Writing: It's Actually as Simple as...Anyday Anytime Frittata

Sometimes I feel like this lost soul at sea.  My sea is not of a nautical form, but rather, a sea of words.  Words forming themselves into sentences & paragraphs in my mind; recipes formulating, from last night's supper, into recipe cards of thought, blogs & journal entries that never make it to the page.  It's not as if the encouragement to write doesn't exist for me.  Just this morning, my husband pretty much insisted that I sit down & write as I rambled off my twisted & turning thoughts to him.  I have a drawer full of journals with lovely insistence from friends & family to write.  Sometimes, in my boldest moments of thought, I think I have a book up there in the conclaves of my mind.   Today, crazy as it may seem, it was the simple request, from a friend, for a recipe that sat me down.

I had just returned from another eye-filling, bodily-enriched hike along my much-loved Okanagan shoreline.  Neither my husband or I had eaten more than the mouthful of banana that is, so often, the start to our day.  I loaded up Shaq, the white-haired dog in the Raviator (the affectionate name of our aging Toyota Rav 4) & set off to our little corner store.  That lovely little nook just blocks away in our residential area, that saves my bacon, on a regular basis.  And it is just that which I was after this morning…turkey bacon to complete the frittata that was, of course, formulating as words in my mind, & would soon be scrambled into a pan atop my stove.  Unfortunately, I can't brag it up to be much of a recipe but below I shall try…

Anyday Anytime Frittata

Olive oil - 1 tbsp or so
Cooked Potato - 1 1/2 - 2 C (I used whatever I have on hand whether that is leftover potatoes or sweet potatoes (or both!) or a tumble of frozen shredded hashbrowns that I keep in the freezer for days such as this)
Red (or any color of bell) Pepper - 1/2 C, chopped
Grape tomatoes - 3/4 C, sliced in half (I use these cs I always have them on hand - any tomato will do)
Green onions - 1 - 2, chopped
Turkey (or regular) Bacon - 5 slices, chopped  I always pre-cook a whole lb while I am at it.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put parchment on a baking sheet(s).  Cook for 5-6 mins per side.  Is really a great method if you have an convection oven cs you are done in a snap & bacon turns out flat & crisp! X 3 baking sheets at a time!
Feta or Goat Cheese - 1/4 - 1/2 C, crumbled (or this cow/goat feta that we recently stumbled on at the above-mentioned little local store) *any cheddar cheese is fine too
*Eggs - 5 (Please buy the most ethically raised eggs that you can afford - that plea will need more explanation in another blog…)
**You can pretty much adapt your frittata to use up any cooked veg, you may have in your fridge, too. It is def our norm to add a palmful of cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or fresh spinach.
Salt & Pepper

Heat non-stick pan over high heat briefly!  Reduce heat to medium, once your pan is nice & hot, & add oil.  Begin with your chopped peppers, & cook for just a min or two.  Then, add your potatoes & cook until they are heating thru, especially if you are using frozen hashbrowns.  (You may need to add a drop or two of water here & put the lid on your pan, for just a bit)  Then add bacon, onion, tomatoes & any other chopped veg you have decided on.  Continue to heat for a min or two.  Crack eggs over top, starting with one in the center of pan.  Then, poke yolks & make sure egg is distributed evenly over potato mixture.  Sprinkle with a dash of salt & pepper. And, last but not least, sprinkle on your cheese.  Now, the magic!!! Pour a tsp or two of water into the sides of your frypan, in a couple of spots, & cover.   Leave the lid on while your toast cooks or for just a min or two.  Keep an eye on it & cook to a desired doneness.  Finally, lift the lid to find a nice, big, fluffy frittata.  There you go - simple as that!

Enjoy alongside some lovely, fresh tomatoes & a spoon of creamy cottage cheese.

*We use 5 eggs - 2 for me, 2 for Darrell & 1 for Shaq, the white-haired (& very spoiled) dog :)  If you are cooking for a crowd, I suggest using more than one pan.  If you have a very large fry pan, you can adjust your quantities up.  Try not to get your frittata too thick.  You will be happier with the outcome!*