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Musical pairing – Heart Of Glass by Blondie
Three of our dinner guests huddled around the stove eyeing me suspiciously while I mashed softened butter into a bit of flour; I was making gravy to go with my braised pot roast and roasted vegetables.
3-23 UPDATE: Ree has offered to send additional signed copies of her new cookbook, ‘Food From My Frontier’ to 3 additional winners so we’re extending the giveaway through the weekend until next Monday, March 26 at 5pm EDT – Happy Friday!!
Finally someone asked, ‘What are you doing?’ I heard an exhale, then a relieved Kentucky accent, ‘So glad you asked that ‘cuz’ I was wonderin’ the same thing.’ ‘I’m making a thickener for the gravy; if I simply dump flour into this hot liquid, the flour seizes up and I’ll have lumpy gravy. But incorporating the flour into this softened butter first, the flour gets dispersed evenly, the gravy thickens and voila – no lumps!’ ‘Huh.’ was the reply. (None of the three do much cooking.)
We found ourselves with a houseful of guests and an impromptu dinner party following a wedding shower; we had planned a meal for 6 and, suddenly, there were 12. Over the years I’ve learned to roll with this kind of thing and, like Jesus with the Fishes and the Loaves, I knew I could add a few more potatoes and carrots, make a bigger salad and serve more bread – everyone would have plenty to eat, our house would record the stories and laughter of the night and, at the end of the day, The Professor and I would be satisfied our guests had enjoyed a good time.
Bottles of wine were opened, cocktails shaken and passed, music played softly in the background – guests were happy, the conversation lively. The Professor and his brother share a love of microbrews and at some point The Professor brought out his new stash of Lambic beers made locally – these were shared as well. A couple of sips and the-groom-to-be, also an ex-Marine, puckered his lips, closed his eyes, twisted his face into one that resembled and old, toothless man and set his glass down with a thud. In his Kentucky drawl, ‘You got any normal stuff to drink around here???!’
The Professor and I both burst into laughter – I laughed at his boldness for asking the question and also fell in love with him in that moment because that meant he felt comfortable enough in our home. ‘Welcome to the family,’ I thought; you’re going to fit in just fine. With a twinkle in his eye, The Professor asked, ‘What kind of normal drink would you like?’ ‘Do you have Rum and Coke?’ asked the-groom-to-be. ‘We can do that’, chuckled The Professor. The groom-to-be mixed his own rum and coke and, with a twinkle and a smile, took a sip and the evening moved on – laid back and easy – just how we like it. On the way out the door, the groom-to-be pulled me into a bear-hug and said in his Kentucky drawl, ‘Thank you for having us in your home – you’re a good cook!’ Awwwww . . . I like that guy!
Food From My Frontier, is The Pioneer Woman’s latest cookbook and as promised, the book is full of down-home, stick-to-your-ribs, no-messing-around type of recipes; most recipes will be familiar and all will have variations that allow you to switch things up a bit. The directions are easy to follow and in true Pioneer Woman-style, step-by-step photos have been included for every recipe. Rib-Eye Steak, several variations of pizza, Twice-Baked New Potatoes, Apple Dumplings and Knock You Naked Brownies (that title alone is worth the price of admission) will have you dreaming of hunky ranch-hands, cattle, horses and hay. I think my very favorite parts in the book are the family photos: the kids, Marlboro Man, Charlie, Walter and the kitties – everyday life on an Oklahoma ranch. One of my favorite photos is on page 230 – one of Ree’s boys has that look of ‘Hey baby, wanna see me rope a cow?’ Makes me laugh – primarily because I’ve raised two boys and I know that look – takes me back.
This Cowboy Quiche is super easy and filled with bacon, onions, eggs, butter, cream and cheddar cheese. And in the words of The Pioneer Woman herself, ‘Ain’t none of that weird stuff in it.’
I know our groom-to-be, now married to our niece, would approve.
And just in case you haven’t had time to pick up Food From My Frontier, I’m giving away one copy – ‘like’ me on facebook then leave me a comment here; you get an extra entry for subscribing to my RSS feed – just make sure you leave a separate comment. We’ll choose a winner via random.org this coming Friday, March 23rd at 12 noon EDT; the winner will have 48hrs to respond or we choose another winner. Please make sure you leave your email addy in your contact info – do not post your email addy in the comment itself – we want to respect your privacy!
3-23 UPDATE: Ree has offered to send additional signed copies of her new cookbook, ‘Food From My Frontier’ to 3 additional winners so we’re extending the giveaway through the weekend until next Monday, March 26 at 5pm EDT – Happy Friday!!
Good Luck!
NOTE: I love serving quiche for brunch so I made this recipe into individual brunch-sized portions – The Professor called them ‘Buckaroos’ and the name stuck; cooking time has been adjusted accordingly.
Also, Quiche can be made ahead one day; cool completely, then wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. To serve, remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Once the quiche has come to room temp, you warm in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes if you prefer to serve warm.
And finally, I made a handful of these as ‘crustless’ quiche by spraying a regular-sized cupcake tin with cooking spray, fill with quiche mixture to about 3/4 full and bake. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make quiche with or without crust, mini, cupcake or large pie plate sized; swap out your favorite cheese, meat, no-meat – the world is your oyster when it comes to making quiche!
COWBOY QUICHE (we call the minis ‘Buckaroos’ at our house!)
Food From My Frontier, Ree Drummond
Makes one 10-inch Quiche; approximately 8 servings or approximately 24 bite-sized quiche – See note above
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 recipe of your favorite piecrust (Ree has a recipe listed in the book)
- 8 slices of bacon, fried until crispy
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 8 eggs
- 1-1/2 heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Roll out dough, cut into 3-inch circles and press into mini or regular-sized cupcake tins. Re-roll as necessary; set aside
- Chop cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces; set aside
- In a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, fry onions in butter until deep, golden brown – about 15 minutes; cool
- Mix eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a bowl
- Add cooled bacon, onions and cheese
- Stir to combine and pour into prepared tins
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until quiche is set and crust is golden brown
- Remove from oven; allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving
I now like you on Facebook too!
Subscribed to your RSS feed.
Fingers crossed I win a copy of Ree’s book! I love her so, but just couldn’t spend 4+ hours in line! I like you on Facebook … and I pretty much just like you in general!
Great giveaway and the recipe looks scrumptious!
I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed.
What a fabulous giveaway, thanks for hosting! These mini quiche look just so delicious, too. I’ve liked you on Facebook, as well. Have a great weekend!
I LOVE this site! I’ve been lurking for awhile, but now I’ve “liked” you on FB which means I’m a “real” fan now. 🙂 I also really want that book!
I like, subscribe and follow. 🙂 Mmmm, quiche with heavy cream and bacon, this had to be good!
I’m subscribed to RSS. Thanks for the giveaway – I’m going to have to try these “Buckaroos” regardless!
Thanks for the chance at the book.
Subscribed to RSS feed. 🙂 Thanks again!
I like you on FB. Love the giveaway! 🙂
I like you on fb 🙂
Great story 🙂 Thx for the chance at the cookbook! fwiw, I already ‘like’ you on fb and have the rss feed; no bribery necessary 🙂
I subscribe to your RSS feed.
I’m one of the oddballs without a Facebook account, so I’m not sure if this will count.
AND I just started following your RSS feed via my netvibes reader!
GREAT giveaway – been looking for this book 😉 and those quiches look great!
I’m a fan of yours on Facebook!
Liked you on Facebook. Thanks!
I subscribed to your RSS feed.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I liked you on Facebook, of course. I would love to win a copy of PW’s cookbook. 🙂
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Oh man, those quiche look tasty! Way better than the ones from Costco, which made an appearance at every gathering in college. 😉
I like you on facebook.
Thanks for the giveaway! I subscribe via rss feed.
I subscribe to your RSS feed with Google Reader.
Of course I like you on FB!!
I liked you on FB.