Breakfast Frittata for Two

Things not to do:

Walk into Anthropologie when you're feeling especially vulnerable. Bad things ensue.

Tell someone you "like her curves". Particularly when the recipient of the comment doesn't feel as though she has curves. You are not doing anyone any favors. 

Go to hot yoga class on an empty stomach. Because you will end up at McDonald's immediately afterwards. This is both time-wasting and self-deprecating.

Ask someone - anyone - when the baby's due. Just...no. 

Decide on a whim to whip up some whipped cream when you realize that carton of heavy cream in the fridge is about to expire. Particularly not advisable if you live alone. Again with the self-deprecation.

Things to do:

Send letters in the mail, just because.

Buy a cast iron skillet. It will change your life, it will!

Chill on the Facebook. Because some things should be just for you.

Wake up early to hand-press coffee.

Cook breakfast on Saturday morning with someone you love.

I've made this frittata three weekends in a row now. What I love about the recipe is that it is completely free-form. Other than the necessary eggs and onions, everything else is up to you (and what you have on hand). It's great with seasonal greens (think asparagus, broccoli, summer squash), as a Mexican frittata (black beans, jalapenos, salsa, queso fresco) or with a Greek spin (kalamata olives, artichokes, feta). This was the version I made last Saturday, but by all means, let your pantry and fridge dictate your flavor. This serves two hungry people, but the veggies and eggs can be doubled to serve more.

Breakfast Frittata
modified from Super Natural Everyday

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. seasonal vegetables, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used asparagus, red bell pepper, and zucchini in this version, would also be good with thinly sliced potatoes and some green veggies)
6 large eggs, well beaten
1/4 c. feta cheese
small bunch of chives, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to Broil.

Heat the oil in a heavy, ovenproof (cast-iron) skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and veggies and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and the veggies are softened, around 5 minutes. Reserve half of this mixture on a plate.

Whisk a pinch of salt into the eggs and pour the eggs into the center of the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are just set and there isn't much liquid in the pan, about 5 minutes. 

The trick is to avoid browning the bottom. To do this, run a spatula around the outside of the pan and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside.

Top with the reserved vegetable mixture and cheese.

Put the skillet into the broiler for a couple of minutes, which will help make the eggs puffy. Be careful, because the eggs can go from perfect to "ruh-roh" in just a few seconds. When lightly browned and puffy, remove from the broiler. 

Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh herbs (chives or parsley or cilantro) and serve warm.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I've got a somewhat embarrassing confession to make. If you've been following this blog, you may already know. No, it's not that I'm a faux vegetarian with a secret (not-so-secret) love for beef broth.  Nor is it that occasionally, I get sucked into watching a riveting and equally mind-numbing marathon of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

It's worse. Much worse.

Okay. Here it is. I don't eat fruit. To be completely honest, I actually prefer not to even come near it. Haven't since I was four. (Unless you count that time in sixth grade when my brother "April Fools"-ed me with grotesquely juicy apples in my bed while I was sleeping. We didn't talk for a little while after that.) There is no rhyme or reason to my distaste for fruit. It's 100% mental. And 100% crazy.

I always ogle over breakfast recipes that center around in-season berries. What I wouldn't give to want to make an apple pie. Banana bread? Why must you repulse me so? Greek yogurt topped with fruit and honey? Why - that sounds like a perfectly acceptable and age-appropriate snack. But I can't go for that. (No can do.) (Also: I've been listening to quite a bit of Hall & Oates on the ol' Pandora lately.)

Instead, as you may have noticed, I opt for excessive amounts of sugar and cinnamon in my breakfast creations. I'm not complaining, and neither are the people I bake for. But - seriously Alexis - enough is enough. Act your damn age and integrate some berries into your repertoire!

Maybe soon. Hopefully. But definitely not today. 

These buns are truly easy and delightful. They're easy (and fast!) because they don't need yeast to rise. (And in turn, you don't need to be patient. Hooray!) They'll be in the oven in 20 minutes and in your belly in another 25. They're delightful due to the presence of cinnamon, sugar, melted butter, and the like. (And in turn, the absence of bananas, berries, etc.)

Bursting with dark brown sugar, ground cloves, and cinnamon and glazed with cream cheese frosting, these are a wonderful way to start your day. And are precisely how I started my Saturday last week.

Biscuits for Breakfast

I can't think of anything more comforting then hot, buttery biscuits coming out of the oven. Which is precisely why my fridge used to be stocked with the Pillsbury Cylinder Biscuits. You know what I'm talking about. The ones that go POP! when you tear at the edge of the casing to get inside. The ones that cause a minor (major) freak out as you squint your eyes and tilt your head away when you open the case. Not unlike what happens when opening a bottle of champagne.

POP!

Ya dig?

Okay. I'm glad we're on the same page.

As an avid lover of biscuits and a frequent buyer of Pillsbury Cylinder Biscuits, not too long ago I thought to myself, "What don't I make these myself?" And make them I did.

For a recipe, I turned to a tried and true baker friend, Joy the Baker. (Sidenote: We're not actually friends. You know, the real-life kind. She's just my imaginary, internet-land friend whose blog I read religiously. Whose book I'm c o u n t i n g the d a y s for. Who I will stalk welcome when she comes to Portland for said book release signing. Whose voice is in my ears regularly when I'm on the I-5. This is what relationships with imaginary, internet-land friends go like. So what?) 

These biscuits come together in a jiffy and are best served warm and enjoyed with someone you love on a rainy Sunday morning.

Homemade Maple Orange Granola

Hood to Coast is the world's longest relay race. Starting at 8,000 feet elevation on Mount Hood and ending on the sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean, this is the "Mother of All Relays." Some people are crazy.

I am one of those people. 

I had the opportunity to participate in this legend-(wait for it)-ary event this year. We're talking 12 runners. 197 miles. Three separate legs. Two vans. Way too many Honey Buckets. One field (for sleeping napping lying down). One midnight run (if you haven't run down a highway in the middle of the night wearing a headlamp and reflective vest...well...you're smarter than me.) And if you were in my van: one batch of this granola.