Have you ever gotten lost in the music? Lost -- meaning it took you somewhere other than the venue in which you were listening?

I got lost one weekend.

I was at the symphony. The guest soloist was a woman named Evelyn Glennie. Evelyn is Scottish. She performed barefooted and dressed in red sequins. She's world renowned for her talents as a percussionist and, believe it or not, she's stone DEAF! This woman is incredible. I can't even describe it . . . but as I understand it, she's won more than one Grammy, so you can check out her music at the best record stores.

You should have seen this talented performer in concert with a full symphony. She had four percussion instruments on stage and she was on perfect mark each minute. All done by sight and no sound.

Just think about it. It's dizzying.

So, with all that going on, how did I get lost? Beats me. But you know where I went? I went to brunch. Go figure. That's Zola for you.

I started thinking about how listening to her music on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee at my side (decaf for me) and the paper would be so enjoyable. Evelyn's music is more than background music. It's just "forceful" enough in its presentation to keep you engaged, yet smooth enough to fit in the background if you're engrossed in the latest travel article.

So here's a brunch recipe for my favorite way to make a simple frittata. A frittata is easier than an omelet for the novice and just right for the advanced cook who also wants to make the bacon and toast and assemble the fresh fruit at the same time the eggs cook. This is perfect for those lo-carb lifestyle readers and for dieters/diabetics too.

Enjoy!

Green Onion and Mushroom Frittata (and variations)

Serves 2 large portions or 4 smaller ones

4 green onions (cleaned and sliced into small circles, one inch into the green part)
1 cup of small mushrooms, quartered
1 Tbl of butter or margarine
1 carton of your favorite "fake" eggs (not whites)
1/2 cup grated cheese (your choice)
Cayenne to taste

Melt your butter or margarine in a medium sized saute pan. (6 to 8 inches across). It's going to be MUCH easier to make this dish if your pan is coated with Teflon. (If you don't have a pan like this, I suggest you invest in one to make lots of things easier.)

Saute the mushrooms and onions for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high. You want to almost fully cook them. I'll admit this is a lot of butter, but you need it to make the frittata slide out more easily. You can always take the chance with less if you're a daring person. I've done it both ways.

Pour in the eggs. Rule of thumb is one-quarter cup of egg mixture equals one egg. I'll let you decide how hungry you and your guests are.

Heat the eggs on medium. You don't need to stir them because you're trying to turn them into a "pancake" of sorts. A frittata is sort of an egg pizza with no crust. Once the bottom has started to firm up. you can slip a rubber spatula under the edge and tilt the pan so some of the loose eggs run under the bottom. Do this around the pan in three areas so you add more eggs to the bottom. This gets the frittata to cook faster. You can then put a lid or top on the pan so the heat cooks the eggs on the top too. Keep an eye on it so the eggs don't get overly brown on the bottom. You can turn the heat to low if this starts to happen. Your goal is to have a lightly golden bottom on the frittata. When the frittata is half cooked, add the cheese and the cayenne. Even in a light layer, the cayenne will make this dish pretty zippy, so be careful unless you're a big Mexican food fan. Salt and pepper are an option too.

Now for the tricky part. When the cheese is melted and the frittata seems pretty solid (some like their eggs more runny and that's okay, as long as you're not afraid of more raw eggs), you're going to want to flip it out onto your serving plate. Here's what I do. Take a plate and set it upside down over the pan. Put on two oven mitts -- one to hold the pan, the other to firmly hold the plate. Flip the pan over so the frittata turns out onto the plate. Just be careful not to let it slide. You can do this with a cookie sheet too and then slide the frittata onto your serving platter. For some, the cookie sheet is easier to hold than a plate.

Garnish with herbs or with cut up cherry tomatoes for color. Voila!

Now here's the FUN part. This dish can be made with a myriad of veggies and with things like pepperoni or chopped, cooked bacon, any kind of cheese you like, or even with pesto or mustard. Vary the herbs and spices too! Think of it like an omelet that you didn't have to flip, or a quiche you didn't have to bake. It's all the same deal.

Enjoy!