Spinach Frittata

I love the FOOD Everyday magazine from Martha Stewart. The recipes are usually easy, with a few ingredients and turn out with great results! This recipe was no exception... it is out of the January/February 2010 issue.

This recipe is for 1 (I doubled the recipe and put in 3 ramekins)

• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons grated Gruyere Cheese
• 2 teaspoons whole milk
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach
• nonstick cooking spray

Place a 1-cup ovenproof baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven; preheat oven to 450. While oven is heating, whisk together egg and egg whites, 1 tablespoon salt, and pinch of pepper. In a small skillet, heat 1/4 teaspoon oil over medium heat, add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir spinach into egg mixture.

Remove heated dish from oven and coat with cooking spray. Immediately pour in egg mixture and top with 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until frittata is puffed up and golden brown, about 15 minute.

This is a great way to get your husband to eat spinach!!

Shrimp with Tomato Cream Sauce

I love this dish, it's easy yet special enough for company!

Serves 4.

1/2 pound penne pasta (cooked)

1/2 pound large shrimp

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

8 oz. tomato sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 cup finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon basil leaves

Saute shrimp in 1/2 of the butter and olive oil. Remove the shrimp to a plate.

In skillet over medium heat saute onion and garlic with the remaining butter and olive oil, add the wine and allow it to evaporate. Next add the tomato sauce and heavy cream; stir to combine all. Next add the shrimp, parsley, basil, and cooked pasta!

Enjoy with your favorite salad and French bread!

Thank you to Michael at Designs by Gollum for hosting another Foodie Friday. It's a great place to go find great recipes and inspiration!

Epi (wheat stalk-shaped bread)

I finally made my Epi!

This was so much easier to make than I thought it would be. The loaf turned out nice and crusty, perfect dinner rolls. I will be making these again soon.

HBinFive Bread Braid

I am so excited to be in this Bread Baking Group! First, this is such an easy way to make bread! Second, my house smells so yummy with the scent of fresh baked bread! Third, this bread tastes wonderful, and it's healthy too!

I made the full Master Recipe. My schedule has been crazy busy this week so I only had time to make the loaf of bread. I sprinkled poppy seeds on top. I was happy with the way it turned out, and I am sure I will only get better with the shaping as time goes on. I look forward to making the Epi and Snack Crackers this weekend.

I like that this bread baking group will make me try breads that I never would have attempted before. Like the Epi... can't wait to try it this weekend ... the YouTube videos are very helpful with the technique!

Here is a picture of my bread -- can't wait to see yours :)

HBinFive is hosted by Michelle of BigBlackDog http://www.bigblackdogs.net/ . Thanks for all your work Michelle!!

Thank you to Michael at Designs by Gollum for hosting another Foodie Friday. It's a great place to go find great recipes and inspiration!

I am off to the Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market!

I leave tomorrow to attend the Gift Show in Atlanta for my store. We leave in the early morning, so we should miss any chance of snow delaying us!! It is a lot of fun shopping for my gift store, but it really is a lot of work too!

I plan to attend a show on Friday in the Gourmet & Housewares area by Tyler Florence! His show is Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Anytime.

I will share next week about what GREAT things we found at the market :)

Baked Lobster Tails and Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream

We like to stay home on New Year's Eve and have a good dinner!

Last night on the menu was

Baked Lobster Tails and

Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream

and Green Salad.

Easy, yummy, and rich!Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice complete through.

Place thinly sliced garlic cloves between slits at the crown of each potato.

Toss in a medium bowl with butter and love oil.

Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour.

Transfer to a platter and top with Herbed Sour Cream:
1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Kosher salt and freshley ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Season, to taste, and refrigerate until use.

Take a pair of kitchen shears and hold the lobster tail in your hand. Begin cutting down on side of the lobster tail as close to the side as you can.

Repeat a cut down the other side of the lobster tail. Cut the shell across the middle at the base of the tail. Grab the top of the shell and peel back. Take a knife and cut around the lobster meat. This will make it easy to remove the meat from the shell once the lobster is done.

Lobster Marinade
Prepare lobster marinade of 3 tablespoon of lemon juice clarified butter, with a pinch of paprika, white pepper, garlic powder and salt.

Place loster tail on a sheet of aluminum foil. Spoon Lobster Marinade over lobster tail and fold up the ends of the foil so your lobster tail is completely sealed. These were 8 oz. lobster tails I baked them at 450 for 26 minutes.

Once the lobster is cooked, unwrap the tail, dunk in butter and enjoy!

(Baking a lobster tail is one of the easiest ways to cook lobster tails and this technique is also more forgiving than broiling if you overcook it!)

Happy New Year 2010!!