Carolyn Braden says "Super Easy Dinner Quiche!"

Here's an easy quiche I made for dinner tonight.  I originally got the recipe from the Newsweek insert in the Sunday paper, but I changed it to make it so much easier!  

You can use whatever veggies you want for this recipe.  I used asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths and chopped tomatoes.  Try it with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or whatever you like! 

1 lb.asparagus, ends cut off and discarded, stalks cut into one inch lengths

1 tb. olive oil

salt and ground pepper

1 frozen pie crusts (unthawed, I get mine from Whole Foods and they are whole wheat organic pie crusts...so much healthier than regular pie crust)

3 large eggs

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sour cream (1/2 cup=4 oz.)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried basil, or use 1/2 tsp dried tarragon if you have it instead of basil)

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese (or whatever grated cheese you have on hand, usually I only have a blended shredded cheese on hand so you can use that instead like I do).

1/2 of a small tomato, finely chopped (omit this if you don't like tomatoes)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss asparagus and chopped tomatoes with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sour cream, basil (or tarragon), and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper each.

Put the chopped veggies into the thawed pie crust.  Pour the egg mixture over the veggies.  Sprinkle the cheese on the top.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until set.  This will feed 6 hungry people.  :)

Since my husband doesn't like tomatoes, I will usually use two pie crusts, putting asparagus and tomatoes into one, and just asparagus into the other, then divide the egg mixture evenly and pour it into each veggie filled crust.  Then I sprinkle cheese over each of them and bake for about 20 minutes.  Dividing the mixture into two pie crusts will make your quiche a little thinner, but it works so well keeping everyone happy!  

The quiche with just aparagus.  

Photo by Carolyn Braden

The quiche with tomatoes and asparagus.  
Photo by Carolyn Braden

Carolyn Braden says "The BEST Brownie Recipe EVER!"

I will never buy boxed brownie mix again.  Seriously.  I made these brownies last year for the first time, then one day in a pinch, I made brownies from a boxed mix.  The boxed mix tasted horrible compared to the "from scratch" brownies.  This recipe is from Southern Living magazine.  I vary the recipe sometimes by putting a cream cheese mix in on the top.  So good too!  See what you can do with it.  Chocolate chips mixed in maybe?  :)

4 (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Lightly grease an 8 inch pan for thick brownies or lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan for thinner brownies (9x13 inch is the better option for the cream cheese version).  I use Pam cooking spray for "Baking".

2.  Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave save bowl at High 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals.  Whisk in granulated and brown sugars.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition.  Whisk in flour, vanilla, and salt.  

3.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until wooded pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  (If using the 9x13 inch pan, bake for about 20 minutes, then check on them to see if they are done.  If not, bake for a few more minutes.  Thicker brownies take longer to bake than thinner brownies).

Cool, eat, and enjoy!

If you want to try the cream cheese mix in, mix together 8 oz. softened cream cheese (I use the 1/3rd less fat kind), 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.  Pour 1/2 of the brownie mixture into your 9x13 inch pan.  Pour the cream cheese mixture on top it.  Then, pour the remaining batter over the cream cheese layer.  Take a knife and swirl it into your batter to make them mix together just a little bit.  I made these for my advanced art students once and they continuously begged me to make them over and over again! 

Here are the brownies with chocolate buttercream icing.

Photo by Carolyn Braden