Grilled Asian Skirt Steak with Arugula Salad and Garlic Potato Rounds

Have you watched the news lately? Apparently, the economy isn’t doing so well. They say that January saw more layoffs in one month since 1974. Wow! I almost got through January but on the 27th, I became one of those statistics too. Now it’s not all bad folks. My career field is actually in demand so I will be back at work before I even want to. For now though, I’m enjoying my time off and I’m wondering how I was able to get anything done with that silly ole’ job in the way. I am also becoming reacquainted with my kitchen. I have missed her. She was neglected, I think. Last year, I circled the globe and dined in Europe, Asia and at least a dozen major US cities but my amazing little kitchen just sat here waiting for me to return to her. Her patient granite sorely underutilized and cluttered with mail. Fortunately, she never wavered and welcomed me back without a hitch. Now she helps me turn out dish after dish lauding my successes and keeping my failures to herself. I wish I could take her to the beach for the weekend.

So with the economy in mind I thought to myself, “What affordable meals are out there that guests would think you pulled out all the stops for?” What I came up with rocked the evening. Thinly sliced potatoes prepared in a unique and tasty way, topped with a simple arugula salad with lemon and olive oil and finally a marinated then charcoal fired skirt steak cut into perfect strips. You could serve this to 6 guests and spend maybe 25 bucks. That seems like a recession proof meal to me.

I arranged the potatoes into circles on the bottom of a pan, seasoned, added a touch of garlic and olive oil and topped with a few small dollops of bacon fat (don’t throw your bacon drippings away people!). If you plan on living longer that I do, you can certainly omit the bacon fat I guess. Into a hot oven for about 12 minutes and what comes out has a crisp outer edge, like a well seasoned chip, and a soft buttery center. For the salad, I drizzled just a touch of lemon and olive oil on the arugula and seasoned with a touch of salt and pepper and that’s it. No fuss. Peppery Arugula with the acidic bite of the lemon gave a nice balance to the very mild and delicate flavor of the potato.

The steak marinated in an Asian bath of soy, sesame oil and honey for a couple of hours then met its fate on a hot grill. Adequately seared and subsequently rested, I cut this into strips and served it atop the arugula and potatoes. The juices of the steak were so perfectly preserved in the searing process that you’d have thought I dipped the strips in butter before plating. Rich and tasty, there was no hint of the toughness that could be found in an undermarinated piece of skirt steak. While I used a grill outdoors, pan searing would also make a nice steak.

Seriously, your friends will think you spent far more on this meal than you did.

Grilled Asian Skirt Steak with Arugula Salad and Garlic Potato Rounds

For the steak

1 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 lbs skirt steak

Place ALL ingredients in a plastic zip bag and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Allow 30 minutes at room temperature before grilling. Sear meat on a hot grill for about 3-4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of the meat) for medium rare. Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Slice meat on a bias against the grain just before serving.

For the potatoes

2-3 Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1-2 tbsp bacon fat at room temperature or lard (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

To thinly slice, I use a mandolin.


On a baking sheet* arrange the potatoes into a circle overlapping the edges.


Make 6-8 of these (one per person). Season with the salt and pepper and arrange a few thin slices of garlic onto the potatoes. Drizzle with a bit of the olive oil.


Arrange another circle of potatoes atop 1st layer. Place a few of the dollops of bacon fat or lard atop.


Place in a 375 degree oven for 12-13 minutes or until edges become golden brown.


*In my photos I use an oven proof skillet but you’ll be making enough to serve 6-8 so I suggest a baking sheet and make all at once.

For the Salad

2-3 cups arugula
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Gently toss all ingredients together.

To serve, place one of the potato rounds on the bottom of each plate, top with about 1/3 cup of the arugula salad then arrange the sliced meat on the salad.

Serves 6-8

Parmesan Soup with Green Onion and Parsley Dumplings

Oh my. I had a bit of an accident this morning. Nothing too serious, thank goodness. I was day dreaming and it just happened. You see, I thought about making biscuits and an hour later, I had something totally different; Parmesan Soup with Green Onion and Parsley Dumplings to be exact. My kitchen accidents rarely make it to the written word. Mostly they end in the pull out waste basket built into the counter. Dead men tell no tails I always say. This time, though, something wonderful happened and if you’ll indulge me, I’ll share it with you.

On my usual morning pantry inspection, I noticed a box of Bisquick in there. You know Bisquick, right? Bisquick is basically flour with the leavening agent already in so making pancakes and biscuits are simpler.

Biscuits sounded good. The side of the box gave the amounts of milk to add to make “biscuits or dumplings”. Dumplings? Oh!!! I haven’t made dumplings in like forever and I love good dumplings. Dumplings it is. It seems that ups the stakes a bit because now I need a brothy medium of sorts to cook the dumplings in. Well, I have some chicken stock. Good enough. Now here’s the cool part. In the back of the fridge I saw the remnants of what used to be a monster chunk of Parmesan Cheese that came from Costco. Have you ever seen the size of the Parmesan-Reggiano offerings from Costco? They are huge and I bet I had a 10 oz chunk of rind left. That’s the part that, while edible, is really too hard for anything and usually gets tossed out. I’d heard that they were good for soups so I thought this might add a hint of flavor. What I was completely unaware of was that this was to be the star of this dish and I cannot wait to make more. You will love this recipe, I think.

Instead of plain drop biscuits, I added lots of fresh green onions and parsley to the dough. Now I had lovely green lemony and oniony flavors dispersed throughout the biscuit and I was sure these would be good. You will see in the recipe that I used just a few things in the broth because that’s what I had, but visions of thinly sliced mushrooms or small potato cubes sounds quite special too.

In the end, what I ended up with was a super creamy broth that held tender bites of savory dumpling. That depth of flavor and the complexity of the buttery Parmesan-Reggiano was a welcome byproduct and not even close to my original vision of this recipe. Not only would I order this in a restaurant, but I would recommend my friends try it when they go. The dumplings were perfect with their hints of green and bright fresh flavors of onion and parsley. It was like eating Springtime against a nutty, buttery Parmesan canvas. You really should make this or your own variation.

Parmesan Soup with Green Onion and Parsley Dumplings

For the Dumpling dough, you can follow the directions on the side of a box of Bisquick to make about 12 dumplings. Add about 3 green onions, finely diced, to the dough as well as about ¼ cup chopped parsley. Mix well. Roll into balls. They should be about 2/3 the size of a golf ball.

For the soup

8 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 oz (or so) Parmesan-Reggiano rind (using shredded or grated will make the soup “stringy”)
½ cup chopped Italian Parsley plus some extra for garnish
12 or so dumplings

Add all ingredients except dumplings to a pot and bring to a simmer. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook about 15 minutes to blend flavors and soften carrots and onions.
Add dumplings one at a time and ensure that there are at least 2-3 inches between dumplings because they will expand. Cook until dumplings are cooked through (about 10 minutes). Soup will thicken slightly. Using a large slotted spoon or “Spider”, remove the remnants of the Parmesan-Reggiano rind and discard.
Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with additional Parsley.

8-12 servings

The Thirsty Marlin

Hey folks… Here are a few pics from dinner at Thirsty Marlin in Palm Harbor this week. It was wonderful. The full article will be up in the Creative Loafing website. You can check out it out here.
Notice the Purple cabbage and carrots on the plates that look like confetti. Great presentations.


Wonderful Ahi tuna appetizer. That red sauce around the edge is HOT but good.



Lisa's Thai Chicken wrap. WINNER!!!!



My Bacon Wrapped Scallops. A little salty and perhaps unremarkable but I can't say they weren't good.



Huge Oysters



Grouper Atlantis. Grouper topped with shrimp and Hollandaise. I thought this was the star of dinner for sure.

A Bounty on his Head, I Say... Damn Those Were Hot

If I get my hands on that Guy Fieri, I will pluck out that white hair of his one spiked clump at a time. You know Guy, don’t you? He’s that really hip California chef dude who hosts several Food Network shows. A couple of years ago he won a reality show contest called “The Next Food Network Star” and he blossomed into an onscreen powerhouse. I actually liked him until a few nights before the Super Bowl.

It all began on a recent episode of “Guy’s Big Bite”. He made a delicious looking Italian sausage and cheese combo, stuffed it into some halved and seeded Jalapeños, and topped it with mozzarella. After a minute or 2 under the broiler, he served a bubbly gooey little bite that looked unbelievable. What a spectacular little delectable to serve friends coming over for the big game. Guy said (and I’ve heard others say before) that the heat of the Jalapeño is found in the seed and white innards, not in the pepper. By removing the seeds and scraping out the inner part of the pepper, it would be flavorful but not hot.

Now while I enjoy spice a lot, I do NOT like spice for the sake of HEAT only. That heat needs to contribute in some way to a positive experience. Also, I don’t work with Jalapeños very often in their raw form. You might be starting to see where I’m going with this. No one mentioned to me that the white inner RIBS of the pepper was where the heat lived. While I think I’m following Guy’s instructions, he was ambiguous about the consequences of not fully removing the ribs, or worse, not removing them AT ALL.

So the sausage came out to perfection. The taste was unbelievable. I used a combo of Provolone and Mozzarella and under the broiler they went. Just like on TV, they came out perfect looking. Little bubbles of brown cheese surrounding peaks of protruding sausage like a mini landscape on an inviting mountain side. I plated these and photographed for future writing.

Once sufficiently cooled, I could hardly wait to take my first delicious bite. I popped the whole stuffed pepper right in. It began with the cheese. Then the sausage and spices began bathing my palate in familiar yumminess. Within 10 seconds, however, the entire experience took a dramatic turn. FU** this is HOT!!!! It felt as if my skin was melting away from my face and my eyes were nothing more than two smoldering lumps of coal.

I'm sweating

How utterly insensitive to not fully explain the anatomy of this pepper before offering such a visually stimulating recipe. I’m not a moron (don’t argue that please). I know that Jalapeños are hot. I would never consider eating Nachos without extra though. This, however, was over the top.

Then suddenly, something interesting happened. After a tall glass of milk and some fresh bread to stem the tide of the inferno in my mouth, I wanted another. And after that cycle repeated, I wanted another. Yes the heat was brutal but the flavor of that Italian sausage and ooey-gooey cheese combo was too much to resist. Frankly, the pepper tasted wonderful and fresh too.

So for the first time in my 20 or so years in the kitchen, I am recommending something that I had a difficult time eating. I will share this recipe but remember this: COMPLETELY REMOVE THE SEEDS AND ALL PARTS OF THE INNER PEPPER THAT IS WHITE OR YOU WILL SUFFER.

Normally I take some artistic liberty with these recipes but in this case I made it pretty much verbatim except I added Provolone (Just wanted to make sure I give the appropriate credit).

Italian Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

15 jalapeños, preferably red, cut in 1/2, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup minced red onion
¼ cup minced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded Provolone cheese
Minced chives


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Place jalapeños on a sheet tray and roast for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add onions, peppers, garlic and sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove and place in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, then add mascarpone, and Parmesan. Mix ingredients thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, and top with 1/2 teaspoon of provolone and mozzarella cheese combined.
Place the sheet tray of stuffed peppers in oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Garnish with minced chives and Parmesan.

January 2009 -Hmmmmmm

Disclaimer: I try to stay positive in most of my posts. My goal is to be refreshing and uplifting. Some of the material contained below might be disturbing to some readers. Depressing, even. So, if you were on the fence about taking a 20 story leap today and came hear for inspiring witty prose, I recommend not going any farther. I also recommend a gin and Prozac fizz. Duly warned, read on if you wish.

What a January!!! The opening 31 days of 2009 have been a roller coaster of highs and lows and I just can’t get my arms around how I feel about it all. I’m writing about it here because it will affect my blog. Not for the worse, I hope. First I’ll get the bad news out of the way. I have been swept up in the national economic downturn. I was laid off a couple of days ago. This was not unexpected. I could feel this coming for some time, so at least I wasn’t blindsided. What’s horribly sad is that since my office is in Rhode Island and I am in Florida, I can’t say goodbye to my friends and colleagues in person. Now before you go feeling all bad for me, I received a descent severance and I have a line on a couple of opportunities. I am also a nurse (although I haven’t done that in a while), so I can always work. So, while a tad nervous, I am not remotely sad or depressed about this series of events.

On the flip side, I’ve had some great days in January. The Food Network came to cook at my house, I was asked to contribute to our local Creative Loafing Magazine food blog and I went to the Inauguration for a president who, for the 1st time in 12 years, I voted for. I’ve had friends comment about how “lucky” I am (and I think that I am). So all in all, I’m a bit confused over what emotions I’m supposed to feel. I guess the best approach is to realize that the sun is always shining somewhere and just move on. And I will.

The effect on my food blog for now is that I won’t be able to discuss cool food finds in far off lands. I can’t really afford to go back to York or Honk Kong just to write about my meals. For now, you’re stuck with my cooking adventures and local fare, which, by the way, I feel I have sorely neglected. OK Tampa Bay, like it or not, I’m home for a while.

I’m trying to figure out how to successfully contribute to Both Creative Loafing AND Louis Loves Food. I don’t wish to post the same writing in both places so I think I’ll use links to associate relevant articles to each other. I’m really new at all of this but I’m having soooo much fun sharing my passion for great food and how it’s made that I’m sure I’ll figure out a balance. I have just submitted my first article and it should be viewable soon. You can see my bio here.

I also wanted to share my Facebook page. Please come find me. I love updating my friends and reading about the day to day lives of folks that I just don’t see enough.


So here’s to 2009. When the dust settles, I’m sure all will be well. After all, today will pass, tomorrow will come and the sun will definitely be shining somewhere.

Last Week

Walking the streets of Washington DC last week and seeing the throngs of people who had come to celebrate, I was more than moved. DC was Barack Obama EVERYTHING. Not just your typical hats and t-shirts, I saw bottles Obama hot sauce. I saw Obama breath mints (labeled: For Powerfully Fresh Breath). It was perhaps the MOST indescribable, words-can’t-do-it-justice event I may ever witness. Being in the midst of this sea of humanity sharing a common feeling makes one feel like they are a part of something bigger; much bigger.

While President Obama stirs the social consciousness of a nation with unparalleled skill and grace, it is difficult to ignore that the last administration was so disliked that electing a Cocker Spaniel would have brought at least a small measure of enthusiasm. As Marine One carried the newly dethroned former President Bush away from the Capitol Building and over the crowd, the 1.8 million people on the mall cheered and waved a long overdue “bye-bye”.

In the midst of all of this excitement, there was food. Lots of food. From burger dives to amazing restaurants, we covered our bases this week. We drank at famous bars where presidents have walked and walked as many miles as our feet could carry us. Since everyone out there saw the TV coverage, I’ll take you on a journey through our culinary week. If you’re in DC, I’ll list MY personal favorite restaurants and even tell you about a surprising clunker (in my humble foodie opinion). And I’ll gladly share our pre-inaugural Frittata that was just perfect on this most auspicious of times.

It began by landing in Washington on Saturday. I wanted to attend the concert on Sunday, so arriving early was a must. As with most visits with my mother, our week began with a visit to the market. We hit a couple and I must say that Harris Teeter is my new favorite store but that story is for another time.

Have I shared my Dijon and Thyme roasted pork loin recipe before? Well if I haven’t, I will again because that was dinner. After the markets, mom and I descended upon her kitchen with passion. Once the Dijon marinated pork was in the oven, I set to work on some roasted rutabagas while mom pursued a bacon and vinegar spinach. Like most roasted meats, the secret to succulence is temperature. If you choose not to use a thermometer and your roasts come out perfect 100% of the time, you have my admiration. After about 90 minutes at 325 degrees, the thermometer read 150 degrees and my pork was done. A good rest later, and she sliced like a filet; perfectly juicy, cooked through with just a hint that there used to be pink in the center. The perfume of the Dijon and thyme filled the space and everyone was mesmerized. Mom’s spinach was elegant and delicious and the rutabagas fit in perfectly. Our first night was a success and the left over pork made for quick sandwiches for the rest of the week.

Monday two friends arrived from Tampa after driving all night. We had a night of festivities ahead but first they needed to go get their inauguration tickets and get some much needed sleep. I decided to fuel them up with a quick frittata.

There is no secret to making a great frittata but there are a few tips. As a rule, any flavor that might spark up a good omelet is good for a frittata. The difference is in the cooking process. Most frittatas in my repertoire are born from foraging the refrigerator this morning was no exception. Things like last-night’s-potatoes or leftover ham are the types of ingredients I shoot for. In this case, there was half a bag of fresh spinach left as well as mushrooms, bell peppers and my mother’s always overflowing cheese drawer. These were colors that would paint the canvas of a special breakfast. While I do share the frittata recipe below, PLEASE take MANY liberties with your own version. The cooking process is the important part and not the ingredients.

While there were other delectable cooking adventures (someday I must share the open faced steak and egg bagel with blue cheese sauce… YUM!), the DC restaurant scene and nightlife were not lost on us. Most notably, was the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Hotel. People from all walks of life and in all manners of attire were in this place. I was wearing jeans, as were many others but there were plenty of tuxedo clad gentlemen in route to various functions. The history at this hotel is rich. Closed for years and almost demolished in the 80’s, The Willard was fortunately swept up in the city’s fruitful gentrification that followed. Restored to reflect its past, it is a DC landmark. Ulysses S. Grant would stroll to the bar for a cigar and libation at the end of a long presidential day (I think I would have liked him). Word got around about this and folks trying to push their causes or agendas would gather in the lobby hoping to get an audience with the president. I’m not sure how the president felt about this but the term lobbyist was born. Below is my friend Will and I. He is enjoying the Willard signature drink, the Mint Julep, introduced to the bar by Henry Clay.

Will and I at the Willard
The night goes on to include tequila shots at the The Old Ebbitt Grill, greasy after midnight burgers on DuPont Circle and general celebration. I think I’m too old for this but Will was the one sick the next morning, not me.

I was sad to see Will and Amanda go after the inauguration but they had two young kids to get home to. Mom and I continued the week’s adventure. One thing I like to do when I’m in culinarily diverse cities (such as DC, New York or San Francisco) is eat foods that I can’t get elsewhere. This led to me do some internet research on the city’s Ethiopian fare. As I expected there was a large Ethiopian community in Washington. I found Etete on urbanspoon.com and the reviews were quite favorable so I convinced mom to meet me there after work. I didn’t realize that she had never eaten Ethiopian food and I was surprised to learn that she had avoided it on purpose. Apparently she wasn’t keen on the whole eating-without-utensils idea. If you have not had Ethiopian fare before, you do, in fact, use your hands. Meals are served family style in a tray with your entrée, vegetables and sauces placed on various parts of the large plate. Injera, a spongy pliable bread that looks like a crepe and has a lovely sourdough taste, is served with the meal. It is your only utensil and is used to scoop. The various spice mixes, such as Berbere and Mitmita are combinations of Ethiopian flavors such as local peppers, paprikas and garlic. They are often hot and are somewhat reminiscent of Indian flavors. Often paired with lamb, beef or chicken, the dishes are difficult to pronounce but easy to eat. We stuffed ourselves and I was please that mom couldn’t get a good parking place because I needed the extra walk. Oh… and a huge benefit to Ethiopian dining is that your wallet will not suffer. A bottle of wine and dinner for 2 was about 60 bucks before the tip at one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in town.

Another night was a new restaurant for me. Palena in Cleveland Park is where former White House chef Frank Ruba offers unbelievably wonderful and creative fare such as King Salmon and Beet Ravioli. His spectacular plating is also pared with simple elegance in other dished such as roasted free range chicken that must be ordered 45 minutes in advance so that it can be roasted fresh. Normally I would look for something more unique on such an elaborate menu but the bartender told me that the chicken was the house specialty. Really? With choices from Skate to Lamb to Sturgeon, this guy was pushing the chicken. Fine I took the bait and ordered the chicken. It is simply presented on a white plate with a tender and mild dressing beneath it. The chicken is small as far as chickens go, but since I was served half of a bird, it was plenty. So how good could this be? I’ve eaten lots of chicken. Who hasn’t? Well the crust was as perfect as any roasted chicken skin could be, and beneath, the meat was so moist and sweet and tender that it was like savory chicken pate. Unbelievable. I may never roast another chicken at home.

I tasted the sturgeon that my mom ordered and if fish could be described as rich, that would be the word for this fish. The taste was clean and fresh and buttery. We also nibbled on a pate and a cheese tray as appetizers and while typically way to small as with most fine dining establishments, the flavors were just remarkable. This is now on my list of “MUST DO’s” for Washington DC. Unlike the Ethiopian restaurant, this place is not as wallet friendly but I didn’t think $200 for the 3 of us was too crazy (especially since we ordered a number of drinks –I had a Long Island Iced Tea).

Before I move to the recipes, I have to vent just a little. I was disappointed with one establishment this week and it just goes to show you that celebrity does not a hit make. Last season on Top Chef a guy named Spike was a fan favorite who went deep into the competition.

In 2008, he used his celebrity to help him open a wonderful little concept place in a prime part of Capitol Hill right on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Good Stuff Eatery was his creation based on wax-paper wrapped fresh burgers he recalled from his childhood. I love this idea because I believe to my core that there are never enough great burgers on the planet. Unfortunately this was not one of them. Now there was nothing particularly wrong with this burger but there was nothing particularly right with it either. There were a few specialty burgers on the menu and I hear their sauces and milk shakes are highlights but I started with his generic Farmhouse Cheeseburger, fries and a coke. If I’m gonna spend 10 bucks on that (which is not above me), it better be a damned great burger and this was just OK. “OK” as in I-could-make-you-just-as-good-a-burger-at-home “OK”. Still disappointed, I left thinking I should give one of the house specialties a try before passing final judgment so perhaps one day I will return but for the time being, I do not recommend The Good Stuff Eatery. I did love the concept of the “Obama Burger” though.

There are at least 3 other good food stories this week but in consideration of your time, I’ll wrap up with the following two recipes from this week. I didn’t take any photos of the pork but I promise, it’ll become a staple in any kitchen that tries this. It is too easy and too good.
Thyme and Dijon Roasted Pork Loin

1 medium sized pork loin
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs, stems are OK because we’ll fish them out later (1 tbsp if using dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Season loin with salt and pepper. Coat with the mustard and thyme and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Before cooking, allow pork to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or so. More important than time is to remove the pork when the internal temp is around 150 degrees. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

This Frittata was simply delicious. Try this one or any variation of your own.

Inaugural Frittata

1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 scallions, diced
4 cups washed fresh spinach
6 eggs
½ cup milk or cream (I had heavy cream and used it)
½ cup Pecorino-Romano cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese

In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, add the oil and melt the butter. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and fragrant. Do not brown the garlic. Add bell pepper, mushrooms and scallions. Cook until mushrooms give up most of their water and it evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and allow to wilt down but not completely. In the meantime, mix the eggs, milk or cream and Pecorino-Romano in a mixing bowl. Lower the heat to medium low and add the egg mixture. Cook until done around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Place under broiler until top is just set, about 1 minute. Remove, top with Pepper Jack and place back under broiler until top is bubbly and just beginning to brown.

Carefully use a paring knife or thin spatula to separate the frittata from the pan and slide onto plate. Serve in wedges.

Serves 6-8.

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS: We are interrupting our regularly scheduled food blog to discuss the inauguration.

OK … I know that this is a food blog but I have to quickly share a few photos. I arrived in Washington DC yesterday and this city is in full swing. This little nobody is awed at all of the somebodies that are gathering here for a historic event. This morning I got up and went for an early walk (a bit chilly for this Florida boy). Here’s what the capitol building looks like 2 days before the inauguration.

Here are the contents of the inaugural invitation packet.


Oh and if you ask, “How did he get a ticket?” The answer is simple. I asked my congressman and he was giving special consideration to veterans (I am one). I am in the standing room only section which is about as far back as you can get and still be in the “invitation only” area, so it’s not that austere.

Still… I’m quite excited.

More updates to follow and we’ll be returning to our regularly scheduled blog shortly.