Easy baked frittata is a great main dish to make for brunch for a large group. Over the weekend we hosted our very first brunch in our new home. It was the first time that I had a big group over without planning too far ahead or making too many dishes (menu to follow soon). This dish is easy and quick to prepare and looks as delicious as it tastes. It was such a big hit that Trig asked me to make a batch to have for breakfast for the week. I easily agreed as it is so easy to make. I hope you enjoy this simple dish as much as we did.

Easy Baked Frittata
Adapted from Yogurt & Berries
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
16 large whole eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed into 1 inch pieces
20 grape tomatoes, washed and halved
3 oz shredded gruyere cheese
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs unsalted butter
kosher salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the butter in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. When melted add the asparagus and cook until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from stove. Rub olive oil all over bottom and sides of shallow baking sheet (make sure it is one with a lip). Spread the asparagus evenly onto the sheet. Spread the grape tomatoes on the sheet, open side down. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and cream. Add kosher salt and pepper (I added about 1 tsp of each). Pour over the asparagus and tomatoes. Sprinkle the gruyere over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes until set. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy warm or room temperature.

Spinach, artichoke & mushroom quiche is the perfect dinner to make when you’re almost out of groceries and you have no time to make dinner.

This is also known as my life every day now.

I am nonstop from the moment I wake up to the moment my head crashes into the pillow. Since going back to work and moving life got much crazier, but I am on a mission to lose the last of my pregnancy weight regardless. This is a healthy and simple dish that I’ve made a few times already. The crust baking in the oven makes my home smell like an old Italian bakery in the middle of the night, and the cleanup is as easy as washing the bowl you used for the mixture. Be lazy like me and keep frozen pie crusts on hand and you can have a fantastic dinner ready in a flash.

Spinach, artichoke, & mushroom quiche
Makes 2 quiches

Ingredients:
2 frozen pie crusts*
6 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1 15 oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and strained of all liquid
4 large button mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Beat your eggs in a large bowl. Add the milk, artichoke hearts, spinach and mushrooms.
3. Remove the pie crusts from the freezer and spread the mixture evenly in each crust.
4. Bake until cooked through and the crust is golden, about 20 minutes for us.
5. Enjoy paired with your favorite salad!

*Whole Foods sells a great pie crust with only 5 ingredients. Look for that one!

And now I’m off to simultaneously play with my baby, call in a work order, unload the dishwasher and watch the news.

PS- This tastes even better the next day.

PPS- Check out my latest Babycenter post on starting solids.

Ricotta fritters add that salty substantial kick that your next salad so desperately needs.

My salads used to be pathetic. Growing up our salad after dinner every single night was a huge bowl of iceberg lettuce with a lemon olive oil dressing. I have branched out into various types of lettuces and salads over the last few years, but this is my most favorite salad creation yet! If you’re hosting a small dinner party (or even a slightly bigger one) and want to impress- this should be your go to salad!

The ricotta fritters were extremely simple to make and fried up quickly. They made a simple salad of dried cranberries, slivered almonds, romaine lettuce and baby spinach seem much more sophisticated. For a party feel free to make the fritters in the morning and just warm them in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes prior to plating.

PhillyBoy came home late yesterday afternoon, and I made him this salad as part of his very late lunch. I have to admit that I felt like the best. wife. ever. when I put his plate down in front of him and saw his eyes light up. The addition of the ricotta fritters made the salad extra special.

The next time you want to impress someone with a simple salad- whether it be your tired husband or a few friends- make these ricotta fritters! They make an ordinary salad extraordinary! Enjoy!

Ricotta Fritters
Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 oz low fat ricotta cheese
pinch kosher salt & freshly cracker black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
canola oil for frying

Directions:
Gently mix the ricotta with the salt and pepper. Form the ricotta into 6 balls. Press slightly to form a coin shape. Place on a dish and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Heat about 3/4 inch canola oil in a pot over medium high heat. Set out 3 bowls, placing the flour in the first, the egg in the second, and the bread crumbs in the third. Remove the ricotta from the fridge and carefully dredge each piece in the flour, egg, and bread crumbs, patting to remove excess. When the oil is hot enough fry the ricotta balls 3 at a time, flipping when the bottom is golden brown. Total frying time about 2 minutes. Remove the ricotta fritters with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Serve over a fresh salad. Enjoy!

Other Salads:
Honey Balsamic Salad Dressing
It’s a Salad Pasta
Spring Greens with grapefruit avocado salsa

Doughy spiced bread is the perfect way to use up a bit of leftover pizza dough. It looks beautiful on a dinner table assembled in a basket with a nice cloth napkin, and while it is so simple to make, it looks like it took all day.

I am not a bread baker. The word B-A-K-E scares me, and just until recently I had never baked a successful baked good. I almost wish I hadn’t conquered my fear because now I am unstoppable. In fact, on Friday my cousin and I are going to bake 100 cookies for my church bazaar. Scary.

Back to bread baking… that still frightens me, not as much as a haunted house, but almost as much as the ghost tour we went on this past spring. Did I mention the jail that hosts Terror Behind the Walls is right around the corner from us? I still think I see ghosts now and again. My solution is to make bread type foods with pizza dough! Pizza dough is easy and dependable, and you can make it into many shapes without affecting the quality. For this recipe, if I can call it that, I simply stretch out some dough, cut it into neat rounds, and give it a quick brush of olive oil before sprinkling it with a bit of kosher salt and oregano.

A few minutes later my kitchen smells amazing and my husband thinks I’m a goddess. Fresh bread will do that.

Doughy Spiced Bread
makes 2 dozen individual bites

Ingredients:
about 1/8 of this pizza dough recipe
kosher salt to taste
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs good olive oil

Directions: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Roll out your pizza dough, using flour as needed to keep it from sticking. I just use whatever little ball of dough I have left after baking up some pizzas. Once it is thin enough (no exact science to it), cut out rounds using the lip of a glass. Brush each round with a touch of olive oil and follow it up with a sprinkle each of kosher salt and oregano. Bake until the edges are slightly brown, about 10 minutes. Enjoy in place of dinner rolls!

These eggplant calzones are one of the most delicious home cooked meals I have eaten in a long time. I usually rush through dinner, but with these calzones I slowly ate each bite, savoring the seemingly complex yet straightforward flavors. A touch (or really a LOT) of oregano is reminiscent of the pizza shops of the old days, when the shakers of oregano and hot pepper were left on each table.

I can’t take the credit though.

We ran out of whole wheat flour so I needed to use a recipe for white flour for the dough. PB has one but he was not available so I went back to an old favorite in Simply Recipes’ version. Elise’s dough recipe is the first one we ever tried, and the dough comes out perfect each time. It is a bit wet which I like, and it comes together so easily. We don’t have a mixer so I mix everything but the flour in a bowl and add the flour last. I use a spatula to start to bring it all together for a few seconds. Once it forms into a bowl I dump it out onto a floured surface and knead for a bit. I follow the rest of her directions exactly. This is the best pizza dough recipe, and the next time you need to make dough you should use it. One batch of this dough (using 3.5 cups of flour) yields 16 good sized calzones.

While the dough rises I leave my counter covered in flour. It will need to get messy when you roll out the dough anyway! Just walk away from the mess…. you can do it.

The eggplant calzones, from flour start to cheesy end, take a few hours. Much of that time is inactive, so if you’re like me, load up your computer with a good T.V. show and hang out in the kitchen. Or do lunges and squats in your apron. Whatever you feel like… it is a no judgment zone.

These are great for dinner paired with a salad, packed in some foil for lunch, or even frozen for a future meal. To freeze, just wrap the finished calzone in plastic wrap and then in a plastic bag. You probably won’t have any left to freeze though- they are that good.

Eggplant Calzones
Makes 16

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough
olive oil
4 small Italian eggplant
3 cups crushed tomatoes
1 tbs kosher salt
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup oregano (or to taste- we like a lot!)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I place the dough on top of the warming oven (on an unused burner) to rise.

2. Peel your eggplant and slice into rounds. Brush with olive oil and grill until cooked through. I use a panini maker, but an outdoor grill would be even faster. After they have been grilled roughly chop and place into a bowl. Combine with the salt, oregano, crushed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

3. Your dough should have risen enough by now. Punch it down and separate into 2 balls. Let it rest on the counter covered by a damp cloth for about 15 minutes. Then separate each ball into 4 balls, and each of those in half. You should now have 16 even sized balls of dough.

4. Bring one ball of dough in front of you and keep the rest covered with the damp cloth. Roll out the ball, using extra flour as needed. Place a good scoop of your eggplant mixture into the bottom half of the rolled out dough. Fold the dough over and pinch all around the seams. I like to roll the seam together to make the calzone look nicer. Brush with olive oil and cut an X into the center to allow steam to exit. Repeat with each ball of dough. Place 6 calzones on an oiled cookie sheet at a time. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is slightly bubbling outside of the X. Remove and repeat until you have cooked all of the calzones. Enjoy!

For another calzone recipe, see Erica’s Buffalo Chicken Calzones.

The best salads have many different textures and flavors. I often eat the same basic salad night after night, but I was recently inspired by the mixta salad at Cantina Dos Segundos. I had to recreate it at home. PB liked it so much he has already asked me to make it again. This salad is easy to prepare and unexpectedly fantastic. The creamy avocado paired with the crunchy jicama and sweet orange segments make this salad completely satisfying and irresistible. See for yourself.

Cantina Salad
*a recreation of the mixta salad at Cantina Does Segundos
Serves 2-4, depending on what you serve with it

Ingredients:
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup chopped radicchio
2 cups arugula
1 avocado, cubed
1 orange, segmented
1/2 jicama, sliced thinly
1/2 cup sliced hearts of palm
1/4 cup sliced blanched or smoked almonds
juice from one lemon
kosher salt to taste
2-4 tbs olive oil

Directions: Toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!

I made this to go with our Tahitian Love dish, which I entered into the second challenge of Project Food Blog. Voting is open through 6PM Pacific Time September 30th!

What restaurant dish do you want to recreate at home?

I love roasted tomatoes. They are my favorite summer food, and I love the day that the market is full of every type of tomato, from small red hard tomatoes to large juicy yellow ones. I do not discriminate against summer tomatoes. They are all equally precious, as they disappear with the first tastes of fall.

While we have a few weeks left of gorgeous summer tomatoes and summer corn, I am doing my best to eat them all the time. So far I am doing a fantastic job. This salad practically prepares itself, as you just throw the veggies in the oven to roast and then top with a nice hunk of Athenos feta. This summer roasted corn and tomato feta salad will bring you right to the heart of your nearest farm.

I received so many emails after featuring a photo of this salad that I had to share the simple recipe.

Summer Roasted Corn & Tomato Feta Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed
1 ear of corn
1 small potato, peeled and diced (optional)
1 tsp kosher salt
dash black pepper
dash hot red pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1 oz fresh Athenos feta

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the tomatoes, corn, and potato (if you are using one) with the salt, pepper, and hot red pepper. Then toss with the olive oil. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the vegetables on it in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so, until the tomato skins slightly pop or wrinkle. Shave the corn and toss with the tomatoes (and potato). Top with the feta and serve. Enjoy!

The feta melts just slightly on top of the warm vegetables, creating a creamy, flavorful salad. If you want more Athenos Feta recipes, click here!

Previous posts this week:
BlogHer 2010
Welcome to my Blog
Operation Beautiful on The Today Show
BlogHer 2010 Schedule

Feta is a delicious cheese that can be added to almost any dish to add flavor, texture, and depth. A simple barley salad becomes a creamy delightful lunch, and an every day lunch salad becomes exciting with just a crumble of feta. Over the month of July I am participating in the ATHENOS Change for the Feta Challenge. It is Summer Salad Month again at RhodeyGirl Tests!

Follow me as I share my daily salads that include ATHENOS feta! By now you should know that my husband has taught me to love feta, and there is never a time where feta is not on our shopping list (as well as bananas, eggs, whole wheat bread, fresh arugula, peanut butter, and tomatoes).

Today’s featured summer salad is arugula, spinach, tomato, avocado, nuts and salmon with a bit of ATHENOS feta crumbled on top. I usually only buy the deli chunk style, but in the next few weeks I will be sampling the crumbled varieties as well.

Now that I am back from our big trip to Jordan and have joined a gym (Hi fellow Philadelphia Sports Club members!!), my quest for health is even stronger. I am still unable to run as my knee injury isn’t fully healed, so having classes to attend and a variety of machines and weights available to me is a blessing. I have really missed a gym, and I feel even more passionate about exercise and a healthy diet than ever. I will be updating my daily workouts again, so you can follow along too! The new gym in addition to sleep and this salad challenge is sure to bring changes in energy, fitness, and more. I urge you to make the same changes too!

___

FTC Disclosure: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ten ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which include blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS feta, which I have been purchasing for years. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta- “Summer Salad Month” creations. However, as always, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 presents Battle Local Foods:

Even with the best of intentions, buying locally is not easy. Some local farmers’ markets carry out of season produce from Mexico, and the gourmet super market has bread from 300 miles away. Battle local foods highlights the difficulty of buying all local foods in Philadelphia but also shares  a local, seasonal, meal that is delicious and fun. Buying local foods just requires asking a few questions and learning where to go.

Two teams of friends create an appetizer, entrée, and dessert using only items that are either locally grown or locally produced. It was up to the diners to decide who would win the battle! Now let’s get local in RhodeyGirl’s kitchen, with special guests Heather of Hangry Pants and local food lovers Gina & Jake!

This fall I went to my local grocery store to get some apples, and I was appalled when I saw they were from Washington state. Pennylsvania has hundreds of apple orchards, yet our market was stocking apples from literally thousands of miles away. That experience made me become passionate about supporting local farms as well as local producers. Why go to Washington state for apples when less than an hour away we have Terhune Orchards? It doesn’t make sense.

While I still buy bananas & avocados (let’s face it- life would not be the same without peanut butter banana oatmeal and fresh guacamole), I try to buy as much local, seasonal produce as I can. When I learn about a small local company making chocolates or pretzels or whatever it is, I also try to support them.

Some items have been traded for thousands of years or are truly special, gourmet items that I don’t mind purchasing from all over the world. These include some brands of tuna packed in olive oil, Nutella straight from Italy (the U.S. version is just not the same), marcona almonds from Spain, olive oil from Greece, Italy, and Frog Hollow Farms in California, and every kitchen’s basic items like sugar, kosher salt, spices and flour.

I began the search for my items for our menu on Thursday of this week by stopping at a few super markets to see what local items they had to offer. For the first time I really paid attention to the recently mandated country of origin labels. I found shrimp from India, pine nuts from China, and lots of produce from Mexico and California. I was surprised that even the asparagus, which I know can be sourced locally, came from California.

On Saturday morning I continued my search by stopping at a few local markets. My favorite one was the Rittenhouse Square farmers’ market. Every vendor there carries locally grown or produced items.

I have been to markets before that actually buy their produce from places like Costco and then place them in small baskets to give that farm feel. I only know this because one day I asked, and the gentleman shared that knowledge with me. Luckily, Rittenhouse market has all local items, and I confirmed just to be sure. I also visited the Reading Terminal Market, The Pretzel Factory, Whole Foods, DiBruno’s and a grocery store.

The other team visited Suburban Square market, Lancaster County, and a grocery store. For a list of all Philadelphia’s Farmers’ Markets you can visit the farm to city website. Many of them will be opening in the next two weeks, including my local one, the Fairmount Farmers’ Market!

In this challenge we were allowed to use items that have been traded or imported for a long time such as spices, olive oil, salt, etc. Everything else, however, had to be locally grown or locally produced. Diners were given ballots to judge each dish based on taste, presentation, originality, and adherence to the challenge.

The two teams were both really excited to take on the challenge, as all four of us are passionate about local foods in some way. On one team we had Gina & Jake, a husband and wife couple that planned their strategy for over a week. Gina typically only buys organic meats and tries to buy organic produce when possible.

On the other team we had Heather of Hangry Pants and yours truly. I buy mostly organic dairy (with the exception of specialty cheeses for PB), organic meats, and try to support local farms when possible, as I mentioned above. You all probably know Heather by now, but if you don’t head on over to HangryPants.com to read more about her. Heather & Mark came to Philadelphia just for this fun battle. So exciting!

Here is the Battle Local Foods menu:

Appetizer
*Asparagus and fresh mozzarella bruschetta

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Simple salad: spring greens & baby spinach with roasted asparagus, a tomato & cucumber skewer, finished with a balsamic dressing and a hint of fresh mint

Entrée
*Baked breaded chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and fresh mozzarella served over a bed of fresh spinach and mushrooms

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Whole wheat fettuccini in a fresh basil cream sauce with roasted grape tomatoes
(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

Dessert
*Rhubarb crumb cake with fresh vanilla ice cream

*Philly soft pretzel chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream

Note from the teams: While over 90% of each item on the menu was sourced locally, both teams used a few items against challenge rules. Gina & Jake used fresh lime, and Heather and I used a bit of parmigiano reggiano and some mustard. We also put out an assortment of cheeses & cracker trays (not part of the challenge- but containing a few local cheeses)  for everyone to enjoy.

The diners/voters really got into the battle and left interesting and funny notes about the foods.

Here are some of them:

Bruschetta:
-O.K. (sorry, not a fan of bruschetta)
-Needs salt
-needs salt, yummy!
-danger: toothpick. Bread needs more toasting. I like the oil. Cheese needs more bite: provolone maybe?
-I liked this a lot!! Very fresh & very delicious! A fun dish- good for parties. I would eat this at a wedding.
-not enough flavor

Salad:
-O.K.
-love the mint!
-a little too much balsamic
-danger: possibly has (unintelligible word); needs cheese like bruschetta. I don’t like vinegar.
-Just a lil’ more kick would have been good. I could have used some local cheese- but that would have given me gas.
-Like the mint! Actually, love the mint!

Chicken:
-Looks and tastes good. Not great, but good.
-needs salt + spinach needs more cooking and flavor
-chicken little dry. Broccoli rabe taste (writer’s note: it was spinach!). stuffing was confusing
-This was good, but I didn’t get the local flavor. Still, very delicious!
-would prefer seasoned bread crumbs. Needs more seasoning
-Nice taste!!

Pasta:
-Just very blah! Sorry.
-needs more salt + flavor. Too much basil
-not too cheesy, perfectly cooked pasta. Tomatoes surprisingly pleasant
-liked the tomatoes, would like more. Needs more seasoning.
-This was good. A little heavy for my liking. I think this might give me gas, but that is not your fault- it’s my problem.
-very nice! With what was faced with (local foods)

Rhubarb Crumb Cake:
-Sorry, really does not taste good. I can’t eat it, and that’s saying something.
-MMM!
-sad face. This dish confused me. But I do appreciate the originality of the use of the rhubarb.
-I like the cake better than the crumbs

Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding:
-Loved it!
-MMM!
-A pleasant surprise in my mouth- needs more chocolate sauce drizzled
-Awesome! I want this every night. If this is Sabrina, make this more. If this is Jake/Gina, please come over soon. YUM!
-Wish the pretzels were more moist/soft- more pudding like…

The final menu was such a hit we just had to share a few of the recipes!
Whole Wheat Fettuccini with basil cream sauce and roasted tomatoes
Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding
Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Which team made which dish? Who won full bragging rights until our next challenge? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

*This video was taken by a FlipCam given to me by Meghann of graduatemeghann.com.

A few surprises:
-I was shocked to learn that the pine nuts at our market come from China. Where can one find local nuts?
-Our guests did not like rhubarb! This was surprising because I found it to be absolutely delicious. I wonder if my taste buds have changed?
-Everyone was as excited about the battle as we were!

Preparing a meal from start to finish using only locally grown and locally produced foods was a challenge, but both teams did so successfully and we put together a great dinner. Head out to your local grocery store or farmers’ market, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the source.

Buy local foods!

Thank you for this great opportunity Foodbuzz!

Shrimp and bean barley salad makes a great refreshing spring or summer meal. The addition of mint adds a kick of unexpected flavor, and celery adds much needed crunch. From start to finish, the assembly of this salad took 15 minutes. It is beautiful, fresh, and most importantly, delicious. Luckily, it is also makes for the perfect balanced meal!

My friend Gina made an amazing shrimp couscous salad for Anita’s bachelorette party we helped host last weekend. The dish was so wonderful I asked her for the recipe, which comes from her family’s cookbook.  Until I receive a copy (ahem, Hi Gina! recipe, please!) I made my own version, inspired by the flavors of her dish. I hope you enjoy this shrimp & bean barley salad as much as I do!

Shrimp & Bean Barley Salad
Inspired by Aunt Nancy’s recipe
Serves 6 or more

Ingredients:
2 cups dry pearled barley, rinsed
1 lb cooked shrimp, 70-110 count* (frozen, tail off and ready to eat)
4 oz feta cheese
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup cannellini beans
20 large mint leaves, chopped fine
1/2 cup diced red onion (almost 1/2 large red onion)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
splash red wine vinegar
2 tbs stoneground mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add the rinsed pearled barley and a dash of salt. Cover and set to low for 30 minutes. Drain any excess water and set aside.
*If you used frozen cooked shrimp, as I did, run it under cold water until thawed. Let drain.
2. Combine the feta, diced celery, beans, mint leaves, and onion in a large bowl. Add the barley and shrimp and mix well to combine. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the barley salad and mix well. Serve cold as an appetizer or a meal! Enjoy!

Other shrimp recipes:
Giada’s Fusilli with Shrimp & Arugula (Giada DeLaurentiis’ family dinners)
Spicy Shrimp Dinner