Instagramming in the Kitchen: Mini Frittatas

Hello!

To start off the week, I wanted to share one of the recipes that I use to make our daily breakfasts for the week.  You've probably seen these before, but mini frittatas made in a muffin tin are the easiest thing to make and they make your weekday mornings a breeze.  I'm someone who HAS to have something to eat and a cup of coffee as soon as I get up, but I don't always have time to cook something from scratch.  Every two weeks, I make a huge batch of these and store them in a resealable container in the fridge so I can just pull two out every morning, throw them in the microwave for one minute, and go.  You can tweak this recipe and add whatever extras you like to your frittatas, I just happen to be partial to ham, peppers, and cheese.

Mini Frittata

Makes approximately 28 mini frittatas

 

Ingredients
2 dozen eggs (we're CostCo people, so I pick up 2 dozen eggs every two weeks just for this purpose)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
 3/4 cup diced peppers
1/2 cup diced ham
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbsp. of salt
1 tsp. of black pepper
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (optional- I just love cayenne pepper for the kick and also for the metabolism boost)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Break the eggs in a large bowl and whisk them together.
Add the grated cheese, pepper, ham, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Spray the muffin tin cups with the nonstick spray.
Using a ladle, pour the egg mixture into the muffin tin cups until they are 3/4 of the way full.  They will fluff up in the oven.
Bake for about fifteen minutes, or until the tops of the frittatas are golden brown and don't jiggle.

According to my Losin' It app, which I love, by the way, these mini frittatas (made with the ingredients listed) are 108 calories each.  I have two every morning and they keep me satisfied for about five hours.

Instagramming in the Kitchen: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars

Hello!

This past week, I had a professional development day with the rest of the fine arts department of Norfolk Public Schools.  Art professional development is always pretty fantastic.  We spend a few hours in a studio workshop, take a long potluck lunch, and then spend a few hours listening to a guest artist, often local, talk about their work.  That potluck lunch, though, always intimidates me.  Art people tend to make really great food, I have noticed.  In the past, I've usually contributed bags of chips or fruit trays.  This year, however, I decided to go big and make something for the dessert table.

I found this recipe, Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars on Two Peas and Their Pod. I followed their recipe for the chocolate chip batter exactly, but instead of using the caramel pieces they called for, I made my own thick caramel filling.  I happened to have all the ingredients for homemade caramel on hand, and I looooooooove to make caramel and have a hot spoonful of it. 

To my happiness, when I went to grab my Gladware container at the end of the lunch, all of the bars were gone- not even a crumb left!  It's definitely a great, rich dessert that you can make ahead- as they need to be refrigerated- and then bring to a party.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Batter
Ingredients can be found here

Caramel Filling
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of salted butter
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a large 11 x 7 baking pan (I used a deep glass Pyrex dish). 
2. Mix the chocolate chip cookie bar batter according to the recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod. 
3. Pour half the batter into the greased baking pan.  I used a spatula to flatten the dough to an even, 1/4" layer.  
4. While you could use any kind of melted caramel for the inner caramel layer, I love the creaminess of fresh homemade caramel.  To make this, I first melted the butter into the sweetened condensed milk in a deep pot on low heat.  You want to use a much deeper pot than what you need to hold the liquid, as it will boil and bubble considerably.  Stir the mixture while the butter melts.
5. After the butter has melted into the sweetened condensed milk, add the sugar and bring the heat up to high.  The trick with caramel is to stir constantly and get prepared to stand there and stir for a while.  Have your phone handy, have a beer nearby, whatever will help that do go by quickly.  
6. Once the mixture reaches a rolling, foamy boil, bring the heat down to medium and allow it to simmer, again stirring constantly.  Stir until the mixture is an amber color and feels "thickened".  You can always test caramel by letting a few droplets of the mixture drip into a glass of cold water- it should harden in the cold water.  This process takes anywhere from 12-20 minutes.
7. When the mixture has thickened, pour it over the chocolate chip batter and sprinkle lightly with the fleur de sel.
8. Add the rest of the chocolate chip batter over the caramel.  I scooped tablespoon sized balls of dough out the mixing bowl and spread these out evenly over the caramel.  Keep in mind that you want about a 1/4" of pan at the top, as the caramel will bubble up while it is in the oven.  Don't overfill the pan.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.  The top cookie layer should be golden brown.  The bars will look at bit puffy, not unlike a souffle, when you pull it out, but it will sink down as it cools.  
10. I allowed the bars to first cool at room temperature, then put them in the refrigerator until I was ready to cut them.  The caramel layer is very thick and creamy, so cooling is essential to getting them to cut into pretty squares.  

I hope you try and love these!  They are incredibly rich and delicious.

Instagramming in the Kitchen: Raspberry Rolls with Homemade Whipped Cream

This weekend, I was in the mood to make a really indulgent brunch.  However, both nights, my husband and I stayed out way too late, so I needed to make something that super easy and quick.  I pinned a lot of complicated brunch/breakfast recipes in the hopes of tackling them, but after sleeping in until 10:30 on Sunday morning, I took this recipe as an inspiration to create my own easy recipe for raspberry sweet rolls.  I did luxe them up with some homemade whipped cream, though, which is tooooootally worth A) the calories and B) the four minutes it takes to make it.

Raspberry Rolls with Homemade Whipped Cream (serves 2 or 3)

Ingredients
Rolls

• 1 package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Raspberry jam to taste
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Flour for prepping your work surface

Whipped Cream

• 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 cup of heavy cream

Directions
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with some nonstick spray.  Prep your work surface (I used my cutting board) with a sprinkling of flour.  Roll the Crescent Roll dough out into a rectangle.  I used my finger to smudge the precut triangle lines together.  Spread the jam on the dough rectangle.  I wouldn't say I put a thin layer on, but you don't need to overfill it.  Afterwards, you should roll the dough up into a spiral or a tube shape.  Then, slice the dough spiral into small, 1 1/2 inch chunks.   Place these chunks side by side, spiral up, in the loaf pan.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown on top.

While the rolls are baking, combine the powdered sugar and heavy cream with an electric mixer on high.  Beat until the cream is thick, fluffy, and forms peaks.

Serve the rolls hot, topped with the whipped cream.

Instagramming in the Kitchen: Balsamic Skirt Steak with Polenta and Roasted Tomatoes

One of the apps I am most frequently using on my iPhone is Instagram.  I love it.  I love how flattering the filters can be on people's skin tones, I love the vintage look it gives pictures, and I love the idea of using an art form (photography) as a key part of social media.  I think it brings people together in a way that is happier and warmer than simple Facebook statuses.

I find myself using it a lot to photograph my projects around the house and this extends to my cooking in addition to DIY projects.  I love food and trying new recipes and have decided to share that love through this blog in a new series called "Instagramming in the Kitchen". 

The first recipe I want to share is from Martha Stewart, originally posted on her website here: Balsamic Skirt Steak with Polenta and Roasted Tomatoes. The recipe was originally published in 2008 in the Everyday Food blog, hosted by her main site.  It's so incredibly easy, but it looks so impressive.  It's a great working night dish.

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Polenta and Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients: 

• 2 pints grape tomatoes (I have used grape tomatoes and roma tomatoes at different ties when making this.  Any type of tomato will work, but the grape tomatoes do add extra sweetness.) 
• 6 scallions, white and green parts separated and cut into 1-inch pieces (I have used scallions, shallots, and yellow onions.  Shallots were my absolute favorite with this dish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak (cut into 2 or more pieces, if necessary, to fit in skillet) (I tend to buy steak as it is on sale, so I have used skirt, strip, and flank steak, all with a good result.)
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Roasted Tomatoes
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees for roasting the tomatoes.   *Note: At this point, I also begin boiling water for the polenta (see below).  In a large baking pan, toss the tomatoes with scallion whites   and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Put the pan of tomatoes in the oven and roast for 12-15 minutes or until the tomatoes have split skins.  Upon removing these from the oven, add scallion greens.

Polenta
Bring four cups of water to a boil in a large pot.  Once it is boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water and slowly pour the cornmeal in while whisking.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently for 10 minutes or until the polenta is thick.  A grainy texture will still be present, but the polenta should be soft.

Steak
Drop 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over a high heat.  I usually give it about two minutes to fully warm up and swirl the pan several times to coat it.  Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper (I prefer to use salt and pepper from my grinders for this portion rather than table salt or pre-ground black pepper).  Add the steak to the skillet and cook, turning only once, until the steak is medium rare.  It is crucial that you only turn the steak once.  The more you touch and squeeze meat with tongs or a fork, the more juiciness you push out of the meat.  After both sides have been cooked (the whole process usually takes about six minutes for me, but our stove top runs hot and I prefer a rarer steak) transfer the steak to a plate and cover it loosely with foil.  Let the steak rest for at least five minutes.  Add vinegar to the skillet and boil on high heat until it has reduced to a 1/2 cup.  This takes about 7 minutes and during this time, I usually shut the kitchen door, as the smell created by the boiling vinegar lingers for a long time.  Turn off the heat and add in any juices from the resting steak to the vinegar. 

Serving
Fill a bowl with 3/4 cup of polenta and top with slices of the steak and the roasted tomatoes.  Drizzle several tablespoons over the polenta.  Sprinkle Parmesan over the mixture to taste and serve.
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