What’s For Dinner? Breakfast!

I’m that person, the one who makes a menu and plans her grocery list around it.

I shop on Thursdays (because Mother’s Day weekend was insanely busy at Costco on my Friday grocery day and when Memorial Day rolled around, I wasn’t going to get stuck in line for another 45 minutes risking the defrosting of my 5 lbs. of frozen broccoli) and, after all the groceries are put away, I feel pretty good about how full the cupboards and refrigerator/freezer are.  It’s not until the following Tuesday that I realize just how much these kiddos are growing…my cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer are bare once again (cue the crickets).  By Wednesday, dinner time gets pretty sketchy.

This is where the creativity and imagination come to play.

Anything and everything is up for grabs when considering ingredients to marry together and whip up a dinner that doesn’t resemble something that would make the kiddos faces contort and the Lusty Woodsman twitch.  Only one type of meal can pull that off….breakfast!  I usually have a carton of eggs, some leftover vegetables, definitely flours and dried beans, and I always make sure I stock up on the cheeses in the freezer.  The best part?  Sweetie Pie and Little Lady are all about making breakfast…they do just about anything to be able to put pure maple syrup on the table.  While they fuss over pancakes, I make sure I whip up something filling for the Woodsman.

Mes amis, possibilities are many for those of you who have a few staples on hand.

Perhaps a “savory style breakfast” is one you can pull together.  The lovely Miss Ashley, from the Kingdom of The Edible Perspective, baked up this delicious little number.  She adapted the recipe from Miss Jessica’s Caprese Baked Eggs over in the Kingdom of How Sweet It Is.  There are so many variations you could conjure up using whatever you have on hand.

One can never go wrong with frittatas.

I’ve never had an ostrich egg, but I’d be willing to try them after seeing how the delightful Miss Becky just whipped up this tasty dish.  I know I saw an ostrich farm close by…(considering a road trip to procure the monstrous egg just to say I’ve had one.  “Why yes, ostrich eggs, a delicacy to be sure.”)  Go take a peek at how Miss Becky handles such a large ingredient over in the Kingdom of Girl Interrupted Eating.  Once you’ve read through her instructions, you may want to substitute some of the ingredients for those in your own fridge…instead of asparagus, perhaps leftover green beans, broccoli, or spinach.  And, in the unlikely event that you don’t have an ostrich egg (what?  Doesn’t everyone keep one of these bad boys in their fridge for frittata occasions?), try this little recipe I whipped up last week.  Bon appetit!

Garden Frittata

9 eggs
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 t salt
3 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced red, orange, or yellow peppers, or a mix
1 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
1 cup diced ham
2 T chopped fresh herbs (chives, basil, parsley, oregano…or a mixture of your favorite)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt 2 T of the butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, garlic, and peppers and saute for about 7 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes.  Add the ham to warm for another minute more.  Then add the remaining tablespoon of butter, and when melted, pour in the egg mixture.  Sprinkle the fresh herbs and top with cheese.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes, undisturbed, until the surface begins to bubble and the bottom begins to set.

Immediately place the skillet in the oven with the broiler on low.  Broil for about 3 or 4 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Remove from oven, and with a spatula, loosen the frittata from the sides of the pan, working your way as close to the center as you can in a circular motion.  Gently slide the frittata onto a platter and serve hot or warm.

Serves 4-6 people (unless you’re married to someone like the Lusty Woodsman who can eat 1/2 the frittata in one sitting).