Quiche is perfect for any meal! I made this for brunch, served with a side salad. Soup is also a great accompaniment, since colder weather is on the way.

Truth be known, quiche is great for using up those few veggies you have in the bin, or leftover cheese. I used Gruyere and Manchego cheese in this quiche because I happened to have some leftover pieces. Any cheese will work. This would be great with cheddar and jack, or Swiss would be delicious! It’s basically an egg pie. So once you get the base of eggs and cream, it’s ready for whatever veggies and cheese you like.

INGREDIENTS
1 Pie Crust (homemade or store-bought)
5 large Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream (or Half and Half)
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 cob of Corn (corn cut from cob)
1 small Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 cups Cheese, shredded (I used Gruyere and Manchego)
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Salt
Ground Black Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Get your pie crust ready in the pie pan, and set aside.
In a large bowl beat together 5 eggs and 1 cup of cream (or Half and Half).
Stir in the scallions, corn, red bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to incorporate.
Stir in the cheese of your choice and carefully pour into the pie crust, being sure to distribute the filling evenly.
Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until top is firm and feels set when you gently touch it.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Note: if top starts to brown before it is fully cooked, you can place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the pie to keep it from getting too brown.

I made this as a side dish the other night and my husband and I, both agreed we would have been happy just eating the Green Bean Casserole as our entire dinner!  

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. fresh Green Beans

3 Tbsp Butter or Olive Oil (or a little of each)
6 to 8 Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup Cream, Half & Half, or Milk (or “milk” of your choice)
A couple grinds of Fresh Black Pepper

Crumb Topping:
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1  to 2 tsp Onion Powder (not onion salt!)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Panko

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Boil or steam green beans until tender.
Set aside.
Add butter or olive oil to a heavy saucepan.
Add the mushrooms and salt.
Saute the mushrooms over medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes.
Turn heat to low.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir to combine.
Slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Stir in the black pepper.
Stir in the green beans.
Place mixture into a casserole dish.
Set aside.

Prepare Crumb Topping:
Heat butter and olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium high heat.
Stir in the onion powder and salt.
Add the panko and stir until it is coated with the butter mixture.
Continue to stir until the panko is lightly toasted.
Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top of the green beans.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.
Enjoy!

Meatless Moussaka

Moussaka is a Greek dish that is typically layered with potato, spiced meat (beef or lamb), eggplant and béchamel sauce. This is my take on it, making it vegetarian. I must admit that I wasn’t too sure how it was going to taste, but it ended up being the best Moussaka I’ve ever had.

I didn’t have any fresh spinach on hand, so I used frozen and it was perfect. If you’re going to use fresh, be sure that you end up with enough cooked spinach. You’ll need about 2 cups.

It’s best to make all of the layers and set them aside. Then assemble everything all at once. It may seem like it will take a long time to get it all done, but it’s really pretty simple, after all.

Even though the potatoes are the first layer, you want to prep them last, so they don’t turn brown!  (Just follow my recipe instructions).

I sure hope you give this recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed!

This recipes serves 6 to 8 people.

INGREDIENTS
For Eggplant Layer:
1 Eggplant
a little Salt & Pepper

For Mushroom Layer:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
White Onion, diced
4 to 5 Cloves of Garlic, diced fine
1 lb. White Mushrooms, diced fine
1 – 8 oz. can of diced Tomatoes, drained
cup White Wine
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Oregano, dry
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg

For Spinach Layer:
2 cups cooked Spinach (I used 1 lb. of frozen, chopped spinach)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For Bechamel Topping:
6 Tbsp of Butter
3 to 4 Tbsp Flour
Milk of choice, approximately ¾ cup or more (enough to thin to desired consistency)
Salt, to taste

For Potato Layer:
2 Potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin (I used the mandolin)
cup Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil

METHOD
For Eggplant Layer:
Roast the eggplant on the grill or gas stovetop, until the skin is blackened.
Put eggplant on a baking dish and continue to bake in the oven until eggplant is soft, but still whole.
Peel skin and slice eggplant into thin slices.
Set aside.

For Mushroom Layer:
In a large frying pan on medium heat, add the butter and olive oil.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a moment to get the flavors into the oil.
Add the mushrooms and cook until tender (about 10 minutes).
Add the tomatoes, white wine, Worcestershire Sauce, Oregano, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Continue to cook over medium low heat until some of the wine has cooked down.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Set aside.

For Spinach Layer:
If you’re using fresh spinach, just cook it down and season it with a little salt and pepper.
Be sure to remove all excess water from the spinach before layering it into the Moussaka.
Bechamel Sauce:
Melt butter in a small saucepan on low heat.
Whisk in the flour.
Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the milk, getting rid of any lumps.
Return to heat and continue to whisk until sauce bubbles.
Taste and season with salt, if desired.
Thin with more milk, if needed.
You want to end up with the consistency of gravy.
Set aside.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray/rub a little olive oil onto the bottom of a 9” x 11” casserole pan.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the bottom of the pan.
Place an overlapping layer of sliced potatoes, using them all.
Pour the mushroom mixture over the potato layer.
Place the sliced eggplant pieces evenly over the mushroom mixture.
Cover the eggplant layer with the spinach (don’t forget to squeeze out any excess liquid).
Pour the Bechamel Sauce over the spinach, covering the entire casserole.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, until Bechamel sauce is lightly browned.
Let the Moussaka rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

I was craving some comfort, the kind that can only be derived from macaroni and cheese. This took me all of about 10 minutes to make and it was so deliciously satisfying.

I had some leftover plain cooked macaroni from 2 days ago when I made macaroni salad. Yes, I cooked too much macaroni (I’m sure I’m not alone in this area) so I had bagged it up and put it in the fridge.  Tonight it was just the perfect amount to make 2 individual servings!

A favorite in our house with macaroni and cheese is applesauce, on the side.  That’s exactly how I had mine tonight!  Yummy!!

INGREDIENTS
about 3 cups of cooked elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp of flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 slices of cheddar cheese
Truffle salt and fresh black pepper
breadcrumbs, for topping (you can use any type, but I used some rosemary breadcrumbs that I made from the last of the bread I baked)

METHOD
In a medium saucepan melt the butter.  Over low heat add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and continue to whisk, keeping the consistency smooth.   Break up the cheddar cheese slices and add to the pot.  Stir until all the cheese is melted. Add the macaroni and mix until the macaroni is coated with the cheesy mixture.  Add the truffle salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.

Place macaroni and cheese into a casserole dish, or individual dishes (as I did). Sprinkle some bread crumbs sparingly over the top.

Place in the oven on broil to make the top crispy and golden.  Enjoy!