Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Vegetable Frittata, adapted slightly. I modified the olive oil usage only 'cause I failed to read the recipe before roasting the veggies! Still turned out great, tho' I used less oil than the original recipe called for. For the Contessa's original recipe, check out Sidewalk Shoes' blog.

Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Vegetable Frittata was my lazy day choice. Taken from her book I love, love, LOVE: "How Easy Is That?," her frittata was as advertised...soo easy. Her original recipe using 12 extra-large eggs halved easily...soo yummy.
   I have yet to make a recipe of Ina Garten's that wasn't easily adapted to what's on hand yet still better than anything I usually come up with myself to use up "what's on hand."

Roasted Vegetable Frittata
1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices--halved (aiming for bite-sized pieces)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and 1 1/2 inch dice
1/2 red onion, 1 1/2 inch dice
good olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 tsp. Goya Adobo All Purpose Saffron Seasoning (I'm just trying to use up the seasoned salts I have on hand. Contessa uses kosher salt)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
6 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 green onion, diced (note that I didn't roast these)
1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
--To use less energy, I roasted the veggies in the toaster oven @ 425°F for 15 minutes; added the garlic and baked for 10 more minutes.
--Then I preheated the big oven to 350°F.
--In a medium bowl, whisked the eggs, half-and-half, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
--Popped my 10-inch iron skillet into the heating oven with the butter in it. Once the butter melted, I added the roasted veggies and the green onions to the skillet, drizzled it with olive oil then popped it back into the oven for a couple of minutes. Pulled it out just long enough to pour the egg mixture over the veggie mixture, then popped it right back into the oven for 20 minutes, until the frittata was nice and puffed up. Then added the Gruyère to the top, drizzled with a bit more olive oil and baked for another 3 minutes until the cheese was melted. Serve hot.

   Because I didn't have to cook yesterday, being at Mom & Dad's, I had to make today my Meatless Monday. So, this frittata was my meatless supper. Had a green salad for lunch. Baked a loaf of banana bread today too. Thought I'd already shared my favorite banana bread recipe, so I didn't bother to take a pic, but I couldn't find that recipe on this blog just now when I searched. Must share it one of these days, 'cause we love it!
    REALLY need to come up with some easy recipes that don't involve eggs for Meatless Mondays. Any ideas for me??

Barefoot Contessa's Chunky Blue Cheese and Yogurt Dip

This Gorgonzola Dip pairs perfectly with lightly steamed asparagus.

Trouble with blogger yesterday--maybe I can post today!
   I tried a new recipe Wednesday: Barefoot Contessa's Chunky Blue Cheese and Yogurt Dip. (Links to the kitchen blog of Border's Bookstore. Click for the recipe then scroll down the page a bit.) 
   Now, I'm not much of a blue cheese fan myself; one of the others in my "cook the book" group chose this recipe. And I'm glad they did!
   The point with our cooking group was to get me out of my comfort zone. My original idea was to pick a complicated cookbook to get me to use techniques I'm too lazy to use often, but this book turned out to be a much better idea! Barefoot Contessa's How Easy Is That? cookbook contains recipes I'd never choose myself; and I'm really enjoying broadening my palate's horizon, so to speak.
   More and more I'm finding that foods I didn't used to like really do it for me now. Gotta love that!
   Happy Friday the 13th!! Hope you have a terrific time this weekend!! 

Original recipe calls for Tabasco--I was out of it!

This recipe couldn't be easier--just a few pulses to combine.

Add the minced chives last and pulse just a couple more times & DONE!

On my mind: Smoky cheese & walnut crackers

What's on my mind? Well, these crackers that are fresh out of the oven and cooling on a rack. Haven't even tried them yet, but Hubby did and he approves. Still working my way through Ina Garten's latest book, How Easy Is That? and this is my latest trial. Only, not being a fan of blue cheese, I substituted some smoked cheese and parmesan, as that's what I had on hand. Oh, and I just made half a batch, the plastic wrapped log will go into the fridge for another day. For the recipe, visit Ina at the Food Network. Happy snacking!

Thanks, down-to-earth, for sharing this On My Mind concept. What's on your mind today? Hope you find a minute to leave your link here or on down-to-earth.

Barefoot Contessa's Chipolte & Rosemary Roasted Nuts...well, sort of...

   I know, I know, who am I to mess with any recipe of the ultimate food goddess, the Barefoot Contessa? However, having accepted the "eat from your own pantry" in January challenge, I had to make do instead of going out and buying the missing ingredients for the Contessa's Chipolte & Rosemary Roasted Nuts.
   Fortunately, the basic premise of her recipe (linked above) is highly adaptable, meaning even my version using pimentón and dried rosemary turned out highly edible. The end result is that we'll be snacking on something healthier than chips around here for awhile.
   While I'm on the subject of nuts, I have to tell you about my little antique food chopper that I thought I'd ruined yesterday. Lucky for me, Hubby and I make a great team--I break things and he fixes them! How was I to know the spring would SPROING if I dared to chop nuts without the li'l wooden disk in the bottom? Hubby had already fixed this for me once before when I'd attempted to chop something hard as rocks, I guess, and he had to weld the little chopper blades back together. Moral to this story is to be gentler on your nut chopper than I am!
   And if you have a minute to satisfy my curiosity, what kind of healthy snack foods are hanging around your house?
Update: These nuts were VERY much enjoyed by the both of us, and they got even better after a few days. I will definitely use the Contessa's recipe as the basis for future variations! 

Barefoot Contessa's Mocha Icebox Cake

   Some friends & I (in our own kitchens, in our different cities) are cooking our way through the Barefoot Contessa's new book, How Easy Is That? This was our 2nd recipe. My conclusion: MEH; Hubby: "It was all right." In all fairness to the Contessa though, Hubby is not big on whipped cream, and I've never been big on icebox cake. I mean, where's the icing??
   Pic below depicts the cereal box liner that I used instead of parchment paper to line the bottom of the springform pan. Also, in my effort to buy less aerosol spray cans, I now use a brush dipped into oil instead of Pam for greasing pans, etc.