Well folks, as usual, life has been busy and I have been neglecting my food blog. It's funny, I think about this blog quite frequently -- much more frequently than I post -- and come up with some fun, creative ideas to write about, but then life happens and I forget about it. I have ten or more things I'd love to blog about right now, but to save time, I'll focus on two (for now).
"Part One" of today's entries will glorify the versatility of the quiche. My first memory of eating a quiche was while visiting Paris a few years ago. For reasons I won't go into, that trip was mediocre at best, so almost everything I experienced (except for the Louvre...that was pretty awesome), including the food, was pretty lackluster. Okay, so a lot of this had to do with the fact that it rained THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS THERE, plus I was away from home travelling solo for nearly 2 months (very fun and rewarding experience! I just grew tired of it the last few days) and I was pretty homesick by the end of it. I have to say, though, one of my better experiences in Paris was trying some sort of spinach quiche. (Another was when I ordered the most buttery croissant I have ever tasted from some hole in the wall bakery. It was a little piece of heaven. I still dream about that rich, flaky pastry to this day.)
My roommate knows that, at the end of a long, hard day, I sometimes want to numb my brain (and perhaps, kill a few brain cells while I'm at it) with some trashy reality show on Bravo, or make my taste buds tingle with a show on the Food Network. For whatever reason, I happened to be home one day and took a lunch break with Mrs. Paula Deen. Now, normally I don't advocate recreating her recipes because she puts a pound (or more) of butter and/or sugar in everything. But this recipe for mini artichoke and gruyere quiches sent my stomach into overdrive!
My favorite part of quiches, as I mentioned above, is their versatility in mealtime. It's socially acceptable to have quiches at any time of the day! Whether you want a heartier breakfast on a Saturday morning, or a quick starch/protein-filled dish with your lunch salad, or you just want a midnight snack for those really long days, quiches are "okay to eat" and can really satiate your deepest savory cravings.
You all know I never follow recipes exactly, or for that matter, glance at a recipe for more than 12 seconds, so I created my own variation of Paula's mini-quiche. I hope you all enjoy my artichoke and cheddar mini-quiches, seasoned with fresh rosemary and chives, and a generous serving of real (emphasis on the real) bacon bits. The smokiness of the cheddar and bacon really brought the dish together; every gooey bite has a delicious hint of rosemary and chives. I have to brag a little -- my garden has been THRIVING this spring and I happen to use a sprig of rosemary and some fresh chives from the back porch. Nothing like having homegrown herbs to throw into a recipe!
Here's the recipe...(sorry, no pictures today)
Ingredients:
-6 large eggs
-1 cup of milk
-1 large fistful of your favorite cheddar cheese (I like to go for extra sharp)
-1 sprig of rosemary (remember: a little bit goes a long way)
-1 stalk of chives
-6 oz of canned artichokes (half of a 12 oz can is what I used)
-REAL bacon bits (or some leftover fried bacon you might have at home)
-Small ziploc bag full of saltine or Ritz crackers, or you can use breadcrumbs (this is for the crust)
-Canola oil non-stick spray
Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Spray a muffin tin with the Canola oil non-stick spray
-Chop artichokes into small pieces.
-Combine eggs, milk, cheese, herbs, artichokes, and a generous handful (or more) of bacon bits (or crumbled fried bacon you might have at home) and mix thoroughly.
-Crush a ziploc bag full of crackers (this is fun!!).
-Line the bottom of each muffin cup with the crushed crackers. Alternatively, you can just use breadcrumbs, but it's more fun to crush crackers. Your choice, entirely. I have never used breadcrumbs, but I imagine both the texture and taste (depending on the flavor of the breadcrumbs) would change.
-Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 way full with the quiche mixture.
-Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops look all fluffy and you've done the knife trick (i.e. your knife comes out clean when you stick it through the middle).
-Enjoy!
My roommate knows that, at the end of a long, hard day, I sometimes want to numb my brain (and perhaps, kill a few brain cells while I'm at it) with some trashy reality show on Bravo, or make my taste buds tingle with a show on the Food Network. For whatever reason, I happened to be home one day and took a lunch break with Mrs. Paula Deen. Now, normally I don't advocate recreating her recipes because she puts a pound (or more) of butter and/or sugar in everything. But this recipe for mini artichoke and gruyere quiches sent my stomach into overdrive!
My favorite part of quiches, as I mentioned above, is their versatility in mealtime. It's socially acceptable to have quiches at any time of the day! Whether you want a heartier breakfast on a Saturday morning, or a quick starch/protein-filled dish with your lunch salad, or you just want a midnight snack for those really long days, quiches are "okay to eat" and can really satiate your deepest savory cravings.
You all know I never follow recipes exactly, or for that matter, glance at a recipe for more than 12 seconds, so I created my own variation of Paula's mini-quiche. I hope you all enjoy my artichoke and cheddar mini-quiches, seasoned with fresh rosemary and chives, and a generous serving of real (emphasis on the real) bacon bits. The smokiness of the cheddar and bacon really brought the dish together; every gooey bite has a delicious hint of rosemary and chives. I have to brag a little -- my garden has been THRIVING this spring and I happen to use a sprig of rosemary and some fresh chives from the back porch. Nothing like having homegrown herbs to throw into a recipe!
Here's the recipe...(sorry, no pictures today)
Ingredients:
-6 large eggs
-1 cup of milk
-1 large fistful of your favorite cheddar cheese (I like to go for extra sharp)
-1 sprig of rosemary (remember: a little bit goes a long way)
-1 stalk of chives
-6 oz of canned artichokes (half of a 12 oz can is what I used)
-REAL bacon bits (or some leftover fried bacon you might have at home)
-Small ziploc bag full of saltine or Ritz crackers, or you can use breadcrumbs (this is for the crust)
-Canola oil non-stick spray
Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Spray a muffin tin with the Canola oil non-stick spray
-Chop artichokes into small pieces.
-Combine eggs, milk, cheese, herbs, artichokes, and a generous handful (or more) of bacon bits (or crumbled fried bacon you might have at home) and mix thoroughly.
-Crush a ziploc bag full of crackers (this is fun!!).
-Line the bottom of each muffin cup with the crushed crackers. Alternatively, you can just use breadcrumbs, but it's more fun to crush crackers. Your choice, entirely. I have never used breadcrumbs, but I imagine both the texture and taste (depending on the flavor of the breadcrumbs) would change.
-Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 way full with the quiche mixture.
-Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops look all fluffy and you've done the knife trick (i.e. your knife comes out clean when you stick it through the middle).
-Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment