The Miracle of Quiche

If you haven't discovered the amazing world of quiche yet, then let me introduce you! I like to think of quiche as the French equivalent of a casserole in that you can honestly throw anything you want in it (within reason) and it's super easy! All you need is a pie crust, eggs, milk, and then some ad-libbed ingredients that you have on hand. If you want it to be wonderful, though, I would recommend starting with a base of sautéed onions, a stronger cheese, and then one other ingredient to match your cheese. For example, the picture shows a variation on the classic quiche Lorraine--ham and Swiss (or Gruyère)--as well as a tomato, basil, feta combo. As I consider the latter my own personal chef d'œuvre, here's the recipe:

3 eggs (5 or 6 if you're using a quiche pan)
2/3 cup of milk or half and half ( about 1 1/4 if using 5-6 eggs)
1/2 medium onion
feta cheese
1 diced tomato
fresh basil leaves
pepper
pie crust


You can either buy a pre-made pie crust or make your own--here's the recipe I use if you'd like to make one yourself: Butter Flaky Pie Crust. First, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and get your pie crust ready. After sautéing the onions until they are translucent, put the onions, diced tomato, enough feta to lightly cover the tomatoes, and the fresh basil leaves onto the pie crust in that order. I usually tear the leaves into smaller pieces and use a small handful. Next, beat together the eggs and milk (or half and half) with an electric mixer. If you do it by hand, it won't be as fluffy when it's done! Add a dash of pepper to the egg/milk mixture and pour the whole thing over the other ingredients. Put it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the eggs are cooked through and the crust is golden brown.


Some other good combos that I've discovered are chicken/spinach/Swiss, chicken/Gorgonzola, and Gruyère/asparagus. 

Quick Tip #2--Tastier Tuna

A lot of people think it's very strange when I tell them that I don't really care for seafood but that I love tuna fish sandwiches. But what I guess they don't know is that tuna can be really tasty when you doctor it up a bit! Beyond that, it's cheap to buy a can of tuna; you can make two sandwiches out of each can, and as long as you don't open the cans, you don't have to worry about eating through your supply before it goes bad. Sounds like a perfect solution for me! So, if you haven't ever explored the world of a truly delicious tuna sandwich, here's what I recommend adding to the tuna itself:

1 heaping spoonful of mayonnaise
A few good squirts of ranch dressing (I prefer Hidden Valley)
1-2 chopped green onions (you can also use chives)
A dash of lemon pepper

The quantity of mayonnaise and the ranch dressing are subject to personal preference. I like my tuna to be fairly moist, although I drain it fully before adding anything else to it. But with this lovely mix of ingredients, some delicious wheat bread, cheese (I like Swiss), tomatoes, lettuce, and a bit of spicy brown mustard, you have a fantastic sandwich! For best results, consume with a glass of milk. :)

Crêpes--A Summer Staple

As a French teacher, I think I'm under an obligation to love crêpes. As a pseudo-foodie, however, it's my duty to be creative with them! While you can eat them any time of year, and the French even break them out for a holiday in February, I think they are positively perfect for summer time: light, simple, and very conducive to a variety of fresh produce. When deciding how to fill your crêpes, I generally suggest choosing at least one solid ingredient and one softer (e.g. cheese) or liquidy ingredient; if you do all soft stuff, then it has no substance and if you do all solid, it's dry and somewhat unpleasant. If you follow those rules, the creative possibilities are ENDLESS!


While a lot of people tend to think of crêpes as a dessert food and (in my opinion) err on the side of too sweet, I actually like to use them for full meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and I generally either mix savory and sweet or stick to the savory all together. So, in hopes of breaking people out of the Nutella-bananas-strawberries mode, here's a list of some of my favorite crêpe filling combinations:

• Blackberries/raspberries/plain cream cheese
• Honey ham (or smoked, if you prefer)/Swiss cheese
• Tomatoes/basil/feta (or fresh mozzarella)/olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a slight drizzle)
• Tomatoes/mozzarella/pesto
• Grilled chicken/bacon/avocado

I also find that I can make a decent amount of batter and store it in the fridge for a couple days to cook up when I want a fresh snack or a quick meal. Which, of course, brings us to the crêpe recipe itself! I've experimented with a variety of recipes, and this one is my favorite. It's got just the right combination of eggs and flour so as to be easily workable in the pan (I think crêpe makers are for wimps) but it isn't overwhelmingly eggy.


1 cup of flour
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp melted butter


If you're in a hurry, you can mix everything up in a blender, but if you like to be old-school like me, then here's what I do: Mix the flour and eggs together and then add the milk a little bit at a time--whisking as you pour (this helps avoid lumps in the batter).Then, add the salt, sugar, and melted butter. Whisk it all together again, and voilà: simple as bonjour. :)


To cook them, just pour about 1/4 cup of batter into a frying pan (either spray with cooking spray or melt some butter in it to coat the bottom) which you've pre-heated on the stove at a medium heat. Cook them for about 2-ish minutes on each side; I find that spraying the spatula with cooking spray helps flip them easier. Next, don't forget to be creative and enjoy!

Smoothie Time

There's nothing I love more on a bright spring or summer morning than a fresh, fruity smoothie! They are super simple, very healthy, and positively delicious! Not to mention it's a great way to get rid of slightly mushy fruit... The only thing you absolutely have to have is a blender--the rest is ultimately up to you! But here is the run-down on one of my favorite combinations:

1 lemon
6-7 strawberries
5 fresh mint leaves
1 cup of milk
3 heaping spoonfuls of  vanilla yogurt
crushed ice

Juice the lemon into the blender and add the strawberries (just cut the tops off), mint leaves, milk, and yogurt. Blend everything together until smooth. Next, add the ice--more if you like it thick, less if you prefer a thinner smoothie. Just be aware that if you add too much, it will dilute the other flavors! Use the "ice crush" button on your blender until it's relatively smooth and ready to be consumed! I find that the lemon and strawberries are a great, tangy combination, and the mint leaves are a perfect counter balance for the acidity (although they are optional).

You can also use frozen strawberries (and cut back on the ice) or substitute the yogurt with ice cream if you're feeling decadent.