Posts in brunch
white cheddar + pumpkin frittata

every year i get sucked in to the giant fall display of gourds at trader joes. even though i have no extra space in my kitchen, i still feel the need to purchase seven-ten assorted gourds so that i can take one really beautiful fall picture. sometimes, they even make an appearance on a fall table or at a styled shoot. but MAX they get three uses. and then what?

they are still food. i can't just throw them away?! so here is a recipe perfect for your leftover fall pumpkins and assorted squash. gourds are at their best when roasted. a few ingredients and some time in the oven brings out all of a gourds best flavor qualities. this recipe will work for any of your leftover fall gourds, but for this recipe i used a small sugar pumpkin. 

white cheddar + pumpkin frittata
serves: 4
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
bake time: 45 minutes
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups pumpkin or squash cubes (.5 inch cubes). 8 eggs. 1 cup diced brown onion (about .5 medium onion). 1 tbs minced garlic. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs finely chopped sage. .25 cup whole milk. 1 cup white cheddar cheese. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. 8-9 inch oven safe pan. 2 cups of arugula and juice of .5 lemon optional for serving. 

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start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. toss your pumpkin with 2 tbs olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the brown sugar. make sure everything is lightly coated. roast the pumpkin for 20-25 minutes till its starting to brown at the edges and feel a bit crispy to the touch. 

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while your pumpkin is roasting, whisk your eggs with the milk, the cheese and half the remaining salt and pepper. set the egg mixture aside. 

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when you have about 5 minutes left on your pumpkin, heat the remaining oil in the oven safe pan on the stove over medium heat. when the oil is hot, add in the onions and garlic. add in the remaining salt and pepper. cook until the onions start to brown. 7-10 minutes. 

when the pumpkin is done, immediately lower the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees f. 

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add in the cooked pumpkin and sage. stir everything to combine. 

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pour in the egg mixture and cook the eggs, stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan till the eggs begin to set up. about 5-7 minutes. 

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you should start to see chunks of cooked eggs in the runny egg mixture. 

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pop the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the frittata is set and no longer giggly in the center. 

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toss your arugula if you are using it with the juice of half a lemon. top your frittata with the arugula and serve hot. 

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xo, a

white cheddar + pumpkin frittata
serves: 4
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
bake time: 45 minutes
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups pumpkin or squash cubes (.5 inch cubes). 8 eggs. 1 cup diced brown onion (about .5 medium onion). 1 tbs minced garlic. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs finely chopped sage. .25 cup whole milk. 1 cup white cheddar cheese. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. 8-9 inch oven safe pan. 2 cups of arugula and juice of .5 lemon optional for serving. start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. toss your pumpkin with 2 tbs olive oil, half the salt and pepper and the brown sugar. make sure everything is lightly coated. roast the pumpkin for 20-25 minutes till its starting to brown at the edges and feel a bit crispy to the touch. while your pumpkin is roasting, whisk your eggs with the milk, the cheese and half the remaining salt and pepper. set the egg mixture aside. when you have about 5 minutes left on your pumpkin, heat the remaining oil in the oven safe pan on the stove over medium heat. when the oil is hot, add in the onions and garlic. add in the remaining salt and pepper. cook until the onions start to brown. 7-10 minutes. when the pumpkin is done, immediately lower the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees f. add in the cooked pumpkin and sage. stir everything to combine. pour in the egg mixture and cook the eggs, stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan till the eggs begin to set up. about 5-7 minutes. you should start to see chunks of cooked eggs in the runny egg mixture. pop the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the frittata is set and no longer giggly in the center. toss your arugula if you are using it with the juice of half a lemon. top your frittata with the arugula and serve hot. 

tips & tricks: brown sugar bacon

breakfast is my number one meal time, if i didn't make that clear on tuesday. and wes and i make no secret of the fact that when we do open our restaurant it will be breakfast oriented. so it should come as no surprise that we eat a lot of bacon. 

but lately, wes has made a small tweak to our usual bacon practices that is an absolute game changer. one of the things about cooking that captured my heart is the crazy idea that you can add just a little bit of one ingredient to completely enhance and change the way something tastes. in this case, a little brown sugar makes already delectable bacon, irresistible. 

want to step up your bacon game? here is how. 

brown sugar bacon
serves: 4 pieces
prep time: 10 minutes (or as long as it takes your oven to preheat)
cook time: 20-25 minutes
total time 30-35 minutes
ingredients: 4 pieces thick cut bacon. 2 tbs brown sugar. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment and lay the bacon flat.

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sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bacon. 

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cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, starting to check the bacon at 20 minutes and then every minute or two until it is crispy and the edges are caramelized. 

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remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack until cool enough to enjoy.

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xo, a

brown sugar bacon
serves: 4 pieces
prep time: 10 minutes (or as long as it takes your oven to preheat)
cook time: 20-25 minutes
total time 30-35 minutes
ingredients: 4 pieces thick cut bacon. 2 tbs brown sugar. rimmed baking sheet. parchment paper. start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment and lay the bacon flat. sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bacon. cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, starting to check the bacon at 20 minutes and then every minute or two until it is crispy and the edges are caramelized. remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack until cool enough to enjoy.