Frittata recipe

I promised on Instagram today that I would share this recipe with you. This frittata has all the ingredients a good frittata should have--eggs, ham, spinach, cheese, and potatoes. Well-rounded and hearty. And once you're done with breakfast, you have plenty of leftovers for later as well, whenever hunger strikes again. My recipe is based on a recipe from Real Simple magazine.

Potato, Ham, and Spinach Frittata

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small russett potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
9 large eggs
salt
pepper
2 handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
4 ounces cheddar cheese (1 cup), grated
4 ounces thinly sliced deli ham, cut into 2-inch pieces
optional: 4 slices thick-cut bacon, pre-cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet (like this cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Add potatoes and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix in the spinach, cheddar, and ham.

Add the egg mixture to the skillet, stir once, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the eggs are set, 12-14 minutes.

This recipe is so easy. It's the best when your whole meal is in one skillet--protein, vegetables, and carbs. :) I want to point out that the original recipe called for one 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid, instead of the fresh spinach. I personally like everything fresh and don't like the taste of frozen spinach, and my kids refused to eat it with the frozen spinach as well, but you might prefer it that way. Also, the key to a cast-iron skillet is to let it get nice and hot before you put any food in it. That way it will give an even, golden brown crisp to your food and will prevent sticking. I love me some bacon, so I like to put bacon in my frittata. It's like the cherry on top, you know?

xoxo,
Tanya

She's been with us 3 months now

This baby girl is lighting up our world these days. I took these pictures on a Saturday morning ten days after she turned 3 months.  A little late, but better late than never. I am more in love with her now than when she was born. I am so used to her, I know everything about her, what she likes, what she doesn't, what she needs, and when. I love how much she needs me and how I am the one who can figure out what she needs when she cries. I love her smiles, and she gives them out generously. She loves to "talk" when we talk to her, and coos her heart out at us. We predict she will be a very early talker.

Her fingers or a blanket are always in her mouth. Or if she can pull her shirt up to her mouth, that's good too. She's really good at keeping her pacifier in, much better than any of my other babies at this age. Pacis are sooo helpful, though I have to say, expensive. I've already spent so much replacing lost ones, and we have many more years of pacis ahead. She has been teething for over a month now, and nothing to show for it, not even swollen gums which would mean the tooth is close. She has the most hair of all my babies, though she has now rubbed a bald spot on the back of her head.:(

She doesn't seem to like being swaddled anymore, so I just put her down with a swaddling blanket next to her cheek, tucked into the crook of her arm, and she burrows into that and goes out like a light. I just put her down on the bed, give her a blanket and pacifier, and she puts herself to sleep. It's so helpful, with three other kiddos, that I don't have to rock her or walk with her until she sleeps, especially with the number of short naps she takes throughout the day. She cries after every bath, but it's mostly because she hates being cold on the way from the tub to the toilet, and probably the getting dressed part as well. I always put corn starch under her arms and in her neck rolls, always battling the horrid heat rash, and she hates it. Naomi has rolled over onto her tummy three times now, a week or two ago, and there's been nothing since then. I guess it was just a burst of energy that fizzled out for a bit more. ;) We love you, Naomi!

xoxo,
Tanya

Sister's in town

My little sister and her husband, the one and only Yuriy and Julia Manchik, came to town a few weeks ago, and we had a good time catching up with them, as always. We met up with them and my older sister Natalia and her husband (also Yury, but without the i) at the park one evening, enjoyed some delicious pizza and salad from my favorite pizza joint, and spent some quality time on a blanket in the grass.

I love my family. It's so fun now that we are older to get together, laugh about our childhood, and reminisce about the good old days. Everyone has their own personality, and you see it through the years, consistent and defining of them. Can't wait for B's and my family unit to change and grow over the years as well. :) It's also really fun to share the motherhood experience with Natalia, and help each other figure things out. It's nice to have someone who is going through the same thing you are, just to be able to vent and laugh about it all. Because, being a mom, there are endless things to talk about!

I didn't get to spend too much time with Julia during this trip because I was so consumed with my own burning to-do list before school started, because with four kids it never lets up. But we did get in a fun pool date with them before they left, so that was good, and we had an amazing dinner at Natalia's, then sat around the fire pit talking late into the night. Naomi was sweet enough to sleep on Natalia's bed so I could chat--it was perfect, and I could barely make myself drag my butt out the door at the end of the night. I'm so thankful for my sisters!

xoxo,
Tanya

Decorate: sleek sculptural living room

This is kind of my dream living room. The look starts with the sofa, with it's strong, tufted, manly look and those beautiful arms--love. I would then put the nesting tables next to the sofa and place two of those gorgeous chairs across the room. I'd place the lucite console off to the side somewhere with the round mirror above it and the table lamp and sculptures on top of it. Let's not forget that lovely stool with the delicious, glittery swirls going through it--I'd put two of those under the console and use them for extra seating when company's over. The rug and the light fixture would top it all off to complete the look! The look is mostly neutral with lots of browns to complement that black sofa, and the circle is repeated in this room to bring everything together.

stool // round bookcase // blanket // sofa // photo // sculptures // nesting tables // lamp // rug // chair // mirror // light fixture // console

Five for Friday: week two

1. We are loving peaches right now, they are always in the house.
2. After-school chill out session on the couch.
3. Lots of tomatoes in our garden means lots of garlicky bruschetta. Hey hey, garlic breath!
4. Lite brite fun in the morning.
5. An outtake from Naomi's 3-month photo shoot. He is so sweet with her.

xoxo,
Tanya

Back to school

The kids went back to school on Tuesday, and though I wasn't ready for summer to end, I just had to get over it and move on, because life sure doesn't wait for me! I had bought most of the kids' school supplies over a month before school started so I had the best selection, but then I got really busy enjoying summer activities and it was time for Back to School Night and I hadn't finished. I went as is, and then spent that evening running around from store to store looking for Prang paint and pencil boxes. Of course every store in the state is sold out of Prang paint by now, and I know to buy it before back to school season even starts since the kids all need it every single year. Big fail on my part this year. I still need to get a zip drive for Ben and am still waiting for stores to restock that paint! I stayed up waaaay too late that night doing laundry and folding it all, and we picked out their outfits in the morning. I didn't even do any back to school clothes shopping this year, so I'm glad I did a couple big orders from mini Boden when they had their huge summer sale a month or two ago. Ben's shoes are all about to fall apart, so I ran into Fred Meyer the night before school, at closing time, and picked up a pair of Vans for him. Ha ha, I feel so unprepared this year! Sooo not ready for summer to be over....

Ben is starting fifth grade and will be in middle school next year! If anything makes me feel old, it's that. Mila is starting first, so she'll have to get used to full days, and Olivia is in kindergarten. Ben and Mila had the same kindergarten teacher, and this year I requested the other one for Olivia just because I had heard she's more easygoing and personal with the kids. I think that's really important with Olivia since she's just so affectionate and needs to be shown love back. I would worry about her with the other teacher. I'm so glad we got our request.

So far all the kids are enjoying school. Ben tends to get lazy about homework once the novelty of school wears off, but this year I am committed to making him do homework before he gets to play with his friends. I think that will help things a lot, because all he wants to do is play and then tells me at bedtime that he has a big project he needs to do. That totally reminds me of me as a kid, a total procrastinator, but I am determined not to teach those bad habits to my kids. I think it's a very valuable lesson to have for the real world. I wish my parents hadn't let us be so irresponsible. :) A weird thing to say, but our family is definitely not one of those punctual, on the dot, do things early, go to bed at nine kind of families!

xoxo,
Tanya

Olivia's haircut

Olivia got a new haircut, courtesy of moi, and just in time for school, too! This girl has been begging me to cut her hair for too long, so I finally fulfilled her request. I selfishly wouldn't let her cut it for a while because it had just grown out enough to call it long, and it was just so pretty on her. She's our blondest child, and has the most beautiful natural highlights I've ever seen. I enjoyed it long for a while, but even I got tired of dealing with all her tangles and her not wanting to brush her hair. This short cut is so easy now! Olivia loves it! It's not perfectly straight in the last photos, and I've since straightened it up, so it's even a little shorter. After Mila saw Olivia's new hairdo, she let me cut more than two inches off of her hair, so I ended up giving Mila a nice 5-6-inch trim as well.

Five for Friday: week one

I've been wanting to start a weekly feature on this little blog, and I thought five photos from our week would be the perfect thing! Simple and easy and random, just my style! So, I will be sharing a few snippets of our lives here every Friday, and hopefully it will be fun to look back on after I've gotten a few under my belt. It's a little disappointing that it's officially Saturday right now (2 minutes past midnight), but hey--I was feeding the baby! And catching up on previous posts! Looks like this week is mostly food...gotta remember to lay off the food pictures for next week...

1. I am obsessed with the chocolate almond croissants at the Co-Op. I don't even want to know how many calories they have. Let's just say it's a good thing that place is such a far drive.
2. Naomi loves baths even more if I lay her in the water while swaddled. Got that tip from a friend, and it works wonders!
3. Working on a puzzle with the kids. So fun to do one again!
4. My mom picked up a box of apricots for us. They are one of my absolute favorite fruits, and I sure got my fill this summer.
5. Our tomatoes have finally decided to ripen, so we are enjoying lots of organic, homegrown tomatoes these days.

xoxo,
Tanya

Up in the woods

Summer is almost over, but at least we went camping once! I would love to get away for a weekend just B and me, but it's not an option this year because of Naomi. Can't wait till next year--we need to go for sure! I love being unplugged for a whole weekend and just breathing fresh air 24/7. It's a good change of pace for sure. This was a church camping trip, where anyone from church who wants to go, goes. It's a lot of fun for the kids since there are a bunch of other kids there, and they have a blast running around, swimming, riding bikes, sitting around campfires...it's become a tradition in our house and we didn't want to miss this year, so off we went!

The older three went on Wednesday afternoon with their grandparents, and B, me, and Naomi went Thursday evening, and we all came back Sunday. It was a lot of work with an almost-3-month-old, but it was still a lot of fun. One of my favorite parts of camping is sitting around the campfire late into the night, and I got to do that, so I'm a happy girl. Naomi even joined us one night because she couldn't sleep, and it looked like she loved it as much as I do. It put her out nicely for the night, and we both got some much-needed sleep after a rough first night.

(Please don't judge my thighs...my goodness, I have a lot of work to do. I feel so weird in my body these days. And I'm only buying enough clothes to keep me from having to be naked until I lose some of it. Ugh. But...I still wanted pictures with my baby girl because she won't be little forever!)

We drank a lot of La Croix. My favorite flavor--peach pear.

Little bug in the tent.

Oh, Olivia...

Poor boy gets so many cold sores, and he got two huuuge ones right before camp. Someone said he looks like a vampire with fangs, ha ha! He totally got it from me, I had a million cold sores as a child. Now I get much less of them as an adult.

Just look at those cheeks! No wonder her head is hard to hold up! They look like they're going to swallow her mouth.

 

Not the most beautiful scenery since many of the trees were destroyed by fire, but the camping spots are really nice. Next time I want to camp somewhere super rugged, though. Am I weird to want that? I just feel like the scenery will make up for the inconveniences.

Mila after jumping off the rope swing. I love how daring and athletic she is, and is always up for trying things. I couldn't get a shot of her jumping since I had to launch her.

Adele is such a beautiful little child, and she sure loves her cousins.

And her older brother, Noah. What can I say, always up to something naughty...