Spring has sprung… (pt. 3)

And now, we come to the “nesting” part of my story…

(This is where my beloved electronic cutting machine comes into play.)

Since there are 3 chicks in my nest… I removed the holiday berries & left the lovely blue eggs.

The Graphics Fairy is a favorite site of mine! Her vintage images are so perfect for cards & other art projects. Today I used a piece of French sheet music. I set it up to print multiples in my Silhouette software.I printed front & back.The cutter sliced such lovely shredsfor me to weave into the nest.Precious, right?
Every nest needs a loving mama & papa…

(mini family photo shoot)

Now the nest is perched above our entrysymbolizing the love nurtured here.

Bacon Asparagus Quiche - gluten free

Our Improv Cooking Challenge for April is how to get my youngest to eat eggs! (Actually, the challenge could have been how to get the family to eat asparagus; but they love it grilled or oven-roasted in olive oil…) But, adding bacon to any dish ensures everyone will partake.

My go-to quiche crust recipe is made with oil, stirred up right in the dish, and then the pastry is pressed out & up the sides of the plate.

• 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill^® Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 t. Kosher salt
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 3-4 T. milk (or cold water)

Blend dry ingredients, then stir in the liquids. Mix until dough forms a ball, then line quiche dish.

For the filling I decided I would supplement the asparagus/bacon/egg flavor(s) with a healthy dose of green onion:

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus
• 1 bunch green onions
• 12 oz. bacon, cooked, but not too crisp
• 1-1/2 cups cream
• 6 eggs
• 1 t. Kosher salt
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lb. grated Swiss cheese

Chop the vegetables & bacon into smaller pieces. Put remaining ingredients, except for cheese, into blender. Place vegetable mixture into crust & top with cheese. Pour in the cream/egg mix. Bake @350° for 45 minutes, or until done. 

While the crust was pre-baking (@400° for 10 minutes) I lightly sautéed the bacon & veggies.After the crust came out of the oven, in went that mixture.I let it cool slightly, then topped with the cheese.Next, I pulsed the ingredients in the blender until they were yellowy-creamy…(Since the filling was so plenteous, I made a second, wheat-flour crust for the boys.) …then poured the mix over the veggies & all in the crust.The feathery asparagus tips were then arranged on top in a pattern quite artistic manner.

The quiche(s) baked for an agonizing 45 minutes (oh! the aroma!) until the center was firm.They cooled for a bit while the table was set…and then they were devoured!

 

Here are the asparagus & egg dishes my friends made:

An InLinkz Link-up