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:
Cook time:
Total time:
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.
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.
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.
Life in Fairbanks has sure gotten sweeter since the snow melted away. Almost any day of the week we can head out to a number of local events; the Farmers market, Monday market downtown, Festivals, fun runs — it’s like the entire city of Fairbanks is playing catch-up for the dormant winter where everyone hunkered down indoors. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and tour buses full of foreigners fill the streets, all breathing new life into this sleepy town. It’s nearly impossible to go anywhere without running into the other military families we’ve met while living on post. The festive hustle and bustle of summer in Fairbanks reminds me of life in my old college town.
I had no idea it would be this way. I thought the pace set last winter would continue at its lumbering rate. Turns out I was really wrong about what ‘pace’ was set. It seems as though everyone else was busy during that time, making soap, knitting, and sculpting … at least that’s what I concluded while walking around at the Farmers Market this weekend. I’m feeling the need to play catch-up, too. The insanely long daylight hours motivate me to work long into the night on projects small and large. Canning is one of those back burner projects I’ve been meaning to get back to.
Last summer Isaac and I lived around the corner from a Costco, which sold us big jugs full of sweet and spicy mango habanero sauce. We adorned everything with that delicious treat. It was seasonal item that eventually disappeared from the shelves, then we disappeared from Washington. But that sweet and spicy memory didn’t disappear at all. I wanted to recreate it at home using seasonal ingredients.
With strawberry season in full swing, I thought now was a good time to jump on the canning bandwagon again.
Et voilà, strawberry jalapeño jam! — I just love how these things come together.I’m a little embarrassed to say that we’ve already emptied one of the 10 jars of this sweet and spicy treat that I prepared yesterday. I made homemade ice cream last night, and swirled in this jam before it even had time to properly set. Then today we indulged in the jam slathered on a layer of cream cheese on artisan bread. It was divine.
We haven’t shared with Margot, since this stuff packs a punch (I’d give it a 7 on a scale of heat from 1-10), then again my heat tolerance has gone down since we went on a short juice fast earlier this year. My Margot isn’t a fan of spicy food, yet.
The fresh jalapeños were strong, even though I almost completely de-seeded them. Between the jalapeños, rogue splashes of boiling water, and multiple loads of dishes, my hands are raw. I recommend wearing food prep gloves for this recipe if you have any, you’ll regret not doing so when you accidentally rub your sleepy eyes with your spicy fingertips like I did.
If you’ve never canned before, don’t be intimidated. It’s much easier than you’d think if you’re using the water bath method (which is only to be used for high acid foods like fruit preserves). The special equipment needed is minimal, too. I have my Ball canning pot, funnel and jelly jars. I do recommend specialty tongs. My normal tongs work okay, but I will be purchasing specialty tongs soon.
For more information on canning, head over to Food in Jars, my favorite blog for canning and preserving foods.
Strawberry Jalapeño Jam
Recipe Type: Canning
Author: Crystle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10 half pints
This sweet and spicy jam works well on cream cheese and crackers, swirled into yogurt, topped on ice cream and even as the J in classic PB&J sandwich.
Prep strawberries by rinsing and removing green tops, and mince the jalapeños. Add to blender or food processor and blend on crush setting for a minute, or until semi-smooth in consistency.
In large canning pot, sterilize 10 half-pint jelly jars and lids for five minutes in boiling water. Remove from canning pot. Dry lids and rings and be sure to allow excess water to drain out of jars. Set aside on a dish towel (use one that’s okay to get messy). Don’t drain the water, you’ll use this exact set up in a moment.
In large dutch oven, bring strawberries, jalapeños, lemon juice and pectin to a boil. Slowly add in sugar until dissolved. Bring ingredients to a boil, stirring regularly. Check the temperature of the jam mixture using a digital thermometer. When it reads 220F, remove the pot from the heat.
Ladle the hot jam into jars filling to 1/4 inch of the rim. Run flat knife, or thin spatula along interior walls of jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe rims of jars for proper sealing. Tightly place lids on jars (use oven mitts to hold jars, they’ll be hot).
Gently place filled jars into bottom of canning pot giving them 2 inches of space in between and making sure they have at least 1 inch of water covering the lids. Bring water to a boil. Boil for ten minutes. Remove pot from heat, and remove jars from pot.
Allow jars to cool and set on wood or cloth covered surface overnight. Check the lids for proper seal. They should not have any play vertically. Store in cool dark place for up to one year.
Notes
– If you have food prep gloves, I recommend using them for the jalapeño preparation. [br][br]- If you’re worried about a proper set for your jam, use the freezer plate method: place several salad plates in the freezer in advance. When you think your jam is done cooking, spoon out a sample on the frozen plate and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove dutch oven from heat in the meantime to prevent overcooking. Once cooled, slide your finger through the jam, if it has a skin and parts readily, it’s ready. If it’s still very runny, place dutch oven back on heat and test again a few minutes later when you’re think it may be ready.[br][br]- It’s always a good idea to sterilize a few extra jars in case your yield runs on the large end.[br][br]- Recipe adapted from All Recipes Strawberry Jalapeño Jam
For more information on canning, head over to 
Yea Yea Pueblo 