Chowing-Down on Father's Day

Dave's Father's Day dinner request was for of all things, quiche. He loves all the egg-y, custard-y dishes and I don't make them all that often since I don't like things that taste like eggs very much. I made a broccoli-mushroom-Swiss cheese quiche using a recipe from The Moosewood Cookbook. I also made baked rice pudding, one of his favorite desserts. For myself, and dinners later in the week, I made a big pot of veggie chili. Yum! I put just about every vegetable I could find in the fridge in the chili--bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, mushrooms, and zucchini. It was so good. Chili is a great way to use up any leftover cooked veggies languishing in your fridge.

Dave thought the quiche was amazing--he ate 1/2 of it in one sitting. And of course, he adored the rice pudding. I've never made baked rice pudding before, I love how easy it is to prepare; there's no standing over the stove stirring and stirring. I used Paula Deen's recipe and it worked like a charm.

I don't have an exact recipe for the chili since I use whatever I have on hand, but this recipe sounds good. Oh, and I always add a bottle of beer to my chili.

Here's the recipe for Paula's baked rice pudding. I didn't even have to cook the rice; I just used what was leftover from Chinese take-out the night before.

Swiss Cheese Mushroom Quiche (I also added some steamed broccoli)

1 10-inch pie crust, pressed into a pie pan

1 teaspoon butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper

1 pinch of thyme

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese

paprika

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Melt the butter in a small pan. Add onions, and saute over medium heat for a few minutes. When they begin to soften, add mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme, and mustard. Saute about 5 minutes more and remove from heat.

Combine eggs, milk, and flour in a blender, and mix well.

Spread the grated cheese over the bottom of the unbaked crust, and spread the onion-mushroom mixture on top. Pour in the custard, and sprinkle the top with paprika.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until solid in the center.

Pie Crust

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups flour

about 4 tablespoons cold water, milk, or buttermilk

Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor to cut together the butter and flour until the mixture is uniformly blended and resembles coarse corn meal. Add just enough liquid to hold the dough together. Roll-out the dough and form a crust (or you can press it in the pan with your fingers).