Catch-up

Wow....just had a big weekend back in NE Arkansas, complete with family time, fun, and lots of food. I'll chime back in later with an overview of the food spread, but for now, here's a quick way to make your morning bowl of oatmeal more exciting. Combine 1 cup oats and a pinch of salt with 1 3/4 cup boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp honey along with 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir in 2 tbsp of your favorite preserves and a splash of milk.  Serve and enjoy!

Quiche in the Middle East

A good quiche is a wonderful thing.  They're light, moist, fluffy, and pretty easy to make. And, like chili, you can dump just about anything in and it'll come out tasting decent.  Since I woke up this morning craving an egg dish not scrambled or fried, a good quiche was just what the doctor ordered. After a quick Kroger run to buy some supplies, I was ready to go.

Classic quiches are pretty straightforward - eggs, cream, and bacon make up a traditional quiche Lorraine. Adding extra ingredients may anger the French traditionalist in your neighborhood, but it's delicious and allows the cook to leave his/her own mark on the dish. I used lowfat yogurt instead of cream and added a few extras that really kicked my quiche up a notch (BAM!).

Start preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon and sautee any veggies (onions, garlic, etc) that you'd like to add. Set aside and grab a big bowl. Add 6-8 eggs, yogurt, salt, and flour and mix until combined. Grease and line the baking dish of your choice (I used a cast iron skillet) with bacon crumbles and cheese. Pour in the quiche mixture, place in the oven, and lower oven temp to 350.  Cook for 30-40 minutes until quiche is set up and is beggining to pull away from the sides of the baking vessel. Do NOT open the oven until your quiche is set up. Doing so will result in your work collapsing like the Berlin Wall. Once the quiche is set up, remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Remember, half the fun of making a quiche is adding your own touch. I went the semi-healthy route and used onions, garlic, spinach, nonfat yogurt, and lowfat cheese, but you could add ingredients like ham, mushrooms, broccoli,  or even seafood. Some folks use a puff pastry or other storebought crust on the bottom. Try anything you think would taste good with eggs, and chances are it will come out deliciously.

Ingredients, quiche Joe:

• 6-8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
  
• 4 oz. shredded cheese of choice
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup AP flour or instant pancake mix (trust me)
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup diced onions, sauteed
  
• 2 cloves garlic, sauteed
  
• 2 cups spinach, wilted