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Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

October 1, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

The other day I needed a vegetarian dish and decided quiche would fit the bill nicely.

This spinach and mushroom version is very tasty, simple to make  and a joy to serve. Sit back and get ready for the compliments!

Ingredients for Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Saute fresh spinach leave, mushrooms and onions.

Saute fresh spinach leaves, mushrooms and onions.

Layer spinach and mushrooms into the prepared pie shell.

Sprinkle on the cheese then top with egg and cream mixture before popping into the oven.

Quiche - ready to devour in all its golden brown deliciousness.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

One 9-inch prepared pastry shell

4 eggs

2 cups cream

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. all-seasoning

1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup minced onion

2 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn

2 cups mushrooms

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Either make your own pie crust or use a prepared one and line a 9-inch pie pan. (I made my own crust and remembered all the reasons I decided Marie Callendar’s are good enough. But then I took a bite of the golden flaky crust and had to rethink my position on that… again.) Set aside.

In a saute pan or large skillet on medium heat, warm butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms, spinach and onions. You can use fresh minced onion or onion flakes, whatever floats your boat. My boat floats better with onion flakes. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender. Place into pie shell and spread out evenly.

Top with cheeses. I threw in the feta at the last minutes (hence the reason it is not on the ingredients photo) but it really was a flavorful choice for the better.

Beat eggs slightly, until light but not foamy. Add in cream, salt and seasoning. Beat until mixed and then pour on top of cheese in pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake an addition 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve in wedges and enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Easy Recipes, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Beautiful Fall Buffet

September 28, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

The other day I hosted a party which gave me the opportunity to put together a buffet table. Using a fall theme, I knew I wanted to keep it simple, but still have fun with it.

The three elements to setting a successful buffet table are height, color and texture. Remember those three things and you can’t go wrong.

When you are setting a buffet, start with a table covering. It can be anything you want to use. Feel free to get creative and think outside the box. I like to use flat sheets because they are inexpensive, drape well, are easy-care and come in a variety of color and sizes. Go with a neutral base. For this buffet I chose black as my neutral. Add some height elements, remembering to keep your centerpiece on one end of the table to create visual interest. I just used some cardboard boxes to create height then covered them with another black cloth. Over the top of that I layered a fun pumpkin print fabric to add more color and texture.

The centerpiece was the next item to go on the table. Using fall florals from my yard, it came together nicely. Except for the lack of something green and fern-like. (Side note: carrot tops look green and fern-like if you don’t have anything else handy and they stand up much better than I thought they would!).

Plan where each dish will sit on the table. I like to make little party cards that say what  is in each dish and then place them on the table beforehand. That way once it is time to put out the food, I know exactly where it goes. I have also been known to set out the serving pieces before I put the food in them so I can see how the table will look.

Once you dish up the food and put it on the table, it will really start to pull the look together. The combination of height, color and texture found in your table coverings, serving pieces and food will impress your guests and look fantastic!

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Posted in Dishes and Serving Pieces, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Caramel Toffee Bars

September 24, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

I was standing in the baking aisle at the grocery store the other day trying to decide what to make for an upcoming party when my eye landed on these.

I think I heard music playing and someone shout “Yahoo!” (that may have been me). Caramel bits. What a concept. Little bits of delicious caramel ready to turn into something amazing. The part that I really loved is the line that says “Unwrapped for Easy Melting.” Right on! Call me lazy and a slug, but I hate wasting time and precious brain cells unwrapping caramels. So I generally just don’t make anything with caramel for that very reason.

The file of recipes stored in my head immediately went to a recipe I have for toffee bars. They are moist and delicious and completely bad for you. What would happen if I threw in some of these caramel bits? I had to find out!

So I brought them home and whipped up a batch of caramel toffee bars. I almost fainted when I took a bite out of one warm from the oven. They are sooooo good. No really, in the top 10 of bar cookies I’ve ever tasted (and believe me, there has been a lot of cookie tasting!).

The cast of characters for Caramel Toffee Bars, minus the coc0nut I forgot to put in the photo.

You start with a simple crust pressed into a baking pan.

While the crust is baking, melt the caramels with a bit of cream.

Pour the melted caramel over the top of the crust.

Top the caramel layer with the filling layer and return pan to oven. Try to keep from melting in a puddle while this bakes. When you take it out of the oven, it will be all golden brown and smelling incredible. Sprinkle with Heath Toffee Bits, which will start to melt into the top.

Take a deep breath, take a bite - and then melt in a puddle before eating the rest of the bar.

Caramel Toffee Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup flour

Cream together and press in bottom of baking pan. I used an 11 x 7  inch pan but you could also use an 8 x 8 inch pan for a thicker bar or an 9 x 13 inch pan for a thinner bar. Bake 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Caramel Filling:

bag of caramel bits (11 ounce bag)

1/3 cup of heavy cream

Put caramels and cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring until caramels are melted. If you aren’t a lazy slug like me, you could use regular caramels. You’ll need about 2 cups. When melted, pour over the top of the cooked crust.

Topping:

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup coconut

1/2 tsp. salt

1 package of Heath Bits ‘o Brickle Toffee Bits

Mix ingredients together and pour over the caramel on top of the crust. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

When done, remove from the oven and top with Heath Toffee Bits. If you want to turn this dessert from something incredible that will make your taste buds scream “Thank you!” for days into something even more wicked…. try drizzling a bit of melted chocolate on top. You may need someone nearby to help you off the floor after you take a bite. Melt about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 tbsp. of heavy cream in the microwave. Just use a spoon or a knife to drizzle over the bars.

Happy Entertaining and Enjoy!

Shanna

Posted in Desserts, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Stick to a Timeline

September 23, 2010 by Shanna Hatfield

Today is just one of those days when time is getting away from me. I have a houseful of company coming tonight and must stick to my timeline to get everything pulled together in time.

Here is a link to a post about Timelines I did a while back about how entertaining following a timeline makes everything go so much smoother and easier.

Happy Entertaining!

Posted in entertain, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

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