Easy Peasy Quiche...y?

Because quiche is served at fancy restaurants and has a foreign name, a lot of people think it must be difficult to make.  Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Quiche is, in fact, one of the simplest meals you can cook, and it’s also a great way to use some of the leftovers from your Easter ham.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

1 pie crust (Oops… it’s missing)
3 eggs
⅔ cup shredded cheese

½ cup each of the following, diced:
Ham
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Broccoli

You can certainly make your own pie crust, but this is usually one of my ‘lazy’ meals, and a frozen one works great here. 

To get started, dice your ham, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli, fairly small. 

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat and throw the chopped stuff in. 

Sprinkle it with a little bit of salt and stir it around.

We don’t want to cook the vegetables completely, just enough to get rid of some of the water.  They should be in the pan for only about five minutes.  While they’re cooking, measure 1 cup of milk and crack in 3 eggs. 

Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk.  Don’t forget to stir the vegetables on the stove.  Oh, and preheat your oven to 425°.  Pour about ⅓ of the egg mixture into the bottom of your pie crust.

Sprinkle on about ⅓ of the cheese.

Dump in your vegetable and ham mixture and spread it evenly.

Sprinkle with another ⅓ of the cheese.

Pour in the rest of the egg mixture. 

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and pop it into the oven.  Bake it at 425° for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325° and bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes.  It’ll be nice and golden brown on top and the center will be wet, but not runny. 

Allow it to set for 10 – 15 minutes before slicing and then cut it into wedges.  If you’re like me, you’ll want to eat it with sliced avocado and fresh tomatoes.  I just used halved grape tomatoes here. 

If you’re like my husband, you’ll prefer to eat it with salsa.  Either way, it’s a fabulous meal that even most kids like.  And best of all, there’s hardly any clean up!  

Share with us some of your favorite go to, Wednesday night, meals.  Who knows, if we like it, we might even showcase it here on our blog!   

Sloppy Jose! Olé!

No, that’s not a typo.  These are Sloppy Joes with a Mexican twist.  They’re simple and only take a few ingredients, but they taste fabulous.  On a night when I’ve been busy all day and want to just throw something together in half an hour, this is one of my go to meals. 

We’ll Keep this short and sweet and get right to it.  This recipe makes enough for about three sandwiches.  My husband and I usually each eat one for dinner, and then one of us will use the leftovers for lunch the next day.  You can easily adjust the amounts up or down depending on how many you are feeding. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

½ pound ground turkey breast
½ medium onion, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup good salsa
1 cup cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

You’ll notice that there is no bell pepper in my process.  My grocery store didn’t have one worth buying that day, so I just went without.  It really is better with it, though, so if you can get one, put it in. 

Add the oil to your pan over medium heat.  When it’s hot, throw in the onion and bell pepper and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt.

Stir them around for about a minute and add your turkey. 

Start chopping it into pieces and sprinkle it with chili powder. 

Continue chopping and stirring until it looks something like this.

Add the salsa.  As usual, I like to use homemade.  If you use store bought, remember, the salsa is where all the flavor comes from.  Splurge and go for something good. 

Stir it all together.  Starting to look pretty tasty, huh? 

Cover it and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  Don’t skip the simmering.  See what happens during that time?

Stir it again and turn off the heat.  Throw in the cheese. 

I used a half cup of a pre-grated mix and a half cup of extra sharp cheddar.  It’s best to use a mix of some kind.

Stir it all together.  Did I mention I really like cheese? 

Cover it and let’s start on the buns.  I like to use the ciabatta buns that my grocery store makes.  You want something slightly crusty so that it will stand up to the filling, but soft enough to easily bite.  All those air pockets in ciabatta are helpful, as well. 

Scoop the filling onto the bun. 

Drooling yet? 

I like to serve them with just potato chips, but you could always add a pickle spear, potato salad, or whatever other side item you like. 

Try my Sloppy Joses and let me know what you think.  You’ll never want to go back to canwich again.