Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mini Quiche

Quiche. It's one of those foods that you can eat any time of the day and it tastes appropriately delicious. You can serve it for all occasions too. They're great for an ordinary day of the week, but seem special enough for a party. Did I mention that they taste like you spent a lot of time making them when you didn't? That's just a bonus. These particular mini quiches are a favorite around here. Make up a batch of these and freeze them to grab when you don't have time to cook. This batch I made when I was having a party to show of my grandson. Here's what you'll need: 

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 oz bacon, finely chopped 
  • 3 TBL wholegrain mustard
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C milk
  • pepper to taste
  • prepared pie crust

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. 

Sauté the chopped onion in a couple of teaspoons of oil, cooking until golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes. In a separate pan, cook the bacon until crisp.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, unroll the pie crust. Using a 2" round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. Line the mini muffin tins with the discs. 

When the onions and bacon are done, combine them with the mustard and set aside. In a pourable measuring cup, mix the egg and milk and pepper. 

Add a small amount of the onion and bacon mixture to the bottom of each muffin cup. 

Pour the milk and egg mixture over the onion and bacon mixture filling to just below the top. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and puffy. 

This recipe makes 4 dozen mini quiches. Try them. You won't be disappointed. 

Enjoy! 

Lynn

Basil Pesto

My neighbor called and asked me if I wanted some basil. Of course I said yes. She was cutting hers back and hated to throw it away. I'm thankful for thoughtful neighbors. What she brought over was more than I could use before it went bad, so I decided to make some pesto. It's a classic that can be used in so many different things. Of course it's great on any pasta, used instead of tomato sauce on a pizza, mixed with mayonnaise for a tasty spread, and so on... Since fresh basil is so abundant in the summer, I like to make a big batch of pesto and freeze it in ice trays to use throughout the year. Just grab a cube or two out of the freezer any time you need some. Here's what you'll need:

  • 2 C packed fresh basil
  • 2/3 C extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 C pine nuts
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • salt & pepper

In a blender or food processor, add the basil and garlic and blend until finely chopped. 

Add the Parmesan cheese and blend. 

Add the pine nuts and blend. 

With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil. Once it's all blended, season with salt and pepper to taste. 

If you're freezing your pesto, spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze. 

Once they're frozen, pop them out and store in a zip top bag. Any time you need a little pesto, just grab one and let it thaw and you're ready to go. 

Enjoy, 

Lynn