EASY BASIC QUICHE: FAST PREP & DELICIOUS

I used to think quiches were a little bit complicated and kind of a pain to put together. Not anymore! Making a basic quiche this way is one of the most forgiving, easiest dishes to throw together.

The most time consuming part is cooking the bacon, if you'd like bacon in the first place. I normally pair this quiche with BLT's for dinner, so yes, bacon is a must. I made this last week in the early afternoon since we had to be at baseball play-offs and the dance recital by 5pm. It's a great make-ahead dish. Slice some tomatoes, shred some lettuce, and toast some bread for the BLT's, and you've got dinner ready in less than five minutes.

I stopped measuring the ingredients years ago, but I'll give you some to refer to, and you can easily make adjustments based on what you like or don't like.

What You'll Need:

4 large eggs

3/4 cup half and half, light cream, or whole milk (or a combination of these)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese

4-5 whole mushrooms, chopped

fresh baby spinach, chopped (thaw first if using frozen)

1/4 medium onion, chopped 

4 slices bacon

salt and pepper to taste

nutmeg, optional

pastry crust*

*I rarely make my own for this recipe, and get a 2-pack deep dish frozen crust

What You'll Do:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

• Whisk together eggs, milk or cream, add salt & pepper; set aside

• Layer cheeses, vegetables & bacon on bottom of pastry crust- this way makes all the difference! No messy, clumpy mixtures to contend with. Carefully pour egg mixture over all, and ingredients magically "float" to the top and throughout; sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

• Bake for about 40 minutes or until eggs look set and crust begins to brown. Lots of time, I end up turning the oven off and simply leaving the quiches in for a while. This is a very forgiving dish!

Serve warm or cool- cold leftovers are great the next day, too, though in this family...not so many leftovers. ;)

I know these photos aren't the greatest, but the day I made these was particularly hectic so I was in rush rush rush mode. Thankfully, that is the exception and not the norm around here!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: BIRTHDAYS, BASEBALL & BALLET

Fridays always feel sooooo good! This is the last Friday of the school year for a couple of my kiddos...on the home stretch now! Today I'm joining in the fun with Friday Favorites with Erika, Narci and Andrea . Hello if you're visiting for the first time!  =)

Here are my current favorites:

#1 - BIRTHDAYS
I love spending time alone with my husband. We're busy parents just like everybody else, but this year we seem to really be feeling it. Must be getting old! So I planned a little getaway for my birthday man and me up to the coast of Maine. It was fabulous!

First we stopped in a little town called Dover, NH, near Portsmouth, and walked all around. Which, by the way, is SO fun when you are alone and can do whatever you want. Just saying.  =) Then we enjoyed a picnic lunch in a park by the river.

Those kids you see in the background...we watched them pick our wrappers out of the trash and eat the crumbs and such. They ate it. No, I mean, they ATE it. Clearly I cannot wrap my head around this, because they were obviously not in dire need of food or money- it costs a fortune to look all vagabond and artsy like that! Is it just a phase? I sure hope so.

I was really happy with the balcony off our room- so pretty!

Hmm, someone looks just a bit giddy in this photo!

Then we headed up to Perkins Cove and walked along the Marginal Way. It was a picture perfect day! Sunshine, ocean and roses- it just doesn't get any better than that. Then of course my stomach doubled up and I needed to find a bathroom asap. Lovely, right? Thankfully everything settled after a little while relaxing back at the inn, and then we enjoyed rustic garden pizza on a heated deck, which was so awesome I can't even begin to describe it. The deck, not the pizza- that was good, not great. The raspberry chocolate torte? Now that was great! 

 Oops! My handsome man right there on the day before the big day!

 That's better.

I told Bill I got us matching Corvettes for his birthday. Wouldn't you know he didn't even believe me! I'm telling you, it took every ounce of restraint in me not to hop into the seat of that car! I think my man would have just kept on walking and pretended not to know the crazy lady being whisked off to jail.

On Monday, my husband's actual birthday, we lingered at the inn. It just felt so, so good not to be up and at 'em by 4:40 am, not listening to bickering, not having to make breakfast, pack anything... just be! We headed back down the coast into NH and strolled along the sea, one of our favorite things to do.

And then we rushed home because Caleb had a play-off game and Isabelle had a dress rehearsal. At the same time, of course, ha!

#2 - BASEBALL
I just looooove heading to the field and watching this boy of mine play ball. What a great season! I'm really thankful for supportive and encouraging coaches, unlike last year-what a difference a good coach makes.

This was at the baseball parade last weekend...each child's name is announced and then the teams run out onto the field. They have the older kids out there first so they can high five the younger ones running by. It is just about the cutest thing ever.

Posing with me after the parade...and some of my favorite pics of this season...
(I haven't been sleeping well lately, not that it shows or anything. Maybe I should start wearing make-up!)

We finally made it to the game! Obviously Isabelle was relieved because she was just so eager to watch yet another baseball game. HA Love that all our kiddos are such readers.

She isn't sleeping here, but she sure was tuckered out. Good thing Daddy's got strong arms and a cuddly neck.  =)

Here's a quick pic of dress rehearsal. It was crazy loud. Well, it was just plain crazy. She did such a good job! Sunday is the big day!

 

Caleb's team won the first Playoff game 12-1 but came in second for the last game (4-1). What an accomplishment! So proud of earning another trophy!

#3 - BREAKFAST FOODS
And right now, I'm loving that this coffee cake is in the oven- it makes your house smell so yummy while it bakes! We're bringing it in for a little breakfast party that Isabelle's class is having this morning.  =)

Crumb Coffee Cake

#4 - MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE (and pancakes!)

Some friends and I are challenging ourselves to memorize Romans 8 over the summer. It feels like a huge undertaking but I'm so glad we're doing it. One of my friends even created a facebook group for us so we can encourage one another- love that!

#5 - FRESH HERBS, FLOWERS, & PLANTS

Cooking with fresh herbs is the best! I've also got lots of sprouts coming up in the different garden beds that I'm super excited about. Now if I can just keep them alive, and keep critters out...

I'm not actually labeling this a favorite anything, but it sure made me laugh. Or cry. Ethan snapped this while I was driving... someone... to school. Normally our bed is made by the time I leave for the first school drop off, but I guess I was running a bit late here. Ha Ha I'm guessing from the looks of it, I must have tossed off that nightgown in an awful hurry, but Ryder doesn't seem to mind. Apparently the person with whom I share a room has a serious aversion to neat piles of books and closing the drawer. Notice I'm not sharing my side, so I probably shouldn't be complaining too much! Rough life, Ryder!

One last thing: as I was writing about our weekend getaway, I realized that I was complaining about some of those menial tasks we mothers have to do, and I know that some of you would give anything in this whole world to experience some of those menial things. While taking a break from being on-call as a Mom is nice, I understand that there are so many women who just long to be mothers, and I would never want to minimize your heartache by complaining. I know I am privileged to be a mother and even take it for granted sometimes. If you're new here, please know that I am no stranger to loss- biological or adoptive- and I understand that pain. You can read about our adoption journey in the posts labeled "adoption."

May the word of God fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

I don't have answers or reasons why things happen and why they don't, but I do fully trust the One who does have the answers. I hope these verses speak to you as they have to me because I'm hurting, too. I hope you have a really great weekend no matter what you've got going on.

BIRTHDAY PLANS & BUSY DAYS

Goodness. I love my children more than my own life, but SOMETIMES I just want to crawl under the covers, a rock- it doesn't really matter-, and simply be left alone. Just be. You know? So of course, today, on a day when I've got a million and a half things going on, is the day to pick fights and be underfoot and squabble and and and... I don't have the mental reserves for this right now, ha! I'm super excited because my husband and I are going away overnight tomorrow for his birthday. Oh wait. I do get to hide after all! But first I've got to make it through today!

Before we get too much farther into June, I thought I'd post these cute pictures from Memorial Day and last week. I just made Isabelle the most gorgeous maxi dress with an eyelet bodice, so I'll be sharing a tutorial on that, as well as working with eyelet lace. Please don't die of anticipation, alrighty? She wore it to her school concert, and by the way, this year she did not chat incessantly in between songs, making this rule-keeping Mama very happy. =)

Okay, here are the pictures. Hope you're having a great day! Twenty four hours from now, I will be smiling, relaxing, swimming(?), reading, basically doing whatever the heck we feel like without whining or interruptions from the peanut gallery. Oh gosh, that sounds heavenly.

Memorial Day festivities...

Please look at how cute this boy is and do not look at how dirty that mirror is. M'kay? I wish I could say that this was a "play" shave. But it was not. Growing up so fast.

Slumming it in the bowels of the bridge.
Seek the Joy. I'm not a fan of graffiti, and this isn't particularly artsy or anything, but the message is a good one.

I snapped some pictures of Isabelle at ballet practice- we watch on a monitor- for her Daddy to see. I don't think she loves it as much as gymnastics, but she is very good. Big recital coming up this week!

Waiting for slugger-boy at practice...and starting my first Lian Moriarty novel. Which I've had to put on hold because I'm reading two others right now and cannot handle adding a third to the mix. There was a big baseball parade this morning, and then play-offs Monday. He had such a fantastic season! I'm very thankful.

I shared this on instagram last week. Bill and I had this whole fun date night planned while the boys were off doing other things, and well, Isabelle goes to bed early. Things were soured quickly. Someone was pitching fits left and right and basically rained on our happy little date parade. Boo. But thank goodness for new starts and forgiveness and grace. This was us on our way into church the next morning.

I was gardening and looked up and thought this was so lovely. The oak leaves are the last to open, and the colors looked so beautiful.

She has the world's best big brothers. She has no idea how blessed she is, yet anyway.

This is what happens when you try for a me-and-the-mister selfie. Goons.

I know Texas has had too much rain, but we were severely parched until one evening when the storm clouds rolled in. I just love curtains blowing in the wind.

Here are nightgowns for twins that a customer requested to resemble Sofia the First's nightie...I thought they turned out so cute. I sure hope she likes them!

Wish me luck for tomorrow! Oh! And here is the "cake" that the birthday man requested...so, so GOOD!

 Easy No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

You're welcome.  ;)

ISABELLE'S PRETTY SUMMER BEDROOM

I meant to share these pictures last month, but the month sort of got away from me. Funny how they've all been doing that lately. And now we're into June... I can't even believe it!

I've never written about Isabelle's bedroom here because it isn't particularly noteworthy. It's a lovely room where our lovely girl sleeps and plays, so that makes it just perfect to me.

Isabelle loves to read, but the book situation quickly gets out of control. I'm seeing if this little basket book caddy beside her bed will help- it's just for library books, but she loads it up with any kind of book, totally defeating the purpose, ha.

It was a happy, happy day when I flung open the window, removed the "winter" bedding, and put on this sweet quilt for the summer months. A little background story about the quilt: when we were expecting Isabelle, I saw that quilt at TJMaxx and told myself that if/when we got out of the Guatemalan court system, then I would come back and buy it up. But that day didn't come, at least not that summer. I have since forgotten some of the angst we went through financially (certainly not the emotional angst!), but we were pinching our pennies fiercely as adoption costs rose higher and higher, and to buy the quilt would have been frivolous, I thought.

Fast forward not one but two years. I had been looking for that very quilt and had all but given up. But...out of the blue one day, I saw it, sitting all alone on the shelf, only this time, my beautiful baby girl was HOME. I snatched up that quilt faster than anything I've ever done in my life, and would not have been above fighting the poor soul who might try to get to it first. Such a small thing, but then, not at the same time. I believe that is one of the many ways in which God lavishes His love on us, delighting with us over the details, whether huge or seemingly small.

I fought the temptation to make everything in here picture perfect because, well, that is simply not a reflection of her bedroom. We are working on the tidy issue, though.  ;)

The doors on the closet may return someday as well, but for now, things are so much simpler and easier without them. I'm currently undecided about adding some drapes or curtains...we'll see...

For the longest time, the top part of her walls remained unpainted and was a weird cream color. When I removed the border, there was an awful residue left on the walls that I couldn't paint over, and I could not get it off- I'm wondering if they used some other adhesive for the border, maybe? Well, I was going to try and paint it about a year after we moved in and realized that we didn't have any more of the pink paint, and I was worried that even if we did, the colors wouldn't match up exactly after that long had passed. So we went for an accent border and I really love it. The texture is still funky but at least the paint adhered to it this time. Poor girl...she only had to wait a year and a half for me to finally finish that project.

The position of the bed is also different now, hence the awkwardly placed cross and picture. We're discussing what might go up on the walls instead. Such a big girl now!

These animals and blankets are so special to us. My Mom made the pink dress on the huge teddy bear, as well as the blankets. The bunny, known as princesa, traveled down to Guatemala and was with Isabelle that whole last year while we waited and waited to bring her home- we went to Build-a-Bear to make something special, and the boys chose the bunny, and then we recorded each of our voices saying Hello and We love you into a sound device they inserted right into the bunny's foot. Isabelle's foster family showed her how to press the button to hear us talk to her, and they said she smiled and giggled every time she listened. That bunny is the only thing that she came back to us with (of all the things we'd given her), so it is a very special keepsake. The pink elephant was a baby shower gift- I just couldn't believe that I was going to be a Mommy to a girl!

Guatemalan treasures-

I made this during the wait as well. Instead of including her weight and height, I added the date that we first laid eyes on her and KNEW that she was our baby girl. What a night that was!

Gotta love the dollar store! They shine under the light and look so pretty.

Recycled from her birthday party- you can read about her Frozen-inspired party HERE.

We are down to the final two weeks of school until summer! We'll enjoy a nice big break of nothing but fun stuff, but then I'm pulling out some books and we'll be working on some classwork. Idle time in our family is just not a friend, so it's better that I keep their bodies and minds engaged more than not. Maybe one day they'll learn the art of simply doing nothing for a time...but that day has definitely not yet arrived!  =)