I had a really productive Saturday but did a lot of running and got home and didn't feel like cooking dinner. Turns out, I happened to be in luck. I made a quiche this morning for tomorrow's breakfast and suddenly it started to look like a great meal for this evening's dinner. One of my friends calls that the "turnaround" when her family eats breakfast food at dinnertime. So, Turnaround Saturday it is, though quiche can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This quiche recipe is so easy to make and can be made with salmon, asparagus, bacon, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, whatever you are in the mood for. Surprisingly it tastes just as good when reheated in the microwave or the oven. I didn't make mine with a crust today but if you prefer a crust, have at it. It tastes great either way. With Valentine's Day coming up, this would be a great way to surprise your sweetheart...breakfast on a tray with some fresh fruit to accompany the quiche and a mimosa...I'm just sayin'.
I'm feeling a little like Popeye as I have spinach in the quiche but am also putting spinach on my plate as a side salad with strawberries, bacon bits, toasted walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese and balsamic vinegar. It sounds a little much but trust and believe, I am quite content right about now. I have my quiche, my salad, Miles Davis playing in the background...all I need now is a glass of Moscato...perfect Saturday evening.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
3 large eggs (or 4 medium sized eggs)
1 ½ c milk or heavy cream
½ lb. Jimmy Dean hot sausage, optional
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground mustard
1 tsp parsley
½ c mild cheddar cheese
1 tbsp butter
2 c spinach, cut into pieces
½ c mushrooms, optional
In a large pan over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Add butter to medium sized saucepan and sautée mushrooms and spinach for 3-5 minutes. Drain so all of the excess water is removed.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Pour into casserole dish or pie pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, at 350 degrees, until the top is puffed and golden and the middle is almost set. Let it set for 15 minutes before slicing.
Crust
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 stick frozen unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
4 to 6 Tbsp ice cold water
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar and pulse. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, and pulse. If you are able to pinch the dough and it holds together, it is ready. If not, add a tad more water and pulse again.
Remove dough from processor and place on a clean surface. Shape dough into a disc. Do not over-knead. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Remove disk from the fridge and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before handling. Roll dough out, sprinkling with additional flour, if needed. Gently press dough into the pie dish. Line pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights, rice or dried beans. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then remove the weights and foil and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more, until lightly golden. Then add egg mixture and bake as instructed above.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
There are two things my son thinks are absolutely essential to have during the holiday season...cranberries and eggnog. He can hardly wait for Thanksgiving to be over so he can begin to see it popping up on the shelves. I have been hiding the 'nog in the back of the fridge so Andre' won't drink it all because I was planning to bake with it and was using it for Christmas breakfast. Considering I have made eggnog pound cake, egg custard pie and now these waffles...I am somewhat thankful that we will not see eggnog again for another year.
I did not plan for a large breakfast this morning because supposedly we are gathering early this year for Christmas dinner. Now of course we say that every year and if dinner is scheduled for one o'clock, we are typically eating by 3. But, of course, this would be the day that we eat on time, when we have a full belly from breakfast.
These waffles are nice and fluffy with a hint of holiday cheer--rum, nutmeg and cinnamon. Enjoy!
Eggnog Waffles
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup eggnog
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the eggnog, butter, egg and flavorings. Mix until dry ingredients are evenly moist.
Heat waffle iron. Oil or spray with cooking spray. Pour a scoop of batter on the waffle iron. Cook until indicator light goes off or until browned.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
I have been on my feet for the last 10 hours baking. Clearly it is time to throw in the towel as things are starting to go wrong. I have a caketastrophe. I am finishing up an eggnog pound cake to take to Christmas dinner at my mother's tomorrow and the cake sticks to the bottom of the pan. What the..? Say it ain't so! I am somewhat of a perfectionist. The dessert lady can't take a less than perfect cake to dinner. But honestly, at this point, it is out of my hands...my body is telling me it's officially a wrap!
Everyone loves a good pound cake. This is not your typical pound cake with a pound of all the ingredients we love but aren't supposed to eat. It is much lighter...reminds me of a coffee cake even. I said I was tired but I didn't say I wasn't creative! I saved the cake by turning it upside down and drizzling it with a little glaze. You think anyone will notice? It tastes good so that is all that matters. Merry Christmas!
Eggnog Pound Cake
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum or brandy
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with 1 cup eggnog, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in flavoring.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves together. Sprinkle spices over batter. Swirl batters together, using a knife.
Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool entirely.
Glaze
1 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp rum or brandy
Combine ingredients, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cake.
Garnish with powdered sugar, berries, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. In the spirit of Christmas, I chose to go with sugared cranberries.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
The holiday season is in full swing! I had three Christmas parties to go to in one night. I love holiday parties…looking at the Christmas décor, listening to the sounds of the season, eating some fabulous foods…but for some reason, on this particular Friday, I couldn’t quite get into the holiday spirit. Could it be because it is so cold outside (and inside, too) that I was dreading leaving my humble abode to run in and out of these events on three separate occasions? Or perhaps it is because I had such a long week and Friday evening parties don’t allow time for a nap. Gosh I sound old. I cut on my Sounds of Christmas playlist on my iPod to get in the mood…that helped a lot!
My first party was an annual Christmas party with a group of women I have come to adore over the last two years. We each bring a dish, open our Secret Santa gifts, finalize a community service project to assist someone less fortunate during the holiday season, and have lots of grins and giggles…and libations too! My contribution is always dessert. And I wanted to do something different that made me think of the holidays. So I decided on some Chocolate Peppermint cupcakes. I was thankful for an excuse to cut the stove on to get some additional heat generated. The temperature was 34 but it felt like half that. Brrrrrr.
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place brown sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in vanilla flavoring.
Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake for 12 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.
Peppermint Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
16 hard peppermint candies, finely crushed (about 1/3 cup)
Combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, and peppermint extract in a mixing bowl. Frost cupcakes. Garnish with peppermint candy.
All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.
