A Delicious Quiche on the Cheek!

I have always adored quiche and the simple elegance of it's ingredients and design.  My nephew and fellow foodie Rob Holland often made the quiches served at the Peaks of Otter Retreat and Restaurant, a beautiful lodge nestled in the Bedford area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which sadly closed it's doors just last week.  One day while reminiscing about the decadence of his quiches, I decided to create one of my own, using some apples that my sister Terry and I picked fresh from the trees and along the ground one day whilst dropping by to see Robbie at work.    I wanted a unique quiche but with traditional and easily accessed and  less expensive ingredients, and I came up with this crowd pleaser.  The recipe makes 2 9 inch deep dish quiches that will freeze well, if you only need one.  It is amazingly simple to prepare and will have your family thinking you spent hours preparing this savory dish perfect for a casual breakfast,  brunch or lite dinner. Just pair this with some fruit or a green salad for a complete and satisfying meal, strutting your inner gourmet stuff!  Vegetarians or less meat enthusiasts can simply add sauteed mushrooms in place of the sage sausage for a wholesome, filling and hearty cacophony of wonderful flavors.  The taste is as exciting and warm like your first kiss from the beginning, to the end.
Sausage, Apple and Spinach Quiche
2 deep dish pie crusts
1/2 lb. good quality sage sausage
1 c. chopped onion
4 tbsp.salted butter
2 c. fresh tender spinach
1 c. firm apples, small dice
1 can evaporated milk, plus 4 oz. water to make 2 c.
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. Sriracha
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4. c. Parmigiano Reggiano
SPST
Preheat oven to 425*F.
In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, cook sausage and onions until sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
Add butter and stir until melted
Fold in spinach until wilted and turn off heat.  SPST
Fold in apples and set aside.
Meanwhile, slightly beat eggs, milk and Sriracha until blended.  SPST
Divide sausage mixture b/t crusts and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano, then mozzarella, then cheddar.
Pour egg mixture equally over cheeses.
Bake at 425* for 15 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil.
Reduce heat to 300* and bake an additional 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Each quiche makes 6 servings.

This recipe freezes well when wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and will keep for 3 months.
Variations may be made to this recipe to reduce fat and calories like using extra lean turkey, fat free evaporated milk and/or reduced fat cheeses.

Gourmet Chicken Salad for the Soul!

Starting last fall, my family and I started using our smokehouse again.  This cinder-block and cement structure was originally built about 45 years ago by my father, now an angel and ethereal guardian, Douglas Smith.  Decades ago, our family would raise, slaughter, smoke,can, and freeze much of our family's diet, which  made perfect sense, considering our brood's size.  Our family numbers also included some of my parents siblings' children as well.
My siblings and I have been blessed with parents any person would be honored to have, and even though we have never been what one would call wealthy or rich by monetary standards, our parents managed to provide, nurture and bring whole-hearted help, comfort,  spiritual guidance, divine love and encouragement for many, and are respected pillars in our small, lake locked community to this day!   Our diet included a large garden, where corn, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage and a host of other veggies grew.
 I remember as a young girl the 'canning days', which consisted of early rising and gathering of the crops to be preserved respectively, digging, picking, shucking, snapping, par-boiling, canning and freezing which usually ran into the late evening hours of that particular Saturday, as that was one of the only two days our working parents were permitted to conduct the chores at home.  We generally kept two hogs at a time and would slaughter either just before Thanksgiving or Christmas.  The hogs were fattened throughout the year with store bought feed, as well as corn and apples from our own garden and apple trees.
 One of  my most favorite and memorable recollections is of the hogs and the way they consumed fresh apples.   The sound of the crunching apples bespoke  juiciness and obvious satisfaction.  After tending to and feeding them all year, not to mention giving the hogs names, this time of year, though necessary, became a tearful farewell.  I knew "Suzy" would be no more, the romping, carefree, apple snacking behemoth I had  help her become.  Alas, I digress!

It was important that the temperature be cool enough to facilitate the smoking and curing process of the hams, shoulders and side meat.  The day of slaughter started as did the garden harvesting, EARLY!, but also with a blooming fire underneath the scalding tub.  The animal, once killed, is submerged in the water to aid in the sloughing off of it's hair and initial sterilization.  The carcass would  then be hung, bled and eviscerated.  After the carcass is thoroughly rinsed and broken down, the process of salting, smoking and preparation of the home-made and manually ground sausage would ensue.  This has always been one of the best sausages  I have ever tasted.  The small brown bags of country sausage seasonings would be purchased from the local hardware and farm supplies store, Rountrey's.  The rewards of this toiling day would  consist of fresh, hot 'hoe cakes',  harnessing the end product of  sausage blended just right, with a perfect fat/lean ratio.   A portion of the batches would be hot, the others mild, with a sumptuous fried egg in tow, absolute bliss!  We savoured the harmonious balance of the sausage and it's complementary seasonings; sage heavy, paprika, red and black pepper.  We were tasting the hard work, long grueling  hours and sacrifice; Also, we  secured sustenance for the long hard winter yet to come.
Wintertime country breakfasts could often manifest themselves in the form of fried apples (fresh frozen from summer), steamed or fried potatoes, from the cool, dark storage bin in our "Corner House", homemade biscuits, hot from the oven, fresh, aromatic coffee and hearty cakes of organic and wholesome sausage, locally owned, grown and operated!!
I love the beautiful country-ness of my existence, growing up in rural Leesville, 10 miles from the nearest town, lots of trees and a winding river to cross, a nightmarish and slippery upgrade in the then treacherous winter weather ... These recollections echo throughout my mind and time, forever embossed and illuminated as some of the best times of my life, which had not occurred to me until I was blessed enough to live to adulthood. Thanks Dad and Mom!
Are you smiling as I am as I write this?  Good, now back to the recipe.
Today's recipe is a delicious creation containing chicken, smoked to mahogany, hickory infused perfection in our adorable little smokehouse, retrofitted with a grilling/smoking grate, cooled, shredded and tossed with a gaggle of sultry veggies, fresh herb and spices.  This chicken salad is one I would consider "gourmet", in appearance and in the deviation of ingredients normally found in a sometimes one dimensional, store purchased variety.  Housed in a wonderful whole wheat pita, and bedazzled with fresh kale, this recipe screams EAT ME! and HAVE SECONDS!
 I hope you enjoyed this walk down an aromatic and sensory response filled  memory lane and may your mind be catapulted back, in the future, to this stroll you just took with me, holding hands, swinging back and forth, meandering down a crisp late fall lane, laden with leaves of oranges, reds, yellows and browns, smiling, happy!
Recipe:
2 cups smoked, cooked shredded chicken
1 lime
1/ 4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. celery seeds
2 tbsp. small dice mini yellow peppers
2 tbsp. thinly sliced red onion, halved, then quartered
1 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes with herbs, small diced
2 tbsp. mayonnaise or avocado
1 tbsp. julienne of fresh mint
small pinch red pepper flakes
2 whole wheat pitas, halved
1 1/3 c. fresh chopped kale
SPST
In a medium bowl, add chicken,  juice of lime, cumin and celery seed and toss to evenly coated.
Add  ingredients down to the pepper flakes, and fold together until well and evenly incorporated.  SPST.
Line pita pockets with equal amounts of kale.  Use a fork to stuff chicken filling into place.  Serves 4.

Fiesta Spiced and Spiked Pork Chops

Pork is a delicious and wonderful addition to any occasion or menu.  White meat pork is just as low in saturated fats and cholesterol as white meat chicken.  Pork makes a great canvas for just about any marinade and cooking medium, depending of course on the cut and location on the animal.  Some cuts, as with other animals, are more suited for searing, sauteing, frying, baking etc or gentle methods of cooking  like cutlets, thin chops and tenderloins.  Other cuts like roasts, ribs, country style and spare variety, shoulders, ears, feet and organ meats like chitterlings require more aggressive cooking methods or a combination of the two.  Searing and braising or searing and baking is popular, especially for this featured recipe and cut, 1 inch thick bone-in chops.  Offal, also known as "sweetbreads", or the thymus gland of the pig and the liver  are the exception, which needs gentle preparation, to retain it's shape and preserve it's delicate flavor.
Pork is a staple in many ethnic groups all around the world.  We love our pig products here in the U.S., but it's also popular in Latin American locales  Mexico as well areas of Asian ethnicity like  Thailand and Vietnam, bottom line, everywhere!  Markets in my area do not offer chops this beautiful often, so I took advantage of the opportunity and came up with a recipe to do them justice! I hope you get the chance to try it and love it as my family and I did.  Enjoy.
Recipe:
2 1 inch thick pork chops, bone-in
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt
1/4 tsp. Sazon seasoning
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 brandy soaked pineapple rings (marinate in 1 oz. brandy for 30 minutes to 1 hour in resealable bag) Drink or discard pineapple marinade:)
fresh cracked pepper
olive oil for drizzling
Sprinkle chops with seasonings and drizzle with olive oil.
Rub chops vigorously to work spices into meat, both sides.
Place in resealable bag and position a pineapple ring on top and bottom of each chop.  Squeeze out excess air and seal.  Marinate in refrigerator for 3 to 24 hours,  the longer the BETTER!
Let stand at room temperature before before searing and baking or grilling.
Remove pineapple slices.  Drizzle with olive and grill over medium high heat or Foreman type grill until juices run clear and pork is opaque, about 155 degrees for medium well. SPST.   Let rest for several minutes before serving.
Pineapple may be grilled separately and served with pork if desired
Serves 2 for special dinner occasion or serves 4 sliced and pre-plated.
Recipe shown with Asian inspired Couscous.

Hum-Burger Deluxe!

I came up with this recipe on a typical day, when I wanted to WoW!  the family and introduce an unfamiliar food item to the ones leery of diversity.  I chose a neutral medium like hamburgers to showcase the special ingredient for this particular day. Hamburgers are virtually fail safe and depending upon your cooking method, the fat can be all but eradicated, especially when using a Foreman type grill or grill pan.  A new recipe is just around the corner by changing out the bun, condiments, cheeses and veggies in no time.  Cheeseburgers are one of my favorites, no matter what time of year.  For those extremely conscious of their red meat intake, substitutions of lean ground turkey and chicken can be made.  .  Be careful to read the nutritional information on some of these blends, because they may harbor more fat than ground red meat, that's if the skin is ground along with the lean.  Typically for a good beefy tasting burger that's moist and flavorful, one would opt for ground chuck or ground round.  Regular ground beef is fine too, just make sure you aim for the 75-80/25-20 percent fat ratio for a more satisfying, economical purchase.  This burger is quite delicious with the implement of spinach instead of lettuce.  lettuce is about 95% water, while fresh tender spinach is loaded with essential B vitamins, calcium, fiber and Vitamins C and A, zinc, niacin and surprisingly enough, protein!
The special ingredient for these burgers is Spinach and Artichoke hummus, a delicious and nutritious creamy spread loaded with with protein, fiber and vitamins, revered in the Mediterranean, and now here in the U.S.
Recipe:
2 lbs. ground chuck
1 tbsp. onion powder, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt
6 Ciabatta buns
12 slices tomato
1 1/2 c. fresh julienne of spinach
1/2 c. mayonnaise, optional
6 slices American cheese
3/4 c.  prepared Spinach and Artichoke Hummus
olive oil for drizzling
SPST
Preheat grill pan.  Mix onion powder and Himalayan salt gingerly into ground chuck, careful not to overwork.
While grill pan heats, turn on broiler and place buns on a large cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with onion powder and drizzle with olive oil.  Toast til lightly golden, about 3 minutes.
Place burgers on grill and SPST.  Cook burgers until juices run clear and no pink remains, unless you care for medium to medium well.
*As a general rule of thumb, only eat ground meats medium well or less from a trusted butcher or market, where the product and quality is optimal.  Cook for about 5 minutes on Foreman type grill or 4 minutes per side on a flat grill pan.
Assembly:
Spread equal portions of mayo on bottom bun.  Add 1/4 c. Spinach and two slices of tomato.  Add
burger and slice of cheese.  Spread 2 tbsp. Spinach and Artichoke dip on top bun and drizzle with olive oil.  Serves 6.

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken w/Couscous Salad

This recipe is another wonderful installment of the 5 ingredient recipes featuring chicken.  This creation  is also currently in a Bare Chicken recipe contest, and hopefully progresses to the top 20 for voting coming up on Facebook starting November 5.  Wish me Luck!!  Inspired by beautiful and rustic flavors of the 21 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea including Morocco, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Spain to name a few.  These amazing sea side countries enjoy a diet rich in fresh fruits, veggies, and a host of grains, seeds, nuts, pasta as well as yogurts and cheeses, with a focus on poultry and seafood, that is usually grilled.  Olive oil is the fat of choice and a plethora of fresh herbs and spices are used respectively.  I enjoyed creating this quick and easy recipe and the flavor profile is bursting with color and taste.  There are only 5 ingredients and not an inch of flavor is compromised in this super simple, simply delicious recipe.  My 5 year old Bronwyn loved it and said "It's delicious Mommy", as did my sister Hollie and my niece Laura.  Their ages are 5, 28 and 23, so I feel it is safe to safe it can appeal to  wide age groups with equal satisfaction.  Enjoy!

Recipe:
1 lb. Chicken tenderloins, Just Bare if available
1 box Parmesan couscous
1 jar whole Greek Kalamata olives
1 jar sun-dried julienne cut tomatoes with herbs
fresh mint

Place tenderloins in a resealable bag with 1 tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil and 2 tbsp. olive brine. Massage tenderloins with marinade until equally coated.   Press out excess air and seal.
Marinate 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package instructions, omitting the olive oil and salt. Heat grill pan to medium high.  De-seed 12 olives and roughly chop.  Roughly chop 2 tbsp. of sun-dried tomatoes.

After marination, discard marinade and grill chicken until no longer pink and the  juices run clear,  or the internal temperature reaches 165* F, about 2 minutes for double sided grill or 4 minutes per side on a stove top grill.

 Let rest for about 2 minutes.  

Toss prepared couscous with sun-dried tomatoes and olives until desired texture.  Toss with 1 tbsp. julienne of mint.
To serve, mound equal portions of couscous on serving plate and arrange an equal portion of grilled chicken as desired along side or atop couscous salad. Garnish with mint leaves.   Serves 4.

Rigatoni and Ricotta Bake

Pasta is popular all over the world and justly so.  There are literally hundreds of different types to cater to your sauces and recipe profile.  The perfect pasta shape for your specific needs is possible by way of ready to cook, store bought fresh or home made means.  Fresh pasta obviously cooks twice as fast and and would add a fresher flavor to the dish, but I generally go for the 'boxed and ready' for convenience.  There are recipes that call for thin sauces, so you would consider a pasta that has length like spaghetti, capellini, fettucine, linguine etc...and can be coated easily with thinner sauces and have surface area to accommodate.  Some recipes call for thicker, heartier sauces that need pasta it can cling to and has textured surfaces like rigatoni, farfalle, penne, and penne rigate or super absorbent pastas like ziti and macaroni, which allow sauces to coat the insides as well as the outside and hold their shapes well during baking.  Shells and orecchiette are excellent pastas for holding mass amounts of flavor and creamy sauces.
This recipe is mentioned in a previous article, Long Lost Cousins and Buttery Shrimp Bruschetta, which I served as the appetizer to this featured dish!  Generally speaking, I serve dishes like this family style for low maintenance, Friday Nite Cuisine.  This recipe is easy to make and has gobs of flavor and little finesse.
Recipe:
1 lb. rigatoni, cooked according to package instructions, just short of al dente, about 5 minutes
1 lb. good quality ground beef
1 small onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1.75 oz. sliced pepperoni, optional
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp. brown sugar, optional
1/4 c. fresh herbs like oregano, basil and parsley blend
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
2 c. mozzarella crumbles
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving and garnish (Pecorino Romano if desired
Olive oil for drizzling
SPST
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Cook pasta for about 5 minutes, drain, do not rinse, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat.  Set aside.
Meanwhile brown beef and pepperoni with onion and garlic, until no longer pink and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Drain off excess fat and discard. Add tomatoes, brown sugar and herbs. SPST.   Simmer for about 10 minutes and turn off heat.  Stir in ricotta.  Place in baking vessel.  Spread mozzarella atop, and drizzle with olive oil and cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until pasta has absorbed all the excess juices. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden, about 15 more minutes. Garnish with liberal shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano.   Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 10-12.

Braised Turkey Wings and Farfalle w/ Green Peas

Yesterday was one of the days when we wish it were the next or day before, considering the weather, that was rainy and dreadful looking.  My children, Genesis and Bronwyn, my nephew Braelyn and my sister Hollie were tentatively scheduled for a trip to the "Pumpkin Patch", filled with corn mazes, farm animals like goats, pigs and geese, pumpkin hunts and tall structures built entirely of bales of hay, to climb, slide and ramble throughout!  Unfortunately, the weather had different plans, and the trip was postponed until the following Monday.  The children were devastated.  They had already placed their 'orders' for golden, delicious, pumpkin pies, made fresh from the take-home pumpkins picked fresh from the patch!  In a perfect world, Mommy could wave her magic wand and the hay would magically refurbish itself, the ominous clouds would bow their heads and gracefully bow out to expose the beautiful blue flecked Autumn sky, with the brilliant rays of a crisp day's Sun, shining and gingerly drying the chilly dew, that would make running a hazard and a hindrance to scavenging for the mini gourds scattered about the immense hunting field.  The call for the postponement came shortly after the children reached the school, around 8 am, and with a shrug of dismay, I threw the careful packed spoils of Sliced deli turkey, ham, bologna with American cheese on Bollio rolls, Fruitables, and Doritos into the freezer for the "to be continued" picnic on the farm with the gang! I then had a a notion for comforting foods, aromatics, fragrances of grandeur, to warm  and necessitate this Day of Gray, we desperately needed the rain anyway.  I had picked up some fresh turkey wings from the market, and considering the forcast, they made the perfect fit for something to cook slowly, with low maintenance, and maximum flavor rewards.  Turkey should not be shunned or denied until Turkey Day, as it provides and evokes warm and fuzzy thoughts, as with holidays and not to mention a healthy dose of trytophan for a lulling rainy day nap, if the opportunity arises!  Wings contain a sizable amount of fat as compared to breast meat, but this can be skimmed during the braising process, and after cooking, the skin may be easily removed as not to pose a threat to the nutritional aspect of the meal as a whole.  These wings are braised  in a vegetable stock, a Mirepoix, fresh garlic and a soft chicken bouillon cube for depth to it's flavor profile.  They are braised for several hours, and finished in the oven if desired.  These wings are served best just before falling off the bone, and the moisture levels will remain, as with rich flavor.  I paired these wings with Farfalle or bow tie pasta, cooked in the reduced juices of the wings and tossed with green peas for a wonderful color implement, and filling bluster!  The sun had returned by the time dinner came around, but thankfully, these recipes provided the rays of aromatic, and rainy day comforting bliss during it's down time!
Recipe:
4 lbs. Turkey wings with tips if available
2 large carrots, sliced lengthwise, then halved
2 large stalks celery, cut into thirds
1 large onion, cut into eighths
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
2 soft chicken bouillon, cubes
water
olive oil for drizzling
SPST
For Pasta:
2 tbsp. corn starch, mixed with a little water
1 lb. bow tie pasta
3/4 c. green peas
additional water if needed
In a large heavy bottomed or dutch oven over medium heat, place veggies, drizzled with olive oil and cook until aromatic, about 3 minutes.  Add bouillon.  Cook additional minute and add washed wings to vessel.  Fill until wings are just covered with water and cover, bringing up to a boil, over medium high heat.  Reduce back to medium and cook wings in a rolling simmer for several hours or until tender, but not falling off bone and cooking liquid is reduced to about 1/3.*
Begin to skim fat as the wings cook, and discard.

Once the wings are tender, place in baking vessel,  Spoon some of cooking liquid over each wing arranged in dish, about 1 cup total.  Remove carrots and arrange alongside wings. Cover tightly with foil and bake in oven at 350* for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour.

 Add enough water to liquid reduction to make about 6 cups.  Remove from heat and whisk in cornstarch.  Bring up to a boil until thickened.  Add pasta.  Cook over medium heat until pasta is al dente.  Stir in peas. Turn off heat. Cover with tight lid and let pasta to absorb the juices.  SPST and drizzle with olive oil if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
*Note:  I like the rustic note the simmered veggie bits add to the pasta, but feel free to strain them off for a more refined sauce!