Quiche Even a Real Man Will Eat

Mr. F is a former Marine and he loved this quiche so I promise you can make this for any man and he will eat it too. The secret is pork - lots of pork. Ham, bacon combined with the cheese and eggs make a yummy breakfast, brunch or lunch treat.

Filling:

5 oz of 2% Milk Velveeta (come on...we all have a little redneck in us and secretly love the stuff!)
5 oz of diced ham
5 strips of bacon, cooked crispy and finely chopped
3 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbs flour


Quiche:
3 eggs
1 1/2 Cups of milk
Salt
Pepper
Granulated garlic

Ease a refrigerated unbaked pie crust into a 9" pie pan (if you are a baker, knock yourself out and make the crust from scratch.) Trim excess and flute the edges. Line the unpricked pie crust with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.

While baking off the crust, mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Stir in filling, minus the grated cheddar cheese. Add the flour to the shredded cheese in a separate bowl and stir to coat. Add cheddar to egg/filling mixture and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture into the hot pie crust while still on the oven rack. Cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. When it is finished a knife inserted near the center will come out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

You can also vary the fillings - one recipe I looked at suggested a Greek filling with feta, olives and spinach or a Thai filling with ginger, cilantro and red pepper. My Mom is notorious for making quiche with leftovers like broccoli and spinach. Let your creativity help you make your own special creation. Oh, and by the way- this is really easy.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Prairie Fire Grill recipe)

This is quite possibly the most amazing desert you will ever put in your mouth. It's Mr. F's absolute favorite. We would make a special trip just for this dessert after having dinner somewhere else. Last year we were near tears when we arrived at the door of Prairie Fire Grill to find it closed. Never fear ladies and gentlemen- Chuck's has it on the menu and it's the same delicious creation that Prairie Fire Grill did. Once a year at Christmastime I make this for Mr. F. The danger is you will have a whole pan of it, not just a single serving. This is in no way low-calorie or fat-free (that's why it's sooooo good!) I serve it with a drizzle of raspberry sauce that I make with frozen raspberries and sugar, blended. The tartness of the berries is a nice compliment. A few fresh berries on the plate make a nice presentation. This is not a creation by me, and I am not a baker- but here's the recipe I found on delish.com. Trust me- it's definitely worth the calories! Ingredients 12 large egg yolks 1/2 cup(s) sugar 1/2 quart(s) heavy cream 18 ounce(s) white chocolate chips 1 1/2 loaf(s) white bread, crust removed 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla 1 quart(s) half and half 2 cup(s) graham cracker crumbs 1/2 pound(s) brown sugar 1/2 cup(s) butter 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon 1/4 cup(s) cocoa Directions In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer bread into 3 layers. Cut and trim as necessary to get good coverage. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until bright yellow. Heat the cream, half and half and vanilla until it begins to boil. Add white chocolate chips to the egg mixture and stir in the hot cream until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour this pudding mixture over the bread, making sure to manipulate the bread soaking every layer with the pudding mixture. Topping: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa. Apply the topping by spreading it out evenly over the surface. Let the pudding stand OVERNIGHT before you place it into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Gameday Chili

Chili and football are kind of like peanut butter and jelly to me. This is a really easy recipe for chili, and I have been told that its pretty good - however before you decide to make this recipe I have to warn you of a few things. 1) I use ground turkey- so it's really healthy, and under the chili sauce it's hard for anyone to tell, although ground turkey has a "cleaner" taste than beef and some folks may not be too keen on the idea. 2) I will tell you what I put it it (including my "secret" ingredients- gasp!) but it is impossible for me to give measurements on the spices. I add as I go to taste with an extra dash of this and that. So you are on your own when it comes to the exact amounts of stuff. 3) It has a lot of beans.

Ok, disclaimer stated, so here we go!!



1 package of extra lean ground turkey (98%+ lean)

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 cans of chili beans (I use store brand)

1 can of black beans

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1/4 of a white onion, diced

1 envelope of chili seasoning (McCormick's is my favorite)

3 cloves of garlic, pressed (or more to taste)

Olive oil



Spices:

Tony Cachere's

Fiesta Party Dip (Tastefully Simple)

Salt

Pepper

Powdered Garlic

Cumin

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Tabasco



***Secret ingredients***

Juice from the jalepeno jar

Heinz ketchup (about 2 Tbs)






Brown ground turkey in a skillet. Start another big pot for the finished product. Add diced onion and garlic to ground turkey to help flavor the meat, and a little olive oil to help with the process.



In the big stock pot, start emptying your cans. Tomatoes and tomato sauce first, then the beans. Add the packet of chili seasoning for a base. When turkey and onions and garlic are cooked through, add meat to the chili pot. Then the spice dance begins. Good luck! (I keep an extra can of tomato sauce handy just in case things ever get out of hand you can dilute the mistake and move on.)

The longer you let it cook the more the flavors develop, but you can eat it pretty much right away. I like to garnish it with jalepenos, tabasco, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Taco chips or crackers are a nice touch too.

Chicken Florentine with Tomatoes

Pasta can be such a quick and easy solution to a weeknight meal. Unfortunately Mr. F isn't a big fan so I don't get the chance to make pasta dishes very often. However, my Mom is a HUGE noodle fan so I whipped this one up last night in about 30 minutes and we all agreed that it is a winner!

Angel hair pasta
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of chopped frozen spinach
Garlic cloves (about 3)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Boil water for your pasta while you are dicing your chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add diced chicken pieces and press about 3 cloves of garlic into the chicken. Saute until brown. Microwave a package of chopped spinach according to package directions. Drain spinach in a colander lined with a paper towel to get out most of the water. Add spinach to browned chicken and one can of diced tomatoes with juices. Cook pasta according to package directions. Remove and drain pasta when "al dente" and add to the chicken/spinach/tomato mixture. You may need to add a bit more olive oil. Add Parmesan cheese (the round can stuff is fine for this part) and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine and to allow pasta to soak up some of the tomato juices. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Very quick and the only fat in the dish is the olive oil (good fat from a vegetable) and a bit from the chicken and Parmesan cheese.

Potato Galettes

Credit for this one goes again to Melissa D'Arabian, winner of this season's The Next Food Network Star. She did a version of this recipe as her final dish. I searched for it, but couldn't find it so I had to recreate it with my own spin. I've made it three times, and alas, the third time is a charm and I've come up with a really yummy side dish that looks pretty fancy. I am also thinking about other variations of this to make a yummy appetizer, so stay tuned!

Potatoes (I used Yukon Gold tonight)
Olive Oil
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Montreal Seasoning
Muffin Tin


Slice potatoes very thin. I used a mandolin to do this. Two medium sized potatoes yielded enough for 6 galettes. Place the potato slices in a bowl, and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them- about a 1 1/2 teaspoons. Add some Montreal seasoning (about 2 teaspoons) and cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup). Mix to combine. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Layer seasoned potatoes in the muffin cups, pressing down. Make sure you have cheese in the layers. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove by running a butter knife around the edges and pop out the pretty little stacks of potatoes. It's a fancy little side dish that really takes no effort.

Baked Brie

Ok, so that sounds really fancy, and it LOOKS really fancy but it is VERY easy and a cool dish for a party. I also have a "winter" version I'm sure I'll break out as the weather gets colder.

Granny Smith Apples
Round of Brie
Honey
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Oven

Take your round of brie and cut the rind off the top. Drizzle with honey. Unwrap the crescent rolls and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Close the seams on the crescent rolls and fold over the brie. Bake according to the crescent roll directions. When brown, drizzle pan drippings over the brie and pastry and serve with sliced Granny Smith apples. The tartness of the apples is a nice compliment to the sweet honey and brie. This recipe started as a memory of an appetizer once served at the great (now closed) Mauby's here in Birmingham. You'll be a star...and no one has to know just how easy this is!

Chicken Wellington

My friend Tammie had a dinner party last weekend and served "Chicken Wellington". It sounded intriguing, so I asked for the recipe. I got the basics from her, made a few changes, and it turned out pretty tasty, even if I do say so myself! The most notable change is I used Pillsbury Crescent rolls for the crust instead of puff pastry. There I was in Publix searching for the puff pastry with no luck. I had decided on the crescent rolls and had them in the basket by the time the elusive puff pastry was found. I stood in front of the freezer case pondering my choices. I already had the "taste" of the rolls in my mind, and puff pastry looked too delicate. Let's face it- the fact that the crescent rolls were $1.89 and the pastry was $4.59 also came into play. So here is my version:

Pillsbury Crescent rolls (one can will wrap two breasts)
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Light cream cheese
Montreal seasoning
Poultry seasoning
1 egg- separated
Mushrooms
Chicken stock (or bullion- see recipe)
White wine
butter / margarine
flour

De-gick the chicken breasts, dust with poultry seasoning. Sear lightly on both sides in a bit of olive oil in a big skillet. Unroll the crescent rolls, divide in half. Take a rolling pin to seal the perforations for triangles. In a separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, poultry seasoning and Montreal Seasoning. Take the cream cheese mixture and spread on crescent roll half, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides. Place seared chicken breast in the middle and fold dough over the chicken breast. Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray seam side down. Repeat with remaining chicken breast(s).

Separate your egg, and add a bit of water to the white. Whisk and brush on pastry for a nice shine. Cut 3-4 small "v" holes on top to vent.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees and the pastry is golden brown. I always use a thermometer when cooking, because I'm a freak about killing bacteria. In this case, you can't actually see the chicken for the pastry, so I would highly recommend using a thermometer.

In your skillet, add a little butter (I prefer to use the olive oil margarine- it's better for you-but I am certain butter would be tastier!) and saute a package of mushrooms. Tammie used portabellas, but I chose white and they did just fine. Saute mushrooms until brown, remove from pan. add about 2 tsp of flour to the residual butter and brown a bit. This will prevent a "raw" taste in the sauce from the raw flour. When flour is slightly browned, add 1 cup of chicken stock. Ok- so I firmly believe chicken stock would add much more depth of flavor, but unless I've recently purchased a rotisserie chicken, I don't have stock. Chicken broth will work fine, or in a pinch (and I usually am) I use the gold bullion cube dissolved in 1 cup of water. It worked fine tonight.

Add the mushrooms back to the sauce, and 1 cup of white wine. Remember to use something good enough to drink. I may have added a bit more than 1 cup....and a pinch of salt.

Continue working the sauce until all the lumps are gone.

Slice the Chicken Wellington into 1 1/2 inch thick portions. Serve 2 slices per plate and pour sauce over them right before serving. These two chicken breasts certainly could have served 3-4 people so it's a good way to stretch your protein out...but we're pigs around here and we ate it all.

I served this with a side of roasted asparagus. It was tasty, and really easy although it appeared to be quite fancy. I will definitely do this for my next dinner party too!

I really like the idea of the chicken wrapped in the crescent rolls. Mr. F and I were thinking up other flavor profiles that would be good like a Southwestern Calzone or something, so stay tuned. I may come up with a different version of this in the very near future.

Here's a bonus- the left over cream cheese mixture tasted really yummy as a dip! I added a bit of sour cream to it and munched on it with crackers while dinner was cooking.