Quiching Cousins

If this blog was based out of Alabama, this title wouldn’t be funny, it would just be fact.

Anyways….

For a dish that has a reputation of being frivolous and feminine (who can forget the commercial of the construction guy flying away because he ate a wimpy quiche for lunch?), quiche can pack a punch. Not only is the foundation a protein rich mix of eggs, milk, and ricotta, you can add even more protein favorites such as meat and cheese. It’s also a dish that works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What I like about quiche is that the dish contains items that majority of people have in their fridge, and it’s a cinch to put together.

Over the years, I have test-run a variety of quiche recipes. Here is what I created and use time and again.

Erin’s Quiche

Ingredients:

One big happy family. Oh, ham. You're such a cut-up.

1 9 inch pie crust

Base

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup egg whites (or 2 egg whites)

1/2 can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup of ricotta cheese

Filling

1 cup of cheese (your choice, cheddar, swiss, provolone, etc.)

1 small ham steak, cubed

1/2 cup of very well drained spinach

Diced onion

Dash of dried parsley

Dash of dried tarragon

Salt & Pepper

Nothing looks good raw. Please keep going. It gets better.

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350. Unroll pie crust and put into pie dish; set aside. Mix together the base, prep the filling items. Add filling items to base and stir. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until center is set.

Serves 8. Or 1 if you are a fan of the same leftover two days straight. Every meal.

Yes. That's better.

Tips:

1. Set quiche on a cookie or pizza sheet covered with aluminum foil, just in case the quiche bubbles over. Makes for easy clean-up!

2. Don’t have ricotta? Fore go the egg whites and ricotta and use three whole eggs. The base will be more robust as opposed to fluffy, but will still taste delicious.

3. Quiche fillings are only limited to your imagination. Put in zucchini, mushrooms, bacon, broccoli, specialty cheeses, etc.

4. Take advantage of the wonderful store-bought crusts. They are easier, more convenient and consistent than making one at home. And it’s one of the few items I’ll do store-bought over homemade because it’s better. Pillsbury makes a good crust. If you want something already set in the pie dish, Marie Callender’s is also very good.

I'm great for parties!