Roasted Vegetable Frittata

When I need a fast dinner and don't have anything much in the fridge, I usually throw together something with eggs, as do all of you. A frittata is a great excuse to use leftover veggies AND put a quick meal on the table.
Roasting vegetables to intensify flavor is something I learned from Ina Garten ages ago. Ina's roasted tomatoes are a perfect example: ambrosial when served with mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinegar. It's my go-to salad for pot lucks, entertaining and, quite frequently, just for me. 

So when I saw Ina make a roasted vegetable frittata recently, I perked up. I don't usually roast anything that goes into my frittata, so this was bound to have more flavor than usual. The great thing is...use any veggies you have. They all work beautifully in this. Besides, all that cheese! Yum. Dinner will be on the table in an hour. Honestly, how easy is that?

Roasted Vegetable Frittata
From Ina Garten's How Easy is That?

6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients:
1 small zucchini, 1-inch-diced 
1 red bell pepper, seeded and 1 1/2-inch-diced 
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1 1/2-inch-diced 
1 red onion, 1 1/2-inch-diced 
1/3 cup good olive oil 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves) 
12 extra-large eggs 
1 cup half-and-half 
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (3 scallions) 
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
Place the zucchini, peppers, and onion on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss well. Bake for 15 minutes. Add the garlic, toss again, and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven to 350 degrees. 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 
In a 10-inch ovenproof saute pan, melt the butter and saute the scallions over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the roasted vegetables to the pan and toss with the scallions. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat without stirring. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the frittata for 20 to 30 minutes, until puffed and set in the middle. Sprinkle with the Gruyere and bake for another 3 minutes, until the cheese is just melted. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and serve hot. 

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Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Ginger Cream

Panna Cottas are so simple to make and not overly sweet, which is exactly what everyone wants after a heavy meal. I loved the idea of a pumpkin one, but it's quite mild so I added another layer of flavor with a ginger cream. Perfect for fall, but I also pictured it as a Christmas dessert. Simplicity itself. I kind of liked the way the spices in the pumpkin panna cotta stuck to the side of the glass so it showed up speckled once I poured in the ginger cream. But you could use a Q-Tip to clean it up a bit before you pour in the ginger cream if you're a perfectionist.

Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Ginger Cream

Ingredients for the panna cotta:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Method for the panna cotta:
Put 1/2 cup of the milk in a saucepan, and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, blend together the remaining milk, cream, pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon. The mixture should be perfectly smooth, so it is best to use a blender or hand beaters.

Turn the heat to low, and cook the milk, stirring occasionally, until the gelatin dissolves. Pour in the cream mixture, and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until steam rises. Turn off the heat, and ladle or pour the mixture into 6 4-ounce ramekins or other containers.

Chill the panna cotta until firm and then top with ginger cream. (Recipe follows) Chill until firm.
Makes about 8 servings.

Ginger Cream

Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups well chilled heavy cream
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons water

Method:
Mix the ginger, sugar and a pinch of salt. Tranfer to a bowl and add cream. Sprinkle gelatin over the cool water for 1 minute until softened. Heat to melt. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the ginger mixture at a time until the gelatin is cool. Then whisk in remaining ginger mixture. Pour through a fine sieve. Chill over ice cubes and then pour on top of the pumpkin panna cotta.

Candy Corn Oreo Bark

How fun is this for Halloween? And I'd never even heard of Candy Corn Oreos. (I found them at Target. Where else?) Not being much of a candy maker, let alone eater, I was in the mood to find something candy-ish for a Halloween post this year. The bark looked funky and fun, so I'm passing it out to some of my more mature (ahem) trick and treaters. Honestly, I didn't think I'd like it because I really don't care much for white chocolate, but I was wrong. It's totally addictive. Bad, bad bad.
Wrap it up in cellophane with some black and orange ribbon and you're all set. Big or little kids, doesn't matter. We're all kids at Halloween.

Candy Corn Oreo Bark
From Jamie  at My Baking Addition 

Yield: 20 pieces

Ingredients:

10 Candy Corn Oreos, chopped

1/2 cup small pretzel stick pieces

1/2 cup salted peanuts

12 ounces white chocolate, chopped (Use three 4-ounce Ghirardelli White Chocolate Bars)

3/4 cup candy corn

festive sprinkles

Method:

Line an 8×8 baking sheet with parchment paper. (I used a 9" square baking pan.)

Spread the cookies, pretzels and peanuts into the bottom of prepared pan.

Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring frequently until almost melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few pieces of unmelted chocolate; stir until smooth.

Drizzle chocolate with a spoon over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly. (You have to poke it around a bit to make certain all the little pieces get some white chocolate on them.)

Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.