Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese Quiche

Quiche is my new hobby. // Instagram @kguymon

Quiche is my new thang. It's just too easy to fill a store-bought pie crust, fill it with deliciousness, and pop it in the oven. This morning, I tried the tomato-basil-goat cheese quiche from The Joy of Cooking (taking it back to the old school!) cookbook my dear friend Alice gifted me many moons ago.

This post is my endorsement.

In case you are willing to jump on my quiche train, try my very favorite recipe, a caramelized onion and mushroom quiche (scroll dooooown the page).







Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese Quiche [adapted from The Joy of Cooking]

-1 store-bought pie crust
-3 medium tomatoes, seeded and quartered
-3/4 cup of heavy cream
-1/2 cup of whole milk
-4 oz. chevre
-3 eggs
-3 tablespoons of chopped basil
-1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-pepper to taste
-1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pie crust in a 9" pie plate and crimp the edges.

2. Place the quartered tomatoes around the outer edge of the pie plate, in a wagon wheel layout. Fill in the middle with the remaining tomatoes.

3. Combine the heavy cream, milk, and goat cheese and mix well with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the eggs, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper and whisk until well blended.

5. Pour the egg mixture on top of the tomatoes. Cover the top with the mozzarella.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the egg mixture has set, the crust is browned, and the top is golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Zucchini Bread

Photo by Katie Guymon

My lovely father visited this weekend with gifts from his home garden: tomatoes, summer squash, and, yup, zucchini. Last night, around 9:45, after grading was complete, I got a wild hair to put those zukes to use. I mashed together the best parts of multiple recipes from the web, and came up with one that suits my lack of an overly sweet tooth. If I took an ad out for potential taste testers, it would include the following four words: Must Love Brown Sugar.

Once the bread was in the oven, I sat down to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High (dude, the '80s were kind of gross...but I heart them so), and drank some wine. The end.

Zucchini Bread
-3 cups of all purpose flour
-1 cup of sugar
-1 cup of brown sugar
-1 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1 teaspoon of baking soda
-1 teaspoon of baking powder
-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon of nutmeg
-1 cup of vegetable oil
-4 eggs, beaten
-2 cups of grated zucchini, drained (approximately two medium zucchini)
-splash of water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the zucchini, eggs, oil, and water.

3. In a large bowl, place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk until combined.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until just combined.

5. Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Add the batter to 2 standard loaf pans and cook for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Alternatively, bake in four small loaf pans for 45 minutes.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Photo by Katie Guymon

Because I am a seriously wonderful wife with absolutely zero flaws, I kicked off our family's Father's Day celebration a little early with these Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins, otherwise known as the recipe that makes my thirty-three-year old husband revert back to his five-year old self. We're only missing the platinum blonde bowl cut.

Yup, this is my mother-in-law's recipe because, according to Matt, just no other one will do. (How is my husband a mama's boy? Let me count the ways...) And, after using this recipe multiple times for bread and muffins, I completely agree. The verdict is in: 'TIS GOOD.

Now, these muffins lean a little to the dessert side, in my humble opinion, because of the addition of the sweet, sweet chocolate. But, you could always leave out the chocolate altogether for pure banana-y goodness. Alternatively, you could replace the chocolate chips with nuts or oatmeal. Hey, the world's your oyster.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins [serving size: 12 muffins]
-1 stick of butter, softened
-1 cup of sugar
-2 eggs
-2 cups of flour
-1 teaspoon of baking soda
-3 tablespoons of buttermilk
-3 bananas, mashed
-3 ounces of chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy.

3. Add eggs and bananas then beat well.

4. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk, then add it to the banana mixture and beat well.

5. Add flour and beat until just combined.

6. Stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Using a scoop, spoon the batter into the muffin cups to fill the liners. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.

Note: if you'd like to make Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread instead, simply bake the batter in a buttered loaf pan for about an hour. 

Apple Turnovers

Last weekend, Aves and I went to Christopher for a weekend at Baba and Papaw's house. Two full days of sweatpants lounging, extra sleep, and home cooking (that didn't require me to lift a finger) definitely hit the spot. Jude made these wonderful homemade apple turnovers for breakfast on Saturday. They were huge and fluffy and incredibly delicious. They beat the pants off the store bought kind. If the store bought kind wore pants.

Apple Turnovers [recipe from Barefoot Contessa]
-1 teaspoon grated orange zest
-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
-1 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith (3 apples)
-3 tablespoons dried cherries
-3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
-1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-Pinch kosher salt
-1 package (17.3 ounces, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
-1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Combine the orange zest and orange juice in a bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and then cut them in 3/4-inch dice. Immediately toss the apples with the zest and juice to prevent them from turning brown. Add the cherries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3. Flour a board and lightly roll each sheet of puff pastry to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut each sheet into 4 smaller squares and keep chilled until ready to use.

4. Brush the edges of each square with the egg wash and neatly place about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture on half of the square. Fold the pastry diagonally over the apple mixture and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, make 2 small slits, and bake for 20 minutes, until browned and puffed.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Smoked Salmon Crostini

Smoked Salmon Crostini

-8 ounces smoked salmon
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-small jar of capers
-fresh chives, finely chopped
-1 mini loaf of bread

1. Slice the bread into 1/2 inch pieces. Broil in the oven until lightly toasted on both sides.

2. Spread cream cheese onto each slice and top with capers, smoked salmon pieces, and chives.

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Quiche

Photo by Katie Guymon

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Quiche

-1 Pillsbury pre-made pie crust
-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
-1 cup thinly sliced red onion
-10 ounces thinly sliced button mushrooms
-2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
-1 teaspoon of minced garlic
-1 teaspoons of salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
-1/2 cup of heavy cream
-6 large eggs
-1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
-1 1/2 ounces of grated Gruyere, plus 1 1/2 ounces

1. Bake pre-made pie crust according to the package instructions.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is melted, add the yellow and red onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and garlic to the pan and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cook the onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has cooked out of the mushrooms and they are caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes before placing in the pie crust.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, eggs, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg and whisk until just combined. Stir 1 1/2 ounces of the grated cheese, then pour the cream mixture over the onion mixture, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.

5. Place the pie dish on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Bake until golden brown, and the custard has set, 35 to 40 minutes.

Breakfast Kebabs with Apple-Cinnamon Barbeque Sauce

Breakfast Kebabs with Apple-Cinnamon Barbecue Sauce

-6 pieces thick-sliced bacon
-12 pork sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
-1 cup barbecue sauce
-3 tablespoons apple jelly
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon

1. Heat the barbecue sauce, apple jelly, and ground cinnamon in a small sauce pan until the jelly is melted.

2. Loosely thread the bacon and sausage pieces onto 10 inch skewers.

3. Heat the over to 350 degrees. Cover a roasting pan with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Spray the cooling rack with non-stick spray.

4. Place the skewers on top of the cooling rack and baste with the barbecue sauce.

5. Bake for 45-40 minutes until the meat is browned and cooked through. Baste with the barbecue sauce every ten minutes.

Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole

-4 cups frozen hash browns
-1 (7.6-ounce) package butter and herb mashed potato mix
-1 stick butter, softened
-4 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-2 cups boiling water
-2 cups prepared French-fried onion rings

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the hash browns. Cook for 5 minutes and drain.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked hash browns, mashed potato mix, butter, cream cheese, jack cheese, sour cream, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Stir in the boiling water.
4. Place in a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

5. Sprinkle the onion rings over the casserole and bake for about 5 to 8 minutes longer until onions are golden brown.'

Strawberry Poppers

Strawberry Poppers

-30 medium-sized strawberries, hulled
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-fresh rosemary, minced
-1 tablespoon honey
-1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

1. Hull the strawberries.

2. Blend the cream cheese, rosemary, honey, and walnuts together with a hand mixer. Add the salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the mixture into a Ziploc bag and snip off one corner. Pipe the mixture into the hulled strawberries. Refrigerate for up to five hours or serve immediately.

Berry Muffins

Photo by Katie Guymon

Berry Muffins

-3 cups flour
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or vanilla)
-1 1/4 cup of milk
-2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
-2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
-1 cup of blueberries
-1/2 cup of diced raspberries
-1/2 cup of diced strawberries
-1 1/2 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

3. In another bowl, mix the milk, eggs and melted butter. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, then pour the wet mixture into the well and stir until just combined. Don't overmix the batter! Add the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and the sugar and stir gently to combine.

4. Using a scoop, spoon the batter into the muffin cups to fill the liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.

Apple Bread

Photo by Katie Guymon

Apple Bread [adapted from allrecipes.com]
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 cup white sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup applesauce
-2 eggs, beaten
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 cups apples, cored, peeled, and chopped

1. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. 

2. In separate mixing bowl, place applesauce, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. 

3. Divide mixture between two greased 8"x 4" bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bread test done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan. 

Note: My batter was too thick, so I added about 3/4 cups of milk so all of the dry ingredients would combine with the wet. I also made one loaf in a 10" loaf pan, so I baked the bread for almost an hour.  

Pumpkin Pancakes

Photo by Katie Guymon

Last weekend, after a long work week filled with parent-teacher conferences, I traveled to my parents' house for two days of sitting and doing a lot of nothing. And, oh yeah, eating. Lots of eating.

My friend Nikki passed this Martha Stewart recipe for pumpkin pancakes on to me at the beginning of October, and all I had to do was give my mom a couple of "pretty pleases" so she'd make them for me. Nikki warned that we'd have to up the ante on the pumpkin puree if we wanted a noticeable pumpkin flavor, so the recipe below is exactly how Jude made the pancakes last Sunday.

They make me so very happy. I'm so glad they came into my life. 

Pumpkin Pancakes [adapted from Martha Stewart]
-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tablespoons sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
-pinch of ground cloves
-1 cup milk
-10-12 tablespoons pumpkin puree (depending on your personal love of pumpkin)
-2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 egg

1. Whisk first eight ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients.

3. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.

4. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Use 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3-4 minutes per side until batter is cooked through.