Quiche with Ham & Kale

I truly love just about anything that come wrapped in a flaky pie crust, but quiche is a weakness.

Of course it helps that I absolutely adore eggs. And cheese. And crust. Did I mention crust?

My idea of a perfect brunch would be a piping hot, flaky-crusted quiche with a colorful array of fresh fruit. I don't make quiche often because it's not super healthy, but once in awhile it's fun to splurge, especially when you have leftover ham and kale, not to mention a bit of Gruyere cheese!

So that's exactly what I did. I followed a recipe for a basic quiche, using my mom's pie crust recipe, then tossed in my cubed leftover Easter ham, some sautéed kale and the mellow cheese.

It was fantastic! The kale retained a bit of it's texture, while the ham and cheese lent a delicious saltiness to the rich egg custard. Oh, and as always, mom's pie crust turned out to be the best part!

Tip: I used my tart pan instead of a pie plate because it's so pretty and easy for serving, but that left me with a bit of extra dough and filling. I simply used the extra to make a small quiche in one of my 14 oz. ramekins! It was great for leftovers!

Quiche with Ham & Kale

(printable version)

adapted from Real Simple

serves 4-6

1 9 in. pie crust (your favorite or mine)

1 TB olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

salt and pepper

4 large eggs

3/4 cup half and half

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

2 cups chopped kale

1 cup cooked ham, cubed

Heat oven to 375. Fit the crust into a 9 in. pie plate (or tart pan- deep dish would work well). Place on a baking sheet (in case it spills over!).

Heat oil in a large skillet over med-low heat. Add the onions and a 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook until soft, about 5 min. Add kale and saute several additional minutes or until kale is slightly wilted.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half and nutmeg. Stir in cheese and ham, followed by the onion/kale mixture.

Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 min. Let sit for 5 min before serving.

{Slow Cooker} Ham and Wild Rice Soup

Although signs of spring are poking up (literally!) here and there, it is definitely still soup weather here in our neck of the woods. Gray, rainy days, occasional snowfall and somewhat chilly temperatures keep us loving the sensation of wrapping your hands around a fragrant, creamy bowl of something warm and filling. This delicious ham and wild rice soup certainly fits the bill!

It smells heavenly, tastes fantastic, and goes down smooth. Add to that the super-easy-ness of the slow cooker, and you've got it made!
While the carrots, onions, ham, rice, broth and cream of celery soup simmer away all day, it is the last minute stir-ins that really make the difference. Milk lends creaminess, sliced almonds add a satisfying crunch and sherry kicks the flavor up to a whole new level.

Slow Cooker Ham & Wild Rice Soup

(printable version)

by Betty Crocker

serves 4-6

2 cups diced cooked ham

1 cup carrots, cut matchstick style (julienne)

3/4 cup uncooked wild rice

1 med. onion (about 1/2 cup)

1 can chicken broth (1 3/4 cup)

1 can cream of celery soup

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley

3 cups water

1 cup milk (or half and half if you want it even creamier!)

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 TB dry sherry

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine ham, carrots, rice, onion, broth, soup, pepper and parsley in slow cooker. Add water and stir.

Cook on low 6-8 hrs.

Stir in remaining ingredients and cook on high 10-15 min. or until hot.

Heaven-Sent Ham Soup and Breathtaking Biscuits

It is fall here in the Inland Northwest, and that means it is time for football, falling leaves, chilly nights, harvest moons, late roses...and soup. Doesn't a fall day just make you want to get out your favorite, comfortable soup recipes? Well, it has that effect on me- in fact, I've just decided to have one soup night a week (at

least through the winter!). Soup Saturdays! :) Most soups can be made in the crock-pot, which makes them tantalizingly easy, and most freeze well, which adds to the appeal! Well, I speak of old, familiar recipes, but the one I tried last week was a new one concocted from familiar flavors. It is a traditional ham and navy bean soup, but depending on the flavor your meat holds, you could get a completely different taste each time! So I will recount for you my ham's history...

I normally don't cook a roast or a ham unless we are having company, because it is such a large meal for just two people. So, when we found out our friends from Oregon would be spending some time with us, I knew it was the perfect excuse to use the ham in my freezer! The day company arrives, I usually try to have a crock-pot dinner, since it allows me to be more free to visit with my guests instead of slaving away in the kitchen, making them feel like they need to help me. So, having decided on the ham (and it was a rather small ham), I began the internet search for a really great crock-pot whole ham recipe. This was a challenge, because, a

s usual, there were a lot of them. I came across many recipes for hams cooked in cola, which interested and frightened me at the same time. It sounded adventurous (My mom later informed me it is a southern trait to cook everything imaginable in cola), but what if it didn't turn out well? And all I had was

Wild Cherry Pepsi and Diet Coke on hand...and several recipes warned against diet. I finally found comments stating that cherry cola gave a good flavor and decided on a recipe that had a brown sugar, mustard and cola glaze. So I bravely followed the recipe, which made a thick paste to smooth over the ham, then put the ham in the crock pot and poured the rest of the cola in the bottom. There it sat, simmering happily all day, and it smelled wonderfully promising! I snitched a piece once the ham was cooked through and it was marvelous! I will standby the

fact that I think this is the best ham I have ever had. I will make it again. And again. For family. For parishioners. Even foreign dignitaries, if they should drop by. ;)

Anyway, that is the background on my ham. The original recipe said to reserve the extra liquid and use it in a soup, so I did. The soup recipe I used was simply a ham and white bean soup, which called for cannellini or Great Northern beans, but I just used navy, which are also, ironically enough, white. :) I soaked them overnight, then, in the morning I rinsed them and threw them into the crock-pot with the ham bone and the chopped up leftover ham, some beautiful onions (fresh from my father-in-law's farm!), carrots, celery, garlic, the leftover liquid plus water, pepper, salt and then I stopped. Hmmm. The recipe called for "Herbs de Provence." Not sure what blend that was, I went to my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, flipping to the section which described different herbs and spices. Sure enough, they mentioned the mysterious "Herbs de Provence" and claimed it was equal parts basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme. Leaving out the ones that I did not posses (lavender and sage), I made my own by scooping 1/4 tsp of each into a container, sealing it, and shaking thoroughly to mix. I doubled the recipe (but only added one extra cup of liquid) so I could have some extra and it made enough for one dinner, one lunch, and enough to freeze for another dinner!

When all this was in the crock-pot, I put it on low and left it to simmer for the rest of the day. Later I scoured the internet again for a biscuit recipe using whole wheat flour (part of my effort to cook healthier!). The one I found (whole wheat buttermilk biscuits) turned out absolutely delicious, hands down the best biscuit I have ever tasted, if I do say so myself.

The soup was so yummy and fallish, with wonderful sweet and subtle herb flavors and the biscuits, as I stated before but must say again, were out of this world! I think I had three (tsk tsk). :)

White Bean and Ham Soup
(printable version)

from Today's Creative Crock-Pot

Cookbook

serves 4

1/2 lb cannellini or Great Northern Beans (or navy!) soaked overnight

1 ham shank or meaty ham bone

1 med. carrot, diced

1 med. yellow onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 qt. water (or liquid plus water)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. Herbs de Provence

Place everything in slow cooker, stir gently. Cover, cook on low 8-10 hrs or high 4-6 hrs.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk biscuits can be found here, except I added 2 tbsp of honey to the mix! :)