Tomato Basil Quiche Recipe

My mouth is watering just thinking about this quiche. For me, tomato basil quiche is perfect for any meal (ahem, every meal). This is the first pie I've made entirely from scratch. Usually I just buy frozen pie crust but let's just say I was feeling ambitious. So without much yapping from me, here's my favorite adaptation of Tomato Basil Quiche.

Start by making (or buying) your favorite crust recipe. I usually leave out most of the sugar as this is a savory dish.

This year I grew a lot of tomatoes. 3 different varieties and 8 plants. Can we say beta-carotene overload!? Literally I have gone all "bubba" from Forrest Gump on you guys. Tomato sandwiches, tomato capris salad, grilled tomatoes, tomato sauce, okay you get the picture! So grab your tomatoes and here's how to make this quiche (didn't I say I was done yapping? Sorry I lied).

[a small glimpse of our produce from the garden this year]

The What:

Prepared pie crust 

3 eggs

15 halved cherry tomatoes 

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb of sausage (we use turkey sausage)

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp italian seasoning

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

The How:

Preheat your oven to 350F. 

Brown the sausage and thoroughly drain off any excess fat. 

Combine all ingredients and pour into the pie crust. 

Please be sure to salt this dish prior to cooking. It's better to salt before, than after. 

Bake for 27-32 minutes or until top is set. Allow at least 15 minutes to cool and set up before slicing (don't skip this step).

This recipe has 8 servings and depending upon the pie crust you make, it has about 265 calories per serving.

I hope you love this as much as my whole family does. Yum!

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Easy Granola Recipe

I used to buy organic granola by the deliciously expensive box weekly. Greek yogurt, berries, and granola are a breakfast staple in our home. Making our own granola is easy and very inexpensive. Of course I have to share my favorite recipe and I'm sure you have most of these items in your pantry. Warning: Your house will smell amazing while this bakes, prepare for drool! ;)

The Cast:

2 1/2 cups oats

2 Tbs brown sugar

2 Tbs pure maple syrup

1 Tbs honey

A pinch of salt

1/4 cup of melted butter

The Plot:

Preheat your oven to 325F.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Bake on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet for 35-40 minutes or until golden but be careful not to burn. Stir the granola 1/2 way through baking.

Cool and store in an air tight container.

After it's cooled, feel free to mix in dried fruit, seeds, nuts, or whatever else you like. This is a great base recipe and you can always tweak it to fit your tastes.

Are you all as in love with granola as we are? 

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Reese's Peanut Butter Egg Recipe

Peanut butter, chocolate, heaven... I'm just glad you can't see me drooling right now. These things are like crack! Literally! I made these peanut butter eggs as a test run before Easter. They couldn't be any easier, really! So without much babble from me, here's the recipe:

1 cup natural peanut butter (or whatever you have)

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 bag of dark chocolate melt wafers (find them in the cake decorating aisle) 

Cream everything but the chocolate together. Form into 12 flattened eggs and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Freezing them makes it easier to coat with chocoate. Follow the melting instructions on your chocolate melt wafers' bag and coat each egg. They should be set up within 10 minutes. Store at room temp for up to 2 weeks (not that they'll last that long!)

Yields 12 Large Eggs

I used natural peanut butter because (nerd alert) I make it myself and I enjoy a little bit of texture but creamy works just as well. Work quickly during the coating phase as the chocolate hardens in a hurry. I plan to give these little gems as gifts on Easter in 1/2 dozen egg cartons. This batch went into work with the hubby because I can't be trusted around chocolate.

For that reason (among others) we have a candy-free rule especially on holidays that revolve around sweets. Our Easter baskets (yes, I still get one even at my age) are filled with new pajamas, sundresses, games, toys, art supplies, and Easter prayer cards. What kind of non-food items fill your Easter basket?

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Mini Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving and sandwiches anymore in our home. In fact, as the price of beef continues to rise and turkey being a healthier option; we have made many of our staple meals using turkey. Here in NE Ohio beef is prices at $3.90 per pound while I found ground turkey for $1.67 per pound. So turkey is a great way to save money and be nicer to your body, does it get any better than that?! Today I made 12 mini turkey meatloaves in my muffin tin. We will each eat one for lunch and the rest will be frozen for future meals. Here's how I make them.

Ingredients: 

2 lbs lean ground turkey

2 eggs 

1/2 c milk

1/2 c bread crumbs

1/4 c Parmesan cheese 

1 tsp salt

2 tsp italian seasoning 

How To:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Thoroughly combine all ingredients and evenly pack into a greased 12 count muffin tin. Bake for 28-34 minutes or until  they reach an internal temp of 180F.

Cool and enjoy!

It couldn't be any easier and these are always a huge hit at our house. No one could even tell that it was turkey rather than beef. Yum!

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Post Run or Workout Smoothie

I've mentioned in previous blog entries that I'm preparing for a 5k Color Run in May. Most days I'll eat cottage cheese or a piece of fruit after my jog but today I was feeling a smoothie. Mmm Greek yogurt-y goodness. (Yes it was that good!) so here's how I made it:

Blueberry Smoothie

1/2 c greek yogurt (plain)

1/2 c milk 

Blueberries

Pineapple 

Ground flax

Blend and Enjoy!

Pretty much I just eyeball it but I knew that I'd be sharing with my toddler and she went nuts over it!

What do you use as post workout fuel?

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

Today is an oatmeal raisin kind of day. It's cold and windy here in northern Ohio, so we will stay inside. I do have other motivations for baking cookies today; recently our neighbor helped us out of a huge jam. He is a plumber (lucky, I know!)  and we had a horribly clogged sink. Long story short, he was at our house for a couple of hours fixing the pipes. All he said that he would like in return (other than me to stop using the sink as a garbage can) was some cookies, oatmeal raisin. Those also happen to be my husband's favorite and so today I made a batch for them both. I'll share my recipe with you all here. Warning: this recipe is nowhere near diet friendly. I used white flour, a cup of crisco, and sugar! These babies are addicting, I'll apologize to your New Year's resolution later! ;) 

What you'll need:

1 c shortening

3/4 c white sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla 

2 eggs

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 3/4 c rolled oats (not instant!)

1 1/2 c raisins

How She Does It: 

Preheat your oven to 375F. Put your raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water. This will help the raisins puff up a bit! (Please don't skip this step!!!)

Put the shortening and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Cream them together.

While the mixer is on, add the vanilla & eggs- one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Mix in the flour, salt, cinnamon, & baking soda. 

Feel free to make a mess while adding the oats as long as you have dogs to clean it up... Or a broom. 

Drain the raisins and gently pat them dry. Then, stir them into the mix.

Drop the dough by the teaspoon full onto a silpat (or parchment paper) lined baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They will continue to cook on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool on a rack and enjoy!

I took some to the neighbor while they were still hot and his face lit up, priceless!

This is a great recipe if you are new to baking. You can also add walnuts, m&ms, chocolate chips, other dried fruit, ect. Feel free to comment with your questions and as always...

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Healthy Toddler Bran Muffins

Welcome back winter, where have you been hiding? Saturday it was 50F and today (Monday) the high is 25F. Nothing like a cold day to make a baker out of anyone. Today I made bran muffins. I made this recipe with my toddler's breakfast in mind but they are delicious for my whole family! A friend of mine told me about this muffin recipe. They turned out great... but you know me, I have to experiment. ;) 

Here's the link to the original recipe: 

http://impressiveengineering.com/the-evolution-of-superman

Now I'll share the recipe as we make it in our house. I found it to be a really great base recipe and it made 6 dozen mini muffins! Step 1 - Make coffee ;)

Here is what you'll need:

1 c hot water

2 c bran cereal

1/4 c butter 

1/4 c applesauce

3/4 c sugar (1/4 c less than original recipe)

2 eggs

2 c buttermilk (or whole milk with 2 TSB of vinegar- more on this later)

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 c all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 tsp banana extract (optional)

Addition 1 c bran cereal (you'll see why)

How She Does It:

Preheat your oven to 400F

Mix hot water and 2 c bran cereal together and set aside. If you don't have buttermilk then mix 2 c milk and 2 TBS vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Cream together butter, applesauce, vanilla, sugar, & eggs.

Mix in the buttermilk.

Add flour, salt, cinnamon, & baking soda and mix until fully incorporated.

Add water bran cereal and combine. 

Lastly add the dry 1 c bran cereal.

Fill greased mini muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 10-12 minutes.

I froze 4 dozen. Start with 10 minutes on a plate in the freezer then transfer to a freezer bag. It's not the quickest recipe but definitely an easy one and my freezer is now well stocked with a healthy breakfast option. I hope y'all enjoy.

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DIY Toddler Finger Paint

I like to think of myself as a play at home mom. I plan outings, projects, and games... Who wouldn't want to stay home and play? Tonight I've been preparing our art activity for tomorrow, finger paint! As the good little Pinterest junkie I am, I saved a boat load of glass baby food jars for just such a project (yes I'll take my cookie now). My 20 month old loves to make a mess, squish, squash, and create. So here is my one jar recipe for finger paint!

The Cast:

1/3 c flour

1/4 c water

1 tsp sugar

1 pinch salt

1 small squirt of food color gel or drops

The Story Line:

Mix all but the food coloring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in the color of choice and pour into small container. This recipe fills a 3.5 oz jar & couldn't be easier.

Our high chair is ready for arts & crafts tomorrow! So let loose mommies (&dads) and allow the mess to happen! We will likely turn up the thermostat and do this in just a diaper. Good thing she's already getting a bath tomorrow morning! Happy crafting! -Jenn xo

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Healthy Toddler Cookie

Oh boy, it has been weeks since I've done any baking. Today my 20 month old was watching Sesame Street and started running around saying, "me cookie, me!" So I decided to try modifying a protein bar recipe to make a kid friendly cookie. This is a great catch-all base cookie. It is an easy 3 ingredients and only makes about 12-16 cookies. I did add flaxseeds to mine because I have FlaxFever! It's a low carb, high fiber seed and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (the good stuff). And let's face it, we could all use a little extra fiber! This recipe worked well for my toddler to help. It comes together so quickly and she really enjoyed being mommy's little helper!

Here it goes:

3/4 c of peanut butter

1 1/2 c oats

2 TBS honey

Optional: raisins, flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts, ect. I added 3 tsp of flaxseeds to ours which was a great addition and I could have added even more!

Preheat to 375F. Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl. 

Form into small balls. Place onto a parchment paper lined sheet. I use my silpat for all of my baking and I swear it's magic!

Bake them for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown. You'll know they are almost done when that warm peanut butter smell hits you, mmmmm! 

My little helper got bored during the ball forming stage. Can't find good help these days, sheesh!

Transfer to cooling rack and enjoy! They must be cooled and served with a tall glass of milk. Yum! Comment and tell me about what you put in yours.

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Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Nothing is better on a crisp November afternoon than Eggplant Parm. The hubby loves all things italian. I absolutely love this baked eggplant parm recipe even though it takes a little time. File this one under meatless Mondays. I love this recipe because I usually have everything on hand but the eggplant! :)

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Here's what you'll need:

Pam or oil to grease baking sheets

2 large eggs

3/4 C italian breadcrumbs

3/4 C italian panko

3/4 C shaved or grated parmesan

Salt & Pepper

2 1/2lbs eggplant (2 large ones)

36-48 oz of your favorite red pasta sauce

1 C part skim shredded mozzerella 

Preheat your oven to 375F. Take your eggplants and slice them into 1/2 inch thick, round sections.

Whisk together 2 TBS if water and the eggs. Set these aside in a wide bowl.

Combine s&p, panko, breadcrumbs, and 1/4 C of Parmesan in another bowl.

Dredge your eggplant slices in the egg mixer, allowing the excess to drip off.

Then dredge in the dry mixture.

I then patted it gently and transferred to a greased baking sheet. I'm lazy about clean up so I line my trays with foil first ;)

Once you fill 1 or 2 trays, put them in the oven for 50 minutes. Flip the eggplant half way through.

Remove from oven and turn the heat up to 400F. Pour some sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. 

Then add a layer of eggplant, a layer of sauce, and then a layer of cheese.

Then repete with remaining eggplant.

Cook in the 400F oven for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly!

Let stand for 5 minutes before devouring ;). This makes 10 servings that have about 200 cal per serving. I usually serve this with a salad or green veggie. I hope y'all love it like we do! Comment with any questions you may have.

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Old Fashioned Pancake Recipe

Mmmmm I love pancakes! Growing up, my dad made a big pancake breakfast twice a month. We would have eggs, sausage, and fluffy-crispyedged-yummy-pancakes. Naturally now that I have a family of my own, I'd like to make pancakes for them too. 

When my husband and I married, I knew it was time my dad would finally teach me his recipe. No such luck! Apparently it's a dad thing and since we didn't have kids and I wasn't a dude (still not a dude lol), I was doomed to never know his secret. Over the years I have tried many a recipe and they all seem to fall short, until now. Now my pancakes are not like my dad's but they are delicious :)

So here we go...

Old Fashioned Pancakes

1 1/2 C flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 C sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 C oil +extra for griddle

2 eggs 

1 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Whisk wet ingredients and stir in dry.

Heat griddle to 350F and and brush with a small amount of oil. You can use cooking spray but you won't get those crispy edges that everyone fights over :).

Pour the batter and cook until top is bubbling and edges are golden. Then flip and cook an additional 2 minutes. 

I also make 2 inch mini cakes for the little ones in the house. 

This recipe is small-ish and only makes about 8 med-large pancakes. It can be doubled and sometimes I'll do that and freeze the leftovers for later in the week.

Mmmm I usually only make these once a month and we all looki for to pancake day :)

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Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

Today the hubby was jonesing for a quesadilla. We have been out of tortillas since Saturday and I wasn't eager to leave the house. Eric was all like, "babe, you could make them" and so my search began for a recipe. I ended up combining two recipes to create a small recipe for flour tortillas.

Delicious Flour Tortillas from Scratch

You'll need:

2 cups flour

1 Tbs shortening

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup hot water

Combine all ingredients but the water. Add in water and using the hook attachment on your mixer and allow to mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Heat a dry cast iron skillet to med-high heat. Roll out 8 tortillas on a floured surface. Cook tortillas in dry pan for 20 seconds on each side. Place each completed tortilla between two damp towels. Lastly, try not to eat them all yourself.

Sorry about the messy photo, the hubby was chowing down before I got a good picture. Total cost for 8 tortillas: $0.14. Knowing that it's better than anything store bought, priceless. I love nap time!

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How to Make Apple Butter

If you are anything like me, then you probably enjoy the fall. I take it to the extreme! I buy too many apples, drink too much cider, and purchase too many sweaters! My family recently went to an orchard and pumpkin patch with my friend Amy's family. 

Naturally, I came home with a lot of apples. This year I set out to make apple butter. We picked Macintosh and Cameo apples, though I'm sure you can use any kind for this. Here's the recipe I used:

Apple Butter

10 medium apples

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 dash of salt

1 cup apple cider (not pictured)

1/4 brown sugar (optional)

Peel, core, and slice your apples. Add all ingredients to your crockpot and cook on low for 8-12hrs or until spreadable. Pour into jars and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks. The jars can be frozen for up to a year as well. 

Make sure to remove every trace of peel. Peel bits are to apple butter as egg shells are to scrambled eggs; not good!

Throw it all in the crockpot and give it a good stir.

Half way there! I kept the lid on for the first 8 hrs and then cracked the lid to allow it to thicken up a bit.

The end result was 24oz of eat-by-the-spoonful deliciousness! The recipe I received from a friend included a can of juice concentrate but at the last minute I used a cup of apple cider instead. I decided that the juice concentrate would be way too sweet! I added a bit of brown sugar but it turned out almost too sweet so wait till the end to see if you need it!

I wish that I could have bottled the smell of the apple butter cooking; divine!

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