Novelty in the Mountains- Ricotta Apple + Banana Walnut Pancakes

"Monotony Collapses time; novelty unfolds it".  I read this quote from the book I'm currently reading Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer, this past weekend.  It felt fitting, as I was away in the mountains of Pennsylvania with some friends. It has always been my biggest fear that I might settle for a monotonous life without the type of excitement I've created in my twenties.  Looking around it seems that society steers us towards a path of least resistance, and people wake up twenty years down the road with a mid life crisis because their life is boring.  It's an interesting concept to think that creating new memories by having as many new experiences as possible might actually lengthen our perception of our lives.  Think back to the last year and what you remember- its the trips you took, the events you participated in or the people you met who made a lasting impact on you. Sometimes I think back on the decision to go to medical school and sacrifice 4 years of opportunities to live abroad, learn more trades, and meet more people.  Although I know I am in the right place and doing what I'm passionate about- it goes against the Machiavellian way ingrained in me to learn and excel at as many things as possible.  So right now, I will find the opportunities in the every day.


This weekend was incredible, we hiked in the snow, played board games, read by the fire, and had wonderful talks over delicious food.

Food in the Mountains: We split up and all took a meal in pairs: All was Gluten Free and Vegetarian

Saturday Breakfast: 
Spicy eggs + Sweet potato mash
Saturday Lunch
Pasta Salad with Vegetables + Herbs
Saturday Dinner
Stuffed Peppers + Cornbread + Roasted Brussels sprout (who knew it was spelled like that? )
Sunday Breakfast (this was mine!)
Ricotta Apple Pancakes + Banana Walnut Pancakes + Fruit Salad

I used two different gluten free mixes: Pamela's and Simply Organic
Pamela's makes sturdier pancakes and Simply Organic makes fluffier ones, so I chose Pamela's for banana walnut and Simply Organic for Ricotta Apple.

I know this is not a picture of pancakes.....

Banana Walnut pancakes are my go to, the banana's just melt into the batter and the walnuts give it a crunch.  Just make the mix as instructed and add one banana and a handful of nuts to each serving or cup of mix.  This works just as well with other nuts like pecans.

But the fruit looked so beautiful
and I was too busy making the pancakes to photograph!

Ricotta Apple pancakes was a new innovation.  After making the mix as instructed I just scooped out 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese, diced a small fuji apple, added a hint of cinnamon and wallah fluffy apple cinnamon goodness.  You can't taste the ricotta cheese, it just makes the batter fluffier and provides a softer texture.

Breakfast for Dinner

When I was younger and my dad used to go out of town, in order to put us in a good mood my mom always made breakfast for dinner.  It was thrilling- like I never knew eggs and pancakes could be cooked once the sun set! I'm just now reading the book Room by Emma Donoghue, and it is reminding me of the excitement children have when learning something knew that as adults we take for granted.  So whenever I need a pick me up or an excuse to get excited over dinner- I make breakfast for dinner.



This week I invited over 10 friends to share in my excitement and eat breakfast for dinner with me.  I am making the basics and they are bringing the extras.

The menu:
Half a Grapefruit
Homemade Granola + Yogurt + Berries
Roasted Potatoes
Bregg
Frittata
Mini Frittata
Birthday Donuts
Mimosas

1-Half a Grapefruit

2-Homemade Granola, Yogurt and Berries

3- Frittata #1

3-Frittata #1: Sundried tomatoes, Artichokes, Shallots, shitake + cremini mushrooms, drizzled with Truffle Oil

4- Mini Frittatas : Smoked Salmon, Herbed Goat cheese + Chives
(not shown)

5- Bregg

5-Egg/bread dish I'll call Bregg (more info to follow in later post): Bread (I use GF bread), Eggs, ricotta cheese, milk, spinach, cremini mushrooms, onions and garlic

6- Potatoes + Onions prior to roasting

6- Roasted Sweet Potatoes w/ Ginger, Cinnamon + Onions

7- Roasted Medley of colorful Potatoes w/ Tj's South African Smoked Spice Blend








How to make a Frittata
(first you must learn how to say it five times fast- try this without laughing- I dare ya)
So the great thing about Frittatas is you can add milk or not- just depends- are you a lactard? or do fluffy eggs matter to you more than if you smell up the room with post dairy indulgence?

Ingredients:
A- Eggs- so this is the bread + butter of a frittata (confused yet? me too) but it depends on how many people are eating it, what size pan you are using and how thick you want it to be.  I would experiment with the pans you have but in general I use about 8 eggs in a medium sized pan to feed about 4 people.
B- Select your filling- any vegetable combo you might like, its like a pizza, u choose!

Preheat oven to 350
1. Sautee the filling with some oil or butter until the veggies are cooked but not browned
2- Beat the eggs and if you are adding milk add it now, just a bit at a time to ensure the mixture doesn't become too white- prob around 1/2 a cup will do if using 8-12 eggs. Add any spices you want to the egg mixture.
3- Pour the eggs onto the sauteed veggies and ensure the veggies are evenly spread throughout
5- Put the pan (yes I said the frying pan) into the oven and let cook for 10-20 minutes, checking periodically

*Note of caution- when removing the pan make sure to use oven mitts, as panhandles get hot in ovens not just in florida*

And there u have it Breakfast for Dinner!