Quiche

I can't believe I'm making this post. This recipe has been a personal favorite of mine for years, and I wanted to keep the fame to myself by never sharing. But it's too easy and delicious.

World, you are welcome.

One of my all-time favorite cookbooks holds this beloved recipe. It's the most unusual cookbook but has some of the most amazing recipes I've ever tried. It's called The Best of France by Evie Righter. I'd highly recommend her other book The Best of Italy too. If you've ever wanted to try any of the classics, these are the recipes to start with...French Onion Soup, Creme Brulee, Meatballs, Alfredo sauce, etc.

So here it is. You can switch up the ingredients any way you like. Today I used ham, onion, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Try using bacon, leeks, tomatoes, Gruyere, Parmesan, fontina...the possibilities are endless. My favorite part about this recipe is that its egg-hater friendly. As much as I detest eggs, there are only 3 in the entire dish, and the texture is perfect. Word of advice, you may want to make two...

1 recipe pastry dough (store bought refrigerated or frozen in a tin are perfect)
3 eggs
1 C. milk
1/2 C. heavy cream
2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly grated nutmeg (vital!!!)
Salt and Pepper

For the filling:
1 C. diced ham
1/2 C. thawed frozen spinach, drained and squeezed dry
1/3 C. minced onion

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and prepare the pastry dough by pressing into a pie pan and pricking with a fork to help vent (if using the frozen shells already in the pan, no extra steps needed!). Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, cream, mustard, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the toppings into the cooled pastry shell and pour the egg mixture over the toppings just up to the rim of the crust.

Place pie dish on a baking sheet and bake 30-45 minutes until the quiche starts to puff and brown. I like to cook the quiche well so that the middle no longer jiggles. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Breakfast Burritos

I'm not much of a breakfast person, but every once in I get on a kick where it's all I crave. Lately, I'd say it's any sort of breakfast scramble or mexican inspired dish. And the more vegetables you can sneak in there, the better I feel about skipping my usual cereal and coffee routine.

This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to French Meadow Cafe, a local restaurant that specializes in local and organic food here in Minneapolis.

If you like crisp hashbrowns and Mexican spices, I think you'll really enjoy this one. It got 2 thumbs up from my college roommates this weekend!

Canola or Safflower oil
1 (20 oz.) pkg. Simply Potatoes O'Brien has browns
8 eggs, beaten and set aside
1 can spicy black beans
1 1/2 - 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
4-6 large flour tortillas
2-3 thinly sliced green onions
1/2 C. sour cream
2 canned chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, finely minced
Salsa
Salt and pepper

Combine the sour cream and chipotle peppers in a small bowl Set aside until ready to serve.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat a good 2-3 tablespoons of the oil and add the hashbrowns. Cook over medium-high heat adding more oil to increase crispiness (if desired) until fully cooked. Set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the eggs. Stir/scramble the eggs until almost cooked through. Add back the potatoes, and then the beans, cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir until the eggs are fully cooked and cheese is melted.

To assemble the burrito, scoop a healthy portion of the egg and potato mixture onto a tortilla. Then either add the green onions, chipotle sour cream, and salsa to the inside before folding or add to the top of the burriton once rolled up.