Spinach and Cheese Quiche

We accidentally invented a new way to bake a quiche tonight simply out of necessity. Gerry had made the crust and blind-baked it. This Weight Watchers recipe started with canned, evaporated milk, cottage cheese, Parmesan, a couple of eggs, some egg whites and salt and pepper.

The filled pie plate went on a jelly roll pan; spread with spinach, and the filling was poured over it. The entire thing went in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. While the quiche was getting it's initial bake time, our daughter showed up to take us to Emma's performance at day care. As soon as the 15 minutes were up, we turned off the oven and left the quiche in it.

Emma's performance of her three songs was simply precious and we just loved being there. We were gone for about an hour altogether and when we got home and checked on the quiche it was perfectly done.

A simply perfect evening!

A Lovely Bridal Shower

I hosted a shower for a beautiful young lady on Saturday.  It's wonderful when you watch your children and their friends grow up and mature into young adults that you're proud of.  I had the chance to celebrate one of my daughter's best friends which was a lot of fun.

This is a picture of the Bride to Be, Heather on the left and my daughter, Elizabeth on the right.

It was a brunch type of affair with mimosas, sweet tea, and coffee as the beverage choices.

Here is the menu which includes a lot of items that I have previously posted on my blog:

Quiche Lorraine
Mushroom and Shallot Quiche (recipe below)
Cornmeal Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart
Mixed Salad with Strawberries, Mango and Edamame
BLT Pasta Salad
Barbecued Meatballs
Finger Sandwiches which included:
Ham Salad on small Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Pimento Cheese on White Bread
Chicken Salad on Wheat Bread
Homemade Boursin Cheese with Veggies and Crackers
Mini Blueberry Muffins
Strawberry Scones
Fresh Fruit Platter
Chocolate Caramel Truffle Torte
Cake Pops (from a bakery)

I could not have accomplished all this without the help and support of my daughters who were fabulous to work with.  We spent many hours side by side in the kitchen which was really enjoyable.  I love having the occasion to roll up my sleeves, come up with a master plan and schedule and carry it through.  Thank you, Heather for giving me the opportunity!

I have linked those recipes that are already posted on my blog and will add the rest over the next couple of days.  For some reason, I don't have a picture of the Chocolate Caramel Truffle Torte, so I won't post that recipe until I have a chance to make it again.

Mushroom and Shallot Quiche
Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (I used cremini)
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 9 to 9 1/2-inch tart shell, partially baked and cooled
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely grated Gruyere

Melt the butter in a large skillet, preferably one that's nonstick.  Toss in the shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, season again with salt and pepper, turn the heat up to high, and cook, stirring, until they are softened and browned, 5 to 8 minutes.  The mushrooms will first sop up all the liquid in the pan, then they'll exude it, then it will disappear.  Sprinkle the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the thyme and cook for 30 seconds more, then turn the mushrooms into a bowl to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put the crust on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of thyme over the bottom of the crust.  Spoon over the mushrooms, avoiding any liquid that has accumulated in the bowl.  Lightly beat the cream and eggs together just until well blended, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the mushrooms.  Top the custard evenly with the sliced scallions and grated cheese.

Carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the custard is uniformly puffed (wait for the center to puff), lightly golden and set.  Transfer the quiche to a rack and cool the quiche until it's only just warm or until it reaches room temperature before serving.

From Around my French Table

My rating:

 

Sunday - Quiche Lorraine

Sunday afternoon I really did not feel like going to the market, so I raided the refrigerator to see what I could pull together. I had a package of bacon, 4 oz. of Swiss cheese, some heavy cream and plenty of eggs. I also had an onion on hand and so Quiche Lorraine became dinner.

I pulled together a pie crust, sauteed the bacon and crumbled it into the bottom of the crust. I added the shredded Swiss cheese and some chopped onions. I whipped together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper; poured it over the ingredients in the pie crust and popped it in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. I reduced the oven temp to 300 and baked it for another 30 minutes. After resting for 10 minutes it was ready and dinner was done.

It's Been a While

Once I get out of the habit of blogging, it's hard to get back into it. I'll try to blog more consistently.

Yesterday for Mother's day, we did a brunch for just our family. Since it was Mother's Day and my choice for activities, I decided I wanted to be in the kitchen helping Gerry prepare the food. Gerry is certainly more than capable, but I just enjoy being in the kitchen. We made a Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt (an Ina Garten recipe), Belgian Waffles (a recipe in the waffle maker package), Bacon cooked crisply to perfection, Quiche Lorraine (a Betty Crocker classic recipe), Baked Spanish Rice (a Good Housekeeping classic recipe), Classic Green Salad (Melissa D'Arabian's recipe) and Lemon Bars (made from a mix). Everything was delicious and everyone was around the table which made for a great celebration!

We chose brunch so that Stephanie and David could head back to Austin by early afternoon and so that Elizabeth and Andrew could spend time with his mom and family. Valerie, Jason and the kids ended up staying all day and Val decided she wanted Chinese for dinner so we ordered in.

We were quite impressed with ourselves since we said brunch would be at 11:00 AM and we had it all ready at 11:02. We are usually close on timing but not this close!