Personal Pan Frittata

Doesn't this just look like the perfect personal brunch or in my case, dinner? It was super easy and extremely delicious, especially when I added a little salsa on top for a fun kick in your mouth. I truly love breakfast food and am totally on the same page as Bobby Flay who just luurrrvs brunch. I mean, who doesn't love a good brunch? Mimosas, eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, fruit, croissants, quiche, omelets, muffins, coffee, spice cake, pancakes, egg casserole, bloody Mary's....someone stop me, I'm hot for brunch.

Since it has been awhile since I have had friends staying in town with me, where I always have the chance to make my most favorite brunch casserole, Spinach and Tomato Strata, I decided to hell with it, I wanted brunch and I wanted it now, who cares if it's 7:30 p.m.! Well, here is what came to fruition and man was it yummy. I used a lot of ingredients that I already had, but was glad that I had a lot of veggies to add, they made it very filling and gave me my vitamins for the day.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 egg white

1/4 cup milk

1/2 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1/2 cup diced bell peppers

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 oz diced goat cheese

Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat cooking spray in a small cast iron skillet and add the red onions and bell peppers; cook for 3 minutes

2. In a bowl, combine and whisk the eggs, milk, goat cheese and spices

3. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and heat through; about 2 minutes

4. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook on stovetop for 1 minute

5. Move the skillet under your broiler and let puff; about 5 to 7 minutes depending on your oven

Top with salsa, cheese, hot sauce, fresh herbs

Enjoy!!

Cappuccino Parfaits

Holy great after-dinner treat, or let's face it...Sunday afternoon snack?? This cappuccino parfait is so creamy and delicious, it will literally melt on your tongue in espresso caffeine jolting goodness :) I had to try these out first for myself, but are going to be so fun to serve to my girlfriends for brunch or my fabulous neighbor girls for one of our tea parties. After all, at these tea parties, we only wear tutus, tiaras and eat and drink fabulous things. Seriously, these girls are the most wonderful pint-size treats in my life, love every minute with them.

Have fun and serve these parfaits in different juice glasses to add some whimsy to your party. One of my favorite things is to explore antique shops and thrift stores in search of fun juice glasses. My dear mother started me on this and neither one of us ever passes up a fun and unique addition for my collection!

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Cookbook of Martha Stewart Living.

Ingredients:
1 container part-skim ricotta (15 oz)
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Instructions:
1. Puree ricotta, sugar and espresso powder until very smooth
2. Divide evenly in glasses
3. Add a little something special by sprinkling espresso powder on top and maybe a coffee beans or chocolate chips for good measure ;)

Enjoy!

Even more NM...Chicken Salad with Mandarin Orange Souffle

This menu was an honest-to-goodness travesty when it came to deciding between delicious items to order. I mean really, how can you choose between two, three...make that four things that all sound like the best thing you could possibly ever taste? It was a good thing there were two of us so we could same the other one's choice de jour. 

Steph decided on this luscious chicken salad that was paired with NM's famous mandarin orange souffle. The chicken salad was topped with sliced almonds and man-oh-man, the ingredients were perfectly matched with the celery, chicken, light and flavorful mayo creating the base that was topped with the perfect crunch. The mandarin orange souffle was a Heavenly treat that was light and fluffy and full of rich flavor. You could tell the orange was definitely fresh and not some sort of "from concentrate" flavor. Sooo good.

NM continued...Three Cheese Quiche

Talk about a fluffy, buttery, light piece of Heaven in your mouth. Please take note: order the Three Cheese Quiche at Neiman. Ahmaazing.

Bananarama Nut Muffins

Spinach and Tomato Anytime Strata

Waking up early on a Sunday morning and putting your strata that you made the night before in the oven is something I truly relish. How fun is it to get all of your prep work and clean up done the night before so that after you have indulged and enjoyed your fantastic breakfast the only thing you have to do is load your plates in the dishwasher? (whether that is your hubby/roommate/children/or appliance is up to you). A great aspect of this recipe is that if you are worried about added calories that you can usually count on with a delish breakfast is that it actually uses a lot of vegetables and keeps you full so you don't do a lot of snacking in between meals. My mom always likes to eat light and wasn't planning on having a normal sized portion of this, until she tasted it. Her immediate reaction was "Well, I might have to have a little more" :) This strata can be eaten at any time of the day and is sure to please the most experienced or inexperienced palate around.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1. 6 eggs
2. 4 cups Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
3. 1 package (16 oz) frozen spinach
4. 1 can Rotel or similar tomatoes
5. 1 cup onion, finely chopped
6. 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7. 1/3 cup Colby Jack cheese
8. 4 slices Pepperjack (gourmet, Kraft...eh, whatever)
9. 1 1/2 cups milk
10. 1 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened butter
11. 1 tsp salt (divided)
12. 1 tsp pepper (divided)
13. Dash nutmeg

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue to cook another minute. Stir in the spinach and remove from heat.
2. Butter the inside of a 2 qt. baking dish and layer the bottom with half of the bread cubes. Top with half of the spinach mixture, half of the tomatoes, half of the Parm and CJ cheese and the 4 slices of PJ cheese.
3. Repeat these layers once more (remember, no more PJ cheese-those are a yummy melty surprise in the middle)
4. Combine eggs, milk and remaining salt and pepper. Whisk until blended and pour evenly over the layers in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 1 day.
5. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350° F and bake uncovered for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until puffed, golden brown and cooked all the way through.

Serve with salad, fruit, a latte  and enjoy your meal!