at least i try

I made my first quiche last night, and it was so incredibly easy and delicious! Why haven’t I been using this “throw what you’ve got in the fridge into the oven” meal for years?!

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (trimmed, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 clove garlic
2 cups spinach
6 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup milk
5oz goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 ready-made pie crust

Directions:
1. Saute the asparagus until just tender, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
3. Add the spinach and cook it until it wilts.
4. Break up the goat cheese and cover bottom of your pie crust.
5. Mix the eggs, milk, vegetables, salt and pepper and pour it over the goat cheese.
6. Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 25-45 minutes.

(adapted from: closet cooking)

this isn’t the greatest of photos, but i promise you, if you are a bread & cheese lover, the ease and deliciousness of this recipe will change your life:

1 wheel of brie
1 sheet of thawed puff pastry
3-ish tablespoons of a jam or preserve of your choosing
2-ish pinches of brown sugar

1. pre-heat your oven to 350
2. slice your wheel of brie in half and put jam/preserves in the middle (i added a little more on top, as well)
3. wrap in puff pastry
4. place on cookie sheet folded side down
5. sprinkle brown sugar to your heart’s content

bake for 25-30min, until pastry is golden.
attempt to enjoy, while your mouth explodes with flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. 
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled. 
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm. 
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

hope’s notes:

my husband is a meat lover, but he gobbled this up! i substituted marinated artichoke hearts for olives, but i can only imagine how delicious it would be with both.
so easy to make. so delicious. no leftovers.

(Source: allrecipes.com)

Servings: 14

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 5 cups water
• 5 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 3 carrots, cut into small chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cubed, cooked chicken breasts
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, combine the first five ingredients; bring to a boil. Add the chicken and rice. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Whisk together eggs and lemon juice; quickly stir into soup. Add oregano and pepper. Serve immediately.

hope’s notes:

this is the easiest and most delicious soup recipe we have tried.  we halve the onion and add half a bunch of asparagus, that has been chopped and briefly cooked in oil and lemon juice.  (we use at least two lemons in the egg mixture because we love this recipe extra tangy.)
the eggs make it the perfect creamy soup for those who aren’t lactose friendly! 

(Source: allrecipes.com)

1 cup choc chips
1/2 cup white choc chips
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1-1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs

cream the butter and sugar, add the rest.
toss in a pan that you desire and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes

hope’s notes:
while i’m all for the ease of the box, this super simple recipe will radicalize your taste buds.

(photo credit: kim)