Bacon Vegetable Quiche

This was my first attempt ever at making a Quiche and it was pretty damn good. I did not use the unbaked pastry shell that is listed in the recipe. I ended up taking a stick of butter and coated the dish by rubbing the end of the stick of butter in the dish.

1 unbaked Pastry Shell (9 inches)
2 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
1 Cup Chopped Fresh Broccoli
3/4 Cup Chopped Sweet Onion (I hate chopping onions, so I used the dehydrated ones)
2-1/2 teaspoons Olive Oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten (I used more like 4-6 eggs because my dish was a little deeper)
1 Can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary OR 1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary, Crushed
1/4 teaspoon each Salt and Pepper
1 Cup (4 ounces) Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 Bacon Strips, cooked and crumbled (If you love bacon like my family, you can use more)
1/2 Cup crumbled Feta Cheese (The recipe calls for Tomato & Basil Feta Cheese)

Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove foil, bake 5 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and onion in oil until tender.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to egg mixture. Stir in cheddar cheese and bacon. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes if needed to prevent over browning). Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

If you are planning ahead and want to freeze, cover quiche before baking and freeze for up to 2 months.

If you are going to freeze quiche, thaw in the refrigerator. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 35 minutes if needed to prevent over browning). Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

**If you decide to make the quiche without the pastry shell, then all you need to do is bake and not have to worry about covering the edges with foil**

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

We had this for dinner lastnight and they were so good and easy to make. You can pretty much substitute any ingredient with other veggies or meats and it will still taste good.

Ingredients:
Rice Paper
Sliced strips of Pork Butt
Shrimp, Deveined
1 - 2 Sliced Onions
Cucumber
Cilantro
Peppermint
Green leaf lettuce
Mung Bean Sprouts
Rice Noodles
Hoisin Sauce
Salt and Pepper
1-2 T of Vegetable Oil
Extra plates

Directions:
Heat skillet with a little oil over medium heat. Add sliced onions and Pork and salt and pepper to taste. Stir fry until onions are soft and meat cooked to your liking. I sometimes cover it so it can just continue cooking and meat softens. Add shrimp the last 5 minutes of cooking and cook until pink. My moms uses a cast iron skillet and I think it cooks the onions and meat the best because it gives the meat a little bit of carmelization. I just use a non-stick skillet.

While your meat and onions are cooking, prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain and put in a bowl.

Wash your vegetables. Slice your cucumbers in medium sized slivers so they wrap easily. Lettuce you can leave whole or tear in half to fit the rice paper.

Put hot water in a large dish or pie pan. Dip one piece of rice paper in warm water until completely wet, and then let drip for a second and put on plate. Wait until the rice paper softens. It will end up looking like it is stuck to the plate. We use several plates at a time so we can roll more than one at a time. When a plate is empty put another wet rice paper on it so it will be ready for you when you are done eating the ones you just rolled!

How to Assemble:
Put a piece of lettuce on your wrapper, not quite in the middle, but closer to you so you have room to roll it up. I usually use a half piece of lettuce per wrapper. Add whatever vegetables you want on it, some noodles, a few slices of meat and a couple of shrimp. Gently peel a part of the wrapper off the plate(it tends to stick) and fold it over your filling. Fold in the sides and then continue rolling like a little burrito.

The picture above shows the finished product. I forgot to take a picture before we ate dinner last night so I had to find one on the net.

We use Hoisin Sauce to dip them in. Hoisin Sauce is the sauce that you use with Mui Shui Pork in case you are wondering. I usually put some in a bowl and add a little water to it and stir it together so it won't be so thick. You can also add some chopped peanuts or carrot slivers to it if you like. My mom makes hers that way.

Fish Sauce is also a good choice for dipping. My mom usually adds lemon, garlic cloves, carrot slivers, a couple slices of jalapeno, and a little sugar. We mainly use this sauce for our fried vietnamese eggrolls.

Hope you like it!