Frittata Bites with Spinach and Parmesan

Our friends recently invited us to a brunch potluck...with a bit of a twist. What set this party apart? It was a tiny food party! Everyone was encouraged to bring a bite-sized food or beverage to share. It took a while for me to figure out what I wanted to bring that would fit the theme, and settled on making frittata bites, which were quick and easy to make in my mini-muffin pan. This recipe yields about 30 tiny frittatas, which ended up being plenty to go around considering all the delicious options people brought including tiny burritos, hard-boiled quail eggs and even mimosas in miniature champagne flutes.

Frittata Bites with Spinach and Parmesan 
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs, milk and olive oil together in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. If your mini muffin pans aren’t the nonstick variety, be sure to prepare them with a little bit of cooking spray or butter. Put one tablespoon of egg mixture in each muffin cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle of mini frittata comes out clean.

Feeding colleagues a family favorite

“Family Favorites” was the theme of a recent work potluck. Some of my mom’s top dishes are of the casserole variety, including the deliciously filling bake I recreated for my colleagues using my mom’s recipe.

Green Chile and Cheese Rice Bake
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups light sour cream
8 ounces canned diced green chiles
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4-5 cups cooked white rice (this dish works best when using day-old, cold rice)
1/2 cup grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl until blended. Alternate layers of rice and chile-cheese mixture in a greased 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish, starting and ending with rice. Top dish with grated cheddar and bake for 30 minutes.