Pancetta Quiche with Carmelized Peppers & Onions

Even though people will tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they're wrong.  At least on Saturdays and Sundays, when it's all about the art of the brunch. 

In my crazy mind, breakfast is about getting that perfect low-calorie balance of fruits, veggies, whole grains and protein.  Boring.  But brunch is a whole different animal!  It has to be slightly greasy, because it's a weekend, treat yo self!  It also has to be super flavorful because brunches at restaurants are always delicious and, let's face it, easier than making all of this at home.  And most importantly, the meal must be enticing to people who rolled out of bed at 7am for morning yoga and people who are going back to bed after this meal because they closed down the bars last night.  Tough crowd!

One of the most perfect brunch recipes that I can think of is my Pancetta Quiche with Caramelized Peppers and Onions.  This savory, cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth quiche is easy to prepare thanks to this awesome thing called refrigerated pie crust, but has a sophisticated flair from the sweet and crunchy Pancetta.  Brunch game strong! 

Homemade Spicy Giardiniera

I don't know about you, but my summertime recipes are all about keeping it simple and light.  This usually involves grilling in one way or the other - and trust me, I take full advantage of the 5 months of the year that it's actually enjoyable to grill outside in Cleveland.  The only problem with grilling a few nights of the week is that your burgers, chicken and brats can be a little on the mundane side if you're preparing them the same way every time.  BUT, I can save you with a little topping called Giardiniera, a bold, spicy, olive-oil-and-vinegar based mixture of bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, cauliflower, carrots, garlic and herbs.  It will knock any hot dog, brat or burger that you make out of the park!

Spicy Pepperonata Sauce

One of the main problems with many food blogs (including myself sometimes!) is that the recipes they post look sooooo delicious - like YUM - and they claim to be super easy...but they're seriously asking you to buy 15 ingredients??  I know, guilty as charged!  I do it too.  I promise that I really don't intend to, but my kitchen is always fully stocked so I forget that people who don't cook regularly, or only stick to a few basic recipes, probably don't have the 8 spices that I'm asking you to add in 1/2 tsp. quantities (oh hi, Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew).  I'm challenging myself to come up with more recipes that have very basic ingredients, with most of them being spices you should always have on hand if you're planning to make any entree, soup or appetizer on this blog: oregano, basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and, obviously, salt and pepper.  I invented this little recipe for Spicy Pepperonata Sauce on the fly last night, taking inspiration from my cooking class at The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking earlier this winter.  It definitely ups the flavor - and heat - of your standard red pasta sauce!

Reinventing Leftovers: Chicken Bruschetta

I will be the first person to admit that I do not like leftovers; life is way too short to eat food that tastes half as good as it originally did.  That being said, I am a fan of converting leftovers into dishes that taste like they were just prepared by adding a few fresh ingredients to brighten up the older flavors.  It's so quick and kind of fun seeing what I can concoct with random ingredients I have on hand...practice for Chopped once I'm on Food Network?!  Tonight, I was put in the perfect scenario to re-use leftovers: it was 6:30 pm, my stomach was growling, I was really thinking hard about driving up to Chipotle, and, on top of it, felt super lazy and drained from a busy day at work.  Did I get the burrito bowl I was craving and completely ruin my pre-thanksgiving diet?  No way!  Instead took a leftover piece of grilled chicken from last night, some day-old french bread (because who ever really finishes the whole baguette?), some leftover baby spinach, and a few standard pantry items to make grilled chicken bruschetta!  It tasted like a restaurant meal and only took 15 minutes from start to finish!