Mini Quiches

Two weeks ago, I served breakfast to a bride and all of her "ladies-in-waiting" at the salon where they were being styled for the afternoon nuptials. My friend (the groom's sister) who commissioned me to provide food, put in a request for mini quiches. I went with two varieties that I thought would appeal to a wide range of tastes: Ham and Cheese and Spinach Bacon. I served these lil' quiches alongside my Frosty Fruit Cups, a Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (recipe coming soon!), Strawberry Mimosas, Sangria Punch, and OJ.

You can turn any quiche recipe into a mini-quiche. The individual serving sized mini-quiche is ideal for parties and showers and they re-heat better than a big quiche, should you choose to make them ahead.


Let's begin with the ham and cheese quiche. This one has a flaky, pastry crust. I made my own dough, but only because I didn't have any refrigerated pie dough sheets on hand. I'd forgotten to pick them up when shopping for this job. If you want to skip a step and save time, then buy the dough at the store. Once the dough is prepared, roll half into a 12 inch circle and cut 4 inch circles out of the dough. I used a big cookie cutter, but any 4 inch round cutter will work. Repeat with the other half of the dough until you have 12 circles.



Gently press the circles into 12 muffin cups.



This recipe is very versatile. Once you've got the cups in place, you can fill them with whatever you like. Shrimp, crab, ham, bacon.... I chopped a cup of shaved ham and evenly distributed it into the 12 cups.



I topped the ham with finely chopped onion and cheese.



I used Swiss, but again, you can use whatever you fancy.



Now here's where I might lose some of you with this recipe. The secret ingredient: mayonnaise. My sister, Karla, hates mayonnaise. Like, with a passion! She hates it so much that if she already loves a food and then finds out later that there was mayonnaise in it, she will NEVER eat it again. The discovery will disturb her for hours. I'm serious, I just watched this happen to her on my last visit home. We were enjoying a bourbon cheese spread that she'd brought back from a recent visit to Kentucky. As we sat in her new home, visiting and snacking, she happened to read the label. It practically ruined her day. I've witnessed her picky tendencies for my whole life, and I still thought that she was joking at first. She wasn't. I thought that she was going to develop a twitch! If you hate mayonnaise as much as my sister, then yeah, find another recipe. If you're just not sure about using it in this recipe, then please, give it a try. These little quiches were SO good!

Mix together mayonnaise, eggs, milk, and a little salt.



Then slowly pour the mixture over the quiches. Be careful not to let them overflow.



I poured a little of the mayo mixture over the quiches at first, and then as it soaked in, I went back through and poured more on, until I used all of the mixture evenly among the quiches.



And that's it...they baked and then I cooled them on racks. You can serve them right away, but I put these into the fridge and re-heated them in the oven the next morning before the event.



Here's the recipe, from Cooks.com

INDIVIDUAL QUICHES

Pastry for 2 crust pie
1 c. chopped cooked shrimp, ham or bacon
1/4 c. chopped onion
4 to 6 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. milk

On floured surface roll 1/2 of pastry into 12 inch circle. Cut 6 circles 4 inch in diameter. Repeat with other half of pastry. Fit these circles into 12 muffin tins. Fill each with some meat (shrimp), onion and cheese. Beat together remaining contents and pour over cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes


The Spinach Bacon quiches were quite different from the ham and cheese. First, they are crustless. Second, there is no mayonnaise (you're welcome, little sister). But what these DO have is a TON of cheese. Yay for cheese! These were packed with ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

I began by frying 3 strips of bacon, until crispy. Then I drained the bacon on paper towels and crumbled it.



I sauteed half of a chopped onion in the bacon drippings until tender.



Next you are supposed to add the drained, chopped spinach and spiced to the skillet with the onion and cook it for another 3 minutes until the remaining moisture cooks off of the spinach. I didn't do this. I didn't read the recipe very well, I guess.
Ooops. Instead, I just combined all of the ingredients in a bowl. Luckily, the quiches turned out perfectly despite my oversight.



Here's what it looks like all mixed up.



Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cups and bake. Super easy...super good!



Unfortunately, I was in the middle of working on 2 or three other recipes for the breakfast and I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product. These did come out really nice. They were golden brown and popped right out of the muffin tins and tasted wonderful!

Here's the recipe, found on TLC's website.

Individual Spinach and Bacon Quiches

INGREDIENTS

3 slices bacon
1/2 small onion, diced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1 container (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten

PREPARATION:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10 muffin pan cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2.Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let bacon cool; crumble.
3.In same skillet, cook and stir onion in remaining bacon fat 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat about 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. Stir in bacon; cool.
4.Combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in large bowl. Add eggs; stir until well blended. Add cooled spinach mixture; mix well.
5.Divide mixture evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake 40 minutes or until filling is set. Let stand 10 minutes. Run thin knife around edges to release. Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving Size: 1 quiche
Fiber 1 g
Carbohydrate 4 g
Cholesterol 105 mg
Saturated Fat 9 g
Total Fat 15 g
Calories from Fat 62 %
Calories 216
Protein 17 g
Sodium 405 mg

Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

I made this Farmer's Breakfast Casserole for the first of a series of breakfasts that I catered for a friend's family over the course of her brother's wedding weekend. By all accounts, this was a big hit. Even though I never sampled the finished product or even got a picture of the finished product, I knew that it would be delicious. This breakfast casserole is packed with good stuff. It's like an "everything" omelette!

Although I don't remember doing so, I tore this recipe for Farmer's Breakfast Casserole out of the February 1996 edition of Better Homes and Garden's magazine and placed it in my recipe files. In February of 1996 I turned 19. I was a freshman at Purdue University and a Political Science/Agriculture Economics double major. I lived in a tiny 5th floor dorm room with a difficult roommate. I had just pledged my sorority and broken up with my hometown boyfriend. I was having fun with my new "sisters" (hiding out from the crazy roomie and going to frat parties) and trying to find a balance in my life between party girl and responsible student. With all of that going on, I guess I just never got around to making this. Now I'm a "retired" high school Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec) teacher and the stay-at-home mother of two. February of 1996 seems like a lifetime ago. But apparently I had good taste in recipes, even then.

When I was flipping through my recipe files, choosing options to present to my friend for the weekend menu for her family and the bridesmaids, this recipe jumped out at me. We both agreed that it sounded delicious...but she wanted to add more veggies. The original recipe only called for green onion. I couldn't agree more. She suggested green peppers and mushrooms. I took notes. Then I went shopping and realized that zucchini would be really nice here too. Some fresh diced tomato would work well also, although I didn't add any this time. That's what I love about almost any recipe, you can really make it your own, adding seasonal ingredients and adjusting to the tastes of those who will eat it. The original recipe did inspire me, but I pretty much left it by the wayside as I created this breakfast casserole.

I decided that I would saute the requested green pepper with some sweet onion until both were tender.



I mixed the sauteed onions and peppers with 3 cups of prepared hash browns. Then I spread the mixture into the bottom of a greased (I used cooking spray) 9 X 13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.



Then I chopped a zucchini and sliced 4-6 oz. of fresh mushrooms and distributed them over the hashbrowns. You can give this another light dusting of salt and pepper if you like.



Next, chop up 1 cup of Canadian bacon and sprinkle that over the zucchini and mushrooms.



Now for the cheese! I went with shredded cheddar. I think that this is about a cup...or more.




Next, I mixed together 6 eggs, a 12 oz can of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of "regular" milk, and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper.



I poured the egg mixture over all of that good stuff in the casserole dish, then covered it and put in into the fridge for the night.



This dish bakes at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until the center is set. Unfortunately, I wasn't around when the casserole was served, so I don't have a picture of the finished product. Guess I'll just have to make it again so that I can taste it myself. : )

Here's the recipe:

Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

3 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced
1/2 of a green pepper, diced
cooking oil of choice
1 small zucchini, chopped
4-6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Canadian bacon, diced
3/4- 1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Jack, whatever...)
6 eggs
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish. Heat oil in a skillet. Saute onion and green pepper in the skillet until tender. Mix with hash browns. Spread the hash brown mixture evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Salt and pepper. Top with zucchini, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, and cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together until frothy. Pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until the center is set.

For a printable copy of this recipe, please click here.

Eggs in Purgatory

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Deep South Dish, it's my go-to Southern cooking resource. Mary always has the best recipes and these eggs, cooked up in a spicy creole tomato sauce and served over creamy, cheesy grits did not disappoint!

After being away for 2 weeks, I was excited to return to our normal at-home routine, which includes cooking meals in my kitchen and sitting around the dinner table with our little family. Then my husband needed to cover the second shift in his office this week, so I was setting a table for 3 when dinnertime rolled around. One of the best parts of our day is when we all sit down together around the table and talk and laugh as we fill our bellies. So, I shifted gears and began making brunch as our main meal of the day so that we could return to this tradition that had been put on hold during our travels. With the tomatoes that I had brought back from the farm and my craving for spicy food, this recipe was an easy choice for a mid-week meal.

I began by frying up some bacon. You only need 3 slices of bacon, but I fried a whole skillet so that my daughters could enjoy eggs and bacon while my husband and I dove into our Eggs in Purgatory.



I removed the bacon from the skillet and then sauteed some sweet onion and green pepper in the bacon fat until tender.



Next, I stirred in a few tablespoons of tomato paste and let that cook for about 3 minutes.



I removed the skin from 4 Roma tomatoes (drop in boiling water, then move to cold water and the skin will peel right off.) Then I chopped them up and....



Added them to the onion and pepper in the skillet with a can of Rotel Original and 3 slices of crumbled bacon.



I simmered the mixture for a 20-30 minutes while I went to work on my grits. Then I made 4 wells in the tomato mixture and cracked the eggs right into their little tomato sauce nests in the skillet.




I snagged one of my grandma's cast iron skillets while I was home, finally giving me a piece of cookware that can go from stovetop to oven. I baked this in a 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until the eggs were set.



Then I sprinkled on some Colby Jack cheese and returned it to the oven for another minute or two until the cheese melted.



To serve, I put down a nice layer of those cheesy grits in a bowl, then spooned on the egg and lots of that chunky, spicy tomato sauce. Mary recommended serving this up with a thick slice of buttery toast. Good call! We were definitely fans of this recipe. You will want seconds! Mmmmm.




Eggs in Purgatory
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Garlic cheese grits
4 slices of bacon
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup of coarsely chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can of chunky Rotel tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Shredded cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut up the bacon into a cast iron skillet and cook until just about crisp. Remove and set aside, reserving the bacon drippings. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped fresh tomato and the Rotel. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Make a batch of cheese grits while the tomatoes are simmering and hold them over low, stirring occasionally.

Using a spoon, make 4 wells in the sauce and crack one egg into each well and sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper. Using pot holders, carefully transfer the entire skillet into the preheated oven. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until yolk is set as desired. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, if desired, and return to the oven 30 seconds to 1 minute, or just until cheese is melted.

Serve over hot cheese grits and with thick crunchy, buttery toast.