Mini Mommy Brunch

Hi guys.  As you know, Mother’s Day is this Sunday.  I have been subtly dropping hints for the last few weeks to my family that I need a new 12 inch skillet.  Pretty sure nobody has heard me yet.  They don’t do subtle.  I will actually have to take them to the store and show them which one I want.  Oh well, as long as I get a new skillet.  I don’t ask for much….Just a skillet that won’t insist that everything stick to it like glue.

Are you planning on cooking anything special this weekend for your mom?  Do you need your family to cook you something special?  I have a menu that I will be sharing today and Thursday that is so easy, even your kids could handle it.  I call it my “Mini Mommy Brunch”.  It isn’t for mini moms; although my sister and mom are mini….it just means that the food is mini.  You all know I like to shrink things and call it finger food;) 

My menu is:

Turkey Sausage Frittata Sliders

Mini Peach Pancake Cups

Teacup Fruit Salad

And

Mini Bagels with “Everything” Dip

And if I have time, I might even throw in a cocktail recipe;)

Today I am going to show you how I made my Pancake Cups and my Frittata Sliders.  Both are super easy, and super delicious!

First….the Frittata Sliders:

A frittata is basically a crustless quiche or a heavier omelet.  It is Italian in origin.  It can be served at room temperature so it is great to make for a crowd.  You can pop it out of the pan and slice it like a pizza to eat, or you can put it on a sandwich….like I am doing here.

I used turkey breakfast sausage, chopped onion, chopped mushrooms, chopped tomatoes and eggs.  I also used a splash of milk which somehow didn’t end up in the picture.

Are you ready to see how I make this?  You will be amazed at how easy it is to make.

I started by browning my sausage in my skillet.  I used a bit of oil since turkey sausage doesn’t have much fat.  And remember, I told you how my current skillet sticks like nobody’s business.

Once the sausage was done, I took it out of the pan and set it aside.  I threw in my mushrooms and onions and sautéed those until soft.  I also threw in some salt and pepper. 

Have you ever seen Rachel Ray cook?  Have you noticed that she always throws salt over her shoulder for luck?  Doesn’t it seem like she would always be crunching on salt when she walks?  That would drive me crazy.

Then, I added back in my sausage and tossed the tomatoes in.  I must sound so haphazard with all of this “throwing” and “tossing” that I am doing.

Now it’s time for the eggs.  I broke a dozen eggs into a bowl and added about ¼ cup of milk.  I beat this all up and added it to the pan full of sausage and veggies.  If you pan is also an ass and likes to stick, add some oil.

Now comes the fun part.  You start as if you are going to scramble the eggs.  You want to gently stir the eggs until they start to set, by pushing the cooked part towards the middle and letting the runny stuff run to the edges.  You want to keep doing this until the majority is cooked, and the bottom is set.  Then, pop the whole sucker under the broiler until the middle is set and the top is golden brown…..like so:

One important thing…make sure your pan is completely oven proof.  Handles too.

My frittata broiled for about 4 minutes.

Once it was cooled, I flipped it out of the pan.  Ok, no I didn’t.  But I wanted to.  But my pan sticks!  So instead, I used a round cookie cutter to poke out perfect circles to put on my sliders.

I served my sliders on little slider buns with extra sharp cheddar cheese and avocado.

Remember, frittatas can be served at room temperature, and they actually are better at room temp.

So cute!  And so much easier than omelets, and better for you than a quiche.  You can even make your frittata with egg substitute and make it totally healthy!

This recipe easily makes a dozen.  You can feed a lot of mamas.

Onto the pancake cups:

My kids act like they love pancakes.  But the fact of the matter is….they like the idea of pancakes a whole lot more than they like pancakes.  I usually buy pancake mix and then slave over the stove flipping pancakes to have them eat ½ of a pancake.  I end up with a lot of leftover pancake mix.  I created this recipe a couple of years ago to use up pancake mix.  The pancake cups are cooked in mini muffin tins and are topped with fruit and syrup.  Yum!

I used pancake mix that just needs water…..which I actually don’t use in this recipe.  What I mean, is use the “complete” mix that just requires water if you were to make pancakes.

I also used Gourmet Rooster County Fair Peach Spread and butter.

In a mixing bowl, I stirred together ¾ cup of the pancake mix, 2/3 cup peach spread and 2 tablespoons of melted butter until smooth.

I scooped the batter into mini muffin tins that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  This will make 16 mini muffins.

I baked these at 400 degrees for about 9 or 10 minutes.

When these come out of the oven, they have a tendency to sink in the middle.  They don’t have a whole lot of leavener in them (baking soda/powder).  This is a good thing.  This is what you will use to put your fruit in!  If they don’t collapse in the middle enough…poke them in a bit with your finger while they are still warm.

I topped my pancake cups with diced strawberries.  I think that strawberries go so well with peaches, don’t you?  I also drizzled syrup all over the tops.

Totes adorbs, right?;)

I will see you on Thursday with the rest of my Mini Mommy Brunch!

Turkey Frittata Sliders

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

16 ounces ground turkey sausage

½ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup mushrooms, chopped

½ cup tomatoes, chopped

1 and ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

12 eggs

¼ cup milk

Slider rolls, sliced cheese and avocado for sliders

Pre-heat oven to broil.

In a 12 inch skillet, add oil and brown turkey sausage over medium heat.  Remove sausage and set aside.  Sauté onions and mushrooms in skillet over medium heat, until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

Add sausage and tomatoes back into pan.  Add eggs, which have been beaten with milk.  Over medium heat, cook eggs by gently stirring and pushing cooked parts to the middle of the pan so that the uncooked parts can cook at edges.  When bottom is cooked, about 5 minutes, put pan under broiler for about 4 minutes, or until frittata is set and top is golden brown.

Let frittata cool for about 15 minutes.  Using a round cookie cutter, cut pieces of frittata to fit your rolls.  Top with cheese and avocado.

Makes 12 sandwiches

Mini Peach Pancake Cups

¾ cup Hungry Jack “Complete” Buttermilk Pancake mix

2/3 cup Gourmet Rooster County Fair peach Spread

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup strawberries, diced

Syrup for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir together pancake mix, peach spread and butter.  Scoop batter into mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. 

Bake and 400 degrees for about 9 or 10 minutes.  If pancakes haven’t collapsed in the middle, give them a little push with your thumb.

Once pancakes have cooled a couple of minutes, remove them from pan and fill each cup with strawberries.  Drizzle with syrup.

Makes 16.