Mini Frittatas

Frittatas are quiches without the crust.  You can make them as healthy or as decadent as you want.   Here’s one of my favorite combinations.  It is quite rich, but that is precisely the way a diva likes everything in her life!  Make a batch and eat them all week. 

      8 ounces turkey Jimmy Dean-like sausage

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced and a few cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup onions, sliced

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

5 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup 1% milk

Grease a muffin tin.

Sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and onions in a bit of olive oil.

       Brown up the sausage, then add to the mushroom mixture, then add the cheese.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites and milk.

Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Plop a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.

Bake at 325 degrees until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes.

Make it a meal:  Serve with coffee and tomato juice to enjoy while reading your morning horoscope.

Wine:  Mimosas!

Bacon Beer Beans

The first two words caught my man's eyes.  The aroma of the rosemary as the beans are cooking caught mine.  Well, my nose anyway.  Maybe you could cut back on the bacon to make this a tad healthier, but I wouldn't do that to my guy.  He's worth a little bacon.

Bacon Beer Beans

6-7 slices of bacon cut up into bits

1/2 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. honey

2 cans white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini)

1 bottle good beer

salt & pepper

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Use a Dutch oven to cook bacon.  Mine is a pretty green apple colored one.

Transfer bacon to a paper towel.

Throw in onions and garlic to cook about 5 minutes.

Add mustard and honey and cook about 1 minute.

Add rosemary, beans, and beer.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let beer cook down.

Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar.

Make it a meal:  Serve with Slow Cooked Lemon Chicken

Wine:  Chardonnay or some more of that nice beer in the recipe.

Red Velvet Brownies

These are not only divine tasting, they are divine LOOKING.  I adore anything red velvet.  Cupcakes, cake, bed sheets...With the red bodies and white frosting, these end up looking like little Santa brownies.  I use dark chocolate for health reasons--antioxidents and such--but white chocolate chips are decadent, too!  Enjoy, my busy divas!

Red Velvet Brownies

1 box Red Velvet cake mix



1 stick butter, melted


1 egg


1/2 cup water


1 cup dark chocolate chips

buttercream frosting

Mix egg, butter, water in a bowl.
Add box mix, stir until the ingredients are combined.
Add chips and pour mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Let cool before frosting.

Make it a meal:  Serve after Slow Cooked Pork with Stuffing (see recipe).

Wine:  Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz

Thanksgiving Day Menu 2011

Many of these recipes can be found here (*).  I hope everyone is enjoying my favorite holiday!

Appetizers

Brie Wheel in Puff Pastry

Pumpkin Soup with Cheese Ravioli *

Dee's Bacon Dip

Wine:  Champagne Cocktail

Entree

Apple Cider Brined Turkey*

Wine:  Pinot Noir and/or Chardonnay

Side Dishes

Elegant Stuffing with Rum-Soaked Cranraisins, Sausage, Mushrooms, & Apple*

Tim's Famous Mashed Potatoes

Turnip

Squash

Cranberry & Orange Marmalade

Garlic Green Beans with Cashews

Sweet Potatoes with Wine-Poached Pears*

Wine:  More Chardonnay

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Apple Pie

Chocolate Silk Pie

Wine:  Port and/or Coffee with Irish Cream

Chicken Meatloaf Muffins

Theses darling meatloaves can be packed full of as many vegetables as you dare.  Throw them all in the mini-food processor or blender for less chunky pieces.  This part can even be done ahead of time and refrigerated.  I used half a red pepper, and an entire shallot.  Try green peppers and onions, sun-dried tomatoes and chives, or corn and green chilies. 

Another option is to serve them with a simple mushroom sauce:  1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 dollop of sour cream, 2 splashes of wine all mixed and heated.  Make it all fat free and low sodium if you don't want to be chubby.  Of course, after that wine is open for the recipe, you might as well have a splash yourself.

Any way you make 'em, they are the perfect portion size.  Have one for dinner if you're dieting or already thin.  I had three!

Chicken Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb. ground chicken

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs (whole wheat are nice)

2 splashes Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small dollop tomato paste (I freeze dollops, then put them in a baggie for just such uses.)

vegetables (see above)

1 dash Allspice

3 dashes chili powder

Mix all ingredients together.
Smoosh mixture into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes.

Make it a meal:  Serve with sauteed spinach and couscous. 

Wine:  Sauvignon Blanc

Easy Pear Cobbler

Dieters beware! This recipe contains real sugar and an entire stick of butter. My friend, Diana (see Super Fast Potatoes), dropped off about a dozen pears from her family's fruit trees. What to do? My first thought was to eat them as is, but a dozen? I'm just not that healthy.

Easy Pear Cobbler

2-2 ½ cups pears, chopped

2 cups sugar, divided

1 stick butter

¾ cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

1 egg

Mix pears with 1 cup sugar in a pretty bowl and set aside.
Put butter in 2-quart casserole and place in 325° oven until melted.
Combine all dry ingredients, (don't forget the remaining 1 cup of sugar), and mix well.
Whisk the milk and egg; slowly combine with dry ingredients to make a batter.
Pour over melted butter; DO NOT STIR.
Spoon pears over the batter; DO NOT STIR.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until nicely browned and pears are tender.
Serve hot or cold.

Options: Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Make it a meal: Serve after a light lunch of Antipasto (see recipe)

Wine: Riesling

Breakfast Pizza

This smells so good cooking. It is all the food groups in the right amounts. If you don't overload with cheese (I do) and meats (I don't) this is a perfectly healthy breakfast. Divas love pizza for breakfast. It is almost as good as cake for breakfast. Almost.

Breakfast Pizza

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1 large prepared pizza crust or 2 individuals

1/2 low fat cream cheese brick

1 egg

1 cup diced ham or crumbled bacon

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar is nice, Fontina is better)

Sauté the vegetables until tender.
In a pretty bowl, mix cream cheese and egg until smooth.
Spread cream cheese mixture onto pizza crust; add vegetables and meat.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until cream cheese layer sets.
Add cheddar cheese and bake another 3 minutes until cheese has melted.

Options: Play with vegetables! Spinach and feta would be great! Try goat cheese or add some hot peppers for zip.

Make it a meal: Serve with coffee or mimosas. I, of course, prefer the latter.

Wine: See above.