Family Stories

Okay, this is getting old. For the third time in a month and a half, I got the phone call. The one after which, I jumped in the car with my sister and met my mother in the emergency room three hours away. Usually, we get there about the same time, but this time she beat us because she got to go by helicopter. And this time was different in another way. After a couple of days, my mother was feeling better and started to act like her old self again. So, this meant her stories came out. My sister and I shared knowing looks with each one and occasionally we let the staff in on our family secrets. But sometimes, they just left the room with a puzzled look. 

We may get more puzzled looks soon because this recent adventure gave a whole new set of stories to share. We won't expect everyone to understand as we tell about the helicopter ride and the hammer toes. However, my mother, sister, and I will nod knowingly and smile as we remember.

Thankful Sunday--February 22, 2014

I am thankful I went to the theater.

Recently to combat cabin fever, Ward and I went to the local theater to see a play. The parking was easy, the production was top notch, and we didn't drive through any snow to get there. Hooray!

Spinach Quiche

There must be hundreds of recipes out there for egg and cheese combination dishes, and I've read many of them. But in my standard way of cooking, I made a quiche recently and made up my own. I used what I had on hand and a little common sense. The results were just what we wanted--an easy to make, hearty, good-for-you dish. Now it may seem strange that for someone who doesn't like to follow recipes, I usually write down what and how much I put in a dish that I don't make all of the time. That way I can make it again if it's a success. And that's what happened this time. The quiche was a nice combination of flavors without being overpowered by any one. Also, the texture was good without being too eggy or too cheesy. (I know. My husband has told me that there's no such thing as too cheesy.) I've made it a couple of times using this combination and now the recipe has gone into my files. If you'd like to give it a try or just read another recipe, here it is.

Spinach Quiche

Preheat oven to 400°F

Crust:

1 cup flour
3/4 t. salt
1/4 cold water
1/4 cup oil

Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Stir until ball forms. Press into 9" pie plate. No need to roll out, just press into place.


Filling:

3 eggs
1 cup skim milk
3 strips of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
10 oz. frozen, chopped spinach cooked and well drained

Beat eggs and milk together. Add cheese, bacon and mix. Add spinach and mix well so there are no large clumps of spinach. Pour into crust and bake for 30 minutes or until set. Enjoy!

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Feb. 21, 2014

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions. (Thanks to Jo from Simply Being Mum for sponsoring FWF this week.)

This Week's Food Waste

Lettuce

I bought a bag of lettuce before I was called out of town and it didn't survive until I got back. Disappointing, but understandable.

This Week's True Food Confessions

 We did reasonably well this week with our food management. The only thing I would have done differently was not buy the very expensive roasted brussel sprouts from the grocery store deli. They were good, but no better than what we make at home. That's what happens when you go to the store tired and hungry.

One of the highlights of the week was the spinach quiche we had. I'll post the recipe soon. Now I have to get ready for work.

Until next time...


 

Life

Image credit

This morning we had a thunderstorm and this afternoon we had a rainbow. The weather is kinda like life. While we're going through the stormy times, we need to remember that there's a rainbow out there waiting for us.