Tag: Frittata

Uncategorized

Brunch with a Splash of Denim and Lemons

Diva di Cucina

Diva di Cucina started off nearly 12 years ago just as a way for me to share recipes with my family and friends. It has grown and evolved in ways I never could have ever imagined. While the intention of this blog is primarily to share recipes with you, it is also a place where I feel a sense of community and connection and I love being able to share my successes with you too, because if it wasn’t for having followers and supporters, I wouldn’t be doing this all these years later. With that said, I have a fun little story to share with all of you. 

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

As many of you know, I branched out in October 2020 I launched my very own kitchen boutique on Etsy. That Etsy shop took off and I started also doing pop up markets in my community. Through these markets I have connected with so many amazing small business owners many of whom I have become friends with.

One small business I have connected with is Cindy of My Thrifty Sister who makes the cutest home décor. Cindy knew I had a cooking blog so in April she came to me and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her and some other small businesses and participate in a lifestyle photoshoot for Ardent for Life Magazine.

Now you if you know me, you know I am always going to jump at any opportunities that come my way so of course I said yes. A very enthusiastic, YES! The shoot was for a summer brunch and I was asked to make a main dish and a beverage.

The theme for the brunch would be denim and lemons, so I decided to make my Southwest Frittata because I think cast iron skillets and denim go hand in hand. Something about the two give off a whole country living vibe. 

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

Now, in my opinion, brunch without booze is just a sad breakfast so for the drink I wanted to do a lemon-based brunch cocktail that would be light and refreshing and my Knock You Off Your Saddle Lemonade checked all the boxes. The flavors of ginger and lemon with the bubbles from the ginger ale are just perfect for sipping on a warm summer day.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

The morning of the shoot was so fun. I showed up with my frittata and cocktail ready to go. My Thrifty Sister had staged the entire thing in her backyard. There was a gorgeously set table made of crates and an old door set upon a big area rug and the cutest assortment of pillows for us to get cozy with. Then there was also the serving table which was covered with a tiered denim tablecloth she had made. We got to watch as the owner of Tilted Tulip set up all the beautiful floral arrangements throughout the yard making sure each flower was perfectly placed.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

Every detail was perfection! From the wood cutout lemons, the denim pockets for the silverware, and all the blue dishes and glasses.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

The magazine photographer was amazing to work with! She provided great direction and made everyone feel at ease. I loved how open she was to everyone’s ideas. 

I initially went into this photoshoot thinking my dishes would just be photographed, so I was thrilled when the magazine told me they would like to include the recipes as well! Several weeks later I got the proofs from their designer and was floored to see that each recipe got a beautiful full page spread! And this story gets even better! A few days before going to print, I was notified by the magazine editor that my dish was selected to be the cover for the Summer 2022 issue of the magazine! 

If you were to tell me 12 years ago that one day, I would have some of my recipes published AND on the cover of a magazine I would have had you locked up because it just seems utterly insane. This was such an amazing experience, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. I am excited to share with you the featured article, Brunch with a Splash of Denim and Lemons. Feel free to click through the article and recipes above.

You can read the full issue here.

Cooking Demos

Diva is Going Live with Another FREE Cooking Demo!

Diva di Cucina

Hey everyone! You may recall that year I partnered up with UNIQUE Programs and did a couple of live cooking demos. Apparently, they went well because they have asked me back to do another! Wahoo!

So with that said, I am excited to announce that coming up on Wednesday, April 21 at 12:00 pm PST I will be going live once again and this time making brunch! I freaking love brunch and can honestly say it is my favorite meal of the day. Maybe it’s because brunch typically includes mimosas. 😉

This will be a completely FREE virtual event where you can tune in on Zoom and learn how to make my Homemade Poptarts and a Southwest Frittata. That’s right, essentially a completely free one-hour cooking class! 

You can tune in via Zoom using this link (https://csus.zoom.us/s/81635928074) or you can enter the Zoom ID from the graphic below. There is no need to sign up or create an account.

There will be no cooking show foolery here, I will be cooking in real time so you can make both these dishes right along with me! I have provided a list of the ingredients below for both dishes if you want to make sure you have everything on hand. If you are at work or unable to cook live with me that is absolutely okay too! Just tune in, say hi, be entertained, and get some tips for when you want to make these awesome dishes another time!

Growing up, eating pop tarts was part of my morning school routine. They were quick and easy to throw in the toaster and chow down on as you were headed out the door. I thought they were the best! Now as a grownup, my standards have changed. Awhile back I decided to try and perfect my very own pap tart recipe and let me just tell you, they are so much better than those boxed ones.

My current brunch obsession is frittatas. You can basically throw any combination of ingredients together in a skillet and as long as you have eggs, heavy cream, and cheese, you can make a delicious meal. My southwest frittata isn’t even on the blog yet so you are going to be the first to get the recipe. (Don’t worry, it will be posted soon!) 

GIVEAWAY ALERT! Also, UNIQUE Programs will be doing an awesome giveaway on Tuesday so make sure you go follow them and me on Instagram if you don’t already. You may just be able to get your hands on some kitchen products from my new online boutique! 😉

I really love connecting with my followers in a more personal way so I truly hope you will tune in on Wednesday to join me. At the very least pop in and say hello! I look forward to chatting with you all and answering any questions you may have as we spend an hour together! See you then!

Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Mushroom and Swiss Cheeseburger Pie

Diva di Cucina

Finding family friendly low-carb recipes can be a struggle. One go to ingredient you can work miracles with are eggs. Yes, the incredible, edible egg! I love that you can mix in practically any ingredients with eggs, throw the mixture in a pie dish and voilá! Dinner is done! Call it a frittata, a quiche, a pie, whatever your heart desires. My son is a cheeseburger fanatic (what 3 year old boy isn’t?) so when I told him we were having a cheeseburger pie for dinner his little blue eyes lit up. (It amazes me that all I have to do to get him to try something new is give it a fun name. Now if only that trick worked with my husband…) When I initially made this it was for dinner, but I will tell you the leftovers make an awesome breakfast too. Who would have thought of throwing all your favorite hamburger toppings right into a pie dish? I will tell you who, this crazy diva!

INGREDIENTS
3/4–1 lb of lean ground beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 c slice white mushrooms
6 large eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium high heat.
  • When the meat is still a little pink add in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion, and mushrooms.
  • Cook until the onions are translucent and meat cooked through.
  • Remove from heat and drain off any excess fat.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and 1 cup of the shredded Swiss cheese.
  • Add the cooked meat mixture to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  • Transfer the egg mixture to a greased pie dish.
  • Sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese over the top.
  • Bake for 25–35 minutes or until set and no longer “jiggly” in the middle.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Chard and Mushroom Frittata

Diva di Cucina

By now you probably know, or have read that, I recently signed up for organic produce delivery. It’s always fun trying to come up with recipes that utilize as many of the ingredients as possible. I feel like I’m on an episode of Food Network’s Chopped. One of my latest boxes included red chard, crimini mushrooms, and green onions. As soon as I saw the produce I knew I had to make a frittata.

A frittata is an Italian version of an omelet and it somehow seems much fancier. Rather than having the ingredients as a filling like an omelet, a frittata’s ingredients are mixed into the eggs. Frittatas are typically started on the stovetop, finished in the oven, and served as slices. While it is typical to cook a frittata in a cast iron skillet I use a pie dish. Frittatas are fabulous in that they can be served for any meal and they are great for reheating. A frittata can be made up of any combination of ingredients so have some fun and get creative.

One of the many benefits of a frittata is that it’s a great way to get in some vegetables. Frittatas are low carb and are a healthy alternative to a cheesy omelet. I made this for dinner along with some sourdough toast and it was so quick and easy. Swiss chard is one of my favorite leafy vegetables and it is a fabulous source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. It goes great when sautéed with garlic and is a wonderful complement to the earthy flavor of crimini mushrooms. I was very pleased with how this recipe turned out and will most certainly be making it again.

 Note: If chard is not available, spinach is a great substitute. 

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 bunch red chard, thoroughly washed
8 eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 375º.
  • Separate the stems from the leaves of the chard.
  • Roll the leaves of the chard up together and slice into strips about a 1/2” wide.
  • In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
  • Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the chard to the skillet and cook until limp but still a bright green color, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove skillet from heat and transfer veggies to a greased pie dish making sure that the veggies are distributed evenly.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, green onions, and salt and pepper.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the veggies making sure that the mixture covers the dish completely.
  • Bake for 20–25 minutes or until eggs appear set.
  • Sprinkle with the cheese and finish under the broiler for an additional 3 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minute.
  • Cut into slices and serve.