This weekend we're celebrating Oscar's adoptiversary! It's hard to believe we've had our pal for four years now; we can't imagine our lives without him. He proves to be simultaneously the sweetest and rudest cat there is, purring and cuddling with his mommy one minute and then running in terror from his daddy when he so much as looks at him, the next (for the record, Will has never done anything to cause this, Oscar just woke up one day and decided Will was scary). In our time together, Oscar has moved from Virginia to Florida and back, gained his obnoxious little sister Emma, made a lifelong friend named Socks (now Lox, who lives in Richmond), had multiple health scares, eats a gourmet diet consisting of three different foods just to keep him alive, and enjoys cuddling every night in bed (but only in the winter). He hates car rides but loves Grandma Kay's house, where he can sit on the bed alllll day and summon humans to come pet him. He pretends he's starving at exactly 6:30 AM and 4:30 PM, every day, just in case we forget to feed him (we never do). He loves all his cat sitters (Aunt Courtney, Jill, Alexis and Kristi), though is referenced as the "mean kitty" by a sweet two-and-a-half-year-old, only because he never comes out to play when Emma does. He secretly enjoys playing feather, but always defers to Emma because it's now "her" toy, despite being the first thing that ever drew him out of his shy personality. His favorite places to nap are in the sun, in his "house" and in the closet under mommy's clothes. Basically, our lives wouldn't be the same without this persnickety brown/black/white fluff of fur and we are so happy he's accepted his fate of living with us the last four years!
Enough about the touchy-feely kitty love stuff. It's Sunday which means the only appropriate thing to post about is BRUNCH! As I type this, Will is whipping up our egg-y brunch for this morning/afternoon. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is a classic; while we've made good quiche recipes before, this is hands-down the one I turn to when I'm out and about and want a slice of quiche. The salty bacon, combined with melty cheese and fluffy eggs, is the perfect combination for quiche-lovers out there. Read on, try it out and enjoy!
Cooking Notes: We did not make the pastry for this quiche and instead had a purchased 9-inch pie crust. However, I included it below for those interested in making their own!
Quiche Lorraine (adapted from Betty Crocker's Do-Ahead Cookbook; serves 6)Base
12 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup minced onion
Egg Mixture
4 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne red pepper
Sprinkle the bacon, cheese and onion in the pastry-lined pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Beat the eggs slightly, then beat in the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 1 hour and 15 minutes before serving, place the pastry-lined pie pan on an oven rack. Stir the egg mixture and pour into the pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake until a knife inserted 1" from the edge comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and enjoy!
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp shortening
2-3 tbsp cold water
Begin by preparing the pastry, measure the flour and 1/2 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing until all the flour is moistened and the dough almost cleans the side of the bowl. Gather the dough into a ball, then roll into a circle 2" larger than an inverted 9" pie pan on a lightly-floured cloth-covered board. Fold the pastry in half, then in half again. Place in pan with the point in the center and unfold, then trim the overhanging edge of the pastry 1" from the rim of the pan. Fold and roll the pastry under, even with the pan.
No comments:
Post a Comment