Spinach Cheese "Quiche"

I have always called this dish "Spinach-Cheese Pie" because a real Quiche requires a custard base and not just some eggs and cheese and milk in the blender. However, common sources with no credentials state that I need not adhere to such a stringent definition.   

This quiche is easy, almost healthy, and has a two ingredient crust that is nearly impossible to mess up.

Here is what you need:

2 scallions
2 teaspoons butter
4 cups tightly packed spinach

dash of grated nutmeg
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Blender or food processor 

Frying pan

Oven preheated to 375 degrees F

Potato and pear gratin

I recently joined a CSA ,and I had a surplus of awesome organic potatoes and pears on my hands. This lead to the inspiration for making a gratin of both - what could be better than potatoes and pears with cheese baked until bubbly and brown?

Ingredients:
2 - 3 small Yukon gold potatoes, sliced very thin
2 Bartlett pears, sliced very thin
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the bottom and sides of a medium baking dish (I used a pie pan, but any not-too-big high-sided baking dish will do).

I found it easier to build the gratin once I had all my ingredients prepped, so there was no stopping to chop or grate. Slice the potatoes and pears into paper-thin slices. Grate the cheese. Combine the pepper, cayenne, salt and heavy cream. Then start layering ingredients into the buttered dish.

Put a layer of overlapping potato slices on the bottom of the dish. Top that with an overlapping layer of pear slices. Then top with half the cheese and pour over half the heavy cream mixture. Repeat. For a taller gratin, you can go for four layers in a tighter dish or up the amount of each ingredient and make a double tall gratin.

Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, 30-40 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake until the top is brown, another 10-20 minutes. Let rest for another 10-15 minutes or so before serving.

Note: the heat of the cayenne really gives the gratin some flavor. If you're not into the heat, consider trying some rosemary instead which goes great with pears and potatoes!

Roasted red pepper, eggplant, tomato pasta

The snow had me in hunker down mode this week, so I made big batches of roasted things I could eat on for days, one of which was this delicious eggplant / red pepper / tomato concoction that turned out so tasty I made it twice.

Ingredients:
One eggplant, chopped into cubes
One large can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
Roasted red peppers, roughly chopped (I bought mine already roasted in oil which made this even easier)
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup capers
1/2 cup olive oil (guessing on the amount here, I didn't measure)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400. Line a large deep baking dish with foil (I did this once with no foil and found clean up much easier with). Combine all veggie ingredients in dish, drizzle generously with olive oil (I threw in the oil from the peppers too), liberally salt and pepper, and give a good stir.

Roast for an hour stirring occasionally.

When done, veggies will be tender and rich in color. It will smell wonderful while in the oven!

I use this as a pasta topping - cook up some pasta reserving a little of the starchy water to sauce up the veggies, toss with the pasta. It's awesome, and you could easily get four pasta servings or maybe five out of the recipe. But this is a versatile dish! Use it as the sauce in a veggie lasagna. This also could be used as a dynamite topping with some fresh Italian herbs for little finger food toasts at a party! Eat it with a spoon. You'll want to, and if you're snowed in like I was this week, no one will be looking anyway.

Cream of Broccoli/Aspargus soup

Soup with pumpkin lasagna, Camino bakery bread

 Here is a delicious and easy cream of vegetable soup adapted from the soups that Maria Jose makes.

1 onion
1 tbls butter
1 tbls olive oil
4 cups chopped broccoli, asparagus, spinach (or whatever vegetable)
4 tbls Flour
1 tbls chives (optional but really good, I put in a whole bunch of chives)
Salt
Pepper
celery seed (or celery salt) to taste
paprika- dash
nutmeg- dash
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup white wine
Broth

Cook the onions in the butter and olive oil until just soft and translucent.

Add chopped vegetable of choice and sautee.

Cover and cook on medium for about 5 to 10 min
add flour, salt, pepper, celery seed, paprika and nutmeg and chives.

Add some of your broth and wine just to cover the vegetables, cook until soft.
Add heavy cream

Pour mixture in food processor and blend on low
add more broth if needed to thin consistency if needed.

Heat if needed or serve with a dash of paprika. We added some Aji Amarillo hot sauce as well.

Pizza dough for Christmas tree pizzas

 A while back Su posted an entry about homemade pizza. Since our family has a tradition of making tree shaped pizza's on Christmas eve, I thought I I would add a recipe for homemade pizza dough.

 My dad started this tradition for a caroling party when we were younger and eventually it was moved to Christmas eve. So, this year, like last year, and the year before we made Christmas tree pizza, set up the nativity, opened presents, went to midnight mass, and then came home and ate leftover pizza.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 package active dry yeast (scant tablespoon)

2 tablespoons warm water

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3 cups sifted flour (or one cup wheat flour, 2 cups white flour)

More cookies! A sisterly photo blog

    Peanut Butter Peaks 

 

 

1 stick softened butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons more sugar

36 chocolate kisses, unwrapped

OK, so you probably already have a version of this recipe, (ours is from The Boxcar Children Cookbook by Diane Blain; Scholastic Inc. 1992). I won't claim that this is the BEST peanut butter and chocolate kiss recipe out there, but it is the one we have been making the longest and the cookies are consistently good!

Once upon a time, last year in freezing cold Minneapolis we made some cookies. It was so cold I had to wear a hat and sweater in the kitchen. Kathryn didn't want to help, so Theresa slaved away at the dishes...

 

Put butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar and egg into a large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium until smooth and creamy.

Mix in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Cover and let chill for 1 hour. Find some way to occupy your self for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 


Shape the dough into small balls about and roll in a small bowl of sugar until coated Place cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Make sure to have your kisses unwrapped

Bake 8 minutes. Put a chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie and press down gently. 

 

Continue baking 2- 4 minutes, or until chocolate has melted down a little.

 

The END

Theresa's notes:

Everyone likes.                                 Love it!

Dec. 15, 1992                                    Make sure you have kisses!

-Theresa                                            Double Every time

                                                          June 14, 1995

                                                        - Theresa

"Pecan Finger" cookies

Pecan Fingers have always been an integral part of our holiday baking repertoire. There are three types of cookies that Must-Be-Made when the Madai gather in December: Gingersnaps, Peanut Butter with Chocolate Kisses, and Pecan Fingers. This shortbread cookie variation came from my grandma Sylvia and we make it every year to the exclusion of sugar cookie cutouts.

Here is what you need:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1tsp water
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped pecans.

Room in your refrigerator to store the batter
Oven pre-heated to 250F

*Warning these cookies are easy to make, but do not yield immediate gratification. Prepare the dough a day, or at least 3 hours, ahead of planned consumption. (Or have your sisters make them for you while you are at work).