Braciole

Braciole is one of my all time favorite foods. It is a special occasion dish that takes some time, but is truly worth it. I decided to make this dish for my friend CJ who was visiting this weekend during the hurricane. Since there was nothing to do, it seemed like a great time to cook a special dish. The key to making great braciole is to rub the meat down with olive oil and spices and then cook it on low heat for hours. The longer you cook, the more tender and flavorful the meat is. You can get away with two hours, but three to four is ideal. Once you stuff and roll the meat, just throw it in some sauce to braise and flip every hour or so.

There are many ways to make this dish, and this one is truly my own. After years of experimenting with different ingredients, I can officially say this one is close to perfect. Next time you have some time on your hands or are making a special meal, definitely give this a try, you will not regret it.

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Tomato Spinach Frittata

Frittatas are basically giant baked omelets. This recipe is super simple and makes for a healthy and filling breakfast. I put this together for brunch in just a few minutes. It looks gorgeous and can serve a crowd. One of the great things about frittatas is that, done properly, they are extremely healthy. This version has only 108 calories per slice. You can also refrigerate leftovers for a day or two and warm up before serving.

The key to a frittata is not to over or under cook it. Watch it carefully. Right before it is done cooking it will puff up in the oven. Once it settles insert a knife into the center and see if it comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Full recipe after the jump
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Hurricane Muffin Extravaganza!

What an eventful day! Threw an impromptu brunch party this morning as every restaurant in town was closed because of the hurricane. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and it was a good chance for me to put together some new recipes. I made a ton of mini muffins because they are tasty and simple to make. It was so easy to bake them ahead and just have them available for guests when they arrived. These took about 10 minutes to prep and then less than 15 to bake. Super quick and easy.

I have been wanting to bake with ricotta for a while, and this seemed like a good opportunity. The ricotta muffins are incredibly light and fluffy. As a bonus, the ricotta adds a lot of calcium and protein, giving it some nutritional heft. I also made raspberry almond muffins using frozen raspberries and some sliced almonds, both things I  had at hand. They were tasty and filling and had just the right amount of sweetness. Best of all, because I used heart healthy olive oil instead of butter, they were light and not greasy.

The secret to really light and crumbly muffins is not to over mix. I recommend using a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Resist the urge to stir. Since I was cooking for a crowd, I wasn't planning on blogging so I didn't take any step by step photos. If my instructions are unclear or don't work for you, shoot me an email and I'll explain.

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