Sausage Quiche Lorraine

I'm one of those girls who loves breakfast for dinner: waffles, pancakes, omelettes, biscuits and gravy... I'm game for any of these on any given night. This quiche fits right in with my breakfast cravings and makes for a delicious and easy meal. I always make my pie crust from scratch using the basic Taste of Home recipe. It is very light and flaky and has a wonderful flavor. But if you are short on time, a pre-made pie crust from the store will work just fine. This recipe is extremely versatile because you can put any ingredients in that you have at home to make a variety of quiche flavors. This particular version is my favorite (and my husband's favorite) because it is hearty and comforting. (Picture courtesy of The Perfect Pantry)

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening (I use softened butter)
• 5-6 Tbsp. water

Mix the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening or butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water in one tablespoon at a time and toss with a fork until it begins to stick together. (I usually use around 7-8 tablespoons before it starts to stick together. The dough will not be sticky like a bread dough. As soon as you can pick it up and mold it into a slightly-crumbly ball, stop adding water.) Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes so it is easier to handle. Roll out with a floured rolling pin until wide enough to easily fit inside a pie pan. Spray pie pan with cooking spray and lay the dough inside, fluting the edges around the edge of the pan.

Tip: Spray your rolling pin with cooking spray to reduce the stickiness of the dough. It makes a huge different and allows the dough to spread a lot easier!

Quiche:

• 1/2 lb. sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• handful spinach (optional)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• dash of pepper

Cook the sausage in a large saucepan until cooked through. Reserve 1 tsp. of the grease and lightly saute the onion over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until slightly softened. Layer the sauge, onion, mushrooms, spinach and cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper until combined. Pour over the top of the quiche. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve with salsa and ketchup on the side.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This is by-far my favorite base recipe for ice cream. It came in a small Cuisinart recipe book I got when I purchased my ice cream maker. It is so simple and easy to put together, but I always add different ingredients to it at the end to make a whole new flavor of ice cream! This particular recipe is extremely smooth and creamy (my favorite way to eat ice cream) and has a mouth-watering delicious vanilla flavor that definitely tastes homemade. I love store-bought ice cream, but for me there is nothing better than the classic taste of the homemade kind.




Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk (I use whatever is in the fridge - usually 1%)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• pinch sale
• 2 cups heavy craem
• 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. Freeze according to ice cream maker directions.

For my particular ice cream maker, I add in the additional ingredients about 5 minutes before the ice cream is done mixing. My favorite varieties are are:

• crushed oreos
• pecans lightly sauteed in butter and brown sugar
• S'mores (crushed graham crackers, melted chocolate at room temperature, 3/4 cup marshmallow cream)
• 1 cup peanut butter and chopped peanut butter cups
• chopped peppermints