Family Chow Hall

Divisive Dishes - Quiche

Good heavens, I really love Quiche! My husband calls it “one of those divisive foods”. I guess that means it falls into the same category as sauerkraut, brussels sprouts, and bleu cheese… foods that wars are fought over. Some folks are ga-ga over it, others gag. Very few people fall into the middle ground on foods like these. It seems like a lot of men think quiche is “gay” and are afraid that eating it will severely lower their manliness. (Wow! I hope their manliness is not that fragile!) Ladies seem to often think that it is just the ideal thing when eating together, say, for tea — especially if the quiches are very tiny and you can pop them individually into your mouth. I have no idea why - maybe we think it increases our femininity.

I made quiche for dinner last night. Normal-sized, not mouth-pop-able. To be safe, I also made French Onion soup and garlic toast, hoping there would be something on the table to please everyone. It was the first time I made quiche without a recipe - just “winging it”. I do have an old favorite of crustless spinach quiche which I got from an ancient cookbook in the early years of my marriage, but it has never gone over really well and instead of trying to improve on it, I just made this up as I went along.

The quiche I made last night, thankfully, turned out yummier than I expected. I just enjoyed it again for lunch. It’s crustless, but with a crunchy crouton topping. Here’s the recipe:

Spinach Quiche

6 slices of bacon

1 bag fresh spinach leaves
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 T. olive oil

5 eggs
3/4 c. milk or soymilk
1 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

croutons, crushed

Start by frying up the bacon as you usually would. I like thick sliced bacon - it’s what I always use. If you are using the thin stuff, consider increasing the amount to 8 slices. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Discard the bacon fat and clean your skillet or switch to a large, clean skillet.

Next, crush and dice the garlic and put it into a large skillet with your olive oil. Set the heat to medium, and while it warms up, chop the spinach up into bite-sized pieces. Often, frozen spinach is recommended for quiches and other spinach recipes, but I say “the fresher, the better!” Add the spinach to your now-hot oil and garlic. Stir and fry for a few moments until the spinach is wilted. That’s all it needs. Then remove from the heat and set aside. (You now have both the bacon and the garlic-spinach combo waiting on the sidelines.)

In a large bowl, break all five eggs and whip them up with the milk, salt, and pepper. Use a spatula to add the cheeses, then the spinach. Finally, cut up the bacon with your kitchen scissors and add that, too! Grease a regular 9 or 10 inch pie pan and pour your quiche mixture into it.

This needs to go into a 350 - 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the crushed croutons on top and return to the oven. You know it’s done when the middle doesn’t jiggle and you poke a knife into the center and can see cooked instead of runny eggs.

ENJOY!

I’ll be honest about the thumbs up count: There are 7 in our family. 1 was not home, 1 did not even eat the quiche, 2 (the little guys) were forced to eat the quiche. My husband ate a little but LOVES French Onion soup, so he focused on that. Really, only 2 of us dug into this quiche and really enjoyed it. Divisive foods. Ugh.

Signing off now–
the chow hall chef

Add comment June 28th, 2011

Penne Pasta, New Potatoes, and Spinach Salad

Hi everybody - it’s been ages since I wrote a post, but I’m tossing a quick one out there tonight since there was actually a bit of creativity going on in my kitchen today.

The hubs recommended we try this salad since he gets something similar at work from time to time. It turned out to be one of those fresh-tasting summer meals that fills you up without making you feel like you over-ate. Here’s the formula:

Penne Pasta, New Potatoes, and Spinach Salad

1/2 lb. penne pasta
9 tiny baby red potatoes
1/2 package of fresh spinach
4 slices of bacon, crumbled

dressing ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tablespoons natural rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 (or less) teaspoon sesame seed oil
salt and pepper

First, cook the pasta according to the package directions. At the same time, boil the potatoes (whole) for about 10-20 minutes, or until cooked but not too soft. You can tell by poking them with a paring knife. While that stuff boils, chop the spinach and crumble the bacon. Along with the garlic, put the spinach and bacon in a large bowl. When the pasta and potatoes are done, they need to be chilled thoroughly in icy water. Drain the pasta well and add to the spinach. Next, dice the potatoes into quarters or eighths and place back into cold water. (Red potatoes are pretty starchy and I like to rinse some of that off.) Finally, add the potatoes to the spinach and pasta.

Next, simply whisk all the dressing ingredients together and then pour it over your salad. Toss to coat.

We found this to be quite likable and delicious. I’m not a big potato fan and certainly not a potato salad fan, but loved this anyway.

ENJOY!

Add comment August 1st, 2010

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

The Sunday Dilemma.

What to eat for lunch on Sunday? This is the question the plagues many of us every week. We, the church-loving, penny-pinching, got-a-lot-of-kids-to-feed moms need something appetizing and filling to be ready and waiting for us when we burst back in the door after Sunday worship services.

Today’s recipe can solve this problem once every month or two without getting old. Macaroni and Cheese, the standard crowd-pleaser, is a little different to prepare but is still its yummy self in the crockpot.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

2 c. dry macaroni
1 can evaporated milk (it can be evaporated skim milk if you are watching the fat calories)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided (sharp)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

No need to cook the macaroni! Hooray! In a large bowl, combine both milks, the eggs, 3 c. of the cheese, salt and pepper.

Now spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Set on LOW. Add the macaroni to the milk mixture and put it all in the crockpot. Top with the remaining 1 c. cheese.

Cook for 5-6 hours on low.

vegetable. Asparagus truly is special, readers — it loves the cold winters and pops up in the springtime, the first vegetable a gardener gets to enjoy from his own piece of the earth. Now, I know that asparagus is something of an acquired taste, truthfully it is one that I am just starting to acquire myself. When it’s nice and tender, not too tough and woody, that’s when I like it best. Look for thin, bright green stalks with small heads and you can’t go wrong.

Enjoy!

(By the way — what a handy recipe to take to potlucks and other dinners!) For large families or crowds, increase everything by half or double the amounts.

May 6th, 2008