Brussels Sprout and Bacon Quiche

Brussels sprout and bacon quiche with Poteet strawberries

Sprouts: Johnson's Backyard Garden

Bacon: Dai Due

Eggs: Windy Hill Farm

Strawberries: Oak Hill Farm 

One of the best things about farmers' market shopping is the hodge podge of meals you get when you try to keep things seasonal. For example, this bacon and brussels sprout quiche with strawberries from Poteet, TX.

I'm not big on structure in the kitchen. You'll notice that I rarely post original recipes, and when I do they sound like this: Throw in some of this, if you want, or some of that, maybe, but if you don't have that, it's okay, here's a good substitute, or just do whatever you like . . .

So spring and summer eating comes naturally to me with its free-for-all, eat it now while it's super fresh and perfectly ripe bounty. These are the seasons when you can make whole meals out of chard, peas, strawberries, watermelons, sweet corn, or peaches. I love the warm and earthy flavors of autumn and winter, but boy am I looking forward to eating lots of sun-kissed produce over the coming months. Maybe even some from my own garden. *fingers crossed*

I find that quiche is a terrific spring/summer dish that goes well with just about any type of fruit or vegetable. Whether you have collard greens, spinach, onions, carrots, peppers, or any number of other things, quiche is a great way to use up leftover vegetables, meats, and cheeses. I always keep a disc of my favorite short crust prepared in the freezer. Then, when I can't decide what to make, I let it defrost and throw a quick quiche together.

Just mix eggs (number depending on the size of your pie or tart pan) and precooked meats, vegetables, and cheeses with a dash of milk and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, pour into your pie pan and bake at 350-375 for about 45 minutes.

And the best thing about quiche is that it's just as good, or even better, cold, so it's perfect for warm weather. Enjoy!

Related post: Bruschetta

New York Pretzels

New York Pretzels

Inspired by the opening of Easy Tiger down the street, I decided to try my hand at pretzel making, and I started with a New York style pretzel recipe, which requires parboiling, like a bagel, rather than the popular baking soda bath method. I'll try the baking soda method, too, but I'm glad I started here. (By the way, Easy Tiger let me know that their pretzels are dipped in lye.)

No, my pretzels aren't as beautiful as the shiny, deeply browned ones at Easy Tiger, but they were shockingly good, with a satisfying, crackly crust and chewy, pillowy insides. For my first time making pretzels, I was pleased and impressed.

New York Pretzels ready for their water bath

Since I didn't want to make eight pretzels, in case of failure, I halved this recipe, and that worked well. I used King Arthur Bread Flour and mixed the dough for 8 minutes on low in my KitchenAid standing mixer.

I highly recommend enjoying these with beer. Shiner's great Wild Hare Pale Ale will turn homemade pretzels into something like a miracle. As will Fredericksburg Farms' Texas Sweet Jalapeño Mustard.

Now I just need to tackle homemade sauerkraut, and I'll never have a reason to leave the house. Enjoy!

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale

Florentine Cookies

Florentine Cookies

I didn't get a great photo of these, and my chocolate drizzling skills let me down a bit, BUT these cookies taste amazing. Anything with orange zest gets two thumbs up in my book, and I threw in some extra zest for good measure. I also added some dried cranberries for fruity, chewy goodness. I think these are perfectly lovely, and maybe even better, without the drizzled chocolate, but they're certainly prettier with it.

Get the recipe here, and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies

Nothing says Autumn quite like oatmeal cookies, and I love how well they adapt to variation. All you have to do is find a decent basic recipe, use it as a blank canvas, and let your imagination run wild.

I like this recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, though I usually omit the chocolate chips. I also use dried cranberries quite often in place of raisins, and I prefer pecans to chopped walnuts. I add a few big dashes of cinnamon, sometimes cloves or nutmeg, too, and I like to use Mexican Vanilla with its cinnamony flavor.

Now that I've tried my friend Meredith's oatmeal cookies, I'm not going to be shy about incorporting butterscotch chips into my rotation. They are excellent paired with the oatmeal.

It's funny that I love this recipe, since I'm not that crazy about chewy cookies. So, obviously, I bake mine longer to get them a little crispy. Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.