Every once in awhile a recipe comes into my life that makes me incredibly happy. And no I am not talking about those recipes that have titles like,"better than sex brownies." In my experience, usually those are over rated, just like a lot of the sex I have had in my life #sorrynotsorry

However, this Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Frittata from Fine Cooking was amazing. If you know me even a little bit, you will know how much I heart brunch. And the other thing I love is brunch food for dinner.

So, last night I decided to make this recipe and it has all things that make me want to jump for joy-cheese (lots of it), roasted vegetables, and eggs. Let me say, not just any eggs, but eggs from the Foggy Bottom Boys "little peckers" because that is what they call their chickens. Best name ever, right? Also, check out their grass fed beef and amazing lamb. If you are in Humboldt they will deliver locally. Here is a link to their web page: Foggy Bottom Boys and I also totally recommend following their IG account because they are hysterical. And for the record, they did not pay me to say any of this.

Back to the frittata, it really was amazing as the cheese provides a nutty flavor and the brussels sprouts and mushrooms are earthy and compliment it perfectly! It truly was cozy and amazing comfort food!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb Brussels sprouts, shredded in the food processor

Side note: I hadn't tried shredding brussels sprouts in a food processor before and it was magic. We are talking fast, easy and worked perfectly magic.

10 oz fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped

Another side note: I used a mix of cremini and shiitake and it was awesome

3 T olive oil

Salt and pepper

8 eggs

6 oz coarsely grated fontina (which is like 3 cups)

4 oz coarsely grated Gruyere (which is like 2 cups)

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (this smelled amazing while it cooked)

2 tsp sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar and it worked great)

1/4 cup grated carrot

Hot sauce, for serving (another guilty plug I love Humboldt Hot Sauce...all of the flavors)

Positing a rack in the center of the oven and heat the over to 450.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the sprouts and mushrooms with the oil, 3/4 tsp sale, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roast, tossing with tongs every few minutes until the vegetables are browned, approx 10-12 minutes. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cheeses.

Melt the butter in a 12 inch oven proof non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and rosemary, and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the vinegar with 1 T water. Pour it into the pan, and then add the carrot. Cook, stirring, for another minute, and remove from the heat.

Add the sprouts and mushrooms to the pan, and stir. 

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, redistributing the cheese and vegetables evenly with a fork.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the eggs are set, approx 12 minutes.

Let rest briefly, slide out of the skillet, slice into wedges, and serve with the hot sauce.

 So, as many of you know I am on this high protein diet and I know that I am not alone in the "you want what you can't have" category. No, I am not talking about dating right here. And so....what do I want more than anything in the world? F'ing pizza of course!! Desperate times lead to desperate measures and so when I found this Pizza Frittata recipe in an old issue of Food Network magazine I started fiendin even more....kind of like a crack whore jonesin' for her next fix.

Side note: Yeah I am pretty sure I am the only food blog on the planet that uses crack whore analogies to describe her food.....but I get creative license.

Anyway, tonight I made said Pizza Frittata and don't get me wrong it was good, but it is not a replace-a-pizza by any stretch of the imagination. And although I made it for dinner, most frittata recipes are usually a breakfast gig, and I couldn't imagine doing a pizza frittata for breakfast...so keep this as a lunch/dinner recipe.

Another side note: I have to give a shout out to this pepperoni I discovered. It is seriously the best pepperoni on the planet and if you are local I found it at Murphy's. If you are not local, it is worth tracking it down. It has great flavor, the perfect amount of grease, tastes fresh, and doesn't have that weird texture that pepperoni sometimes has. It almost reminded me of a cross between Spanish chorizo and pepperoni and its too die for!

However, although this is not a pizza replacement this is a great recipe and really good healthy comfort food. I do recommend using high quality sauce because I personally feel that can make or break any recipe and I also did my own thing with the salad because I had fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and I wanted those instead of bell peppers. Take creative license there!

Here is the recipe:

6 large eggs plus 4 egg whites

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup low-sodium marinara sauce

3/4 cup low-moisture part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)

1 ounce sliced pepperoni

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 10-ounce package mixed Italian salad greens (such as romaine and radicchio; about 8 cups)

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Torn fresh basil, for topping

4 slices crusty Italian bread

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6. Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs and egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until curds begin to form, 2 to 3 minutes. 
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8. Transfer the skillet to the broiler; broil until set but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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10. Spread the marinara sauce over the eggs, leaving a 1/2-inch border. 
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13. Top with the mozzarella, pepperoni and parmesan. Return to the broiler until the cheese is bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
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16. Whisk the vinegar with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the salad greens and bell pepper; toss. Sprinkle the frittata with basil and cut into wedges. Serve with the salad and bread.
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I have been thinking a lot lately about what I put in my mouth....get your mind out of the gutter. What I mean is that there is often a fascinating history, a reason we eat what we eat, a tradition, or a story behind things that we just take for granted and consume. My previous blog about curry being a perfect example, I had no idea the history of curry powder until I started to research it. Or think about oysters, of which I am a huge fan, but who saw an oyster and thought to put that in their mouth?

Or, let's talk M&M's! I have been eating M&M's since I was a kid and honestly never thought twice about them until I stumbled on an article about their history. This is what I learned:

• M&M's have been around since 1941 and they were created for the soldiers fighting in WWII. The hope being that the candy coating on the outside of the chocolate would keep them from melting.

• The brown paper wrapper packaging, which is their trademark, came about in 1948. Before that they were sold in cardboard tubes.
• 1950 was the year the "M" started to be stamped on the candy. Originally, it had black writing, but in 1954 the "M" became white as we know it today.
• 1954 was a good year for M&M's because that was also the year that peanut M&M's became a reality.
• April 12, 1981 was a monumental date for M&M's because they became the first candy to travel into space. They actually have been on board all of NASA's 135 missions. 
• The blue M&M came about in 1995 after the company decided to get rid of the tan M&M. They actually let Americans vote on the color and blue won, beating out pink and purple. 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, see note
• 1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft
• 1 large egg1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided

So, as many of you know I am on this high protein diet and so I am looking through recipes for all things protein. And as I came across recipe after recipe involving meat and fruit, I started to wonder why this was such a common pairing. I was pretty convinced that it was some magical match-up that caused the sun, moon, and stars to align....and so you know where that led me? GOOGLE!!

I am sure you have all seen those recipes....pork and apples, cherries and steak, blackberry reduction sauce over elk....you get the picture! And thanks to Google, the first article I read was named "Made for Each Other: Meat and Fruit Pairings." I was pretty sure I quickly hit the jackpot.....

Wait for it....any guesses as to why meat and fruit are often paired together? Is it because the British brought this combo over to the Motherland like they did curry powder? Is it because the sugar composition breakdown enhances digestion? Is it because its a cultural tradition from Germany? Yeah.....well no....what my article told me was....that they taste good together!! Yup, you all heard it here first, meat and fruit are paired together....because they just f'ing taste good together. 

All jokes aside, this is a cool article that does identify the type of fruit that is best paired with the type of meat, so you can use this for reference if you are so inclined: https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/made-for-each-other-meat-and-fruit-pairings

However, the article doesn't mention the pairing of pork and watermelon, which is exactly where I am going next....

I made a Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with a Watermelon and Cucumber Salad. Yes, this is totally me holding onto every last ounce of Summer before I go kicking and screaming into Fall. That being said, I loved the spice rub on this pork and the technique of browning the pork in a pan before roasting it, gave it a great exterior texture while keeping it moist inside. I also loved the Watermelon and Cucumber Salad, but I wanted a little extra heat so I added red pepper flakes and I thought that complimented the chili in the pork nicely. 

I don't know why, but I often shy away from cooking pork and this recipe was a great reminder that I like pork, its healthy, and its tasty. So, you may see more pork recipes coming your direction in the near future.

Here is the recipe courtesy of Eating Well:

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce 
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 2 cups diced seeded watermelon
• 2 cups diced cucumber
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, toasted (see Tips) and coarsely chopped

• To prepare pork: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

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• Mix sugar, coriander, cumin, salt, chile sauce and 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Rub the paste over the pork.
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• Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet.
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• Roast the pork until just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should register 145 degrees F), 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 5 minutes.
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• Meanwhile, prepare salad: Stir vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar almost dissolves. Add watermelon, cucumber and cilantro; toss gently to combine. Just before serving, sprinkle with peanuts.

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• Carve the pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with the watermelon salad.

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For my friends who are also doing this high protein thing, here is the link to the actual Eating Well recipe for the macros: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/248715/spice-rubbed-pork-tenderloin-with-sweet-tangy-watermelon-salad/