Sausage Pepper Quiche

1 roll out pie crust, softened and placed in pie plate

1 package ground sausage, mild or spicy, depending on preference

1 red pepper, diced

½ cup milk

6 large eggs

¾ cup cheddar or colby cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; place crust in pie plate.

Whisk eggs and milk together in medium bowl; set aside.

Cook sausage in pan over medium heat; remove with slotted spoon when browned and add to egg mixture.

Cook pepper in sausage pan, do not drain first; when soft, add to egg mixture.

Stir in cheese.

Pour into pie plate and bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let set for five minutes before serving.

*Alternatively, use cubed ham and spinach (raw) in place of sausage & peppers.

Lemon Salad is the perfect side dish. For a lighter salad, omit the bacon and tomatoes.

Salad

1 Pound Romaine lettuce or 1 large head

1/3 cup grated Swiss cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/3 cup slivered almonds

4 strips of bacon, cooked crispy and cut into bite sized pieces

Cherry tomatoes (optional)

Dressing

1 clove of garlic, pressed or diced

¼ cup lemon juice, usually 2 lemons

¾  cup light-tasting oil (I prefer grapeseed oil or avocado oil)

Mix all together in a jar and shake until combined. Mixture will be a milky white.

Pour over lettuce in a large bowl and stir to coat. Add cheeses, almonds, bacon, and tomatoes.

Dressing lasts 36 hours in the fridge.

Summer Salad

Salad

1 pound spring mix

1 cup candied nuts (recipe follows)

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

About 10 medium strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup blackberries

Dressing

2 parts grapeseed or avocado oil (usually ½ cup)

1 part Balsamic vinegar (usually ¼ cup)

Mix in jar; stir or shake before using, or pour oil & vinegar directly over greens and stir to coat.

Toss spring mix in dressing, then add nuts, cheese and strawberries. Stir and serve.

Autumn Salad

Use apple chunks in place of berries (1 small apple) and add ½ cup dried cranberries.

Plain or roasted walnuts can be used in place of candied nuts for a less sweet salad.

1 pound pecan halves (or mix with walnuts)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt (sea salt or Himalayan is most flavorful)

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Mix together salt, sugar, and cinnamon.

Mix egg white and water in separate bowl until frothy; toss pecans in mixture.

Add sugar mixture to pecans and toss until coated.

Spread on baking sheet and cook for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.

Remove from pan and cool before serving.

This is a base oatmeal cookie recipe; you can change out the chips for dried cherries or cranberries, or split the chip amount with nuts of your choosing.

1 ½ cups whole-grain or white flour (spelt works well here)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ginger

a dash of ground cloves

a dash of allspice

a sprinkle of cardamom

½ pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups uncooked oats (quick or old fashioned)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (may sub. butterscotch chips)

Mini chips work best because they are less bulky when mixed with oatmeal.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, mix well and set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy; add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture.

Stir in oats and chocolate chips gradually.

Spoon onto cookie sheet (best on stone sheet) and bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Cool a few minutes on the stone until cookies have firmed up, then remove to cooling rack.

2 slices of bread, thin-medium thickness: sourdough (my personal favorite), whole wheat, multi-grain (particularly good grilled)

2-4 slices of cheese: havarti, swiss, colby, marble, cheddar, monterey jack, etc. (There really isn’t a wrong cheese unless it is too hard, like parmesan, or too soft like feta.)

Softened butter

Heat a shallow pan on medium. Pan must be hot when you place the bread or it won’t cook properly. *Make sure the heat is on medium. Too hot and the bread will burn, too cool and it will get soggy.*

Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the first slice butter side down in the pan, add cheese, then place the second slice of bread butter side up on top of the cheese. Cook until bread is golden-brown, then flip. When both sides are golden-brown and the cheese is melted, it’s ready. Remove from pan and eat immediately.

This sandwich is an excellent accompaniment to soup.

To add variety, try specialty bread like olive oil and rosemary. You can also add a thin slice of tomato.

2 slices of bread, thin-medium thickness: sourdough, whole wheat, multi-grain (particularly good grilled)

2-4 slices of cheese: havarti, swiss, colby, marble, cheddar, monterey jack, etc. (There really isn’t a wrong cheese unless it is too hard, like parmesan, or too soft like feta.)

2 slices of deli meat: ham, turkey, salami, prosciutto, etc. Can mix and match.

2 slices of cooked bacon (optional)

Softened butter

Heat a shallow pan on medium.Make sure the temperature is medium! Too cool and it will get soggy, too hot and it will burn the bread.

Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the first slice butter side down, add cheese, then add meat, then bacon. Place the second slice of bread butter side up. Cook until bread is golden-brown, then flip. When both sides are golden-brown and the cheese is melted, it’s ready. Remove from pan and eat immediately.

*You can easily leave out the meat and replace it with a tomato slice for a grilled cheese BLT*

2 slices of bread, thin-medium thickness: sourdough, whole wheat, multi-grain (particularly good grilled) *This sandwich is particularly good with a thickly sliced bread with a hearty, full flavor. One with seeds is a great choice.*

2-4 slices of cheese: Havarti or Swiss/  cheddar or Colby

2-4 very thin apple slices *from a sour-mildly sweet apple for Swiss or Havarti cheese, from a sweet apple for Colby or cheddar cheese (the goal is to mix sour with sweet)

Brown or Dijon mustard

Softened butter

Heat a shallow pan on medium. (Pan must be hot when you place the bread or it won’t cook properly.) Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the first slice butter side down, carefully spread a thin layer of mustard on the bare upper side, then place a slice of cheese, the apple slices, and another slice of cheese. (If you want it extra cheesy, do 2 slices of cheese on either side of the apple.) If you really like mustard, add a tiny bit more on either the cheese or the bare side of the bread, and top with the bread butter side up. Cook until bread is golden-brown, then flip. When both sides are golden-brown and the cheese is melted, it’s ready. Remove from pan and eat immediately.

*You can add a couple of slices of bacon to this one to make it more filling.*

1-2 eggs, depending on the size of the bread

2 slices of bread, thin-medium thickness: sourdough, whole wheat, multi-grain. Avoid breads with too strong a flavor like rye – it can overpower the other flavors.

2-4 slices of cheese: havarti, swiss, colby, marble, cheddar, monterey jack, etc. (There really isn’t a wrong cheese unless it is too hard, like parmesan, or too soft like feta.)

Softened butter

Slather butter (all the way to the crust!) on two slices of break and set aside. Heat a pan to medium, add butter, crack eggs into pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with a lid to cook more evenly. Once eggs are cooked to desired done-ness (medium is best, but choose your favorite), remove lid.

Carefully lift egg(s) from pan with a wide spatula and hold while you place one slice of bread, butter side down, on the hot pan. Place a slice of cheese on the bread, then gently set the fried egg on the cheese. Place another slice of cheese on the egg and place the remaining bread slice on top, being careful not to break the egg yolk.

Once bread is browned, carefully flip sandwich to brown the other side. Ideally, the yolk will not break until you bite into it, but if it break during the flip, it’s alright. Just remove the sandwich from the pan sooner to avoid overcooking the eggs.

Eat and enjoy! You’ll need something to wipe your hands on, this one gets messy.