Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Food of the week: Broccoli

My mom asked me the other day if I've become a vegetarian. I said no but I very rarely eat meat at home. I enjoy a good steak or chicken when I go out to eat, but at home I'm content with all the vegetables I get in my share.

But in case you're wondering, I do still get a chicken once a month. At any given time, I have at least two in the freezer, and I've been using them when I take dinner to friends, who've recently had babies. But this week I ran out of chicken broth and cooked a chicken in the crock-pot simply for the chicken broth it would create. I just found it amusing that I wanted the broth, not the chicken, but don't worry the chicken is going in a casserole soon.

Anyway, the vegetable of the week is broccoli. My mom had sent me the recipe for Panera's broccoli cheese soup months ago, and I finally had a reason to make it. I'm linking to it because I followed the recipe exactly, though the whole making a roux thing still confuses me. It is very good and tastes like Panera's!


On Saturday I went in to grab a cup of coffee at a cafe in town and saw that their quiche of the day was broccoli and cheddar, giving me some inspiration. I looked for a recipe online, but everything I found got mixed reviews. Ultimately I realized if I had a good quiche recipe, it didn't matter what I put in it. So I actually pulled out a cookbook and made this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook:

  • Pie crust for 9-inch pan (I used this recipe but store-bought would be fine too.)
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • 1.5 cups of half-and-half, light cream or milk (I used half-and-half.)
  • 1/4 cup of sliced green onions (I used about 2 tablespoons of a chopped regular onion.)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  • Dash ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup of whatever filling you want (broccoli, chicken, ham, other veggies)
  • 1.5 cups shredded Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack or whatever kind of cheese you want (I used sharp cheddar.)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Line a 9-inch pie plate with crust. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or more until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
In a medium bowl stir together egss, half-and-half, onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli or other filling of your choice. Toss cheese with flour and add to egg mixture. Mix well.
Pour egg mixture into hot, baked pie crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


It turned out really well, and the soup and quiche are providing meals for the week.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter weekend

Easter is one of those holidays that can be hard to go home for, but it's one of my favorites to be there for. I never made it back home for Easter during college, but once I graduated and moved closer to home I started going back for Easter even when it meant driving in after work on Saturday night or working from my parents' house on Easter. 

I figured it would be a stretch now that I'm further from home, but when I found out my office was closed for Good Friday, I decided to take off two extra days and drive home for the weekend. It was a long trip, but totally worth it to start off Easter Sunday with this:

(Photo courtesy of my sister)

And I have to say the rest of the weekend was pretty great as well. I got to see family I don't see very often, have dinner with a friend from high school, hang out with my brother and sister, and enjoy some wonderful time outside in the gorgeous weather biking and hiking.

I also got to indulge in Sonic a few times, one of the things I've missed since moving. It also made 16 hours in the car a little more bearable.




My mom also provided some inspiration in the kitchen with the amazing meals she served all weekend, including Panera's Broccoli Cheese Soup, Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes and my favorite broccoli casserole, all of which I intend to make sometime soon.


I'm exhausted from the road trip today and need to work on getting my life at home back in order. At least I only have four work days this week!