Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Quiche

Quiche made with caramelized onions and mushroom with the flaky buttery Crust.This  is so good to have for Breakfast or for  brunch with a side drink.Makes one 9"tart.

Ingredients.
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1 large onion thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 large eggs
2 stalks of scallions chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning(optional)
1 tsp crushed pepper Flakes
1/2 cup shredded cheese(I used Pepper jack)
Salt & pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Buttery Crust:
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1 & 1/4 - cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup(1 stick)unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold water or as needed

Method:
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Making the dough & crust:
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To a mixing bowl combine the Flour ,salt and butter(cut in small cubes).

Using a pastry Blender or a fork, mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.Add cold water in 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together being careful not to over mix.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hr.

After the dough has been rested for an hr. Lightly coat or spray a 9- inch fluted tart pan with  removable bottom.Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and transfer to the pan to fit.Trim the edges and refrigerate for at least 10 mins before baking.

when its ready to bake, Preheat oven to 375 degree F .Line the Pastry with Parchment paper and fill with pie weights or Dried Beans.Bake until the crust is nice and set.Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Dried Beans as pie weights Before Baking in the oven....

After Baking in the cooling rack..

Prepare the Filling:
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In a pan add a tbsp of oil or butter or combine both.Saute onions on medium flame stirring occasionally,

Sprinkle about a tsp of salt to sweat the onions,careful not letting the onions burn.As the onions cook down,you may need to scrape the pan every few  minutes until the onions turn golden brown. At the end of the cooking de-glaze the pan with little water or broth or wine.Remove after the liquid evaporates and the mixture is dry  to cool down.

This process  takes 30 minutes to an hr for the onions to completely caramelize.After its done,let it cool completely.

Meanwhile saute the sliced mushrooms in a tbsp of oil.let it cool.keep aside.

In a bowl,whisk 2 large eggs with milk and cream.Add the seasonings,salt and pepper.

Add the cooled  sauteed mushrooms,scallions and caramelized onions.Mix the shredded cheese.Pour the combined mixture on the prepared cooled Pastry Crust and bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is golden , puffed and the center is slightly wiggly and set.remove to a wire rack and let cool for 5 -10 minutes before slicing.Enjoy!!

yields one  9' tart..

Chicken Meatball Sandwich

This is an easy to make meatball sandwich using Ground chicken mixed with dried  herbs and breadcrumbs coated with marinara sauce with melted cheese served on a toasted hoagie roll.yum yum yum!!!!

Ingredients:
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1/2 lb Ground Chicken
salt & pepper
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs(i used Italian Bread Crumbs)
1 - large egg
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp rep chili flakes
hoagie rolls
Grated or sliced pepper jack cheese

For the Marinara Sauce:
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2 cup crushed can tomatoes
1 chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken or veg stock
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
Salt & Pepper

You can serve this as  spaghetti and meatballs  or on a roll for a sandwich which is my favorite way to have them.

Preparation:
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Preheat oven 400 degree F.Line a baking sheet coated with cooking  spray.set aside.
In a bowl,combine ground chicken,egg,bread crumbs,garlic powder,dried herbs,chili flakes,Salt & pepper.Shape into a golf sized meatballs.Arrange them in a cookie sheet with 1 inch apart and a nice drizzle of  EVOO(extra-virgin olive oil).Bake 15-20 mins until cooked through.

For the sauce:
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Heat a pan with tbsp of oil.Add the chopped onions and minced garlic and saute  until onions turn soft.

Add a tsp of red chilli  flakes and 2 cups of crushed can tomatoes.Add the stock and simmer for few mintutes until sauce thickens to a desired consistency.At this point check for the seasoning and adjust to taste.

Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce coating well.place the shredded or sliced cheese on top of meatballs and cover for a minute or until the cheese is nice and melted.

Scoop meatballs with melted cheese on a buttered and toasted rolls or melt cheese under broiler.serve.

Makes about 12 meatballs.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Love having cake for Breakfast.A perfect breakfast cake to have with a cup of morning coffee or tea.This cake is loaded with  Blueberries which is my Favorite fruit packed with powerful Antioxidants.Buttermilk is used in this recipe which keeps the cake nice and super moist.The Lemon Zest adds a nice Flavor to this cake.Sugar is sprinkled on top to give a nice crunch to the cake.

recipe source:http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/
Thank you Alexandra for this recipe.

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
zest from 1 large lemon
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 Large egg at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour(set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries to keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk
1 tbsp sugar for sprinkling on top

To Make buttermilk add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk.Let stand for 5 mins.use 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.(I used a Bundt Pan but you can use any 9 inch pan)

Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour and set aside.Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add lemon zest,vanilla and egg until combined.

Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.Add the flour mixture to the batter little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk starting and ending with flour mixture.

Gently fold in the blueberries.Spread the batter evenly into the pan.

 Sprinkle batter with 1 tbsp of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Cheesecake Topped Fresh Fruits with Lemon-Honey Glaze

This is a very simple but delicious cheesecake i have ever made.This cheesecake has a Graham Cracker Crust  topped with summer fruits and glazed with lemon honey syrup.yum!!

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1-cup Crushed Graham Crackers or Vanilla Wafers
1-tbsp sugar
4 tbsp melted butter

For cheesecake filling:
2-8 oz Cream Cheese(room temp)
2/3 Cup sugar
2 Large eggs(room temp)
1 tsp Pure vanilla Extract
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Garnish or Topping:
Fresh seasonal Fruits

Glaze:
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp lemon juice

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Lightly spray the bottom and the sides of your spring form pan,Keep aside.
In a bowl ,mix the Graham Cracker Crumbs with sugar and melted butter until all the crumbs are moistened.Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of your pan.Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until set.Remove from oven and place on wire rack  to cool.

Cheesecake filling:
In a Bowl of your stand or hand-mixer, beat the cream cheese,sugar and salt until creamy and smooth.Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.Then add the extract,zest and sour cream until combined.Pour the filling over the cooled Crust.Bake for about 55 mins or until the center is almost set.Loosen cake from rim of the pan and cool before removing from rim.Refrigerate for couple of hours after its completely cooled down.Garnish with fresh fruits.
Mix  1/2 tsp of lemon juice with warm honey and gently brush the top of  fruits for a glaze.Enjoy