Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Leek Quiche with Potato Crust

I had never tried leeks before tonight. I have seen them in a lot of recipes lately, and heard rumors that they taste like a mild version of a green onion. I love onions, so I figured they couldn't be too bad. They are delicious. I plan to use them a lot more often now. They are mild, so they will be a great compliment to salads, and all sorts of things! I actually threw together a batch of potato salad tonight as well, and added some of the chopped leek to that. It was a great addition!

Okay, back to this quiche. It is really quite different from a lot of other quiches that I have tried. This is a good thing. I normally think of quiche as a very heavy, cheesy dish that leaves you feeling greasy and weighed down. This one was very light (with only 1 cup of cheese!) and had a great, mild flavor that leaves you feeling satisfied, but not over-stuffed. I love the potato crust, and will be trying it with other quiche varieties in the future. I used a rotary grater (Thanks Mom Mertens) that made grating the potatoes very painless. I suggest you find one of these, and never let it go! The only thing that I will change in the future when I make this quiche is that I will use two different types of cheese together. I will mix a mild cheese with a bit of a sharp cheese just to add a bit of punch to it. Other than that, it was perfect!

For the Crust:

3 C uncooked potatoes, coarsely grated
3 T Oil

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the potatoes and oil together and press into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake until just starting to brown, 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1. C Ramps or Leeks, chopped
1 C Cheese, shredded.
3 Eggs
1 C Evaporated Milk
1/4 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper

Chop up your leeks, and shred your cheese(if you buy it in brick form)



















Layer the leeks, then the cheese inside your baked Crust.


































Beat together the eggs, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the cheese and leeks.


















Bake this at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is good and brown on top.

















Now, this may look a bit burnt to you, but it is not. Believe me. The crunchy potatoes along the edge taste like hash browns. I guess they basically are. This was a huge hit with the man of the house. He loves hash browns.

Let the quiche cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Then, dig in!

















Serves 4-6 people. Eat with fresh fruit, and a cold glass of iced tea. Perfection. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Homemade Granola Bars

Do you love granola bars, but hate that most of the store-bought varieties have high-fructose corn syrup in them? And, the ones that don't, well those usually cost an arm, a leg, and your first born child? Well my friend, fret no more. I have a solution for you. These granola bars require less effort, and less hands-on time than it takes to run to the store and buy a box of the pre-made ones. And, they are healthy, and dare I say, tastier than the boxed ones we all know and love. I found this recipe here: Granola Bars
The original recipe is well-written and easy to follow. I did not change a thing, so I will allow you to follow her recipe, and I will simply taunt you with pictures :-)

Eat your heart out: