Baby and wedding showers never spell stress when you spread out the work. That's why I love cohosting celebrations with my girlfriends. With eight or nine of us involved, no one has to feel overloaded.
Recently, we gave a baby shower for my long-time friend Debbie William's beautiful daughter Lauren. (She's expecting a little boy!) Since it was a brunch, I volunteered to make my dear friend Debbi Comparin's delicious Ham and Spinach Quiche.
It was a must for the menu because there's seldom a crumb left when we serve it at parties. No surprise there ... as a former Pampered Chef consultant, Debbi excels in the kitchen. She normally makes this divine dish herself but the shower was at her house so she was happy to shorten her list.
And I was happy to land this assignment. Besides being a favorite, Debbi's super simple recipe (shown below) doesn't require a big investment in ingredients or time. You need:
Bob helped me by picking up the fixin's while I shopped for a Mother's Day gift. (Yes, I am blessed with a husband who doesn't mind going to Target!) With my mom coming to Sunday lunch at our house that same weekend, I was especially thankful this quiche comes together so quickly.
For the prettiest presentation, I got a boxed pie shell and put it in one of my best white, fluted pie plates (no need to announce it wasn't homemade). I thawed the spinach, gave the ham a spin in the microwave, and combined the eggs, half and half, four and salt. Then it was just a matter of layering everything in the crust: starting with the Swiss cheese then the spinach, mushrooms, ham, egg mixture and, finally, shredded cheddar.
Pop it in the oven and about 45 minutes later, you'll have a party-worthy quiche oozing with the goodness of two cheeses, spinach and ham. Ahhhh! It can serve anywhere from 6 (a main dish portion) to 16 depending on the size slices you cut. Even better, you can make it a day ahead and store it in the fridge till time to reheat.
Talk about removing stress! Our baby shower was set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Making this quiche Friday afternoon, meant I could still sleep in, focus on fixing my face and arrive with a fresh-from-the-oven delight destined to be a hit. What could be sweeter? If you ask Bob, he'll say baking two so that he's assured a taste!
Place Swiss cheese on bottom of pie crust. Cook ham on high for about one-and-one-half minutes in the microwave. Layer crust with spinach, mushrooms, and cubed ham.
Mix eggs, half and half, flour and salt. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Bake at 350˚ for 40-45 minutes.
In the mood for pie? You'll also enjoy:
Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.
Tips:
If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.
If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.
Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.
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