Broccoli Ham Quiche - Great for Any Meal

Making a quiche is simple even for novice bakers. In a matter of minutes, you can put together this hearty meal that turns out great whether you use a ready made pie crust or make one from scratch. 

Most people believe that quiche is a French creation but the dish actually originated in Germany. The word quiche (pronounced keesch) comes from the word kuchen which means cake. According to the French Training Site, quiche is "a delicious egg pie with a nice buttery crust."

The beauty of this dish is that you can alter the ingredients to suit your personal tastes and dietary needs. Quiche can be enjoyed as an appetizer or as an entree for a meal. It can be made with different types of cheese using either whole milk, reduced fat milk or cream. Adding meat is optional. They're really delicious when made with cooked shrimp, chopped turkey, leftover chicken, spicy sausage or served plain made with only eggs and cheese.

Ingredients for a Homemade Crust:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of solid shortening or butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 - 3 Tablespoons of water

Making a pie crust is the first step. A fresh crust has only four minimal ingredients: flour, butter, salt and water.

For a one crust pie combine one cup of sifted flour and one quarter teaspoon salt with one third cup of butter or shortening in a medium sized bowl.

Using two knives in a crisscross fashion cut the shortening into the flour until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the cold water a little at a time to form a dough ball.

Refrigerating the dough for a few minutes makes it easier to roll out.

On a floured surface, carefully roll out the dough until it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a nine inch pie pan.

A clean, dry, well-floured surface works best.

If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle a little more flour on both the surface and the rolling pin.

Transferring the rolled out dough to a pie pan can be tricky.

Start by rolling up one side and fold it over on itself. If it tries to stick to the surface, run a spatula underneath to free the edge. A little sprinkle of flour helps to loosen the edges.

Move the crust and position it in the ovenproof pie dish and begin to unroll it. Center the dough so that all edges have a bit of an overlap.

Trim off the excess from around the edge with a knife or kitchen shears. Fold under the excess and you're ready to flute the rim of the crust.

The fluted edge of the pie crust edge is formed by using two fingers of one hand and pushing a finger from the other hand between those two fingers, pressing gently to form a ridge between the first two fingers.

• One cup of shredded cheese.

Almost all types of cheese will work in a quiche. For this pie, I used a ready-made shredded blend of four kinds: Monterey Jack, cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero natural cheeses.

• One cup of milk

This time I was out of milk so I used evaporated milk. You can use half and half or 2% milk or skim if you're counting calories.

• Broccoli Florets

I trimmed these really small so they would submerge in the liquid as I didn't pre-cook them.

• 3 Large eggs - lightly scrambled
• 1 - 2 cups of cubed ham chunks

You can substitute diced deli ham, leftover baked ham, cooked sausage, shrimp, shredded pork roast, etc. or leave out the meat entirely if you wish. Just add a bit more cheese.

• 1 tsp. dry mustard (optional) and salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Assembling the Pie:

1. Arrange the trimmed broccoli florets around with the stems down if possible for an attractive finish.
2. Distribute the ham chunks over the bottom of the crust
3. Cover with a layer of cheese.

Scramble the eggs, add the flour and seasonings and mix it all together. Add the cup of milk and pour the mix over the ingredients in the crust.

Taking care not to overfill the dish, pour in the liquid until the bottom edge of the fluting on the crust is reached. Carefully transfer the filled pie crust to a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil.

Place the cookie sheet and pie dish into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour. Jiggling the cookie sheet will let you know if the center is set and ready to take out of the oven.

Allow the baked quiche to cool for at least ten minutes during which the top will settle down a bit. Cutting too soon will result in the slices being too loose and mushy.

The leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed up for another meal.

Wrapping the outer crust with a strip of aluminum foil keeps the crust from getting burned during the long cooking time. I make a long two-inch wide strip of aluminum foil and wrap it around the edge of the pie crust before filling it.

This pie is ready to slice and serve with your favorite side dish like salad or fruit. It stands alone as a meal for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or late-night snack or can be used in smaller portions as an appetizer.

Here's hoping you'll give this recipe a try. Let me know how you liked your own version of ingredients. Thanks for stopping in to take a look.

Easy Breadsticks from Canned Biscuits

Winter days call for steamy bowls of hot soup or chili. Top those hearty dishes with breadsticks made from canned biscuits. Easy to do. Goes from the oven to the table in minutes.

Canned biscuits were a staple for a family meal when I was a child. They came packaged in cardboard with a blue wrapper and were economical for a family with three children.

The label peeled off to reveal a solid black line on the inner cardboard. We would draw straws to see who would give it a good whack on the edge of the countertop. The can would pop open and compressed dough would spill from the tube.

We'd separate the little orbs and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Into the oven they'd go, and after a few minutes, we'd have ready-made biscuits to go with our meal. Not as good as from scratch, but much quicker. We saved them for the end of our meal, topped off with syrup or honey.

To make the breadsticks pictured here, roll each raw biscuit between your palms like a rope of clay. Then, twist them slightly and stretch them across the baking sheet. Pressing the ends of the dough to the pan helps to hold them in place while they bake.

These bake in just a few minutes, turning  canned biscuits into delicious breadsticks. 

The aroma of baking bread is an enticing smell that brings family members or guests into your kitchen. When they spot these fluffy breadsticks rising in the oven, they'll rush to the dinner table. Tell the kids to set the table—these breadsticks will be golden-brown in moments.

What goes better with a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup or tomato soup than a couple of soft, warm breadsticks? With a little help from the refrigerated biscuit makers, you'll have these magic wands of dough stretched out on a tray and ready to pop in the oven in a little time. It really doesn't matter which brand you choose, whether it's the store brand or the most expensive kind, they turn out fine.

Once you've baked these, you'll see how simple it is to make them. And almost like magic, they disappear just as quickly.

• Separate the biscuits into individual pieces and roll each piece between your palms until they form an elongated shape.

For variety, sprinkle the raw biscuits with different seasonings before baking. For soup or chili, a light coating of flaked parsley or onion salt makes them tasty. Or brush a bit of melted butter over each and then sprinkle them with sesame seeds.

To make these for breakfast, sprinkle the unbaked elongated shapes with cinnamon and granulated sugar and add a variety of chopped nuts on top. The nuts can be rolled into the dough while they're being shaped.

How to Prepare the Biscuits for Baking

1. Preheat the oven to the recommended temperature on the package. Peel off the outside wrapper and pop open the can.
2. Separate the biscuits and shape them into an elongated form by rolling them between your palms.
3. They can also be rolled out on a lightly floured surface like a pastry board or a countertop.
4. Secure the ends of the rope by pressing firmly down after placing the dough strips crosswise on a non-greased cookie sheet.
5. Sprinkle a light dusting of garlic salt or onion salt, then, brush on a light coating of melted butter.
6. Optional: Top them off with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, Italian seasoning, or parsley flakes.

Use a spatula or kitchen tongs to move the baked breadsticks to a napkin-lined serving basket or bowl. Serve with a prepared vegetable or pasta dish. These go great with homemade chili or spaghetti.

The breadsticks in the video below are another way to prepare fresh breadsticks. Those are made with ready-made self-rising rolls, which have been thawed before they're rolled out and twisted into shape. The chef demonstrates an interesting method of twisting the dough to form pretzel-like shapes with little work. A little more time is needed for this type of dough to rise again after being formed into the desired shape before baking.

Spice up your everyday meals with a little help from the refrigerated biscuits or self-rising rolls in the dairy case. Or if you have the time, make a batch from scratch.

You'll love the home-baked aroma that fills your kitchen every time you make them.