Frittatas are a great thing to know how to make! A hearty breakfast or an easy supper, endlessly customizable, good hot or at room temperature. This is the recipe I used for the one I served at a recent baby shower. Change ingredients to your heart’s content!
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Frittata with Broccoli and Gruyere
This recipe is adapted from the one in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I change the mix-in ingredients often, and also simplified the cooking method a bit.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere (the one I used was a smoked processed Gruyere that I found near the packaged fetas and blue cheeses. Not the $28 per pound stuff they had at the cheese counter!)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped fine
- 1-2 cups broccoli chopped small
- 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs I used basil
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere (the one I used was a smoked processed Gruyere that I found near the packaged fetas and blue cheeses. Not the $28 per pound stuff they had at the cheese counter!)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped fine
- 1-2 cups broccoli chopped small
- 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs I used basil
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Instructions
Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil in a medium ovenproof skillet (I used my 9 inch cast iron one) over medium heat until shimmering.
Add onion and broccoli and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat
Add herbs and egg mixture and mix well. The eggs should start cooking in the hot pan.
Transfer the frittata to the preheated oven. Bake until eggs are barely set, about 15-20 minutes. Don't overbake or it will dry out--the eggs will set a little bit more while the frittata rests.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or even chilled (although I don't like it that way!!)
Recipe Notes
I think the key to the creaminess of this particular frittata variation was the Gruyere cheese--it had a texture almost like Gouda, and gave a creamy richness that reminded me of Velveeta (but in a good way, I promise!)
This is a favorite recipe that I got from Than’s mom. These rolls are hearty but soft, and so delicious especially when eaten warm on the day they were baked. They also freeze pretty well, though, so you can stash some away for later.
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Cracked Wheat Rolls
Hearty, nutty dinner rolls with lots of good grains
Instructions
Pour 1 cup boiling water into a glass mixing cup. Stir in cracked wheat set aside to soften.
Mix 3/4 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk well and allow to sit about 5 minutes or until foamy.
Blend in salt, egg, and oil. Add softened cracked wheat along with any additional water in the cup.
Mix in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. If you've been using a different attachment, switch to the dough hook at this point.
Add 1 more cup of all-purpose flour and 1 more cup of whole wheat flour or other ground grain (flax, rye, wheat germ). Knead in mixer until well combined.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise to the top of the bowl, about 1 hour.
After dough has risen, gently knead it back down with oiled hands. Allow dough to rise once more if you have time. (This second rise is optional).
With oiled hands, separate out portions of the risen dough and shape into rolls of desired size and shape. Place on greased cookie sheets.
Allow rolls to rise once more after shaping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown. Don't overcook!
This recipe was originally from Yummy Addiction via Pinterest. I’ve made it a few times, and have been known to shift around flavors and mix-ins based on what I have available!
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Orange Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
This is an easy recipe to halve, if you have part of a container of ricotta cheese that needs to be used up. The texture of these cookies is very different from an ordinary cookie--a nice chewy change of pace.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or a Silpat liner. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds. Stir with a whisk to blend. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add butter to the mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the orange juice, vanilla and ricotta cheese. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and beat for another minute to make sure everything is incorporated.
Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. The dough will be moist and a bit sticky because of the ricotta cheese.
Spoon/scoop about two tablespoons of dough for each cookie on a baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
While the cookies cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest. Whisk until smooth. Spread about a teaspoon of glaze on the top of each cookie. Let glaze harden before serving. Enjoy!
Baking Bites via Pinterest provided this yummy recipe. The cookies are great on their own, and even better when stuck together as a peanut butter sandwich!
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Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies, or 20 sandwich cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth, followed by 1/2 cup peanut butter.
With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture, then stir in the toffee bits.
Drop scant 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden.
Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cookies are cooled, sandwich each pair with 2-3 tsp smooth peanut butter.
Recipe Notes
Original recipe (with more explanation and photos!) is from Baking Bites
This is my go-to classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It took me years to find just the right one, and this is it! Hooray for Pinterest…
The original (with much better photos and explanations) is from Over the Big Moon–read it there!
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Caroline's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instructions
Cream butter, Crisco, and sugars in mixer.
Then add eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
Mix again and then add 2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
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Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a foiled or greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are turning golden brown.
December 2016 in Review, and Christmas Cookie #12
A favorite photo…
A few highlights…
- A December rich in favorite activities and traditions (in contrast to our Senegalese adventure from last year)
- Nathan as Gabriel and Katya as a black sheep in the Christmas pageant
- The annual studio Christmas recital
- Celebrating the season many different times with groups of family and friends
And a cookie recipe to go with it!
This is the gingerbread I have made every year since Than and I were married. If you don't roll it too thin or bake it too long, the cookies stay soft and spicy for weeks. We decorate them with white royal icing, sprinkles, and lots of red hots. An annual tradition, for sure, and one that we have happily shared with many different guests over the years.
Instructions
Thoroughly stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar, butter, and oil until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the molasses and 2 1/2 Tbsp. water until well blended.
Turn mixer speed to low and blend in as much of the flour mixture as possible. When it gets too strong for your mixer to handle, knead in the remainder by hand until the dough is smooth and shiny. If the dough is too stiff and dry, add up to 3 Tbsp. more water. If it is too soft, stir in more flour until it is manageable.
Cut 6 pieces of waxed paper. Split the dough into 3 pieces and place each piece on a sheet of waxed paper. Cover with the additional 3 pieces of waxed paper. Roll each dough piece out to an even 1/4-1/2 inch thickness (thinner for crispier cookies, thicker for softer cookies). Stack the rolled dough in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray several cookie sheets with cooking spray.
Working with one portion of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of waxed paper. Use cookie cutters to cut out the dough and place the cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 6-12 minutes, or until just darker at the edges and barely firm when pressed in the centers. Baking time varies based on the size of your cookies and on how soft or crispy you want the finished product to be.
Reroll dough scraps between waxed paper sheets. Continue cutting, rolling, and chilling dough until everything has been used.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes in order to firm up slightly before transferring to the counter or to wire racks to cool completely.
Wait until cookies are completely cool before decorating as desired.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett.
