I'm back!  In the time since my last post, we added to the family and are adjusting to life with Baby G.  What a wild ride!  

Some foods have the weirdest names, don't they?  Thankfully Shakespeare is right, for what's in a name?  This breakfast treat is not a baby anything, but it is so good, and a nice departure from the normal breakfast treats.  It's actually fast to whip up on a weekday (if you have a little time), but best enjoyed on a day when you can be leisurely and really savor it.  Make some coffee to sip with the dutch baby, and, well, I could just sit there all day.

Tortilla Española
from Bon Appetit

Serves 8 (we had about 5 servings)

1 tablespoon plus 2 cups olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 medium waxy potatoes (about ¾ lb.), peeled, cut into ¾” pieces
8 large eggs

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and dark brown, 35–40 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, heat potatoes and remaining 2 cups oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until oil around potatoes begins to bubble; reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender but have not taken on any color, 10–12 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving oil. Season potatoes with salt and let cool slightly.

Combine eggs, onion, potatoes, and ¼ cup reserved potato cooking oil in a large bowl and gently beat with a fork.

Heat 3 Tbsp. reserved potato cooking oil in a 10” nonstick skillet over medium heat (reserve remaining oil for another use). Add egg mixture and cook, lifting at edge and tilting skillet to let uncooked egg run underneath, until bottom and edge of tortilla are set but center is still wet.

Set a large plate on top of skillet. Swiftly invert tortilla onto plate, then slide back into skillet, cooked side up. Cook until center is just set, about 2 minutes longer. Cut into wedges.

Mexican/Southwestern style dishes are some of our favorite dishes to make.  There's just something about the spices and the simplicity.  And the chips and salsa.  One day I made a Smitten Kitchen original that is featured in her cookbook, black bean and spaghetti squash tacos.  They sound weird, and they are, but they're also pretty addictively good.  Anyway, at the same time I had planned to make these tacos, I caught an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network and saw the recipe for these chiles rellenos.  I made them with the tacos.  We loved them.  The end.  The rest of the story is told here.

Do you have a food that you love?  Quiche is one for me.  Think about it- this is an anytime food, and it can be eaten hot or cold.  I love that!  I don't remember eating quiche before college.  I am sure I did at some point, but it was one of those foods we didn't make growing up, and so I don't remember it.  Anyway, my first memory of quiche is from Ham's restaurant.  If I remember correctly, it was spinach.  It wasn't bad, but not something that was the pinnacle of quiches everywhere. 

A good quiche is hard to find.  If overbaked, it's a dry mess of eggs, cheese, and filling.  It's rubbery and reminiscent of a bad egg biscuit from a fast food restaurant.  Fortunately, this recipe at least is very easy, and delicious.  Its ingredients can be changed out to use what you have on hand- don't you just love a recipe like that?  I have used fresh swiss chard in place of spinach.  Other times I have added mushrooms and roasted red pepper, bell pepper, and I can't remember what else. 

This recipe is one I tried from allrecipes.com, and I have made it many times over the past year or so.  It's sort of my going steady quiche recipe.  What differentiates it is the use of mayonnaise instead of heavy creams.  What I like about that is that I can substitute plain greek yogurt for some or all of the mayo, thus making it even healthier, for those times you want to ignore the fact you're trying to make healthier a dish that is baked in a pastry crust and has 2 cups of cheese in it....oh well, at least it makes me feel better. 











I will make one on a weekend morning and reheat the leftovers on other days in the oven for 10-20 minutes on about 325-350.  In that way I can make breakfast while I'm in the shower. 

Try this quiche recipe the next time you want a great, filling breakfast.  It'd also be perfect for lunch or dinner with a salad. 

Light and Fluffy Spinach Quiche
taken from allrecipes.com, by KRISTINJONI

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with foil.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and milk until smooth. Whisk in eggs. Layer spinach, cheese, and onion in pie shell, making several layers of each. Pour in egg mixture. Place quiche on prepared cookie sheet. Cover quiche with foil.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is set.
 
Cook's Notes

• As I have said previously in the post, I have at times added mushroom, roasted red peppers, and bell peppers, and all worked great.
• I often substitute half the mayo with plain yogurt.
• I use full fat cheese.  I also usually use seriously sharp cheddar, as it's the husband's favorite.  I don't recommend mozzarella in this one.
• It is VERY important to cover the quiche with foil- much like lasagna, it will dry out if you don't!
• Watch the oven- I know that mine usually runs hot, so I bake it covered only about 35-40 min most of the time. 
• I have substituted fresh rainbow/swiss chard for the spinach in this recipe.  If you do that, make sure you cut the chard into very thin, short ribbons.  I think I used maybe 2 big leaves, so a little goes a long way.