Bacon, Tomato & Caramelized Onion Quiche

I made this quiche for Zak's birthday and it was a hit.  Super yummy and just what he had envisioned.  I grew up having quiche for brunch on Christmas day, but never for dinner, like Zad had.  I had also never made quiche before, so I was a bit nervous but then I realized, I've made pie (even those cute mini chicken pot pies!) and other complicated dishes, I should be able to make this!  Anyways, huge success, going to make it again this week because: yum!!  

I basically looked at a few recipes and combined them, made it taste good and wrote down my notes.  So here is my recipe for bacon, tomato & caramelized onion quiche:

8 oz. (about 7 pieces) bacon, cut into small pieces

1 large white/yellow onion, sliced 

1 large tomato, diced

1 single recipe of pie crust (used frozen deep dish pie crust)

3 Tbl. light sour cream

4 eggs

3/4 c. half & half

dash tabasco sauce

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1 c. cheese (I used a cheddar blend, we aren't big on Swiss)

salt & pepper

butter

1.  In a large pan on medium heat, heat up a few tablespoons of butter.  Add onions, season with salt & pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.  Turn heat down to low and continue to cook until translucent and soft.

2.  Bake crust for 10 minutes at 375 degrees, cool.

3.  Fry bacon pieces while baking crust and caramelizing onions.

4.  In a small bowl, mix sour cream with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Spread on the bottom of cooled crust.

5.  In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Add half & half, tabasco, dry mustard and salt & pepper to taste.

6.  Add caramelized onions to pie crust, followed by bacon pieces, diced tomatoes and cheese.  Pour in egg mixture.

7.  Baking on cooking sheet for 40 - 45 minutes at 375 degrees

beautiful!

taken the next day, we scarfed down our pieces

Reuben Sandwich

We had delicious Reuben sandwiches for lunch today.  I had never had one before, but oh man, it was SO good!  We are going to have them again for dinner this week and I can't wait!  Zak wanted coleslaw in his, but I went tradition and used sauerkraut, yum!  It wasn't too difficult to make, once we got the swing of things.

2 slices dark rye bread
1 or 1 1/2 pieces Swiss cheese
4 oz. (?) corned beef (use your judgement)
1-2 Tbl. sauerkraut/coleslaw
1-2 Tbl. thousand island dressing

1.  Heat slices of corned beef on medium-high heat, until slightly browned.
2.  Butter bread (like making a grilled cheese) and set both buttered-sides down on griddle with cheese slices on one half (on medium heat).
3.  Once cheese has started to melt, pile corned beef on.  If you want sauerkraut, warm up and place on top.  Or just put coleslaw on top of the meat.
4.  Add dressing and place bread on top of it.  Carefully brown and flip.

Zak's deli-style lunch

:)

so delicious

Spinach Salad

I have been on a big spinach salad kick lately.  I have never been a big salad eater, but I adore this salad.  It might just be because there are other tasty things in it rather than raw vegetables, which aren't my favorite.  But I'm trying to eat better and this is one of the salads I take to work with me (sometimes I'll take a chicken Caesar salad).  And this salad, with dressing, is about 350 calories, which is great!  I have a food scale that I love, so I will list the gram/oz measurement as well as a normal measurement of each ingredient.

2 c. (38g) spinach
5-6 (1.45 oz.) cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 (30 g) dried cranberries/craisins
2 1/2 Tbl. (21 g) walnut pieces
2 Tbl. (21 g) crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. sunflower seed kernels
2 Tbl. (28g) Annie's Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette

everything you need

all ready for work tomorrow!

Taco Salad

We have taco salad often because it's easy, really yummy and lasts us for a few days, which is always great. My family has a great thousand island dressing that I posted on the blog and it goes great with this taco salad!  This last time I made it, I used a homemade taco seasoning mix, which turned out really well, definitely a keeper.  Here is what we have for taco salad:

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned with salt & pepper (also with 1 chopped onion, if desired)
3 tsp. taco seasoning mix or 1 package mix
1 can kidney beans
1 can sliced olives
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce, washed & torn
4-5 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 can corn
1-2 bags tortilla chips
grated cheese
sour cream
salsa
thousand island dressing

ingredients lined up & ready to go!

building

completed and before mixing up

Thousand Island Dressing

This recipe is a family favorite.  We use it for taco salad and it's sooo good.  It's quick to make and the ingredients are simple.  I use a quarter of the recipe for the two of us, which lasts for a few nights' worth of taco salads.

Here's the full recipe:

4 c. mayo
3/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbl. vinegar
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. sweet relish

Blend all ingredients, makes 6 cups.

My quartered recipe:

1 c. mayo
~1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 Tbl. vinger
2 Tbl. milk
1 Tbl. sugar
2 Tbl. sweet relish

all mixed up

 

Zak wanted to write on it...funny guy (we used an old ketchup bottle for this,  the quartered recipe fits pretty perfectly in it!)

Taco Seasoning

I have seen a lot of recipes out there for homemade taco seasoning.  I figure I might as well give it a shot.  Having Winco in town makes life so wonderful, because of the bulk spices.  I love it!  I used a few different recipes and came up with this.

1 Tbl. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Makes about 7 1/2 tsp.  Use about 3 tsp. for 1 lb. meat + 1/3 c. water, boil then simmer 5 min. for quick, delicious taco meat!

I plan on filling this up. I don't have a picture of it, but I wrote up the recipe and taped it to the jar!

Meatballs

The other day Zak asked if I'd make spaghetti & meatballs, which we haven't had in a long time.  I ended up using a Better Homes & Garden recipe for the meatballs, but changed it a little bit to what I thought would be good.  The meatballs turned out really yummy, I can't wait to have them again soon!

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic
1 egg
1/4 c. diced onion
3/4 c. normal breadcrumbs
sprinkles of parmesan cheese

1.  Dice onion.  Add to bowl with meat and spices.
2.  Beat egg, add with breadcrumbs.  Mix and add in cheese.
3.  Form into 1/2" (?) balls.  I got about 22 good sized meatballs from this recipe.
4.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

so delicious!