Wild Mushroom Frittata

An assortment of wild mushrooms this time of year, along with a salad, and this dish works for brunch or dinner.
Oyster, Crimini, Shiitake (stems removed), baby Portobello, Chanterelle, and button mushrooms can be used, just slice larger mushrooms to similar cut as the smaller ones.

Wild Mushroom Frittata

Preheat oven to 325F.

2 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot, diced
1/2 onion, diced
5 cups assorted mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon Alfie's seasoning
5 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 1/2 cups Fontina cheese, grated and divided

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter.
Add shallot and onion, stirring until softened.
Add mushrooms and cook until tender, sprinkle with Alfie's seasoning.
Cool mixture slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together, eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Stir in 1 cup of cheese and mushroom mixture.
Pour into lightly buttered pie pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over top.
Bake frittata until golden brown, and just cooked in the center, about 45 minutes.
Cool and serve.

Caramel Apple Crunch Muffins-Bigelow Tea

Now that fall has set in, a steaming, aromatic cup of tea, that you can wrap your hands around, brings classic comfort. Whether it is after a football game, reading a good book, or visiting with friends tea is a long standing ritual.
The Bigelow Tea company are family tea blenders since 1945.
Along with their original tea, Constant Comment, they have a variety of black, green, and herbal teas.
They also have seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cider.
This muffin recipe is from their website, and sounds like a great start to a fall morning.

Caramel Apple Crunch Muffins-Bigelow Tea

6 Bigelow Vanilla Caramel tea bags
1 cup boiling water
1 3/4 all purpose flour (I used gluten free)
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 cup tart apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup apple sauce or apple butter
brown sugar, for topping, if desired

Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease or line muffin cups with liners.

Place 6 tea bags in heat proof measuring cup, and add 1 cup of boiling water.
Allow to steep for 3 minutes, remove tea bags and let tea cool.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
Stir in grated apple. Set aside.
In another bowl mix butter, egg, apple butter, and tea together.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix until just combined.
Spoon into muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cups.

Dungeness Crab Benedict

It is early Sunday morning and more fresh crab is in the house, so what could be more decadent than a Crab Benedict?
The lemony sauce is a perfect enhancement to the sweet crab.

Dungeness Crab Benedict

Allow a quarter of a cup of crab for each toasted english muffin and a poached egg with this Hollandaise Sauce.

For each Crab Benedict:
1 slice of an English Muffin, toasted
1/4 cup fresh Dungeness Crab
1 poached egg
2 Tablespoons Hollandaise Sauce
sprinkle of finely chopped fresh chives

Serve immediately.

Spicy Blood Mary

On Valentines Day we had a wait at the Portland airport, so we stopped and had a leisurely lunch.
Bake ordered a Bloody Mary and to tell you the truth, I have been obsessing about it since!
It is not about the vodka, for me it is the accouterments. The garnishes of olive, peppers, onions, pickles and any variety of them, along with the spice in the tomato juice.

On a personal note, the Bake has a big birthday today; the world is a little bit brighter and we are a little more blessed with him in it, Happy Birthday to the love of my life. Cheers!

Spicy Bloody Mary

1 1/2 ounces vodka
6 ounces tomato juice
5 drops Cholula sauce
2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 pinch celery salt
1 pinch grated fresh black pepper
1 spritz of lemon juice

for rim: celery salt, black pepper, kosher salt
for garnish: olives, peppers, onions, pickles, lemon, (even cooked shrimp) celery stick

Wet the rim of a glass with a slice of lemon and dip into the seasonings, set aside
Fill a shaker with ice and add tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, celery salt, pepper and lemon juice. Shake well and pour over rimmed glass filled with ice.
Garnish well and add celery stir stick.

Mocha Crush

Looking for a little pick me up but wanting something more than black coffee, I made an espresso, and chilled it. Doing that reminded me of those mocha frappuccino drinks you can buy, which reminds me of dessert, which sounded really good to me!

Mocha Crush

1/2 cup of espresso (chilled)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
pinch of cinnamon
1 1/4 cup of ice
shaved dark chocolate
whipped cream (optional)
chocolate syrup (optional)

Blend the espresso, milk, cinnamon, and ice in a blender.
Pour into a glass and top with shaved chocolate.
For a full on decadent dessert, top with whipped cream and finish with chocolate syrup.
Note: I found an organic sweetened condensed milk in a squeeze container at Trader Joe's. It is so nice not to have to deal with leftovers from a can, just use as needed.

Deviled Wasabi Eggs

The classic deviled egg, a staple on any buffet table, is a blank canvas for adding a variety of  flavors. The deviled egg is at home, in any season, and setting, from picnics to holiday bashes.  Today we added a little heat by using a bit of wasabi paste. Topping the egg with a slice of Jalapeno pepper in place of cucumber, would bring the heat up even more.

The most difficult part to me, is peeling the eggs. But, I found hard boiled eggs already peeled, in the refrigerator section of Trader Joe's. They were fresh and the egg yokes were a bright yellow, waiting to be transformed!

Deviled Wasabi Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon prepared wasabi

salt and pepper, to taste

slices of cucumber, quartered

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Remove yolks from eggs and place in a bowl. Yolks can either be mashed with a fork or pressed through a sieve for smoother product.

 Add mayonnaise, wasabi, and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Place egg mixture in a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag, cutting of the corner. Squeeze the egg yolk mixture into egg white "boats" and top with cucumber. 

Place on serving tray and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Greek Frittata

A frittata is one of the most versatile dishes, and can be made using the flavors from any ethnic cuisine.
It can also be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner and also as an appetizer.

Kodi recently served a hearty frittata, using Mexican elements topped with fresh homemade salsa, along side a platter of beautiful, seasonal fruits. It was a perfect fall lunch for conversing and watching a football game.

There is also a salmon frittata in an earlier blog post.
Today, I used little 5-6 inch cast iron pans to make individual frittatas. These can be served hot or cold, and for dining or picnic.

Greek Frittata

Two individual frittatas:
Preheat oven to 350F.

4 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, par boiled and drained, sliced
2 Tablespoons diced onion
1/2 teaspoon Alfie's seasoning
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup milk
fresh ground pepper
1 Tablespoon Kalamata olives sliced, divided
1/2 cup grape or baby Heirloom tomatoes, slice in half and divided
1/3 cup baby spinach, packed, divided
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled, divided

Over medium low heat, put 2 teaspoons of olive oil in each small cast iron pan. Add 1 Tablespoon of onions into each pan and cook until softened. Layer the potatoes over top of the onions and sprinkle with seasoning.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs, oregano, milk and pepper together. Pour over the potatoes and top with spinach, tomatoes and finish with feta cheese.
Place in the oven and cook 20-25 minutes until eggs are cooked throughout.

Apple Sausage Patties

This fall, try this for your breakfast sausage. Instead of the traditional breakfast sandwich, you could put these patties between two slices of apples. Or serve one of the patties with a side salad for lunch. They could be made smaller and served as an appetizer on a skewer.

Apple Sausage Patties

3 Tablespoons apple, peeled and shredded

3/4 pound Italian sausage or breakfast sausage, casings removed

1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon rice bran oil or vegetable oil

Combine apple, sausage, and sage together in a bowl and mix well; form into 4 patties.

Over medium heat, pour oil into a skillet, add patties and cook, turning, until cooked throughout.

Warm Chanterelles with Goat Cheese and Poached Eggs

The woodsy taste of the fresh Chanterelles, the creaminess of the goat cheese, the crispy prosciutto and the sauce of the poached egg create this finished dish.

4 cups fresh Chanterelles, cleaned and coarsely chopped

Warm Chanterelles with Goat Cheese and Poached Eggs

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon Alfie's seasoning
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
2 slices prosciutto, diced
2 Tablespoon goat cheese, divided
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
sprinkle of coarse salt

Place mushrooms in a non stick saute pan over medium heat about six minutes, drain off water.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to a boil, add vinegar, reduce to simmer and add eggs until cooked.

Return mushrooms to stove top and add olive oil, shallot, and thyme. Sprinkle on seasoning and cook until shallot is softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in sherry and remove thyme stems.
Add prosciutto and cook until crispy. Divide mushroom mixture on two plates, dot each with 1 tablespoon goat cheese and top with 2 poached eggs. Sprinkle coarse salt over top of eggs and serve.

Goat Cheese and Chive Scrambled Eggs

For breakfast, a little snack or even dinner, scrambled eggs with creamy goat cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chives, right out of the garden. The only thing missing in this photo may be a few slices of apple smoked bacon!

Goat Cheese and Chive Scrambled Eggs

4 large eggs, brought to room temp
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon goat cheese, crumbled
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh sliced chives

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk well.

Put the butter in a non stick pan over medium- medium low heat and melt completely.
Pour eggs into pan and stir, until almost cooked.
Dot the eggs with goat cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Stir and remove when finished.
Plate and top with chives.

Italian Breakfast Strata

What makes this strata different, is it is not made with bread. The recipe calls for the strata to be cooked 13x9 inch dish but would like to try it individual ramekins.

1 pound Italian sweet (or hot) sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup chopped shallots

Italian Breakfast Strata

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped, drained, oil packed sun-dried tomatoes

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

5 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup half and half

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

Butter a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish.

Saute sausage in medium non stick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up into small pieces, about 10 minutes.

Add shallots and garlic and saute 3 minutes.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and 2 Tablespoons parsley, stir 1 minute.

Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and salt in a large bowl to blend well.

Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 Tablespoons parsley over top. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Broiled Grapefruit with Brown Sugar and Ginger

Adding a little zip of ginger changes up typical broiled grapefruit. For another layer of flavor top broiled grapefruit with fresh basil before serving.

1 grapefruit, halved and cut into segments

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

basil or mint for garnish, optional

Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl combine sugar and ginger.

Place grapefruit on a foil lined baking sheet and top with sugar mixture.

Broil a couple of minutes, remove from oven and top with basil leaves or mint if desired.

French Toast with Mixed Berries and Pear Topping

Any type of bread can be used, for today I used brown rice bread, which is gluten free. A variety of fruits can be used, this sauce was made with frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and a pear.

French Toast with Mixed Berries and Pear

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 grates of fresh nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together in a pie pan and set aside.

For berry sauce:
1/2 cup mixed berries
1 small pear, cored, skinned and diced
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 inch of fresh ginger peeled

topped with berries and whipped cream

6 slices bread
1 Tablespoon butter
whipped cream (optional)

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine berries, pear, maple syrup, orange juice, and ginger. Heat several minutes until softened and liquid is reduced. Remove ginger. Keep warm.
Soak bread in egg mixture for several minutes, remove and set aside.
Add 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Place coated bread in pan and cook each side 2-3 minutes until caramelized.
Remove bread to serving plate and top with berry sauce.
Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Italian Strata Muffins

There will be a future Italian Strata post, but this is a take off on that idea made into a muffin. This could be breakfast on-the-go or made into smaller muffin cups for an appetizer.

2 Italian sausage, casings removed

Italian Strata Muffins

1/4 cup onion, finally diced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
4 cups fresh baby spinach
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup half and half
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
dash of hot sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Grease 10-12 muffin cups.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large skillet over medium heat cook sausage until browned. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until softened.  Add spinach, this will cook down quickly. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix eggs, half and half, cheese and hot sauce. Add skillet mixture and salt and pepper.
Pour into muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Cook until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from muffin cups and serve, can also be served at room temperature.

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg

You know that spring is going to come again, when you see the arrival of fresh asparagus in the market. To make quick use of them they were roasted and topped with a poached egg "sauce."

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg

For one serving:
5 asparagus spears, cleaned and tough ends cut
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and fresh pepper
squeeze of lemon juice
1 slice of toast
shaved parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 egg, cracked
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 5-8 minutes, until tender. Take out of oven and squeeze lemon juice over asparagus.
On top of toast, place asparagus and top with shaved cheese.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan with simmering water add 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Place egg in water and poach to a soft egg. Place egg gently over asparagus and serve immediately.

the Omelet, for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Before the kids left home, they had to learn how to make an omelet, at least we knew they would be able to feed themselves.
The omelet can take on any flavors, from Mediterranean to Southwest. They can be light or hearty, the ultimate fast food.
For this single omelet, I filled it with Boursin cheese and topped with fresh basil. The Bake was heading out for a day of golf so I made a side of home fries.

the Omelet with Home Fries

Today's Omelet:
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon clarified butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Boursin cheese
2 fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced

In a bowl, mix the eggs well, breaking up the yolks, and season with salt and pepper.
In a 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the eggs and swirl the pan, spreading the eggs. Using a spatula, push the eggs into the center and swirl the pan again, to keep the eggs from sticking. Add the filling (cheese) to the center of the eggs and flip the omelet in half. Slide the finished omelet onto a plate and garnish with basil.

Home Fries:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 sweet onion, diced
1/4 jalapeno pepper, diced
pinch of thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
In a large non-stick pan, heat oil over medium heat.
Add potatoes, onion, and peppers to pan, season with thyme, salt and pepper.
Cook about 20 minutes until softened and lightly browned.

Baked Walnut-Cinnamon Apples

We are still picking apples off the tree! A good dessert for a cool evening, warm baked apple with cinnamon.

Baked Walnut-Cinnamon Apples

4 apples
1 cup raisins
1/4 cups walnuts
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
Preheat oven to 375F.
Core and pierce apples with a fork in several places around the center to prevent apple from bursting.
Mix raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl.

Fill apples with mixture and put in a glass baking dish and pour water in the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

Top with creme fraiche if desired.

Grilled Pears with Yogurt Sauce

1 pear, sliced in half, core removed
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, roasted

Mix yogurt, vanilla, honey and maple syrup and set aside.
Heat grill to high. Spread butter over each pear half and grill cut side down for 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees and grill another 2 minutes. Top with yogurt sauce, sliced almonds and sprinkle with dried cranberries, if desired.

Quinoa Porridge

1 cup water
1 cup rice milk (almond milk, milk)
1 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 small apple, cored and peeled, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries (raisins or dates)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pecans
maple syrup or brown sugar, to taste
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds, if desired


In a saucepan, heat water and rice milk until boiling. Add Quinoa and simmer for 5 minutes. Add apple, cranberries,
cinnamon and vanilla and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
Serve and top with pecans, sugar, and flax seeds and more milk.

Lacquered Bacon

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Line a baking sheet with foil and cut most of the fat off the bacon.
Arrange the bacon in a single layer and brush with maple syrup and top with a sprinkle of brown sugar.
Bake 10-12 minutes, flip over and do the other side, baking 3-5 minutes more or until well browned.

Variations: Black pepper could be used. A mango or other fruit chutney