JBug's Kitchen Antics

A Strata with Sausage and Hash Browns

We had friends visiting over this past weekend so I'm slightly off the grid as far as posting our "everyday" meals but I do want to share some of our weekend meals with you especially since we'll be enjoying the leftovers over the next few days.

I love a relaxing Sunday morning breakfast with good friends and a quiche like strata with its combination of eggs, bread and cheese is a hostess' dream because it needs to be prepped in advance.

Savory Croissant      Sausage, Pepper Torta  Easy Breakfast Casserole

       

We've lots of strata recipes on this site but what makes this one different is the addition of hash browns. Oh and we mustn't forget the meat. I used bulk pork sausage (Jimmy Dean's Original to be exact), but you could certainly substitute chopped ham or even crispy bacon. 

We really enjoyed this casserole, particularly the guys because it really is a "he man" kind of hearty flavor filled dish. My only wish is that I'd made the strata in a cast iron pan rather than a casserole dish because the heat from the cast iron would have given the hash browns more of an opportunity to crisp up; however, I solved the issue this morning by re-warming leftovers in a frying pan to make my "wish" for a crispy crust a reality.

We've Paula Deen to thank for the original, but since I cut down on the butter, eggs, and cheese and adjusted the spices, I've listed my version below. 

Sausage and Hash Brown Strata from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Paula Deen

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

8 cups cubed French bread (with or without crusts)

1 pound bulk sausage (I used Jimmy Dean’s Original)

7 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray and set aside. Dry thawed hash browns by blotting with a paper towel and spread evenly in bottom of casserole. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and when butter melts, add onion. Sauté until onion is transparent. Sprinkle onion on top of hash browns in casserole dish. Layer bread cubes on top of

Return sauté pan to heat and crumble in sausage. Cook, stirring with a fork until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink. Cool slightly then sprinkle on top of bread cubes in casserole.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs until light. Add milk, salt, pepper, Dijon and hot sauce. Pour mixture evenly over sausage/bread/hash browns in casserole. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To bake – preheat oven to 350. Remove plastic wrap from casserole sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 1 hour. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake additional 10 minutes or until casserole is puffy and a knife placed into center comes out clean. Makes 8 servings. 

 

Quiche with Hash Brown Crust

Whoever said a quiche needs to have a pastry crust should think a little outside the box every once in a while. If you're the kind of person that is a trifle adventurous while being somewhat challenged in the pastry making department or if you're trying to accommodate someone with a gluten intolerance, then what I'm about to tell you is likely to make your day.  

Hash browns from the freezer, defrosted, mixed with melted butter and pressed into a pie plate will make a more than passable substitute for pastry. We've done it once before and made a Chicken and Green Chile Quiche way back when and I did it again with this Italian version, loaded with crumbled hot Italian sausage, chopped bell peppers and mushrooms, all nestled in a creamy eggy custard.

In fact, I'll be making another one again very soon too with bacon, onion and Swiss cheese, and again with Ham and cheddar, and again with mushrooms and fontina and again and again because once I find something Big Guy really likes, I'm honor bound to test my imagination and his taste buds. Just sayin'. 

Italian Quiche with Hash Brown Crust from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Simply Potatoes

4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 pound crumbled Italian sausage (I used hot)

1/2 cup chopped assorted mini bell peppers

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 eggs

1 cup half and half

2/3 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar and Monterey jack)

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a quiche pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Blot moisture from hash brown potatoes using a paper towel. In a medium bowl, toss together hash browns and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of pan to form a crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile in a non-stick skillet, cook Italian sausage until browned. Add peppers, onions and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are softened. Set aside to cool while crust is baking. When crust is cooked, reduce oven heat to 350. Place meat mixture on top of baked crust.

Beat together eggs and half and half until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over sausage and bake for 20 minutes or until filling is almost set. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.    Makes 6 servings.  

Two years ago - New Mexico Style Potroast with Cornbread Griddle Cakes 

Ham and Cheese Quiche

The ham we cooked a few weeks ago is still making the rounds with eggs for breakfast, in sandwiches and even devilled as an appetizer. I love the fact that it freezes so well and recycles beautifully too. We never seem to get tired of it.

Now I don't know about you, but it's my opinion that leftover ham without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze, so I combined the former two while settin' myself up for the latter two in a ham and cheese pie also known as a quiche. Hey Big Guy won't eat quiche so I tell him it's a pie. 

I use the same basic custard recipe I've developed over the years and adjusted it to fit a partially baked 9 inch pie shell. It's just a combination of eggs, plain yogurt or sour cream, and half and half seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, Dijon mustard and a touch of nutmeg. Poured on top of a little finely minced onion, tiny cubes of ham and cubes of cheese - Emmanthal and Gruyere this time, the result is a light, cheesy creamy addictive excuse for dinner.

I know I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating - cube up the cheese rather than grating it and you'll end up with a much lighter textured pie because the custard surrounds the cheese cubes and as it cooks, the melted cheese ends up dispersed throughout the pie instead of in one gluey globby layer. 

Along with a nice bright and cheerful spinach salad loaded with gorgonzola, toasted almonds, scallions and dried cranberries, it was a totally satisfying light dinner that could be just as fabulous on the menu for brunch or lunch. 

Ham and Swiss Quiche an original from JBug’s Kitchen

Pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1 cup ham cut into quarter inch cubes

6 ounces cheese cut into quarter inch cubes (I used a combination of Emmanthal & Gruyere)

4 eggs

1 cup half and half

2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a 9 pie dish, flute edges and prick all over bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Whisk together eggs, half and half, yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard until well combined.

Arrange ham cubes in bottom of cooled crust. Top with onion and cheese cubes, spreading out evenly. Pour custard over top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Irish Potato Cakes (Boxty)

Two year's ago -  BBQ Brisket

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Quiche Lorraine

I'm really tempting fate by calling this what it is instead of simplifying the moniker and renaming it a bacon and onion pie; however, Big Guy enjoyed it so much last night I figured he'd cut me a little slack. I keep telling him real men do eat quiche and he's living proof.

A JBug original recipe, we've made it before using Ham and Swiss but this time it's loaded with all manner of other good stuff including some of our home cured bacon. I changed it up a bit too by using Jarlsburg cheese instead of regular Swiss but the cheese was lite instead of whole milk which means it didn't melt quite like it should but the flavor was still stupendous, the texture light and fluffy and the crust as crisp as could be.

In case you're wondering how I could reinvent a common quiche of all things, I use half and half instead of heavy cream and add plain unflavored no fat yogurt with the eggs to make the custard - oh, that and the fact it's made in a giant 12 inch fluted porcelain quiche dish. 

Should you be using a regular 9 inch quiche pan, just cut the recipe in approximately half. Oh, by the way I've said this before but I'll say it again - if you're looking for a light fluffy texture to your finished pie, be sure to cube the cheese rather than grating it. Also in order to avoid a soggy crust, be sure to pre-bake and cool it on a wire rack before adding the filling. You'll be amazed with the results!  

It's a great dinner solution along with a crisp salad, and best of all - the leftovers make for memorable lunch fodder too - hot or cold or a fabulous appetizer cut into tiny little triangles and served cold with a glass of white wine. 

A Giant Ham and Swiss Quiche an original from JBug’s Kitchen

Pastry for a 12 inch single crust pie

1 large onion, finely chopped

6 ounces bacon diced

1/2 pound Jarlsburg quarter inch cubes

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a large 12 inch ceramic pie dish, flute edges and prick all over bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Cook bacon in a large saute pan until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat, disgard the rest then saute onion until softened and slightly golden. Cool. Whisk together eggs, half and half, yogurt, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg until well combined.

Arrange bacon in bottom of cooled crust. Top with cooled sautéed onion and cheese cubes, spreading out evenly. Pour custard over top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - Sausage and Pinto Bean Chili 

Two year's ago - Braised Beef and Olives

Onion Pie and Barbecued Meatloaf

Big Guy's going to be asking "what holiday" as this long weekend comes to a close. He had quite the day yesterday! Between laying backsplash tile and several trips to Home Depot, he managed to cook breakfast as well as whip up 5 lovely individual meat loaves for our dinner last night. Talk about an overachiever!

We've shared his meat loaf recipe with you in the past but it's just too darn tasty not to make over and over, particularly now that barbecue/grilling season is upon us. Loaded with ground beef, pork and spicy hot Italian sausage along with tons of garlic, jalapeno's, sun dried tomatoes and chopped mushrooms, there's not much filler in these babies - just pure unadulterated meat.  The mushrooms really help to keep the loaves moist while they cook for an hour over charcoal flavored by alder chips and the resulting smoky flavor is absolutely incomparable. Hit this link and it'll take you to the recipe! 

I'm always on the lookout for a new side dish, so when I saw the recipe for Onion Pie in the Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook Big Guy brought back from his Grand Canyon hike for me last weekend, I just had to give it a try.

This simple pie has got most all the same ingredients as a quiche but is much lighter thanks to an untraditional crust made from crushed saltine crackers. Baked in a 9 x 13 pan, it comes out thinner than a normal pie, but absolutely packed with onion flavor and a perfect creamy textured, mild flavored foil for the spicy meatloaf. It's definitely going on our "keeper" list. 

Onion Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook)

48 saltine crackers

1/2 cup butter, melted and divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 extra large onions, thinly sliced

1/2 pound grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups whole milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and course ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Place saltine crackers into a large zip bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add all but 2 tablespoons butter to the crumbs, close bag and mix together well. Pour 2/3 of the crumbs into a 9 x 13 pan and press evenly onto the bottom.

Heat oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter together in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until onions are softened but not browned. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Arrange onions on top of cracker crumbs in pan and top with grated cheese. Heat milk in microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour slowly over beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Season with salt and coarse ground black pepper, and pour egg/milk mixture over cheese and onions in pan. Sprinkle with reserved cracker crumbs and top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before plating. Makes 8 servings.

A year ago - Buffalo Shrimp on Lemon Caesar Salad 

Two year's ago - Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

Onion and Bacon Tart

The consensus of last night's kitchen antics - "Totally different and absolutely delicious". We all know there's a ton of different ways to put onion and bacon to good use be it in a pasta, risotto, quiche, pizza or even just a lowly sandwich but this particular effort just made a direct trip to the top of our list.

A cross between yorkshire pudding, a Dutch baby pancake and toad in the hole it's made from ingredients most of us have on hand on a regular basis - eggs, milk and flour. Top that with 2 kitchen staples (at least in JBug's Kitchen) crispy bacon and golden caramelized onions and you've got the makings of a perfect dish. 

I guess I don't have to describe the flavor because we're all familiar with the dulcet notes of bacon and onion, but the crust is not to be believed. It plays a crunchy, tender and puffy light as air like supporting role to the simple filling and there's not an ounce of cheese to be found in the whole darn thing either.

As we wolfed it down along with a fresh green salad, I couldn't help but think it would make a fabulous appetizer all cut up into little wedges, or as a luncheon dish along with a glass of dry white wine. A sincere thanks to Saveur.com - we'll be having this again soon!

By the way, the only change I made to their recipe is that I baked the crispy crunchy flavorful wonder in a large 12 inch cast iron skillet rather than an 9 x 11 inch casserole which made for a super crunchy crust in a lot less time.  I kid you not - you absolutely have to try this!

Onion and Bacon Tart (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Saveur)

6 ounces bacon, diced

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 eggs

In a large heavy 12 inch skillet, fry bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to drain. Reserve bacon fat in a small dish. Return pan to medium heat and add butter. When melted add onions. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Sauté onions until golden brown and lightly caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425. Return reserved bacon fat to skillet and place skillet into oven to heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together flour, mustard and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. In separate bowl whisk milk and eggs together, then add liquid to dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth then allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes. Pour into hot skillet. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and onion and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. 

Other dishes you might enjoy!

Toad in the Hole                                 Dutch Baby Pancake

  

 Date and Gorgonzola Pinwheels

Ham and Swiss Quiche uh Pie

What ended up being our dinner last night wasn't exactly on the menu. You see I had planned to make a big pot of soup so the boys and I went all over our side of town yesterday looking for one simple item - yellow split peas. They had to be yellow because you can't make my favorite French Canadian soup (Habitant) without yellow peas and I couldn't use green ones because then the soup wouldn't be "Habitant" plus the Big Guy won't eat it because he can't abide green peas.

As it turned out I couldn't find the darn things in the 5 stores we hit so I had to go to Plan B. A large chunk of ham, a dearth of eggs and a hunk of emmantal cheese ended up filling this giant quiche pan with rich, creamy goodness. I daresay we've had Ham and Cheese Quiche here before because after all we're about "everyday" food and there's been well over 1,000 every day's in this blog's lifetime but there hasn't been a quiche quite like this one.

You see, my smaller ceramic pan cracked right in half a while ago and what I'm left with is a giant Bodum dish that I bought to make a rather large berry pie when we were entertaining a group of very hungry students. Said students have long since moved on but the two of us are here with a foot wide pan which takes some ingenuity to fill. I love it though!

Anyway, it was no problem because this particular recipe will do the trick nicely and the combination of eggs, half and half and yogurt yields a filling that is incredibly light and fluffy. Of course the trick to making any quiche that way, other than having the right proportion of ingredients for the custard, is to partially cook the crust before adding the filling then adding the scrummy stuff like onion, ham and cheese in the right order and dicing the cheese instead of grating it, so as it cooks and melts it's surrounded by soft creamy custard instead of forming a layer of melted goo with custard on top. (Is that one heck of a run-on sentence or what?)

So there's your lesson for the day and I'm sure you're left wondering what on earth two people are going to do with all that leftover quiche. Well, first - you'd be amazed how much two people can eat when something's as good as this is, plus it is fabulous cold right out of the refrigerator or newked briefly till warm to make a super lunch. It also freezes rather well but we won't have to worry about that in this house because I have the Big Guy convinced it's not a quiche. Since real men don't eat quiche and he happened to enjoy two pieces last night then it has to be a pie. Female logic rules again!

A Giant Ham and Swiss Quiche an original from JBug’s Kitchen

 Pastry for a 12 inch single crust pie

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1-1/2 cups ham cut into quarter inch cubes

1/2 pound Emmantal cheese cut into quarter inch cubes

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a large 12 inch ceramic pie dish, flute edges and prick all over bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Melt butter in a sauté pan and cook onion until softened and slightly golden. Cool. Whisk together eggs, half and half, yogurt, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard until well combined.

Arrange ham cubes in bottom of cooled crust. Top with cooled sautéed onion and cheese cubes, spreading out evenly. Pour custard over top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - Marinated Grilled Hanger Steak  Two year's ago - Balsamic Glazed Sirloin

 

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

Every once in a while I try and sneak a meatless meal past you know who but he's on to me, so I try not to do it on Mondays when he's almost expecting it. Last night's dinner had him buffaloed but  strange as it may seem, I was the one asking "where's da' meat". I shouldn't have though.

There's honestly nothing meatier other than meat than mushrooms (did I just say that?) and while this particular recipe from Bon Appetit called for assorted mushrooms, I used only the usual button variety instead. Loaded with mellow earthiness with just a touch of creaminess from the Fontina cheese and the full on bite of freshly grated nutmeg, this is really a manly version of a "ladies who lunch" favorite.

Who says real men don't eat quiche? Mine's even having it again for lunch today. Oh, if you just can't see yourself eating meatless, add some cooked crumbled bacon or pancetta to this one. It wouldn't hurt a bit!

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche (Adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

1 pre baked 9 inch pie shell, cooled

1 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 large eggs, beaten

2/3 cup half and half

1/3 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

7 ounces Fontina cheese, divided (6 ounces cut into small cubes, 1 ounce grated)

Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add shallots. Cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add mushrooms and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring often until mushrooms are softened and just beginning to brown – about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325. Layer mushrooms and Fontina cheese cubes in bottom of pre baked pie shell. Beat eggs, half and half and milk together. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over mushrooms and top with grated Fontina. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set in the center. Cool for half an hour before slicing into wedges. Serve with salad. Makes 8 servings.  Download Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

A year ago - Lazy Lasagne in a Bowl

 

 

Bacon and Onion Pie

My very old and well used 9 inch quiche pan finally cracked in two the other day and so I'm left with a giant Bodum beauty that not only makes a wonderful gratin, but when you need a pie for a crowd it's the pan to use.  It does take some finagling to come up with the right quantities to fill the darn thing up. I was up to the challenge last night and made a giant sized bacon, onion and cheese pie for dinner.

OK, so by another name this is really a Quiche Lorraine but I can't say the "quiche" word in this house without the Big Guy getting shivers. He did however eat two pieces of the "pie" and he's got more in his lunch box today. Funny isn't it? What a curfuffle for nothing.

Filled with some of our homemade bacon pieces, golden brown sauteed onions and gouda cheese, last night's pie also made good use of some egg whites I had on hand from making ice cream. Speaking of cream, I was a little short on the stuff but I added yogurt instead and honestly it didn't seem to make a difference as far as taste or texture. The end result was still light, creamy and fluffy all at the same time and with a salad, great dinner fodder on a hot June night. 

Quiche Lorraine (a JBug’s Kitchen original)

1 – 12 inch pie shell

1-1/2 cups crisp bacon pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped and sautéed until soft and golden brown

1-1/2 cups Gouda cheese cubes (1/4 inch cubes)

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1-1/2 cups half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Prick bottom of pie shell and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven heat to 375.  Sprinkle bacon pieces on bottom of cooled crust followed by sautéed onion and cheese cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over bacon, onion and cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Meatballs

 

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Quiche by any other name is just an egg and cheese pie and honestly I think the big guy's finally coming to terms with the nomenclature, if I may use such a fancy word. It's about time. Whoever started the rumor that real men don't eat quiche should be tarred and feathered. What better way is there to make use of leftovers than in flaky tender pastry with a creamy filling studded with all manner of delicious things?

This particular version made good use of some holiday ham as well as bits and pieces of cheeses I found in the snack drawer including a minuscule amount of lovely creamy triple cream brie along with some nutty swiss. Jazzed up with a bit of sauteed onion in an egg and milk custard, along with a tossed salad, it was a perfectly acceptable dinner.

Check to see what you've got hiding in your refrigerator after all the holiday excesses and make a quiche for your family. You're only limited by your imagination as to what you can include in this quick and easy dinner item! By the way, don't sweat the pastry. I used the dough boy's.

Ham & Cheese Quiche (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

Pastry for a single crust 9 inch pie

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 cup diced cooked ham

4 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into quarter inch cubes

2 ounces triple cream brie cut into small pieces

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half or whole milk

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Dusting of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. Line pie plate with pastry. Flute edges and set aside. Melt butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add onion. Cook until onion is softened and translucent – about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Sauté ham in same pan briefly just to remove some of the moisture and give it some color (about 2 minutes). Remove to plate and cool briefly.

Place cooled ham and onion on top of pastry crust. Add diced cheese. Beat eggs until foamy. Add milk, mustard and salt and pepper. Pour over ham and cheese in pastry shell. Dust with ground nutmeg. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out moist but clean. Let quiche sit on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 servings. Download Ham and Cheese Quiche

Bacon and Green Chile Pie

Shhhh - it's our little secret OK, but yes people we all know this is really a quiche. Just don't tell the big guy cause he's having leftovers for lunch AND he managed to have two pieces of this Bacon and Green Chile Pie last night for dinner. He loved it plus I happen to know for certain he wasn't asking "where's da' meat?" either. 

If a quiche can be manly, this one definitely is! Loaded with bacon, spiced up cheese and green chiles, it tastes like a cross between a bacon filled chile rellano and a jalapeno popper. There was more than enough meat in it to satisfy my resident carnivore and yet it was light enough to appeal to the feminine side too. Great for brunch, lunch or a light supper along with a salad, it's another quick and easy no fuss easy on the cook perfect for a hot night in hell dinner.

By the way, a great way to guarantee that your quiche is going to have a fluffy texture is to cut the cheese into quarter inch cubes rather than grating it. That way the custard surrounds each piece of cheese rather than just sitting on top of a layer of melted goo.

Bacon and Green Chile Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust

8 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled

1- 6 ounce can diced green chilies, drained

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

4 ounces Pepper Jack Cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

4 ounces Hot Pepper Wisconsin Cheddar, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1-1/4 cups whole milk or half and half

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and place it sprayed side down directly on to crust. Bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Lower oven temperature to 400.  Beat together milk, flour and eggs in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle cooked and crumbled bacon on the bottom of the crust, add green chilies and onion. Top with cheese cubes. Pour milk/egg/flour mixture over top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let quiche stand for 10 minutes before cutting.  Download Bacon And Green Chile Pie

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Bacon Pie

Quiche. It's a caramelized onion, mushroom and bacon quiche but we don't have quiche in this house cause the big guy won't eat it, so it's a pie and a darn good one I might add. Loaded with all three of the above as well as the rest of a bag of 3 cheese blend (mozzarella, jack and cheddar) and darn near a half dozen eggs, it made good use of some of the extras I had on hand in the refrigerator. You see I'm trying to clean the darn thing out before we high tail it out'a here.

This particular pie is pretty standard fare - the onions and mushrooms get a trip to the pan after the bacon's cooked to a crisp finish. Then the whole lot cools for a while before being added to the pastry (store bought ...hey, so I'm a slouch...so shoot me). Download Caramelized Onion Mushroom Bacon Quiche

Anyway it worked out just lovely because I had everything ready for when the big guy called to say he was in the car on the way home, then into the oven the "pie" went for 35 minutes and Bob's your Uncle. Joined by a salad made from fresh leaf lettuce, onions and tomatoes, dinner was on the table in a flash.

As for this next week before we leave I've got to warn you - the menu's going to be a tad eclectic to say the least. I'll be working on getting the pantry, freezer and fridge cleaned out so we'll be using up some of the treasures I've been "saving". I just have one thing that I really need some help with. What the heck am I going to do with a 2 pound head of napa cabbage that's been languishing in the crisper for a couple of weeks? Any ideas ...and no, the dog won't eat it, not even if I call it a cookie!

Mushroom Quiche...ahh pie

As promised last week, here's another addition to our list in an effort to convince Whitney that eggs are a good thing to eat - a mushroom quiche. So what makes this one different than the last one you ask? It has a higher egg to cream ratio, using half and half rather than whipping cream, and the cheese is cubed instead of grated which makes for a lighter, fluffier pie. Don't believe me, then try it for yourself and see what I mean.

When grated cheese is added to quiche, it melts as one heavy mass rather than in "pockets" of yummy goodness, and the custard mixture sits on top of the melted mass. By cubing the cheese, the custard surrounds it resulting in a lighter, less dense texture. 

For this particular quiche, sweet onions are sauteed until transparent, then sliced mushrooms are added - hey if they weren't we wouldn't be able to call it a mushroom quiche. Make sure you don't crowd the pan or the mushrooms will never brown. Cook them until they release all of their liquid and they're nice and brown. I finished them with a little dry sherry, giving them another minute on the heat until the liquid is gone leaving the sherry flavor behind. This step is purely optional. It just so happens that I have a ton of sherry in the cupboard and and a strange mentality. Somehow I think if you add booze to a dish, it's gotta' make it better. Good thing prohibition's a thing of the past! Download Mushroom Quiche

Be sure to blind bake the pastry shell, before you add the ingredients.  It helps keep the bottom crust crisp. Per usual, you can use a swiss cheese instead of gruyere, or even another kind of cheese. I prefer not to use "light" cheeses because they melt differently - some of them don't melt at all - which seems almost sacreligious to me. Also if you're using cream anyway, what difference does it make to the calorie count - not enough to care about, that's for sure. Have you ever read the labels and noticed what little difference there is between whole milk cheese and the diet stuff? Not much, but there sure seems to be a difference in flavor. Guess that's why I'm always on a diet. I like the good stuff too much.

As you can see, I served the quiche along with some asparagus wrapped in partially cooked bacon, then baked in the oven for 10 minutes. Had to give the man some meat. When I asked the big guy which "pie" he liked best, he said he liked the flavors of this one and the "manly" texture of last week's. What can I say? He likes his eggs cooked hard and steak blue bloody rare; hates most green vegetables; likes most fruit, drinks dusty martinis, hates pie with icecream....mmm....and so it goes.

Regarding next week's "eggventure", I could sure use some inspiration. What's your favorite egg dish? Inquiring mind wants to know. Sweet or savory - just lay it on me! Get it???? LAY...eggventure...oh what the heck.