Bakin’ With Bacon for a Picnic

I’m back in the castle kitchen cookin’ up something good with bacon!

It’s a long holiday weekend here (Memorial Day) and everyone is talking about picnics and cookouts and what “transports” easily to contribute to the festivities and the food table fun.    The very first thing we think of here at the castle when WE are invited to a picnic is SOMETHING EASY WITH BACON.

SO, we’re going to give you a recipe for something that is always a hit.    QUICHE.    Yep – it’s the perfect traveler and easier to handle than sandwiches and requires no cooking “on site” – just EAT and enjoy.

The recipe I’m going to give you for this PICNIC QUICHE makes TWO pies.   You can of course cut it in half and make ONE but trust me – since this freezes so well, you can wrap the second one up in foil and microwave it when you’re ready to have it and it will be GREAT.    On the other hand, if you’re going to a picnic where there will be four or more hungry people – take both pies!!

Picnic Quiche

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. thick bacon fried

1- 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach thawed

1 – 8 oz. container sour cream

2 – 9 inch pie crusts unbaked

2 – tablespoons olive oil

1 – finely diced onion

1/2 lb. diced mushrooms

2 cups diced smoked ham

8 oz. Monterey jack shredded cheese

8 oz. cheddar shredded

4 oz. grated parmesan

8 eggs

1-1/2 cups half & half cream

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir in ham and cooked bacon. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies.
4. Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

 

You’re right about that Pooh!!

Sometimes when you go to a picnic you see people struggling to lay out a platter of things they’ve brought to share and you think “that was a lot of trouble”!    You’re thinking that while you realize how EASY it was to put your beautiful quiche all sliced and ready to eat out on the picnic table and it’s READY TO GO.    Easy for everyone to eat, and pretty darn easy to make too.    You might even have made the full recipe so you know you have another one ALLLLLL TO YOURSELVES when you get home!!

Happy Weekend – whether it be long or short………ENJOY

King of Baconia