Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

I wanted to change things up a little this weekend, and make something for breakfast. I've been cooking mainly dinners and desserts lately, so thought it would be a nice change.  Plus, I had some ingredients that I needed to use up!  Little tip, they have to cook in the oven for about 35 minutes, so you could probably make the mix ahead of time.  Keep in the fridge overnight,  so in the morning all you have to do is put them in the oven.  Then you have some time to make coffee and relax :)

Recipe calls for 10oz. of frozen broccoli.  Cook in a medium pot of salted water for about 1 minute, drain well and chop up.  

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Stir in broccoli and cheese.

 Make sure you butter or spray non-stick in the ramekins.  Place on a baking dish that is about 1/4 full of water.  Fill each ramekin with mixture.  Cook in the oven for around 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

I paired the quiche with some fresh fruit.. it was the perfect side! 

Done to perfection.  These were so tasty, a great way to start your day!

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Butter for ramekins (or non-stick spray)

Coarse salt

10oz frozen broccoli

6 large eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

Ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Butter or spray 4 ramekins (or 9 inch pie dish.)

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add broccoli, cook for around a minute. 

Drain well, transfer to cutting board, and chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 

Stir in broccoli and cheese.

Place ramekins on a baking dish with some water in the bottom. 

Ladle mixture into ramekins evenly.

Bake until golden brown, around 35-40 minutes.



My Favorite Things of 2011 (so far!)

"If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it will change.  If you're in a good situation, don't worry it will change."

The year 2010 was very full of change for me.  I moved about a millions times trying to find a nice apartment in Milwaukee - thank you again for all your help Mom! I got a promotion, started the transition into a new job, only to decide to completely leave that company and relocate to Texas.  Got a new job, got a new apartment, finally had a NON long distance boyfriend.  So yeah, a lot of change.  There are so many new people and places in my life right now, I can't even begin to list everything!

It's not always easy, my family and close friends are all over 1,000 miles away.  I don't have a lot of my normal "constants" around me.  So, while I would like to list all of my favorite people; of whom most are very far away, I'm going to settle for my favorite things.  Mainly because these "things" don't cause me to get as emotional. Plus they all live in my kitchen...way closer than Michigan. 

      
 

The first is an apron my Mom made and gave to me as a Christmas gift.  As C can attest to, I am a "full contact cooker," as he calls me.  In other words, I'm really messy and loud.  I spill a lot of things, I burn my fingers a lot, and don't even think about watching TV or having some peace and quiet while I'm in the kitchen, it just doesn't work.  Due to this, one of the things on my Christmas list this year was an apron.  My Mom went above and beyond, and used her sewing talents to make me a very cute, and one of a kind, apron.  The pattern is perfect, but my favorite is the "Made with love by Mom" label.  I've been using it a lot lately, and it's always nice to feel like I have my Mom by my side!  Now if only she could help me be a little less clumsy :)

I spoke about my new pan in one of my older posts.  I can't say enough about this thing; it's simply awesome.  It's heavy and huge, and perfect for making anything and everything on the stove.  I haven't taken the best care of my other pots and pans, but this one gets special treatment.  I even asked for wooden spoons so I wouldn't scratch the bottom!  *Other uses include knocking someone out.  The pan weighs roughly 10 pounds - ok so I'm a bit dramatic, but it is heavy.

OXO Good Grips are what I'm storing all of my dry ingredients in now.  The lid seals with a press of the button located on the top.  These are plastic, but are pretty thick.  Hopefully this means I can't easily break them, when I inevitably drop them, but I'll keep you posted on that! They're great for sugar and flour.  You can easily pour out of the containers, plus they're see-through so you know exactly what you have stored in each one.

I actually found these little containers at Tom Thumb, which is starting to have an interesting selection of cooking utencils!  They have a magnet on back, so they stick to your fridge.  I bought three, and put parsley, garlic salt, and Lawry's seasoned salt in them.  It's perfect for spices you use a lot, because they're readily available.  They also have two settings to pour out of when you turn the top, to help better distribute how much you need to use.

Last, but by no means least, my new favorite shoes.  I'm on a kick right now of buying one of a kind things, and have recently become a huge fan of http://www.etsy.com/, where everything is original and hand made.  I found these at the shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaPlumeEthere?ref=seller_info, and LOVE them.  They're suede and have feathers on the upper part by my ankle.  I haven't worn them yet because I don't want to get them dirty or have any of the feathers come off (even though they are very glued on, and don't seem to be moving anytime soon.)  That just tells you how attached I am, I won't let them leave the house.  I only wear them inside on my safe, and soft carpet.  I think C thinks I'm crazy, he caught me telling them "I love you."  Guys just don't understand.

The year has just begun, and I'm sure it will again be full of changes and surprises.  My list of favorite things and favorite people will be updated and hopefully added to.. that's life I guess.  The first picture on this post was my favorite trip from 2010. We went to the southern part of Maine for a family trip with our significant others, it was beautiful and very relaxing.  Looking forward to the adventures 2011 brings.

Happy Monday :)  

King Cupcakes

I know that I promised you all a dish using the great cheese I got from Central Market, but it's going to be delayed.  Due to a happy hour (renamed happy until midnight) that went a little too late, I didn't have time to make it!  I promise to make and post about it next week.  Please forgive me, and take pity on my hungover body :)

I got this recipe out of a magazine a while ago.  It interested me because one cupcake is only 319 calories, which in my book is pretty good for a dessert; and because I love banana and peanut butter together.  I love peanut butter with anything, I could dip chips in it, and would still think it's the best thing ever. So, I figured this would be a good dessert for my taste buds.  I always buy way too many bananas, and they end up going bad before I can eat them.  A good work around I've found is putting them in the freezer, it's a great way to save them to use later for baking.  Banana bread is usually what I use the leftovers in, but I'm cheating on my favorite bread and using them for cupcakes this time.

Start by beating softened butter and sugar together.  Add egg substitute and continue to beat.  Add mashed banana, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, beat for one more minute.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour and milk alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Line cups with paper liners, spray with non-stick, and fill cups with batter.  Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for five minutes, and let cool completely before adding frosting.

For frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, and 3 butter in a medium bowl.  Beat until fluffy, then add powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt. 

Peanut Buttery goodness.

Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes.  You can sprinkle with peanuts if you like, I chose not too, which means they were less than 319 calories! 

I will warn you, you can tell they are a low fat option of cupcakes; however, they are addicting.  I think I got a little confused, and thought they were breakfast, lunch, and dessert.  Oh well.. they're low fat, right? :)

Weekend's almost here, hope everyone has a great couple of days, see you back here on Monday!

King Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup mashed rip banana (this equals about 2 medium bananas)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup 1% milk (I used skim)

Frosting:

2 oz fat free or less fat cream cheese

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of salt

3 tablespoons chopped unsalted peanuts *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To prepare cupcakes, place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until blended.

Add egg substitute and continue to beat.

Add banana and vanilla extract, beat for one more minute.

Lightly spoon flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl, and whisk together.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately to the sugar mixture.  Beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Line cupcakes cups with liners, fill cups with batter.

Bake for around 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool for five minutes on wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter in a medium bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes.

Sprinkle evenly with peanuts *optional.