When I was first married, I’d just moved to a new town. I left dear friends behind and didn’t have any that lived close by. Every once in a while I’d remark that I wished I had a friend to go have coffee with. My new husband and I joked about this. It was fine. I didn’t mind that I didn’t have friends. I was a newlywed. I didn’t mind spending all my time with Husband. Eventually I did make friends. Then four years later we moved 4 hours away from those friends. Sigh. I had to make new friends again.

It’s hard to make friends. You know, real friends that you can have a conversation with that goes beyond the surface stuff. Friends where there’s a connection, where time just flies and you’re bummed when you have to leave. As I’ve gotten to know people where we live, I’m so blessed to have those friends. I don’t mean this to sound braggy, like “look at me and all my friends”. Just a simple heartfelt statement of gratitude.

(Side note, maybe you didn’t come here for an essay on me… it’s OK if you skip to the end, there’s a yummy recipe.)

What you may not know about me is that I’m kinda shy. I’m an introvert. It may not look like it when you watch my episodes. But, what you see is my weird, “I’m comfortable around you” side (incidentally, I still don’t understand why I’m OK with putting that on the internet… maybe because you’re not here watching in person… then I’d be awkward… I get awkward if Husband comes home from work and I’m still filming, even though I’m normally plenty weird around him). All of that to say, it’s not easy for me to make good friends. And, I’m not one with hordes of friends… is that an appropriate word? It kinda makes it sound like I said “whores for friends”. That’s not what I meant. I mean I don’t have a bazillion close friends. I prefer a smaller group of close-knit friends.

Anyhoo, I’m rambling about all this because every Thursday a few friends and I get together and have lunch or coffee together. We sit and chat and then go back to work, or kids, or whatever the day holds. I’m so blessed by this time together. Today I hosted. I neglected to plan out what I wanted to make, so I was left to use the things I had on hand. We got together a bit earlier, so we had brunch. I had eggs and veggies in the fridge, and a few herbs and greens growing in my garden. So I thought I’d make some sort of egg and veggie dish – I thought it would be like a frittata. And to go with it, I had some Paska left from Easter!

It was simple, yet yummy. If you need something to make for brunch (or breakfast, lunch, or dinner… I think it’d be good anytime), give this a try. And feel free to swap out the veggies I’ve used for what you have on hand. Maybe some asparagus, bell pepper, squash, leftover roasted or mashed potatoes, you could even add some leftover ham from Easter (no, I’m not including that in the veggies category)! You could serve it alongside Paska, like I did, or toast, french toast, Stuffed French Toast, pancakes, fruit salad, bacon… the list could go on and on. Ooh, and you could use the leftovers and make a sandwich. You could use a croissant or thick slices of crusty bread, with a slice of ham, a dab of mustard and mayo, and some lettuce. Oh man, my stomach is grumbling. Didn’t I just eat?!

Mushroom Frittata

Last modified on 2012-12-01 02:21:56 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

For asparagus, tomatoes, beans, and peas!

First of all, I apologize – I don’t have any photos of this dish. I made it for an Easter dinner yesterday, and wasn’t planning on blogging about it. But, after the comments I heard a couple of people making, I thought I should share the recipe, even if they are the only two that want it.

I was planning on bringing a vegetable dish. I knew there would be ham at this dinner, so I wanted to bring something that I thought would go well. We’re getting spring veggies in our Abundant Harvest Organics box now. But, we’ve still got quite a few root veggies hanging out in the drawer (beets, parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, turnips), and will be getting more this week.

So, I went to The Flavor Bible, my trusty recipe creating resource, and had a look at rutabagas and beets. I found a few ingredients that would go well with both. Gorgonzola goes well with both, as does honey, mustard, cream cheese, and garlic. I had all of these things on hand already… In fact, I didn’t have to buy anything for this dish. That doesn’t happen often, does it?!

Back to The Flavor Bible again for a second, then I’ll get to the recipe. This book has been such a helpful tool for menu planning! When I receive the list of what’s going to be in the coming week’s AHO box, I open up the book, and start creating dishes. So far, I’ve had some successful (and original) creations (Red Cabbage and Apple Tarts, Steak Salad with Homemade Gorgonzola Dressing, and of course, Scalloped Root Veggies with Gorgonzola). I still trust myself with figuring out what foods compliment each other. I have a good sense for it. But, The Flavor Bible has helped me to see things that I might not have known would go well together. It has also confirmed things I thought might be true, but haven’t yet tried. I like love this book.

Scalloped Root Veggies with Gorgonzola

Last modified on 2012-07-19 20:56:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.