Broccoli-Cheddar Quiches

I've been having so much fun cooking in the kitchen lately!

On Saturday, I was in the mood for a quiche for lunch/dinner and (after we got back from the ER and oral surgeon...long story, will explain later) lately cooking, and baking has brought me such peace and calmness.  It's been a joy for me to whip up yummy things, especially baking.

I wanted to make a spinach quiche, but when I looked in our freezer all I had was lots of mixed veggies, and broccoli florets, and I remembered my friend Bianca making her quiche with broccoli so I went online and found a Martha Stewart recipe...Martha used small dishes and made her quiches crustless, but I had some pie crusts in the freezer so I put all the ingredients in a pie crust...and it came out to perfection (I baked for 1 hour at 400 degrees...if you do Martha's crustless version you bake at 350 for 35-40 min).

Ingredients

• Butter, for ramekins

• Coarse salt

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets

• 6 large eggs

• 1/2 cup half-and-half

• Ground pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

• Crusty bread and mixed salad (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter four 8-ounce ramekins (or a 9-inch pie dish); set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 1 minute. Drain well; transfer to a cutting board, and blot dry with paper towels. Chop coarsely.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.

1. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle broccoli mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a mixed-green salad, if desired.

What I love about making a quiche is that it lasts forever in our house.  Because the kids are not huge fans (they will take a few bites), John and I are able to have a piece per sitting and the pie usually lasts about 3 days for us.  It's also an easy, quick heat up breakfast/lunch for John who is always on the run.

Enjoy!