I Love Quiche!

It seems I've had quite a thing for quiche lately. This may in part be due to my quest to be a better wife/mom and cook dinner for my family more often, I don't know. But quiche has been hitting the spot lately, I love it, and the fam seems to as well (well, except for David, he's kinda picky...). Anyway, I've made several kinds, trying to incorporate as many veggies as possible. I've used asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, onions, corn, mushrooms, green beans, red peppers, and probably others I am forgetting at this moment. Rich does not care for cooked spinach so we've avoided that. 

So to honor my love of quiche I thought today I would share my recipe for Mushroom & Onion quiche. For those of you who have not made quiche before, it's essentially an egg & cheese pie with other yummies added. Try one today. It's delicious on its own or served along side a fresh green salad topped with a light balsamic vinegar dressing. I'm getting hungry thinking about it! Enjoy. until next time...

MUSHROOM  & ONION QUICHE 

1 purchased pie crust (or prepare your own)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound medium button mushrooms, cleaned, halved & thinly sliced 
salt & pepper to taste 
½ cup grated cheddar cheese 
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese 
3 eggs 
¾ cup milk 

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Bring crust to room temperature and unroll according to package directions. Place into a 9-inch pie pan, fluting edges. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium flame, heat the oil and butter. Add onions & garlic and sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms, salt & pepper, and continue cooking until mushrooms & onions are golden brown and any liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat to cool.

Place half of each kind of cheese into the cooled pie crust. Top with half of the mushroom mixture. Repeat with remaining cheese and mushrooms. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth; pour into pie crust. Sprinkle top with black pepper. Place pie pan onto a large baking sheet and place carefully into oven. Bake for about 40 minutes or until set. Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Valentine Cookies

It's the day to celebrate love with sweet treats of  all kinds! Last night I whipped up a batch of yummy, soft, delectable sugar cookies and cut them into heart shapes, baked them off and decorated them with sweet pink yumminess. They're going out to some special friends today, and a plate of them is waiting for my family to devour tonight. 

I wish you all a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Here's the cookie recipe. Enjoy! Until next time...

ROLL-OUT SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg and continue mixing until smooth and creamy. Sift together the dry ingredients; add to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Pat dough into a circle, wrap in plastic and chill for 1-2 hours. Roll on a floured board to approximately 1/4" thickness, cut into desired shapes, place onto baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and decorate when cooled. Store covered at room temperature.

David's Birthday Brownies

Our son David turned 20 yesterday. His birthday treat of choice this year was brownies with cream cheese frosting. We prettied them up with some valentine-colored sprinkles and served them on a pretty white tray. They were a yummy way of celebrating our boy!

I have been collecting white ceramic serving pieces for several years now. Round platters, square platters, rectangle platters, oval baking dishes, large bowls, footed pedestals... I love them all! They're versatile and pretty enough for any occasion, and I also use them for every day. Why keep your "nice" dishes stashed away in a dark cupboard, only to see the light of day on holidays or when company comes? It's just as easy to stack a batch of after-school cookies on a beautiful footed pedestal as it is to use a plastic or paper plate. And if you're like me it will make you happy! 

Here's the brownie recipe. Enjoy! Until next time...

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

 ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and blend until smooth. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch pan (use only 3 eggs when doubling).

Low-fat option: substitute unsweetened applesauce in place of the butter. This cuts the fat from 7 grams per brownie to less than one gram.

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CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy)

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Frost brownies when cool.