Spinach Quiche

These little spinach quiches are another option for large group entertaining.

I chose to post spinach quiche because this is the favorite vegetable in this house!

You can vary the recipe by changing your fresh ingredients.

Try ham and cheese.

Bacon, caramelized onion and tomato.

Mushroom and goat cheese with thyme.

Simple eggs, onion, and truffle cream or truffle oil.

They are also perfect for lunch and or dinner.

Toss a fresh salad to go along with it and you have a perfectly easy and delicious meal.

For the quiche.

Frozen pastry shells(no lard! Look for all vegetable shortening).

Place frozen pastry shells on a baking tray and cook as per directions.

1/2 cup Frozen spinach-

1 onion finely diced

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

8 eggs

Run the spinach under hot water to defrost.

Squeeze out any excess liquid.

Place in a colander in the sink and let any liquid come out.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan gently saute the onions.

In a bowl whip the eggs.

Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

Add the mozzarella cheese.

Add the spinach to the frying pan and gently cook on low heat until warm.

Allow to cool slightly.

Mix the whipped eggs with the spinach mixture.

Ladle or pour the egg mixture into the pastry shells and top with more mozzarella cheese.

Cook until cooked about 10 minutes.

Blueberry Drops

These little mini muffins are so tiny that in our home we call them drops.

We love them. They are incredibly tasty it's often very hard not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

I made these all summer so the recipe calls for fresh berries. You can use frozen berries in the winter.

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cups plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups of self rising flour

or:

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter your cupcake trays.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add egg and incorporate well.

Add yogurt and lemon zest.

Sift flour mixture into batter slowly until well incorporated.

Fold in blueberries.

The dough is thick! Spoon into muffin cups about 3/4 full.

Cook 20-25 minutes.

Something for everyone...

Banana Loaf- Or Cupcakes

This is a recipe for a large amount of banana bread. We go through it pretty quickly in our home.

I usually make one large loaf and cook it for about an hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

You can divide the batter into two loaf pans and cook for about 40-45 minutes.

Or, you can make 12 very large cupcakes and cook for 30-35 minutes. (18 regular sized cupcakes cooked for 25-30 minutes) or about 48 mini muffins cooked for about 30-35 minutes.

Many choices cooking times will vary depending on the power of your oven. Always check readiness by inserting a toothpick into the centre and seeing that it comes out clean.

It is a very tasty recipe that pleases many!

I like to use real chocolate in my loaf, as opposed to chocolate chips, it gives the bread a much more sophisticated flavor and texture.

You can also add walnuts, more diced banana, coconut and or granola to the batter to add even more texture!

Serve the loaf warm on a plate topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Simply, a perfect no fuss dessert.

Pack it up in parchment paper and bring it along to a play date or slice it up for breakfast warmed in the toaster and spread with butter. Or send to school as a yummy snack.

3 cups all purpose flour.

1 1/2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled. (or soft)

2 large eggs

3/4 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas (or 3 if you like it really moist) mashed

1/2 cup of chopped dark chocolate

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter loaf pan.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl or in an electric mixer.

Add the melted butter and blend either with a hand blender or with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.

Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas.

Add them to flour mixture and blend.

Do not over mix.

Add the chopped chocolate and fold in.

Spoon batter into the loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool for 5-8 minutes.

Invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

Enjoy.

Roasted red Peppers

Paolo's Roasted Red Peppers

It was hard for Patrick and I to come home from Italy and not find the usual foods we were so priveleged to enjoy in Italy. The fresh flavors, the labor that went into making foods from scratch, the home cooking. We missed it all.

However, we were invited to our friend Paolo's for dinner one night and we were so pleasantly surprised to find the entire dinner cooked from scratch. We were very excited and the food was tremendous. The memory of that dinner is still very much alive in both our minds.

Paolo made some roasted peppers that were so simple and flavorful. This is the recipe I put together from that night. Not the exact recipe, but close enough I think!

We miss you Paolo!

By the way if you happen to be following this blog please correct or update the pepper recipe. We also want your Tiramisu recipe.

By far the best Tiramisu I have ever had, and I have had a lot of Tiramisu in my lifetime!!!

Roasted Red Peppers

6 Long Red peppers (tend to be sweeter)

2 Yellow Peppers

or any combination of red, yellow, orange peppers.

4 cloves of garlic smashed

6 Basil leaves thinly sliced

1 tablespoon regular cooking Olive oil

Good quality Oilve oil

Fleur de sel

Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash peppers and place whole on baking sheet.

Drizzle with regular cooking olive oil.

Roast in oven about 15-20 minutes or until skins turn black.

Allow to cool.

Remove skins and seeds from flesh. (some seeds can stay)

Cut peppers into thin strips.

Place in a bowl with crushed garlic and mix well.

Add 1/2 cup good quality olive oil.

Add freshly cut basil leaves.

These peppers are delicious on their own or served with little toasts.

I usually have them out when I serve cheese, or for cocktail hour!

The longer they sit the more flavorful they become! You can store them in the fridge and take them out to rest at room temperature about 1/2 an hour before serving.

Willie's Cafe Tomato Bisque

Willie's Cafe Tomato Bisque

This soup is adapted from Willy's Cafe in London Ontario. Patrick and I used to walk over from my place on Piccadilly Street and have a warm refreshing soup. It always made our weekend.

We had it so often that the owner gave us the recipe on a card at the end of the year. It's one of my favorite soups. I serve it often.

I added this recipe because sometimes dinner can just be a simple soup made with fresh produce, a chunk of baguette and a movie! Serve it warm or cold.

Here is the recipe.

Tomato Soup:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (olive oil for a vegan)

1/2 cup chopped white onion

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 teaspoons dill seed

1 1/2 teaspoons dill weed (fresh)

1 tsp dried oregano

5 cups pureed canned tomatoes

4 cups water with vegetable stick bouillon- or veg broth

4 teaspoons of honey

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups of whipping cream ( leave out if vegan)

In a pot melt butter and sautee onions until golden brown.

Add herbs and cook for 1 minute.

Add flour cook for 2 minutes

add tomatoes and vegeatble stock. Simmer about 1/2 -1 hour.

Add honey and salt and pepper

Puree soup in a blender.

Add cream and heat through

Add fresh dill sprig to garnish.

Serve.

If you happen to dislike dill- take out dill seed and dill weed. Replace with a teaspoon of dried basil and fresh basil.

For a fresh summer version use fresh tomatoes, ripe and red!

For a richer taste and texture, roast your tomatoes first. In oven on high heat until lightly charred. DO NOT BURN!

On the bbq with perfectly ripe tomatoes only-grill until lightly charred.