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Category Archives: Recipes

I love making frittatas for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are easier than a quiche because you don’t have to make a crust and I just love that you can throw anything in and they turn out so yummy. This is the best one I’ve made yet! The potatoes create a crispy, french fry-like layer on the bottom of the dish. This recipe creates quite a large frittata (serves about 16) but it makes great leftover and can even be served at room temperature for lunch or dinner with a little salad. I can’t wait to whip this us again (no egg pun intended). You could also make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon. Happy baking… and eating!

Potato Frittata with Parmesan and BaconPIN

POTATO FRITTATA WITH BACON AND PARMESAN

Ingredients:
15 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
6 slices of bacon
handful fresh parsley, minced
6-7 new potatoes, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly butter a large casserole dish. Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium high heat, and cook the bacon until crispy, set aside on a paper towel to cool and drain. Once it’s cooled, chop it up into bits. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the potatoes and saute them until they start to turn golden brown. Season them with a pinch of salt. Transfer the potatoes to the buttered casserole dish, creating a layer of golden potatoes on the bottom of dish. Allow them to cool while you combine the beaten eggs, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper, bacon, and sour cream in a large bowl. Once the potatoes are mostly cooled, pour the egg mixture over them. Sprinkle the top of the eggs mixture with the parmesan and parsley. Use a fork to gently combine the parsley and parmesan with the egg mixture. Don’t mix it in too much, just enough that it’s not sitting on top of the dish. Then, put the dish in the oven on the middle rack and bake until the sides are golden brown and the center is set, about 45-60 minutes. You can check to see if it’s done by jiggling the dish a bit. If the eggs in the middle are still runny let it cook for another 10 minutes until the eggs set up. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before serving it.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
POTATO FRITTATA 
with Bacon and Parmesan

I’m still on a bit of a Thai kick. I’m, as you know by now, obsessed with Hot Toddy’s. I’ve experimented in the past with trying to add Thai flavors to my Toddy but now I’ve taken it to a whole new level. I was aiming for all the flavors (sweet, sour, spicy) to blend together with the whiskey. In the first batch I added in 1/8 teaspoon of Thai Red Chili paste. I loved the result but Kyle found it a little too earthy, so adding that is totally optional. If you are making the Thai Coconut soup you’ll have most of these ingredients on hand. You should definitely make this cocktail… is it Friday yet?

thai hot toddy recipePIN

THAI HOT TODDY

Ingredients.
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/8 teaspoon Thai Red Chili Paste (optional)
1 tsp brown sugar
2″ slice lemongrass stalk
thin slice Thai red chili, seeds and veins removed
thin slice of lime
thin slice of fresh ginger
whiskey to taste

Directions.
Put water on to boil. Put the ginger and lemongrass in the cup and cover with boiling water. Allow to steep for a few minutes. Add lemon juice, Thai red chili, Chili Paste, brown sugar, and the slice of lime. Add bourbon and boiling water. Stir to combine.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
THAI HOT TODDY

 

Kettle Corn is dangerously easy to make.  It’s become one of my favorite movie snacks.  With the Golden Globes coming up this Sunday, we’ve been watching a lot of movies.  As a SAG Member, I get to vote for the SAG Awards.  Each year the different studios send out movies for us to screen.  So far this week we’ve watched Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, and My Week with Marilyn.  Still on the viewing list: The Artist, The Descendants, Beginners, The Iron Lady and quite a few more.  That’s a lot of movie watching to be done and a lot of Kettle Corn to be made.  I love adding a little fresh thyme to my kettle corn.  It’s a subtle but distinct addition.

KETTLE CORN WITH THYMEPIN

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 granulated sugar
1/2 cup corn kernels
6 sprigs (4 whole, two stripped and quickly minced)
kosher salt

A Couple Notes:
Cooking Kettle Corn is all about finding the right temperature and getting it out of the pot and into a bowl the second it’s done popping.  I experimented with a couple of different ways that leave you with slightly different results…

1. If you leave the heat on medium the entire time: you will have a a lighter “toast” on the corn because it starts popping a lot faster (in about 3 minutes) and therefore spends less time on the burner.
2. If you melt the butter on medium, then reduce the heat to medium low once you put the lid on: you will have a slightly more caramelized/toastier version.

It’s all about individual taste and the heat of your burner.  I like it a bit toastier, Kyle prefers it lighter.  But either way we end up eating all of it!  Just be sure to get it out of the pot the second the popping starts to space out or it will start to burn.

Directions:
Put your butter, oil and 4 sprigs of thyme in a large pot (I use a three quart saucepan with a tight fitting lid) melt the butter over medium heat stirring constantly to infuse the butter and oil with the flavor of the thyme.  When the butter has melted completely add the popcorn kernels and the sugar.  Stir well to combine.  Cover with a tight fitting lid, and either leave the heat on medium or reduce it to medium low (see the notes above).

Keep the pot tightly covered by using a towel and holding the lid in place.  It can take 4-7 minutes for the corn to start popping depending on your temperature.  Don’t be tempted to lift the lid.  That will just let out the steam and it will take longer and then it can burn.  Once it starts popping give the pot a good shake (keeping it on the burner… it’s more of a shimmy than a shake) every 10-15 seconds to make sure that all of the popcorn is getting coated evenly.  When the popping slows down and there are a few seconds between pops, remove your pot from the heat and immediately transfer your kettle corn into a large bowl.

Allow the Kettle Corn to cool for a minute or two.  Discard your thyme sprigs.  Season with a bit of salt and a bit of the minced thyme.  Toss, and season again.  Repeat (tasting between seasonings) until your kettle corn is salted to your liking.

You could, of course, make this without the thyme.

Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
KETTLE CORN WITH THYME