Auntie Lou's Quiche Lorraine

Auntie Lou's Quiche Lorraine

Dad and I are on a plane flying to Washington DC.  It has been a busy week for me, we did vision and hearing screening for the entire school.  I haven’t had much time to reflect on the wonderful visit we just had with Auntie Lou, so I am really grateful for this 1 ½ hour flight to look back on her visit. 

Lou called just a few weeks ago and asked if she could come to visit.  What a wonderful surprise!   We had thought we would get to see Auntie Lou and Uncle Chuck at Stefanie and Chad’s wedding in December. But then came the exciting news that Kate and Phil were having a baby in November! The Largents wouldn’t make it to the wedding after all.  I’ll admit that while I was really excited for the entire Largent family, I was feeling a bit sad that I wouldn’t get to see my sister/friend Lou!  So it was a special gift to have Lou visit for almost a week of walking and talking and shopping and talking and eating and talking and hot tubbing and talking.  As a bonus, it was a really great recharge for me that after 6 weeks in my boot cast I got it off just in time to enjoy her visit!  (Let’s ignore that fact that the boot is back, maybe it will  just go away.)

I am so lucky to have a sister-in-law that I enjoy being with as much as your Auntie Lou!  Plus, she is married to a really great guy that we all love!  I look forward to any visits we get together, and hopefully we will all have a great spring break together in Washington State! 

While Lou was here she made some really great “breakfast burritos” that the guys loved.  They were filled with scrambled eggs, sauteed peppers and onions, bacon and cheese, topped with salsa. I need to ask her to be a guest author sometime so you can have her recipe! 

All this egg talk got me thinking about growing up on the farm. We raised chickens.  Aunt Shirley and I had the job of feeding the chickens and gathering the eggs.  It was mostly a fun job.  But every now and then there would be a chicken that would scare us.  I remember a rooster who we tried to avoid.  He was missing part of his waddle, the floppy red tabs that hang down under a rooster’s beak.  He only had 1 tab instead of  2. This made him easier to pick out in a crowd of chickens.  Plus, he was an angry bird! He always saw us coming and tried to chase us off, pecking at us if we got close enough.  One time he chased us all around the barnyard.  What a sight, two little girls screaming and running from a rooster with a defective waddle! 

I have never been a lover of some egg dishes, for instance I’ll pass on fried and scrambled. But I do enjoy a good quiche!  Auntie Lou gave me a great basic recipe years ago and I have stuck with it, making changes depending on what we have on hand. I baked this quiche for Ty to enjoy while we are away, except I used cheddar instead of Swiss cheese.  It is so versatile, it’s great served hot or cold and can just as easily be toted in a lunch bag or served for brunch.  Hope you enjoy making some quiche and thinking of your sweet Auntie!

Quiche Lorraine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 deep dish (9”) pie shell (I buy the frozen crust which comes in a pan or refrigerated Pillsbury crust which you put in your own pan)

½ lb bacon- fried and crumbled (*see note below for baked bacon)

½ lb cheese, shredded

Egg batter:

4-5 eggs

1 ½ cups milk or 1 cup buttermilk + ½ cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Layer the cheese and bacon into the pie crust filled pan.  Mix the batter well in a medium bowl and pour over cheese in pie pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.

Thanks Lou, we love you!  See you in March!!!

* Try baking your bacon!  It is less messy and your oven will be hot and ready for your quiche.  
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (some people skip the preheat).  
Line a large pan with tin foil, like a cookie sheet with sides,  be sure to cover the sides.  Lay the bacon strips on the foil, they can touch or overlap a tiny bit.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until desired doneness, check often near the end.  Remove bacon from pan when done and throw away foil.  You may need to adjust time or temp with very thick or thin bacon. Super easy!