Author: jennifer

Zucchini Quiche

Breakfast

I had a breakfast at my home last week for a few of my favorite women.

I like making breakfast, especially when the menu includes something as yummy as this quiche.
I also love zucchini, so this dish makes me happy.

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Start with 4-5 medium zucchini.  Wash and thinly slice them.

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You need 4 1/2 – 5 cups of zucchini.

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Next, chop one medium to large onion.

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Mince one clove of garlic as well.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add garlic, onion and zucchini.

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Saute until they are turning brown and you’d like to just eat them!

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Add 1 1/2 cups cooked crumbled bacon to the pan.

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Allow to cook together for a couple of minutes.
If you’re interested in a great time-saver, a friend of mine introduced me to this bacon a while ago.

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It’s real bacon, pre-cooked, crumbled, and with most of the fat removed!
It stores on your shelf for months, and is lower in fat than buying bacon in strips.
I like that it requires zero prep.
It comes from Costco.

Anyway, back to our food.  After the bacon has cooked with the vegetables for a couple of minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 8 large eggs.

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Add 1/2 teaspoon salt

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1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

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1/2 teaspoon dried basil

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1/2 teaspoon oregano

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and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

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Mix together.

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Gently mix bacon and vegetable mixture into the eggs.

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Add 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

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Stir together.

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Next you need 2 pie crusts.
I like to make mine, but when life’s as crazy as it is right now, I buy them.
A good friend of mine, who is an excellent cook, likes this kind the best.
Pillsbury, deep dish.  They’re in the freezer section.  I just trust her.

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In the bottom of each pie crust, squirt 1 teaspoon of mustard.

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Spread it around with a spoon.

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The divide egg and zucchini mixture between both pans.

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Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Then you’d better be prepared to enjoy it!

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So good!  You will love it!
This dish makes a lovely breakfast when you have guests.
In fact, you can do most of the work the night before if you’d like.
You can cook all the vegetables and mix them together right up until you’re ready to pour it in the crusts.  Instead, cover the egg and vegetable mixture and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, spread the mustard in the pie crusts, fill them, and bake.
Makes breakfast prep a breeze!
The delicious taste won’t be compromised at all!

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Standing Out

Musings on Life and Beauty

Something about this yellow tulip caught my eye and my heart.

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There it stood, in the middle of a huge planting of almost spent red tulips.

But it was yellow.
And just beginning.

It made me wonder:  did they do that on purpose?
Was it a yellow bulb that somehow ended up in a bag of red ones?
How did it happen?

I love the way the yellow tulip stands out.  Somehow it is more beautiful because it is different.
And having it there makes the whole picture more beautiful, as well.
If it had been a planting of all red tulips, I would have admired it from afar, but one yellow tulip in the center was what drew me away from the sidewalks to the edge of the scene.

I thought of life.
I’d like to stand out like a yellow tulip.
But sometimes I’d like to blend in like the red ones.
And perhaps, to some, the yellow one is a drawback instead of a standout.
Perhaps someone thought it was a shame when they saw it.
It’s interesting that the yellow tulip didn’t bloom when the red ones did.

I remembered my cherry trees, how they stand side by side and yet have their own schedule for growth and blooming.
Like people.

I guess life gives us all  the chance to experience both colors, to learn what can be learned from standing out AND blending in.
I hope we all can have the sense to use good judgment and know when it is time to ditch the red crowd and stand alone, to stand for something worthwhile, something true.
And the more we influence others for good, the more we are surrounded by goodness.
Isn’t that the point?

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Hopeful Homemaker’s Homemade Rolls

Breads and Rolls

I wish you could smell these homemade rolls.  In fact, I wish I could snap my fingers and deliver a basket of warm, fresh rolls to your door.  You know what I’m talking about, that one-of-a-kind smell of homemade rolls baking in a warm kitchen.  It’s the smell of home, the feeling of being nourished and loved.  It gives us permission to slow down and savor the simple joys of life and family.


I love making homemade rolls for my family, and today I’m sharing my favorite recipe with you.

But before I give you the recipe, here are two important notes:
1.  I use a Bosch Universal Stand Mixer .  It’s amazing and I highly recommend it.  I’ve had mine for more than 15 years with not a single problem.  If you are using a KitchenAid, be aware that they don’t hold as much, so you will need to cut this recipe in half.

2.  I use only SAF instant yeast .  This is an active dry yeast, which means it is more potent and does not need to be proofed.  Again, it’s amazing and I highly recommend it.  To learn a little more about it, click here.
You’ll never go back, I promise.

And now, on to the good stuff:  warm, chewy, golden brown, buttery homemade rolls.


Hopeful Homemaker’s Homemade Rolls

Ingredients:

5 cups very warm water 1 cup vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1 cup powdered milk 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons salt 4 Tablespoons SAF-Instant yeast 10-12 cups bread flour melted butter for brushing on rolls sea salt for sprinkling over buttered rolls

Instructions:

1. In a mixer, combine water, oil and eggs. ( *Note:  If you are using yeast which must be proofed, take one cup of the warm water and place in a bowl with the sugar and yeast for proofing.  This then will leave 4 cups to add to the mixer with the oil and eggs.)

2. Add 2 cups of the flour, the powdered milk, sugar and salt.
Mix together.
Add 4 more cups flour and the 4 Tb. yeast

3. Mix again.
Slowly add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough begins to pull away from the bowl.
Cover and let knead for 5-7 minutes.

4. Turn off mixer, remove dough hook, replace lid, and let rise for 10-15 minutes.

5. Spray work surface with non-stick spray and dump dough onto surface.
Knead by hand a few times, then cut dough into quarters.
Take one piece of dough and roll out into large rectangle.  Cut into triangles.
Roll up in crescent shape and place rolls on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Repeat with remaining dough.

7. Let rolls rise for 10-15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375.

8. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until rolls begin to turn golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and brush with butter, then sprinkle with sea salt.

EAT, EAT, EAT!

I’ve been making this roll recipe for more than twenty years and they are always delicious.  I hope you’ll try them!

Happy Baking, Jennifer

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