What do you do when it's hot and humid outside?

Well of course I decided to bake......as why not....LOL

I picked some rhubarb the other day and hadn't gotten around to using it, so decided to use some in the rhubarb cake,  I used this recipe.

I had to use up the rest of the leeks, so made a leek and smoked cheese quiche.

While the quiche was cooking I popped in some potatoes to make roasted potatoes which I coated in balsamic vinaigrette.

Supper was quiche, potatoes and salad.  With a piece of rhubarb cake for pudding.  It was yummy!

Favourite Things #3

This week it's a recipe.  It's on the Crisco Shortening package for Crisco No Fail Pie Crust.  

It's exactly what it claims a no fail pie crust.  Super simple and it makes a tender, flaky pie crust.  Since I have discovered this recipe I never buy pie crusts as it takes no time to make.  Even if you are a beginner in making pastry this one is super simple.

Crisco No Fail Pie Crust (the recipe linked is slightly different and is a vegan recipe)

This makes enough for one double crust pie, or two single 9" pie crusts.

2 cups All Purpose/Plain Flour

3/4 tsp Salt

1 cup Crisco All Vegetable Shortening

1 egg

2 TBSP cold water

1 TBSP White Vinegar

1. Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl.  Cut room temperature shortening into flour with pastry blender, (I use my hands to do this) until mixture is uniform and shortening resembles coarse crumbs.  You could also use a food processer to do this as well.

2. Beat egg, water and vinegar together to blend.  Pour all the liquid over flour mixture, stir with fork until mixture is moistened.

3. Divide dough in half and shape into a ball.  Flatten each into a circle about 4 inches.  Wrap and chill dough for 15 minutes for easier rolling.......it is important to do this as it is a moist dough.

4. Use in whatever recipe you want that needs pie dough.

I made a batch the other day and with two thirds of it I made a turkey pot pie.  I had a third left and decided to make a quiche.  A quiche is like a stew; as it's a great way of using up odds and ends.  I wanted a smaller quiche so used the glass lid of a casserole dish I have to make it in.  My rolling pin I think was my mam's.  I have had it donkey's years.

It was a very flaky pastry so had to patch it all as it was so crumbly....but also super tasty when cooked.

I cooked it "blind" for 15 minutes at 425 oF with the baking beans in it. I think I got the baking beans many moons ago at Lakeland Plastics when we lived in the UK. Took them out and cooked it for a further 5 minutes.  Then turned the oven down to 375 oF

I had some fat free cottage cheese leftover in the fridge.  So I pureed it with my hand held blender and added it to the three eggs.  I also added some half and half creamer to thin it out.

I forgot to take a photo before I cut into the quiche.  I had a little bit of ham left over that needed using up.  I cooked some bacon and a diced onion, and added the ham to the eggs, along with salt and pepper.  I sliced a tomato on top as well and cooked it for a further 45 minutes.

There was too much mixture for the pie case, so poured the rest into some silicone baking cups and will put these in hubby's lunch.

The good thing about using the cottage cheese is that I didn't have to add any more cheese like I normally do.  I liked the consistency of using the pureed cottage cheese, it gave the quiche a very creamy quality and as I said this was fat free cottage cheese.

Easy Peasy......

Sometimes it's the simple things when cooking that taste the best.

Made a quiche the other night.  Super simple.  Just took a frozen pastry case from the freezer.  Grated some cheddar cheese on the bottom.  Fried some bacon pieces for a few minutes and drained the fat off them.  Placed in the pastry case on top of the cheese.  Grated some more cheddar cheese on top.  Put four eggs and some half and half; or you could use cream or just plain old milk until you have around a cup and a half of liquid.  Whisk it all together and add some seasoning.  Pour on top of the cheese and bacon.  Pop it in the oven at 375 oC for 45 minutes.  To test if it's ready, put the blade of a sharp knife in the middle of the quiche and see if it comes out clean.  I never blind bake a frozen pastry crust.

I made a bell/sweet pepper quiche the other week using sliced bell peppers and one onion sliced.  Added cheese and the egg/milk liquid.  I softened the bell pepper and onion in a little butter/marg before putting them in the pastry case.

We had ours with a mixed salad and potato salad.   As there is only two of us, one quiche will last two meals.

For a pudding/dessert we generally have sugar free jello/jelly.  I also like to make wibbly wobbly pudding now and then.  Again super simple.  Mix your jello/jelly with one cup of boiling water until dissolved.  Whisk in a can of evaporated milk; I use the low fat one.  I pour the mixture into four pudding dishes and refrigerate for at least 2 - 3 hours.

This one was made with raspberry jello.

Prior to the pandemic you could get a variety of flavours of the sugar free jello.  Now we are down to just the two flavours, raspberry and strawberry.  I wish they would bring back the other flavours.

Making do with what you have & home of the Week

What do you do when you have a bunch of broccoli, a tub of garlic cream cheese and one pastry shell, you make a quiche of course!!!

Had it with Greek salad and cheese and broccoli rice on Thursday night.  It was good and there is enough left over for tonight's supper.  Think we'll have it with baked potatoes tonight.

This week's "Home of the Week," is very bright and modern, which of course translates to pricey and at $6.85 million it is indeed pricey.  They seem to have forgotten to take out the posts in the living room that you normally use when constructing the building?  Parts of it seem to be unfinished, but I guess it's all to do with that "modern feel," they're going for.  Thankfully it will never be a house I could afford and even if I could, I would still pass!

This week's "Condo of the Week," doesn't appeal to me at all.  Though it looks better inside than it does from the outside. I am confused as to why it's $2.5 million, but the comments seem to think its a good price?  Glad I don't have that kind of money to waste on a condo like that then!

All dancing, all singing, bells whistling, new toaster oven:

I got ourselves a new toaster oven last week as my Betty Crocker one was having issues.  It's handle had dropped off on the glass door, and the door itself wasn't too happy to open.  It was at least 15 years of age, so it had paid for itself over the years time after time.

We use our toaster oven a lot, as its a lot cheaper to run than my main stove oven and with there only being the two of us at home its ample big enough.  So I picked up this one:

This on was on sale at Canadian Tire for $59.99 and is smashing.  It not only toasts, its a convection oven, a grill/broiler and a rotisserie.  I must say though I am not used to a convection oven and how fast things cook in there, so things tend to look a bit over done at the moment..........

I cooked a quiche in there on Monday morning and I think when I poured the filling in it, it only took around 20 to 25 minutes to cook.  So all in all it is worth it's money.

On Saturday I went with dd and surrogate dd to a local store that was having it's summer sale.  Surrogate dd saw these glasses and liked them, but for some reason didn't buy them.  So me and dh went on Sunday to get them along with the napkins and the tray.  It's coming up to her birthday so will make an ideal gift for her. 

By the way I took the photo before I washed the glasses.  Her house is very modern, so they will fit in perfectly there.  I was actually things they would make lovely dessert bowls as well.  I could see my Wibbly Wobbly Pudding in them.