Ally, Jerry, Jasper, and Ella come to the beach!

Ella is old enough to travel and Jerry has some time off. We met in Birmingham for Grandmother's birthday and then caravanned back to Perdido. We all had fun at the pool and we kept Ella and Jasper at the condo some so Ally & Jerry they could enjoy the beach and some adult time.

Jerry & Ally were also able to have a couple of "dates" while LaLa and Pepere enjoyed the babies.

What we cooked while they were here:

Denis made Chicken and Bows, Fish Tacos, Sauteed Red Snapper,& a Low-Country Boil.

I made the frittata and an original Shrimp & Grits with left-overs from the low-country boil.

Zucchini-Tomato Fritta

This is really good! It's a great way to use up zucchini and adds some vegetables to breakfast. Ally liked it and she had developed an aversion to squash during her pregnancy with Ella.


Covering the onion and zucchini for a few minutes while they cook helps them steam evenly; once the pan is uncovered, let the liquid evaporate so the frittata will be firm.

Yields: 8 servings
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
3 medium zucchini, (1½ pounds), cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs
¼ cup milk
¾ cup shredded shredded white cheddar
3 medium (1 pound) vine ripe tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
Directions

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion, zucchini, and thyme; cook, covered, stirring often, until tender but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, and cook until all the liquid in the pan evaporates. Season with salt and pepper; remove skillet from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over zucchini, gently lifting zucchini to allow eggs to coat bottom of pan. Arrange tomatoes in an overlapping pattern on top.

Return skillet to medium-low heat, and cook until sides are set yet still slightly runny on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Place in oven, and cook until the center is cooked through when tested with a wooden skewer, and the tomatoes are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; gently slide a heatproof spatula around the edges and underneath to loosen from skillet. Serve immediately.

From Everyday Food,

May 2004

LaLa's Shrimp & Grits (made with left-overs from Denis' Lo-Country Boil)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1/2 poblano pepper, diced
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
Hot sauce to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Left-over boiled shrimp, chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 4 large shrimp per portion)
Left-over cooked spicy sausage, diced
Cooked grits
Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, drizzle olive oil and add onions, garlic, and poblano and then bring to medium low heat. I like to add garlic to cold oil and bring up to heat so that it doesn't burn and get bitter. Saute vegetables until tender. Add in diced tomatoes, hot sauce and salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Meantime, cook grits according to package directions.

When the tomato sauce has cooked, add in the shrimp and sausage and bring back to simmer.

To serve: Fix individual bowls of grits and stir in desired amount of cheese. When cheese has melted, spoon shrimp mixture over grits.