Veggie Homefries- A morning Staple

Looking at the recent fresh tomato post- I was inspired by some farm fresh red potatoes (a great alternative from the "pink skinned" ones you buy at the store). The skin has such a deep color you just know its packed full of nutritious iron- i couldn't wait to get them onto the stove and into my mouth.

Homefries are usually my favorite part of breakfast-especially when they're dipped in a golden runny yolk. Here is the recipe I've been using for a couple years now, it varies a little from batch to batch but the simple technique is a keeper.

Veggie Homefries
The ingredients vary depending on how many i am feeding and whats in my fridge but the staples are: unpeeled red or golden potatoes-medium diced, onions-diced, assorted colored peppers-diced, mushrooms-chopped, garlic-minced, red pepper flakes, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, oregano and parsley.
I also prefer to mix sweet potatoes with the regular but don't always have them on hand

• Put diced potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil, drain once potatoes are al dente (they will continue cooking in the pan, if overcooked it will turn into hash-which is still yummy but not always desired)
• Heat butter and olive oil in a saute pan and add drained potatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute on medium high until they start to get brown
• Once potatoes start forming an outer crust add onions, after another five minutes add peppers, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and oregano
• When all has reached your desired crispiness, remove from heat and add fresh parsley
  
  

Ramos House- Brunch Paradise

The Lady Crows are back from our California Vacation and are ready to share our food tales. In true crow fashion we cooked most of our meals and snacks, but the few places we did dine at were exquisite- this brunch cafe was definitely at the top of my list. Located in San Juan Capistrano, Ramos House Cafe epitomized all that is rustic- from the outdoor washroom, to the mason jar water glasses, this place conveyed a casual atmosphere with gourmet food.

All weekend Brunch meals are fixed price which includes your breakfast beverage, an appetizer and a main course. All of the meal descriptions sounded incredible, but if patrons still had trouble deciding each table had a cookbook at the center that listed all of the dishes with pictures and recipes- what a great idea! We indulged in bloody marys, mimosas, hush puppies, apple beignets, huckleberry coffee cake, duck hash, and red flannel hash. Pictured below is the epic bloody mary which came with a crab claw, pickled string beans and a deep fried quail egg. After that is a duck hash w/ wild mushroom egg scramble and herb sauce, and lastly was my dish- red flannel hash w/ deep fried poached eggs and goat cheese hollandaise sauce YUM.

I couldn't get my head around the concept of a deep fried poached egg where the yolk was cooked to a perfect golden color with a crispy outer crust so we had to ask the waitress. They informed us that the eggs were poached in water, chilled, dipped in batter, then flash fried- what a brilliant idea. It's definitely going to be hard to go back to the regular ones but this was a great vacation treat. Special thanks to the Welch family for treating us to such a memorable meal!

The Host

Flawless Fritatta

Weekends fly by so fast, especially the morning part because like most of my friends, I'm usually sleeping off the night before. If I wake up late, my first instinct is to throw on some clothes and crawl to one of the neighborhood brunch spots (Bon Savour, Dogwood, or Centre St Cafe-depending on the line). On those rare weekend mornings, where I shoot out of bed early with a mission to get things accomplished, is when I get to make a yummy frittata.

FLAWLESS FRITTATA:

Ingredients:
10 large eggs
1/4 C Milk
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 C mixture of grated gruyere and parm
1/2 head of chopped broccoli
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
oil, salt & pepper

• Position oven rack in the center and preheat to 350
• Whisk together eggs, milk, cayenne, s&p. Fold in the cheese
• Heat olive oil in a medium sized oven proof non stick skillet (or could use cast iron). Cook veggies for about 5 minutes, until crisp tender
• Pour egg mixture into the skillet and gently stir with a spatula lifting the veggies from the bottom of the skillet. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes
• Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes
• Remove from oven, cover and let set for 5 minutes, then SLICE IN!

I was nervous the first time I made a frittata just because eggs can be so volatile. Once you have the technique down you can truly make this recipe with any combination of veggies and cheeses. The Frittata pictured above is made with broccoli, onions and feta because that was all I had in the fridge. It's cheap, filling, and cleans out the leftovers in the veggie and cheese bins!