Quiche

Today's dinner was Quiche! Scott used to be the quiche maker, but I've pretty much taken over that duty...

So, into my quiche goes: bacon, ham, green onions, cheese, eggs, milk, salt, pepper and the secret ingredient: curry powder.

First thing you need to do is make your pie crust. First things first, DO NOT buy a pre-made pie crust. For the price of a package of pre-made crusts, you could probably get at least a 1/2 dozen pie shells! Second, forget that stuff that comes in the blue tub. Go out and buy yourself some REAL LARD!!! And make sure it's Tenderflake. Don't scoff and turn your nose up on me. Trust me on this one. Pure lard makes the best pie crust you've ever had. And whatever you do, follow the directions on the box. Go ahead and make the whole batch, it freezes really well.

Once you've made the pie crust, go ahead and chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. When you're ready, dust your counter top (or where ever you're rolling ) and roll out your crust, it should be about 1/4" thick and big enough to fit your pie plate with a little bit of overlap. You need the overlap because as it bakes, it shrinks a bit.

Once it's rolled out, fold it in four and let it rest for a few minutes. Then, transfer it to your pie plate. The folding in four thing makes it easier to get into the right spot on your plate - aim to have the corner in the middle. Then prick it all over with a fork (or, you could be Alton Brown and "prodigiously perforate"). If you have one of those fancy things that allow you to sandwich the crust between the pie plate and said fancy tool, go ahead and use it. I need to buy one!

Let the crust bake for about 15-20 minutes at 375 F. Keep an eye on it. If it starts to puff up, stick a fork in it.

While it's baking, go ahead and brown your bacon, chop your ham and chop your green onions.

My MIL bought me this cast iron pan...best thing since sliced bread!


Once the bacon is nicely browned, drain the fat off by scooping it out of the pan onto a paper towel lined aluminum pie plate.

Add the works to the now cooked pie crust. I put the bacon in first.

Then the ham:

Then the green onions:

Then, grate up about 1 1/2 cups of Monterrey Jack Cheese (this is our fave for quiche) and spread it out over the top of the other ingredients.

Keep in mind I use a deep dish pie plate, so this next part might seem excessive. I beat 5 extra large eggs and then add skim milk (most recipes say to add whole milk or cream...ummm...yeah...no.) Probably about enough to make 2 1/2 to 3 cups of liquid. Into the liquid goes my spices: salt, pepper, curry powder. I think on one or two occasions, I've added Frank's hot sauce, but it was in the back of the cupboard and I was feeling lazy. Don't hate me.

Pour the liquid into the pie shell until it reaches the top. If your pie crust is uneven (mine ALWAYS is!) and some seeps over the edge into the pie plate, don't stress, it's O.K.

I place my pie plate on a baking sheet (just in case) and bake it at 350 F to 375F (my oven is weird - had to buy a thermometer to put in it) for about an hour. Check the middle of the pie after about 50 minutes. If the middle is still liquid, put it back in, if not, it's ready. Same goes for the hour mark. If it's still liquid, put it back in the oven. You don't want to be eating raw eggs.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!