frittata for one

Eggs have always been one of my favorite foods. They also happen to be one of the foods that I am most particular about. When I was little, my mom used to love well-done eggs. In fact, I used to think that she liked them burnt because she liked them so well-done. It made sense, too. Mom liked her toast burnt and her hamburgers charred. At least that's what I thought when I was eight. 

One Mother's Day I scrambled some eggs for her, making sure to burn them really thoroughly. There was no liquid left at all, just crispy, brown cracked grossness. I had made Mom just what I thought she wanted! Or not. I found out later (much later) that she really didn't like burnt eggs, just all the way cooked eggs. Oops. 

When it comes to eggs I take after my mom. When I make omelets I have to flip the eggs to cook each side. Yes, it makes for a strange omelet that doesn't fold over very well. I have to get creative. Creative omelets can have raw cold veggies in the middle, veggies mixed into the eggs, or my favorite, thick gobs of cheddar holding the veggies, creating a cavity to warm them while the cheese melts. It oozes over the sides of the thoroughly browned eggs. Yum. 

Beyond the standard scramble, eggs never appealed to me. Fried? Who the hell wants a runny egg? It just didn't make sense. No thanks. 

That is, until I wanted to expand my egg horizon. 

Really, it was quiche. I had heard rumors about it; the flaky savory crust combined with the sweetness of the eggs and cheese veggies. Yum. The rumors were right. I was introduced to baked eggs. THEY ARE LIKE OMELETS BUT WITH STUFF INSIDE OF THEM!  Oh, I was in love. 

And so it began. My love of baked eggs took over my egg world. Eggs became the protein at dinner. They were the entree and the side dish. Crap. I made lots of quiche. Two at a time. Broccoli and cheese? Check. Spinach and sundried tomato? Pesto crust? Oh yeah. I knew there were other things to make with eggs. I didn't care. I was having a love affair with quiche. I didn't want anything else. That is, until I had some organic potatoes. 

Here's some green info about potatoes and other organic veggies. This link is really cool, especially when grocery shopping. 

Anyway, I wanted some baked eggs and didn't want to deal with the crust. And I had lots of squash from the garden, too. Yummy! My decision was practically made for me especially because I had a little two-serving baking dish that has stayed pretty much unused for three years. Yum. 

This recipe is very easy to customize. All I did was thinly slice some veggies that I had laying around. Onions, potatoes, squash, herbs, anything can go into this dish! What makes this recipe different from other frittata dishes is that It is not baked in the skillet. With a serving as small as one dish, I found it very nice to transfer everything into a baking dish. A little one provides enough food for one huge meal or two small meals. Oh my yum.