fab fall breakfast...

our go-to breakfast routine of eggs and hash brown patties or homemade waffles got a bit of a shake-up this week. i'd made polenta from scratch for the very first time--we had it for dinner served with marinara sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. then jeremy and i remembered a yummy breakfast we'd had at guerilla cafe last year and decided to recreate it: a bowl of polenta topped with a fried egg. super easy, very tasty and has that stick-to-your-ribs quality perfect for a crisp autumn morning. though jeremy insists on a hard-cooked egg, or scrambled eggs on the side. none of that runny yolk stuff for him (which i personally find delicious).



basic polenta recipe:

boil 7 cups water. add a tablespoon of salt. sprinkle in 2 cups medium-grit cornmeal, whisking vigorously. reduce heat to the lowest setting while you whisk--do not allow mixture to boil (doing so coverts the sugars in the cornmeal to starch). keep on low heat for 1 hour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon every 15 minutes. polenta is done when it thickens, begins to pull away from the sides of the pot, and develops a smooth consistency. add in 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and serve.

i don't need to tell you all how to cook an egg, right? you're with me there?

for extra inspiration on this meal, check out hudson in his favorite handmade hat.

very polenta-esque, don't you think?

farm box wednesday...

this was our 3rd week picking up our local csa farm box. so far we are pretty happy, with only a couple minor issues--the main one being that "picked at the peak of freshness" can sometimes = "eat it NOW, before it goes bad." more an adjustment on our part than anything else, i think, so long as stuff is not coming to us already spoiled. so far this hasn't happened, except jeremy did report a few sad-looking cherries after picking up our box today. 

this week's box included a large bag of spinach, the aforementioned cherries, 3 varieties of summer squash (one piece of each kind), a yummy bag of salted pistachios, a bag of carrots and a container of strawberries. all great stuff. last week were were surprised with a cabbage, which is still sitting in the fridge. i have no idea what to do with cabbage, and haven't taken the time to research any recipes. i don't think i actually like cabbage, except in cole slaw (anyone have a recipe for cole slaw?) the last experience i've actually had with the stuff was using chilled leaves to help with engorgement when my milk came in with lucy (it works like a charm!)

one of my favorite things about the box is not what's inside, but the flier that comes along with everything. it includes a recipe idea, facts about the food included, notes from the farmer, and a list of what made it into larger boxes (this week, salad mix, snap peas and peaches in the medium and large boxes, plus english shelling peas and baby arugula in the largest box). 

i made the recipe included with last week's box, and was pleased with how it came out so i though i would share. i like getting so many different veggies into one meal--it feels super healthy and is a great switch-up from our go-to greens: salad. 

farm box frittata

1-2 spring onions, sliced

zuchinni or other summer squash, sliced into 2 inch pieces

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and sliced lengthwise, then cut into 2 inch pieces

1 cup of shelled english peas

6 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt, pepper & cayenne to your liking ( i used a few drops of hot sauce)

1 cup grated fontina cheese (we used provelone b/c we had it on hand)

3 tablespoons minced green garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 

saute onion in a 12-inch cast iron pan, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. add rosemary. when onion is soft, add asperagus and raise heat. cook until bright green, then add all other veggies. cook on high for 3-5 minutes. 

empty pan into bowl of eggs, mix until well incorporated. add another drizzle of olive oil to thoroughly coat cast iron pan, pour the eggs and veggies in. bake at 350 degrees until eggs set and begin to brown. top with more grated cheese and broil to melt. serve warm or cold. 

i really like recipes such as this since it seems you can easily adapt the ingredients list according to what you've got on hand. it's a great way to use up stuff in the fridge or freezer that is just sitting around, uneaten, taken up space before it starts to get gross. 

i forgot to mention that i have never before shelled peas! this was a new experience for me, and not as time-consuming as i thought it would be when i first got started. lucy even helped a little with the ones that rolled astray--that girl really knows how to earn her keep!

easy organic breakfast...

we are always looking for new breakfast ideas around here--especially now that our go-to breakfast has become a big stack of pancakes. not so good for the figure (well, lucy can pull it off). anyway, i was happy to try a baked oatmeal recipe that i found online at one of the baby communities i frequent. we tried it out today and everyone enjoyed it, including lucy who was insistent for more. this would be really simple to make with all organic ingredients--i used the oats that we had on hand (trader joe's quick cook steel cut oats) but everything else (excluding cinnamon) was of the organic variety. a good way to start off the day.

here's the recipe:

baked oatmeal (makes 12 servings)

2 1/2 cups steel cut oats (rolled/instant oats will not work, but i had success with the quick cook steel cut oats that trader joe's now carries)

3 1/4 cups milk

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla (we just switched to real vanilla extract instead of imitation--the difference is amazing)

1/2 brown sugar (trader joe's sells organic)

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup dates, raisins, chopped/diced fruit, craisins, etc. (i found organic raisins at costco!)

1/2 cups chopped/sliced nuts (we left these out since lucy hasn't been exposed to nuts yet and jeremy is not really a fan of them anyway)


preheat oven to 350. combine ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes. pour mixture into an 8" greased round baking pan or rectangular baking dish. bake for 45 min or until set. cut into wedges/ squares. serve warm with milk (we topped with an extra sprinkling of sugar, too). individual servings can be frozen after they have cooled.

next time i think i'll add some frozen blueberries. the original poster of the recipe said her favorite variation is with diced pears--i'll be giving this a try, too. and maybe apples would be good...

now i'm looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast--bonus points for the fact that it's already made!

really, really, really...

good soup:

1 box organic, free-range chicken broth (trader joe's)
2 cans cannelini beans, rinsed (trader joes)
lots of fresh, organic spinach (approx. the amount of 2 big bags, or whatever will fit in your pot)
1 head of chopped garlic (less if you're not a garlic lover)
1/2 c. olive oil
cracked pepper to taste
parmesean cheese


brown the chopped garlic in the bottom of a soup/stock pot. toss in the freshly washed spinach, drizzle with the olive oil, and cover. uncover and stir often, until spinach is good & wilted. add the 2 cans of rinsed beans and broth. let simmer for about 1/2 hour so the beans get nice and soft.

serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese and cracked pepper. and bread. lots of nice, toasty bread.

we've been eating lots of this soup lately, even though the weather here in california has been unseasonably warm. it's simple, cheap, can easily be made with all organic ingredients (i have substituted the cannelinni beans for organic kidney beans with success), and our littlest eater chows down on it like nobody's business. yum!