Asparagus Quiche

{Meatless Monday}

This is a recipe that I made up one night for my book club.  It turned out so yummy, I thought I would share it here.
I basically just threw together some vegetables that I had already...asparagus, mushrooms, onions, and artichoke hearts...with some eggs, milk, and salt and pepper.

The first step to a good quiche is a good CRUST!  I use the basic recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook that is almost 20 years old...but I do have a few tricks that I think help it be flakier and therefore yummier! ; )

I use shortening for most of the fat, but then I add in about 2-3 T. COLD BUTTER sliced thinly.  Then cut it into the flour and salt using a pastry cutter.  Then I use ICE COLD water and only as much as you need to get it to just stick together.  And lastly, I roll it out between sheets of wax paper so I don't have to add any extra flour. 

I made my quiche by first sauteeing the vegetables to soften them up and give them a little flavor with some salt/pepper/garlic.

Then I cut them into small pieces for the quiche.

Mix together 6-8 (depending on the egg size and pie pan size) eggs with about 2 cups milk. If you happen to be using fresh eggs...like me...then reduce the milk down to about 1 1/2 cups.  Fresh eggs still have so much more moisture in them.  I have learned the hard way by having my quiches be a little too soft and watery.

Salt and pepper generously with your shakers.  Place veggies in the bottom of the uncooked pie crust (you can also precook the crust for just about 5 minutes to MAKE SURE it gets cooked well on the bottom, but I am often in too much of a hurry!)

 If you want, you can grate some cheese over the vegetables before you pour the eggs in.  Cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack would all work well.  I just used a little medium cheddar that I always have on hand.

Pour egg mixture over.  Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes.  The baking time is pretty approximate.  It all depends on how many eggs vs. milk I throw in.  But it is never less than 40 minutes.  Just keep checking until it looks done and pretty much firm in the middle.  If your crust is getting too dark, you can always put foil strips around the edges.

We end up making quiche for dinner whenever we are getting stocked up on eggs from our little chicks!  ; )  You'll probably notice that whenever I make time consuming breakfast items (ie..anything other than cereal or oatmeal) I am making it for dinner.  I am just not that much of a breakfast baker...muffins every once in a while...but other than that, we have all of our pancakes/waffles/quiche etc. for dinner.  Most of the time when Dad is working late and the kids are ecstatic to eat breakfast for dinner...and it is super easy for Mom!

Banana Crumb Muffins

This is a recipe that I found online this summer while visiting a friend in St. George.  She was gone to a dentist appointment and I wanted to use some bananas that I had brought with me.  I searched online and found this and it is a new favorite. 

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 mashed bananas
1 cup white sugar (I use about 2/3 cup)
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted (I use about 1/4 cup black bean puree, then top it off with the butter)

Crumb topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 T flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly grease muffin pan.

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add all at once: mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, and melted butter/puree.  Mix just until moistened.  Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 T flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1 T butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle over muffin batter and bake at 375 for 16-18 min.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins

This is a new muffin recipe that I got off of New Nostalgia and it has replaced our old 50/50 muffins my mom always made when I was growing up! (Sorry, mom! ; )

I have changed the recipe so that it make 18 muffins.  With my size family, 12 is just never enough! ;)

Here's what you need:
1 1/2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
Soak these together about 30-60 minutes before you make these ( I rarely remember that far in advance and they always turn out! Mine probably soak for about 10 minutes most days. ; )

1/2 c. shortening/oil--I use FULL substitution with black bean puree
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Cream together shortening (puree) with sugar and eggs.  Add in dry ingredients and stir.  Add buttermilk mixture.  Stir until moist.  Can add blueberries, if desired. 

Bake at 400 for 9-11 minutes.

These are so delicious right out of the oven with my favorite strawberry freezer jam.  My kids (who you might see as totally brainwashed ; ) think these are a total treat.  I make them a lot for their after school snack.

I do firmly believe that you can change your family's "sugar-meter"...if they aren't pouring Pixie sticks down their throats all the time, then something like this muffin can actually taste sweet to them. 
Just so you know...my kids do enjoy a Pixie stick every once in a while! ;)  Just not very often.

Sleepin' In Omelette

This is a fabulous recipe that I found on the Pioneer Woman's site a number of years ago.  It is a fabulous breakfast casserole...the BEST I've ever tasted.  So much flavor and so easy to throw together!

I thought I had posted this a long time ago...and I KNOW that at some point I had pictures of it...but I can't find them anymore.  I will take pics the next time I make it...or you can head HERE to see PW's post about it.  She has about 42 pictures! ; )   I have altered her recipe a bit (she seems to be able to eat unspeakable amounts of fat and not have it transfer directly to her hips).  ; )

Sleepin' In Omelette
6 whole Onion Rolls
1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
4 ounces (1/2 pkg) Cream Cheese--I use Nufchatel
6 T Butter
10 whole Eggs
2 cups Milk
1 teaspoon Chopped Chives
½ teaspoons Dry Mustard
½ teaspoons Salt
1 dash Cayenne Pepper


Butter a 9×13 baking dish.
Cut onion rolls into cubes and place on bottom of 9X13. Top with shredded cheese.  Cut cream cheese into small chunks and place all over the bread.  (I use two knives to slice and place the very sticky Nufchatel chunks.) Cut butter into thin pats and place over the top.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the top of everything. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, bake at 325 degrees, covered, for 45 minutes. Then remove foil and continue baking at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
**I find that it will cook more quickly if it has about an hour to sit on the counter before cooking.  Otherwise, just plan for a little extra cooking time.  I also have found that in order for it to be cooked all the way to the middle the edges and bottom get a little overdone.  But they are still so yummy...we eat every last bit of this casserole!

Farmhouse Corn Cakes

{Meatless Monday}
At 6:30 pm tonight, I had no idea what I was making for dinner.  I only had 3 eggs, a tiny bit of milk, no tortillas, only 3 pieces of bread and we've had pasta the last 2 nights....so when I saw bags of frozen corn, I quickly ran upstairs and googled Corn Cakes.  They were delicious and seriously about the only thing I could have made with what I had.  I amazingly even had an avocado (not the norm for me!).

On a side note:
I officially HATE my point and shoot camera!!  My SLR is in the van that my husband has and my little camera only takes a decent photo in really good lighting....but in low light--it STINKS!!
So here's the best shot I could get ; )...  (they really were delicious!!)

Farmhouse Corn Cakes
about 3 cups frozen corn, mostly thawed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 T melted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup of your favorite cheese, grated (I used cheddar and pepper jack)
2 T chopped chives
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor 3-4 times until corn is coarsely chopped.  (I just used my blender and briefly blended it until it was about half creamed)

Stir together flour, cornmeal, cheese, chives, and salt and pepper.
Add corn mixture and blend until moistened.

Cook in buttered skillet about 3 minutes each side, until browned and firm.

Serve with Salsa, sour cream, and diced avocado.

They were a quick and EASY thing to throw together for dinner with just me and the kids.

Down-to-Earth Granola

I have been making this granola for years and can't even remember where I got the recipe.  I like it because it is just a basic recipe...no fancy ingredients and not expensive to put together.  It is also a wonderful way to use up a LOT of oats that are going out of date in my food storage.

I always double the recipe...since if I make just one batch, it is literally gone in about 2 days!

Here's what you need:

4 c. oats
1 1/2 c. sliced almonds (I double everything except the almonds--I think this is enough for 2 batches)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt--go a little easy, I think it can tend to be too salty...I use about 3/4 tsp for a double batch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. cooking oil
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup craisins, optional

***Here are some additions I have started doing since posting this.  It is really good with about 1/3-1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds added in with the nuts. And I have started doing 1/2 almonds and 1/2 pecans.  I've started tripling the recipe when I make it and I now use 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup applesauce.  It really holds it together a little better and you are eliminating a good amount of fat and sugar in the process.***

As far as the oats...you can use either quick or old-fashioned.  I use half and half because my food storage was all quick oats and I need to use them.  But if I were buying oats for this, I think the old-fashioned is better because they are bigger pieces and I like the texture better with the bigger flakes.

Preheat oven to 300*.
Combine oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in large bowl.  Let the kids break up the little chunks of brown sugar!

Warm cooking oil and honey in saucepan.   Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Drizzle over oats mixture and GENTLY stir.  Try to leave some clumps together.  If it seems too dry, you can always drizzle a little more oil or honey into it.  Spread onto cookie sheet(s).

Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool completely.  Stir in craisins, if desired.

Your house will smell AMAZING...I made this yesterday, and all my kids were asking what I had made the moment they walked in the door!

You could add wheat germ, or flax seed, or any other mix in you would like.  I would just increase the oil/honey mix to compensate for the added bulk.

This is so delicious on top of vanilla yogurt...that is my all-time favorite way to eat it!

IHOP Harvest Grains Pancake/Waffle Mix

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to post...but I don't have any pictures to show you. We went to IHOP with my parents before they went into the MTC and we had these DELICIOUS pancakes. So I came home and found the recipe online and we love it!

It is a mix recipe...so you will mix it up once and then be able to make MANY batches of pancakes or waffles.
This is how I make them:

9 1/4 cups flour (half white/half wheat)
1 1/8 cup quick oats
3 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 c. wheat germ
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts (walnuts/pecans/almonds...I usually mix them)
5 3/4 T baking powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 tsp salt
(2 1/3 T dry malt...I've never found this, so I leave it out!)

Store in container until ready to use.

Use 2 cups mix with:
1 3/4 cups buttermilk (I often use regular milk for 1/2 of the amount)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
6 T melted butter
1 tsp water

I have made this as pancakes or waffles. If the batter seems too thick, just use a little more milk. These are my kids favorite pancakes...they are so hearty and just plain good!

Especially with buttermilk syrup...as if regular syrup isn't bad enough!

Enjoy!!