Some days you just need to get dinner on the table quickly. Breakfast for dinner is an easy way to have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. The kids love eggs and I love how easy this is to make.

I have been doing a bit of research into specific types of dishes along with my research for recipes and general cooking knowledge. It has been fascinating in some respects.

I have always thought a Frittata was a skillet egg dish made with potatoes and a variety of ingredients that you could customize. I don’t ever remember going out to eat and not having a Frittata served that did not contain potatoes. When I began researching a Frittata to make for dinner I found out that Frittata covers a wide range of cooked eggs from fried eggs to omelettes. The Frittata I am used to is actually a form of Italian Frittata.

Frittatas are sometimes referred to as Crustless Quiches

So, I found a recipe for a Frittata and started experimenting. This was a bit dense but I did add quite a bit of cheese and need to beat the eggs even more. The more air you incorporate into the dish the lighter the eggs will be.

Ingredients:

• 12 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups ham, diced
• 1 cup cheese, shredded (your favorite – preferably one with a strong flavor and good melting quality such as cheddar, Gruyère and fontina)
• salt and pepper
• You can add extra vegetables as you wish (lightly saute in olive oil peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. before adding to eggs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium 10″ oven safe skillet saute the ham in the olive oil until just turning brown at edges.
3. In a large bowl beat eggs and half and half together until light and fluffy. Whisk in salt and pepper.
4. Pour egg mixture over the ham and sprinkle the top with the cheese.
5. Let eggs rest until set on the bottom.  When set, lift the eggs with a spatula allowing some of the unset eggs on top to seep into the bottom of the pan to continue to cook.  Do this on each side of the pan if necessary.
6. Once the eggs are set (be careful not to over cook the eggs or they will become spongy) and seem lightly squishy on top place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
7. Remove pan from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.