Basic Quiche

Almost anything can be added to this basic quiche recipe to make it truly your own. I will list the ingredients and method and then notes on how I make my favorite version.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
2 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (I use a convection oven.)

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Place shredded cheese in the pie shell. Pour egg mixture over cheese.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
I use a deep dish pie pan (because I add extra goodies) and lightly spray it with cooking oil.

I use all Jarlsberg cheese and usually between 6-8 ounces. I have used Jarlsberg with a mozzarella/Monterey Jack blend as well.

I like this Quiche with vegetables. In a saute pan with a little olive oil, I mix chopped onion with chopped sweet peppers (green, red, yellow) and maybe some sliced mushrooms, and also a 6-ounce bag of baby spinach. Add the spinach last after the vegetables have softened and cover the pan until it wilts.

Layer the cheese in the bottom of the pie dish. Then layer the vegetables on top of the cheese and then pour the egg mixture over. Bake as indicated above.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

This has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for many years now. Only makes about two dozen, but that's probably a good thing because they are very rich and very good and very hard to stop eating!

2/3 cup butter (10 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons), at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 bars (3 ounces each) Swiss dark chocolate, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Note: For the chocolate you can use 9-oz. of good quality chocolate chips, such as Ghiradelli semi-sweet or 60% cacao. Your preference.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two 17 x 14-inch cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper, which is what I do. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla at medium-high speed until fluffy. Reduce mixer to low, and add flour, increase mixer speed gradually and beat until just blended. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls dough 2-1/2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time 17 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned and tops look dry. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove to rack to cool completely. Makes 22.

Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches

This recipe was giving to me by an office mate who's wife made these for one of our office parties. They are easy and delicious!

1 pkg. (12 count) Hawaiian bread rolls
1 lb. shaved Black Forest ham
12 slices Gruyere cheese
1 tub (8 oz.) Philadelphia® Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T dried minced onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.
Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with Gruyere.
On each of the roll tops, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.
In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at lease 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)
Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy! Yield: 12

NOTE: I shredded chunk Gruyere as I could not find slices. Your butter mixture will look a little curdled once together. Don't worry--it's supposed to look like that.

Butternut Squash Soup

I wanted to make some Butternut Squash Soup to go with our Tailgate Sandwiches. It was a great combination.

2 T Butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
32-oz. chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTE: I used a 16-oz. bag of frozen butternut squash and I blended in about one-half cup of sour cream after the soup had been pureed, heating through gently.

Cheese Cake

This easy Cheese Cake recipe actually makes a pie.

Make a graham cracker crust for an 8-9-inch pie using the directions on the graham cracker crumb box or keep it extra simple and buy a pre-made graham cracker crust. I prefer to make mine.

Brush the pie crust shell with one beaten egg yolk (mix with a tiny bit of water if too thick) and bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool.

One 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese (beaten)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash salt

Blend these ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then add 2 eggs, one at a time, beat after each. I also add the egg white from the egg yolk I used to brush on the pie shell. Pour filling into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients. Spoon over top of pie and spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes longer. Chill several hours. Serve plain or with your favorite fresh berries.

Black Dog Chili

Don't worry--no black dogs were harmed while making this great chili alternative.

One 1-lb. pkg. flavorful hot dogs diced into quarter-inch pieces (I use Nathan's Beef franks)
1-lb. ground turkey or turkey breast
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small orange bell pepper, diced
Two 6-oz. cans tomato paste
Two 15-oz. cans black beans, rinse and drain
Two 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice
4 tsp. chili powder
1 and 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. red (cayenne) pepper

Brown ground turkey in vegetable oil with onion and garlic. Add diced dogs, bell peppers and seasonings. Thoroughly stir in tomato paste. Add beans and tomatoes and simmer on low heat until all ingredients are soft, stirring often. Serve straight or over rice or pasta. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. I serve straight with the sour cream and cheese and tortilla chips to scoop or crumble.

Maryland Crab Soup

Enjoy this Maryland favorite!

Two 46-oz. cans V-8 (one spicy and one regular)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1-lb. baby red potatoes, skin on, cut into chunks
2-lb. bag frozen mixed vegetables
3 large carrots, pared and sliced
Two 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
 2 tsp. Old Bay (or to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-lb. Blue Crab meat, picked

Put all ingredients except crab meat in large soup pot and let simmer till vegetables are tender. Add crab meat and heat through. Adjust seasonings. Always best the second day after flavors have melded.