Chile Cheese Quiche

I know I’ve said this a bunch of times recently……and I truly meant it each and every time I said it.

Each and every.single.time….

But this weekend, I swear, come hell or high water, I WILL finish painting that dang family room.

Mark my words…..

Chile and Cheese Quiche – adapted from epicurious.com

1 9″ prepared pastry shell (I used a frozen crust)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 lb poblano chiles (about 4 large), roasted and peeled (I used canned whole chiles)
1 red pepper, roasted and peeled
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.Line shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 20 to 25 minutes.Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until deep golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Put pan in a shallow baking pan. Leave oven on.Discard seeds, ribs, and stems from chiles and pepper, then pat dry if necessary and cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips.

Whisk together eggs, milk, ricotta, minced garlic, and pepper in a large bowl until just combined, then pour into baked tart shell.

Sprinkle cheese, chiles and red pepper over custard (chiles will sink slightly) and bake until custard is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. (Center will jiggle slightly; filling will continue to set as it cools.)

Transfer quiche in pan to a rack to cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Corn Flake Crumbles

I have one thing to say regarding these crumbles…..well, one sentence, actually.

Make them. And be prepared to make more when you discover how delicious they are.

Okay okay….. that was actually TWO sentences.

And they were quite profound and eloquent, wouldn’t you say?

Corn Flake Crumbles – adapted from seriouseats.com

3/4 cup corn flakes, crushed
3/4 cup old fashioned or rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2- to 1/4-inch dice
6 tablespoons fruit preserves (I used ginger preserves)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 6 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, mix together corn flakes, oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking powder until combined. Add butter to the bowl and rub in, using your fingers, until dough has the consistency of wet sand.

Fill muffin cups halfway with corn flake mixture, pressing down with your fingers. Add one tablespoon of fruit preserves to each cup, then top with remaining cornflake mixture. Press down to smooth. Bake crumbles until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, then release from pan and serve.

Thousand word Thursday

Our first trip to Lake Mead – May 27, 2012

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Question of the day:

What do you do when your parents bring home two full flats of strawberries – and you realize that they are perilously close to expiring?

Wait – I am referring to the berries expiring……. not my parents……

I ruminated the fact that I could either make a pie, or go into a baking realm I’ve never visited before and make this:

To the untrained eye, it appears to be a mess on a plate – to your taste buds, however, it is a delicious conglomeration of rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar and oatmeal.

yummy….

Rhubarb seems to be one of those food items that people tend to be squarely divided into one of two camps: they either love, or hate it. I happen to love it – it has such a sweet/tart flavor, and complements the berries perfectly. This was an outstanding recipe, as evidenced by the fact that I ate two servings the first night….and another the next morning …….

shhhhhhh

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – adapted from foodandwine.com

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup sugar
1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 tbs. cornstarch
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb and strawberries. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla – pour the mixture over the fruit and toss gently to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

Combine all of the topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the ingredients together until large crumbs form. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for about 30 minutes longer, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Let the crisp rest for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

Our Favorite Biscotti

Good morning and happy Monday! I had a great weekend, very productive…… lots of cleaning, painting (the family room is almost finished!), baking and biking – 58 miles to be exact…

And speaking of biking, my dad (persuasive man that he is) made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and finally convinced me to get a new bike – check out my wheels!

Twenty pounds lighter than my old bike and twice as fast – but at least I won’t get a speeding ticket on this set of tires….

Although with me, anything is possible….

Our Favorite Biscotti – adapted from Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Grated zest of two lemons, or 1 large orange

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk the flour and baking powder together. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, zest and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and place each half onto the prepared baking sheets. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

If you turned off the oven, bring it back up to 350 degrees F.

Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet — this time standing them up like a marching band — and slide the sheet back into the oven.

Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Wheat Berry Stuffed Peppers

It is a certified, well substantiated, irrefutable and (slightly) undeniable fact that Sabrina and I are Pinterest addicts.

And we’re okay with that.

So much inspiration in one oh-so convenient location … wait, that almost sounds like a commercial, doesn’t it?

I think I’ve had too much coffee today….

Anyway, given my current obsession with wheat berries, I adapted a recipe I had pinned a while back and the end result was spectacular – Sabrina really loved these (so did I), and I especially like the fact that the filling is infinitely adaptable.

Unfortunately, I kind of made this up as I went along, which is why the directions might seem a bit odd…… but I don’t think there’s any way to mess it up, anytime you combine vegetables and cheese it’s a sure-fire winner with me.

Just ask Sabrina about the last time we had dinner at Mastrionni’s……..

Wheat Berry Stuffed Peppers – adapted from proud italian cook

In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute 1 chopped onion in 2-3 tbs. olive oil until tender. Add 1 chopped fresh tomato and 1 chopped zucchini – and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the zucchini is tender. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant – about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add a handful of chopped fresh basil and several grinds of black pepper. Stir in 1 cup cooked wheat berries. Fill 4 stemmed and seeded pepper halves with the mixture and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Drizzle each pepper with a little olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted.

Avocado, Hearts of Palm and Tomato Salad

So tomorrow is Mother’s Day…. a day in which everyone is “supposed” to be nice to their mother with gifts, flowers, and extra special treatment.

Phooey, I say.

My mother (wise woman that she is) taught us that EVERY day is Mother’s Day. “Don’t be nice to me one day a year because Hallmark says you should be. Be nice to me ALL year”.

Truer words were never spoken.

With that sentiment in mind, I made her favorite salad a few weeks ago when she and my dad came over for dinner. The original idea came from T-Bones restaurant here in Las Vegas – they serve this simple yet outstanding salad composed of greens, chopped tomato, hearts of palm and avocado – and dress it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and cracked black pepper.

yummy…..