Bacon shallot gruyere quiche

1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury brand)

6 pieces of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

4 oz gruyere cheese, shredded 

3 large eggs

1.5 cups (12oz) half and half

Dash cayenne pepper 

1.5 tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Blind bake crust for 10 minutes or until almost done. Be sure to cover crust if it gets too brown on the edges. 

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to drain and bacon grease except 1 Tbsp. Fry shallot until softened and brown in the bacon fat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. 

In a medium bowl, whip eggs until frothy. Add half and half, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add the parsley if using. Set aside. 

Place bacon and shallots in the bottom of the pie crust. Add the cheese to evenly coat the bacon and shallots. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and gently make sure egg is completely submerging the cheese. 

Sprinkle the top of the quiche with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional). Then place the quiche on a baking pan and put it in the middle rack of the oven. If crust is brown, cover it with foil or a pie crust shield to keep it from burning. 

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Check it, then turn the oven to 350. Continue baking 20-40 minutes longer, but check often to see if the egg is set. Use a toothpick to poke it. If it comes out clean, it’s done. 

Set on counter and cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Note: you can use this recipe for any quiche, but make sure any veggies are cooked and well drained to avoid a watery quiche. Also, blind baking the crust is essential to avoid a soggy bottom! 

Egg Foo Young

I used this recipe to make mine, with a few modifications. https://www.recipetineats.com/egg-foo-young/

I minced up cooked chicken breast that was marinated in tequila lime and grilled. I added carrot and cooked the carrot and green onion prior to putting it in the raw egg mixture.  Do not double the sauce/gravy. There is plenty for rice and the egg pancakes as is.

Enjoy!

Easy Fried Rice

Shrimp fried rice with edamame

This recipe makes a great lunch but requires some planning ahead. Make extra rice for dinner and then you can put it into the fridge overnight and make fried rice for lunch the next day!

2 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 tsp. butter
2 eggs
Black pepper
2 cups cooked COLD white rice
1 medium carrot, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced (including green part)
1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced (more if you love fresh ginger flavor)
1 large garlic clove, minced (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 cup cooked edamame or cooked green peas (optional)
Soy Sauce (about 1/4 cup or more)

Crack eggs into a small bowl, add one to two grinds of black pepper. With a small whisk or a fork, whip the eggs until smooth and "scrambled."

Heat a small non-stick pan with small dab of butter. When hot, pour a small amount of egg the pan and move the egg to cover the bottom of the pan.

Egg should cook quickly and look like a large pancake. Turn over the egg and finish cooking egg just until it is no longer glossy.

 Remove egg onto a plate. Repeat with the remainder of the egg until it is cooked, adding more butter, if needed. Roll up the egg "pancake" like a crepe and slice into thin strips. Set egg aside.

Heat a large wok pan over high heat, adding 1/2 Tbsp. oil. When oil is hot, add the carrot and stir fry for about 1 minute or until it is tender, but not completely cooked.

Add green onion, ginger and garlic to the pan and stir fry about 30 more seconds.

Drizzle another tablespoon of oil around the sides of the pan. Add the cooked rice to the pan and break it apart, stirring to move it constantly and mixing the vegetables together to distribute throughout the rice.

Add more oil by drizzling it around the side of the wok so it is heated quickly. Continue to stir the rice mixture until it is heated and begins to brown. Rice will likely stick to the bottom of the pan, but don't worry about that. It adds flavor.

Once the rice is heated and fried slightly, add soy sauce by sprinkling it all over the top of the rice and stirring rice to distribute it. The soy sauce should be enough to help bring up the rice bits sticking to the pan, but not so much as to make the fried rice too salty.

Add the cooked egg and edamame or peas if using and give the rice a good stir. Taste the rice and add more soy sauce if needed.

Remove from heat and place fried rice into a bowl or onto a plate. Serve with additional soy sauce.

• This recipe will make 2 side dishes or 1 large serving for a hungry person. To make it more hearty, add cooked and diced chicken or pork or shrimp when you add the rice to the wok.
• All amounts are estimates -- there is no magic to the amounts indicated. Add more or less, based on your individual tastes and how many veggies you want in your fried rice.

Fried rice with nothing extra added.

Nathaniel's Flatbread Breakfast Pizza

1 fire roasted square flatbread pizza crust (we got ours at Target)
olive oil
1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
3-4 pieces of proscutto
4 pieces of bacon, fried crisp
5 eggs
butter for frying eggs
Salt and Pepper
6 fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush flatbread pizza crust with olive oil. Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese on top of crust.

Cut or tear each piece of proscutto into 4 pieces and place all over the crust. Proscutto should not be touching each other.

Bake crust for about 6-7 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown and crispy.

While the pizza is baking, melt butter in a frying pan. Carefully crack 5 eggs in the pan and fry on one side and then flip eggs to make them over-easy to over-medium done.

Place 4 cooked eggs in each corner of the pizza crust and one egg in the middle.

Crumble or cut bacon and sprinkle on top of the eggs. Then, grate fresh Parmesan cheese all over the eggs (generously).

Chiffonade basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the pizza.

Cut pizza into quarters and serve. Use crust to soak up any egg yolk that runs off the pizza.

Serves 4.

 

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

So easy, so elegant, so good.....

For each sandwich:
1 Tbsp. butter
2 slices of your favorite bread (I use Health Nut bread)
2-3 oz. sliced deli ham
2-3 oz. sliced turkey
1 slice provolone or Swiss cheese
Honey mustard
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. milk
pinch salt
Dusting of powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cherry preserves

Spread honey mustard on one or both slices of bread. Place ham on one slice of the bread and the turkey on the other. Place cheese slice between the two meats. Put the sandwich halves together.

Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Do not burn butter, but be certain it is hot and bubbly before toasting sandwich.

Place egg in a shallow pie pan. Add milk and mix until completely scrambled. Add a pinch of salt. Dip sandwich (both sides) in egg mixture, making sure the egg has saturated the bread.

Toast both sides of the bread until brown and cheese is melted, pressing down to make sure the sandwich is warmed inside. Turn several times and make sure the pan has enough butter, so that the sandwich doesn't burn.

Remove sandwich and slice in half - diagonally. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with preserves on the side for dipping. If you don't have cherry preserves, use strawberry instead.

Creamy, Cheesey Eggs Over Toast

Creamed eggs taste great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! It is an easy, high-protein meal that is great for anyone looking for a budget meal. So many variations on this recipe are available, but today, I made this for breakfast and it was a hit!

4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
4-6 pieces of bread, toasted (I use whole wheat)
Sweet Curry Powder or Sweet Paprika

In a heavy pan, melt butter, slowly sprinkle and stir in the flour until bubbly and slightly thick, add salt and stir. Slowly add the milk and stir completely (using a small wire whisk works great). On medium heat, heat milk mixture, stirring constantly (and I mean it -- don't walk away or you will scorch the bottom of the pan!). As it heat, the mixture will thicken and eventually start to boil. When it comes to a boil and is thick, turn off the burner and add the cheese and eggs. Add more cheese if you like it cheesier.

Put one piece of toast on your plate (can butter toast, but not necessary), spoon about 1/5 of the mixture on top, sprinkle with curry or paprika if desired.

Variation: crumble crispy bacon on top or you can put 3-4 stalks of cooked asparagus on top of the toast before putting the creamed eggs on top. You can also saute 1/4 cup of finely chopped sweet onion in the butter before adding the flour.

You can also serve this over biscuits or English muffins. Use your imagination!

Spinach Bacon Quiche

8 strips of bacon, cut up
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot or sweet onion
1/2 to 3/4 c. frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry or 3 cups fresh spinach, lightly fried and then squeezed dry
1 1/4 c. shredded cheese (cheddar-Swiss or cheddar-montery jack)
5 eggs
1 1/4 c. half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of nutmeg
2-3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blind bake pie crust for 8 minutes. While preparing pie crust, fry bacon until crisp, reserve 1 tsp. bacon grease and fry (until tender) the shallot or sweet onion. Sprinkle bacon, shallot or onion, spinach, and cheese in bottom of pie crust. Use a blender to whisk

together the eggs, half and half and seasonings. Pour egg mixture over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cover the pie crust with foil or a pie crust ring when the crust begins to darken. Quiche should be a golden brown color. Let quiche rest about 10 minutes, cut and serve with lettuce salad, fresh fruit and croissants.

 

 

Blind baking pie crust:

Place pie crust into 9 inch pie pan (not deep dish). Place heavy duty foil inside pie pan to cover. Remove foil and place pie crust and pie pan in the freezer and freeze for about 1/2 hour. Take from freezer and place foil over the crust, pressing down sides and top. Add pie weights (or beans or rice) in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 9 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove pie weights and foil and allow the pie crust to cool slightly. Fill pie crust as instructed above. 

By blind-baking the crust, you will get a crispy, brown bottom (no soggy bottom) and your quiche will hold together better when you cut it.