Sweet Potato + Spinach Hash {Breakfast for Dinner}

Pin It Now!

Today's recipe was born out of a desperate need for groceries.  I hadn't shopped, the house was a disaster of baby toys and I was too tired to deal with going to the market for anything.  Necessity is the mother of invention, right?  I had a single sweet potato, a couple handfuls of spinach leftover from making baked spaghetti, and a few eggs.  I thought to myself, this will either be awesome or a total flop. 

Guys.  It's awesome.  First off, there's nothing better than a runny egg yolk, and when in doubt, put an egg on it!  The first time I made this I didn't have any lemon and it was still delicious.  However, the second time I made it, I squeezed a lemon over the top of the hash before adding the egg and it was over-the-top amazing.  The lemon juice and the egg yolk combine and make an incredible sauce, and the tartness of the lemon gives the dish a nice bright note.  I'm starting to sound like I watch too much Chopped (I do.) so I'll shut my yap and get to it.

Run, don't walk.  Make this.  Now.

Sweet Potato + Spinach Hash with Egg
| Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 15 mins. | Serves: 2 |
1 sweet potato, peeled + diced
A few handfuls of fresh spinash
2 eggs
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Pinch of nutmeg

Heat 2 tsp of coconut oil in a medium skillet.  Peel and dice the sweet potato.  When the oil is hot, add in the sweet potato, sprinkle with salt and a pinch of nutmeg.  Saute, stirring occasionally, until beginning to caramelize, about 5 mins.  Add in 1/2 c water and continue to cook until water has evaporated and potatoes are soft, about 3-5 mins.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  Add the spinach to the same pan, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder and steam until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a non-stick pan and cook the eggs to desired temperature.  While the eggs finish up, add the sweet potato back to the skilled and combine with spinach.  Squeeze lemon juice over the combination, serve it up and enjoy!

Baked Frittata with Spinach and Feta

Pin It Now!

Let's be real.  The past 24 hours have kicked my butt.  Teething has been torturing my poor sweet boy, turning a mellow, happy baby into a fussy, sleep-fighting, overtired and cranky mess.  I'm hoping that this extra large mocha I'm gulping down so lady-like will keep me semi-functional despite being up since 3:30 a.m.. Teething bites.  Nyuk nyuk.

I've had lots and lots of yummy ideas bouncing around in my head, colliding with to-do lists and an ever-changing informal schedule of naps and feedings, but the yummy ideas have mostly been just that.  Recipes these days are simple and quick and today's can even be done one-handed while balancing a squirming 6 month old on one hip.

Frittatas are essentially Italian omelettes, loaded with various cheeses, vegetables, meats and even pasta!  Traditionally made in a skillet, and either flipped to brown both sides, or slid under the broiler, they are a great way to use up the random odds and ends that tend to accumulate over the course of a week (random tomato half, I'm lookin at you...).  In the interest of convenience, I went with baking.  I'm a sucker for a stick-it-in-the-oven-and-walk-away recipe.

This dish is great either hot out of the oven/skillet, or at room temp.  Pour yourself a mimosa, serve up some fruit and toast and it's time for brunch!  What add-ins would you put in your frittata?  I'd love to hear the combos you come up with.  Enjoy!

Frittata with Spinach and Feta
| Prep: 5 mins | Bake: 17-20 mins | Serves: 6-8 |
6 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
salt & pepper
2 handfuls spinach
2 tsp olive oil
Feta
Tomato slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a pie pan or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and saute spinach until just wilted.  Set aside to cool slightly.  While the spinach wilts, beat eggs with milk.  Make sure to beat the eggs well to break up the whites.  Add cooled spinach to eggs and mix.  Pour eggs and spinach into pie pan, sprinkle with feta, and top with sliced tomato.  Bake approx. 17 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.

Baked Chile Rellenos {Saying Goodbye to Grandma}

Pin It Now!

I've tried over and over again to open this post eloquently, and have been failing miserably.  It could be a lack of coffee, or perhaps it's a product of the past week's ride on an emotional see-saw.

On Monday, May 13, one day after Mother's Day, my Grandma passed away.

AnnaBelle Chaparro had suffered from Alzheimer's for several years, and in all honestly, she had left us long ago.  But the finality of her passing means a different kind of goodbye, one that we can't tuck away in our minds as "not really goodbye."  For a long time we still had her here, albeit somewhat absent.  My mom put it perfectly when she said that Alzheimer's is "the long goodbye."

During my Grandma's final years, my mom and dad worked day and night to make sure she was well taken care of.  What started out as merely being there to make sure she wasn't in the house alone gradually became much, much more, and eventually turned into a complete role reversal, wherein they became the "parents" of a now fully-dependent Grandma.  It's a thankless and extremely hard job.  There truly should be an organization somewhere that awards medals and accolades to caregivers.

When I think of my Grandma, I picture her in the kitchen or in the garden.  She had a beautiful, lush garden that she took great pride in.  In the backyard she had apples, apricots, tomatoes, rhubarb, veggies of all kinds, and even a cherry tree.  She was an avid composter, and to this day I can still picture her coffee can sitting under the kitchen sink, full of scraps and things to compost for the garden.  Hubby and I planted a garden the weekend before Mother's Day, and I thought of her as we tucked the little plants into their new home.

My Grandma was a great cook.  She would whistle as she chopped and stirred, and soon there would be a table full of deliciousness waiting for us all to dig into.  Today I'm going to share one of her recipes with you.

Every Christmas, Grandma would make spanish food for the family dinner.  She would spend hours in the kitchen and the house would smell amazing!  I can still smell the chicken poaching for enchiladas and the aroma of roasted chiles wafting from the kitchen.  This recipe for baked chile rellenos is one of the stars of Grandma's Christmas dinner.  As I assembled this dish and the house started to smell like chiles, I couldn't help but feel her in the kitchen with me.  There were definitely tears falling as I stuffed the chiles, beat the eggs and shredded cheese, and still now as I write this.  I hope that when you make this dish you can reflect back on your favorite memories with your family, and smile.
Who knows, maybe it will become a favorite in your family, too.

Green Chile Rellenos
|Serves: 6-8| Prep: 10 mins| Bake: 40 mins|
10 green chiles, roasted and peeled*
cheese (jack/cheddar) cut into 10 strips
1/4 c cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1/4 c milk
2-3 tbsp flour
salt & pepper
hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, or lightly butter. Set aside.

Stuff the chiles with the strips of cheese and arrange in baking dish.  Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.  Lightly beat the eggs and add the milk, flour, salt, pepper and dashes of hot sauce, if using.  Pour the egg mixture over the chiles.  Bake approx. 35 minutes, or until eggs are set.

*Green chiles can be purchased roasted in jars or cans.  Rinse them thoroughly to remove the added sodium.  To roast your own chiles, place them over open flame, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides.  Place roasted chiles in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10-15 mins.  To peel, wipe the chiles with a paper towel until the charred skins are removed.

Crustless Spinach & Sausage Quiche {Breakfast for Dinner}

Pin It Now!

I'll admit that some nights I just don't have it in me to put a lot of thought into dinner.  Don't get me wrong - I love cooking and I do find it to be somewhat therapeutic.  But at the end of a long day sometimes you need to come home and space out to Friends re-runs instead of standing over a hot stove.  This recipe is great for that.

Quiche is another one of those customizable ("kitchen sink," if you will) dishes.  It's a great way to use up extra veggies, and the cheesy goodness makes any quiche very kid friendly (helloooo, sneaky veggie hiders!)  Make this recipe yours - substitute your favorite cheeses, meats or veggies and see what combo your family loves.

PS - I apologize for the less than stellar photos.  We were rather hungry and eager to dig in.


Haphazardly placed avocado is a great garnish.

Crustless Quiche
|Serves 2-4| Prep time: 10 min.| Bake time: 40-50 min.|
6 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
4 oz. sausage (whatever kind you like)
1/2 small onion, diced
handful of baby spinach, chopped
1/2 c cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Note: Make sure to beat the eggs well so that no egg white solids remain.  I didn't do this.  Baked egg whites turn out very tough.  Learn from me, people.  Add the chopped spinach and whisk.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat until the onions are somewhat soft and the sausage is cooked through.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Once sausage is drained well, spoon it into the bottom of baking dish.  Follow with cheese and any other veggies and then top with the egg mixture.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the quiche is set and top is golden brown.  Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Classic Devilled Eggs {Easter Weekend}

Pin It Now! Happy belated Easter!!  How was your Easter weekend?  Spring has been so beautiful, hasn't it?  Here in Southern California we have been enjoying very mild, sun-filled days.  Hubby and I have been soaking up the beauty on long walks on the cliffs overlooking the beach...  tough life, right?

We do have some pretty enviable views around here, that's for sure.

What are your Easter traditions?  We may not have kids yet (apparently Chico doesn't count.  bah.) but we are definitely kids at heart and had a great time dying Easter eggs.  Is it just me, or do those little tablets never dissolve entirely??  Anyone??  I always forget that the purple ones are completely defunct and end up ruining an egg.  Come on, Paas, get it together.  

Easter Eggs... they just don't know it yet.

Households everywhere are completely overrun with hard-boiled eggs after the holiday.  I'm sure there are a lot of egg salad sandwiches being packed into lunches this week.  I'm definitely not reinventing the wheel with today's recipe.  Just classic devilled eggs - but, boy, are they delicious.  These babies are dangerous.  I admit I ate a couple while making them.  You won't tell, right?

No Easter egg collection is complete without a Mudder egg!

I hope your spring is off to a beautiful start!  See you on the other side of egg overload.  :)

Fancy pants, eh??

Classic Devilled Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half

2 tsp mustard (whatever variety you like)

2 tsp sweet pickle relish

2 tbs mayonnaise

salt & pepper

Lightly squeeze the sliced eggs to pop the yolk out into a small bowl.  Add the mustard, relish and mayo and mix until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Pipe the mixture into the eggs if you feel fancy, or spoon it in and attack them.