Here Comes the Weekend!

If we had

a nickel for

every time

we heard the

words "TGIF"

the past few

months...

well, we

would be

filthy rich!

There is no denying times are tough out there. Listening to media news offers little consolation. There is an enormous increase in the number of people who are using Facebook and Blogs as a form of keeping connected with events in the lives of people we care about. A common theme we are seeing is a return to the ways our grandparents and great grandparents lived. Now if you ask me, this isn't all bad. Actually, it's pretty all good. Families are returning to the home garden, the home table gathered up with friends and family, and rediscovering the things that used to make life in the mid 20Th century quite heartwarming. Board games, classic books, picnics, and nature are having strong pulls on the American heart. With this in mind, there is no time like the present to bring back a family tradition of Sunday brunch. We recently made a mouth watering quiche that would be a perfect main course. Now don't panic- you're going to make the crust from scratch- and you won't believe how it will open up worlds of possibilities in your baking.

Start with a glass or metal bowl. You can use an old fashioned pastry mixer or your standard blender if you have a pastry attachment. If all else fails, you can do this even with a long tined fork! Take 1 1/4 cups flour and blend it with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add to this 1/3 cup of shortening. Blend these together with your mixer or fork until the shortening resembles little peas in the flour. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and lightly blend with a fork until the area is moist, doing this with 5 tablespoons total and moistening the entire mixture. Roll lightly into a ball and pat it somewhat flat onto a lightly floured board or counter top. Roll until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter. Don't worry if it is flaky and somewhat difficult to roll out. If possible roll the dough onto your roller and place it into a 9 inch round pie pan. Work the dough up the sides and use any overlap to fix bare areas at the rim. Line your dough with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. While the crust is baking you can prepare the filling. On a paper towel lined plate, place 6 slices uncooked bacon and about a half cup of diced onion. Lay another paper towel over the bacon and onion and place in a microwave for about 2 minutes. Check for tenderness in the onion and browning of the bacon. You can cook this for 1 more minute if the bacon appears not quite cooked. What you want is brown but not crisp- and most of the oils should catch in the toweling. Tear the bacon into small bits and set the mixture aside. In a glass bowl, lightly beat 8 eggs. Add to the eggs 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of milk. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Lightly mix in about 2 to 3 cups cooked spinach. The organic frozen spinach packages work perfectly for this as long as it is thawed. At this point, if you have a mixer out, lightly froth this mixture because it helps to incorporate the eggs thoroughly into everything else. Finally, add 2/3 cup of cheese of your choice like a mozzarella or light cheddar and 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese. Blend carefully and pour this filling into your cooling crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes until a knife inserted at center comes out clean. The quiche has the best texture if it can stand for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Use this time to dole out bowls of fresh fruit and cups of steaming hot coffee to accompany your quiche. Mouths will be watering from the aromas wafting from the oven and seconds are a sure thing. Count your blessings and know that you have served a breakfast that would make your grand parents proud!