Bacon, Cheddar, and Asparagus Quiche

My Mother is the queen of pie crusts. She can whip up a pie crust that's flaky, tender, just salty enough, and perfectly crimped around the edges. I did not inherit this trait. I have tried several times to create the same quality crust as my Mom, but they just don't turn out as well as hers. I'm OK with this, since I know of this awesome bakery (Stickboy Bread Company!) where I can purchase pie crusts that are hand made and formed into a nice little recyclable pie tin.

Before I gave up on from-scratch pie crusts I tried once more at perfecting the art. Flour, Crisco (I know, but it really does work well), salt, and ice water.

Formed into a nice round ball that is just right consistency. Maybe this is where I go wrong?

Rolled out, and formed into a pie plate, crimped on the endges. Not the prettiest, I know.

Here's where the good stuff starts. Bacon, cheddar cubes, asparagus.

Oh, and a little red onion.

Eggs + cream + salt + pepper whipped up and pour into the crust. All the topping piled into the eggy mixture.

Baked for 35-45 minutes or until the middle doesn't jiggle (does that rhyme?)

Served this time around with some roasted veggies and orange wedges.

It's the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Great the next day, day after that, and day after that. We're big quiche fans.

Bacon, Cheddar, and Asparagus Quiche Recipe

- 1 pie crust (home made or store bought), unbaked

- 6 large eggs

- 3 tbsp heavy cream (half and half works well too)

- Salt/pepper to taste

- 4 oz cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

- 10 asparagus stalks cut in half

- 1/2 lb bacon

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

- Chop bacon into small pieces, cook in a heavy skillet until very crispy, let excess fat drain on a paper towel.

- Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, salt/pepper until well combined.

- Pour egg mixture into the pie crust.

- Drop asparagus, cheese cubes, and crispy cooked bacon bits on into the egg mixture.

- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until pie crust is golden and the center of the quiche no longer jiggles (meaning the eggs are set and cooked through).

- Serve warm, or refrigerate and heat for later use!

Friend Brunch

This past weekend we had some friends come to visit. Pictured on the left is Ariel, on the right is Sam. Oh wait, no, I got it all wrong. Pictured on the left is Luda, on the right is Kona. Ariel and Sam are the humans that came to visit!

But really, we had a great time hanging with this old friends of ours. Playing with animals, eating burgers, drinking adult beverages, going on a group human/animal run, and having brunch were among the highlights. A few additional friends joined us for this delicious pot-luck style brunch. Ariel offered to bring supplies for a bloody mary bar. A great bartender she was.

Celery, lime, and pickle? Yes please.

I volunteered to make a couple of quiches. Asparagus, mushroom, goat cheese made up quiche #1 and bacon, kale, and cheddar made up quiche #2.

Other brunch additions included citrus salad, scones, blueberry muffins, crispy roasted potatoes, and apples.

Spotlight on Luda the dog. He's just so cuddly!

 Before our out of town guests hit the road, we attempted a group human/animal picture. As you can see, this was no easy task. But hey, we did it.

Missing our weekend guests already!