Tasty Thursday- Mediterranean Quiche

The recipe this week is for a fabulous quiche. I feel like quiche is the kind of food you either love or hate (Erin, I know you are probably vomiting at the thought of a quiche:). I myself love a quiche, I think it is a such an easy meal to prepare and there are so many variations you can make. I found this recipe online and couldn't wait to make it, my one hesitation it was meatless and I knew Matt would have a problem with this. His exact words when I served this for dinner the other night "um, wheres the meat? we should add some bacon." After actually tasting the quiche he told me he was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. This quiche is filled with fresh in season veggies and herbs and a gorgeous mix of my two favorite cheeses Gruyere and goat cheese. So tell me do you love or hate quiche?

MEDITERRANEAN QUICHE

-2 TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER
-1 CUP SLICED YELLOW ONION
-1 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI, CHOPPED
-1 RED BELL PEPPER, CHOPPED
-1 TEASPOON MINCED GARLIC
-4 OZ'S OIL PACKED SUN DRIED TOMATOES, DRAINED AND CHOPPED
-3 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH BASIL
-2 TEASPOONS CHOPPED FRESH THYME
-1/2 TEASPOON SALT
-1/4 TEASPOON PEPPER
-3 LARGE EGGS
-1 1/4 CUPS HALF AND HALF
-1/2 CUP GRATED GRUYERE
-1/2 TEASPOON CRUSHED RED PEPPER
-1 STORE BOUGHT PIE CRUST
-3 OZ GOAT CHEESE, CRUMBLED

1) PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES
2) IN A LARGE SKILLET MELT BUTTER OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT. ADD THE ONIONS AND ZUCCHINI AND COOK, STIRRING, FOR 6 MINUTES. ADD THE RED PEPPER AND COOK UNTIL THE VEGETABLES ARE WILTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
3) ADD THE GARLIC AND COOK ONE MINUTE
4)ADD THE TOMATOES, BASIL, THYME AND SEASON LIGHTLY WITH SALT AND PEPPER. COOK, STIRRING, FOR 1 MINUTE. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND LET COOL.
5)IN A BOWL, BEAT THE EGGS AND HALF AND HALF TOGETHER. ADD THE SALT, PEPPER, GRATED GRUYERE, AND CRUSHED RED PEPPER
6) SPOON THE VEGETABLE MIXTURE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE PREPARED PIE CRUST, POUR IN THE EGG MIXTURE, AND CRUMBLE GOAT CHEESE OVER THE TOP. BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES UNTIL SET. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND LET COOL 30 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.

** A FEW NOTES: I COOKED MY QUICHE LONGER PROBABLY 45 MINUTES BUT ALL OVENS VARY. I DID 3/4 CUPS HALF AND HALF AND 1/2 CUP SKIM MILK TO REDUCE THE FAT. AND I COOKED MY PIE SHELL AT 400 DEGREES FOR 10 MINUTES AND LET COOL BEFORE POURING IN THE INGREDIENTS.***

HERE IS THE LINK IF YOU WANT TO PRINT THIS RECIPE.

http://www.yumsugar.com/Mediterranean-Quiche-Recipe-8670881

Happy Birthday My Love

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband today! This will be his 9th birthday we have celebrated together! We have been together a long time and I love him so much. I feel so lucky to have him in my life! He is a wonderful husband, dad, and friend! I hope he has a fabulous birthday, and I know he will because Sterling and I will make sure he does:)

I Die

"I die" are the famous words of stylist Rachel Zoe when she loves something. Lets just say I have a small obsession with Rachel Zoe. I adore her, her husband Rodger, assistant Brad, and her closet. She has the best style. If I were a celebrity I would hire her in a minute to style me. Well the time has come she is back for a third season next week, August 3 to be exact. I can't wait to watch her dress endless celebrities and herself most importantly. If you have never watched this show I highly suggest it especially if you love fashion and reality. I will admit I am sucker for a reality TV show, it annoys the crap out of Matt- his least favorite being the Housewives of New Jersey. He claims they encourage bad behavior like shopping too much, acting selfish and bratty, and arguing. But they sure do make me happy so I continue to watch them I just dvr them and watch while he is at work:) So next week August 3 you will find me glued to the tv waiting for the gorgeous Rachel Zoe to impart her style wisdom for a new season!

Tasty Thursday- BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

My family has been at the beach this whole week on vacation. It is tradition on our vacations that each couple takes a night to cook a meal. So far we have had fillets, fried shrimp, lobster fra diablo, pork stroganoff, and tonight is tacos! All the meals have been amazing. The recipe this week comes from my brother-in-law Joey. He made us these pancakes this week for breakfast and they were delicious! They were the perfect consistency and filled to the brim with fresh blueberries. So if you want an easy and scrumptious breakfast idea try out these pancakes.

JOEY'S BLUEBERRY PANCAKES
-1 CUP FLOUR
-1 TBSP BAKING POWDER
-1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
-2 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL
-3 TBSP SUGAR
-1 CUP MILK
-1 EGG
-1/2 TSP SALT
-CARTON OF FRESH BLUEBERRIES (YOU CAN ALSO SUBSTITUTE BANANAS, STRAWBERRIES OR ANY OTHER FRUIT YOU LIKE)

COMBINE ALL THE DRY INGREDIENTS. ADD MILK, EGG AND OIL. MIX UNTIL SMOOTH. STIR IN BLUEBERRIES. HEAT A NON-STICK PAN OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL WATER BEADS. DO NOT USE OIL. POUR PANCAKE MIXTURE IN 1/4 CUP TO MEASURE OUT PANCAKES. FLIP OVER WHEN TOP IS COVERED WITH BUBBLES AND EDGES LOOK COOKED. SERVE WITH MELTED BUTTER AND SYRUP.

Happy Hour

I love my wine, can't get through a week without it...especially after not drinking for 9 months. It is so nice now to have a few glasses! I don't discriminate. I really love white and red wine but during the hot and humid summers there is nothing better than a chilled glass of white wine. I used to be a pinot grigio kind of girl but I am trying to branch out and try some new white wines. Last night we bought 4 bottles of sauvignon blanc and had a wine tasting. Our two favorites were Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc and Steelehead Sauvignon Blanc. Steelehead was by far everyone's favorite with Cupcake close behind. And I'll be honest we chose the wines by the look of the bottle, don't you love a beautiful label on a bottle! The Steelehead was a perfect choice for the beach with the fish on the label. They are both crisp and refreshing, perfect for the summer and the best part is that they are both under $15! If anybody has a favorite wine I should try please let me know!

Greetings from Figure Eight

We are all on vacation right now in Figure Eight Island and it is fantastic. Our house has incredible views of the water. We are having the best time taking the boat out, sunbathing, cooking and drinking! Here are a few pics so far. All the men have iced each other several times (if you don't know what getting iced is, its when you present someone with a Smirnoff ice and they must get down on one knee and chug the drink unless they have a Smirnoff ice on them, then you must chug both. An elaborate marketing scheme from Smirnoff no doubt but its pretty hilarious). more pics to come and some delicious recipes.

Tasty Thursday- TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH FETA AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

The recipe this week comes compliments of my girl Giada De Laurentis's new cookbook Giada at Home. I love Giada I watch her every Saturday on the foodnetwork. I feel like I know her and Todd and baby Jade because I watch her show so often:) I own all of her cookbooks and her recipes never disappoint and this one is no exception. I was worried about what Matt would think when I made this, because he is a red meat man. Normally any dish made with turkey he deems not filling or lame. However he actually liked this meatloaf! It was super easy to make and full of great flavor. The only thing I might change next time I make this is to add a sauce to the meatloaf, it is fine without it but we are sauce people. Enjoy!

TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH FETA AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES

-1/2 CUP PLAIN DRIED BREADCRUMBS
-1/3 CUP CHOPPED FLAT PARSLEY LEAVES
-1/4 CUP CHOPPED SUN DRIED TOMATOES IN OIL
-2 GARLIC CLOVES MINCED
-2 LARGE EGGS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, LIGHTLY BEATEN
-1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL
-1/2 CUP CRUMBLED FETA CHEESE
-1 1/2 TEASPOONS SALT
-1 TEASPOON FRESH GROUND PEPPER
-1 POUND GROUND TURKEY (GIADA CALLS FOR DARK MEAT, I USED LIGHT)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES AND SPRAY A 9X5 INCH LOAF PAN WITH COOKING SPRAY.

IN A LARGE BOWL STIR TOGETHER THE BREAD CRUMBS, PARSLEY, SUN DRIED TOMATOES, GARLIC, EGGS, OLIVE OIL, FETA, SALT AND PEPPER. ADD THE TURKEY AND GENTLY STIR TO COMBINE BEING CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK THE MEAT. CAREFULLY PACK THE MEAT INTO THE PREPARED PAN. BAKE ABOUT 40-45 MINUTES OR UNTIL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE IS 165 DEGREES.

REMOVE FROM OVEN AND LET SIT 5 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.