Bacon & Mushroom Quiche- a brunch and breakfast-for-dinner favorite!

I'm straying from my Thoughts for Thursday format a bit because I feel pretty strongly that I don't want to blog for the sake of blogging. I want my posts to be inspired, and I don't ever want this place to feel like a burden. I love having this outlet; for lack of a more eloquent characterization, it simply makes me happy.

 I am a major creature of habit who is working very hard to feel a little less self-pressure these days, so I am going to write what inspires me without being tied down to a routine of specific posts on specific days. It may be hard to believe, but deviating from routine is ROUGH for me. We'll see if I survive this exercise in flexibility, ha! 

That being said, I wanted to share a fun, yummy meal the Catfish and I made this week. It was a simple, sweet moment for the two of us; it was just about us working on a project together and enjoying each other's company. This was a nice departure from the all-about-kindergarten theme in our house these past weeks. 

So, without further ado...

Quiche is one of my very favorite things to eat! It's so versatile that it makes a great breakfast, a sure-to-impress brunch and even a yummy dinner. One of my favorite things about a homemade quiche is that you can dress it up any way you'd like. If mushrooms aren't your thing, leave them out! Like asparagus and feta? Throw 'em in! Once you have a good handle on the process, the possibilities are endless!

For this quiche, you'll need just a couple of ingredients:

a pie crust (this is soooo easy to make, I promise!)

8 oz. mushrooms of your choice, sliced or chopped

2/3 cups heavy cream

1 cup shredded cheddar jack 

7 slices cooked, crumbled bacon

7 eggs (I prefer jumbo go big or go home, right?)

kosher salt

black pepper

If you're feeling adventurous, you should definitely give homemade pie crust a whirl. I'm a big cheating cheater who likes to make pie crust in a Cuisinart and, so far, no one's been the wiser! 

Here's my quick and painless recipe:

 

What you'll need for the crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

7 tablespoons cold (this is super important!) butter, in pieces

roughly 2 tablespoons cold water

a good pinch of kosher salt

*note- I usually add a tablespoon or two of sugar if I'm making a sweet dish- you can also play around with cinnamon and other spices depending on what you're making)

Start with the butter, salt and flour and pulse until the mixture looks like pebbles.

 Drizzle in the water, VERY slowly. Be conservative here- you can always add more, but once you've poured too much, you're stuck! 

 Run the Cuisinart for about a minute until the dough forms a ball. Be patient here- fight the urge to add more water until you're sure you need it. If your dough isn't forming a ball, add another tiny bit of water and give it another go.

 Wrap your dough ball in Saran Wrap then refrigerate it for roughly a half hour. If you go longer, that's fine, but you may need to leave it on the counter for about 15 minutes before you roll it out.

 Be liberal with flour as you roll your dough into a flat disk shape.

 To pick up your dough, roll it around your rolling pin. This is one of my all-time FAVORITE tricks. Works beautifully!

 I usually snip my dough with a kitchen scissor, leaving about 1/2 inch hanging over the side. Save that extra for a yummy little dessert later! You can add some berries or sliced apples and spices and make a little tartlet. Or, just sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake!

 Tuck the hanging dough under and pinch all the way around. I use two fingers (a little rough to illustrate when needing my other hand for photos!).

 Add the chopped mushrooms and bacon,

Sprinkle with cheese while striking a sassy pose, of course.

 Then I usually throw the crust back into the fridge (a cold crust is a happy, flaky crust!) while I make the egg mixture. 

This is one of those recipes that is really fun for the kids to participate in making. My sassy, swimsuit-clad sous-chef helped me crack the eggs into a bowl then carefully added the cream.

 Next she ground some pepper and sprinkled in a good pinch of Kosher salt.

 Then whisked her little heart out until the mixture was airy and combined. 

 Next I poured the egg mixture into the prepared crust

 and baked it for about 45 minutes at 360. It should puff up then set in the middle if you give it a jiggle (that's how you'll know it's done). Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

 My accompaniment of choice is usually a mixed green salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, but in the interest of using what was on hand, I opted for a romaine salad with peppers from the garden, green onions, chopped mushrooms and a delicious homemade poppy seed dressing. 

This is one of my husbands favorite breakfast leftovers. That, my friends, is a high compliment since he is not typically a leftovers kind of guy! 

What's your favorite breakfast-for-dinner meal?