Sweet Potato Quiche - an inspired post...

A Few days ago, my favorite Hotass posted a link to a video recipe. A recipe that was for quiche, but used very thinly sliced sweet potato slices layered to make the crust. One kitchen gadget that I have that I don't use as much as I should is my mandoline. The Aussie got it for me for my birthday several years back, and it makes the best thin sliced anything. Including fingers, but that's another story. Speaking of stories, this post is actually inspired by a person called North, who loves healthy eating. ;)

I pretty much always have sweet potatoes on hand, so I decided that this would be a great recipe to make for lunch. To make this, you'll need the following:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bag of baby greens (kale, spinach, etc)
2 ounces shredded cheese (I used an alpine style that I had on hand)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, cayenne
cooking spray
olive oil

Thinly slice a large sweet potato. Spray your pie pan with quick release spray, and layer the slices on the bottom and sides of the pan. Cut slices in half to form the side layer. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the crust bakes, drizzle some olive oil in to a hot pan. Toss in a thinly sliced onion (I had half of a very large onion in the refrigerator). Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until the onion softens. Next, add in several handfuls of greens. The video used half of a bag of baby spinach. I am not a fan of spinach these days (it makes a squeaky feeling on my teeth when I eat it) so I used a package of baby kale. In hindsight, I would chop the baby kale in to small pieces to make cutting the pie easier. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the greens are wilted. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of nutmeg.

In a bowl, whisk together 4 eggs and half a cup of milk. Add in 1/2 t of salt, several grinds of black pepper (I love black pepper, so I used a lot of it), and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Layer the greens and onions in the pie shell, distributing fairly evenly.
 

Top the greens with 2 ounces of shredded cheese.

 Pour the egg mixture over the greens and cheese. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Slice and enjoy!

Exciting!

I can't tell you how giddy being able to post this badge on my blog makes me!

If Money Were No Object

The Aussie and I like to dream about what we would do if we won a big*ss lottery. All of our basic needs and quite a number of luxuries have already been met, so we are quite blessed. There are a few things, however, that I would love to do, if we had millions and millions to spend. Most of them are practical, with a side of frivolity.


1- Fence the immediate yard at the ranch so that the doggies could roam around safely. There are all manner of dangerous wild critters in the area, as well as local dogs that roam. I'd prefer it if they didn't have access to our property.

2 - Get the pond fixed. If you are going to build a pond in an area with really sandy soil, LINE IT WITH CLAY BEFORE YOU FILL IT!

3 - Renovate the house at the ranch. It boggles my mind that the previous owners built a house in the middle of the woods with a gas only fireplace. There isn't even a chimney. The amount of firewood we potentially have from trees that fell in storms is ridiculous. The fact that I can't have a proper wood fire in my fireplace makes me sad. I want to build an addition with large windows, a fireplace, another bathroom, install solar panels, convert the kitchen to gas, and install a tankless hot water system. Oh, and re-do the landscaping around the house with some sort of metal mesh under the lawn to prevent the gophers from digging up the yard.


4 - Because every dog deserves a furever sofa, I would really, really love to give a lot of money to charities that I support. My favorite charity, Galgos Del Sol, is raising funds to build a center. They rescue abandoned and injured Spanish Galgos, a dog similar to a Greyhound, rehabilitate them and find them homes. The new center will have an on-site vet, kennels and enclosures for the rescued dogs, an educational center. They will be able to help so many more of these beautiful dogs.  I would also love to make significant donations to Ibizan Hound Rescue to support their rescue work and to help cover the costs for medical attention and fostering the dogs.


5 - The Aussie is a pack rat. I would dearly love a clean, organized house. I'm not sure even millions could accomplish that, though.

Quick(er) and Easy Bolognese Sauce - Oh, Yes, I Love My Kitchen Gadgets

The other evening, The Aussie and I were strolling down memory lane via Google Maps in satellite view. We used to work in NYC, which is light years away from the Texas suburbs. We love living in Texas, but we really miss all of the old places we used to go. Especially our favorite restaurants. It was good to see that some of them are still there, years later.

Our favorite Italian restaurant has changed, unfortunately. New name, new menu. I used to order the old restaurant's pappardelle with bolognese sauce. Oh, it was good.  In honor of the old restaurant and the many meals we enjoyed there, I wanted to make a bolognese sauce last night. Traditionally, bolognese takes at least an hour and a half to simmer on the stove. I have seen some recipes that call for 4 hours of cooking. I had (almost) enough time to make it on the stove, but I really wanted to see how it would come out in the pressure cooker. Brilliantly well, as it turns out.   

Bolognese Sauce

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 oz pancetta (or bacon) chopped
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped *
1 onion, finely chopped *
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 cup red wine
1 cup stock (I used chicken)
1 T oregano
olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk

To Do:

* Being the gadget hound that I am, I put the carrots and onion in to my Ninja and blitzed them until they were very finely chopped. If you don't have any sort of food processor, finely chop the onions and carrots.

With the pressure cooker insert in place, heat up the cooker on saute. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and let it heat up. Put the pancetta in the pot and cook until fat starts to render off, about 5 minutes.

Next, add the onion and carrot mixture and the minced garlic, cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, to cook out some of the moisture.

The ground pork and ground beef go in next. Browning the meat should take about 10 minutes, and while it browns, use your spoon to break the meat in to small pieces. The tomato paste can be added halfway through the browning.

Finally, the red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and a big pinch of salt go in. Mix thoroughly.  (Don't worry about the milk yet, it goes in after you pressure cook the sauce)

Double check that the gasket is in place, put the cover on your cooker, and move it into the locked position. Turn the cooker on to high pressure and set the timer for 30 minutes.  

Because I am impatient, I used the quick release method to let the pressure out of the cooker.  The beauty of electric pressure cookers is that you can't open the cover until the pressure is released.  They may not cook at as high a pressure as older style pressure cookers, but you won't have to worry about scaring yourself. *boom* They can make a very loud noise when you open them too soon. Not that I ever did that... nope... must have been someone else... *looks around whistling*

Once the pressure is released, open up the cooker. Select simmer, stir in the milk, and let the sauce cook down for 10 minutes or until it reaches a consistency that you prefer. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Please excuse the less than brilliant pictures. They just didn't design home kitchens with food bloggers in mind when they built our house.  If you aren't a fan of pasta, or if it isn't a fan of you, this sauce would be fantastic on spaghetti squash or zoodles.

If you are looking to prepare this on the stove top, use a heavy bottomed pan, such as a dutch oven, with a cover. Follow the same steps, but the milk can be added after about 30 minutes. Simmer on medium low for at least 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking on the bottom of the pan.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's rich, hearty, and not too tomato-y. The perfect thing for a winter dinner.

Seriously? Yup. Seriously.

After having a blog for several years, I just figured out how to add tabs. Seriously?

Yup. I know. Seriously. So, one of the tabs I added is called "Cookbooks I Love." I am a self-described cookbook hoarder. Just the other day, a food blogger I know on FB asked if people still, in this digital age, use cookbooks. I responded that yes, and I had just bought four cookbooks (from BandN) and two e-cookbooks that day. What makes this all really amusing is that my husband is such a meat and potatoes type of eater. Roast it, bread it and fry it, serve some fries with it, and a small side of one of the few vegetables he eats with it. Why I have SO MANY cookbooks is really beyond me, but for the fact that I do enjoy reading a lot of them. I almost never follow a recipe exactly, so they are more there to keep me company while I cook, like cooking friends. Clearly, I have a lot of cooking friends.

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt - week 3

Hello again! I took last week off from blogging about the mystery quilt, but I'm back this week. Last week's block really had me frustrated because my printer wouldn't print out the correct size, and quite truthfully, the instructions left me baffled. Different designers have different methods, and I'm not used to this designer yet. Thankfully, this week was more clear for me. Piecing strips I can do. I'm afraid that the green I have is too dark, and doesn't read well next to the black. Not sure if I should rummage through my stash for something else to use. I really don't want to  have to rip out seams and swap out greens. I haven't done many strips yet, so I may switch things out for the rest. I already had these greens leftover from batik strips sets I bought several years ago.  Since they were in 2.5 inch strips, I stitched and then trimmed down to the correct width. Speaking of trimming, anyone else going through lots of rotary cutter blades? I swear, batik fabrics must dull the blades more quickly than other fabrics.

This is my first block completed from week 3. I am half done with my week 2 blocks. I have to cut out more black squares to finish up the rest of the double diamond blocks. I have a bunch more of week 1 blocks to finish, too, but I'd say I am 3/4s done with those.

Blocks 1 and 2 were giving me a hard time because my machine didn't want to feed the multiple layers with seams. I had been hand turning the wheel for several stitches, until over the hump caused by the HST seam. That got old, really fast. So, speaking of old, I went out and got myself a "new" machine. Isn't she pretty?? She's a 328k from 1961. She sews like a champ! She's quite powerful, and I am getting to know her, so my seams aren't perfect. I don't expect the quilt police to show up and my house (or in my comments), so I will say I am happy with how I have been piecing with her. I will need to replace the bobbin tire, but right out of the proverbial box, she has been great. I am amazed at all of the accessories that came with her, and in pristine condition. I'm guessing that she wasn't used a whole lot. And get a load of the price on the package of needles. When was the last time you bought a package of needles for thirty cents?

Come Play In May - Day 2: Define Yourself

 

Your mission, Kyra, should you choose to accept it, is to define yourself in an uncommon way. I'd say the picture below does just that. I am a virtual running geek. These are some of my really cool race medals. There's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Half Marathon, the Firefly 14 k and (hidden behind it) the Firefly 14 mile, my Jedi Challenge 10k (Han Solo, frozen in stuff) and my Cyberman Delete Delete Half Marathon. Coming soon will be my Sherlock 22 mile medal.

What this picture doesn't show is that I am a total mush when it comes to dogs. The Doctor Who race raised money for Boston service dogs, The Firefly race raised, and the Sherlock race is currently raising, money for Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds. If you have a heart, look in to their plight.) The Cyberman race raised money for the AMAA Youth Fund, and the Jedi Challenge race raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So, there you have it. I am a geek. And I am awesome. At least that's what I am telling myself right now.

Want to come play with us?

Why I Write

Day 1. Axis of Ineptitude Challenge.  Hmm. Why I write. I started this blog back in 2009 to earn points in a contest put together by the Fab Fatties. I had no clue about blogging, other than reading other peoples blogs. To tell the truth, I still don't have much of a clue, which is why I have unread books on how to set up your blog. No fancy tabs, no fancy buttons. Blogger changed settings on me a year ago, and I still can't figure out how to fix it. Conferences seem to focus only on WordPress. I have a WordPress site that I've posted on maybe twice. WP scares me. I really don't have a clue how to use it. But hey, I have a book or two. Unopened. I also have a secret blog, a ranch related blog, and a fun blog some friends and I have together. 

Why. Why do I write. Sometimes it's because I need to rant. Case in point, when I was still a member of the Watchers of Weight group, I got really pissed off at how they push desserts. Come off it people. You didn't get fat from celery sticks and low fat cheese. Using low fat versions of ingredients doesn't counteract the fact that the recipes were full of sugar. And who eats a one inch square of a dessert? Not me. I'll snarf down half a pan in one sitting. Which is precisely WHY I don't make sweets very often. If I'm hungry, and in "feed me bitch from hell" mode, you'd better not be between me and a pan of brownies.

Other times I need to talk about something that happened. Sometimes, it's something that inspired me. Lately, it's more likely to be something that knocked the wind out of my sails, like realizing the amount of weight I need to lose is the equivalent to the big-ass bag of pool salt I hauled out back the other day. For the most part, I keep it superficial. I admire bloggers who can really let it all hang out. I'm not one of them. Maybe it's because I'm an astrological screw up (Sun in Gemini, Moon and Rising Sign in Scorpio), but the thoughts and feelings than swirl around in the murky depths of my mind will stay right where they are, thank you very much.

Then there are the fun reasons I write. I like to cook, take pictures of my food, bore you with recipes. I don't consider myself the healthiest eater, but I'm trying to get better. Some days, I'd say I love to cook, but having to clean up the damned mess I make in the kitchen day in and day out really dampens my affection for cooking. If anyone wants to come clean up after me, I will be happy to say I love cooking again. I like to eat and drink lots of wine, too, which is why I also need to exercise.

Yeahhh, exercise...I like it, I hate it, I need to do it... meh. Maybe I'll start writing about exercise again...or start to. God knows I need to be accountable, considering I've registered for a marathon. That sentence both excites and scares me. Yay, lets go run lots and lots of miles and run a marathon before I turn 50. Which, if you didn't know, will be in the middle of next year. When the hell did I get this old?

Bottom line, I think I write to inspire myself. Face it, very few people even read my blog, so I doubt I'm inspiring them with my pearls of wisdom. Might as well be a smart ass and entertain myself! Oh, and since it's the first of the month: Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. :)

Hey, if you want to play along, come join the fun.

Axis of Ineptitude

This month, I'm going to try something new. One blogger I know on The Book of Face is Shelley, from Slightly Off Kilter. Something she posted the other day intrigued me: The Axis of Ineptitude. Well, I consider myself to be inept at quite a lot of things. I don't want to brag, but it's true. As it turns out, it's part of a blogging challenge for May. Hmm. I'll play.