Eggs+Leftovers=Frittata

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Both at work and every day in my home cooking, I use eggs like they’re going out of style. Soft-boiled, scrambled or baked are my favorite preparations for enjoying the egg in its pure state.

But when it comes to transforming leftovers into a free meal, nothing beats a frittata. You can toss virtually any ingredient into some beaten eggs, and pour it in a hot pan; and then when you pop it in the oven, in the words of Carl Weathers, you got a stew going.

While I often love throwing together a couple random ingredients leftover from the fridge into my frittata, my favorite leftovers are actually herbs that are on the decline. They’re just starting to wilt and you need to use them up quick? Make a simple herb frittata that both highlights the eggs and the random mix of herbs you used. Or just use one herb but toss in enough to really make the flavor punch. Served alongside some spicy salad greens like arugula or watercress, it becomes a light, very Parisian meal that you can enjoy, knowing you didn’t pay the high price for it.

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Making Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Hi, Cooking Newbie readers. I’m so happy to be joining the Special Fork team with this first blog post. In each post, I will aim to teach you an invaluable technique, along with a killer recipe, so that you not only can make my recipes easily, but you can become a better cook, in general.

With this first post, I only thought it best to begin with the most basic, yet delicious technique and recipe I know: making perfect hard-boiled eggs. I literally make these once a week on my days off for a fantastic and virtually hands-free, no-mess meal, which is my favorite kind.

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Crepes – it’s Easier than you Think!

By David Hu

I love bacon and eggs for a weekend breakfast but sometimes I like to change it up. Crepes are one of my favorite standbys – they’re quick and easy to make, and just a little special. I like my crepes with apricot or strawberry jam. But don’t forget Nutella or bananas and sugar.

If you have extra crepes, just put them in a plastic bag and refrigerate; they’ll keep for a few days. Reheat them in a warm pan or zap them for a few seconds in a microwave oven. For longer storage, stack crepes between wax paper squares to keep them from sticking together, wrap airtight and freeze. They thaw quickly at room temperature.

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Hot Breakfast in a Hurry

By David Hu

Growing up, both my parents worked outside the home. But despite their busy schedules, they always found time to make a home-cooked meal for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast I especially remember pancakes, muffins, waffles, French toast and sunny side up eggs and rice with Portuguese sausage (a Hawaiian favorite).

As I get older, weekday breakfasts have become much less elaborate but I do try to make an effort. I’ve found two keys for weekday breakfast success: either make-ahead breakfasts like granola, or recipes with very few ingredients like breakfast burritos or healthy smoothies.

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Pancakes – Because Breakfast Should be more than Eggs

By Sandy Hu

Okay, I confess. Steve started making breakfast for the kids when they were growing up because he thought they should have more than eggs.

I love eggs and they’re my idea of breakfast –scrambled, sunny-side up, boiled, omelets or in the hole. Steve’s is pancakes, waffles, biscuits, popovers and muffins. Who do you think won out? The kids and I chose his, of course. And I blissfully relinquished breakfast-making duties to him.

Never one to let a recipe alone, Steve would improvise, experiment, research, try other versions of the recipe, until he created one to his satisfaction. And on weekday and weekend mornings, we would wake up to delicious smells from the kitchen of something freshly prepared, waiting for us at the breakfast table.

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