Early One Saturday Morning

I just could not sleep last night, so at 4:21 a.m. I finally gave up and had my first cup of coffee (wild blueberry flavored if you must know).  I fed Gracie the cat, indulged her in her morning adoration, and had my second cup of coffee.  

Like food, adoration is essential to a cat, at least it is for Grace.  She will climb into my lap and raise her butt high in the air until I stop doing whatever it is I'm doing and pay attention to her - undivided attention, for at least 3-5 minutes.  She likes me to focus on her back and hind quarters more than anything else, and vigorous rubbing is welcomed.  She lets me know when I'm done by laying down, still in my lap, contented and ready for a snooze.

Sam, her son, who died last summer, would do the same, except he liked me to focus on his head, nose, and chin area.  Sometimes they'd both be in my lap at the same time competing for attention.

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, I wanted to treat myself this weekend.  Although I badly wanted the 85% cacao dark chocolate at Whole Foods, I stuck with high protein/low carb and bought the ingredients for a lovely frittata.

First, I diced about 4 oz. pancetta and cooked it on the stovetop until it was crispy.  Removing that, I added 4 diced shallots to the pan and cooked them until they were nice and soft.  Finally, I added a bunch of baby arugula (the recipe calls for spinach, but I like the bite or arugula better) and cooked it just until it was nice and wilted.

In another bowl, I whisked up 8 eggs, about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano (my indulgence at Whole Foods yesterday), and just a grating of fresh nutmeg.  To that I added the arugula, shallots, and pancetta, and put the mix back in the fry pan I started with.  I let that cook over medium-low heat until the bottom was set, then added about 4 oz. goat cheese to the top.  Final step was putting under the broiler for a couple of minutes just to set the top.

It's 6:44 in the morning, and I'm just waiting for the frittata to cool so I can have a slice with my 3rd cup of coffee.  There is a hint of light in the sky, and I hear a bird greeting the morning.  It's supposed to be in the high 60's today, 75 tomorrow, and 80 by Thursday, so perhaps I'll go to the park today and enjoy the promise of Spring.