Crustless Quiche

My easy answer to "quiche cups."  I like to make one a week and eat off the leftovers for a quick breakfast.

8 Eggs, cracked and beaten
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt

16 oz. of any cheese, shredded, crumbled, etc.

1 cup of browned, crumbled, or cubed meat (optional, but meat makes it more filling)

2-4 cups of any vegetables

For greens, saute, cool, then squeeze to remove any excess liquid.  With raw veggies, I use my food processor to cut or shred finely, then I squeeze the liquid.  For eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, or mushrooms, I roast in the oven till dry.  I will often make ratatouille, then use the leftovers for a quiche.

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine ingredients, pour into a greased glass pie dish.  Set in middle of oven, reduce heat to 350, and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Let cool/rest for 15 before cutting and serving.

Cuban Black Beans

1 lb of dried Black Beans, rinsed and sorted
1 quart of Chicken Stock
2 cups of water
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground Black Pepper
2 large cloves of Garlic, pressed
6 Bay Leaves

Put everything into a large pot and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a low simmer.  Stir the beans every 20 minutes or so until done, about 2 to 2.5 hours total.

1 large Onion, diced
1 large Green Bell Pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons Olive oil

In a large skillet, saute the vegetables to your preference, then add them to the beans.  Serve over rice.

Dutch Baby! Or, German Apple Pancake

Preheat oven to 450

3/4 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Mix dry ingredients together.

1 cup of Milk
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon of Vanilla

Mix, set aside.

2 Large Granny Smith Apples (Peeled optional), sliced thinly
4 Tablespoons of Butter
4 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Melt butter over medium heat in an oven safe large skillet.  Add apples, sugar and cinnamon.  Fry for 8 minutes till beginning to Carmelize.

Pour Batter over top, place in oven, reduce heat to 425, bake for 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven and cool for 15 before inverting on a platter to serve.  Serves 4 well, 8 at a brunch.

Homemade Crescent Rolls and Roll-Ups

This is the recipe my Mother has been using for years.  I halved it and tweaked it a little for the purpose of making fewer, and for *hot dog roll-ups.

1.5 cups of Flour
2 teaspoons quick rise Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Sugar
1/3 cup of warmed (105 degree F.) Milk or Buttermilk
3 Tablespoons of Butter, melted
1 Egg

Melt the butter and warm the milk in the microwave.  Stir the flour and yeast together and wait about 30 seconds before adding the salt and sugar.  Pour in the milk and butter and stir lightly.  Add the egg, break the yolk, and mix well, knead for 5 minutes.  The dough should be sticky. 

Cover with a wet towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours.

Punch down, roll out on a floured surface as thin as you can, (at this point my Mom brushed the top with more butter, and I would if you are making as rolls).  Cut into 12 pie wedges and starting with the large end roll in.

*If you are making roll-ups, now is when you would sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the whole round, and place 1/2 a pre-cooked (not boiled) hot dog, or slice of ham, at the large end of each wedge before rolling in.

Set the rolls in a greased glass lasagna pan, 9x13, or a greased jelly roll pan.  Let rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes (till your desired golden).  Brush with melted butter, or do it the easy way like me and just rub the stick over the hot rolls.  Enjoy!  Makes 12.

Roasted Green Beans

I hate "babysitting" food.  If I can get away with one pot, or one oven dish I will.  Hence why I love this recipe.

2 lbs fresh green beans
2 large cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Snap the ends off of your beans.  Rinse.  Pat dry, or spin in a salad spinner.  Toss with the Olive oil and garlic.  Shake out onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, stir, shake, bake for 5 more.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Done.

Buttermilk Dressing for Slaw

I've been making coleslaw nearly every week since our CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, began.  It's the greatest thing to take to a summer cookout.

Here's what I've been doing:

1 small head of cabbage, finely sliced, 

1 small onion, finely sliced

4-5 medium to large carrots, shredded1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped (I do hand chop)

Sometimes I put in a few shredded radishes

I yoinked this dressing recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Broccoli slaw recipe:

1/3 cup Mayo1/3 cup Buttermilk2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar1 Tablespoon Sugar1 teaspoon SaltBlack pepper to taste

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

2 Tbs. butter  melted
2 Tbs. of vegetable oil
1/3 cup of Buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup of flour
3 Tbs. of Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup grated zucchini (I use my food processor), squeezed of excess liquid
1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter in a microwave safe dish, mix in the rest of the wet ingredients.  Dump all the dry ingredients into the bowl and lightly mix dry ingredients before stirring in with wet.  Lastly add the zucchini and chocolate chips.  Drop into greased or lined muffin tins by the 1/4 cup, makes 8.   Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for another 10 before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an air-tight container.  They are better the second day, and great as-is, no frosting necessary.

1 Muffin has 205 calories.