Guest Post: An Easy New Year?s Day Brunch Dish

Hi everyone! It’s Diana here from The Chic Life. I’m a 9-to-5-er blogging about maintaining a balanced lifestyle full of delicious & healthy eats, pretty crafts, motivational challenges, and my silly corgi, Bailey. I’m super excited to be able to share this guest post with Mara’s fabulous readers! Let’s get to it…

The new year is right around the corner, and while I’m sure you’re busy preparing your New Year’s Resolutions for 2011, I wanted to give you an idea for something more short term. Specifically, I wanted to talk to you about New Year’s Day breakfast. See, my parents always used to tell me that the way you begin a new year is how you spend the rest of the year. So, it was always important in my family to start things off on the right foot. I try to uphold this tradition every year.

What better way to start the new year than with a delicious and nutritious breakfast for you and your loved ones? Now, there are hundreds of thousands of fabulous things you could make: pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, stratas, cinnamon rolls, Green Monster muffins, casseroles?to name a few. The possibilities are literally endless.

Whenever I’m planning what to make for breakfast, I like to balance the foods I prepare in two main ways. I like to have a combination of savory eats and sweet eats. I also like to make sure that I don’t plan to make eats that all have high levels of difficulty. In fact, I often go for cooking and baking things that are both quick and easy all around. The reason? So you don’t get burnt out or too stressed out by trying to be too adventurous. I’ll usually make something that is difficult to make and/or takes a long time to cook along with something that whips up in no time. By the time I’m done with the first major kitchen project, especially if it’s a complex recipe, I usually have little energy left to do much else. This is when the easy-to-prepare dish saves the day.

Last year for New Year’s Brunch, I made homemade cinnamon rolls and mini frittatas. The pairing was perfect. I had sweet icing-coated cinnamon rolls and savory, cheesy mini frittatas. The cinnamon rolls took well over an hour to make between preparing the dough, letting it rise, baking, making an icing, etc. Meanwhile, the frittatas were as simple as mixing up a few things in a bowl and baking them quickly in the oven. With all the work involved making those rolls, I was extra thankful for the ease of the frittatas.

So, whether you make homemade cinnamon rolls or purchase some from a local bakery, might I suggest these super easy and very tasty mini frittatas for your New Year’s Day breakfast or brunch? They’re easier than a strata and faster than a casserole. Mini frittatas are sure to be a winner if you want something quick and delicious for your first meal of the year.

Mini Broccoli Cheddar Frittatas

Adapted from this recipe by Giada DeLaurentis

This easy recipe whips up fast when you want breakfast quick.

Makes about 40

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup broccoli, chopped small
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and prep a mini tart/frittata pan with non-stick spray.
Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir in cheese, spinach, salt, and pepper.
Use a mini ice cream scoop (or melon baller) to fill tart/frittata cups just over 3/4 full. Note: You may have to bake these in a couple batches or using multiple pans, depending on size, etc. Make sure pans are cool before filling.
Bake 8-10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through (I usually wait till the tops are just starting to brown lightly).
Carefully remove from the muffin tin (I use a plastic knife or spatula and run along the edge of the frittata) and serve.
Enjoy!

Big thanks to Mara for letting me share this recipe with your readers!

Reader question: What’s your favorite egg flavor combo? I love broccoli and cheese (obviously! lol).