Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Thanks to Pinterest, I finally made my first quiche.  I kept seeing all of these great recipes for quiche, but I was intimidated.  I thought it was going to be difficult for some reason and I just never had the nerve to make it.   My eyes finally had had enough of the beautiful quiche photos, I had to make one and now.  I looked in the fridge and realized I had nearly everything I needed to make a quiche.  All I really needed was the pie crust.

I asked Steve if he liked quiche and he sort of gave me a "well it isn't my favorite but OK" kind of look. So with that burst of enthusiasm from him and my apprehension to make it, I was off to the store to buy a pie crust and make us some dinner!

It turns out that quiche is pretty fool proof!
I didn't have whole milk, so I used what I had - half and half and 2%.  I didn't have any mushrooms, so I used onions.  I didn't have Parmesan cheese, but I had Dubliner.  Quiche is a good way to use up leftovers.

I baked the quiche for 50 minutes and it was so beautiful - it rose up like a souffle about three quarters of an inch over the top of the pie crust.  The top was golden brown and creamy yellow.  I pulled it out of the oven and let it cool down.  Then the quiche settled.  It wasn't as beautiful as the big puffy, just-out-of-the-oven version, but it looked good.

I served us each a quarter of the pie.
We studied it a bit before biting into it.
Then tentatively we each took a bite.

OMGoodness!
It was heavenly!
Steve loved it.
I loved it.

We ended up eating the whole thing that night!
We were stuffed to the gills!
(We've since learned to only eat half and save the other half for lunch or dinner the next day or so)

I combined several different quiche recipes into this one with lots of variables.  It really is foolproof.

Here is the Kristin version of

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I premade 9 inch frozen deep dish pie crust

5-10oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed nearly dry
1 or more of the following
*fresh mushrooms, sliced, sauteed
*sliced green onions
*onion, sliced, sauteed
*chopped fresh dill
*1 teaspoon minced garlic (or chopped roasted)
2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk - (or 1/2 cup Half and Half, 1/2 cup 2% milk)

1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella, Swiss)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Dubliner
salt and pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place frozen pie crust on a baking sheet in case of overflow and to make the transfer in and out of the oven more stable.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and the seasonings you decided to use, as well as the salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Blot and squeeze the rest of the water out of the thawed spinach. Spread spinach on the bottom of the frozen pie crust. Add the mushrooms and onions and then 1 cup shredded cheese. Place the bacon crumbles on top.  Pour the egg mixture over everything leaving 1/4" to the top of the crust. Top the whole quiche with the 1/3 cup Parmesan or Dubliner cheese.

Bake the quiche until it is golden brown on top and the center is no longer jiggly. Depending on your oven the time will vary.  Mine takes 50 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

The quiche makes great leftovers.


Enjoy!
Kristin

KNSGear - I'm the reason t-shirt

KNS Gear has not only created designs for organ donation and transplant, but we also are coming up with designs that are just for fun.  This is one of my favorites.  Of course, I'm not the reason why we are late, if we are - that's all Steve's fault!  Or at least that's what I'm saying since he's not editing this!

The words "I'm the reason we're late" with the hint of a clock behind the design.  You can see the first and second hands as well as the 12 and 3.  The design will look great on nearly every color shirt.  Be sure to check out the new designs.  We're adding new items weekly.