Tis' the Season to Eat Quiches..fa la la la la, la la, la la!

WOW, it has been a long time since I've been here with food news! I won't bore you with all that is going on because I know you have your own stuff happening. It IS Christmas after all. Today, is Christmas Eve! Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

New News: I'm excited about a new food blog I've found! The woman writing it is, like myself, diabetic & trying to lose weight. She has some great looking recipes which I will make, then write about. It is obvious, she is much better about portion control than I am! That's my goal (not resolution but G-O-A-L) for 2011...learning to be better on portion control. I normally serve healthy food but eating too much of even healthy food is not a good thing! My tongue and mind stay in a constant battle! Judging by the extra weight I carry around...the tongue wins too often! LOL

So, here's a quickie recipe to try while you're off for the holidays. It's a Tweaked recipe, of course, and very flexible and adaptable for your taste and/or food restrictions. I call them Baby Quiches. They are healthy in both ingredients and portion size. More healthy that regular quiche because they do not have a crust. I make them in a muffin pan, so I get 12 with one batch! Two fit neatly into a snack size baggie for transporting to work. Remember, you can Tweak it any way you like. I like to take the time to caramelize sweet onions first, so worth the time but if you're in a hurry don't bother. It's a low, slow process for just the right sweetness, color and texture - don't short-change yourself or the recipe if you don't have time to do it right. (Yes, that's the perfectionist in me raising her ugly head but she's right about this! LOL). You can use any variety of veggies, meats or cheeses. I like porcini mushrooms for the depth of flavor and complexity they bring. Spinach is always good. Onions...well, we've covered that but you can just saute some with the veggies as an alternative to the caramelized bits of heaven. I DO saute the veggies and meats after chopping them into small pieces. Makes the cooking time shorter and you can more evenly divide them into the individual muffin cups.

Baby Quiche             350 degree oven


5 LARGE eggs, takes more if using smaller ones
2-3 mushrooms
1 1/2 sweet onion sliced about 1/4" across to make rings (if caramelizing)
spinach (frozen or fresh - fresh is quicker - you just throw it in, frozen must be thawed & squeezed)
meat of choice - good place to use left over meat, bacon, sausage, or ham - chopped small pieces
Shredded cheese of choice - measure by the handful - to your taste
milk or half & half - again, add what it takes for the amount of eggs
salt, pepper, nutmeg


Spray muffin pan with cooking or baking spray, set aside. Saute veggies, starting with onions, then add meat (or not), then add mushrooms last. Do not over cook. Divide meat/veggie mixture between muffin cups. Put eggs in bowl, beat, add milk or half&half, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Mix well. Add cheese to egg mixture and divide into muffin cups. Bake till set, only takes a few minutes for them to set and start turning a pretty light golden brown - DO NOT OVERBAKE.


Cool on rack, store in fridge. I put them in the snack baggies when cooled and then just have to grab them and go.


Here's some tips I've learned, often the hard way. You never know exactly how much your 5 eggs will make. Most of the time, if they really are large eggs, 5 is enough but I've had to jump up to 8 when my 'large' eggs weren't as large as the last ones I bought. When I need more, I just beat more eggs and add more milk and pour on top of what is already in cup. Don't overfill, they will rise. Use the regular size muffin pan, not the little ones...you do want to taste them and use them for a meal, after all.


I've made these with broccoli, bell peppers, hot peppers - anything your little heart desires will work as long as the veggies and meat is cut up in small consistent pieces. I've even added some grainy mustard to the egg mixture before and loved it. Get creative! It only takes a minute, come on! All in all, these are a hit around here. I made a batch to send to my Honey's guys at work. They liked them, too.  


Okay, this is me, signing off for the last time in 2010. The week after Christmas we are heading out to Costa Rica on a short-term mission trip. I'll see you in 2011. May your Christmas be Jesus-filled and your tummies delight with healthy food! Love you all! Look out 2011, here we come!