Italian Frittata and White Bean/Artichoke Soup

What Happens in…stays in…. 

When did the movies get so nasty?  I think it was when they started selling pizza and hot dogs – what’s next Chinese Food?  Must we serve the exact same food everywhere?  I heard that some Chinese restaurants are actually serving chicken nuggets now.  Even the new movie theaters smell like stinky feet and god knows what else.  It’s like getting on a packed airplane for a 3+ hour flight and the person next to you in the center seat pulls out a bag of McDonalds.  Does a nose clip come with that barf bag?  I see these 300 pound men and women at the movies ordering enough food for the Octomom and Gosslin Families combined and I want to yell “Stop – do you know that will kill you!”.  Pretty soon they are going to install moving walkways up the aisle because nobody will be able to walk the steps.  Now can you please tell me one final thing?  As completely offended and utterly disgusted by all this behavior at the movies, why is it that even I cannot resist the free pass – to eat an entire bag of Sour Patch Kids in the dark.  You know what they say, what happens in the movies, stays in the movies. 

Frittata:  You can make this frittata with any ingredients (ham, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, shredded cheese, herbs) and serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

• Scramble 8-10 eggs and add salt/pepper, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (and 2 TBS of milk if desired)
•  Heat TBS butter (or EVOO) in a hot skillet and cook your ingredients (prosciutto/asparagus) until cooked through.
• Add a drop of EVOO to ingredients to prevent eggs from sticking if needed.  Pour eggs over ingredients.
• Cover and let cook for 5 minutes (eggs will still be wet, careful not to burn bottom of pan). 
• Put skillet in the oven on BROIL for about 5 minutes until knife comes out clean.  Serve it like pie.

         Note:  You can also simply bake the frittata on 350 for 20 mins. after you pour the eggs  into the pan. 

White Bean/Artichoke Soup:  I made this up from ingredients in my cabinets (served 4).  The color wasn’t the prettiest but it tasted so delicious! 

• Sautee 1/2 onion in a soup pot with a little EV olive oil until soft.
• Add 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 can of drained cannellini beans, 1 can of chopped artichoke hearts, and 1/2 teaspoon of chopped rosemary.  Boil and then simmer for 30 mins.  Use hand (immersion) blender in the pot to blend and thicken soup.
• Add good hit of salt/pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Serve with bread for dunking!
  The kids didn’t like it until I gave them the bread to dunk.

Salad:Clean and dry romaine thoroughly so it won’t get soggy.   Add toppings (yellow pepper and tomatoes) and toss with salad dressing. 

How Can Kids Help? 

•  Teach kids how to crack eggs (do each one in a separate dish so you can fish out shells if needed).
• Measure and add 1/2 cup of cheese to the eggs.
• Wash asparagus and help pull apart prosciutto into pieces.
• Teach kids how to know where to cut bottom of asparagus – take a piece in your hands and snap the bottom off gently.  Wherever it breaks is where you should cut the rest.
• Teach kids how to measure butter (2 TBS) and add to pan.
• Dinner Game:  Pick a letter (or start with A) and see how many foods you can name that begin with that letter.  It’s a good way to teach new foods.

Did You Know? 

• A Spanish Tortilla is like an Italian Frittata but is usually made with potatoes (no cheese) inside and served with a garlicky mayonnaise.
• A French Omelet hold a small amount of filling and is rolled-up several times.
• Frittata means “fried” (although some people bake them – like my husband).
• Pasture raised hens lay eggs that have:  1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more mega-3 fatty acids, times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta carotene (the yolks are actually orange)