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!