Eggs-ellent

Sorry, I couldn't resist the corny title. You know me. Welcome readers to the SEVENTH cycle through Everyday Italian! Considering my field hockey jersey number is seven, this cycle is set to be one of the best yet. I've looked ahead to the recipes, and we're all (but especially me) in for a treat!

As you can probably deduce from the title, I made the last recipe from the "Everyday Antipasti" "Everyday Frittatas" section. Tonight's dish was Frittata with Asparagus, Tomato, and Fontina Cheese. Mmmmmm!!!!

Brace yourselves for some major improvisation coming up. To make my frittata, I first whisked together some eggs, evaporated milk (in place of heavy cream), salt, and pepper. Easy.

I then heated some EVOO spray in a pan and sauteed some asparagus for about two minutes. I never thought to saute asparagus. In my mind it's always been something you either roast or steam. You learn something new everyday.

As that was cooking, I had to seed and dice a tomato. Confession: I don't know how to seed a tomato. Rather than looking up this somewhat vital task, I took matters into my own hands. I mean, it obviously meant to remove the seeds in some way, right? I started by trying to maneuver my knife through the seedy parts of the tomato, but found this rather tedious and frustrating. Just as I was about to throw the seeds in with my diced tomato, I realized that the seeds fall out on their own pretty much once you start dicing. Dear Giada, you may want to make this a side note. Just a suggestion.

I added the tomato to the pan and then sauteed that for about two minutes. As it cooked, I ate the tomato remains. When I was younger and didn't eat anything other than bread, butter, or pasta, I always saw my mom pop tomatoes like they were candy. Seeing as I hated anything that had any nutritional value at the time (aside from broccoli heads), I found this disgusting. Being older and wiser, I now fully understand how someone could do this. I could easily eat an entire container of cherry or grape tomatoes or just slice up a normal sized one and eat it as is. And I would not feel bad about it.

Once the tomato had been thoroughly sauteed, I poured the egg mixture over the contents of the pan. Next, I was supposed to top it with some fontina cheese. I used the same logic as the previous entry with the mascarpone cheese and decided not to buy fontina for just one recipe. Instead, I used some Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow cheese (which, of course, is also a healthier alternative). I personally think it was better than the fontina would have been.

I cover the pan then let it cook another two minutes. Now comes the tricky part. As you may know from my last frittata recipe, you are supposed to stick the entire pan under the broiler to finish cooking it. My pans certainly are not "oven-safe" and they most definitely will not fit into a toaster oven (which has a handy-dandy broil feature). Ergo, I carefully transferred the half-cooked frittata to the little baking sheet, then cooked it over the broiler. As you can see in the above picture, it was far from perfect or pretty. But it did cook all the way through and brown rather nicely!

I must say, this frittata came out much better than my last. Everything was cooked all the way through, and to be honest, I liked the ingredients in this one better than the last. It was moist and full of flavor from the tomato and the hints of cheese here and there were nice surprises.

Who said you can't cook frittata in a toaster oven? Don't challenge a college student, they WILL prove you wrong. I will be cooking once again tomorrow night with a new sauce (it's one of my personal favorites...and will have to be cooked off-campus...dun dun dun). Check back tomorrow!!

P.S. For half the original recipe with my healthier alternatives, this recipe was only 6 WW points!! Hence why I have a boatload of frittata on my plate :)

Lions and Tigers and Brussels Sprouts...Oh My!

Tonight was not a Giada night, however, I still had to eat and I much prefer to cook than buy something. Since I didn't have a recipe to follow tonight, I let my creativity take over! Pictured above is a Turkey Burger (it's kind of hidden, I know) and some Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Yum, yum, and more yum.

For starters, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. As it heated, I chopped the Brussels sprouts. Side note: for those that think they don't like Brussels sprouts, 1) you've probably never tried them or 2) you've never tried them like this. Once again, I take no credit for this idea, it was all my mother. When you roast Brussels sprouts at a high temperature, they caramelize on the outside and lose their cabbage-like flavor. They become really nutty and crisp and you really have to take my word for it. Even my father that doesn't like Brussels sprouts prepared the conventional way loves these. Anyhow, I halved them each and took off most of their outer layers since those get a little wilted from being in the fridge. I then placed them all cut-side down on a cooking sheet sprayed with EVOO and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

As those cooked, I prepared my turkey burger. I've never made these before and had to look up how long they need to be cooked because, as Rachael Ray says, no one wants a rare poultry burger. From what I read, they need to be cooked about three to four minutes on each side. Of course, had I not been on the phone the entire time I was cooking, I probably could have timed this, but my sister and I had much to discuss from the VMAs to Irish dancing. I didn't want to just make the burger out of ground turkey meat, so I decided to add a wedge of Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow cheese. I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar to keep the burger moist. For some extra flavor, I added some oregano.

I combined the whole mixture with my hands (for some reason I love mixing raw meat dishes by hand. It's so much easier. It was one of my favorite things about making meatballs) and formed it into a patty. I then cooked it in a heated pan that had been sprayed with EVOO and seasoned with salt and pepper. As this cooked, I took the Brussels sprouts out to flip them and let the other side cook up a bit. I was a little paranoid about the burger being cooked through all the way, so I probably cooked it more than necessary on each side. It was a bit dark, but I figured I would rather have a dry, well-done burger than one that was pink in the middle.

Once this was all finished, I headed back down to my room (with ease other than almost losing my phone while I was still on it) and assembled the dish. I used a Multigrain Arnold's sandwich thin for my burger (for those doing the Weight Watchers point system, I HIGHLY recommend these. They are one point each!) and then halved two cherry tomatoes to add to the burger. These are the reason my burger is hidden in the picture, they made it a bit of a big bite. Guy Fieri would be proud. And let me tell you, this dish was money.

I don't know how I do it, but I once again cooked the meat perfectly. It wasn't dry in the least and was cooked all the way through. The cheese made the texture very smooth and the oregano really stood out among the other flavors. My Brussels sprouts were roasted to perfection as well and I had more than anyone probably ever should (but I needed to use them before they went bad, and they're Brussels sprouts, they're good for you). Overall, another successful night of food :)