Quiche for Christmas

First, Merry Christmas to one and all! I was responsible for the Christmas morning brunch, so I decided to go with one of my fall back, no fail dishes - Quiche. Here's how it starts:

The bowl on the left is a mix of eggs and 1/2 & 1/2, then the fillings I chose for the two separate quiches.

Step 2: Put the filling into the quiches. Quiche #1 (right) was broccoli, red pepper, and cheese. Quiche #2 was ham, onion, and cheese.

Me, putting filling in quiche number 1. Note my extremely large Twins Tshirt from the best sporting event I've ever been to.

Step 3: Add the egg mixture to the quiches until the come up to the top of the crusts.

Gracefully poured by yours truly. Or something. Special thanks to my photographer.

Here they are, ready to put into the oven:

Finally, bake them for about an hour or so.

Don't they look lovely? I think everyone enjoyed them. Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup half & half
salt
pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 ounces grated swiss cheese
4 ounces grated mozzarellla cheese
1 pre-made pie crust (I like the refrigerated ones from Pillsbury)

Equipment: 1 pie or quiche pan

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and half & half. Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (Sometimes I also add a little garlic salt. Up to you).
3. Place the pie crust in the quiche/pie pan. Add any filling (ham, broccoli, etc.) and the cheese.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the filling.
5. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat in the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until crust in golden and the filling is set/no longer runny.
6. When set, take out of the oven and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Macaroni & Cheese (and eggs)

For my inaugural post, I think I'll go with a recipe that has family roots. It came from my dad, who assured me that it was a family staple back in the day. It certainly was a fixture in my childhood and I still make it all the time. I've brought it to work several times for lunch and one of my coworkers asked for the recipe. Since it had never actually been written down before, I had to improvise. Here is what I was able to come up with. Feel free to modify as you see fit:

Ingredients:
1 lb rotini pasta
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 cups grated other cheese (I usually use a colby jack or something orange)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (or so)
dill (LOTS)
salt & pepper to taste

Note: You'll need a large pot with a a cover that seals well to make sure this turns out ok.

Cooking Instructions:
1. Cook rotini according to package directions in a large pot.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine the egss and milk and beat well, the same as you would for scrambled eggs. Add salt & pepper as you see fit.
3. To the egg mixture, add more dill than you think you could ever possibly need. Seriously, add a lot of dill - it needs to be enough to season the whole dish, not just the eggs.
4. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain well but DO NOT rinse. Return it immediately to the pot it cooked in and remove from heat. Add the egg mixture and stir around a couple of times to mix well - don't stir too much or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. Cover the pot.
5. Let the pot with the pasta + eggs sit for about 5 minutes so the eggs can cook. Stir once about half way through to make sure the eggs aren't just sitting on the bottom, but resist the urge to check on it a lot - that releases too much heat and the eggs won't cook all the way. No one wants salmonella.
6. Add the cheese to the pasta + egg mixture and stir well. Turn on VERY LOW heat if the pot has started to cool. Re-cover and cook for 5 more minutes or so or until the cheese is all melty and gooey.
7. Enjoy!

Typing this out has made me very hungry for mac. I always have the ingredients in my cupboard if I can help it, so I may need to make it when I get home... Yum!

P.S. - There really is no such thing as too much dill, per the original chef.