Let's Talk About Quiche

This picture brings a new meaning to "Kathleen the Bean", a childhood nick-name given to me by brother David, the family name-caller. Yep, I was skinny as a bean pole and thus earned that title, coveted by the plumper family members who got the Italian genes. Like most nick-names, it had derivatives. Kathleen the Bean...Lean...Leno, a name my dad still calls me to this day (affectionately). I was also known as the "Goodie Queen" (thus my blog url) because I loved to eat sweets which spawned my cooking career. I baked so I could eat. I don't bake much these days because I'm not so lean anymore. But...I do bake quiche, so let's talk about quiche!

These are the wonderful things I love about quiche...

1. You can make it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, doesn't matter.
2. Just use whatever is in your frig...leftovers, veggies that are about to go bad, etc. (This is the perfect opportunity to practice "hmmm, what would taste good with this?")
3. It's easy to make, no two taste alike, but they all taste good.
4. Quiche tastes even better heated up the next day so you have good leftovers.
5. It makes a beautiful presentation. Combine with soup or salad and it looks like you slaved over something special.

Here are some suggested ingredients: Use what ever combinations sound good to you. Onions, peppers, fresh mushrooms, fresh spinach, steamed asparagus, broccoli, ham, sausage, shrimp, scallops (any grilled meat, left over is good).

Here's my recipe:

I use the roll-out Pillsbury pie crust because it's easy, tastes good and turns out nicely. If you can make good home-made pie crust, more power to you but it takes longer! Roll it out, stick it in a glass pie plate and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350. The main thing you have to remember is to use 6 eggs to 1 1/2 cups of 2 percent milk. This is enough to fill the pie shell. If you remember that, and dig through your own frig, you won't have to look at the recipe. Hand-whisk your eggs and milk until fluffy.

Next, saute your veggies in olive oil. Add some salt and lemon pepper (I use lemon pepper on everything). Pour your egg mixture in the pie crust first. Then sprinkle your ingredients in there evenly. The ingredients kind of float so you can see them good. Sprinke some fresh herbs...parsley is good in quiche. Then sprinkle grated cheese (about 1 cup). You can use any kind of cheese. That's part of "hmmm, what sounds good?" The cheese kind of floats and stays on top. Bake in the oven on 350 for about 45 minutes...until the crust and cheese brown and the eggs rise in the middle. If you have to make two in order to have left-overs, then do it...you'll be glad you did.

If you discover any new combinations of meat, veggies and cheese that I should know about, let me know!

Grow Herbs!

People blog about something that they're passionate about so I chose food! I love to grow (veggies & herbs), cook, and feed people who like good food. Cooking should be a social event for the whole family, not something you dread to do at the end of the day. So hopefully my blog will help you look forward to your next meal.

Cooking is all about knowing what goes good together...veggies, meat, herbs, spices. I will share shopping tips, cooking ideas and recipies. So put on your apron and pour a glass of wine...let's cook!

Oh, here's one way Tom and I like to spend our time...

We're almost finished planting this year's garden (this picture is from last year). So ya'll come...we'll share but you have to do your own picking. Our asparagus bed is now in it's 3rd year which means we finally get to pick all that it produces and it's already coming in. We planted tomatoes, beans, lettuce, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, sugar snaps, zuccini, squash, eggplant, strawberries and peppers. We also grow herbs and garlic. The garden is a labor of love!

My first tip to you is to grow your own herbs. It makes a huge difference in everything I cook. You can grow them anywhere. Most of mine are grown in pots. I have cilantro, basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme and tarragon. All the herbs like full sunlight. Rosemary and oregano grow year round and my plants are several years old. My cilantro crop grows best throughout the winter. It doesn't freeze and it flourished all winter without going to seed. As soon as the weather warms up, the cilantro goes to seed and I have to keep replanting it throughout the summer. It's worth it though...cilantro is my favorite herb! I use it in just about anything it would taste good in.

So there you go...GROW HERBS!