Turkey Sausage & Fingerling Potato Frittata with Alaskan Farm Fresh Eggs

November 28, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ 1 Comment

If I’ve ever had farm fresh eggs before this frittata, I certainly don’t remember it. I grew up in Bakersfield, CA, in a small tract-style home with a mature naval orange tree growing in the backyard. It always gave us more fruit than we could handle, so we often showed up to friends houses with large grocery bags full of oranges. This wasn’t unique to the Sanchez family either, many residents of Bakersfield had flourishing fruit trees, or held jobs with the growers of the valley. Bags of carrots, cartons of oranges, sacks of almonds and cases of grapes were all readily exchanged for goods and services among friends and family members. So I find it seriously strange that I cannot recall having had farm fresh eggs! There must have been a time, but it’s lost among the other early Bakersfield memories that have begun to fade from my mind.

Living in Fairbanks, AK really limits the availability of fresh anything, so when a friend dropped off farm fresh eggs from the farm of a mutual acquaintance, I was elated! Farm fresh eggs, in interior Alaska? Is that even possible? Apparently, it is. And these chicken champions lay some delicious eggs.

I knew that I wanted to make a dish starring these beautiful eggs, and a frittata immediately came to mind. This happened to fall on Isaac’s first day home from a week-long business trip, so we put the kids down for a nap, and cracked some eggs for a hearty mid-week brunch.

Mild Italian turkey sausage, fingerling potatoes, onion and cheddar provide the filling while thyme, rosemary and basil round out the flavors. It’s a easy dish made with ingredients we usually have on hand.

Turkey Sausage & Potato Frittata with Alaskan Farm Fresh Eggs

Author: Crystle

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 8

Simple turkey sausage and potato frittata made with farm fresh Alaskan eggs.

Ingredients

4-6 fingerling potatoes, diced into small bite sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 lb mild italian turkey sausage, cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 farm fresh eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried sweet basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup cheddar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Instructions

Put oven rack on highest shelf, and turn on broiler to low.
In an oven safe skillet, sautè onions, potatoes and cooked turkey sausage on medium high heat until the onions are translucent and the potatoes are soft.
In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs, dried spices, and milk, mixing into fluffy consistency. Add cheddar and mix.
Reduce heat to low, level the vegetables in the skillet, add egg mixture. Cook until the eggs set around the edges (about 3-4 minutes).
Place skillet in oven, and cook another 2-4 minutes, checking frequently to prevent scorching. When the surface of the frittata is taut and golden, remove from oven. Allow frittata to set for five minutes before serving.

Notes

Allowing the frittata to rest prevents it from sticking to your skillet. It also makes it easier to slice.[br]Feel free to sub-in turkey breakfast sausage to bring this back into the breakfast arena. [br]I cook my turkey sausage in advance, and add it into Annie’s Mac n Cheese, breakfast burritos, or frittatas for quick meals that are toddler-friendly.

Banana Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins

August 7, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ 8 Comments

Today I’m 35 weeks pregnant, and I feel like I’m ready to pop. Each sneeze is a terrifying experiment in abdominal fortitude, and each bend at the hips is a foray into a world of discomfort. At night when I’m so tired I think I could just expire, this baby boy goes into hyper mode and kicks and stretches my insides until I’m sure the only relief is immediate delivery.

My chiropractor has been working wonders on my SPD, keeping me strong enough to endure long days of endless chores and raucous childcare without relying on any oral pain management. I whine about this pregnancy, but it’s certainly been more comfortable than my pregnancy with Margot. I’m able to complete all the tasks that need to be done, and with the help of my Sakura Bloom baby sling from my friend Sarah, I’m able to take Margot’s don’t-put-me-down phase in stride.

Speaking of Margot, she’s entered this exhausting new phase of sleep regression. It’s no fun waking up to her hysterical cries several times a night, but I’m grateful to have such great cuddling time with her and her favorite teddy bear. It’s also good conditioning for what’s around the corner with a newborn. I’m tired now, but I know I’ll be about 20 times more exhausted in a months time.

While Margot napped today (she still sleeps for a good 2-3 hours in the early afternoon, hallelujah!) I got to work on lactation sweets to promote a reliable milk supply in my first few weeks postpartum.

I baked 4 dozen oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies, and a dozen of these banana chocolate chip muffins. I used the leftover batter to make a small loaf of muffin bread, bagged it all up, and stored it in the freezer for quick snacks after Woody arrives. I’m already stocking the freezer with baked goods and crock-pot meals so when all of new-baby help is gone, and I’m left to juggle two kids and a household alone, I’ll be able to ease into the transition a little easier.

Isaac is going to the field for two weeks just before Woody’s due date, so it’s even more important that I get all this nesting and food prep done before he leaves. He’s leaving again in October, and January for similar Army training duties. A few weeks here, a month there — I’d take that over a deployment or a hardship tour any day.

Back to these lactation muffins. The active ingredients in lactation promoting foods is brewers yeast and flax seed meal. They’re available at your local grocery store near the vitamins or bulk foods, or at your local GNC. I probably should have subbed in low-glycemic sugar substitutes like agave nectar for the sugar called for in this recipe, but Margot only naps for a few hours, and I had back to back batches of cookies and muffins to complete in a short amount of time. Experimenting with substitutions is a leisurely endeavor reserved for lazy Saturday afternoons, I’ll get to it eventually, though.

Moist and sweet, these banana chocolate chip lactation muffins will be a go-to treat around here while I’m breastfeeding. They’ve got a decent amount of fiber that’s punctuated by semi-sweet chocolate morsels, edging out that health-food aftertaste.

Banana Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins

Author: Crystle

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 24

Lactation-promoting banana chocolate chip muffins.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp Brewers Yeast
3 tbsp Flax Seed meal
1/2 cup oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl, mash ripe bananas. Mix in the softened butter until blended, then add the vanilla and egg. Mix until well incorporated.
In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, Brewer’s Yeast and Flax Seed meal until blended.
Slowly add dry ingredients into banana mixture. Stir in oats, and chocolate chips and mix well.
Fill muffin cups with batter until 3/4 full. Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe adapted from My Little Poppyseed [br]Store these muffins in an airtight container in the freezer, and pull out muffins on an as-needed basis for longer shelf life. Pop a muffin into the microwave for a minute, and enjoy a ‘fresh’ muffin.

Roasted Red Potato & Whipped Feta Galette

June 26, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

I’m already in the third trimester of this pregnancy — that was quick. My belly is expanding rapidly, my wardrobe is shrinking considerably, and my appetite is growing as quickly as this baby is. The fatigue is also catching up with me, especially with Margot in full toddler-mode, running all over the house, leaving a frenzied mess in her wake. I’ve been grappling with a bout of SPD, a lot like what I experienced when I was pregnant with Margot. As such, grocery shopping has been delegated to Isaac, usually in the form of a text message requesting last minute items to be picked up at the commissary on his way home from work. It’s not ideal, but that’s how it has been this month.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette Plus my seven-year-old cheese grater finally kicked the bucket last week. It’s a reminder that all my remaining single-girl gear I accumulated in college is on its way out and that yes, I am a mother, and the things I like to buy now are for my business, my kids or my kitchen. Boooring.

Anyway, a giant cheddar block in the fridge just sits there, wishing I would transform it into cheese sticks for the toddler, or shredded cheese to top on chili. Not happening.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

A large block of feta sits beside it in the fridge, begging to go to bat. I finally relented opting for a scavenged galette, using whatever I could find on hand. Pre-made pie crust, red onion, red potatoes, dry herbs and Feta (no cheese grater needed!) — I could make this work using my trusty Galette recipe from Pam Anderson’s Cook Without a Book – Meatless Meals.

Whipping the feta with cream cheese made it into a tangy and smooth cheese base for the roasted potatoes and onions. Rosemary and garlic herbs provided most of the flavor, while the flaky pie crust kept it all together. It’s a winning combo that’s easy to dress up. If I had more ingredients on hand, I likely would have added cherry tomatoes to the potatoes before roasting so they’d offer a nice blistery juice to the galette. I might also add fresh Rosemary to shape the flavor better. As it is, this dish is a great side for a plate of Steak and a side salad. It’s an indulgent, carb-loaded, cheesy pastry that really hits the spot.

Roasted Red Potato and Whipped Feta Galette

Try making extra whipped feta to dip veggies in later, or slather it on a piece of toast with a dollop of bruschetta.

I would love to toss some bow tie pasta and arugula into the whipped feta for a quick lunch — if I can remember to ask a certain someone to bring those ingredients on his way home from work.

Roasted Red Potato & Whipped Feta Galette

Author: Crystle

Carb-loaded, cheesy goodness.

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust
4 cups small red potatoes, cut into 1/2″ bite-sized pieces (about 7 small red potatoes)
1 cup diced red onion (1 medium red onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Rosemary Garlic blend seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
3/4 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Rinse potatoes, and cut into 1/2″ bite-sized pieces. Dice onion. In large mixing bowl, toss potato and onions in olive oil and seasonings. Spread out evenly on baking sheet, and place in cold oven on low rack. Turn oven on to 425F and allow vegetables to roast 15-20 minutes, turning over once mid-way to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, add feta to food processor and blend until smooth. Add cream cheese and milk and blend until creamy.
Unroll pie crust onto second baking sheet.
When vegetables are done cooking, transfer them to the large mixing bowl and mix with 1 cup of the whipped feta mixture. Coat evenly.
Pour vegetable mixture over the pie crust, leaving 2″ border around the perimeter. Fold crust up toward the center of the circle. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow pastry to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Add 1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes to the veggie mixture before roasting in the oven. The blistered tomatoes will add a nice juicy touch to the galette.[br][br]Whipped feta recipe adapted from Ina Garten. [br][br]Galette recipe adapted from Pam Anderson’s Galette guidelines in Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals.

For more, check out my other go-to Galette recipe: Southwest Sweet Potato Galette.