A few pics from my Girls Fall Brunch

Christmas Quiche AKA Egg Pie

So... I know I haven't posted a new recipe in quite some time. I've been meaning to post this quiche recipe before the holidays, but it's been a really busy last couple of months.
This is a family favorite, and I make it for so many different occasions. I recently made this for my husband's family in San Antonio for New Year's morning, and I believe I have introduced a new thing to some of them. A few of his cousins had no clue what quiche was, and when they saw it, it's as if they were looking at a three-eyed monster. :) Quiche was too hard to remember so they've renamed it "egg pie".
They finally warmed up to the idea of eating it, and I think it was a hit.

1 T butter

6 Lg. Eggs

1 yellow, red, and orange bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 package Italian sausage in casings,  mild or spicy. *I prefer spicy

1 cup of raw milk

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 T. dried oregano

salt/pepper to taste

1 lg. package sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 deep shell whole wheat frozen pie crusts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove  sausage from casing, and brown in skillet breaking up with wooden spoon. Remove from heat, and drain sausage on a paper towel reserving a 1-2 T of fat. Sauté peppers, onions, and butter for 5 minutes on medium heat, and set aside. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl wisk eggs and milk together.  Add oregano, and crushed garlic into egg mixture. Fold in sausage, and bell pepper mixture into egg mixture. Add shredded cheese and incorporate well.

 Poke the crusts several times with a fork on bottom to prevent the dough from rising.

Brown pie crusts about 10-12 min. first before adding wet ingredients. Divide into 2 pie crusts. Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes on a cookie sheet until center is firm.

Lean and Mean Chicken Meatballs

Lean and Mean Chicken Meatballs

Grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 lbs organic ground chicken

l medium yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, use chop setting on blender or use food processor until finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme

Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 large egg

¼ cup Grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Caramelize the diced onion in a sauté pan with a little grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add crushed garlic for 1 minute and remove from heat. In the same pan add a little more oil and butter to pan over medium heat and add carrot, sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl add ground chicken, egg, caramelized onion, carrot, thyme, parsley, cheese, until combined, season with a little salt and pepper. Don’t add too much salt because of the saltiness from the Parmesan cheese.  Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of grapeseed oil just until smoking. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop meatballs onto skillet. Cook, turning, until golden brown on all sides.

 * I make these meatballs for several different recipes including spaghetti, Meatballs Subs, my twist on Chicken Noodle soup (coming soon), or if my kids are just having that craving for “chicken nuggets”. Sometimes I double the recipe and freeze some for later.

If you can’t find ground chicken in your local grocery store, ask the butcher if he would grind some chicken breast up for you. I have recently started grinding my own with my new meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer.

Tip of the day: Grapeseed oil has a reputation as the 'chefs' choice' because of its light, clean, and ‘nutty’ flavor profile. I use grapeseed oil for this recipe because of its relatively high smoke point, especially important when browning the meatballs. Olive oil is good to use, but as an unrefined oil, extra virgin olive oil should not be exposed to heat higher than 325°F. 

Yay!!!

So... I'm thrilled to have 3 followers already.
Tomorrow I will be posting my first recipe, and one of my favorites- Brittany's Lean and Mean Chicken Meatballs. You are probably saying to yourself- SELF: that just doesn't even sound good! Check back tomorrow for the recipe. These babies are so delicious, but yet... nutritious. For all you moms out there who have picky kiddos- they're gonna love these. My kids think they're Chicken Nuggets. Oh... what a sneaky mom I am. ;)

Yummy recipes coming soon!

I will be sharing some of my favorite, creative, and healthy meals for all you food lovers out there. I have a huge passion for cooking, eating healthy, natural food for my family.

Welcome to my new Blog...

Our most recent trip was a road trip to Rusk, Tx for some fun to see Thomas the Train at the Texas State Railroad. My 3 yr. old son has a small obsession with trains. We all had a wonderful day together.