Sweet Potato & Feta Fritata

The Recipe
350g sweet potato, sliced
1/4c water
2tb shredded basil leaves
200g feta
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3c thickened cream


Grease a ~20cm x 30cm rectangular slice pan. Line the base and two long sides with baking paper. Microwave sweet potato (with the water), covered, on high, for 3 mins or until almost tender. Drain.

Arrange the sweet potato over the base of the pan. sprinkle with basil and crumbled feta. Pour over combined egg and cream.

Bake for about 25 mins or until set at 180C. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

The Results

This is one of my all-time favourite go-to foods. It doesn't come out quite like a quiche or a pie; it's more vegetable-y than that. But given sweet potato and feta are two of my favourite foods, this is something I could never, ever eat too much of. And, bonus, it's just as good cold, so you can take the left overs for lunch! That's if there are any left overs... :D

(Note for example the fact that I don't have a photo of the slice cooked O:))

Zucchini Pie

The Recipe

1 small-med zucchini
1 med carrot
1 onion, diced
1 block greek feta, cubed
1/4 small butternut pumpkin, cubed and mostly cooked
5 eggs
½c grated parmesan
½c oil
¾c flour
Cumin
Pepper
Oregano
Thai lemongrass & lime spice mix

Mix all ingredients. Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes.

Alternative: omit pumpkin and feta and 1 egg, and add 1c grated cheese instead of parmesan.

Asparagus & Corn Quiche

1 quantity shortcrust pastry
1 can creamed corn
2 bunches fresh asparagus, chopped into 1.5 inch lengths
5-6 shallots/green onions, finely chopped
about 1/3 of a red capsicum (pepper), diced
1/3c grated cheese
5 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4c cream
salt
majoram
chives
black pepper

3/4 block feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease quiche dish. Line with pastry. Bake blind for ten mins or until centre of base is firm. Spread creamed corn over base.

Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Pour into pastry case. Bake for 20ish minutes or until centre is nearly set. Let stand for five minutes before cutting. Eat hot or cold!

Marbled Army Eggs

Easter eggs are an annual spring rite of passage. I love them. Brightly colored, cheerful, exuberant, they are everything spring is supposed to be.

I love them so much that we even dye the eggs at random during the rest of the year. A dollar egg kit from the store, a bottle of vinegar, and a bit of water is all you need for the standard egg. If you want a stand out egg... add some vegetable oil.




Directions
- Hard boil eggs and let them cool. Really, you could dye uncooked eggs but with kids this is risky. And if you use extra vinegar they may not cook well later.

- Warm several cups of water and make the dye. For really bright eggs, ignore the 1/2 cup of water to 3 tablespoons of vinegar, half-n-half is better.

- Dye the eggs the base color you want. Always start with a lighter color. Dark layers over light, but light won't layer over dark.

- When all your eggs have a base color, add a tablespoon of oil to each dye cup (or divide the dye and add). Swirl the oil in the cups and slowly lower the egg in a circular motion. Where the oil sticks, the dye won't. With a lot of oil you'll get something like the pink and blue speckled egg above.



Tips and Tricks for Pretty Eggs
1. White crayons were invented for a reason. Write on the egg shell before dying and you can make names, shapes, and messages appear.

2. For a lighter color use less vinegar, or dip the egg quickly and wash off the excess before it dries. For pastel colors as the base for your swirls mix the dye and the water, add the vinegar later.

3. Remember your color wheel: blue + pink = purple.... blue + orange = yuck!

4. Perfect eggs aren't fun. They may make an eye-catching center piece, but the blue, red, and green egg will be the talk of the table. Let the kids have fun. And don't let them wear their new Easter clothes to the dying table!