My husband and I live states away from our families so whenever we visit Texas we try to fit as many family activities as possible into our trip. On our most recent visit, my brother and his wife were able to come up to my parent’s house for a weekend and we were able to enjoy a big family breakfast together one morning. It’s a treat to feed my family, as I don’t have the chance to do that on a regular basis. Getting the chance to cook with my dad is always a highlight of our trips for me and cooking with him has become a tradition on every trip we make. I also enjoy it because it’s a family affair. My parent’s have a great kitchen with a long bar with stools so as we cook we can talk with the entire family.
For this breakfast we made the Cheese Danishes again (yes, they really are that good!) and also tried a new Spinach Bacon Quiche recipe. While making this quiche, I felt that there was not enough egg in the mixture, as the quiche looked very dry. My dad agreed so we added 2 eggs and 1/4 cup half &half to each quiche. I’m not sure what would have happened without that extra liquid because the quiches turned out perfect with our alterations. Another change I made is that I sautéed the onion in the bacon grease instead of butter. This is a standard change I always make. Why let that yumminess go to waste? For those of you that are a little ore health conscious, feel free to sauté the in butter. I added more pepper and a couple of extra slices of bacon because if a few slices of bacon are good, a couple extra make it even better.
Here’s the recipe with my alterations.
Spinach Bacon Quiche
2 unbaked pie shells
1 (12 oz) package frozen chopped spinach
½ onion, chopped
1 ½ cup half &half
6 eggs
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 slices bacon, fried until crispy then crumbled
Bake your pie shells at 400 for 7-10 minutes. You want them to warm but not brown as they’ve got more cooking to do. While those are baking, cook your bacon. Then sauté your onion in the bacon grease until it’s transparent. Add the half & half to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the half and half starts bubbling around the edges. Drain your spinach. Press with paper towels to help soak up extra moisture. Combine eggs, garlic salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until combined. Then add ricotta and again process until combined. Add the egg and ricotta mixture to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the bacon and spinach to the mix. Once combined, divide the mixture between the 2 pie shells. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
(Adapted from A Perfect Setting By the Junior League of Lubbock)
I love quiche, as it’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This quiche was very hearty and would be a great stand alone entree with a smoothie or fruit salad on the side. I’d love to know, who do you enjoy spending time in the kitchen with?