The best of both worlds: Quiche

I don't know when it happened, but I have become a fan of quiche. My mom can tell you that when I was child and asked, "Mom, what's for dinner?" I was crossing my fingers that it wasn't quiche. It's not that she made bad quiche, it's just that I wasn't a huge fan of eggs for dinner. Now I'm craving my mom's quiche...

Making a quiche is a lot like making a pizza. You start with a crust (my favorite part!) then add cheese and whatever toppings you like, bake, and voila!

This week I have been craving comfort food. I miss my family, and in some way am trying to recreate the "smells from the past" to comfort me. My grownup palate now likes quiche. Funny how that happens.

When I was drafting the recipe, I was thinking of ways to make it healthier without sacrificing flavor and richness. I replaced the cream and half and half with milk, used reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, and added more flavorful vegetables and herbs. That way I didn't feel guilty about using a buttery crust.

This quiche is great because you can put it together in 10 minutes, if you use a ready-made refrigerated piecrust. It's even better if you use the pastry recipe found below. I hope you enjoy!

The Best of Both Worlds Quiche

Crust

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. butter (cold, cut into tiny pieces)

4 Tbs. (1/2 c.) shortening (cold, cut into tiny pieces)

2 Tbs. vodka

2 Tbs. cold water

extra flour for rolling out dough

9 in. tart pan or pie dish

Filling

1/2 vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1/2 c. mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 c. spinach

4 eggs (or equal amount egg white substitute)

1 c. milk (I used almond milk and it turned out great!)

1/2 c. shredded part skim mozzarella

1/2 c. reduced fat sharp cheddar shredded (I buy the blocks and shred my own)

2-4 oz. smoked turkey cut into tiny cubes (could use ham or bacon)

1 tsp. cracked pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

(optional): 2 tsp. dried chives, 1 tsp. dried shallots

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with knives (I used my kitchenaid mixer with the whisk attachment) until mixture resembles small breadcrumbs. Using a fork, add vodka 1 Tbs. at a time and mix. Add water 1 Tbs. at a time until a soft dough forms. Form into a disc. Using extra flour, roll dough into a 10-11 in. circle. Transfer to pie plate or tart pan.

Lightly grease a sautee pan using butter or olive oil. Sautee onion over medium high heat until caramelized. Transfer onions to the tart pan, and distribute evenly over bottom of crust. In the same sautee pan, add mushrooms, and sautee until golden brown. Layer over onions in tart pan. Grease same pan again. Add spinach and sautee until just wilted. Distribute spinach evenly over mushrooms. Sprinkle cubed turkey meat and both cheeses over the spinach.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and spices together. Pour mixture evenly over the other ingredients in the tart pan. Place pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 40-50 min. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Everything's coming up pumpkin

Fall is officially here! The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks. Honestly I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but there's something about that pumpkin-y concoction that evokes images of jumping in leaf piles and snuggling up under a plaid wool blanket. I love it!

This week I made not one, but three pumpkin-based creations; pumpkin truffles, pumpkin gnocchi, and pumpkin banana bread.

I adapted the pumpkin banana bread recipe from several I found online. The recipe was a success! So moist and delicious. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Banana Bread

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 can or 8 oz. canned pumpkin
• 2 medium sized bananas mashed
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together sugars and oil. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Add mashed bananas and pumpkin to wet mixture, mix well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix with wet ingredients until just combined. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

In the beginning, God created butter, flour, and sugar...and it was delicious.

I've heard that the first step on the road to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. So, here it is: I, Colleen McCullough, have a baking problem. It's not just a habit, it's an obsession. My three poisons are flour, sugar and butter. The infinite combinations of these three ingredients taunt my taste buds and fire my creativity. My goal here is to share stories, recipes, and pictures of my successes and failures in the kitchen. And so it begins...

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and rainbow sprinkles 10/01/2010.

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Cream Cheese Frosting recipe:

1 8oz. package of Philly cream cheese (the brand counts on this one!)

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3-4 c. powdered sugar (or enough to form stiff peaks when mixed)

Directions: Allow butter and cream cheese to soften to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese on medium power with electric mixer. Add vanilla and mix well. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup and a time, scraping bowl constantly to avoid lumps. Mix on high to whip frosting to desired texture.

*tip* for perfectly swirled frosting peaks, transfer frosting to a gallon-size ziploc bag. With scissors, snip off one corner, about 1/2 in. in width, and pipe frosting in a circular motion onto cupcake. Voila!