talented food blogger, who has been so kind to me in this short time that I had a pleasure to meet her. Remember the wonderful and really amazing watermelon knife? Well, I was the lucky winner of Vicki's givaway for that. Vicki is the author of At Home with Vicki Bensinger, In Home Culinary Classes Thank you Vicki for honoring me with the Versatile Blogger Award!

The next amazing food blogger is a dear friend of mine whom I met and became friends with the first week she just started her blog about 1year ago. She make all the pretty rainbow color cakes, and cupcakes. No wonder Joanna's blog is ChicGorgeous. Thank you Jo for honoring me with this wonderful award, as well!

I have already followed the rules from before, and paid it forward to 15 bloggers...did the 7 things about me, so there's nothing new since.
Please feel free to take the award to keep for yourself, or pass it on. You all deserve it...each and every blogger!

Blogging is not an easy task, and I don't mean that you are not "computer savvy"...it's just that when you prepare a post, as in foods, it is quite a project to cook, or bake, photograph it properly, and post the recipe, and also prepare a new post. It takes time, and energy, and to promote it. Makes no difference how many posts you do in a week, they all take up hours of your time.
Take care, and have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo

Warm Chocolate Pudding Cakes...and a special 7 Links



People tend to have addictions to all sorts of things, which I do not want to list right now, but if you would have a chocolate addiction like I do, and my granddaughter Gabby...you would understand why I on purposely do not bake a lot of things with chocolate, or even tempt my granddaughter with it.

I cannot trust myself to have chocolate around me, because I would eat the whole thing. Same thing goes for chocolate cake. So, I simply stay away from it, and have it once in a while, but honestly, if you're a "true chocolate lover" this would really satisfy your chocolate addiction. Not too sweet, not heavy, no cream added, just pure "chocolate heaven."

She must take after me, because she and I taste tested this Warm Chocolate Pudding cake, with the excuse of taking a photo of how it looks on the inside, just before my daughter served dinner...Gabby said to me "please don't tell mom I ate most of this...or she'll get so mad at me!..."and me"...I said. We not only taste tested it, but we ate the whole thing. The other spoon you see on the right is with another empty dish...and after that, we proceed to eat a nice dish of pasta, with homemade fresh tomato sauce, and a light salad.
Has any one of you done that? ...or are we just strange?

I'm linking my Warm Chocolate Putting Cakes, to Full Plate Thursday,
@Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Incidentally, I have left a comment @ Vicki's Blog At Home with Vicki Bensinger how I love to eat this pasta, with the fresh tomato sauce. She has just posted her recipe on it. Yumm!
Another delicious fresh tomato sauce recipe with Pennette, from Linda @ Vittles and Committals

Also, I wanted to share with you a special 7 Links from a wonderful blogger friend, Shabs,
@Yum and Delish whom I have tagged a couple weeks ago, if she would like to participate in rounding up her 7 links. She was so gracious and kind to keep me informed through e-mail, to let me know that she is still on vacation in her homeland, Kerala, India, and that she will post it when she comes back. Now, she has let me know on my previous post, commenting that she posted her 7 Links. She chose this gorgeous Strawberries and Cream Cake as her Most Beautiful Post...I do have to agree, and I'm sure you will too. Check out this amazing cake, and recipe, and her 7 links...you will be glad you did!

Strawberries and Cream Cake

Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake
adapted from American Bistro
by Diane Rossen Worthington

6 ounces of Semi-Sweet chocolate, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup=4 ounces unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray, or
butter 6 1-cup ramekins. In top of a double boiler, over simmering water, (you can stack a smaller pot over a large one for this method, it will serve as a double boiler)

Combine the chocolate with the butter. Heat until completely melted, stirring to blend. Remove from over the water, set aside to cool a bit.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, the egg yolks, and the sugar for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and lemon color.

Add the flour, blending it in completely, and then add the cooled chocolate. Bake for about 11 12 minutes, or until each cake is set around the outside

edges, but the center trembles slightly, when the

ramekin is moved.

Watch carefully, you don't over bake the cake, or it will be dry, instead of creamy in the center. Remove from the oven, using a fine mesh strainer, dust the tops with confectioner sugar. Serve while it's still warm, or at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, just pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds to get the temperature a little warm.

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles...and a Book Giveaway!

We have an old Hungarian tradition, that I remember from childhood, that my grandmother used to make, at least once a week called "túrós tészta (csusza)"...cottage cheese noodles! My mom used to make it, and my aunt, and sister, as well. The only difference is that my mom would make it with homemade noodles, and use fresh "farmers cottage cheese" and farmers sour cream, and real bacon, which could be considered "organic" bacon without "nitrates" added that we could actually buy these days, in Whole Foods Market.

Now, I don't have a step-by-step directions for this delicious and satisfying dish, that you can serve, with or without the crispy bacon bits, if you want it meatless...but oh, my! those organic uncured crispy bacon bits really, really add some extra flavor.

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles
hand me down "oral" recipe from my mom

1 lb. wide egg noodles
1lb. small curd cottage cheese, or farmer cheese
(dry cottage cheese "Friendship" brand)
1 lb. sour cream
1/4 lb unsalted butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bacon (I used organic uncured)

Boil noodles till done, set aside. Cook bacon till crispy. Set aside on double paper towel to soak up
the excess grease, and chop coarse. Set aside.

Spray a casserole with cooking spray. As soon as
you drain the pasta, put it back into the pot, add the butter or margarine, half of the cottage cheese, half the amount of the sour cream, and mix together. (also, you can fold in half the chopped bacon.)
Top with the rest of the bacon, and bake in a 350 degree F. pre-heated oven for about 25-35 minutes, till it gets nice and crispy on the top.

To serve, spoon extra cottage cheese and a spoon of sour cream, and serve...Serves 4-6

note: this is so delicious, even the little ones love this dish, and look forward to having this. My daughter and I make this this at least once a week!

...and now, for the Book Giveaway!

Signed by the author!

Here's a yummy cucumber sandwich photo, and recipe!

1 cucumber sliced in half lenghtwise, seeds removed, and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoon butter, and room temperature
6 white rolls cut in half
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a bow, combine the cucumber and salt. Divide the cucumber mixture evenly among the roll halves, and
sprinkle with the dill. Makes 12

Pineapple, Strawberry, and Banana Salad

1 pineapple cut into small chunks
5 bananas sliced
1 pound strawberries, stems removed, cut into thirds, or halves

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and serve immediately. Or, if you want to prepare the salad ahead of time, cut the pineapple and strawberries, and wait until the last minute to slice the bananas, so they don't turn brown.
Serves 12

Classic Tomato, Basil and Garlic Topping

7 to 8 plum or heirloom tomatoes roughly chopped
10 basil leaves finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl, and stir well. Let the topping sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to develop. Makes about 3 cups

Butternut Squash and Barley Soup

1 Turkey wing
1 large butternut squash. peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
5 parsley sprigs
6 sage leaves, plus 1 Tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 1/2 cups barley
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the turkey wing, squash, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, and whole sage in a large soup pot with 16 cups (1 gallon) of water, and place over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Add the barley, and cook for another 45 minutes. Just before serving, add the salt, pepper, and chopped sage, and stir. Serves 16

Mussels in Beer

5 pounds mussels debearded
1 bottle dark beer
1 head garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons coarsley ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty bread

Place all the ingredients except the pread in a pot. Place the pot over high flame, and cook covered for 2 minutes. Give the pot a shake, and cook 3 minutes more, until all mussels open. If any refuse to open, discard them. Serve straight from the pot with a loaf of crusty bread. Serves 8

OK, so you get the "picture?"...I mean, you get the idea what I'm giving away, a nice 176 page of appetizers, brunches, main meals for a crowd, and lots of recipes, and picture illustrations! Great book, great thrift find, and a great giveaway gift.

You don't have to do a thing, just let me know if you would like to receive this book...if you don't follow my blog, you do not qualify, to win this. I'm also on twitter, and facebook...but not really acitve, so you are not obligated to follow me there!
I will ship anywhere in the U.S. and Canada...sorry for excluding all the other countries this time!

The winner will be determined at Random.org generated number, and you have till Monday, September 12, 11:00PM Eastern Standard time to let me know, and comment on my blog!
I will announce the winner, on Tuesday, September 13. 2011.

I know I love this book, have not really looked at it much, I just keep piling up on the thrift finds, one after, another...only to re-donate them. (I cannot imagine having a huge library of cookbooks...been there, done that!) Now, I really am "downsizing"...I don't want to go into a long "song and dance" story, but if you had to move 3 times in the last 6 years (#1. due to hurricane damage #2. help daughter w/her sm. business venture,( which she sold since)
#3. change job/location) you would downsize too. First things that had to go was my huge cookbook collection, Bon Appetit magazine and Gourmet magazine collection. As the saying goes,
"you can't take it with you" when you die, of course...and neither when you are alive, so thank God I'm alive, and well, and thanking God every day for the "small things in life."
Enjoy your weekend, and hug your loved ones!
Hugs, from me to you, as well!

Remembering those who died at the World Trade Center...as well as those who gave their lives to save others.
May God give those who lost their loved ones comfort, and blessings! ...God Bless us all, and God Bless the United States of America!



True Random Number Generator


...and the winner is: Nami-Just One Cookbook

Min: 1

Max:  41

Result:

14

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations, Nami! I hop you will enjoy the book. I will contact you for your address to ship to!
Thanks, to all for participating, I appreciate you kind comments. I will have other books for a giveaway, I get such nice cookbooks, and I just can't keep them all. At the price that I'm able to buy it (which is practically free)...and excellent usefool books, I'm happy to pass it on and just pay for the shipping cost!

Also, I wanted to mention that I forgot to check the Random.org number generator last night and this morning I checked it at 11:00AM, so at this time I had 41 comments...and yes Becky, and Gina, you were not too late, I did include you in the total numbers!

Lemon-Glazed Zucchini Bread...and More Tomatoes!

I have not made zucchini bread for years, maybe since my children were little, and they actually loved it!...why not now?...I really don't know!

I used to have a fantastic recipe from Bon Appetit, but that was from the seventies, or eighties and those recipes almost, always called for at least 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 2 cups of sugar...yikes!!! there goes your cholesterol level, and killing you with sugar!...no thank you! At any rate, this recipe, I assure you has very little oil (1/4 cup) and lot less sugar (1/2 to 3/4 cup)...so, no wonder I didn't make it until now, although I've always been relying on my banana breads with excess ripe bananas always at hand. ...also having zucchini on hand, but using it in savory dishes!

Whatever you do, just don't tell your 5yr. old child that this is zucchini, the green vegetable that they are being served, tucked away, inside this wonderful lemon-sugar glazed bread. I made that mistake, and my 5yr. old granddaughter would not touch it with a 10ft pole! I posted this photo, because I wanted to show off the glaze on the top, and also the photo itself. Both was done by Sophia, my 10yr old granddaughter. She certainly loved the bread, and even had seconds. What a difference 5year makes! If you really want to camouflage the zucchini, all you have to do, is to peel it first, then grade it, the way my daughter Lora made it, with the same recipe. I, of course left the little green specks in it...which is the "beauty" of this delicious and moist zucchini bread!

See the little specks of green?...that's what real zucchini bread is all about...seeing the actual specks of the beautiful shredded fresh zucchini.

 Lemon-Glazed Zucchini Bread
adapted from The Best of Cooking Light 2.

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
(pat zucchini dry w/ paper tow after shredding)
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoon grated lemon-rind
2 eggs

For the Glaze:
1 cup sifted-powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, add the sugars, the eggs, oil, and milk. Whisk together till well incorporated and creamy. Add the flour mixture together, to the wet ingredients, add the grated lemon, and fold in the shredded zucchini.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan to cool completely, before drizzling the glaze on it!

Combine the powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Stir with a whisk. Drizzle over loaf. Yield 12 serving (1 slice)

These tomatoes... each of these portions came in a plastic bag just like the ones you see in the photo. They are ripe tomatoes, some have a little blemish as the one you see in the foreground, but otherwise, they are perfect and ripe...ready to can them or cook with them. They also make the best salsa, a well. They would be perfect for a tomato tart...Yumm! All the possibilities, endless! Each of these portions cost only $1.00 at our local produce market. Even those apples in the upper photo. My daughter Lora and I divide these up (she gets the apples) because she makes pies and tarts, and I take a bag or two of the tomatoes. You can also blanch them, take the skins off and flash-freeze them if you don't want to take the time to can them! Great "thrift finds"...and huge savings:DDD
Hope all of you had a wonderful Labor Day, and now it feels like a Monday, and yesterday felt like a Sunday!
...maybe it's just me who feels it!

Canning Tomatoes...and missing Gina!

My friend Gina, from SPCookieQueen had just announced that she will have to take a break from blogging for a while, and may not be coming back! In the meantime, she had just posted her 7 Links that I tagged her with, and it is so beautiful with all her heartfelt posts, and favorite things that she posted, that I was so pleased to see, but not so pleased to hear the news that she may not be returning to her blog...sigh!

You see, Gina was one of the first blogger that befriended me on my blog, when I first started, and I will be forever grateful for that. She is so talented, and has come such a long way with her photo props, as she has explained in the past how she is doing it with the proper lighting...etc. All her recipes are so amazing, from soups...to desserts, and the photos are superb! I will personally miss her blog, and her, mostly. I have mentioned to blog at least once a month, because of her busy work schedule, so hopefully she will do at least that. As for the recipe for the actual Marinara Sauce...canning tomatoes. just link to her site! I only made a few jars of these, and I must say, it was truly a success...so thank you Gina for all your wonderful contributions...you are truly a beautiful friend, and a fantastic blogger...please do not leave permanently, not just yet!

Here's the recipe for How to can Marinara Sauce  from fresh tomatoes!

All I did was to saute some chopped onions, and chopped garlic in olive oil, and added the jar of canned Marinara sauce...heat it up, and I arrived at having the most wonderful Marinara Sauce I had ever tasted in my entire life...seriously!

...and to make it even better, I sauteed some frozen deveined, and cleaned shrimp to add to the sauce! Yumm! ...just can't have any other sauce better, than your own canned sauce!

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

enjoy this special day with your family, friends, and find beauty in nature, and in everything that you feel that is close to your heart!

HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!...you earned it, so CELEBRATE!