Spinach Quiche

Spinach Quiche

Pie Crust
makes two 9" pie crusts or one double crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp sugar
7 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp ice water
(2 tsp vodka)

Put flour, salt, sugar and butter in a food processor with the S-blade
Process until the butter is in small pieces
Add the ice water
Process until the dough looks like course crumbs
Divide the dough in half and roll to desired size
Trim and shape the edges
Freeze until ready to use.

Filling
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 med onions coarsely chopped
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Cottage cheese

(Milk, Cheddar cheese, Feta, parmesan cheese, Mushrooms, chopped ham, crumbled bacon, Bac-Os, bell peppers, sausage)

Preheat the over to 375
Defrost the spinach
Saute the onions
Put the onions, spinach, eggs, salt and pepper in the blender and puree
Add enough milk and/or cheese to make 5 cups of filling.
Puree again
Stir in additional ingredients
Pour into frozen pie shells
Bake for 40 min
Let rest for 15 min
Serve

Theory of the Dish
Basically this is a custard tart. Pureeing the spinach gives it a light fluffy texture almost like a soufflé. The first time I tried this I used milk instead of cottage cheese and sprinkled the top of one pie with parmesan and the other with Bac-Os. That worked out well although the milk did separate a little. The cottage cheese version is richer. With feta instead of cottage cheese it is almost a Greek spinach pie.

Omelets and Pizza

I started off the day with a nice omelet. I learned how to make omelets from Martha Stewart. Back when I was living with Lynn I would occasionally catch Martha's TV show. I don't remember why. But she gave a very simple explanation on how to make:

A Good Omelet.

Ingredients

• 4 oz sliced Baby Bellas
• 1/2 small onion diced
• 3 slices of deli ham, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 3 eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• butter

Instructions

1. Saute the onion and Baby Bellas (I don't know why Baby Bellas are cheaper than regular mushrooms).
2. Briefly beat the three eggs with the salt & pepper
3. Melt the butter in your best omelet pan
4. Pour in the beaten eggs. Use a spatula to move the edges of the cooked eggs in toward the center, while you tip the pan to spread the raw egg out around the edges.
5. When most of the egg is cooked sprinkle on the toppings.
6. Fold the omelet in half and slide it onto a plate.

Theory of the dish
It should be fine even without fillings, and omelet is just a fancy scrambled egg. And to be honest I used 2 slices of American Cheese, and onion powder instead of an onion.


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I was recently gifted with a bag of "Tuscan Gourmet" Pizza Mix. It consisted of a bag of spiced flour and smaller bag of sauce spices. I decided to make it tonight for dinner.

"Tuscan Gourmet" Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 bag "Tuscan Gourmet" Pizza Dough Mix
• 1 bag "Tuscan Gourmet" Pizza Sauce Mix
• 2 (10.75oz) cans tomato Puree
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil
• 3/4 cup water
• topping of your choice: sausage, onion, sliced Baby Bella mushrooms, red bell pepper, pepperoni, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan.

Instructions

1. The pizza dough was very easy to make, just add water and 1 Tbsp olive oil and mix. I oiled my round pizza pans and sprinkled the with corn flour. The dough didn't quite make two 13" pizza crusts the way it claimed. They were a little bit smaller. But I put them in the 425°F oven for 20 minutes as instructed.
2. And the sauce was much the same, just add 2 cans of tomato puree (I didn't have tomato puree, so I used a can of tomato sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes) and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. I had purchased some bulk mild italian sausage, so i fried up a couple of links and chopped them up. Then I sauted the onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper in the sausage fat.
4. When the crusts were brown I ladled on the sauce (thinly, there was a lot left over) then the sausage, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. Then I put on the cheese layer, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan. Then I topped it with a layer of pepperoni. and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

Theory of the dish
This kit was a bit heavy on the spices for me. I prefer simpler flavors. But I had learned from past mistakes and was sparing with the sauce and cheese so the end result wasn't too soggy.
The only difference from this and my made from scratch version was the special spicing. And lack of leavening in the crust.

Pickled Eggs and Swiss Chard

I really feel the need for some protein and healthy vegetables lately.

Dad's Pickled Eggs are an easy quick protein pick me up.
1 Doz large eggs, hard boiled
1 (15oz) can whole beets
1 tsp salt
Cider vinegar

I have a pickle jar that hold 1 doz hard boiled eggs easily. I peel the eggs and pop them into the jar. Then I add the can of whole beets (I prefer the whole beets because they are the same size and shape as the eggs :-D), the salt and enough vinegar to fill the jar.

I can usually only wait 24 hours before I start eating them.

Fresh Red Swiss Chard.
1 bunch red swiss chard
salt & pepper
Butter
balsamic vinegar

I cut the stems out of the leaves and cook them separately, they take longer to cook and have a totally different flavor.

Rinse the chard.

Cut the stems into bite sized pieces and put in a small sauce pan to simmer until tender.

Rip the leaves into medium sized pieces and put in a large pot with a little bit of water to steam.

Serve the stems with butter, salt, and pepper.

Serve the leaves with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a chopped pickled egg :-D