Easy Entertaining: Eternally Elegant Quiche

     Eternally elegant quiche, just like Jackie O., never goes out of style.  It's really delicious and can be made with almost any variations of meat, veggies, and cheese.  Individual ones, like the ones above, are just as simple to make as a whole quiche. However, it's also so easy to make large 13 x 9 quiche casseroles which I recently did for an early morning baby shower at school. (I just doubled the recipe and used a couple of premade pie crusts to fit the pan.)  My basic recipe came from a fellow school teacher who gave it to me when I was planning a brunch open house for Jenn's graduation from high school.  I hit upon the idea of putting the cheese and fillings in the pie crust the night before and storing the blended up eggs, milk, and cream in a zip lock bag to add just before baking.  If you want to cut carbs and calories, quiche can be made without the crust and milk can be substituted for the cream - just make sure you spray the baking dish well with cooking oil. Below the basic directions for quiche posted here, are the recipes for two of our family's favorite quiches: Ham & Cheese and Spinach. For a special occasion - quiche is forever chic!

Steps to Build a Great Quiche

1.  Place and "flute" a premade crust in a pie pan and fill it with:

•  1 1/4 cup shredded cheese ( basic combo is 1 cup swiss + 1/4 cup cheddar)

• Some kind of meat and/or veggie such as bacon, ham, mushrooms, broccoli, chicken, spinach

• Seasonings: sprinkle of garlic powder, dry mustard, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

• Diced onion (standard amount is 1 tablespoon)

2. In a blender mix together and pour over the ingredients in the pie shell

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1/3 cup milk

• 6 eggs

3.  Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Then, lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for at least 45 more minutes until the the quiche is puffed up, cracked, browned, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Individual Spinach Cheese Quiches

10 oz. package of cooked and drained frozen spinach

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/8 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, and red pepper flakes

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup cream

1/3 cup milk

6 eggs

2 premade piecrusts 

Spray the insides of a muffin tin with cooking oil.  With the two premade pie crusts, cut out twelve 3 1/2 inch circles by using the top of the glass.  Place the pie crust rounds into each muffin cup. Mix spinach, cheeses, spices, and onion in a bowl. Divide the spinach mixture between the muffin cups. Using a blender, combine the cream, milk, and eggs. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup just up to the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Individual quiches should be browned, puffed, and an inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

1 nine inch pie shell

1 ¼ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 cup cubed ham1 bunch green onionssliced

1 teaspoon onion diced

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Pinch crushed red pepper

1 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup milk

6 eggs

Fill pie shell with cheese, ham, and green onions.
Sprinkle in the garlic powder, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper.Using blender, mix up whipping cream, milk, and eggs.Pour egg mixture into pie shell until full. Bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until puffed, lightly browned, cracked, and toothpick comes out clean.

Some Family Favorites with Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

Several years ago, we traded in potatoes for cauliflower and have never looked back! Below are some of the girls' very favorite recipes. The BarbequeTurkeyburger "Cupcakes"  are also yummy just made on the grill as burgers minus the mashed cauliflower "icing."  Likewise, the Big Easy Shrimp tastes great with rice instead of the cauliflower "grits".  And of course, you could use real mashed potatoes instead of cauliflower for the cheeseburger pie.

P.S. Let's just be honest here - using real mashed potatoes really make these old favorite family recipes the most delicious!

BBQ Turkey Burger “Cupcakes”

1 ½ ground turkey     

½ cup bread crumbs

1 egg beaten

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons bottled barbeque sauce

 (or South Beach Diet recipe for BBQ below)

6 green onions, sliced

¼ teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt (divided)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)    

¼ teaspoon garlic

1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Mix the meat, bread crumbs, barbeque sauce, green onions, egg, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and garlic powder.  Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cups in a muffin tin that has been oiled or is nonstick.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  While the “muffins” are baking, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, and the other ¼ teaspoon pepper.  When the “muffins” are baked, take them out of the muffin cups and “frost” each one with the mashed cauliflower.   Drizzle the tops with the remaining 3 tablespoons of barbeque sauce.

South Beach BBQ Sauce – From South Beach Diet Book
1 (8-ounce) can Tomato sauce
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 teaspoons Chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
Combine all ingredients together. Refrigerate in a plastic container.

Big Easy Shrimp with Cauliflower “Grits” from The South Beach Diet Cookbook

2 strips of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled  

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

½ green pepper, diced

1 celery stalk, cut length wise and sliced

1 garlic clove, put through a press    

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

                                                                       

 1 teaspoon salt (divided)

 1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce

1 head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

Over medium heat, cook the onion, green pepper, and celery in the olive oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, and the other ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook until it completely turns pink. (Or, if using already cooked shrimp, cook just enough to warm the shrimp.)  Add the bacon crumbles. Serve the shrimp and sauce on top of or beside the cauliflower “grits”.

Cheeseburger  Pie – adapted from a Pillsbury recipe

1 ½ pounds extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey

½ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup ketchup                                                    

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt (divided)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)

1 head of cauliflower, cut up into flowerets

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

1 small tomato, seeded and diced

2 green onions, sliced

Mix the meat, bread crumbs, onions, ketchup, mustard, egg, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper together and press into a pie pan.  Put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. While the meat in baking, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, the other ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ a cup of the cheese. Remove the meat from the oven and carefully pour off any grease.  Spread the mashed cauliflower over the top of the crust.  Put the rest of the shredded cheese on top.  Return to the oven and cook 10 minutes more.  Before serving, sprinkle the top with the diced tomato and sliced green onion.  Cut into slices to serve.

Super Easy Sauces - Spicy Red & Classic White

     Roy's paternal grandmother was from Nova Scotia, Canada, and she had quite the repertoire of phrases. Whatever the occasion, she seemed to come up with just the right saying.  One that the family still uses today is, "Hunger makes good sauce".  Of course it means that if you are starving - even the plainest food tastes great.  Recently, six of us got to take a sauce class (demonstration) at Caroline's favorite restaurant for her birthday, and I thought about Grandma Yates's little expression. There is no question that the addition of a sauce to a dish really enhances it, but in every day cooking - who has time to mess with a complicated recipe in addition the main entre?  I got the answer to this when Jenn called me up a couple weeks ago around dinner time.  She stated she was so bored of eating a plain chicken breast for dinner and she asked if I had any suggestions. I remembered the quick and easy sauce I use for chicken parmesan that basically involves just opening a can of tomato sauce and heating it up along with a few spices.  She tried it and loved it!  She just poured it over her grilled chicken breast, but I've included the whole chicken parmesan recipe.  I'm also including a recipe for a simple white sauce along with a few additions that will jazz it up.

Super Easy Red Sauce

1 (15oz.) can of tomato sauce  

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

(1 tablespoon sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce)

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan, mix them together, and heat it up!

Chicken Parmesan

4 chicken breasts

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk 

3/4 cup bread crumbs (Italian style is nice)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.  In a second bowl combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese.  In a final bowl, mix the flour, oregano, salt, and pepper together.  Rinse the chicken breasts with water and then pat them dry with a paper towel.  One chicken breast at a time, first coat it with the flour, then dip it in the egg, and last coat it with the bread crumb mixture. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan and brown each side.

In an oven safe dish, spoon some of the red sauce from the recipe above in order to coat the bottom of the dish.  Place the chicken in the dish and pour the rest of the red sauce over the chicken. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven and put 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese over each chicken breast.  Return to the oven and continue to bake just until the cheese melts.

Super Easy Classic White Sauce

I'm using whole wheat flour here - that's why it's dark!

3 tablespoons butter or margarine    

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 1/2 cups milk, warmed in microwave

 

Over low heat, melt the butter in a pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together to make a paste.  Cook the paste over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.  Then add the milk, a little at a time, while stirring constantly. Keep stirring and adding the milk until the sauce is thick.

Suggested Uses

                                                                                  

Truffled Cream Corn:   

Add sauce to 10 oz. cooked corn along with

2 teaspoons of truffle oil

 

Creamed Peas or Pearl Onions:

Just add the sauce to 10 0z. of the

 the cooked vegetable

 

Creamed Spinach:

Add sauce to 10 0z. of cooked and

drained spinach along with a pinch of nutmeg and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Sweet Potatoes - Beyond Mini-Marshmallows

    A few months ago, the extended Yates family had a pitch-in type meal together.  I was lucky to be seated at a table with one of my nieces, Madison, and my nephew Dustin who happens to be her brother. Their dad, Uncle Russell, is super fit and into healthy eating in a big way. He had brought a sweet potato casserole to share and it was really good, but the kids didn't have any of it on their plates. When I asked them why, Dustin said, "I just can't do it.  Ever since Dad heard Dr. Oz say that sweet potatoes are one the healthiest vegetables, he has made them every night. He only knows two ways to do it, plain or with marshmallows." Maddie agreed saying, "We just can't take it anymore!"  Since then, it's been on my mind to come up with some varied sweet potatoes recipes that would make Uncle Russell happy and that Maddie and Dustin would love.  I eagerly took the challenge of coming up with yummy dishes where sweet potatoes were the most important ingredient and the steps were quick and easy. I have been trying these out and testing them on Roy and the girls.  My favorite is the Spicy Sweet Potato Tacos. They are great on a Friday night with a beer - or in my case a non-alcoholic malt beverage! Roy loves the The Sweet Potato Side Salad is also in Easy Autumn Meal post. It received good reviews from all who tried it- no one refused to put it on their plate :)!

Smoky Sweet Potato Soup - serves 4

2 sweet potatoes                                                                  
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 (15 oz.) cans of chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.  Set them aside.  Rinse, drain, and set aside the beans.  Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until they are soft.  Add the sweet potatoes, beans, and the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer until the sweet potato pieces are done.  Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Side Salad-serves 4 to 6

2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tart green apples, diced
2 stalks of celery diced
1/4 cup of finely diced purple onion
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch cubes.  Cook them in salted water until tender but not overdone.  Cook the rice according to the package directions.  Put the sweet potato cubes, rice, apple, celery, and oinion in a bowl.  Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together. Pour the vinegar and oil mixture over the ingredients in the bowl and gently toss.  This is refreshing chilled or equally as good at room temperature.

Spicy Sweet Potato Tacos - makes 12 tacos

2 large sweet potatoes 
1 pound package of bulk chorizo
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 corn taco shells
16 oz. package of queso fresco cheese
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.  Cook in salted water until tender, but not mushy! Drain and set aside. Brown and thoroughly cook the chorizo, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain any grease from the chorizo. In a large bowl, gently combine the sweet potatoes, chorizo, black beans, and cilantro. Spoon the mixture into taco shells and top with crumbled queso fresco cheese.  If desired, provide lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on the side.

Disastrous Macaroons and Delicious Meringues

  

                                                Light as a Cloud Meringues =  Many Sweet Options!

A few weeks ago I was thrilled when Yates Yummies got a milestone hit!  Blogspot has a statistics feature that keeps track of how many times the blog has been looked at.  I can't see who visited this site, but the stats do share the search words that people googled to get here.  Some are pretty amusing.  My all time favorite happens to be, "is eating white chocolate with sangria dangerous?"  Recently the August 5th post, "Jose's Chocolate Dipped Macaroons", started getting an inordinate number of hits.  Out of curiosity I googled the words "Jose" and "Macaroons".  Up came the page with Google's suggested web sites.  All websites but my blog directed people to Jose Marechal and his book Irresistible Macaroons.  It turns out that these multicolored cute little egg-white/ ground almond cookies are supposed to be the new cupcake in the foodie world.  Intrigued, I hit on the Amazon link and ordered the book.  When the book arrived, I decided to give it a whirl.  What a lot of effort and what a disaster it turned out to be!  With all the steps that had to be taken - ground the almonds, make a paste with the nuts, boil water and sugar, incorporate it in with egg whites, etc. - I realized I was out of my league! However, as I was whipping up the egg whites I got a flash from the past.  Several years ago, I was lucky to spend some time with a friend from New Zealand whose husband was briefly working in the U.S.  Her trademark offering at pitch-ins were melt in your mouth meringue cookies. She would top them with whipped cream and sometimes kiwi slices. Once she made a classic Pavlova which is one large round meringue filled with fruit and whipped cream. Quickly, I threw my disastrous macaroons in the trash and dug out the handwritten recipe she gave me. It was so simple and so easy!  I made a batch and had a lot of fun pairing them with different sweet combinations.  My favorite involves the Luscious Lemon Curd recipe given below, especially because it's a great use of the egg yolks not used for the meringues.  I also made some smaller sized meringues to make sandwich cookies with various fillings. Ice cream was a great pairing as well.

Simple Meringues
3 egg whites (set eggs out a couple hours before hand)
3/4 cup of sugar
pinch salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (makes it a little easier for eggs to whip up)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Follow the steps below:

Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and draw circles the size you prefer for your meringues

Break eggs open and separate whites from yolk by passing yolk back and forth between the shell halves

Beat the eggs, salt, vanilla, and cream of tartar on high until they reach a soft peaks stage

Gradually beat all the sugar in until the mixture is glossy and stiff

Put a tablespoon or two in your drawn circles and spread the mixture flat with the help of a spoon

Bake at 275 degrees in a preheated oven for one hour, then turn the heat off, keep the door closed, till cooled (all night is ok)

Layer with fruit and whipped cream (or Cool Whip!)

or topped with ice cream

As sandwich cookies filled with raspberry jam, Nutella, and orange marmalade

With luscious Lemon Curd - my favorite!

 Luscious Lemon Curd:  In a pan over medium low heat, whisk together the 3 left over egg yolks,  the juice of 2 lemons, and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Then stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture gets thick, being careful never to let it boil.  Take it off the heat and stir in 4 tablespoons butter (I used "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter) until combined.  This is absolutely divine on toast in the morning or as a filling between two layers of a yellow cake frosted with whip cream!

Creamy Baked Risotto with Pan Fried Scallops

     Last night I tweeted a pic of the rice and scallops shown above and below. I was SO excited to get some retweets and mentions, so I'm quickly putting the recipe up here in response to requests!
    The rice method is a combination of Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen) and Ina Garten's way of making oven baked risotto.  I got the idea of adding the mushrooms and shallots. The drizzle of truffle oil over the scallops along with the tang of the diced green apple takes this dish over the top! It was delicious!

Creamy Baked Risotto with Pan Fried Scallops
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
5 Cups chicken broth, warmed
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 good sized shallots, diced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, put through press
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
In a dutch oven, saute shallots and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. Add rice and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Add 4 cups of the broth and wine. Cover the rice mixture with a sheet of foil and then put the top on the dutch oven. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Take it out and stir in the cheese, remaining cup of broth, and butter.

Scallops:
Combine 1 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge the rinsed, drained, and dried scallops in the flour mixture. Cook over medium low heat in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil - about 7 to 10 minutes on each side to get a nice browned crust and ensure that scallops are done.

Serve scallops on bed of the rice. Drizzle a slight bit of truffle oil over each scallop. Top with finely diced Granny Smith apple.

Easy Empanadas for Allison (and Cassie)!

     I consider myself blessed that my daughters are friends with me on Facebook. I get such a kick out of viewing their pictures and especially the hilarious things they send back and forth to each other.  Recently I found myself embedded in a thread regarding one of Allison's favorite foods - empanadas.

Cassie:  Allison. Last night I had a dream we went to a party and they were serving empanadas. You snatched a handful and I got none.

 Allison: I feel terrible that in your dream I was so selfish. I guess it speaks to my love of empanadas! Maybe I will make you some to make up for it. whhaaaaaat???

Cassie: Hahahahahahaha. That may be in order! Do you know how to make them?!

Allison:  My mom does- I'll ask her for her recipe...

 Empanadas were the one food Allison really wanted at her open house when she graduated from high school.  I planned to buy them from a Spanish restaurant/Tapas place that, at the time, was just down the street.  So, one afternoon we popped in there for a snack. Their empanadas were quite a bit pricey - especially if I wanted to buy at least 100 of them.  Then I realized that there wouldn't be much to just making them myself and so I put together my unauthentic but tasty recipe that follows. The empanadas were quite a hit at the party and are so easy to make!  Also included is the Spanish style wilted spinach that makes the emapanadas a meal instead of just a snack.

Julie: Recipe for 48 empanadas: 2 package Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, 1 pound ground beef, 1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced green olives, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1 onion. Dice up onion and throw it in the frying pan with ground beef. Brown ground beef mixture over medium heat until no longer pink, then then drain out all the grease. Drain the can of tomatoes and add those to beef mixture along with cheese and olives. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roll out pastry on a floured surface and using a glass as a "cookie cutter" cut out circles. Put a teaspoon and a half or so of beef filling on one side of each circle and fold over to make the half-moon shape. With the tongs of a fork, press the edges of the half circle together. Line a cookie sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray or lightly grease the pan with oil. Place the empanadas on pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!



Brown the ground beef with the diced onion and drain

Drain the chopped tomatoes and slice the olives

Mix the tomatoes, cheese, and olives with the ground beef

Put flour on surface such as cutting board, roll it out just a bit, and use glass it cut out circles

Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling on one side of each circle

Fold each circle over and use the tines of a fork to seal it closed

Bake for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees - they should be light golden brown

Super Sensation Spanish Style Spinach

Put 3 tablespoons of raisins in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Let them stand while you prepare the spinach.  In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some cubes of good artisan style bread. Brown the bread cubes and remove them from the pan.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil along with 3 tablespoons of pine nuts and 1 clove garlic put through a press.  Cook on medium heat for 30 seconds and add a 10 oz. package of fresh spinach. Stir until spinach begins to wilt.  Put in drained raisins and stir again.  Remove from heat and add a couple sprinkles of vinegar.  If you have sherry vinegar, it is wonderful - if not, red wine vinegar will do.  Serve with the browned bread crumbs on top.