Bacon n' Spinach Quiche Cupcakes

 Quiche is such a versatile dish, and easy for freezing and reheating later. Great to eat for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Change up the veggies and meats and you have endless possibilities.
**Freezing instructions at the bottom of the page.**

Makes 16 cupcake sized quiche

Ingredients:

1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

1cup Swiss cheese, grated

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 10oz package of chopped spinach, thawed and drained

12 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

2 refrigerated pie crust, at room temp

1 teaspoon olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper

pinch of paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1. On medium heat; heat olive oil in a small skillet and add in onion, once it is soft and transparent add in garlic and cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and set aside.

2. To a blender, add eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and paprika, blend until eggs are beaten.

3. Using a 3in biscuit cutter or glass cut 18 circles out of the pie crust, spray cupcake tins with nonstick cooking spray and place one circle in each tin and press it down so the dough fits about a third of the way up.

4. Start layering on the fillings, add a small pinch of garlic and onion, then about 1/2 teaspoon of bacon pieces, pinch of spinach and about a teaspoon of cheese mixture to each tin. Then pour the egg and cream mixture into every tin almost to the top. 

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Quiche is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean, run a sharp knife around the edges and let cool for 2 minutes then use a small spoon to scoop out the little quiche's.

**Freezing instructions: Once they have cooled wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag and they will be good in the freezer for 3 months. Great for a quick after school/work snack or even breakfast or dinner. To reheat them straight from the freezer just preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes, they should look puffy and golden. Be careful they will be HOT. Enjoy :)**

 Pie crust.

Onion, garlic and bacon.

Spinach.

Hot out of the oven!

Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu)

Chinese BBQ Pork is such a great snack. I enjoy it both cold or hot, either way the meat is very tender and juicy the cut of meat I used was $4.74 for the two pounds and there is plenty of great things that can be made of the leftovers such as: fried rice, steamed pork buns, Vietnamese Spring rolls, egg rolls, dumplings etc.. The list just goes on and on!

You can also buy a store bought Chinese BBQ sauce but I like to make my own and freeze the extras to use as a dipping sauce for my Gyoza. Make Char Siu Bao Pork Buns.

*Ingredients can be found at your local Asian food market*

Chinese BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

3/4 cup rice cooking wine

4 teaspoons sesame oil

3/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 of a onion, cut into chunks (save the other half for later)

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 1inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons cold water

Pork Ingredients:

1 2lb boneless pork sirloin roast, cut length-wise to make two 1lb roasts

1/2 of a onion, cut into chunks

1 1inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice cooking wine

1 tablespoon sesame oil

water for boiling

Sauce Directions:

1. Mix water and cornstarch together until smooth, set aside.

2. To a medium-sized pot add; all sauce ingredients, adding the cornstarch water mixture in last. 

3. Whisk and heat to low-medium, simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon (watch it and do not let it burn on the bottom). Sauce should have thickened a good amount, remove from heat and pour through a strainer, set the sauce aside to cool.

Pork Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, to the water add; ginger, garlic, onion, crushed pepper flakes, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and lastly pork roasts. Let cook for 3 minutes.

2. Remove pork from water and pat dry with paper towels, generously baste all sides of the pork, and transfer to a roasting pan with a wire rack in the bottom. Pour 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan, this will steam the pork and prevent the sauce drippings from burning on the bottom of the pan.

3. Transfer roasting pan to oven cooking for 30-35 minutes basting every 10 minutes. The pork is done when a meat thermometer shows 155 degrees F.

4. Let rest for 15 minutes, then thinly slice and enjoy with toasted sesame seeds. Some enjoy spicy Chinese mustard and soy sauce for dipping.

Chinese BBQ Sauce ready for storing.

Pork after being boiled.

Basting the pork.

Done cooking.

Resting for 15 minutes.

 Sliced and ready to eat!

Ham & Cheese Quiche

Quiche is full of savory flavors and fluffy textures I love it for any meal. Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Dinner. Experiment with different meats, cheeses and vegetables to make your own version!

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Pinch of paprika

2 cups diced ham (sandwich meat works fine)

1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust,

1 medium onion, diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

1. In a small skillet saute onion and garlic until onion is transparent. Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender.

2. Layer the  ham, onion, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top.

3. Bake for 20 minutes remove from oven and place aluminum foil around the crust to prevent burning, place back in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the egg mixture is set or until a knife comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy!