By Liam Sean Donovan was born on Thursday, March 29th, 2018. He was eight pounds four ounces, twenty-one inches. He had dark hair and Sean's ears and a voice that announced his opinion of the situation immediately and at volume. He was four days past the adjusted due date and worth every minute of waiting. All of this happened on Holy Thursday, which my mother pointed out with a satisfaction that suggested she had arranged it somehow.
I'm writing this from the hospital, the night before we go home. The room is quiet in the specific way hospital rooms are quiet after visiting hours—a quietness I know professionally but have never experienced from this side of the bed. Sean is asleep on the pull-out chair in the corner. Liam is in the bassinet next to me, swaddled, breathing the perfect shallow breath of someone who has only been in the world for thirty-six hours and already looks like he owns it.
The labor was twelve hours. I'm not going to write the whole twelve hours here because some experiences exceed their narration and labor is one of them. What I'll say is that Sean held my hand the entire time and talked me through the hard parts in the low steady voice he uses when he's genuinely trying and not just trying to sound like he's trying, and that at the moment of arrival I felt something I don't have words for, which is unusual for me.
The nurses were wonderful. I noticed everything they did because I'm one of them and I understood every choice. I want to go back to work and be better at it for having been on this side.
My mother texted: "He's perfect." Sean's mother texted: "Welcome Liam Sean, God bless him." My father texted nothing because my father doesn't text but he was here at ten this morning and held the baby and didn't say a word for a full minute, which from him is more than words.
We came home on a Friday, the day after Good Friday, with a car seat we had practiced installing three times and a baby who slept through the whole drive and then woke up the moment we crossed the threshold as if he knew. Sean made this frittata the next morning while I sat in the armchair and watched him and held Liam and didn’t say much, because sometimes there isn’t much to say. It’s the kind of recipe that asks almost nothing of you—one pan, a handful of things from the refrigerator, twenty minutes—and gives back something warm and real and sustaining, which is exactly what you need in the first days when everything is extraordinary and you haven’t slept.
Simple Frittata
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion (about half a medium onion)
- 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or shredded mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (parsley, chives, or basil), optional
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler. Set your oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat to broil. Use an oven-safe 10-inch skillet — cast iron works beautifully here.
- Whisk the eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until just combined and slightly frothy. Set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in your skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Scatter the cherry tomatoes evenly across the pan.
- Add the eggs. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Tilt the pan gently so the eggs settle evenly. Scatter the cheese over the top. Let the frittata cook undisturbed over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle.
- Finish under the broiler. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until the top is puffed and golden and the center is fully set.
- Rest and serve. Remove from the oven (remember—the handle is hot) and let rest for 2 minutes. Scatter fresh herbs over the top if using. Slice into wedges and serve directly from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 245 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg