No Crust Bacon Quiche

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste 
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese   
6-8 strips cooked, crumbled bacon                                                                                          1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix

In blender, combine the eggs, milk and butter. Add the biscuit mix and salt and pepper. Cover and process for 15 seconds. Pour into a greased 9 in pie plate. Top with bacon and cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

(Recipe given to me by my Sister-in-Law, Amy!)

Perfectly Potato Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients
1 cup dry Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix
1 1/4 cups hot water
3 slightly beaten eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 – 4 strips cooked, crumbled bacon
9-inch prepared pie crust

Directions
Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Let stand 5 minutes. Place cheese and bacon in pie crust. Pour egg mixture over bacon mixture. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 servings.
Note: Quiche will puff up but will flatten out as it cooks. (taken from www.tsbycacey.com under Try our Recipes)

Artichoke and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients
4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie crust
14.5 oz. can artichoke hearts, well-drained, chopped and patted dry
2 pkts. Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Directions
Spread cheese evenly in the bottom of the pie crust; top with artichoke hearts. Combine dip mix packets, eggs and milk; whisk until smooth. Pour egg mixture over artichokes hearts and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until set. Makes 6 servings. (taken from www.tsbycacey.com under Try our Recipes)

Tip: I make several batches of pie dough ahead of time and freeze them in dough balls wrapped in cellophane and stored in a freezer tight zip-lock. As long as I take out the desired amount the night before and let it defrost in the fridge – it still rolls out perfectly and maintains its flakiness.

I was recently flipping through a copy of Bonappetit and came across a recipe for a Sausage, roasted red pepper, and spinach torta rustica. The title alone made my mouth water so I ripped it out of the magazine, ran to the store for the fresh ingredients and gave it a try. I was not disappointed! It wasn’t that much work to prepare and the flavor combinations were amazing! My husband voted it the best dinner of the year

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Torta Rustica

• 16 1/4 inch-thick baguette slices, cut on slight diagonal
• 1 Tbs butter
• 12 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed (I used Italian Turkey Sausage)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Fontina cheese, divided (my local store only had a very large,  pricey block of Fontina so I substituted with Smoked Gouda)
• 3/4 cup diced drained roasted red peppers (from 12 ounce jar)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I couldn’t stand adding that many calories so I just used regular milk)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 8x8x2 inch backing dish. Place 8 baguette slices in bottom of dish; press 2 baguette slices onto each side.

Melt 1 tbs butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add spinach; toss until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to strainer; cool. Squeeze spinach dry. Transfer to medium bowl.

Heat same pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Saute until cooked through. breaking up, about 7 minutes. Mix into spinach; mix in 1 cup cheese and peppers. Spread atop baguette slices in bottom of dish.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in last 4 ingredients. Pour over spinach mixture and stir lightly with fork to distribute evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over (the Gouda didn’t melt very well on top).

Bake torta until puffed and golden and center is set, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

What is a Torta Rustica? According to www.cookadvice.com it’s…

A large pie similar to coulibiac, filled with salmon, cabbage or spinach, eggs, and mushrooms. Other versions use meat or sausage in the filling. The crust is usually made of bread dough and sprinkled with salt before using.

Or turn them into a quick and amazing dinner! Just throw our Creamy Artichoke Chicken recipe in your slow cooker and while that’s simmering away, pop your beer bread in the oven. This is my families favorite right now – it’s so full of flavor!

Creamy Artichoke Chicken

1 packet Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth

4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese

Prepared baked potatoes, pasta or rice

Combine first 4 ingredients in a greased slow cooker. cover; cook on low for 3-4 hours. During last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in Swiss cheese. Serve over hot baked potatoes, pasta or rice. Makes about 6 servings.

~ Taken from Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes

So now that your  mouth is sufficiently watering, I bet you’re wondering how to win this scrumptious food!? Just leave a comment sharing with me your favorite Tastefully Simple food or if you’re new to Tastefully Simple, share what kind of foods you love to cook! To be eligible for this giveaway, please comment at the bottom of this blog post (not just on Facebook, Twitter or replying if you’re an e-mail subscriber).  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Entries will be closed on December 8th and I will announce the winner on December 9th. Please watch your e-mail and check the site for your name so I can get your shipping information and ship your prize to arrive before Christmas.

One-Pot Meals

Flavor without the fuss…home-cooked dinners your family will love!

If you haven’t seen a Gooseberry Patch cookbook before, they are very cute! Not only do they have simple yet flavorful recipes, they are also peppered with cute country drawings and include little quotes, decorating tips or just all around fun ideas on each page!

To wet your appetite I’ll share my favorite recipe so far…

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1/2 c. onion, chopped

10 oz. can enchilada sauce

10-3/4 oz. can nacho cheese soup (I substitute with Tostito’s Cheese Dip)

10-3/4 can cream of mushroom soup

15 oz. can corn, drained

16 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c. sliced black olives

4 corn tortillas

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Combine all ingredients except tortillas and cheese. Place one tortilla in the bottom of a slow cooker; spoon one-quarter of the beef mixture over tortilla, followed by 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with cheese. Heat on high setting for one hour until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serves 6 to 8.

(Taken from Gooseberry Patch, One-Pot Meals)

• Always generously grease and flour your pan.
• Under-bake your cake by a few minutes. It will continue to cook a little once you take it out of the oven and taking it out early will insure that it stays nice and moist.
• Let it cool for 10-15 min, run a knife along the edge, shake gently to loosen it from the bottom, place a plate or cake circle on the top, and then flip the cake to remove it from the pan.
• Using a large bread knife, cut off the top of the cake to make it level.

• Using Wilton tip 12, pipe a circle around the edge of your cake. This will help keep the filling inside.

• Fill with the filling of your choice and then place the other leveled layer on top, crumb side down.

• Now you’re ready to start frosting! I would recommend that beginners start with a white or yellow cake – chocolate cakes have dark crumbs that easily show up against white frosting.
• I like to make my own  butter-cream frosting (you can find lots of great recipes in the back of any Wilton cake decorating book). If you’d like to use store bought then just make sure that you remove it from the container and re-whip it, adding extra powdered sugar until it loses its sticky consistency.
• Wipe off any loose crumbs and start off by frosting the entire cake with a thin crumb layer. This helps lock in some of those nasty crumbs that threaten to ruin your cake!

• Let your cake rest for a few minutes or until the frosting has started to harden. Sometime it helps to place it in the freezer – just don’t forget about it and let it freeze
• You’re ready to add you final layer of frosting! Spread frosting generously until smooth.
  

• Now you have a beautiful, level, smooth cake to begin decorating! Use your imagination and have fun!

• Fresh flowers can make any cake look amazing! And they’re easy to add – just stick them directly in the frosting (don’t put them on too far in advance or they may begin to wilt).
• You can purchase a beginner cake decorating kit or take a class at any Michaels or Jo-Anns. Or check out Wilton’s web-site – they have tons of great ideas!

Into this…

Yummy plum jam!

I only get to can about once or twice a year, but when I do it always makes me feel somewhat like a pioneer women preserving food in the summer to eat in the winter. And although it’s no longer something we have to do to survive, canning is a wonderful skill to have (thanks for teaching me mom!). Not only is it healthier for my family, since I know exactly what went into that jar, but homemade jams and butters make a wonderful and inexpensive gift around the holidays.

Last week my sister-in-law Marie shared some fresh tomatoes. I decided to turn them into a Balsamic and Basil Bruschetta – it was so yummy it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Balsamic and Basil Bruschetta

• 1Tbs. Garlic, Garlic
• 1/2 cup Balsamic and Basil Dipping Oil
• 8 diced plum tomatoes
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Sliced French Bread

Combine first 7 ingredients; chill to blend flavors. Serve on bread. Makes 6-8 servings.

My mom has zucchini growing like crazy so she sent me several bags full. I’m really excited about it because I want to turn a lot of it into baby food for Emma! I’ll also grate it and freeze it to have on hand for zucchini bread and muffins during the winter. Yum!

What are you doing with the harvest from your garden or the fresh vege’s/fruit you picked up at the farmer’s market? I’d love to hear any tips or recipes you have to share!

I found this low calorie alfredo sauce recipe online several years ago when I first joined Weight Watchers. I try to keep the ingredients and a bag of tortellini on hand and sometimes add grilled chicken.

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

• 4 Tbs. light butter
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. Garlic, Garlic or 1 glove garlic, minced
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat, add garlic. Add sour cream and reduce heat to low. Whisk until well combined. Add the egg and continue to whisk (if heat is too high the egg will scramble). When completely mixed add cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted into mixture. Remove from heat; add nutmeg and season to taste.

My friend Kecia gave me this recipe when Aaron and I first got married and it quickly became one of our favorites. The ingredients sound a little strange at first but trust me it’s a very yummy combination!

Enchilada Fantasticas

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups Pace Picante sauce, divided
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
• 2 tsp. cumin, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package cream cheese
• 12 flour tortillas
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup shredded cheese

In 10″ skillet, cook turkey until no longer pink. Add 1 cup Pace Picante sauce, spinach, 1/2 tsp cumin & salt. Cook & stir 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add cream cheese, stirring until melted, remove from heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling down the center of each tortilla; roll up and place in a lightly greased 13×9 baking dish. Combine tomatoes, remaining 1 cup Pace Picante sauce & 1/2 tsp cumin; mix well. Spoon over enchiladas. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; return to oven for 2 minutes to melt.

Just discovered this very cool microwavable mac&cheese at Trader Joe’s. It has five single serving packets, is made with organic pasta, doesn’t have the yucky orange dye, is only $2.79, and most importantly Spencer LOVES it!!