Crustless Quiche

The Date: 29 December 2011

The Occasion: Dinner, Thursday night.

The Recipe: From a food.com recipe, which is easily modifiable.

How it Went:
I love making this quiche for dinner. It's so easy, bakes in 40 minutes while you cozy up on the couch and read, and then leaves you with leftovers for breakfast.

What You Need:
eggs
broccoli (fresh is best)
bacon or ham
shredded cheese
milk
salt
pepper

Your Turn:
Chop up a smallish crown of broccoli and steam it in boiling water for about 3 minutes.

In the meantime, chop up about 1/2 lb lunchmeat ham or cooked bacon.

Put the meat, the cooked broccoli, and about 4 oz of shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, and/or colby jack - or any other kind you prefer) into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.

Now, whisk together

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Pour this over the ingredients already in the pie plate.

Bake in a 375 oven for 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the quiche should come out clean when it's done. Cut into wedges and serve!

A few recipes that aren't mine

I've made a few things recently that turned out excellent, but are so insanely easy, it's not worth a play-by-play of how to make it. I'll just give you the links and let you give it a whirl on your own.

A Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot
I made this today (recipe here) and it was seriously excellent. The blog I found it on says it's "fall-off-the-bone delicious," and I tell you... it absolutely was. I got this chicken from my employer at work for Christmas, so it was free, but I also read that buying a whole chicken is really cheap per pound, and you can make broth (which makes for divine soup) with the juices and bones! I also saved 4 cups of chicken, aside from what we ate for dinner, which I'll put in soup or casserole. It seems like a win-win-win situation. The broth is currently in my crock pot, where it will cook all night. I'll skim out all the bones and stuff in the morning, and save the excellent broth for an upcoming soup. Mmmm. I was a bit scared to attempt this whole-chicken-bones-and-all thing, but I'm impressed with myself and thrilled with the result. Please: Try this.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie
I took this recipe from Pioneer Woman to bake for Christmas Eve at my in-laws. Everyone loved it (I liked it more than the Cranberry Chess Pie, myself) and I'll definitely keep it in my favorite pies list. I might do a post on this, since it was so good and I love blogging pies, but Pioneer Woman's post (and photos, of course) are far superior to mine. So just check her recipe out.

Taco Soup
I made this a couple months ago for a friend who had a baby and needed meals delivered. It was a crock pot soup and embarrassingly easy, but she and her husband loved it. For an easy crock pot dinner, this is an excellent choice. It's also flexible. Leave out a certain kind of beans or the green chiles, or add more of anything you like. It's really great with shredded cheese and sour cream on top and a sprinkling of tortilla chips.

Skillet Chili
I've always made chili in a big skillet on the stove, but I've always used ground meat, a packet of McCormick chili seasoning, and whatever ingredients it suggests on the back of the packet. When I came across this recipe for chili, it sounded really similar but with a homemade flair. We loved it, and Husband even said it was better than my normal chili (which is funny because he normally likes packaged things more than the homemade versions). It was extremely good. I served it with rice, which I don't think she suggests. Also, I didn't use the whole jar of tomato sauce. I used tomato paste and some water instead, because I didn't have tomato sauce on hand. I also didn't have celery salt, so I used a bit of regular salt instead. It was really, really good.

Thanks to other cooks and food bloggers of the world for making such excellent recipes available!

Stir-n-Drop Sugar Cookies

The Date: 16 December 2011

The Occasion: Christmas is coming up!

The Recipe: From this little gem of a cookbook I got at Ollie's years ago.

How it Went:
These are extremely easy, delightful little sugar cookies. Definitely will be my go-to cookie when I'm in a rush, or when I'm cooking with little daughters someday. Requires only things you most certainly have on hand already. They're not super-sweet, but they puff up nicely and would look pretty for any occasion dressed up with appropriately colored sprinkles or sugar. I made them Wednesday night for Pete's prayer group which met at our house, but only a half-batch. They turned out well so I made a double batch on Friday night. The recipe given below is the regular, single batch. I recommend doubling it, though, no matter the occasion. You can never have too many sugar cookies, and these are so easy, it's worth doing a lot at once.

What You Need:
sugar
vegetable oil
baking powder
vanilla
salt
eggs
flour

Your Turn:
Mix together with a spoon

• 3/4 C sugar
• 2/3 C vegetable oil
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs

Add 2 C flour, a little at a time, and stir until a soft dough forms.

Drop rounded teaspoons-ful on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Press down to about 1/4 inch thickness, and decorate as desired. Giant was all out of red and green sprinkles, so I had to use these multicolored ones. I found an excellent way to distribute sprinkles on a cookie with my olive spoon! The little spoon is designed with slots in the bottom to collect olives out of the jar and drain the liquid on the way out. But I found if you scoop up a small bit of sprinkles in the edge of the spoon, then slowly tilt it and gently shake it over the cookie, they will sprinkle out nicely. Then just tilt it back and move to the next cookie.

Challenge: Hold an olive spoon full of sprinkles in one hand and shake it slowly over a cookie without making a mess. In the other hand, hold a camera and take a decent picture without trembling the camera and causing blurriness.

Put in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. I baked two trays at once, and switched their position in the oven after 4 minutes. That way each tray got 4 minutes closer to the heat, and nothing got burnt. Take them out when the edges just start to look golden.

Merry Christmas!

Homemade Graham Snackers

The Date: Various

The Occasion: For my birthday, Daddy gave me ingredients to make my very own Graham Snackers, replicas of the treats we enjoyed on our MS-150 bike tour this September.

The Recipe: Assumed from experience.

How it Went: So delicious. A perfect addition to any lunch box. Easy to make the night before and stick in the fridge. So yummy the next day, especially with the jam Dad bought me.

What You Need:
graham crackers
jam
creamy peanut butter

Your Turn:
Place two graham crackers on a piece of aluminum foil, or a cutting board or some surface you prefer.

Spread peanut butter on each one.

One one cracker, add a layer of jam.

Then sandwich the sides together.

Eat immediately, or wrap up in aluminum foil, refrigerate overnight, and eat the next day for lunch!

French Onion Soup

The Date: 13 December 2011

The Occasion: A leftover recipe from Soup Week. I love French Onion Soup. Always order it at restaurants. I thought it'd be neat to have a version I could make at home. I tried this cheater version (cheating because it uses condensed French Onion Soup) and loved the result.

The Recipe: From Taste of Home's 2011 Annual Recipes cookbook.

How it Went:
Pete thought it was good enough to make for an appetizer for guests! I thought it was easy and tasted as good as any diner's version.

What You Need:
onions
butter
sugar
flour
beef broth
condensed French Onion Soup
croutons
swiss cheese

Your Turn:
Slice up 5-6 medium yellow onions. I guess you could use fewer of a larger variety of onion. The recipe did not specify type.


Melt 3-4 T of butter in the bottom of a soup pot. Saute onions until tender.

When tender, add 1/4 C sugar.

Stir and let caramelize just a bit. 

When lightly browned, add 2 T flour and mix well. 

Now add 

• 2 cans (or 29 oz) beef broth
• 2 C water
• 2 cans condensed French Onion Soup

Bring to a boil, then let simmer about 10 minutes. 

Add 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese.  

Add croutons and a slice of swiss cheese to each bowlful.

Yummy!

Smashed Potato Soup

The Date: 7 December 2011

The Occasion: Continuation of Soup Week, which never quite got off the ground. Tuesday and Wednesday I made soup, but Thursday and Friday found us elsewhere at dinnertime. So I have a few soups to add to next week's menu.

The Recipe: From recipe.com, a featured recipe in a recent Daily Recipe email, adapted by me.

How it Went: Winner!! Excellent crock pot soup. Easy and extremely yummy. The only changes I would definitely make are to add bacon and to swap carrots for the yellow bell pepper which the recipe calls for. Bell pepper wasn't a good fit for the soup at all. The carrots are great because they break down when you mash them, just like the potatoes, and they add a bit of sweetness.

What You Need:
potatoes
carrots
garlic
black pepper
salt
chicken broth
whipping cream, half and half or milk
cheddar cheese
green onions
bacon or bacon bits

Your Turn:
Peel and cube 3 & 1/2 lbs potatoes (white or yukon gold are good).

In a crock pot, combine

• the chopped potatoes
• 3/4 C chopped carrots
• garlic (1 tsp bottled roasted, if you want to follow the recipe, or a few shakes of dried minced garlic if you're cheap like me)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Add 4 & 1/2 C chicken broth.

Cook 8-10 hours on low heat while you go to work at your wonderful job that you love.

When you get home, take a deep sniff. It will smell wonderful. 

This batch was made with yellow pepper instead of carrots. The pepper just didn't fit with the flavor or texture of the soup, so I changed the recipe to use carrots instead.

Now, you've got a few things to add.

First, though, we need to mash up the potatoes. Use a masher and get them good and smashed.

When you're satisfied with the consistency, add

• 1/2 C whipping cream, half & half, or milk
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 C bacon pieces (or more)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Stir to mix well, and put the lid back on for a few minutes to make sure it heats back up.

If you want, sprinkle some scallions or bacon pieces on the top of each serving.

Mine was very thick. If you like it thinner, add additional milk, or even additional broth.

Fresh Tomato Soup with Tortellini

The Date: 6 December 2011

The Occasion: Soup Week! I've decided to expand my soup repertoire. I found a few recipes that looked appealing, and tried the first tonight.

The Recipe: Found it while browsing Recipe.com whose Daily Recipe email I get each day.

How it Went:
Well, I'd say it was successful, but since Campbell's has been selling condensed tomato soup for decades, it's no wonder homemade tomato soup has fallen by the wayside. It's time-consuming, messy, and expensive. Not only did I have to peel and slice up 6 large tomatoes, but the soup had to then simmer for a half hour while I wiped up tomato debris. And - I spent $10 on tomatoes! Can you believe that!? Four pounds of tomatoes at $2.50/lb. Ugh. So, yes, it went ok. And it was pretty good-tasting. But I probably won't do it again. It wasn't quite worth it.

What You Need:
onion
tomatoes
tomato sauce
chicken broth
salt
pepper
sage
milk
tortellini

Your Turn:
First, you need to peel tomatoes. I sort of accidentally doubled my recipe, so I did 6 large tomatoes. You can do 3 small ones instead. The recipe called for 2 pounds, which was estimated 6 tomatoes. My 6 tomatoes, though, were 4 pounds. Oh well. Let's do the recipe version: 2 lbs of tomatoes.

To peel, prepared a pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice cubes. Then wash the tomatoes, and cut a plus-shaped slit in the bottom of each one.

Drop one at a time into the boiling water for a couple minutes until you see the skin peeling back at the plus. Then collect it with a slotted spoon and drop it into the ice.

As it cools, peel the skin off.

As you get them peeled, cut out the stem section, then chop them up.

When you've got a big bowl full of chopped tomatoes, toss 1 onion, chopped, into some olive oil in your soup pot and let it cook until it softens.

Then add

• your tomatoes
• 1 & 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1 & 1/2 C water
• 1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 T chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Bring this to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes while you clean up your red, slimy counter.

Cook one 8 oz package of Barilla dried tortellini (you'll only use half of it) according to package instructions.

After 30 minutes, it's time to puree the soup. I did this in my blender, but the recipe says you can use a food mill (whatever that is).

Now, mix in about 2-3 T of milk and half of the pasta you boiled. (I added the whole package, but remember, it was a double batch. For a normal batch of soup, I'd use half and save the rest for another meal.)

Sprinkle with some cheese, if you wish, or serve with grilled cheese sandwiches. If you want to feel extremely domestic, give this a whirl. But if all you want is tomato soup, just open a can.

Turkey Soup and Pesto Olive Grilled Cheese

The Date: 28 November 2011, but we ate the leftovers tonight.

The Occasion: Nabbed some leftover turkey from Aunt Ruth's on Thanksgiving.

The Recipe: From foodnetwork.com, this recipe for Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles and Vegetables.

How it Went:
I thought it was a success. I love anything made with thyme and bay leaves, so this was a sure winner for me. Soup is so easy and flexible. This one is definitely worth making again.

What You Need:
cooked turkey (or chicken), shredded
olive oil
onions or leeks
carrots
celery
garlic
bay leaves
thyme
salt
pepper
chicken broth
egg noodles

Your Turn:
Heat about 2 tsp olive oil in a large soup pot. Saute in the oil

• 2 leeks (or 2 small yellow onions), chopped
• 2 carrots (or a handful of baby carrots), chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced

until they are soft.

Add

• 3-4 C cooked leftover turkey (I added some chicken I had too)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6-8 C vegetable or chicken broth 

and stir to mix well.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 10 minutes, partially covered.

Return to a boil and add 6 oz of egg noodles.

Let simmer just until egg noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.

Enjoy!

This is quite good with sandwiches. Tonight I made Pesto Olive Grilled Cheese.

Butter one side of each slice of bread, as for normal grilled cheese. 

Place bread butter-side-down and spread a bit of pesto sauce on one slice.

Place a piece of provolone cheese on each slice of bread.

On one, spread a layer of thinly sliced olive pieces. 

Now, put the slices together. Your sandwich should be stacked: butter, bread, pesto, cheese, olives, cheese, bread, butter. 

Grill over medium heat in a skillet for a few minutes on each side. Slice to serve. 

Cranberry Chess Pie

The Date: 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Thanksgiving with Pete's family. I am pie-mistress on both sides of the family.

The Recipe: Again, from Williams-Sonoma Pies and Tarts.

How it Went:
I thought it was a little too tangy, but others loved it. I might cut down on the orange zest next time. I was a bit too generous there. Otherwise, it was fairly easy, unique, and tasty. Good texture and flavors. I used a store-bought pie crust for this one too, but I think the handmade crust would be superior if you have the time and inclination.

What You Need:
cranberries
sugar
butter
salt
eggs
flour
buttermilk
cider vinegar
orange zest

Your Turn:
Prepare your pie crust in the pie plate. The recipe asks you to pre-bake the pie crust for about 25 minutes. This matters more, I think, if you're using a homemade crust which is more likely to be a bit wet. The purpose of this pre-baking is to prevent the somewhat juicy filling of the pie from making the crust soggy. I pre-baked my store-bought crust for about 10 minutes, and that worked fine. You just press the crust into the pie plate, and put it in a 375 oven. Ideally, put some pie weights or heavy rice or something down inside the crust to prevent bubbling, but I didn't do that. It's alright. Just keep an eye on the crust. You don't want it to get dark, or overly bubbly, or dry or anything.

Chop 2 C of cranberries, fresh or frozen, coarsely.

Now, start the filling by blending

• 1 & 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 1/8 tsp salt

Whisk this well.

Now add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each one.

Stir in 1/4 C flour followed by 1/3 C buttermilk and 1 tsp cider vinegar.

Now -- it's time to zest the orange. I don't have a zester, and I'm not entirely sure how zesting is supposed to be done. I have an inkling I did it wrong. But here's how it went.

First, wash off your orange. Then grate it against the fine side of a cheese grater. You'll need 2 tsp orange zest. I think I used a bit too much. Feel free to start light on the orange and add more next time if you think it's bland.

Stir this into the batter well. Now add your cranberries.

Pour the mixture into your partially-baked pie crust.

Oops. Sunset mode.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the filing is firm. Transfer to a wire rack and cool before serving.

The cranberries will rise to the top as it bakes, and the orangey custard will firm up underneath them.

Short Version
CRANBERRY CHESS PIE

1 pie crust, partially baked (10 min in 375 oven for store-bought crust)
1 & 1/3 C sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/4 C flour
1/3 C buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 C fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Whisk together sugar, melted butter, and salt.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
Add flour, buttermilk, cider vinegar, and orange zest.
Stir well.
Add cranberries and stir.
Transfer to partially-baked pie crust.
Bake at 375, 50-60 minutes, until top is lightly golden and filling is firm.

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011 and 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Two Thanksgiving celebrations!

The Recipe: From this excellent book.

How it Went: Loved by all! An apple pie is pretty standard fare at a holiday gathering, and this one was traditional without being boring. Flavorful, juicy, spicy... Even Husband loved it. And he doesn't like any sweets. When I had such success with it on Thursday, I made it again for the gathering on Saturday. Excellent both times. I'm sure it would be really good with the homemade crust recipe that the cookbook suggests, but I cheated with a store-bought pie crust both times this week. Somebody be bold and make your own; let me know how it is.

What You Need:
apples (I used Empire. The book says Braeburn, Jonathan, and Newtown Pippin are also acceptable. I wouldn't use Granny Smiths in this. It's not quite that tart. A rustic slightly sweet apple is what you want.)
lemon juice (fresh squeezed is ideal, but I used it from the plastic lemon in my fridge)
sugar
cornstartch
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt
flour
brown sugar
butter

Your Turn:
If you're making the crust, do that first. Or just unroll your store-bought crust and press it into your pie plate. Set this aside.

Now, the recipe calls for "7 large, tart, firm apples." I used a 5-lb bag of apples. It was perfect. You don't want to skimp at all on this. The appleier, the better. 

Peel the apples. Then cut the cores out and dice them up.

Place the apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice and toss.

Mix up

• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 T cornstartch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt

Sprinkle over the apples and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer to the dough-lined pie plate.

Now, time to mix up the crumb topping.

Blend

• 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

After stirring this together, add 5 T cold butter, diced into cubes.

Blend with a pastry cutter (or a whisk or potato masher if you don't have one of those).

Sprinkle over the top of the pie.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.

Let cool before serving.

This is Saturday's pie. The prep pictures were from Thursday.

Thursday's pie

Short Version
APPLE CINNAMON CRUMB PIE

Preheat oven to 350

5 lb apples (Empire, Braeburn, or Jonathan are good choices)
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C sugar
2 T cornstartch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt

Peel, core, and dice apples.
Toss with lemon juice.
Mix up remaining ingredients and toss with apples.
Pour mixture into prepared pie crust in pie plate.

1/2 C flour
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold butter, diced into tiny cubes

Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until filling is thick and bubbling, and crust is golden.