Frittata with Spinach, Sausage, Peppers, and Eggplant

It would be a complete understatement if I said my kids didn't like helping me in the kitchen.
It has gotten to the point where I hardly get to do anything and they start fighting over who gets to stir or add this ingredient or whatever.

I love having them help and love the fact that they are so interested in cooking/baking.

On a Friday night, a couple of weeks ago, my 5 year old daughter told me she wanted to make dinner. I got out some veggies and we started discussing the options.
This frittata is what we ended up with.
I kid you not when I say that my 5 year old made this dinner almost without any help.
She chopped (with me holding the knife with her) sauteed (I watched), whisked the eggs, measured, layered, etc.
She really did all the work and she was so proud and excited to eat what she had made.

The great thing about this meal is that you will end up with roasted veggies and cooked sausage/onion mixture, which will give you a head start on dinner for a couple of extra nights.

Another thing about this frittata is that you can mix and match the veggies and protein to whatever you have on hand at the time.
You could roast mushrooms or zucchini or whatever you have on hand. You could use chicken, ground turkey/beef, tofu, or any other protein in place of the turkey sausage.
You could use thyme or rosemary instead of the chives. You could also add cottage cheese or feta to the egg mixture. Be adventurous and mix it up!

We have started having a frittata once a week using whatever veggies are in the fridge.
I love having the leftover pieces for breakfast later in the week.

The best part about having kids help in the kitchen is that they really want to eat what they create. I did not have to bribe or plead with my kids to eat this. My daughter was so happy that she made it, she gobbled it up and her siblings were so proud they gobbled too.
Not to mention, it was really delicious.

Frittata with Spinach, Sausage, Peppers, and Eggplant by Mary Ann and R (age 5)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small eggplant, chopped
2 Tbls olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg Lean Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, (I used Jennie-O)
1 6 oz bag baby spinach
10 eggs
2 Tbls chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place chopped peppers and eggplant on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbls olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and saute for a few minutes. Add sausage and break up into small pieces. Add garlic and cook until sausage is cooked through, 6-9 minutes. Place half of sausage/onion mixture in another container and refrigerate for another use.
Add baby spinach to sausage/onion mixture left in skillet, and saute, until wilted. Set aside.

In a large bowl, crack 10 eggs. Whisk to combine. Add chopped chives and milk. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until combined.

Spray a 9x13-inch pyrex dish with cooking spray. Spread the sausage/spinach mixture on the bottom of the dish. Add half of the roasted peppers and eggplant (put the other 1/2 of veggies in a plastic container and refrigerate for another day).
Pour the egg mixture over the sausage/veggies and make sure all veggies are covered with the eggs. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top.

Bake in the 400 degree oven for 20-23 minutes.
Serve.

Minestrone and Easy Breadsticks

This meal is a definite family favorite. My mom used to make it when I was growing up and I even remember requesting it as my birthday dinner as a teen. We made the breadsticks twice in the past week. The pictures above are with half whole wheat flour and the ones below are with no wheat flour. They taste great both ways. This soup is pretty easy and very comforting. It does take a little time, but if you plan ahead, your house will smell great. Perfect for a chilly weekend!

Minestrone
3/4 pd mild pork sausage
4 cups water
2 beef bouilllon cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium celery ribs, diced
1- 16 oz can tomatoes, pureed
2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 tsps crushed dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp crushed dried basil
1/2 tsp crushed dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
1-15 oz can garbanzo beans
1-8 oz can cut green beans, undrained
2/3 cup uncooked wide noodles or other pasta

Brown pork sausage in a dutch oven; drain. Dissolve bouillon cubes in water. Add onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for 4 to 6 hours. Thirty minutes before serving time, add beans and noodles. Simmer until noodles are tender. Makes 8 servings.

Easy Breadsticks

1 Tbls active dry yeast

1 Tbls honey

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp salt

3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, stirred and measured (you can use half whole wheat)

In a large mixing bowl, soften yeast and honey in warm water; allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in salt. Gradually add flour, blending with a wooden spoon until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a ball. Divide dough in to 12 pieces. Roll each piece between hands and make sticks about 10 or 12 inches long. Place on greased cookie sheets. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with desired seasonings- poppy, sesame or caraway seeds, Parmesan cheese, crushed dried parsley, or garlic salt. Allow to rise 10 to 15 minutes, if desired, not necessary. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Coming Tomorrow- Late Barefoot Blogger's Root Vegetable Pot Pie with a Phyllo Crust

Pear Dutch Baby and Sour Dough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage

The Pears are gone! After making pear muffins,dried pears, pear butter, pear pancakes, desserts, etc, the pears are finally gone! These were the last two recipes that I made to use up the last of the pears. The Pear Dutch Baby is just an oven pancake that was a great weekend breakfast. It was delicious. I made the stuffing just because I was sick of sweet things and wanted to try a savory dish with pears. Plus, I was thinking now is a good time to test some recipes for the upcoming holidays. This stuffing was a winner. I am definitely going to add it to my Thanksgiving menu. I really liked the subtle flavor the pear added and the sourdough was a nice change too.
Try these out if you have any pears you need to get rid of!

Pear Dutch Baby adapted from Cooking Light

4 Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1Tbls butter, melted

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine sliced pears, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron or heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add pear mixture; sauté 5 minutes or until pears are golden.
Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place the flour in a large bowl. Combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt, eggs, and melted butter, stirring the mixture well with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to the flour, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.
Pour batter into pan on top of the pears. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until puffy and golden. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Sourdough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage from Cooking Light

8 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 12 ounces)

1 pound turkey Italian sausage (I used sweet)

Cooking spray

5 cups chopped onion (about 2 pounds)

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled Bartlett pear (about 2 medium)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until golden. Place in a large bowl.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook for 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread cubes, tossing to combine. Set aside. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 10 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Stir in pear, basil, tarragon, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until pear begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pear mixture to bread mixture, tossing gently to combine. Stir in broth and pepper. Place bread mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake stuffing an additional 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is crisp.

Sausage Bake

This is a really easy, versatile dish that is satisfying and delicious. A woman in my neighborhood showed a group of us how to make it a couple of months ago at our cooking class and I recreated it last night. I made a few alterations. You can make this with cooked chicken, sausage or ground beef.

Chicken Bake or Sausage
Cut two chicken breasts (the meat) into bite size pieces and saute in 1 Tbs hot oil with 3 cloves of garlic minced, until golden. Then put the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes, covered.
If using sausage, brown 1 lb sausage in a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 green peppers, finely chopped and 2-3 cloves garlic, minced, and cook together, until meat is cooked through and green peppers are tender.
Spray a 9*13-inch pan with cooking spray and layer whole wheat tortillas, torn into 1 inch strips, on the bottom of the pan.
Make sure the tortillas cover the entire dish.
Spread half of the cooked sausage or chicken over the top, 1/2 cup chopped scallions, 2 cups baby spinach, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Repeat the layers again starting with the tortillas, and ending with the cheese, but omitting the spinach.
In a large bowl, whisk together 8-10 eggs, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 tsp each of pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and thyme.
Pour the egg mixture over the top of the casserole and place 12-15 thin slices of tomatoes on the top.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cooked rice.