AUGUST 12, 2012–COWBOY QUICHE

On August 11, we finished our three days of Vacation Bible School.

It rained every single day, so we had to hide out under the tarps.

We had three plays–all of which involved a door.

Some college kids came and helped out by donning costumes, helping kids with their crafts, adding to the singing, and in general were a huge encouragement.

I have to include this photo because these two are now engaged to be married!  I still tease them and say it was the angel costume that started the whole thing.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but we were seeing the last of Mrs. Thelma.  After several weeks in the hospital, it was determined that she couldn’t come back home.

We usually end VBS with some kind of race.  This year we had a regatta.

I had saved up baby food containers all summer.

 (photo from here.)

Kids added a ball of Dollar Store Clay to the bottom of their baby food container.  This acted as ballast and gave them a place to lodge their mizzen mast.  Kids cut a sail out of paper and with two slits in it, were able to slide it onto their mizzen mast.

The regatta happened on two 8 foot sections of gutter filled with water.  The Hunni screwed the plastic gutters onto some wood to give the gutters stability.  The screw holes were water tight as he used a rubber washer under each screw.

Kids “sailed” their Baby Food Boats down the canals by blowing onto the sail through a straw.  Winners went into a Winner’s Bracket, and losers were eliminated.  Pizza for all, and then VBS was finished.  We packed up everything in boxes as we were headed to a Christian Camp across the state where we would have kids for two hours each morning.

With everyone headed home, we headed out to eat.  My Aunt Eileen had kindly given us some money to go out for a meal, and we cashed in.

Now one of the “problems” of being a pilot is that pilots eat out 50% of the year.  That means that The Hunni only wants home cooked food when he comes home.

Now this wife-of-a-pilot, after running a household solo for a week, wants nothing more than to go out for dinner.  Add a food budget for growing kids to the equation, and the total is not many meals out.

So we greatly enjoyed the treat.  We also enjoyed being with the kids again.  When our life gets busy, we find that we are always going somewhere or doing something or getting ready to go somewhere or do something.  And we never really talk.  We just rush, and order about, and hurry, and scold, and scurry about.

August 12 was a Sunday, and after three days of VBS, it came as a surprise to me that “Yes” we still had our regular Neighborhood Sunday School time.

So we made Cootie Catchers.  Remember these from grade school?

It took me a couple of tries, but I finally remembered all the folds.

I tried to keep all the “fortunes” kind and positive, but it isn’t funny if there isn’t at least one “bad one”, so I think I wrote “You have stinky feet” in every Cootie Catcher.

Was it really time to cook again?

What could I make that was filling and yet didn’t take all afternoon?

A quiche.  COWBOY QUICHE a la Pioneer Woman.  (pg. 32)

Now real men may not eat quiche, but sometimes the Cook makes it anyway.  I don’t understand this as they seem to like a frittata just fine.  And a frittata is basically a crustless quiche.  Well kind of.   Add the word “strata” in there are you have yet another egg dish–this one with bread cubes (or what your mother called a breakfast casserole.)

What is the difference between Quiche and  Frittata?

• Frittata has an Italian origin while Quiche has  a French origin

• Eggs are the common ingredients in Quiche and  Frittata while both can have different ingredients

• Quiche is made just like an omelet on a stove  while Quiche is baked to set

• Quiche has a custard base while Frittata has an  egg base

Read more: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-quiche-and-vs-frittata/#ixzz2NI2pzxEF

Since quiches have a custard base, let’s start by cracking 8 eggs, salt and pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream.  You can add half-and-half, or even milk instead.

We had eaten all the bacon, so I sautéed up some onions in butter, than added some diced ham.  Grate some cheese as well–about 2 cups.

Roll out your pie crust, then assemble your Cowboy Quiche.  Put the sautéed onions and ham in the quiche dish.  Sprinkle the cheese over the ham/onion mixture, then pour the eggs over all the ingredients.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 – 45 minutes.

Now that I had started cooking, I was more in the cooking mood, so I made some whipped honey butter.

Just add a stick of butter to your Kitchen Aid and beat on high until the butter is light and fluffy.  Add enough honey (1/4 cup) for your sweet tooth, and mix until combined.

Sunday supper was Cowboy Quiche, Raisin Bran Muffins with Whipped Honey Butter.

Bon Appetite,

–rebecca