Broccoli Frittata with Goat Cheese

Since we're running a little behind in our 365 days of cooking, I decided to make our recipe today for Brunch. So, I woke up, made the coffee, took a few sips, and got right to work in the kitchen. Sophia took the morning off as she "just wasn't in the mood to cook."

And after "slaving" in the kitchen for a full 30 minutes... chopping, whisking, crumbling ooey-gooey cheese, and hoping the end result would turn out amazing..... We had a big "Debbie Downer" moment. (Insert "wa-wa" here)

As my son took the first bite, his face expressed something to be desired, and he said, "Eww! Too lemony." Next were my daughters reactions... both with icky looks on their faces. And finally, I took a bite...

And personally, I liked it! The lemon is NOT too strong, and in fact, I thought it added a freshness to the dish. The goat cheese was delicious and creamy. And, as I've never made a frittata before, I thought I had burned the bottom, but it turned out to be delicious! All in all, this may not be a family favorite, but I am freezing the individual servings to eat for breakfasts this week. I have a big thing against wasting food.

Here is the end result. Instead of the BLT salad, I simply made some turkey bacon that our family loves.

Peasant Soup

Dear Readers,

          I can't believe we missed Peasant Soup! Well, we made it today and I liked it! Seriously, though, it was good. Yum, yum, and yum! It was my second favorite meal so far! As you might tell, this week's been rough. But we were able to catch up a little and not fall too far behind. If you are going to make this recipe, we used bacon instead of ham steak. 

                                                                  ~ Sophia

P.S. Please comment on what kind of pictures you like. Thanks!

Mom here! Rachael suggests swallowing down some Bordeaux with this soup, so I happily obliged! (Not Sophia, mind you! I'm not that kind of mom!)

Here is the finished delicious and simple dish...

Ah! The warmth of Oatmeal!

So, I know we've been showing you all the "Yumm-O" recipes we've been making with Rachael Ray's book, but I thought I'd show you some of our family's favorites for other meals of the day!

Here's a favorite breakfast of mine and the kids... We love us some good ole' fashioned oatmeal, but instead of the basic brown sugar, we like to use local honey, cinnamon, and crushed walnuts or pecans. Add some almond milk to make it nice and creamy and maybe a splash of vanilla extract, and you've just given it a little kick in the derriere' (dairy 'aire)!

Cinnamon Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp honey
• dash of ground cinnamon
• walnuts or pecans
• almond milk to desired consistency

Directions:

Combine oats and water and cook. Try the easy version and microwave for about 2 minutes on high heat. Give it a quick stir, add honey and a dash of cinnamon. If you like your oatmeal creamy, add a little almond milk. Enjoy!

In the Fall months, we like to add a scoop of pumpkin, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice to our oatmeal. I love making simple, but dramatic changes to the norm!

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp or more pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• dash of pumpkin pie spice
• almond milk to desired consistency

Directions:

Combine oats, water, and pumpkin puree and cook. We like to microwave ours for about 2 minutes on high heat. Give it a quick stir, add maple syrup and a dash of pumpkin spice. If you like your oatmeal creamy, add a little almond milk. Enjoy!

Pasta with Mushrooms, Spinach, Pumpkin, and Hazelnuts

Dear Readers,

          Sorry the week's been a little rusty, but we're catching up! We made some really good pumpkin pasta with.... let's see.... spinach, mushrooms, pumpkin, and hazelnuts. Yes, definitely, five stars all the way! I really enjoyed it, but then again I've enjoyed everything, haven't I?!
                                                              
                                                                            ~Sophia

         

Mushrooms cooking...

The finished plated dinner! It was delish! You definitely need to like pumpkin and spinach in order to enjoy this dish, but for me it was a winner all around. I loved it!

A slightly different angle... just in case you weren't already enticed to want to smell and taste your computer screen...

Turkey Tacos

Dinner is served! I love saying that phrase... I get that feeling of accomplishing the task of putting dinner on the table - and a delicious one at that! I love that my daughter is enjoying putting dinner together, serving others, and finding joy in the midst of it. What a precious thing this is to me!

 

Tonight's dinner was Turkey Tacos. This was a nice twist on our typical taco recipe. I was impressed with how much everyone enjoyed it! We served it up "Taco Night" style a la carte. Below is the finished product!

I loved the addition of the green olives and pepper jack cheese. And although the recipe called for salsa verde, I completely forgot to pick some up...

Tangy Cherry Chicken

Dear Readers,

          Tangy Cherry Chicken! It was okay, I guess. I mean, it was cooked perfectly, but... I just didn't like it. My mom loved it though, and you might, too. The rest of my family thought it was okay, as well. (By the rest of my family, I mean kids. Dad was at work.) This dish is probably delicious. And it was really fun to make!

                                                                      ~ Sophia

Mom's Review: A possible better name for this dish would be Thyme Chicken with a Cherry Chutney. The topping for this is most definitely a chutney, and a good one too! But, if you don't like chutney (like most of my family doesn't), then you may not care for this dish... Just sayin'...

I think it turned out delicious and beautiful! This would get a 5 star rating from me, but I can't speak for the rest of my family.

 

You can find this recipe along with all the other yummy meals we are posting on this blog in the Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook at Amazon.com.

Zucchini Pizza

Dear Readers,

          I'm keeping with my daughter's format, though I actually put this one together on my own. We made this for a lazy Saturday lunch and it was simple and fun. The turnout was delicious! Though some of my family, Italian as they are, decided it needed sauce to go with it.

 

Find it in Rachael Ray's book, "365 Days: No Repeats." We are loving her recipes and I found this one to be just as delicious as any other pizza I've had!

                                                                         ~Steph