Spinach Quiche

I love a good quiche. It's great for just about any meal. You can serve it with fresh fruit for breakfast or brunch and with a salad fro lunch or dinner.

The biggest problem with many quiches is that they call for expensive cheeses. Which make wonderful quiche but can add up if you're on a budget. Which I am. Which is why I try to feed my family two meatless meals a week. And it just doesn't make a lot of sense to try to save money by foregoing meat if you're going to spend an enormous amount on cheese....

I found this spinach quiche recipe at Allrecipes.com and modified it a bit until I had it just right for us. It's a recipe that is almost impossible to screw up so experiment with it.

I let the girls help mix the "cheese pie". Whenever they are involved in the making of dinner it always helps with the eating of dinner. Well, that and the fact that it's cheese... And pie... Who doesn't like that?

Here's my version:

Spinach Quiche

INGREDIENTS
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T dried onion flakes
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). When oven is heated bake pie crust for 5-7 minutes to prevent a soggy bottom.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

My dessert contribution for our Father's Day Celebration was a fudgy chocolate layer cake. This is a super easy cake as it uses a cake mix and pumps it up.

When you fill the cake pans you'll think you're making brownies- the batter is that thick and fudgy. And the frosting is two ingredients and it just pours over the cake.

Seriously- the is the easiest cake you'll ever make. And it's soooo good!

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

This is a recipe from Kraft

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
4 eggs
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup water 1 tub (8 oz.) frozen COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds (optional to "pretty it up")

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans. Chop 2 of the chocolate squares; set aside. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in chopped chocolate. Spoon into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

PLACE frozen whipped topping and remaining 6 chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Place one cake layer on serving plate; top with one-fourth of the chocolate mixture and second cake layer. Spread top and side with remaining chocolate mixture. Garnish with almonds. Store leftovers in refrigerator.


Look how moist and chocolately this is! (Don't drool on your keyboard!)

Brenna LOVED it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

When we all gathered for Father's Day last weekend my sister's instructions were clear: Bring meat to grill and a side dish. I asked about dessert; Jen told me that I could bring something if I wanted to make it, she would probably just make a few brownies.

I'm not sure what happened, but I am so glad it did. She made these amazing bite sized goodies- she found the recipe on the side of the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets.

WARNING! These are incredibly addictive! SOOOO YUMMY!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 bar (4 oz.) sweet baking chocolate, broken into 18 squares
2/3 cup miniature marshmallow


THAW pastry sheet at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 400°F.

UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into 18"x9" rectangle. Cut into 18 (3") squares. Press squares into 3" muffin-pan cups. Place 1 tsp. peanut butter in center of each. Top each with 1 square chocolate and about 3 marshmallows.

BAKE 12 min. or until golden. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 min. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 18 pastries.

5 Minute Southwest Layered Salad

To save money and eat healthier I have decided to serve two meatless meals per week. This quick and easy salad from Kraft is a perfect main course for four or a side dish for a cook out.

I've tossed it together (in 5 minutes- really!) and taken it to the park. The girls both loved having "chippies" in their salad and the ranch dressing mixed with salsa is smooth and tangy.

5 Minute Southwest Layered Salad

Prep Time:5 min Total Time:5 min Makes: 4 servings, 1-1/2 cups each

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup Chunky Salsa
1/2 cup KRAFT Natural Three Cheese Crumbles
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup broken tortilla chips

PLACE lettuce on serving platter or in bottom of glass serving bowl.

COVER with layers of beans, corn, salsa and cheese.

DRIZZLE with dressing; sprinkle with chips.

Just a note: this salad is really best the day you make it. If your family won't finish it I would suggest this making single servings. If it sits mixed over night the lettuce gets soggy. I mix the beans and corn together in a container and leave the rest separate. It's super easy to just pull everything out of the fridge and toss a salad together for lunch.

Beef Tostadas

A few weeks ago my mom brought a gift from my grandparents- a rump roast. It was probably 3-4 pounds- more than I needed for this recipe. But Doug isn't a big fan of beef roast (I can only assume he had bad ones in the past) so I decided to try this tostada recipe I found in Family Circle.

The scents that fill your house will make your mouth water all day long. This is such a great recipe- and so easy. I love slow cookers!

Brenna really enjoyed this- especially because we renamed it "Mexican Pizza"! I've found that renaming things so they sound appetizing to kids makes all the difference!

Beef Tostadas

Makes: 12 tostadas Prep: 15 minutes
Microwave: 1-1/2 minutes
Slow Cook: 6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW.

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 packaged tostada or hard taco shells
3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
1-1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican-blend cheese
3/4 cup salsa

Directions
1. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Place 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the garlic, jalapeño, onion, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in a slow cooker. Place beef on top and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

2. Remove beef to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with fingers or using two forks. Place shredded beef in a large bowl.

3. Strain remaining liquid in slow cooker over a bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids. Add strained liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice to beef in bowl and stir to combine. Cover; keep warm.

4. Warm tostada shells in oven according to package directions. While tostadas are baking, heat refried beans in microwave for 1-1/2 minutes on HIGH, stirring halfway through until warm and spreadable.

5. Spread each tostada with 1 tablespoon refried beans. Place 1/3 cup beef over beans and divide lettuce equally among tostadas. Top each with 1 heaping tablespoon cheese and 1 tablespoon salsa.