Butternut Bacon Quiche

After we made the Soup with Squash and Greens, T and I had a half a butternut squash left so we peeled and chopped it up and roasted it. I was trying to think of something creative to do with some of it - here is the result. Thanks to this recipe for inspiration (esp with cheeses to use).

The first time we made this, it turned out delicious. Thanks Steve and Dawn for being our guinea pigs! I forgot to take photos so we had it again this Monday and can now share the whole process.

1/4 cup red onions, minced
a one-inch spring of rosemary, leaves stripped and minced finely
10 strips of thin "ready to eat" bacon
3/4 cup of roasted butternut squash, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup half-n-half
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 pre-made pie crust (we like the frozen Publix brand, defrosted)

Crisp the bacon and then saute the red onions on low heat in the little bit of bacon fat until they are sweet and tender. If there's not enough fat, add a teaspoon of olive oil.

While the onions are going, mince up the rosemary very small, and add it to the onions. Chop the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces while the onions cool. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until they're all one color and then mix in the milk and half-n-half. Set aside. 

Begin layering the ingredients in the pie crust, starting with the rosemary onion mixture, sprinkling it evenly. Next half the butternut squash and then half the bacon. 

Pour half of the egg mixture on top and then sprinkle with half of each of the cheeses.

Next layer in the second half of the squash and bacon, then pour on the remainder of the egg mixture. Top with cheese. 

Seems like a pretty type A move, but I hate when all the fillings rest at the bottom of the quiche!

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until the eggs are set. I put it in a big shallow Pyrex baking dish to bake. This makes it easy to put into and take out of the oven and keeps any spills contained. Give it a shake and if nothing moves, it's done. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve. We like it with a spinach salad on the side.

Happy Christmas Music

Fun Times in the Madison Area - Tarsitano

In November, hubs and I visited Tarsitano Winery & Cafe in Conneaut, Ohio, about half an hour from Mom's house. It's worth the drive!

source

This is a family run establishment, and it's a family full of character. One of the servers sang all evening as she went about her business. The restaurant was full (there was even a limo in the gravel parking lot); I was glad I had called ahead for a reservation. We were seated at a table facing the kitchen. The big draw here, in addition to the wine, is the focus on food. Almost everything is made from scratch, including the bread and pasta, and the meats are raised locally and sustainably.

Owners Ken and Kelly Tarsitano in Kitchen at Tarsitano Winery

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We started our feast with a Cheese, Olive & Bread plate while we tasted a few wines and chose a bottle of tasty Riesling. The lighting in the restaurant was low and didn't lend itself to taking photos but I did get a shot of my dinner, which was amazing.

sun-dried tomato ravioli in a garlic olive oil sauce with grilled sirloin tip steak

He had the Black N Blue Steak which is described on the menu as "(Very HOT) Ken’s Own Special Rub of Hot Chilies and Spices topped with Gorgonzola Cheese; This Rub is not for the faint heated. It will leave you black and blue."

I saved half my dinner for later so I could try the homemade double chocolate cheesecake for dessert. It was delicious - a little denser than I would have made it but overall excellent.

One note - if you are driving from the west, when you get off the I-90 in Kingsville and the GPS says to go straight, it's ok, it's not (just) the on-ramp to continue eastbound, it's also the straightest route to get there. Boy howdy it can be dark at night in the country!

Tarsitano Winery & Cafe

4871 Hatches Corners Rd

Conneaut, Ohio 44030

http://tarsitanowinery.com/

Quote of the Week

in honor of this week's cookie party, from etsy via pinterest

Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

I was inspired by this photo on pinterest to roast some vegetables we hadn't cooked that way before. We often roast potatoes, sweet potatoes and hard squashes but it may be true that almost anything becomes more delicious when you roast it!

I used the recipe that goes with the photo as the starting point for the project and sort of winged it from there.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1 pint of grape tomatoes
3 small/medium zucchinis, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 large sweet onion, cut in bite-sized pieces

Put all these in a big bowl, slosh a little olive oil on them, then season with salt and pepper. Stir well then dump onto a big baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes to an hour or until the veggies begin to caramelize. The house will smell delicious!

here they are, roasting away

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare an appropriate amount of couscous. I started with two cups of dry couscous and followed the package directions. When it is ready, put it in a big bowl, then add all the roasted vegetables and any juice from the roasting pan. Give it a big stir and throw in some fresh herbs or lemon juice if you like (we added a little chopped parsley from the garden). Crumble a little fresh goat cheese on top and serve. 

We roasted 3/4 of a pound of shelled shrimp on a separate pan and served it on top of the couscous to complete the meal. Yum. This was easy and delicious!

Our favorite Black Bean Soup

We love this soup because it's easy to make, tasty, full of texture, and satisfying, even though it's completely vegetarian.

20 sun-dried tomoatoes (not packed in oil)
2 cups boiling water

3 cups finely chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2/3 cup water
2 28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes (I usually get 1 can petite diced and one regular)
4 16-ounce cans cooked black beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream or yogurt for garnish

In a small bowl, rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes by covering them with the boiling water and setting aside.

In a big pot, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. It's important to cook them pretty thoroughly at this point, otherwise they'll be crunchy later. Add the cumin, 2/3 cup water and the tomatoes (including their juice - do not drain first). Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the black beans and their liquid, and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Drain and chop the softened sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the liquid in case the soup becomes a little dry. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the soup and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the onions are tender. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro. Puree half the soup in the blender and return it to the pot. If the soup is too thick, add some of the reserved water from the sun-dried tomatoes or tomato juice.

Serve each both with about a teaspoonful of sour cream or yogurt on top. We like low-fat sour cream.

Adapted only slightly from

Thanksgiving 2011 Recap

It was good times at the farm for Thanksgiving as we had 46 for dinner (tying last year's record). We all had a great time, the weather cooperated, and no engineers were required to lay out the plans for the tables (well, maybe they were consulted).

Thanks to my brother, Christian, who took the photos this year.

Here are our newest and most senior Thanksgiving guests. On left, baby cousin, Samantha (5 months old), with her Dad, Ed, and on the right, Aunt Lillian, who just celebrated her 87th birthday.

family hug with Uncle John 

welcoming Laurie to the family (she's in the vest; marrying my cousin John, in black, in April).

enjoying the beautiful weather

sitting down to eat; this is one end of the table.

the farthest end of the table (it's shaped like a lower-case h with a long stem).

action shot of eating