Quiche times two

I am a master of yeast breads and cookies. I struggle with pie crust. I had a hankering for quiche, so while at Walmart I searched and searched for frozen pie crusts. Not finding any, I wandered over to the refrigerated bins and found a box claiming to hold two rolled out rolled up pie crusts. I was a bit skeptical, but decided it was my only option rather than trying once again on my own.

I must confess that on the way to checkout, I once again went down the freezer aisle where I finally noticed on the very bottom shelf a couple of frozen pie crusts, but I ventured on. I was intrigued by the box. It did indeed contain two individually wrapped pie crust rounds rolled out and ready to place in a pie plate. The pie dough was pliable and easy to work with. (I owe the beautifully crimped edge to my mother whom I watched over and over as she crimped her own pie crusts. Don't know why I didn't get the other part.) It made a fine spinach quiche with feta and cheddar.

The quiche tasted so good that a couple of nights later I used the other crust to make a broccoli one. (Note: Quiche tastes better when the veggies come from your garden :)

Will I buy this product again? You better believe it! Never again will I buy a frozen crust. Don't you just hate how the frozen edges break off or the frozen crust cracks in the middle. Do you think that I just have a pie crust phobia which could be conquered with practice? We'll probably never know because I think I will keep using this product.

Quiche the simple way:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in frying pan. Add one small diced onion cooking until translucent. Add 2 finely diced garlic cloves cooking about 90 seconds. Add 2 cups chopped broccoli OR 2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach leaves rolled together and sliced in strips. Continue cooking until softened. Place vegetable mixture into pie crust lined pie pan.

Beat together 4 eggs. Add 1 1/2 cups milk or cream (or a mixture of milk and cream.) Add a tsp. of freshly ground pepper and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss, feta or a mixture) to liquid. Pour over veggies. May add small amount of shredded cheese to top of quiche for color. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until middle is set. (I baked at 350 degrees in my convection oven.)

Could you add bacon? Of course, if you have some. Or ham? Of course, especially after Easter dinner. Enjoy! And don't let making pie crust slow you down, just head on over to your local Walmart.

Elegy for Eddie

I just finished Elegy for Eddie, the ninth book in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I was so excited when I discovered another Maisie Dobbs book was coming. I immediately went online to my library account and put my name on the hold list for the book which was on-order. I've learned from past experience that "on-order" can mean months.

Sometimes is pays to have your children marry amazing people (which all five have done.) Son #1 married a fellow bibliophile who also has a book blog. She writes so well and is such a good reviewer that publishers shower her with books. The UPS truck stops daily at her house. She also reads my blog on occasion and within hours of my post about the new Maisie Dobbs book, an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Elegy for Eddie was in my hands.

I am not the reviewer that Susan is, but I do like to share books that I like on my blog. I loved this book. It felt more like the first book entitled simply, Maisie Dobbs. Here was Maisie again at her introspective best. I wondered if any of the Rupert Murdoch media mogul mess had anything to do with Jacqueline Winspear's theme in this book. She seems to be asking what is justified when a powerful press baron decides to use the press as propaganda for his cause and what can he morally live with to promote that cause. What would you do if trying to prevent a second world war?

The time period and place is 1933 England. The characters, theme, and place are well drawn. The whole series is worth your time. I really want a BBC series based on this series of books. I mean really, really want.

Full House top

I've finished the top using Schnibble's Full House pattern. It took most of 2 charm packs of 1862 Battle Hymn of the Republic fabric from Barbara Brackman for the houses and checkerboards and several fat eights of Jo Morton shirtings for the borders and sky behind the houses.

Last week I purchased a yard of the more subdued brown strip to make a bias binding for the finished quilt.


I had to be scrappy with the fat eights as well.

I love all the houses. I think it would be fun to make another with fussy cut inhabitants at each door for a grandchild.

Whoops! I really tried not to have a checkerboard piece line up with a marching doorway. Just noticed this one.

My first bite of "schnibbles" was really fun.

What comes around, goes around all over again

I'm not good at self-portraits nor do I like many pictures of myself, but I give you this one because you need to know about the velcro rollers (yes, you do just roll them into place and they stay put) I've placed in my hair. My hair dresser told me about these rollers and how she thought that they might add some volume and spunk to my fine, thin hair. They do that but they also took me back in time.

Everything seems to recycle, doesn't it? Here is a picture of myself about the time I started high school. How did I style it? I wore hard plastic rollers secured by bobbi pins to bed every night! Ouch! The other option was to wear hard plastic rollers during the day covered by a scarf. Does anyone else remember how people went shopping or about town with scarf covered rollers?

So 45 years later, I have basically the same hair style, minus quite a few strands. And the same style eye glasses. Wish I had the same body.