Quiche - Audrey

When Scott and Carolyn visited in March, I made a bacon quiche for them, and left it on the stove to cool. About an hour later, I went back to the kitchen for something and it was completely gone! I was pretty flattered, and I wrote down the recipe for them. Since then I have made bacon and also spinach quiches for some other guests, and who knew it would be so popular? Everyone loves quiche! Also, it is quick to make - about an hour from start to finish.


How to make a Quiche

You need the following ingredients:

1. a package of two rolled-up pie crusts - you can find them in the refridgerator case by the biscuits

2. about 8 oz of cheese - you can buy it in a block and cut it into tiny pieces or buy it already grated. Use Monteray Jack, or a mix of Monteray Jack and Colby.

3. a box of microwave bacon, or half a package of regular bacon.

4. 3 eggs

5. 1 c. of milk


Start by preheating the oven to 375.

Cook the bacon until it's crispy and let it drain on a paper towel.

Unroll one of the pie crusts and spread it out evenly in the pie plate. Press it down gently into the pan.

Cut the cheese into small pieces (or grate it), or just use the bag of grated cheese. Spread the cheese out evenly in the bottom of the pie crust.

Break up your cooked bacon into pieces about an inch square and spread all the pieces evenly over the cheese. I usually sprinkle dried onion flakes over the bacon, but that is optional.

Break the 3 eggs into a small bowl, and stir them up with a fork until they are blended.

Stir the cup of milk into the eggs until it is all blended together.

Pour the milk mixture over the cheese and bacon.

Bake the quiche in the oven for 45 minutes, then take it out of the oven and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. I usually test to be sure it is done by slipping a butter knife into the center - if it comes out clean, the quiche is done. You can serve it hot or cold, or at room temperature. It's good either way.

If you want to make spinach or broccoli quiche, steam a package of pre-cut fresh broccoli or a bag of baby spinach for about 3 minutes in the microwave, and spread that over the cheese instead of bacon. Don't forget to sprinkle on the onion flakes, or a bit of chopped, sauteed fresh onion.

Beanie Weenie Soup -Rachel

Beanie Weanie Soup

I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. It started with eggs. I always wanted eggs for breakfast, but I was kind of picky about how they were cooked. They had to be just right. The white part needed to be cooked all the way through, but the yolk still had to be soft and bouncy (we called that a "boing-boing yolk"). I think I made a lot of people miserable with those specifications because it's really hard to keep the yolk from breaking or becoming too firm. Finally, mom had had enough of my criticism. She decided if I made the egg myself, I couldn't complain about how it turned out and I would see how tricky it was. So, she taught little 7-year old me, how to make a fried egg.

That started it. I loved to cook. I thought it was fascinating. Some of my more memorable cooking fiascos include: the time a friend and I decided to make a cooking show. We have a videotape of us making cookies, but at one point we couldn't decide if 2 tsp of salt meant teaspoon or tablespoon. We decided it was tablespoon. The cookies were inedible.

Then there was the Saturday morning when Scott and I were up early watching Saturday morning cartoons and were inspired by Alvin and the Chipmunks to start cooking. Mom and Dad were still asleep, so we made sure to ask if it was ok to cook something. Mom, thinking I was referring to cooking eggs, said ok. I decided to make cupcakes though... without a recipe. If Theodore could do it, so could I. Mom and dad came down later that morning to VERY heavy whole wheat cupcakes (because all we had was whole wheat flour) that were covered in an olive colored green slime/glaze also made with whole wheat flour (because obviously you put flour in icing). I still have to give props to the guy who came by that day trying to sell Mom and Dad a water softening system. He kindly took and ate a cupcake offered to him by a little girl who was feeling pretty pleased with herself.

Then, the best possible thing happened. I got a cookbook! It was a soft cover Disney's Mickey Mouse cookbook.


It was so cool. The book was made for kids. It had recipes like Peter Pan's Pasta, which was not a recipe for pasta salad or spaghetti. It was a recipe for how to cook noodles. The ingredients were noodles and water. It also had things like Cinderella's Grilled Cheese Sandwhich (2 slices of bread and a slice of cheese) and Sher Khan's Orange Float (orange soda and vanilla ice cream). It was great! That cookbook taught me so much! The biggest thing it taught me though was that you could add to something that was already good. Canned soup for example. You didn't just have to eat canned soup. You could add simple ingredients to it and make it better! What a concept! The Beanie Weanie Soup recipe became my favorite.

1 can condensed bean with bacon soup
1 hot dog, sliced

Open can of soup and put it into a sauce pan. Add one can of water and mix. Add hot dog. Cook till hot.

Variations:
Since the first revelation that you can embellish canned soup, this recipe has evolved over the years because I LOVE bean with bacon soup and I am forever adding to it to create new and wonderful concoctions. Instead of adding hot dogs, you can also add cheese (or add cheese along with the hot dog if you like). I also like to add salt, pepper, ginger, and nutmeg which just gives the soup a great flavor. Finally, I actually only use about half a can of water when I make condensed soup because it makes a thicker soup.

Mom's Potato Salad - Rachel

Mom's Potato Salad

Most of the time when I think of potato salad, I think of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is not only a celebration of our veterans, but I think it's also a celebration of the first day of summer. School is usually out by now, or just about to end, the pools open, and most people have the day off of work. Celebration, therefore, takes the form of a picnic/barbeque and potato salad is a crucial part of the spread.

We never really had picnics growing up though. Mom hates eating outdoors because it's messy and there are bugs everywhere and there's always the risk of touching something green - like grass or shrubbery. Ick. She liked making potato salad though, so potato salad, growing up, was not so much a side at a picnic, as it was the main course for dinner every other week or so. As a kid, I dreaded those nights. There just seemed something inherently wrong with potato salad. I think it had something to do with the mayonnaise and the egg yolk. I liked the egg whites and the potatoes, but I always ate my way around the celery and tried to scrap off as much of the dressing as I could on the bits I wanted to eat.

Years later though, I find myself thinking about her potato salad with fondness. I've tried a lot of different potato salads since then and none of them have been as good as Mom's. Mom's potato salad is wonderfully simple with big chunks of potatoes and eggs, a simple dressing, and nice light seasonings. It's great for a hot summer day when you want something cool or for a winter evening when you want something hearty and yet still reminiscent of warmer times. I love it!

2 large potatoes
4 eggs
1 large stick celery, chopped
1 dill pickle, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
Salt, pepper, curry powder, and dill weed

Peel and cut potatos into chunks. Place potatoes in a pan with eggs and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and let boil for about 20 min. By this time, the potatoes should be cooked, but not too mushy, and the eggs should be hard-boiled. Take pan off the heat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let potatoes and eggs cool.

Put potatoes in a bowl. Peel eggs and cut whole egg into chunks and add these to the bowl along with celery and dill pickle.

Mix in mayonnaise and mustard, then season with spices to taste.

*Note: This recipe makes a small batch of potato salad, probably enough for 2-3 people.

Variations:
I don't care what Mom says, mayonnaise is NOT better than Miracle Whip. I totally prefer using Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise when I make this recipe. I like the flavor it adds so much better. Maybe that was why I didn't like potato salad as a kid. Anyway, you can substitute Miracle Whip for mayonnaise if you like and I will think no less of you. Also, some people like adding chopped red onions and/or bacon to their potato salad. These are also a nice touch. Finally, when I was asking mom for the specifics on this recipe, she also suggested celery salt as a spice that could be added.