In Which our Heroine....

Introduces herself, tells you what this blog is and isn't, and starts off with a quick recipe to give you a taste of what we are going for here....

So who am I? I am a 28 year old, recently married Academic Advisor, living in Northwest Arkansas. By day I work to help undergraduates get through their degrees and into their professional program. By night and on the weekends, I can frequently be found in the kitchen. I grew up in a restaurant family, and I love food (the hours of that life can kill you, though). I do a lot of different things with food, including researching food history, cooking for family, friends, neighbors, and now, my husband. As a notorious over-cooker (much to the delight of the undergrad who lived downstairs from me last year), I have been working to pair down serving sizes and limit my left overs. Which brings us to...

The point of this blog. While I am comfortable with food and cooking, a lot of people aren't anymore (I blame fast food and the death of home-ec as a required course). So once I have a recipe down to the point when it is good for two people (either as a single meal, or with leftovers for lunch the next day), I will pass it along. I'll also give tips on kitchen gadgets I find handy and what is probably superfulous on a registry, and point you to sites that help you meal plan.

So, putting my money where my mouth is, let's talk Quiche! Quiche is one of those dishes that seems to mystify people, when it's really pretty easy. A standard quiche will feed 6-8 people, depending on how big you slice it, so what you want to do is pair down. Here is my simple quiche for two recipe.

1 package of store bought tart pie shells (look in your grocer's freezer- these come in packs of 6-8)
2 eggs for every two tart shells
1/2 cup filling for every two tart shells (filling is your choice of cheese, meats or veggies...common combos are cheddar and ham for quiche Lorraine or cheddar and broccoli, but be adventurous)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Freeze any shells you don't plan to use right now in a zip-top freezer bag. In a bowl, beat your eggs together with your toppings. Consider adding a little salt and pepper, and possibly some parsley or even Italian seasoning for flavor. Pour the mixture in equal parts into your tart shells. Place the shells on a cookie sheet, and put into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the shells are golden brown and the top doesn't jiggle. Check with a tooth-pick, which should come out mostly clean. If the crust is browning too quickly, consider putting a ring of tinfoil around it.

Quiche is great served with either a soup or a simple green salad. It's also great for breakfast.

So there you have it. Recipe numero-uno. More to come shortly.