Prosciutto, spinach and onion quiche, created by the Hangry Foodasaurus

I love using my grandma's pie pan when I make quiche!

Yummy prosciutto on top.

Looks especially delectable on a Frog Hill Pottery plate.

This is my first attempt a posting a recipe, so we'll see how it goes!

Ingredients:

-3 free range eggs

-1/2 cup plain organic yogurt

-1/2 cup organic milk

-Approximately 1 cup cheese, shredded (I usually mix a few varieties like parmesan, fontina, cheddar, gouda for example)

-Splash of extra virgin olive oil 

- 1-2 cups organic baby spinach

-1/2 large organic onion (any type) or shallot, chopped

-A few strips of prosciutto, diced and a few extra decorative slices for the top

-Black pepper, kosher sea salt to taste, chili pepper flakes for the top (you may not want a lot of salt because of the cheese and meat)

-Pre-made pie crust (you can use a frozen one or the kind that you thaw and roll out or if you're super-ambitious you can make your own!)

How to:

-Prepare pie crust in pie pan

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

-Add a little oil to small skillet and lightly brown chopped prosciutto.  Set aside.

-Saute chopped onions and baby spinach in same skillet until spinach wilted.  

-Meanwhile, beat eggs and add milk and yogurt and seasonings to egg mixture

-Shred cheeses and add most of them to the egg mixture.  Reserve some for sprinkling on top

-Add prosciutto to egg mixture

-Spread layer of spinach and onion along bottom of pie crust

-Pour egg mixture all over veggies.  It's OK if a little bit is poking out, but try to spread it around so all is covered.  Add another egg if needed depending on pan size.  Sprinkle with extra cheese, black pepper and chili flakes

-Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.  Crank up the heat to 425 degrees F

-Remove from oven and add strips of decorative prosciutto on top of the quiche

-Continue to bake another 15-20 minutes until top browns, prosciutto gets crispier and it is no longer jiggly in the center

-Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving

I love making quiche because there are so many ways to mix it up and have something uniquely different every time. 

Hanger Danger

I am sure that you are all aware that grocery shopping on an empty stomach leads to some pretty interesting (an usually unnecessary) purchases.  I am pretty sure after our trip to Whole Foods after yoga class our basket contained:

• A pint of cappuccino chocolate chunk gelato
• Teriyaki chicken wings
• Moroccan bean and vegetable stew
• Cat food, not for me =)
• Yogurt
• Apples
• Sharp Cheddar
• Green beans
• Multi-colored potatoes
• Garlic
• Two Meyer lemons

After inhaling apples and cheddar the shakes subsided.  I chased that snack with the Teriyaki chicken wings, quite tasty, and then the soup and finally a supplemental Trader Joe's white bun (who am I)?  Needless to say I wasn't feeling so great.  Originally, I was all about the gelato for dessert, but the thought of it wasn't so appealing after all the other random stuff.  This is a clear example of how hanger can distort your common sense!

How to Provoke a Hangry Foodasaurus (HF)

If you want to see a Hangry Foodasaurus in it's finest moments (and by that I mean ferocious and unpredictable) take note of following lessons:

Lesson 1) Attempting to tell jokes, make light of a situation or use humor in any of its forms is an extremely effective way to get the dragon eye look on the face of the HF.  If you are really lucky, the HF might even begin to breathe fire.

Lesson 2) Trying to have a rational conversation with the HF.  This leads to frustration and miscommunication because the HF is generally shaky, irritable and unable to think clearly.  A sure-fire way to cause everyone frustration.

Lesson 3) Giving the HF a quick fix item like a cookie or other sugary snack.  This initially seems like a great solution as it temporarily reduces hanger.  However, if not fed properly in a reasonable amount of time, this sugar high plummets into a major catastrophe thereby magnifying the hanger, shakes, dropsies and such.