Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche

My husband and I typically visit with out of state family during the holidays so we have our own Christmas the day before we leave. I like waking up to a nice big mug of hot chocolate and a great breakfast (and presents of course!) and that breakfast is traditionally a quiche. When I showed this recipe to my husband he asked if I could add some meat to it, of course :) I threw in some hot Italian sausages and he was happy, as was I! This recipe is from The Food Network.














Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
10 oz of spinach, frozen
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups half and half
4 oz grated Gouda cheese (about 1 cup)
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
3/4 cup scallions
1 tsp paprika
2 hot Italian sausages, castings removed
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 9 inch glass pan with butter and sprinkle with half the parmesan on top. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Remove casting from sausage. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add sausages and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until no longer pink. Chop into bite sized pieces. Squeeze the spinach to remove excess water. Put spinach in a food processor along with the eggs, egg yolks, gouda, nutmeg, half and half, flour, salt and pepper to taste. Pulse about 30 seconds. Add scallions and pulse briefly to mix. Add cooked sausages and mix by hand. Pour into the baking dish and top with remaining parmesan. Bake for 40 minutes and serve.

I made this dish the night before and it came out perfect!

Flaxseed Bread

My KitchenAid stand mixer sure gets a lot of love in my house! After the wedding was over I started really putting it to work with various bread recipes. I try to eat flax on a daily basis for the health benefits--it's high in omega 3 fatty acids, provides antioxidents that may play a role in decreasing the risk of cancer, and lowers blood pressure to name a few--so I decided to make flax bread for this same reason. The bread is great toasted with a bit of butter! The recipe is from http://www.alaska.net/.















Ingredients
1 tbs. active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
3 tbs. honey or 1/8 cup sugar
1 tbs. oil (safflower or olive)
1/2 tsp. salt (may be omitted)
1 cup flaxseed meal * See notes below
3 cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warmed water. Set aside until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Mix in the honey or sugar, oil, salt, flaxseed meal, and half of the flour. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the flour. Adding it a 1/2 cup at a time until it makes a soft, kneadable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat a 9 x 5 inch pan with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. For about one hour. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool for 10 minutes and tap pan to remove. Top may be brushed with butter or olive oil. Best sliced with a serrated knife and then wrapped in plastic. May be frozen, if not used in a few days. Since it has no
preservatives it will mold quickly.

* Notes: To make flaxseed meal, use a blender or coffee mil to grind the seeds to the consistency of cornmeal. * As a general rule, 2/3 cup of flaxseed yields 1 cup of meal.

Granola Bars

I'm a big fan of granola bars for breakfast so I figured that I'd try making a homemade batch. These bars taste a bit different than the store bought ones, but in a good way!















Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Add the chocolate chips and mix. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the bars turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes then cut into bars while still warm. Don't let the bars cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.