I forgot how much I love me some Quiche!

 

So the other night,  I was cleaning out my refridgerators...(yes, I have two) and I found that I have an abundance of eggs, so I decided to make a quiche.  I haven't eaten quiche in years but I always remember my mom would make 2-4 at least once a month.  They were unbelievably delicious.  This is a meal you can eat at any given moment anytime of the day.  It is perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the occassional midnight snack.  The beauty of making this was that it allowed me to just dig through my fridge, freezer and cupboard and basically create a "kitchen sink" type meal.  Meaning, I used everything I could throw in but the kitchen sink.  Let me tell you....I am still thinking about it...constantly!  It was that good!  So, I am going to put the recipe out and you let me know what you think.  As I have said before, make it your own...if you don't like one of my ingredients, just substitute or delete an item!  Trust me.  I know you will enjoy it either way!
So, I made a ham (leftover lunchmeat), broccoli, onion, mushroom and cheese quiche.  If you are a vegetarian just leave out the meat.  It has enough veggies to still be nutritional and filling.

Now I can tell you how to make a yummy, flakey pie crust that most likely you have all the ingredients in your cupboard.  But for simplicties sake,  run out and buy a frozen crust.  So here is the break down.

1 standard frozen pie crust (thawed)
1 1/2 cups cubed ham (as I said, I took our sandwich meat and chopped it into strips)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup feta cheese (feta does not break down and melt as easily as cheddar, so it adds an interesting textural component that I love.  Also, it adds some nice salt to the dish)
1 cup broccoli florets (I tend to make a nice small chop on mine so that the flavors incorporate a little easier)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup mustard (you can use 1/2 tsp dry mustard but I like using premade. It adds moisture)

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

To the side have an additional 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded for topping

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Pour mixture into pie crust and bake for about 35 minutes .
Pull it out and top with another 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.


I promise this is a delicious meal that you will go back to over and over.

Enjoy!

Ok so here goes something!!!

To all of my previous followers,  I wish you well and hope that you are having a "stress free" holiday so far but with Christmas coming up quickly you never know!  I am hoping that you can find me here at Google.  I don't believe that I will have any of the issues I incurred at the last site.  For instance, the site closed down with no warning. 

As most of you know,  I have a pending deal with Random House to publish my first cookbook and it is in part due to my dedicated readers!  I am so thankful to all of you for helping to make this happen!  Just a heads up...in the following weeks as you guys get back to me on the new site,  I will have sponsors. 
Testing my recipes for the book has become just a little too much for my budget!  I need all the help I can get and I am walking a fine line between getting too stressed out and creating more health problems.

You will however, be so pleased to know that I have come up with some really fabulous recipes.  They come to me at night.  For example,  last night I dreamed about Greeks with machine guns driving four-wheelers coming to steal my fried pies....don't ask!  The result?  (besides a cold sweat when I woke up)  I have come up with a fun funky twist on your everyday potpie.  Until I post the recipe, let me whet your appetite.  Think of a homemade buttery flaky crust,  add in feta cheese and some lamb shank.

Sounds good doesn't it???  That recipe and more will be available tomorrow so you will need to come visit me again!  Also,  I am working on a "Best Of" edition!  This will include Charlotte and Asheville mostly but I will also tap into fabulous places that I have visited.  So... stay tuned and who knows what you will find!  Enjoy!

Introduction to me! KFOODIE!

My fondest childhood memories have always been food oriented.  Whether it was

my grandmother's southern cooking or my mother's Thanksgiving feast, food was

the center of my attention.  Shortly after breakfast, I would be thinking about what

I would eat for lunch.  I didn't eat to live…I lived to eat.

Food meant security and comfort.  It didn't really matter what I ate, just that I had

a lot of it.  I paid a very heavy price for that.  No pun intended!

Eventually my weight soared to 235 pounds and I was miserable.  After many years

of trying every diet on the planet, I opted to have Gastric-By Pass surgery.

This decision turned out to be a blessing and a curse all wrapped up in a now... 110

pound person.

My blessing was that I quickly lost the weight and my past health issues such as

thyroid problems and acid reflux disappeared seemingly overnight.  The curse

came in the form of literally not being able to eat anything.   This was only one of a

series of obstacles I would face.

In May of 2010,  I was forced to realize that something was terribly wrong with me.

I had gotten to the point that I could not even keep water down.  I was sick, very sick.

I found myself in the emergency room with a major problem.  My new five year old

stomach had developed an ulcer that ultimately sealed shut.  Nothing was able to

pass.

I will spare you the details but three surgeries later I am still recovering.  It is very

similar to someone that has had an accident or some kind of trauma where

physical therapy is needed to relearn how to speak or walk.  I am having to relearn

how to eat.

All in all, my experiences have given me a new appreciation for food.  There is a

saying,  "absence makes the heart grow fonder".  Well in my case the absence of food

has become my obsession.  If I am not in the kitchen cooking, you can be sure that

I am either thinking about it or talking about it.  I am sure this thoroughly annoys my

family and friends!

Food is a necessity but it can also be an art form.  I hope you will enjoy my recipes

and find that it makes you as happy as cooking makes me.  The best part about

cooking is that it is completely subjective.  Take my recipes and put your own spin on

them.  Make it fun and I promise you it will be come a passion that you enjoy and

look forward to rather than a chore.

Enjoy!