Ramen Noodle Quiche

I'm obsessed with quiche, this is nothing new. Love trying out different recipes. I recently saw one that included ramen noodles on the inside so I decided to give it a try. The results come out great, the ramen noodles make it fluffy & hearty. I made mine with spinach & bacon but you can make it anyway you would like. 

Ingredients:

1 pillsbury pie crust

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1 cup onion, diced

6 to 8 slices of bacon, cooked & in pieces

1/2 package of beef flavored ramen noodles, crumbled with seasoning packet

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded

1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press crust into a pie dish and make the edges fancy looking.

Place bacon on bottom of dish.

Top with broken ramen noodles, then pour about half the seasoning package on top evenly over the whole pie.

Top with spinach, onions, and cheeses.

Mix eggs & milk in a small bowl, pour over top of pie. 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. 

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Low Fat Crab Dip

I know this isn't the prettiest picture, but hey, it's life! Back in May we did a special Mother's Day Cooking Club event. We invited all our moms and did a "Year In Review" where we made a bunch of recipes that we had made throughout the year. It was awesome! I wanted to do my crab dip from our Costume Party but I decided to try to do a lower fat version. 

Ingredients:

8 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

16 oz of fat free (or reduced fat) cream cheese, softened

8 oz fat free sour cream

4 tbsp lite mayo

4 tbsp horseradish
2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp white pepper

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp old bay seasoning

1 pound crab meat

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Heat frozen spinach in microwave safe dish for 5 minutes.

Drain liquid. 

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, and mayo in a large bowl.

Stir in seasonings.

Mix in the crab & spinach.

Spoon into casserole dish.

Back in oven for 30 minutes.

I like to serve this dish with bread, crackers, cucumbers, & pretzel crisps. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

2-3 cups seasoned croutons
• 1 pound spicy pork sausage
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of broccoli soup
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 large zucchini, chopped and quartered
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:

Spread croutons on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish

Cut sausage and heat in a medium skillet until brown

Spread over croutons

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, soup, spinach, zucchini, cheese, and mustard. Mix really well.

Pour egg mixture over sausage and croutons. 

Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat to 325 degrees.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until set and lightly brown.

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Spinach Dip

It's official. I actually know how to cook. This point was confirmed for me last month when I started perfecting the art of going "off road" with my recipes. I used to be the type that stuck exactly to the recipe because I was scared of messing it up. Now I just throw in random ingredients that I think will work and I've been impressed with the results.


I made spinach dip for the super bowl party (to compliment the burrito bar) and I got a lot of compliments on it, so it must have been good. I started by finding hot spinach dip recipes online then I started throwing in things I had in my fridge that would go well with it. 



Ingredients:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and dried out
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup light mayo
1/3 cup pecorino romano
2 laughing cow swiss cheese wedges, chopped & melted
1 can of cream of broccoli condensed soup
8 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
pepper to taste


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Place in an oven safe dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Make sure cheese is melted and serve with pretzel things. 


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Muffin Quiche

These mini quiches in Pillsbury dough are amazing! Do you have a heart-shaped muffin pan? Use those, the final outcome is great!

I made these for our Sunday morning gathering at church. It was a fun change compared to the usual quiches I like to make. Like I said, anything with Pillsbury dough = fabulous. 

Ingredients:

2 cans of grands biscuits or crescent rolls (12 to 18 biscuits)

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed & drained

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray muffin tray with olive-oil spray.

Press each biscuit into regular size muffin cups in tray.

Bake for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper into medium sized mixing bowl.

Whisk & stir in cheese.

Remove biscuits from oven, they will have raised a little bit. (see picture)

Press down centers with a spoon or other kitchen item (I used a 1/4 measure cup, see picture above). Be careful they will be hot.

Spoon in about 1-2 tablespoons of spinach into the center of each muffin/biscuit.

Then pour in egg mixture into each partially baked biscuit pass the spinach amount.

Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Remove & enjoy.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Spinach Lasagna

You can really take the fat/calories out of lasagna by switching up your ingredients. Try cottage cheese instead of ricotta (I know, I know real Italians are cussing at me everywhere), use vegetables instead of meat, cut down on the cheese, use whole wheat pasta, try fresh tomatoes, and use low fat cheeses. This recipe calls for fat-free cream cheese rather than doing other types of cheese. I thought that was something different so I gave it a try. It turned out really well. When some of the girls came over to make cake pops with me we I had this for dinner. 


This was inspired by the Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto recipe that I found here. But I made it differently and then adapted it some more so I could freeze it. See directions below and how to cook after freezing it for up to 2 months. 


Ingredients:
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorina romano cheese
2.5 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 large egg
1 jar of low fat pasta sauce (I used Ragu)
cooking spray
12 lasagna noodles (I use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
1 to 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, dried out, and mashed with a fork. 
1/2 cup of reduced fat parmesan cheese


Directions:
Cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions. Separate on wax paper when finished cooking and draining. 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix garlic and cottage cheese together.
Make sure cream cheese is soft and at room temperature. Use microwave if needed.
Mix in cream cheese, pecorina romano, basil, pepper, and egg. Mix well. 
Spread 1/2 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased/sprayed 13x9 baking dish. 
Arrange 3 noodles on the bottom. 
On top of the noodles spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. 
Top with 1/3 of the spinach mixture.
Top with 1/2 cup of pasta sauce.
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, & pasta sauce. 
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, then noodles again. 
Pour remaining pasta sauce over noodles. 
Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. 
Bake in oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.


Or...if you want to freeze it, don't bake it now. Cover it with foil, plastic wrap, or casserole dish lid. Place in freezer for up to 2 months. 


The night before defrost in the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish so that noodles don't dry out. But not too much water. Cook in oven for about an hour and a half, covered. Optional-top with additional mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. 





What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Veggie Enchiladas

I'm very excited about this recipe. I love all things Mexican. Let me rephrase that, I love all Mexican foods. I especially love enchiladas. I'm learning that not all Mexican foods have to be bad for you. I've been trying to make enchiladas as low-calorie and as healthy as possible. Whenever, I cook with ground beef or chicken I always choose extra lean. Also, sometimes instead of using beef, I'll just use beans & rice. I try to use La Victoria enchilada sauce which isn't too bad (fat & calorie-wise) plus I'll cut down on cheese and oil too. So when I came across this vegetable enchilada recipe I was thrilled at how easy it was, how healthy it was, and how good it is. Instead of a can of enchilada sauce you make your own tomato-flavored sauce. I use Soy-full Heart tortillas that are high in fiber, low calorie, and low in fat. This recipe is awesome because of all that. but also all the pretty colors. 


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can low fat chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth
salt & pepper
1 cup shredded mexican cheese
1 can 15 oz. beans (kidney or black), drained & rinsed

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed some-what dry
10 oz. frozen mixed vegetables (with corn)
6 green onions, thinly sliced
16 tortillas 


Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. 
Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste, whisk together while cooking.
Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
Season with salt & pepper, set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, beans, spinach, corn, green onions and additional salt & pepper. 
Spray casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray.
Place 1/3 or 1/4 cup of veggie mixture into each tortilla.
Roll up tightly and place in casserole dish, seam side down. You may be able to fill up 2 casserole dishes if you use all 16 tortillas.

Top evenly with sauce (and additional cheese if desired).

Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly about 15 to 20 minutes. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Pepperoni & Vegetable Quiche

Made some quiche to pair with baked oatmeal over the Thanksgiving Holiday. It's just like the normal vegetable quiche I make, but I had to make it for A LOT more people. I used two large casserole dishes instead of pie pans. 

I used Ore-Ida frozen hashbrowns because that's all I could find in the Harris Teeter in NC. The Country Inn Creations Pepper & Onion style complimented the quiche.


Plus I found these cute lil' pepperoni slices to use. 


My incredibly awesome niece, Madelyn Paige, stopped in to give me a helping hand. She didn't do much but stand there and look cute, but that was all the encouragement I needed. :-)

 

I made the hashbrowns extra crispy and used a ton of zucchini & chopped spinach.

What's the verdict Maddie???

Yay! She's enjoying her quiche!

 Must've been a hit because the family cleaned me out!

I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Hashbrown Vegetable Quiche

4+ years ago, when I first got married and started getting into cooking there were only 4 dishes that I ever made and I would refer to them as "this is the only dish I know how to make". They were Kielbasa Pasta, the Taco Bake, Chili, & Hashbrown Quiche. Now I'm happy to say that I've grown and I now make more than just these same 4 dishes. But Hashbrown quiche is still one of my favorites to make and I'll add I've really stepped up my game in the past 4 years :-). It's even better than when I made it years ago! Usually I try to make it pretty healthy using egg yolks or egg substitute instead of real eggs, i never use oil or butter. But I made it this weekend and threw all those healthy thoughts out the window. 

INGREDIENTS (1 Quiche):

• 1 box of Betty Crocker seasoned skillets hashbrowns (or 1 package of frozen hashbrowns)
• 1 to 2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of diced onions
• 1/2 cup of diced celery
• 1.75 cups of water
• 1 package of frozen spinach, chopped
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, part skim
• 2-3 eggs
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• olive oil spray
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• italian seasoning (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Follow package directions for hashbrowns. Heat water & 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet and stir in package. Push into sides of skillet and cook until brown & crispy. (Hint: if using frozen hashbrowns, you want to dry them out as much as possible)
2. Defrost spinach in a small microwave safe bowl. I usually put it in for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and mach up with a fork.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, seasoning, & garlic.
4. In another skillet saute zucchini, onions, & celery in 1 tablespoon of butter until brown & tender
5. Add spinach, zucchini, onion, & celery to egg mixture and stir all together. 
6. Spray an 8-inch pie dish with olive oil spray. Add hashbrown and press firmly into sides. 
7. Drizzle the rest of the butter, melted, on top of the hashbrowns. Top with egg mixture.
8. Cook in preheated oven for 30 minutes at 350.

I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Hot Crab Dip in a Bread Bowl

So my amazingly awesome cooking club had a Costume Party at my house this past weekend (I know, I know who has costume parties in November??? But seriously it was awesome -- it might even be better because it's in November.) The plan was to dress in costume, bring a beverage and bring an appetizer and we awarded prizes for best costume, best drink, & best appetizer. Those who truly know me, know how competitive I am. I was determined to win something. For the life of me I couldn't come up with a good costume. I was the Spartan Cheerleader, Ariana, from SNL. It suited me well, but was not a prize-worthy costume. I tried to find a bottle of Arabella wine, because that stuff is great, but apparently they don't sell it in Lancaster County. So I knew I had to compensate by making a delicious appetizer. I settled on crab dip because everyone loves crab dip and I literally googled "best crap dip" to ensure that my crab dip was the best. I found a nice recipe on AllRecipes.com (of course) and made some changes. In the end the crab dip did win first place! Hurray! (But it was a tight race between the hot spinach artichoke dip, the cold spinach dip served in a purple cabbage bowl (scroll to bottom of page, and the addicting onion pretzels) 

Shout out to my friend Jessie who made the 2nd half of the recipe for me. I was getting ready for the party while she carved out the bread bowl. So all credit for the presentation goes to her. THANKS! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups crabmeat
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup white Cheddar cheese
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of pecorino romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 (8 ounce) round loaf of bread
• box of crackers
• 1-2 cucumbers, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish
3. In a large bowl, combine crabmeat, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, old bay seasoning, pecorino romano cheese, garlic, & black pepper.
4. Stir until well mixed. Spoon dip into prepared baking pan. 
5. Bake in preheated oven until top is crusty, about 25 to 30 minutes.
6. Cut the top off the loaf of bread. Hollow out the loaf and cube the top and the removed pieces so that they may be used for dipping. Spoon hot dip into hollow bread loaf. Serve immediately with bread pieces, cucumbers, or crackers for dipping.

Here is the Spinach Dip in a Cabbage Head that my friend Jessie made for her appetizer.

Isn't it beautiful!?!?!? I'll have to ask her for the recipe.

Note the mini-pitas in the back. They were so cute!

I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!