Spicy tomatillo and Gouda scrambled eggs

Today was a very rushed day, I'll be honest.  I had a lot of meetings and a lot of things to check off on my to-do list.  Nevertheless, I went for a nice swim with some friends in the late afternoon, and came home from my workout with insatiable hunger pangs.  Despite having more than my fair share of pasta and salad, I was still hungry and, in fact, craving something else salty and wholesome.  Also feeling a bit tired from the day, I wanted something that was relatively quick to make, so I decided to quickly rustle up some scrambled eggs.

Initially, I thought I would just throw a diced tomato and some cheese into my eggs, but then I realized that I only have one more tomato left for the whole week.  Yikes!  What to do?  Then I remembered that I had a few tomatillos in my crisper.  Jackpot!  

My love for tomatillos grows as I get older.  I used to strongly dislike them, actually.  I only recently realized how well a cool, tangy tomatillo salsa pairs with heavy Southwestern dishes, as it cuts through the grease and cools the mouth after a spicy bite.  I usually don't branch out much with tomatillos, and that has got to change.  I really believe that tomatillos are incredibly under-utilized, considering how packed with flavor they are.  Well, today was the day to make that happen!  

I ended up improvising a little and threw together some other ingredients that I would have thought were a random mish-mash of things -- a shallot, tomatillo, fresh chili pepper, and some grated apple-smoked Gouda cheese.  Surprisingly, the eggs turned out great!  The slightly crunchy, tartness of the tomatillo complemented the creamy, smokiness of the Gouda cheese pretty well.  Throw in some thinly chopped shallots (or garlic would work in this case) and a sliced chili pepper, and you've got yourself some spicy scrambled eggs with a twist! An important note, though -- be sure to dice the tomatillo into very small pieces or this "Mexican tomato" may overwhelm your eggs.  

Enjoy this simple, yet flavorful dish.  And if it's as nice where you are as it is in good 'ole Atlanta, then please, eat it outside on a lawn chair and enjoy the weather -- or at the very least, crack some windows open (or better yet, a bottle of wine).  Happy fall!

Ingredients:

-1 shallot

-1 tomatillo

-1 small fresh chili

-2 eggs

-Salt to taste

-A small bunch of cilantro

-Small amount of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Finely dice/slice the tomatillo, shallot, and chili.

2. Roughly grate some smoked Gouda cheese (amount will depend on your personal taste :)...I threw in a small handful).

3.  Fry the diced/sliced shallot, chili, and tomatillo with a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat for a few minutes.  When they are about halfway cooked (the tomatillos should be 'sweating' a little and losing a little bit of color), throw in the eggs, Gouda, and salt (to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients).  

3. Cook the egg mixture for a few minutes until it's done.

4. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, and enjoy!

(Sorry, no picture today!  I was so hungry at the time that I gobbled up the eggs as soon as I took them off the stove!)

Cake Shake: The Ultimate Compromise Between Ice Cream and Cake

Do you frequently have a hankering for both ice cream AND cake at the same time?  Do you often top your cake with a dollop of ice cream and let the creaminess melt into the tiny crevices of your cake?  Do you crave a spongy cake saturated with sweet milk that seeps out into your mouth with each bite?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I have the perfect dessert for you -- the cake shake.

The cake shakes at Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand perfectly marry the moist, spongy texture of a cupcake with the thick, creamy richness of ice cream to create a true masterpiece.  The cake shake creatively combines Madagascar vanilla ice cream (not sure entirely what that means, except that it is delicious) with one of three varieties of cupcakes -- chocolate (on chocolate chip), red velvet (my personal favorite!), or a seasonal flavor (yesterday it was key lime) -- to make a thick shake that always hits the spot.  However, to be able to truly appreciate the beauty of the cake shake, you really have to see the process in making it.

Delia's makes cupcakes from scratch.  Each cupcake is baked with love and immaculately decorated with homemade icing.**  To make the cake shake, an employee removes the wrapper before throwing the cupcake into a blender with vanilla ice cream, and mixes everything together.  I won't lie -- it does pain me a little to see a perfectly baked red velvet cupcake being destroyed in a blender full of ice cream.  The first time I ordered one, I almost saw this happen in slow motion, as I was screaming in my head, "NOOOOOOOOOO!  SAVE THE CUPCAKE!!!"  But then I tasted the final product and the heavens parted and angels sang.  Why had it taken so long for someone to come up with this brilliant idea?

I'm not sure how many tries it took to get the perfect balance in textures, but it truly is amazing.  Tiny bits pieces of cake are homogeneously mixed in, so that every bite of ice cream contains a sweet, spongy morsel.  As you continue to sip/scoop out your cake shake (yes, it is a tad viscous at first...what did you expect?), the ice cream melts and soaks into the little bits of cake.  The longer you wait to finish the shake, the more the cake absorbs the ice cream around it -- so beware of the soggy cake shake!  If you must, you can store an unfinished shake in the freezer for a late night snack or, better yet, a breakfast of champions.

So, the next time you are itching for some cake and ice cream, head over to Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand for a truly innovative and satisfying treat -- the cake shake.

Oh!  I forgot to mention that Delia's also has delicious chicken sausage "slingers," as the name might imply.  You can't really go wrong with what you order there.  However, if you need something to contrast the sweetness of your cake shake, ask for a side of potato wedges, perfectly seasoned with a blend of savory spices.  These "fries" really hit the spot after a long day!

**Note: They sell the cupcakes by themselves, but to be honest, they're not the best cupcakes in town.  They're okay, but they're not the best.  They're a little drier than I would like, but this actually makes them pair well with vanilla ice cream!

An elaborate description of Costa Rican food, from my perspective

Today's post is a tribute to the simplicity and elegance of Costa Rican food.  Costa Rica is a country with an incredible breadth of natural resources and beauty; from beaches to mountains, rainforests to volcanoes, hot springs to miles and miles of banana and pineapple plantations, this land of paradise appeals to people of all walks of life.  I had the pleasure of visiting Costa Rica for seven days and had an amazing time.  Given the gorgeous backdrop of cordilleras of this tiny Central American country, it would be difficult to dislike any food put in front of me.  But to be able to enjoy juicy cuts of papaya, watermelon, and pineapple, slowly sip on fresh fruit milkshakes and juices (made in a blender, not poured from a carton!), and savor deliciously flavored rice and black beans WHILE enjoying the views...well, it was indescribable.

I wish I had taken a few more pictures of the food and drinks we had, but I was just so distracted by the unbelievable beauty surrounding me. :)  Nevertheless, I've included pictures of some platters we had below.  

The first shot is not a good one -- apologies.  This is a picture of the cheese platter a group of us shared on a tour of the Monteverde Cheese Factory.  Monteverde is a cloud forest that has a diverse abundance of wildlife and plant life.  A group of Quakers from Alabama settled there in the 1950s after being completely disgruntled by the United States government over the war draft.  As you may very well know, Quakers are pacifists, so they refused to sign up for the mandatory war draft.  Subsequently, many Quakers were jailed.  After being released from prison, 13 Quaker families from Alabama decided that enough was enough and that they wanted to take their families and move elsewhere -- in this case, south to Costa Rica by horse and buggy.  After months and months of painstaking travel and planning, this group of Quakers decided to build a cheese factory in the Monteverde area and have remained there ever since.  The workers at the factory still collect liters upon liters of fresh milk from local dairy farms every morning, which they use to manufacture and distribute cheese, ice cream, and other milk products all over Costa Rica and surrounding countries in Central America.  The whey, which is the primary waste product when making cheese (see this website for a simple 101 on the cheese-making process), is trucked over to a large, nearby pig farm to fatten up the animals.  This factory is extremely meticulous about quality control, particularly when it comes to responsibly disposing of waste (and preserving the environment, in the process).  They do make several different types of cheese, such as gouda, parmesan, mozarella, and cheddar.  However, they are most famous for their original recipe for the Monte Rico cheese, a soft, creamy, mild cheese that melts in your mouth (most Costa Ricans hate aged, sharp cheeses -- our tour guide described how earlier in the week another tour group from a Costa Rican high school had visited the factory and were completely grossed out by the taste of parmesan and cheddar!).

Agua dulce, which means "sweet water" in English, is typically served hot as a breakfast drink (although also served other times of the day).  It is made with sugar cane juice.  I know...it looks different than sugar cane juice, which is almost clearish-green.  However, from what little Spanish I know, I gathered from a local that for this particular drink, the cane juice is solidified into this brown powder (it looked a lot like brown sugar), which is then boiled in water and served as a "hot tea."  Ahh, what a comforting drink to enjoy on a cool morning while enjoying the mountain air!

Ahh, the casado.  Casados are the most commonly served platters (comida tipica) at tiny restaurants/hangout spots (called "sodas") in Costa Rica.  Each casado comes with at least four different sides; there are always at least three servings of fruits and vegetables in each platter.  Typically, casados come with rice and beans, fried sweet plantains, and a simple salad.  Casados are also served with some type of meat, most commonly chuletas, or pork chops, served with grilled onions (yum!).  Very simple, colorful, healthy, and delicious.  What a meal!

Here is another typical meal served in Costa Rica -- arroz con pollo.  Every arroz con pollo platter I ordered included a large amount of rice, but never failed to include a sizable salad alongside it.  This particular platter was ordered at a restaurant which literally looked like my grandmother's kitchen.  I'm not kidding -- I think the family who owned the restaurant lived in the next room.  This delectable rice was perfectly flavored with tender pieces of chicken, garlic, green onion, lemon, and tomatoes.  This meal absolutely hit the spot after a long day of ziplining, hiking, and exploring Monteverde!

Ahh, a typical breakfast.  We woke up every morning to a platter of rice and black beans and three types of fresh fruit -- papaya, pineapple, and watermelon.  Often, fried sweet plantains were also served with breakfast.  The rice and beans were unique in that they were always cooked together for breakfast, but separately for other meals.  When cooked together, however, the beans brought out a hearty, creamy texture to the rice.  This dish was not only filling and delicious, but also very healthy when paired with such colorful tropical fruits.

And now for a grand finale (simply because I cannot resist), a few more shots of Costa Rican scenery.  I hope you all enjoy.  

Ah, summer salads, how I crave you...

Howdy y'all!  I know it's been a while since I've last posted.  I have no excuses for not writing, except that life just got busier and time got away from me.  Working long hours on my dissertation leaves me exhausted and brain dead at the end of the day -- but that doesn't mean I don't ache to write!  The three people that actually read my food blog have all commented on the dearth of posts as of late; it made me both sad and happy -- sad that I don't have as much time to write and happy that people actually read this blog. :)

All I can think about these days, aside from my dissertation and how I'm going to finish it in a reasonable amount of time, is how I can stay cool in this summer heat.  Atlanta recently experienced one of the worst heat waves in its history -- temperatures soared to nearly 110 for a whole week straight.  As miserable as that was, the heat lately has been somewhat manageable, thanks to nearly daily thunderstorms that have cooled the air.  Despite this <perhaps temporary> relief from the heat, I still crave juicy, fresh fruit, cool, crisp salads, and sweet, refreshing homemade smoothies.

As such, I dedicate this post to the celebration of the salad.  Salads are incredibly versatile -- they can be prepared for virtually any meal, as a side or an entree, and come in sorts of varieties.  They cut through the summer heat, making those long, hot months bearable, and even enjoyable.  They can be enjoyed at weekend barbeques, during an afternoon at the pool, or as an appetizer for an fancy meal indoors.  Whatever the occasion or event, salads are refreshing -- they allow us to enjoy and appreciate the flavor of each component of the dish.

Here are a few simple salads that I make routinely in the summer time:

1. Corn and black bean salad: Folks, it makes ALL the difference in the world to use fresh ingredients.*  The combination of the hearty, smoky black beans with the sweetness of summer corn is both refreshing and filling.  I usually add some salt, lime, and fresh cilantro to add more flavor and bring out the flavors of the corn and black beans.  You can also add tomatoes and avocados to make a fresh, chunky 'salsa,' or a heartier summer salad.

2. Garbanzo, tomato, and cucumber salad: This is a salad I sort of grew up eating -- it has garbanzo beans (you can used canned or fresh, as long as they are cooked), tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro.  I usually season generously with salt, pepper, and fresh lime.  This refreshing salad is always a hit at barbeques!

3. Berry salad: You can never go wrong with this one; it's quick and easy, cheap in the summer time, and always refreshing and delicious.  You can add virtually any type of berry to this salad, as well as grapes, fresh pineapples (!!), peaches, or kiwis (or really, any other fresh fruit).  Add some fresh, chopped mint to accentuate the sweetness of the fruit, and chopped pecans or walnuts to bring some texture to the salad.

4. Peaches and basil salad: It's just what it sounds like.  Georgia peaches are incredibly juicy and rich in flavor.  I crave them so much in the peak of summer.  Adding fresh basil adds an aromatic punch to the sweet, floral scent of the peaches.  This combination also works great as a popsicle, as I discovered at the local King of Pops stand!


*In case you are wondering (I was asked this just the other day), there is a trick to making fresh black beans in a minimal amount of time (i.e. about 30-45 minutes) without the hassle of remembering to soak them the night before.  That's RIGHT!  You CAN still make fresh beans if you forget to soak them -- you read correctly.  All you do is put the dry beans in a large, oven-safe pot with a dash of salt and some water (add enough to cover the beans by an inch or two) and bake with the lid on at 350 for about 30-45 minutes.  I imagine you'd have to try pretty hard to burn them, so you can always leave them in a little longer if you're worried about interior crunchiness.  Oh!  And don't throw away the residual liquid in the pot!  It's chock-full of flavor, trust me.  


In case you're wondering about the fresh corn, making it off the cob is also relatively simple, and takes even less time.  All you do is remove the ears of the corn and the silky 'stuff' on the inside, rinse the cob, and remove the corn kernels using a knife (I generally do this into a wide-necked bowl in the sink).  Sautee the corn for about 2-3 minutes with a pinch of salt and a sliver of butter, and voila!  Sweet corn off the cob.  

Buttermilk Pumpkin Waffles (or Pancakes) with Savory Pumpkin Butter and a Side of Butternut Squash

About a week ago, I had the most intense culinary dream I've ever had.  I could somehow see myself making homemade, fluffy pumpkin pancakes, topping them with a rich, savory pumpkin butter, and serving myself with a side of roasted acorn and zucchini squash.  I could smell the sweetness of the pumpkin and squash, the richness of the butter, and the incredible aroma of rosemary and garlic added to the dish.  I woke up with intense hunger pangs and my mouth watering.

I had an incredible sense of urgency to prepare this dish immediately (after eating a snack to ameliorate my unhappy and empty stomach).  Despite leaving Atlanta the next day to visit my parents in Texas, I still had pumpkin on my mind (sing it to the tune of "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles, substituting "pumpkin" for "Georgia," and you'll know what I'm talking about).  We had dinner at my aunt and uncle's house a few days ago, and fortuitously, there was a giant pumpkin growing in their plentiful garden that just happened to be ready to be picked.  Behold, the giant pumpkin, which weighed in at a lofty 17.2 pounds:

A ridiculously large, homegrown pumpkin, weighing in
at 17.2 pounds.

Brothers in a ceremonial cutting of "Pumpkin and the Beanstalk"
from attached vines.

Mom and I with the giant pumpkin.

My aunt, with her prized pumpkin.  Props to an expert gardener!  Talk about
a green thumb!

After an auspicious (not really) ceremonial cutting, we split the pumpkin in two and adjourned for the night, with half a giant gourd in tow.  Boy, was my family excited.  You see, we're crazy about fresh fruits and vegetables.  Acquiring half of a giant pumpkin is like finding gold to us!

I set out to tackle some of that pumpkin so we could make fluffy buttermilk pumpkin waffles.  I have to say (and not to toot my own horn, guys), but they turned out pretty fantastic.  Admittedly, the recipe would have been better for pancakes (buttermilk makes everything so fluffy!), but I had neither the energy nor the time to make 10-12 individual pancakes.  However, I would say this mix is probably good for either; if you want to save time and have a good quality waffle iron at home, go with the waffles, but if you fancy a sweet, fluffy pancake, go with that instead.

The batter itself was overall on the sweeter side, especially with the pumpkin puree in the mix.  However, I wanted to top the waffle off with something a bit more savory, so I drizzled some homemade pumpkin butter seasoned with (homegrown) rosemary and garlic.  With a side of rosemary and garlic-seasoned roasted butternut squash, this dish was reminiscent of all things autumn during what clearly feels like the middle of summer.  No matter!  There is never shame in eating root and gourd vegetables other times of the year!

Homemade pumpkin butter.

Oops, I had to try the waffle before I took a picture.  My mistake.
Homemade buttermilk pumpkin waffle topped with a savory pumpkin
butter and a side of roasted butternut squash (and a berry and mango salad
on the side).  

Here's the recipe; I hope you all thoroughly enjoy.  Bon appetit!

(Serves about 4-5)

WAFFLES/PANCAKES:

Ingredients:
-1 cup flour
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-1 egg
-2/3 canned (or fresh pureed!*) pumpkin
-1 cup buttermilk
*To make freshly pureed pumpkin, cook an appropriate amount in a pressure cooker, then either smash by hand or puree using a blender/food processor

Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients and mix well.
-For waffles: Fill waffle maker with appropriate amount of batter and cook until done.
-For pancakes: Scoop appropriate amount of batter onto a pre-heated griddle or large pan (on medium-high heat).  Cook until brown on both sides.

PUMPKIN BUTTER:

Ingredients:
-3 large tbsp pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
-2 large tbsp ghee
-1 large sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1/3 cup of milk (I used 2%)
-Salt to taste

Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low while covered (to prevent from drying).
-Stir occasionally until all ingredients are homogeneously mixed.
-Taste before serving to adjust seasonings.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH:

Ingredients:
-1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced into small pieces
-4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 large sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
-Salt to taste
-1 tbsp ghee

Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients and bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 1 hour, uncovered.
-Serve as a side with waffle/pancakes topped with pumpkin butter.

A Double Whammy! Part II: An Ode to Mothers and Simple, Traditional Bengali Maacher Jhol

I very strongly believe that mothers, particularly stay-at-home mothers, are the most underappreciated, overworked members of our society.  They take all sorts of crap from everyone, but selflessly endure to better the lives of their children.  I mean, think about it -- how many times do you think you got angry at your mother, bit and/or scratched her, threw a tantrum that she had to tirelessly deal with, and made a mess with your vomit/poop/pee?  Okay, considering this is a blog dedicated to the wonderfulness of food, that's pretty gross.  But, really -- if you CAN thank your mother for doing all those things and more, you probably should.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be with my mother this weekend, but I was able to Skype with her and my dad to send my love and appreciation.  Happy Mother's Day, Ma.  This post is for you.

I'll be honest -- I was feeling a little lazy yesterday.  It rained pretty much all day, which made me want to bury myself in my comforter and get lost in a good book even more!  So, I did.  But then I started craving a home-cooked meal.  No, not just any home-cooked meal, but one of my MOTHER's home-cooked meals.  Deciding that I needed to cook some salmon in the freezer, I set it out to defrost, buried myself in a book of short stories, and came back in a few hours ready to make one of the most common dishes I had grown up eating -- simple maacher jhol (fish curry).  

This is a pretty simple recipe, but it really hits the spot on a rainy, dreary day.  I distinctly remember my mom watching me cross the finish line of every marathon I've run and helping me home as I so gingerly walked to and from the car.  Afterward, she'd always make me a home-cooked meal of maacher jhol / bhat (fish curry and race) for me after each of these races.  I'd have a bowl-full of food, then crawl into bed with my millions of ice packs, feeling tired, but satiated.  It really is a perfect post-race meal, guys.  Fish curry is typically eaten with rice, but I just like to eat it on its own sometimes.  Oh, and I always eat it with my hands.  To me, it's blasphemous to consume curry with a fork and knife (provided you're not in a nice restaurant).  You can use most types of fish with this recipe, but I've typically used catfish or salmon.  

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-Your favorite cuts of your favorite fish

-Bolst curry powder (yes, it must be Bolst)

-Ground turmeric

-Salt/pepper to taste

-1 medium-sized tomato

-2 small white potatoes

-1 bunch of cilantro

-1 pinch of paanch phoron (you can get this at any Indian grocery store)

-water

-2 tbsp fresh ginger

-garlic powder

-1-2 tbsp of canola oil

-1 hot pepper (of your favorite variety)

Preparation:

-Clean the fish properly and cut into small pieces (say 4" long?), leaving the bones in (if it's not fileted).  Make sure the fish pieces are dry.

-In a large bowl, mix 1-2 tsp of turmeric powder, garlic powder, and salt with the fish.  Make sure each piece of fish is well-coated in the turmeric powder.  DO NOT ADD TOO MUCH TURMERIC POWDER!  Adding too much will make any dish bitter.  

-Dice the tomato and potatoes into small pieces.  

-In a large non-stick sautee pan, fry the fish pieces on both sides with the canola oil until they are cooked through.  Never curry fish until it's cooked!  Currying raw fish runs you the risk of (a) consuming raw fish, and (b) subjecting you to potentially really smelly fish.  Frying it with the turmeric powder cuts that fishy smell.  

-In a large sauce pan, combine the fish, enough water to cover the fish pieces (not too much!), salt and pepper to taste, the hot pepper, 1 tsp of Bolst curry powder, the diced tomatoes and potatoes, paanch phoron, ginger, and garlic powder (ginger and garlic powder to taste...I just kind of eye-ball measurements).  

-Cook on medium-high heat until the curry starts to bubble (don't let it boil!).  Once you start to see bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the curry, and let it 'do its thing' for about 20-30 minutes.  Of course, adjust seasonings as needed, but when you feel like it's about done, add a handful of fresh cilantro to the maacher jhol.

-Serve on its own, or with a serving of basmati rice.  Enjoy!

Note: This is not my curry.  I have been forgetting to take pictures lately,
so here's the best I've got for now.  Courtesy of Google images. :)

A double whammy! Part I: Artichoke and cheddar mini-quiches

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!