Grampy’s In the Kitchen

I like to cook.  I learned much of what I know about cooking when I was a teenager, cooking for a family of 9 people.  In those days, before the days when parents lost control and the kids took over and laid down the rules, children accepted the fact that they were expected to contribute to the functioning of home operations.  This was particularly true in my home, populated by seven children and a host of animals that served as pets.  I came home from school each day, changed out of my school clothes and into “every day clothes”, did my homework and then went to the kitchen and began making supper.  I liked cooking, not just for the sake of cooking but because I loved hearing my mother say to my siblings, “Now Tim cooked supper, so you guys clean up and do the dishes.”  I hated cleaning up and doing dishes … still do.

A old friend of mine (not that she is old … but she has been a friend for a while)  recently posted on Facebook a recipe for a Sweet Potato Crust Spinach Quiche.  It caught my eye and I tried it one night and surprised my girlfriend with it for supper.  We liked it … a lot!  I made it again a week later and added some chopped chicken breast.  Yummy!

Here’s the recipe:

Peel two medium-sized sweet potatoes and slice them cross-wise into THIN slices (I used my food processor slicer attachment).

Take a pie dish and spray it with PAM or other cooking spray.

Layer the slices of sweet potato in the pie dish, 2 or three layers deep with a single layer up along the sides of the dish.

Place in oven at 350 for 20 minutes.  This will be your crust.  (Note: when removing crust from oven, raise the temperature to 375 in preparation for baking the filled crust.

While baking the crust do the following:

Thinly slice half a medium onion and saute lightly in 1 tsp of oil and then add 1 bag of baby spinach leaves and continue to stir fry lightly until spinach leaves cook down slightly (Note: if you are going to add other ingredients  pre-cooked chicken, tuna, pre-cooked sausage etc., add them with the spinach).

Set the onion /spinach mixture aside.

Whisk together the following:

1/2 cup of milk (I actually used half and half)

1/2 tsp salt (I used Lawry’s Salt)

1/4 tsp pepper

4 medium eggs (The chicken variety)

2 additional egg whites

Spread the onion/spinach mix into the baked crust and pour the milk and egg mixture over it.

Sprinkle with about 2 ounces of crumbled Feta cheese.

Place in 375 oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to set for a few minutes before slicing and eating!  You’ll have a hard time not eating it ALL.  It’s that good!

I’m going to try it again soon with bacon when we are at Casa LuMarFin.  For a quick, easy, tasty meal I think this one gets a few gold stars from this cook!

I hope you will try it and after you serve it, please look at those who enjoyed it with a smile and say, “Now, I cooked the meal so you guys get to clean up and do the dishes!”  Let me know how it goes!

G