Quiche

Yummy note: What to do with the leftovers?! Don't throw them out, as here's a recipe for you to use up a few leftovers you might have from the holiday season in your freezer or fridge. Have the leftover ham and one of those pre-made frozen pie shells handy gets this recipe halfway done! Seriously, just throw this together and you have a meal ready to go. This quiche recipe can be made with quite the variety, too. I've made it using more of a vegetable theme, while using proteins in this makes a hearty dish too.

Quiche

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9 inch pie shell

3 eggs

2/3 c. milk

1 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) shredded cheddar (or another variety) cheese, divided

approximately a pound of protein/meat (ie: cooked breakfast or pork sausage, bacon, or diced ham)
* Optional varieties - Easily make a vegetable quiche by using broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes in lieu of the protein or add it into the meat to make a supreme quiche.

Directions:

Line 9 inch pie pan with pastry. Bake at 400 degrees for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and gently prick with fork. Bake 5 minutes longer. Let cool on rack.















Decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees. Prepare/cook protein, if not already cooked.















Combine eggs, milk and seasonings in medium mixing bowl, beat lightly. Stir in protein or desired vegetables. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese over the pastry shell. Then pour the egg mixture on top of the cheese. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese.















Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until set and serve! Enjoy.

"pretty" easy waffles/pancakes

Yummy note: I enjoy involving my daughter in the kitchen. I find it to be a good learning experience, besides it being totally fun for her to help out like a big girl! So with this recipe, we found something that can easily be "prettied" up and look "cool," while she is enjoying a homemade meal. The simplicity of this waffle/pancake recipe makes it easy to have little helpers in the kitchen, while not making the meal preparation too complicated. I think I found this recipe originally on a kids or pregnancy website, which actually called it a kid's activity, but I like to call it a pretty easy waffle/pancake recipe to keep on hand. :)

"pretty" easy waffles/pancakes

Ingredients:

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup of self-rising flour**

1 tablespoon sugar

optional "pretty" things to add in: sprinkles and/or mini chocolate chips

** Note, if you don't have self-rising flour on hand, you can make your own substitute by using 3/4 cup of regular all-purpose flour and mixing in 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

Directions:

Mix flour and sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and oil together. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir.

(If you want, you can just add the egg, milk, and oil directly into the other bowl with the dry ingredients, but it is sometimes more fun for the helpers to pour things.)

Stir the ingredients together until mixed slightly, some lumps are ok, as too much stirring can toughen the pancake or waffle. Add in optional pretty ingredients if you'd like, such as the handful of mini chocolate chips and/or colorful sprinkles to make a special treat.

For waffles, preheat your waffle iron and spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour waffle batter into iron and cook until waffles are crisp and brown or until waffle maker indicates it is done. If making pancakes, preheat a lightly greased griddle/frying pan and pour as much pancake batter as desired into the hot pan. Flip pancake once it begins to bubble and finish on other side until brown. Note: Recipe makes about 8 pancakes or 3-4 waffles depending on size of waffle maker. I usually double the recipe when I make waffles, so we can have leftovers.

Enjoy with your favorite toppings, such as butter, syrup, jelly, or whipped cream!