Real Men Think Quiche is Cool!

My latest go-to method of cleaning out the fridge...quiche!  When I suggested it for dinner, my "real man" said "cool!"

It was about two months ago that I started this kick with the purchase of a two pack of frozen deep-dish pie crusts.  The first pie crust became a remarkably yummy Monte Cristo Quiche (recipe follows).  The second crust became (my friend Michele's recipe) Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie that my husband made me take to work so we wouldn't eat it all and then he got mad that I didn't save him a piece.

Next shopping trip's pie crusts became first a Spinach, Mushroom and Ham Quiche (recipe follows) that hubby said was the "best yet" and we even tricked the picky three-year-old to eat more than her standard "2 no-thank-you bites."  The second crust from that package became a Crab and Shrimp Quiche.  I would give you the recipe but I hated it...if you think it sounds good (like I did), do what I'm going to do--look up a recipe somewhere else.

Current package of pie crusts...Spinach, Mushroom and Ham again.  Here is the part where I pat myself on the back (hope you don't mind)...tonight I wanted to make quiche for family dinner but here is how the evening went...

• Try to leave work at 4:45, actually get in the car with children at 5:30
• Ride home with this in the back seat:  "I don't want to go home, I want to go somewhere else, I'm mad at you, I'm MAD at you, I'M MAD AT YOU...mommy...sorry...I was just yelling 'cause I was mad at you" (hurray three-year-olds!)
• Toddler pees through diaper into carseat (thank god Daddy is home!)
• Daddy takes screaming, starving, dirt and pee covered toddler to tub
• Mommy assembles quiche and slices strawberries and middle finger (just a little bit)...

Here is where it finally started turning around...

• Three-year-old eats strawberries, deli roast beef, leftover mac and cheese, dried pineapple, dried cranberries and cubed ham for dinner
• Three-year-old asks to help scramble eggs: "can you put it on the floor and we need a whisk?" And she did a great job beating the eggs
• Freshly bathed and totally adorable toddler eats strawberries, cubed ham and two helpings of mac and cheese (with a fork) for dinner
• Mommy finally gets quiche in the oven and sends children to basement with Daddy to watch Octonauts
• Mommy brings pieces of quiche to basement for parents' dinner and toddler practically breaks her neck climbing on couch to get "bite, bite, bite" of the spinach and mushroom quiche
• Three-year-old stops in dining room on way to tub for a piece of quiche but only wants the ham and spinach--no egg (but that's okay, the whole reason I made quiche tonight was to get some iron filled spinach into my anemic daughter!  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!)

Basic Quiche Recipe
6 eggs
1 cup milk
Few dashes hot sauce (optional)
Few shakes ground mustard (I use probably 1/2 tsp...this is optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Frozen Deep-Dish Pie Crust (whole wheat if you can find it)
Fillings of your hearts desire (I usually stick with a meat, a cheese and a vegetable.  I always have canned mushrooms in the pantry and I love mushroom quiche, so I use them alot)

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat first five ingredients in a medium bowl.  Place frozen pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet and layer fillings in pie crust. Pour egg mixture over fillings.  The egg mixture should come to the bottom of the crust edge.  Bake 30-40 minutes until center is set and top is golden brown.

Monte Cristo Quiche

Follow directions above using mushrooms, sliced ham, sliced turkey and shredded Swiss cheese (or Gruyere, jack or cheddar cheeses).  Heat 1 Tbs. raspberry jam about 20 seconds in microwave and drizzle over the quiche before serving.  When we had this quiche, we didn't have any raspberry jam in the fridge.  We used Feisty Vanilla Pepper Jelly from the Hawaiian Vanilla Company.  So. Darn. Good.

Spinach Mushroom Ham Quiche
Pretty self explanatory...layer mushrooms, cubed ham and 1/2 a box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) with mozzarella cheese for the fillings.