It finally started to feel a little like spring around here this week. And by finally, I mean that there was no snow in the forecast (yes, we had SNOW in MAY) and the temperature reached a balmy 72 degrees with sunshine.
Our whole neighborhood seemed to emerge in celebration of the sun. The rumble of lawnmowers and children’s laughter filled the air. My boys have started asking when we can fire up pizza on the grill and eat outside. My answer? Not soon enough!
Waking to a heavy fog on Sunday morning, set the tone for the day. We moved a bit slower, snuggled a little longer and cozied up under quilts, watched movies, read and played games. In the morning, I ventured out to get a few groceries and snapped a couple pics of the dreary day with my phone. The country roads and barren trees, along with the heavy sky made for moody b&w images. Later in the day, as the fog rolled back in, across the empty cornfields, I got my big camera out to capture the landscapes.
Sitting here, trying to write a post that comes out on an election day isn’t easy. I’ve come to the point where I no longer know what to say. The finger pointing commercials and countless (countless!) solicitation calls have somehow made me want this election over more than ever. Politics can be as personal as religious choices for some, and the conviction they feel for their cause just as strong. My children talk about the election and have raised many questions I’ve had to really think about to answer. They range from something as simple as explaining the differences between Democrats and Republicans to the more complex questions of , “why can’t everyone just get along?” From the mouths of babes.
Last month, while on vacation, we had a lot of wonderful, new food experiences. We all had our favorites. Mine included taking in the historic architecture of Charleston while enjoying a bag of warm pralines. The other was the daily walk down to The Black Magic Cafe for sandwiches, all of us ravenous after a morning on the beach.
Not long after I started this blog I wrote a post entitled, ‘What We Eat’. In it, I talked about the journey my family has made in the way we eat, changing over to a whole food diet that is primarily (with the exception of one boy) vegetarian. At that time, eggs weren’t really a part of our diet. Due to complaints of tummy aches from the boys I had just quit buying them and found substitutes for eggs in baking.
In that previously mentioned post, I stated that, just like in any good change, you need to re-evaluate every now and then. I’ve always said if any one in our family wanted to go back to eating meat or including eggs that I would not hesitate to bring them back in, as long as I could find a good, local source.
A few weeks ago, I was working on a project that included styling a recipe that uses eggs. As my youngest observed me cooking with the eggs and had a million questions about them. Ultimately, he asked if I could buy a dozen so he could have scrambled eggs for breakfast.
My search for local, farm fresh eggs was on. The great thing about having friends that are as into food as you are, is that they know people. Like people with eggs. It wasn’t long before I was picking up a couple dozen gorgeous, brown, tan and speckled eggs from a man and his son, just 10 minutes from our home.
Bringing eggs back into our diet has opened up a whole new list of recipes to try. While we don’t eat them often, I find that they are a great go to when I need to throw a quick supper on the table.
For this frittata, I used some of the veggies from this week’s CSA box as well as some of the fragrant rosemary I found tucked inside. On the side we had a beautiful mixed green salad with shaved red dragon carrots, chives, sunflower seeds and a honey balsamic vinaigrette.
Garden Frittata
8 eggs
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Kosher salt & pepper
parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl beat eggs well and set aside. Over medium heat, in a well seasoned cast iron skillet or oven safe, non-stick skillet, sauté green onions, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. When onions and garlic are fragrant add in rosemary. Pour in eggs and add parmesan and cherry tomatoes . Season with salt and pepper.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until eggs are set and there is very little liquid running in the center. To help this, run a spatula along the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan from side to side so the uncooked eggs run to the underside, allowing them to cook. To finish off the frittata place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until eggs are well set, fluffy and slightly golden brown. Garnish with parsley.
